This book wad a bit too dramatic for my taste.
I was not a fan of the main character. Sure at first I felt bad for her but she became irritating. She makes impulsive decisions and when it
comes to the consequences, she freaks out. I do enjoy YA but I couldn’t handle the immaturity in the main character. She is an Indo-Chinese American girl and the descriptions of the amazing food made me hungry.

The mystery aspect was entertaining. Predictable at times but not at others. If I’m being honest I don’t think I enjoyed the narrator for this one. Typically I don’t enjoy audiobooks on NetGalley because of their quality and if you increase the speed the quality gets really echoey. If you are interested in this one I would encourage you to read it instead of listen.

Thank you to @netgalley and @sourcebooksfire for this ARC.

Lia could not believe she received a full ride to Draycott Academy for track. Shortly after moving in, she was bullied and turned away from certain classes stating she would never pass. Lia, extremely determined since the moment she stepped on campus was unfazed by the students or teachers attempts to get rid of her. Eventually, as the story develops the multiple events that occur were surprisingly not the professors’ fault at all. Who would be the next victim to be injured or die?

Thank You NetGalley & Tantor Audio for the ARC!

Lia wins a full scholarship to attend the prestigious Draycott academy ( a very expensive boarding school) thanks to her great track abilities.
On her first day on the track she's warned immediately not to show off. There's only 4 spots on the team for the best runners to compete and the most popular girl (or the bully of the century) is in spot 4. Lia decides to do her best which is the reason why she's here.. to compete and hopefully get a place at Standford. We'll she does her best and beats them all. So now she's in trouble..

The school has its own app that she's immediately introduced too.. unfortunately the app DD (Draycott dirt) is used so everyone can ditch the dirt or start rumours about anyone annominously.. its just a giant fun fair for bullies. Day one and lia is already the person that everyone wants to talk about.. and obviously it's not good.. they degrade her with words without even knowing her.. because she's the poor kid that's here getting a free ride (already hating these people)
But thankfully lia does manage to meet and make friends with a few good people that give her a little support.
For lia to stay at the school she has to pass everyone of her classes.. shes a smart kid and studies hard and doesn't normally have trouble with her grades. But one teacher wants to make life really difficult for her. After a little bit of sniffing around she begins to think that something fishy is going on with this teacher.. and well.. shes right..
From here it all gets alot more dramatic.. the excessive bullying continues, everything she uncovers has a knock on effect and eventually she's covering her tracks and running from danger and hiding things from the police.

I did enjoy this book.. I will say that a few bits were abit over dramatic which had me rolling my eyes. I found some of the bullying remarks hard as it was constant and excessive but I suppose it had to be given the actual story line itself. I just felt so sorry for lia.. girl just couldn't catch a break.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC!

I thoroughly enjoy this book! I could not stop listening to it! The ending was not as good as it could have been (I feel like it wrapped up a little too quickly after a huge build up) but I still really enjoyed it. I was definitely on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what was going to happen!! I am so glad I stumbled upon this author on Netgalley, now I'm going to read all of her other books.

A young track prodigy is accepted into a "rich kid, snobby private school." This book was a roller coast of a ride filled with high school drama that is multiplied to the tenth power. The mystery element is what kept me going through the story. There was a lag in the pacing about 70% through and then a finish that plunged you into the finally head on. I really did enjoy the story and felt it had the potential to be a fantastic revenge and mystery novel. The characters are mostly fleshed out, I just wish there was slightly better pacing and more development within the characters for better attachment and engagement.

3.5 stars

While I had to remind myself that this is YA a few times so that helped justify some of the language and behaviors of the characters, I still very much enjoyed the writing and listened to it all in one sitting (well, technically, while I was working but you get the point lol) It’s fun, but still has lots of elements of a good thriller and plenty of twists to keep you guessing right up until the end.
The New Girl is dark YA murder mystery set in an elite boarding school that only the richest kids attend so when Lia gets a full track scholarship, she has a hard time fitting in with the others. Things start to come together for her until one of her teachers fails her on an exam which sets of a chain of events they can only happen in the movies-which this totally needs to be btw! Someone get Netflix on the line!
Although Lia wasn’t my fav character, I has to remember that she was a teenager and we all did stupid things and cried more than normal and had way too many feelings. She’s out of her element in a new place with people she can’t relate to other than their age (hello-they go on yachts and private jets and she’s on a scholarship!) But the sad part is, the rich kids seem threatened by her being there with the exception of Lia’s love interest, Dylan. And the dang gossip app of the school is the doom of them all-bullying abounds.
There’s lots of humor and drama and it’s written so well that you don’t want to stop reading (or listening)
Be warned going in though. There are several triggers: murder, drugs, bullying & addiction.
The only complaint I have, and I don’t even know that it’s a complaint really, is that the narrator was kind of over the top. At times, she kind of bugged me and I wanted her to be quiet but at the same time I wanted the story to keep going, so it wasn’t enough to turn me off, but she probably could have scaled back a teensy bit.
Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my review.

