Just once I'd like a book about teens in society to really surprise me. This was not that book.

An old secret club in New York annually admits a number of high school seniors who attend certain elite schools in NYC (note: including a Quaker school was a definite false note - the families might be part of that world, but the school definitely wouldn't be). There's mystery about who will be nominated and by whom, and All Will Be Revealed at a luncheon the day before the Ball. Annnnnnd.... yawn.

No surprises about what happens next: secrets revealed, relationships torn, etc.. Still, if you're interested in teen angst and generational secrets, this is your summer read.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

I chose to read this book because I saw it was like a combination of pretty little liars and gossip girl and I was not disappointed. I loved the drama, the suspense, the build up and everything else about this book!

Once I started this book I couldn't stop thinking about it and wanting to read it! I would not mad of this book became a series!

As expected, a solid YA mystery from one of the most consistent newer voices! Quick chapters and multiple perspectives, and a clever way of making it so readers don't have all the information (but can make a lot of different guesses).

this was just as twisty as I would expect from Goodman. The elite are full of secrets and I enjoyed watching them unravel here. The multiple twists and turns made this an enjoyable read

Nothing sucks me in more than a bunch of rich fools that hoard secrets more than a squirel and its nuts.

I'll take rich people drama with a side of tea any day please. I find that books with upperclass secret societies is so interesting. I love finding out about all the terrible things these people do. It's addicting.

Jessica Goodman's "The Legacies" sucked me right in. The pages are riddled with everything that I love when it comes to teen mystery novels. An extravigant prep school. Unreliable characters everywhere. Secrets kept. Relationships at their brink. Shocking reveals around every corner. Lots of money on the line (duh, fictional rich people throw their royalties around like candy)

I feel that its super important to note that even though this is classified as a "young adult" novel there are some heavy topics including drug and alcohol abuse, divorce, suicide, murder and sex. I would say this is only appropriate for teens that are in their sophomore to senior year of high school but what do I know, I am just basing it on what tiny Dani's experienced and what would have made me uncomfortable while growing up.

This is one of the biggest reasons why I felt that I could thouroughly enjoy "The Legaies." This book is pretty close to being adult fiction. The topics are heavy. The characters are all really messed up. The mystery is shocking.

Pick up Jessica Goodman's latest to be transported to a rich and elaborate prep school you never knew you wanted to attend.

Wealth. Mystery. Murder.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who loved the books:
- Pretty Little Liars
- Gossip Girl
- The Inheritance Games
- One of Us is Lying
- We Were Liars

Thank you Penguin Teen for the advanced copy of this book!

You can get a copy next Tuesday, July 25. Be sure to support Jessica Goodman and Penguin Teen by following her on all social platforms!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Being a Legacy is all that Bernie Kaplan has ever wanted. It is a sure way to achieve all of her lofty goals. Only 6 students per school are admitted, and she's thrilled when her best friend Isobel and her boyfriend Skyler are nominated with her. The only shocker is that scholarship kid Tori is also nominated. Just as things seem like they are going to her way, Bernie's mother disappears. As she and the rest of the nominees work through the week of the Legacy Ball and their chance to win $25000, secrets begin to come to light that will rock them all.

i thought this was a fun read. It's very Gossip Girl and teen drama, but I don't mind that. I will say that I knew very early on what was going on, so there weren't any shocking moments, but it was still a fun read that kept me enthralled.

