The New Girl by Jesse Q. Sutanto

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.

This was an okay listen, not completely for me, didn't really hold my attention, unfortunately.

Thank you Jesse Q. Sutanto, Tantor Audio and NetGalley for the audio to listen to this book in return for my honest review!

Lia Setiawan has never fit in. After winning a track scholarship to the prestigious Draycott Academy, she's determined to make a fresh start and try her best to fit in. But this world of wealth, privilege and power is more than she bargained for. From her very first day at Draycott Academy, she realizes how little she fits in (or wants to fit in) after witnessing a fellow student forcefully removed from campus after accusing a teacher of wrongdoing and upsetting the popular girls after upstaging one of them during a track meet.
Her chance at a fresh start crumbles around her as she becomes the target of a bullying campaign. Worst still, the teachers are turning a blind eye to the bullying and even engaging in corrupt behavior themselves.
Lia has found herself in a world fueled by drugs, violence and privilege and she has no idea how to escape.

This book is overly dramatic with explicit depictions of bullying and drug use. The world created in this book is so OTT as to be humorous. (I'm not sure that was the point, but I found it quite funny and found myself laughing out loud at times). The mystery was intriguing and satisfying. I also enjoyed the inclusion of Chinese-Indonesian culture. I learned a lot about Lia's heritage along the way and that was the highlight of the book for me.

For the not so great: I hated the romantic subplot. I'm not one for romance anyway, but it felt very rom-com and took away from the story. (Sorry...I just have such a low tolerance for lovey-dovey stuff lol).
I also listened to the audiobook and didn't care for the narration. If I had read the book instead, I feel like I would have enjoyed it more.

Overall, this was a fun little read that I recommend to anyone who enjoyed dark academia and/or YA mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received this as an audio galley to listen to for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for giving me access.

More of a 3.5 ⭐️ rating.

While listening to this audiobook I enjoyed it enough to want to finish it. The storyline was interesting enough and I am all for Asian culture reads, but I find that there was nothing memorable about it. Yes the MC goes to a school that isn't what it cracks up to be, there are secrets, murder, and a character plot twist. As for that ending, I couldn't tell you anything about it, my mind fades to black.

Maybe it was the narrator or maybe I needed to read the physical book, but unfortunately it wasn't for me.

I was so excited to listen to this book and the beginning was great. I liked the idea of the scholarship kid at the fancy rich school. I learned a lot about how Chinese/Indonesians view each other. What I didn’t like was that there were no consequences for anybody’s actions. With the rampant drug useI would have thought there would be at least be something showing that it was not ok. I would have liked this book better if it would have had only one or two major social issues, instead it had all of them in one book. What I will take away from this story is that no matter the culture, there is always prejudices.

Haven’t written a review on here in a while- let’s just say life got insanely busy and I didn’t spend a lot of time reading books that required extra work of me. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for getting me early access to this audiobook- I can happily say that I absolutely loved it.

I’m not new to Jesse Q. Sutanto’s works, I fell absolutely in love with her with Dial A For Aunties, and The Obsession was a wild ride from start to finish, so listening to The New Girl was something I was VERY excited about. I love the absolute chaos and drama of every Jesse Q. Sutanto book, all while being full of references to diverse cultures, mostly Chinese-Indonesian (The New Girl) or Singaporean (The Obsession). It’s got so much heart while still being batshit crazy, and I just enjoy that so, so much.

One thing I wished we got more of in The Obsession was the story of Sophie, and I had that need met in the form of The New Girl. Though the story doesn’t focus solely on what happened to Sophie, it’s a key element, while still being accessible to people who haven’t read The Obsession.

The audiobook was enjoyable, and though some felt it was too melodramatic, I felt the drama the narrator added to it fit the drama of the book. It feels fast paced because of that, and you really feel the emotions of the scene.

Basically, this book was absolutely, batshit crazy. And yes, I’ve said that twice, because that’s how crazy it is. In the best way. Pick it up for a good time, but don’t be expecting anything grounded in reality, because Jesse Q. Sutanto is here for everything that can go wrong going absolutely, spectacularly wrong.

This was a pretty good read that I enjoyed a lot more than I thought that I would. Great narration and a great story. I would be interested to read/listen to more from this author.

Honestly this was pretty average. I don't know if I just didn't connect with the characters or what, but I pretty much guessed everything as the story progressed.

Loved it! Fast paced and easy read. I love any books about going off to college or a boarding school and this one definitely didn’t disappoint! Kept me entertained and Finished it within a few days.

This book was good but a little predictable. The mystery was bad but i figured it out pretty quick.

Good characters with flaws.

Still had a good time reading it but felt similar to Dial A for Aunties even if they aren’t the same.