"This isn't your world, child. Give any of these kids here a chance and they'll throw you under the bus, just to make sure this place keeps going."

This is my first book by Jesse Q. Sutanto. Though I wasn't the hugest fan, I definitely plan to check out her pretty much entire backlist, so you know - I liked it enough.

The New Girl is a YA dark academia and murder mystery set at a prestigious boarding school. It was a fun and quick read with lots of somewhat ridiculous but entertaining bursts of action.

I liked the narration and the pacing. Also, school setting is one of my favorites. And the general direction of the story seemed promising.

However, I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters, and especially with MC Lia Setiawan. Too many stupid decisions followed by pointless screaming and crying for my taste.

However, the story also had enough blood-thirsty moments that kept me engaged till the end. I'm sure with a different protagonist I will enjoy Sutanto's writing even more.

If you want to see my much more in depth review, you can check it out on my book blog NovelOnMyMind.

Thank you to RB Media and NetGalley for providing me with an audiobook ARC of The New Girl by Jesse Q. Sutanto in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The New Girl is about Indo-Chinese runner Lia who has been drafted into a ritzy boarding school for her track skills. She's thrilled to have this opportunity, but it quickly goes sour when she has to put up with a gossip app that loves to pick on her, mean girls, a teacher who has it in for her, and of course plenty of racism and colorism.

The crux of the story here is that Lia discovers something ugly about her teacher and then everything in her life spirals out of control. She's trying to make sure she can stay at the school, while also dealing with guilt regarding her involvement with her teacher's shady dealings.

While the story moved along at a galloping pace and kept me wanting more answers, overall I found the story to be pretty simplistic. I guessed all of the big reveals ahead of time and didn't really find some of them very believable. It was also a bit too insta-love-y for me with Lia and her immediate boyfriend, Daniel.

The writing itself was really pretty-- I definitely want to read more from this author. But I think I would enjoy more literary works from her and not necessarily mystery/thrillers.

Eunice Wong's narration is a breath of fresh air. She adds so much personality to her character interpretations, but also just to the regular prose. She (at least seems to) speak Mandarin and Indonesian very well. This book has a lot of conversations that take place in other languages and Eunice's reading in those languages sounded natural and fluent to my untrained ear.

I would recommend this book to YA thriller readers or to other mystery/thriller readers who want a fun and quick read that may not be super surprising.


Trigger warnings:
-Severe bullying
-Accidental death
-Trauma to the eye
-Apparent death by overdose
-Mention of drugs
-Accidental overdose (drugs put into others' drinks without their knowledge)
-Racism
-Colorism
-Murder

About halfway through the book, I decided that I would not be purchasing this book for my classroom library. There were too many curse words that were not necessary. I enjoyed this book but didn't love it. The kids with that much money are out of my real world. I also didn't love all the drugs and drug dealings that were happening with the characters. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it is not one that I will be raving about to all my friends as a must-read.

The New Girl by Jesse Q. Sutanto is a YA dark academia novel following Lia Setiawan, a new student at the elite private school, Draycott Academy. The story is fairly fast paced and definitely kept my attention through various twists and turns. The secrets and lies and overall sinister feel were great. I loved the descriptions of Draycott academy and the tensions between the students and the faculty.

I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by Eunice Wong and comes in at 8 hours and 41 minutes. Eunice did a fantastic job with the narration, and I felt that listening to this story added to my overall experience. I found that I didn't want to stop listening once I had started and caught myself pushing play during any spare moments I had. I would highly recommend this audio for anyone who enjoys dark YA novels and may be looking for a quick read with some fun twists!

Thank you so much to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to the ALC. This is a voluntary review and all opinions are honest and my own.

Absolutely recommend it. So riveting and kept me on the end of my seat. Again another great job by the author. Really knows how to make us engaged from beginning to end. Such a easy , quick fun read. The characters are all interesting and as important one as the other. Great job

This was a whirlwind of surprises. I liked the story but I did feel like it was one the after the other. The ending was great, I never suspected who it was in the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to review this book. This is a fast paced thriller that caught me by surprise a couple of times!

