I wanted so badly to love The New Girl. The premise of this book had me hooked… but, sadly, it fell flat for me. I feel as though the summary for this book gives MAJOR spoilers. I was able to guess the “twist” at the end after about the first four chapters, which was a bummer.

The pacing made parts of this book feel forced. The beginning was slow, leaving the middle and end to feel rushed. The major events happen all at once and leave me with so many questions by the time the last page rolls around. I felt like the author could have better set up the pacing in order to really sell the big twist and shock readers.

Something I loved about The New Girl was Lia’s inner dialogue! Hearing about her love for her Chinese-Indonesian cultural identity was the best part of this book. Hearing her talk herself through every situation made me enjoy the story more because, in my opinion, Lia is a likable character. She’s just a teen that has found herself in, truly, a series of unfortunate events.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire, the author, and NetGalley for the free gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

Publishing Date: February 1, 2022

I first picked this book up because I read Dial A for Aunties last year and absolutely loved Jesse’s writing style, and I was not disappointed with The New Girl. The New Girl is a YA thriller/mystery that has bits of drama and romance throughout. I was immediately pulled in by the rich kid boarding school drama.

If you were a fan of Gossip Girl in high school then you will enjoy this book that entails complete unrealistic lives of high schoolers involving drugs, murder, money, and more. This was a fast-paced mystery with new antics happening every day it was hard to keep them all straight but I absolutely devoured this one.

On a track scholarship, Lia Setiawan arrives at Draycott Academy, one of the most prestigious schools around. She didn't fit in at her old school so fitting in here was her number one goal, only the inside isn't as nice as it seems.

When she first enters the school, Lia witnesses a girl being carried away. Later, she realizes she was the replacement for the girl. The deeper she dives into the school, the more secrets that seem to be hidden.

The book was a little dramatic in my opinion. However, because of this, it was so much fun to read. Parts of it also felt as if it could happen in real life like the struggles both Lia and Danny face with their Asian parents who expect so much from them.

Overall, The New Girl was an interesting story to read. I could feel the tension of the plot and it captivated me to keep reading until the end. Can't wait to read other books by the author!

Review posted closer to publication date!

**Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS fire for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changed my rating**

I read Jesse Q. Sutanto's Dial A for Aunties earlier this year and loved it, so when I saw she had a new YA book, I was very eager to read it. I'm so glad I was given the opportunity because I enjoyed this one a lot!

The book follows Lia Setiawan, a new student at Draycott Academy on a track scholarship. Lia's running is so great that she knocks the queen bee off of the varsity team, causing the other girl to get revenge through sabotaging Lia's grades. I don't want to say too much because I don't want to give anything away, but this book is jam-packed with action and sneaking around. It has a lot of dark academia vibes to it. Everyone at Draycott has secrets and the question is how far they're willing to go to keep them a secret.

I saw some reviews say this was "predictable." I don't agree with that analysis. I've been reading this genre for about a year now (so by all means, still new) BUT I felt like Sutanto gave us quite a few characters that could plausibly be behind certain aspects of the book that I wasn't able to guess all of the twists. So make of that what you will, but I think it was sufficient for most Thriller/Suspense readers. I liked a lot of the characters. I think Sutanto did a nice job with making the setting diverse and with creating a sympathetic protagonist. She's able to tackle some real world issues (specifically racism and classism) in her YA murder book that I felt were handled well.

I would like to address that obviously not every book will be everyone's cup of tea and reading is a deeply personal and subjective thing, but I always kind of question when I start seeing 2 and 3 star reviews on a BIPOC author's books where people start saying they "don't relate" to aspects, whether that's cultural or, in this case, the idea that rich children existing is somehow "unbelievable". We just had a news cycle not that long ago about parents paying to pretend their children were athletes to take spots at top schools, paying to have someone take the SAT for their child, etc. to ensure they got into Ivy League schools. There are kids all over TikTok and YouTube flexing cars and boats and other things their parents bought them. I work at a (public!) school where many of the kids have upper middle class money (not nearly as much as these characters) and they still go to Paris or St. Thomas or other expensive locations for school breaks and flex their electronics. It is not unbelievable that a private school with a $60k a year price tag would have kids with personal jets or yachts at it. They do exist and that's an annoyance, but it's not some farfetched and outlandish thing like some reviews are trying to make it. I really wish people would stop lowballing authors for things that are easily verifiable. Again, we're all entitled to our opinion, but when that opinion is demonstrably untrue, then it's just being biased and unwilling to check if your background knowledge is true or up to date.

Overall, I think the book is worth your time. It's melodramatic at times, but most teen mysteries are and the setting and characters are fun.

4/5 stars

Lia Setiawan, a Chinese-Indonesian students and track runner, gets a scholarship to the prestigious Draycott Academy. As the new student and a scholar in a group of rich kids, she is immediately singled out and talked about “annonymously” on the school’s gossip site. She starts to struggle with balancing her academic, athletic, and personal life while also discovering that the academy has a few big problems.