The Legacies is a YA thriller following several students of Excelsior Prep who are nominated for the elite Legacies club during their senior year of high school. All of the members have ties to those already inducted, except for one. No one can figure out how Tori, a scholarship student from Queens, managed to score a nomination. We get the perspectives of Bernie, our queen bee and perfect student, (think Blair Waldorf but nicer), Isobel, the drug addicted artist and Tori, our enigma. On the night of induction, it’s customary for the club to hold the Legacy Ball but this year, one of the attendees dies at the party and the police have questions. The Legacies alternates between the past and present and allows the reader to relive the events leading up to the death. Each of our students has secrets they’re hiding and the gradual reveals will keep you hooked. I really enjoyed The Legacies and I couldn’t put the book down! As always with multiple perspectives, there were some that I enjoyed more than others, namely, Bernie’s chapters and the glimpses into the night of the Legacy Ball. The Legacies definitely falls into the genre of rich people behaving badly, and I liked how we saw the consequences of the parents’ actions affect their offspring. There’s no question that Jessica Goodman is one of the best YA thriller writers currently publishing stories and The Legacies is her best book yet. Personally, I will continue to pick up anything she puts out. If you’re a fan of Gossip Girl, and/or Karen M. McManus, you’ll definitely enjoy this book.

The Legacies is such a fun, twisty mystery that kept me reading from the very first page! If you like high school drama, a la Karen McManus' work, you will love The Legacies. I love how the mysteries kept coming -- there wasn't just one mystery or one thread. The story was also told back and forth in time and through multiple perspectives -- keeping you guessing and reading. Though fun and twisty it also dealt with serious topics in an engaging way from healthy relationships to drug and alcohol abuse to privilege and power. This was the perfect summer mystery and one I'd highly recommend if you like YA, mystery, social drama, Karen McManus' books, or want a good, fast summer read.

I really enjoyed this! I read another book of hers, They Wish They Were Us, a while back and enjoyed it too, so I’m not surprised I liked this one a lot.

I loved the concept and I think it was executed very well. I was engrossed in the story and didn’t want to put it down!

I mean rich kids at a fancy ball and then a scholarship kid?? Mystery and intrigue and thrilling moments? What more could you want?

I will admit it took me a little bit to get into the story, I think in large part because none of the characters were particularly likable. I found this to be a pretty quick and fun read in general. I can't wait to read more of Jessica Goodman's books. I will be recommending this book!


Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Razorbill for allowing me to read this ARC in advance for my honest opinion.

The Legacies peels back the gilded curtain of wealth and privilege to expose the sickening belly of secrets and scandal lying beneath. It is a delectably dark and bingeable read, perfect for summer.

Jessica Goodman just hits the spot for me with her mysteries – they’re slick, salacious beasts that I just race through. Yet again, the intrigue and pacing were perfect and the characters were deliciously flawed. There is such a gloss of perfection over all of them initially, enshrined in positions of wealth and luxury. They have everything you could ever dream of, or so it seems? As to be expected with Goodman, she breaks down that veneer and every layer beneath it to show them as the complex, charismatic and often cruel people they are beneath. There is so much manipulation and deception going on, with games within games that only become fully transparent by the end of the book. These are people set on destructive paths, with secrets ready to blow up at any given point. However, they are still vulnerable and often relatable, with Goodman allowing them fallibility and nuance. After all, they are still teenagers trying to fully find their place in the world.

The central mystery is also well-crafted and tantalising. You cut between different viewpoints and timelines, trying to establish what has actually happened and slowly uncovering clues from each side of the story. Goodman often contrasts a shocking reveal from the present with some information from the past, which suddenly takes on a whole new significance. In a split second, everything changes. I love books that keep you on your toes like this and Goodman constantly keeps you guessing.

The Legacies breaks down the ivory towers to show a messed up bubble of gilded cages and perfect veneers that mask a world of pain and pretty complicated people.

I so loved this book. Made me think of Gossip Girl with the private school and club. There is a death. The author does a good job disguising who it is until almost the end. There are a couple of bombs that get dropped that are surprises. A fun book to read.

📚: The Legacies by Jessica Goodman (@jessicagoodman)
⭐️: 4/5

In a read that’s a bit like Gossip Girl meets The Skulls (say no more, my prep school alumna heart), The Legacies is a juicy thriller with enough backstabbing, scandal, secrets, and murder beyond its YA genre.

