Book Review: The New Girl by Jesse Q. Sutanto

The New Girl is a young adult thriller set in an elite California boarding school with elements of mystery and dark academia.
Lia Setiawan is a new transfer student to Draycott Academy on a track scholarship. Her first moments at her new school are fraught with drama as she sees a student dragged out by security, is quickly alienated by her fellow track team members and is constantly mocked and slammed on the school’s unofficial social media app. The only bright side is meeting Danny a fellow Indonesian student with whom she feels an immediate connection. But when Lia finds herself on the wrong side of her English Literature teacher her entire career at Draycott is in jeopardy along with her relationship with Danny and her track career. But the toxicity at Draycott runs deep and Lia will find herself wrapped up in a “pay for grade” scandal, drug deals and murder.
This a very dramatic teen rich kid soap opera that touches on a lot of serious issues around internalized racism, special treatment in education by wealthy students and drug abuse. I really enjoyed learning about Indonesians and some of the prejudice they face by other Asian people. I wished we could have seen more of Lia’s life previous to Draycott as it almost felt like she was born on her first day of school there. She barely spoke to her mom or any other people from her previous life and it was hard to get to know her as a character. She also made some really dubious decisions that made it difficult to relate to her. I think many readers would find this an entertaining teen thriller but I wanted something a little deeper and realistic.
3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was given the opportunity to read this book as an ARC from NetGalley. Below is my honest opinion of the book.

I was excited to read a YA book that was about Chinese-Indonesian culture. I love books that combine YA thriller and mysteries with culture. So, I was honestly pretty bummed when I started reading this book. It was like one bad thing after another that happened to Lia. She could not get a break, first she was not the right type of Chinese-Indonesian when she met her boyfriend, then she was failing her classes, but couldn't fail them or she would lose her track scholarship and found out about a cheating ring, there was murder and a whole lot of bullying. I mean horrible bullying. Worse than Mean Girls type bullying. I mean they had something like a burn book but it was online. I kind of felt bad for Lia, because of everything she was going through. I just want to have a book with a few characters with redeeming qualities. The majority of the characters were rich and snobby. I just wanted something good to happen. I felt kind of empty reading this book. I wanted so much more from this. The end was kind of predictable.

The good things again as I mentioned, I love reading about culture and people and traditions when I read books so I definitely learned a lot in this book. I loved the author intonations on different foods or when there were parts in the book where Indonesian and Chinese were spoken. I like the idea of romance in the book, but not sure if it was written to its fullest potential.

I wish I could give this book a higher rating. It had the potential. I am not sure I would recommend this book for young teens or pre-teens, due to the cursing, drug usage and severe bullying. But as my son would say, he hears so many curse words being in middle school, so maybe it's to be expected. I am sure someone will enjoy this book, it just was not really for me.

I feel that this book is for teenagers except for the bad language. Nevertheless I really enjoyed it. It gives insight into race difference’s and also into poor against rich. Set in a collage with great differences between rich and poor. Being a scholarship student and a rich student. I has a bit of everything, drugs, murder, love and friendship. I would recommend this to young adults. Thank you for my copy. The narrator was great, she makes you feel everything.

Thanks to Net-Galley and publishers for providing the audio-book arc in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved the premise of the book. Dark academia is one of my favorite genres to read. And I loved how it was written. Listening to the audiobook really made me feel like I was there as the story took place. and the narrator was great. Eunice Wong - the narrator was absolutely incredible.

At the same time, there were too many issues to keep up with. I think if I had read the book myself this probably wouldn't be an issue. There were parts where I felt like it wasn't necessary or was too dramatized. But then again it is a YA book so over-the-top drama is a must.

After seeing this was a book from Jesse Q Sutanto I had to have it no matter the theme or age demographic, her previous writing is some of my favourite of the past few years and this is no different.

This is a prequel YA thriller set at a private boarding school where there are lots of ongoing issues, some even I only learned about when listening such as the racism between Asian cultures.

Listening to this in an audiobook format was so fun and I think it really added to the experience, the narrator Eunice Wong was incredible.

I started out enjoying "The New Girl." New girl arrives at boarding school and tries to fit in. Then the plot began to weave like a bicycle message in heavy traffic. It was difficult to keep up with all the current social issues that seemed to be thrown into the pot. Rich Asians, academic cheaters, bullying, drug use, suicide ... the list became too long! I won't be sharing my review out of respect for the author. By the way, the narrator was great!