Would recommend if you are looking for a fun mindless read.

I am usually a fan of boarding school mystery dramas and have read quite a few. This one, however, has not earned a place among my favorites. There we parts that I enjoyed: some of the side characters, some of the intrigue. The mystery element could have used some work though - I was not left guessing and was often found gritting my teeth.
The book follows Lia, a new student to the school on scholarship. Right from the beginning, she makes poor decisions and to no surprise to the reader, they blow up in her face. The school is rife with bullying (in person and through a school wide used app), there is teacher corruption, adult willful ignorance, drug use and dealing, coverups and more. So, if you’re looking for that and a quick read, then you may enjoy this one.
The beginning of the book held promise and was set up in a way to keep you wanting to read more, but it got overly dramatic quite quickly. This feeling may have been exacerbated by the narrator of the audiobook. Everything seemed to feel like the end of the world as the story progressed. So, I would recommend checking out a print copy of the book. This would probably tone it down a bit.
Star rating: between 2 and 3

I was given an advance audiobook in exchange for a honest review. I found this to be a good fast paced young adult book. The book starts off with a stereotype Chinese mom dropping off her daughter at a prestigious boarding school..... nothing new here...ho hum...As her mom drops her off at the door, Lia witnesses the school expelling a girl. Grabs my attention but not really much of her classmates’ Mom speeds off not looking back. Lia is all alone to figure it out. She proceeded. and was, of course ostracized as the “new girl”, so no one can like her. She finds her way to the track field and did what she knows helps her relax, she runs. Clic’s are sitting on the bleachers to watch the new girl run. She takes off and is clocked by the coaches. She is thrown a new pair of track shorts. She has made varsity track knocking Mandy off the team.. Mandy is furious and vows to get her another way. Mandy somehow knows Lia is there on scholarship. The click knows you have to pay for an A in literature doesn’t take long to figure out there is shady stuff going on in Lia’s literature class. Mandy who is a flake and doesn’t even try on the tests,doesn’t study, makes an A and Lia makes a D- after studying the material thoroughly.Lia confronts the teacher and wants an explanation. He told her she was naive and would never understand how to study his material well enough to make an A. One girl,, Beth, befriended Lia. One evening Lia knocked on Beth’s door only to find Beth is obviously ready to go out for the evening Beth asked Lia to come and Lia was like no she couldn’t she had to study more for Friday literature test. but Beth wouldn’t take no for an answer. She even helped Lia dress more appropriately. She showed her fabulous dresses by Chanel, Gucci, etc. after much arm twisting Lia finally put on something and they sneaked out. They all leave in fabulous cars and get dropped off at the door, They are able to cut through the long line. Doorman knows Beth, she’s obviously a regular. Endless champagne for the evening then later a boy, Danny, places a bowl in front of the group, sparks fly, everyone knows to put in their $200. Beth told Lia she had her covered. Beth had just put in $400 for Beth and Lia, like no big deal. Beth was like you roll with us someone’s got to pay she chooses not to partake so Beth just takes that one too. Lia also learns you have to pay for an A too. Beth pays for Lia’s A too since she had kept her out the previous night too late for Lia to be able to study properly. Lia had fallen head over heels for the boy with the bowl. She had noticed him before at the track field. He started running with her. Cute romance develops. Beth and Lia will come across a body in the school. Later, a more gruesome body is found. Not to give away more of the story. I will stopsnd say. I Give much thanks to #NetGalley, publishers, and #JesseQ.Sutanto #TheNewGirl for the opportunity to review early. Yes, this is a young adult audiobook. I must say I, as an adult, rather enjoyed the narrationof this quick YA weekend read,, Yes, I would definitely recommend to anyone who wants to read a good mystery with suspense and with some romance should give this one a read.

I enjoyed the overall story and writing style much like I’ve enjoyed Jesse Q Sutanto’s other stories. The setting, plot line and twists kept me engaged. I struggled a little with Leah’s inner monologue, which became a bit repetitive and slightly whiny at times. She seemed to constantly cry. Other parts of the story were well described with the racism and bullying feeling realistic within the exclusive school setting. Overall enjoyable, but the main character not quite engaging enough.

Wow! If you want a fast-paced drama, then this story is for you!
This is my first Jesse Q. Sutanto book and it's been a while since I read something for the YA market.
There is something really intriguing about high school, mean girl plots and I was stuck into this story straight away.
That said, is it too dramatic? Probably. I don't think there is a topic that isn't touched on never mind the extra storylines dedicated to rich teenagers which has its own draw.
At times it felt like this book was trying to be a film to the point where some sections read like film montages.
Regardless of the negatives I found myself listening whenever I had a few minutes and quite enjoyed the audio version. I'd definitely recommend for people trying to get back into reading because overall the story is light, there's some intriguing plots and some laugh out loud moments too!