This book is full of twists and turns that make the book seem a bit too crazy but also a bit of expected parts. But it was also fun and exactly what I was looking for in this book. Aside from murder, the book focused on real-world topics like racism, bullying, corruption, the effect of money on people, etc.

I am a big fan of Jesse Q. Sutanto and so I was willing to give up an arm and a leg for this book. It definitely did not disappoint. If you are looking for Dial A for Aunties but make it rich kids and school, read this.

I’l be posting a full review on my blog soon.

Lia Setiawan has never really fit in at her old school and this proves to be even more the case at her new one, after she receives a full scholarship to the prestigious and wealthy Draycott Academy. She is singled out by the school's online gossip app but her secrets aren't the only ones revealed there and Lia quickly learns that new rumours fly during every new school day. Staying under the radar is her main objective, but this proves difficult when the popular girl is her track rival and impossible when she can't seem to manage to juggle her academic and athletic responsibilities. As Lia begins to spiral she starts to discover that life at the Academy isn't all she anticipated and that something sinister might be lurking behind the picture-perfect façade.

Was this story a little overly-dramatic? Yes. But did it prove a fun and bloody read? Also, yes. Parts of this were eye-roll worthy ridiculous but, for the most part, it tackled difficult real-world topics with an intensity I enjoyed reading. I did guess one of the final reveals but that did not halt any prior immersion in the story-line or my desire to see Lia prevail in her seemingly never-ending fight for justice and equality.

THE NEW GIRL should come with a "fasten your seatbelt" sign, because every time I thought I knew what was happening, I got thrown for a loop. Yes, I should have expected this from a Jesse Q. Sutanto novel but ***WOWZA*** did I get caught by surprise several times!

This book is about classism, racism, bullying, and injustice from even the people that are supposed to protect us. It's about money and power - what those who have it will do to get more, and what those that don't will do for just a taste of it. It's about the shifting nature of friendships, especially when you're a teenager and your mortal enemy can become your bestie (or vice versa) at the drop of a hat. It's about competition and privilege and everything in between.

Fair warning: I'm not the intended audience for this book. I'm not a big YA reader. But I am a big fan of Jesse Q. Sutanto so I I picked up THE NEW GIRL and absolutely loved it. If you're on the fence, I HIGHLY recommend giving this book a shot

This was suspenseful. I was a little thrown off by the pacing. The inciting incident didn't occur until chapter 11, I felt that was a little late. Once this happened, the books pace picked up. Many character were unlikable. Main protagonist was an anti-hero and I wanted to root for her more. She did have a lot of depth as a character so I appreciated that about her. I wasn't a fan of the twist in the end.

Lia has just started at Draycott Academy on an athletic scholarship. But this puts her at odds with the rest of the girls on the track team, who set out to get off the team and out of Draycott Academy. Despite this, Lia meets the handsome and charming Danny and they bond over their shared heritage. But not all at Draycott Academy is all that it seems, and neither are Lia's new friends. From a corrupt teacher, who just to make matters worse, turns out to be Danny's Uncle, to outright plots to get her kicked out of the school, Lia finds herself put in situations that force her to lie, cheat and, ultimately, kill.

This book is non-stop and full of crazy twists and turns, At times it seems a little too rushed and a little too crazy but it all comes together in the end,

Lia surprises herself by what she is prepared to do to save her dreams and herself. Her fight for survival causes her to lie, cheat and kill and ultimately everyone's true character is revealed.

If you love your YA thrillers with a touch of crazy, then this is the book for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire to the review copy of this book for my honest review.

It pains me to say that I did not really enjoy this one, especially compared to The Obsession. While The Obsession was a good bit of unhinged fun, The New Girl just felt like a jumbled mess most of the time. I felt like the plot and pacing was all over the place, and there were a couple of plotholes and inconsistencies that really bothered me. I also feel like Lia as our only POV is just not as captivating as the Logan/Delilah combo that we got in the first book. One last complaint before I get to the positives - I don't know if it was the pop culture references, the choice of slang, or the whole mean girls storyline, but this book felt kind of dated in a way that The Obsession did not. I've read both of Sutanto's other books, and I have to say, the writing here is the weakest by far, and I have to wonder if this book was actually written before The Obsession and just published afterwards.

Aside from all the negatives though, I did really like the incorporation of Chinese-Indonesian culture here (Sutanto generally tends to excel at the cultural aspects of her books so this doesn't surprise me). In particular, I really enjoyed the discussions surrounding racism within Asian communities, as well as the way the extreme pressure put on many Asian children to excel in school negatively impacts them.

All in all, I would say that this is an okay companion novel to The Obsession, but I honestly would just recommend reading book 1 as a standalone.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for letting me have this eARC! I'm so grateful.

The New Girl is a novel that follows Lia, a Chinese-Indonesian student who joins Draycott Academy on a scholarship determined to prove herself. But things aren't all they seem, and Lia struggles to work out who she can trust...

This book hit the spot in some areas, but missed the mark on others. Firstly, I would like to thank the author for the representation in this book. While I am not Indonesian or Chinese myself, I have lived in Indonesia and China before and I thought the representation was good. The integration of Indonesian culture into this was amazing.