I loved this on audio! This was such a fun dark academia novel. This brought me back to college when YikYak was the popular app at the time. This was a mix of that and gossip girl! I felt so bad for Lia. I cringed at the bullying and every bad decision she made. I really wasn’t sure where this was going, and I wasn’t expecting it to end the way it did. This was a fun book full of lots of drama and action, and the audio made it even better.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this e book in exchange for my honest review!
Synopsis: She's a liar. A cheater. A murderer. And it's only her first semester. Lia Setiawan has never really fit in. And when she wins a full ride to the prestigious Draycott Academy on a track scholarship, she's determined to make it work even though she's never felt more out of place. But on her first day there she witnesses a girl being forcefully carried away by campus security. Her new schoolmates and teachers seem unphased, but it leaves her unsure of what she's gotten herself into. And as she uncovers the secrets of Draycott, complete with a corrupt teacher, a golden boy who isn't what he seems, and a blackmailer determined to get her thrown out, she's not sure if she can trust anyone...especially when the threats against her take a deadly turn.

I love love love dark academia thrillers, so i was very excited to get my hands on this through netgalley. Lia is the underdog at her new boarding school. This book has every cliche school drama you can think of.... but Lia was a pretty likeable character that kept me wanting to read. i thought this was a great YA thriller, and I would definitely recommend it to my siblings in that age group!

I absolutely loved this contemporary romance.

Such a great book with a solid storyline and great characters.

I eagerly look forward to reading more from this author.

A definite recommend

I swear this author could re-write the phone book and I would read it. I loved all the different twists and turns that were in this book. I also loved how a lot of the problems between the main character and the others were miscommunication because that is very realistic. The audiobook was ready good. It was a little weird to get into at first because the narrator doesn't sound at all like a high school girl, but after the second chapter I didn't even notice it anymore.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an audio copy of The New Girl in exchange for an honest review.

Definitely a 3.5 star read/listen but I feel like rounding up. The story moved at fairly quick pace and the voice performance was really good. There were some parts that were a tide but predictable but over all I liked it.

Enjoyment (stars): 4.5
Total rating (stars): 4.71

Lia is high on life when she wins a full-ride scholarship to the prestigious Draycott Academy on the merits of her athletic skills. As she arrives, she watches a girl being dragged out by security, which pretty much sets the tone. She is bullied by schoolmates, a teacher, and the victim of someone determined to get her out of the school before she takes popular girl Mandy's Track team spot. Let's just say there will be a murder involved.

Sutanto is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. Her characters make me SO HAPPY! She can probably write about people attending a funeral, and I will probably leave the book feeling warm and fuzzy.

Her main characters' cheekiness and endearing fallibility make me care for them so much. Lia is no exception. She is the underdog I love to cheer for, but I have no doubt she will come on top. I adore how Sutanto weaves Indochinese culture into her plots, and I feel that Lia is a long overdue type of protagonist.

The New Girl is a fast-paced, cheeky, witty book that delivers the plot promise and plays fair. I will continue to seek Sutanto books to read - regardless of genre. And I say that because I am actually looking forward to reading the YA rom-com, she just announced set in Indonesia. I feel it will be an excellent year to start, continue and end with Sutanto's unforgettable characters.

I first read The New Girl as an audiobook narrated by Eunice Wong and produced by Tantor Audio. I really enjoyed the production and Wong's narration. She gave so much life to Lia, and I feel her pacing and cadence enhanced the story. I highly recommend it.


Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for providing a copy of The New Girl.

Ever been the new girl before 🙋🏻‍♀️

The New Girl 📖🎧
By: @jesseqsutanto
Narrated by: @eunicewongnarration
Publisher 📖: @sourcebooksfire
Publisher 🎧: @tantoraudio
Downloads: @netgalley

My Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you @sourcebooksfire @tantoraudio @netgalley for copies of the ARC and ALC.

This is the first time I flipped back and forth between reading an ebook and listening to an audiobook. It makes getting through a book much faster. For the audiobook, I loved the narration by Eunice Wong.

Lia Setiawan gets a scholarship to the prestigious Draycott Academy “school for the elite.” Lia knows from the start that she does not fit in. Lia despises many of the mean girls at her school, but at some point she actually becomes just like the rest of them. She has not made the best choices and things get complicated once people connected to the school start dying.

I did not even realize that there was a divide between native Indonesians and Chinese- Indonesians. I like that the Asian hierarchy is mentioned, referencing the class structure of Asians.

Much of the events that took place are not very realistic. This is a read I would have enjoyed more as a middle schooler.