Thanks to RB Media and Netgalley for providing me with an audio copy of this book in return for honest feedback.

⚠️warning: contains bullying, racism, drug use, underage drinking, and other possible triggers ⚠️
Lia Setiawan has landed herself a full ride track scholarship at the prestigious Draycott Academy. She's a bit of an outcast, but is determined to make her mark and get a scholarship to Stanford. On her first day she witnesses a horrible scene with another student that seems to also involve a member of the faculty. Instead of raising alarms, it seems to in fact get the opposite reaction with students poking fun of the whole incident and other staff turning their heads. Something just doesn't seem right. As she starts to make a few friends, she also unfortunately makes some enemies as well. She's warned about crossing the infamous queen bee, Mandy. Crossing her could lead to nowhere but trouble for Lia. she has a teacher that seems adamant that she won't be able to cut it in his class. She is beyond determined to prove him wrong and earn her much deserved spot on Varsity. When someone reaches out to her anonymously and unveils one of the biggest corrupt secrets at the school, things start to go I'm a downward spiral rather quickly. Just how many secrets will she uncover and at what cost?
Thank you Netgalley, Jesse Q. Sutanto and Tantor Audio for the opportunity to read and review this book. I was granted the audiobook version with Eunice Wong as the narrator. For a YA book, this was pretty gripping in my opinion. Some of the characters were downright vicious and though they really helped make the story, there were times I couldn't help but feel angry for Lia and what she was going through. There were some dark twists and it made for a pretty thrilling enjoyable book. This was one I had a hard time putting down. If you're into YA thrillers, this is one I recommend. I rate this ⭐⭐⭐⭐

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* wild read for sure, liked the characters and know someone who has the same name as one of the characters so that was funny lol would read again and would buy.

Lia feels like a fish out of water at Draycott Academy. She’s there on a track scholarship and instead of being accepting of a new teammate, the team, along with Draycott’s mean girl are out to get her. Lia is constantly being bullied through Draycott’s anonymous site where students can post pictures and say horrible things about each other. She is also failing her English course which means she’s been kicked off track. When she goes to meet with the teacher to talk, she discovers a secret cheating ring. This discovery is just the beginning of all the corruption and lies here at Draycott Academy that are discovered throughout the story.

Ok…so…I did not love this. It was fine but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it. That being said, PLEASE if you read this and don’t like it don’t let this be the only thing you read from this author. This is also the author of Dial A for Aunties which I LOVED. So if you haven’t read that, READ that but this story…eh. The main character made some rash ridiculous decisions and was extremely annoying.

If I hadn’t had the audiobook to listen to I wouldn’t have finished this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to listen to an early copy of this audiobook. As always, all opinions are my own.

Draycott Academy, the school of dreams for Lia Setiawan. She has made it in here on scholarship and is set to face all the challenges no matter how out of place she feels (or is made to feel).

While she spends her first semester at Draycotts, she sees that life amongst the Richie Richs is not all gold & glitter. There are dark secrets, hidden channels, cyber hacking, exam scams & more... What she was not expecting was to fall for a boy who is the heart of half the school. The first semester is nothing short of shocks for Lia as she comes across the hardest choices to start with cheating, drugs, police scams & MURDER too!!!

The book has been a full proof package for me that has the dark academia vibes with thriller. & just like Lia, I am equally shocked by the turn of events this book has taken & qualified as one of the only contemporary books that I am fond of - to this degree.

Happy to announce this book as the first 5/5⭐ read of 2022.
Thanks, @jesseqsutanto & @netgalley for such an amazing book

I began listening to the audiobook in the morning and nearly finished it in one day. The New Girl is a mystery/suspense that kept me guessing until the end. I did suspect how it ended, but I kept thinking it could go few other ways. I even wondered if she was an unreliable narrator at times. The narrator of the audiobook did a great job at keeping me in the story as well. I definitely recommend to anyone who likes dark academia and YA thrillers.

I will be posting this review to Amazon and Goodreads as well.

The New Girl by Jesse Q Sutanto is a story of a dead girl, what money can buy, drugs, bullying, lying and murder!
Lia receives a track scholarship to attend a school for the elite, Draycott Academy. There are only four spots for varsity track team and five girls are wanting a spot. There’s an app that everyone has that posts anonymously to bully others. From the first day Lia knows she doesn’t fit in.
This was a cute and fun who’s doing what mystery.
Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I listened to the audiobook of this and it was hard to turn off. I was dragged into this book and I never quite knew where it was going. Excellent!