The book was at times a little too fast — I thought the ending was a little rushed and so was the romance, but I enjoyed the characterisation of the protagonist and others — Danny, Stacey, more. This was an easy book to get into and even though the Netgalley PDF was 500+ pages I read it all in one sitting and enjoyed it!

I thought at times the book could be a little unrealistic — so much so that it took me out of the story a little; like when the rich kids were so blatantly rich, however that didn't have much bearing on the novel and only occurred a few times.

I do think that one of the characters could have been used a bit more in the book — Sophie Tanaka — but I loved what the author did with the other characters, and the secrets that were uncovered throughout the story.

Overall, this book was a good read. The author writes very well, and Lia's voice was extremely consistent. The plot didn't stop moving and the characters were dynamic. Thank you so much Netgalley + Sourcebook Fire + Jesse Q. Sutanto for the eARC of this book. I really really enjoyed it!

Lia is given an athletic scholarship to a prestigious boarding school, during her first day at the school a girl is taken away by security, concerning Lia. After this big first day the story jumps into rather typical story of Lia trying to fit in at her new school with some bullying as the new girl who is from a different background than her affluential classmates.

I really enjoyed this authors other work, but unfortunately this one let me down. The plot was very back loaded. So little happens in the first 3/4 that time jumps so quickly it makes it very difficult to keep track of how much time has passed and then the last portion a detailed mystery plays out. I would have loved to see more focus on the mystery dropped in more through the start of the book and less focus on day to day school life.

This had promise, but by page 40 the word ****blocker had been used twice and I was not comfortable with this in a teen novel. I did not continue reading it.

I really liked this one! I thought the authors name sounded familiar and turns out I have read their book The Obsession. If i remember how I liked that one correctly, I would say this is a huge improvement! Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A fantastic read which is definitely one we will be getting in our student library.

Excellent characterisation, and a fast moving plot. Brilliant.

Lia Setiawan feels out of place at the prestigious Draycott Academy since she's on a track scholarship whereas many of the students come from rich families who can afford to be there without one.

The New Girl is certainly a fun read, but the synopsis more or less gives everything away, so at certain points in the story, you know what's gonna happen next. Nevertheless, I breezed through the book; it was pretty entertaining, and *somewhat* balanced between Lia's struggle with fitting in at school, dealing with the racism from her boyfriend's parents, some fun and humour and the thrilling tension that comes after a jarring event.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 rounded down

3.5 stars rounded down

After reading Dial A for Aunties and then The Obsession, I was so excited to read The New Girl. This book was in every way just as thrilling as The Obsession. Rather than huge plot twists, there were a lot of small twists and turns that kept this engaging and on the edge of my seat.

I loved how Lia talks about her heritage, her disdain at the rich kids wasting money, and her friendship with Stacey.

However, I totally forgot the summary of the book before I started reading the ARC and taking a look back now, the summary gives absolutely <i>everything</i> away (imo).

Even with the summary giving everything away, I think there was something missing from The New Girl. I can’t quite put my finger on it just now, but I’ll come back with an update when I do.

UPDATE: It was the pacing. I couldn't figure it out until I read another review but yes, for sure the pacing. It starts off quite slow but the middle and end is very fast and almost rushed.

Can relate to Lia in a lot of ways. She is the new girl and things went south pretty fast. No one seems to be around her corner, and even if they seems to be, she couldn't actually trust them...
Adore the fast pace and gripping storytelling! Reminds me of Indonesiaan teenlit novels I used to read back in high school. Read it in one sitting and have a great time! My only little setback is some parts are a bit "all over the place" like I'm not sure one detail is important, but at the same time other detail is needed but not mentioned.
But overall, a nice read! looking forward to read Dial A for Aunties also by Sutanto :))

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The New Girl by Jesse Q. Sutanto.

Lia Setiawan is so excited to start her new life at a prestigious college on a full ride track scholarship. She has always felt awkward and out of place, but this is her chance to start new. But things go south way too quickly. Her fellow runners don't like her, one of her professor refuses to give her good grades despite her efforts, and now she's being talked about on the school chat page. But the worst thing worrying her is watching a female student being dragged away forcefully by security, and the rumors about her aren't good.

Piece by piece Lia works to get to the bottom of what has happened at this mysterious university, which leads her down some very dangerous roads.

I read this right off the heels of reading The Obsession by Sutanto, which I enjoyed. This book is adjacent to that, with repeating characters, but still it's own story. I'll admit, I didn't care for this one quite as much. It moved a bit too slowly and was aaaaaall over the place. Like, where are we actually trying to go with this story? Even at the end, I still don't know if I could answer that question. I wouldn't give up on you though Sutanto, I like where your head's at!

Did i finish this and immediately download every other Jesse Q. Sutanto book? Yes—yes I did. I devoured this in one sitting. The characters are fantastic, the setting is perfect, and the pacing is on point. My students are going to eat this up, and I will be purchasing multiple copies, as they will also be fighting over who gets to read it first.