Publisher's Summary

Lia Setiawan has never really fit in. And when she wins a full ride to the prestigious Draycott Academy on a track scholarship, she's determined to make it work even though she's never felt more out of place.
But on her first day there she witnesses a girl being forcefully carried away by campus security. Her new schoolmates and teachers seem unfazed, but it leaves her unsure of what she's gotten herself into.
And as she uncovers the secrets of Draycott, complete with a corrupt teacher, a golden boy who isn't what he seems, and a blackmailer determined to get her thrown out, she's not sure if she can trust anyone...especially when the threats against her take a deadly turn.
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Follow 👉🏼 @mae.rox.wanders
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#maeroxwanders #readingwithmaerox #listeningwithmaerox #NetGally #ARC #ALC #SourceBooksFire #TantorAudio #audiobookreview #bookreview

- I liked how the story kicks off, author has beautifully portrayed the confusions and hesitations of an anxious and nervous girl (Lia, our protagonist) who’s trying to get accustomed and settle down in the new surrounding.
- Also, I enjoyed the quick-witted references to the Indo-Asian lifestyle and aunties, especially the parts where Beth mocks and tries imitating her mom. Lia’s witty and quirky mind voice adds to the humour.
- I liked the vivid description of Draycott Academy and how the author slowly yet steadily builds the characters with an air of suspicion! I enjoyed the fast-paced narration until the first half of the book.
- However, gradually the curiosity gradually dips with a predictable plotline. The climax fell flat for me. In my opinion, it was a little rushed. There were multiple unconnected plotlines which are unjustified and left the reader in confusion.
- Overall, it's a quick one time read. After ‘’Dial A for Aunties’, I had high expectations from this YA crime thriller. While it didn't meet the hype, it's a quick read that you can finish in one or two sittings.

Thanks to Netgalley and RB Media for providing the audio version of the ARC.

I have read and loved Four Aunties and a Funeral, so I was very excited to receive an advanced copy of this audio book, thanks to the publisher and Net Galley! The New Girl is a YA dark academia and murder mystery set at a prestigious boarding school. It was a quick read with lots of somewhat ridiculous but entertaining bursts of action. This was a bit much at times and over the top with too much drama. The narrator really tried too hard, and it just didn't settle as genuine.
I like that the author tried something new, but it just didn't gel in many ways.

The book started out really strong. but about half way I felt like a huge conflict in the story was over but a more dramatic event follows. But I also feel what followed was a bit much and my enjoyment went down. went back and forth on my rating.

The book is way too dramatic for my liking. The decisions the main character makes for bad crying worthy and all the crying loses it for me. This could of been written stronger there's scared and freaking out then there's over dramatic. I enjoy the narration I do feel if I read it physically I might of DNF'D it but the Audio keep me going.

She is in a world of privileged students and parents and because she's on a track scholarship has to keep a certain gpa and spot on the team to keep it. Everyone from the students to the teachers are trying to get her kicked out. For taking a mean girls spot on the team and the teacher whos trying to get rid of her.

The romance (before it got strange) wasn't for me it was instant love and with all the secrets and drama that unfolded I'm not sure how they were even a couple. Also the twist at the end I kind of saw coming but there were hints to it but it was a nice huh moment.

But the ending was lack luster all the dramatics lead to a and this is the bow the end.

The best part was the side charter of the hacker now her as the main character is a book I'd like to read.

This is my 1st book by this author I have read a lot of reviews of her other books and was kind of taken back this was the same author. I want to try A is for Aunties but I'm nervous since I didn't enjoy this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for providing the audiobook arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

2.75 stars

"The New Girl" was, unfortunately, not one of my favorite books of the year:
it is not as over-the-top as Sutanto's other novels (which I enjoyed reading for their sheer insanity) and neither was it suspenseful nor well-written enough to be considered good on that account.

The plot is ridiculous and unrealistic, the characters are quite shallow, and the ending didn't really make any sense.

DNF at 30%

After absolutely loving Dial A for Aunties, I wanted to give The New Girl a try...but this book is a huge swing and miss for me.

I guess this is a YA thriller/mystery, but from what I've been able to read up to this point, there's just a lot of rich teenager drama that the MC (Lia) finds herself knee deep in at her new prestigious high school that she transferred to. I just don't find myself caring about the plot or any of the characters.

Also, in 2022, we really don't need to compare school settings to Hogwarts and make HP references especially with JKR being a TERF. That reference is first thing in chapter one, and it definitely left a sour taste in my mouth.

Thanks but no thanks.

This book was incredibly average. I could not connect to any of the characters. It wasn't memorable, either. I would not recommend to my friends.

Thank you NetGalley & Sourcebooks for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the first 30%, with the whole school drama and how she was going to go about fixing everything that happened but then it goes downhill. The main character is SO invigorating. She basically gets herself into this situation, claims she is a good person yet does everything she can to cover up her crime. I don't understand how she could go about doing what she did, not say anything and then just repeatedly cover it up. Also, the amount of drama that takes place in this drug is too much. There is murder, cheating, drugs, more drugs, bullying, corrupt teachers, etc.

Also, these characters are boyfriend and girlfriend after 1 day on what planet does that happen. The instant love for me didn't feel real. Plus the characters are all supposedly in high school yet they are going on yachts, drinking regularly, doing drugs, and flying on jets on a whim. Yes, they are rich but how does any 16 year old do this.

The narrator was not personally for me, the emphasis and overexaggerating of every word was not necessary.