Gossip Girl meets Crazy Rich Asians (high school version). I LOVED Dial A For Aunties so I was excited to get the ARC audio of this book from NetGalley. Half way through The New Girl I figured out the plot and the guilty parties. The storyline was a little simple and predictable but it was a fun read (listen). I would have liked more of the Asian culture that was present in Dial A, that really added richness and authenticity.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this advance audio copy.

Lia Setiawan gets a full ride scholarship to Draycott Academy for track. Tuition at the school is 60k a year and the school is filled with rich kids. She has never fit in before and this time she is hoping it will be different. Unfortunately, some of the girls start bullying her right away and try and get her kicked out of school.

Lia realizes that one of her teachers isn't being fair. She tries to report this but of course no one believes anything she says. She is angry and determined to figure out what is going on at this school and set things straight.

The narrator Eunice Wong did a fantastic job and when she did impressions of family members it had me laughing.

Thank you #netGalley #tantoraudio for this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Things don't seem right when scholarship student Lia steps foot on her new boarding school campus. Draycott Academy is very different from her home, and it's not just the luxurious surroundings. The Draycott Dirt app fuels the snarky, toxic atmosphere in the school. This is certainly not the fresh start she was looking for! Is Lia strong enough to survive Draycott?

I couldn't stop listening to this over-the-top crazy story filled with dark, sarcastic humor! The narration by Eunice Wong immerses the listener in this twisted world and makes you empathize with Lia as she battles against bullying and tries to survive. I was cheering for Lia despite her often ill-conceived decisions and her actions falling into a morally grey area at best.

The dynamic performance by Wong makes The New Girl a captivating and entertaining listen.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the early listening copy. All opinions are my own.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for an advanced copy of the audiobook, releasing February 1st! I listened to this in one sitting and loved the dark academia setting! Some things felt way out there, considering the characters were in high school, but otherwise it was a good story. I honestly did not expect the majority of what happened throughout the book, because it was a wild ride. I did slightly expect part of the ending, but overall this book was a surprise from start to end!

Welcome to Draycott Academy where everyone is vicious, and corrupt. This dark YA thriller, sunk its claws and kept me enthralled till the very end. It touches on a lot of things, (addiction, bullying, privilege, & racism) and I found myself disliking the mean girls and wanting to protect Lia.
I don’t want to give any spoilers away, but grab this book and clear your schedule. You’re in for a wild ride.
The narrator was great, a bit breathy. But her narration for different characters were good.
The voice sounded robotic to me but I’m not sure if it was my internet connection or the actual file.

The New Girl is a new YA mystery thriller by Jesse Q. Sutanto. This was my first book from the author, but I have always heard great reviews for their previous books. In this book, we follow our main character, Lia Setiawan. She has received a track scholarship to the prestigious Draycott Academy. She quickly discovered that it is harder than she thought it would be to fit in with this wealthy crowd of students. She is left feeling out of place and witnessing a girl being dragged off of campus on her first day definitely didn't help with that uneasy feeling in her gut. She starts to discover the many secrets of Draycott and soon finds herself being drawn into the darkness.

This book was over the top, but I tend to expect that from YA thrillers. I found it quick and fun. I loved the mix of dark academia, sports, suspense, and mystery. There were a lot of characters and most of them are morally gray. The audiobook was great and I loved the narrator (Eunice Wong). Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy. I really enjoyed it!

➳ 2 stars

The book is way too dramatic for my liking. On top of that, the narration of the audiobook is also melo-dramatic. I am sorry to say this but Eunice Won haven't done a good job in narrating this book. They was exaggerating every emotion and poured too much force while delivering the dialogues. They was constantly squeaking and screeching. It gave me cringe. I was so annoyed that I developed a migraine.

I hated the romantic subplot. It is a love at first sight. The love interest is good without any doubt. But everything felt extremely rushed and forced to me. There is literally no development. It could've been handled better.

Didn't like the main Character either. She is stupid and obnoxious. I found her irritating. She makes all kinds of decisions in a rush, thinks herself as a hero and when it comes to face the consequences, she starts crying and screaming. Also Lia doesn't respect her own cultural values. So there's no way I can respect her.

Now, let's talk about the good parts. The plot is nice and intriguing. The twists are predictable yet satisfying. As always I really enjoyed Sutanto's dry humour. It was moderately funny.

Just like Sutanto's other books, The New Girl is rich in Chinese-Indonesian cultural representation. Our main character is an Indo-Chinese American girl. So, there were several mentions of the heritage of these culture. The descprictions of delicious Indonesian foods made me hungry. I have never tried those dishes but now I want to....

So, overall it isn't a bad book. It was mostly because of the audiobook that I personally didn't liked it. I would suggest you to try the book version if you're interested in it. Wouldn't recommend the audiobook at all.