The Legacy Club isn’t just a prestigious club, but an institution of its own. It opens up doors for college, internships, careers, social status, wealth. It sets up a members’ life but also, of course, reeks of nepotism and is about who you know. So how is it that an outsider becomes nominated as a new member?

A page-turner with a few twists that left my jaw on the ground, this is a solid summertime binge read. Big thanks to @penguinbooks/@penguinteen via @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Legacies is out next week on July 25th!

Dark, twisty thriller set in the bougie social circles of NYC and centers on a group of elite prep school seniors. My students will definitely enjoy this thriller that keeps you guessing and turning the pages. They seem to really enjoy the dark academia trope. Also loved the author's previous work-The Counselors!

3.5 ⭐️s / 5

The Legacies is a good YA thriller and murder mystery. It reminded me of one of my favourite TV shows called Elite. So if you like that you’ll love this.

It was such a quick and easy read but I found the characters very shallow but then again I suppose that’s who they are supposed to be.

Thank you netgalley for the arc

I feel as though if you've read a book by Jessica Goodman before, then you know to expect murder, mayhem, and mystery. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒔 is true to form and met my expectations. The characters were decently developed, but the highlight for me was the mystery of the whodunnit. The social interactions were well written and, honestly, I wasn't expecting to find myself rooting for anyone in particular because there's a question of motive with everyone involved. Overall, it was an interesting read that I'd recommend to anyone who likes a murder mystery.

I was excited when I received a copy of this book because I love a good thriller set in a private school setting. I will admit it took me a little bit to get into the story, I think in large part because none of the characters were particularly likable, but I felt like they fit in the world created or the book. The mystery was a little bit simplistic and I was hoping for me, but I did love the general format of showing an event and then instantly going to the past to show what happened leading up to that event. The story centers around a group of prep school seniors who have been tapped to enter a secret society which will hook them up with connections for their whole lives. 3 of the kids weren’t surprised, their families are all also members, but one member is a scholarship student and there is more to her invite than meets the eye. I found this to be a pretty quick and fun read in general. I gave it 3.5 stars rounded dead up because it was such a fast read.

Another gripping book by Jessica Goodman, this time a mix between Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl with a mysterious murder in the middle.

It’s a quick read, especially considering the speed events unravel. It starts off calmly and it builds up very quickly. There is mystery, teen drama, suspense and a few surprises throughout the book. Goodman really knows how to make you completely hooked on a story, and not be able to stop until the end. The way she included snippets of the moments after the murder just added to that extra suspense and built up the curiosity levels even further.

The characters are quite nicely developed. Isobel is an aspiring artist and a party girl who always helps her best friend Bernie Kaplan when she’s on the edge. Bernie is driven and ambitious, dating her childhood friend Skyler Hawkins. Tori Tasso is an unknown scholarship student from Queens that gets access to the Legacy Club through illegitimate means. She holds a big secret and is aiming at gaining the prize money to pay off her family’s debt.

From all of them, I felt more for Tori, who doesn’t fit in this elite society and doesn’t really get involved in the others’ drama.

The story is intriguing and kept me guessing. The ending wrapped nicely and was very satisfying, leaving no questions unanswered. A solid 4 starts for me.
I’m looking forward to the next book from Goodman!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC!

There were moments of this story that I really enjoyed. Some of the “action” at the end and the mystery. However, this felt like such a low-stakes story. I never felt the urgency from any of the characters. Speaking of the characters, I didn’t really like any of them and the POVs started blurring together. I also felt like the jumping back and forth in the story was confusing. I did want to find out the mystery of who died and who the killer was…which I guess is good since it kept me reading to the end.

This was something else. I’ve enjoyed Jessica Goodman’s YA thrillers but this one was maybe too much for me to swallow. All of the ongoing drama really took away from the thriller aspect with the murder. You just got swept up in all the drama and it was genuinely frustrating that we weren’t getting anywhere. I’ll still be reading whatever Jessica Goodman publishes, this one was just a bit of a let down but it’s okay!