I love Jessica Goodman, but sadly, this story was a let down when compared to her others. When i read the description, i was expecting more high stakes blackmail and deception, and the story itself was a lot more bland and nothing really stood out to me. The ending of the book felt more like an opening to a more in depth and cutting edge story, and i feel like the book could have been a lot better had it focused on the more nitty gritty of the club, instead of little teenage drama. It felt like the story was way overdrawn and over explained and was hard for me to stay interested.

4.5/5 stars, a quick and fun thriller read

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group & Razorbill for the arc through netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

I've had the pleasure of reading all of Jessica Goodman's books, most of them as arcs from Penguin Teen throughout the years, and I can honestly say that they're really fun. Most of her stories are very quick reads and relatively short as well, which makes a great combination for a thriller. I don't read many thriller or mystery books anymore, especially in the young adult category, but this author always manages to create an interesting story for me to enjoy.

This story focuses on a high-society club that has a lot of secrets and mysteries surrounding some of the members, especially the new initiates. Every year there are a group of teenagers from the best schools in New York that are nominated and then accepted into this club, that's essentially secret, and then they are forever "one of them." This year seems to be the same until one of the main character's mom goes missing (and she is one to be involved with everything), there's an unexpected nomination, and some teenage drama in the mix as well. While reading about rich people drama isn't something I do too often, when I do read it every now and then it usually is interesting, but Goodman made it even more fun.

While the plotline moved fast and kept up a great pace for such a short book, I wish there had been a little more depth behind some of the actions and events that happened. It felt like the story was reaching for that but couldn't quite make it there, though on multiple levels it was still really fun to read all the twists happening, many that I admit I did not predict. Other than that, I wish there had been a bit more description of the setting to make it really feel set in New York, because it felt here that it could have just been in any big city, but it wasn't enough for me to not enjoy the story. I did also really enjoy how we got snippets of "after the murder" because it really helped build the suspense for it.

The main points of view in this book are Bernie, Isobel, and Tori though I would argue some of the other main characters include Lee and Skylar (boyfriends of Isobel & Bernie respectively). They all played an essential part in the story with a few more characters coming in later. Bernie and Tori were a lot more compelling to me, just because of the things happening in their lives, which was a lot. Isobel could have been a little more interesting if there had been more depth behind her just having mental health issues and doing drugs and alcohol all the time. While it was annoying to see her spiral, I also did not blame her because of her mental health issues, I just wish there had been more expansion on her.

[TW: underage drinking, blood, murder, death of a parent mentioned, underage drugs]

Writing: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
Plot: 4/5
Enjoyment: 3/5

Themes: Mystery, Competition, Multiple POVs

The Legacies is about the new group of kids that have been picked to be apart of an elite society full of the rich and famous. When a body shows up at the closing ball we go back in time to see the events that lead to the death. This book did remind me a lot of Gossip Girl and many other tv shows about rich kids off doing their own thing, often illigal things, with zero parenting. It might be that I am not the target audience for this, but the entire time all I could think of is ‘where are their parents’. While this book wasn’t my cup of tea I can see how it can appeal to a younger audience. The mystery of who did it and who was even killed was exciting to read and kept having me guessing.

I received an arc and am leaving an honest review.

NYC's Upper East Side Rich Kids? An Exclusive Society? Wealth and Power? Uh count me in, I would like an invitation!

This story is a YA thriller that follows three characters from Excelsior Prep. All three characters got nominated to be inducted into the Legacy Club which gives them lifetime access to New York's elite society and networking that will bring them anything they could ask for. While you would think that rich kid's on the upper east side have nothing to dwell on, this story is loaded with breakups, sex, drugs, and glam. The story follows the day of the induction ball and the week leading up to it. It allows up to try and piece together who was killed, who killed them, and what secrets did they take to their grave?

I binged this YA thriller and do not regret it. All of the characters were extremely unlikeable and selfish but it did not stop me from following along and rooting for them. This was my first introduction to Jessica Goodman and I can definitely say that she will be a repeat author for me!

Thank you to the publisher, author, and Net Galley for an ARC of this book, in return for my honest review.

“All anyone knows for certain is that as the clock strikes midnight, a member of one of New York City’s oldest, most exclusive institutions is dead, and that Bernie Kaplan is the one with blood on her hands.

The Legacies appears to be grittier version of Gossip Girl, a roller coaster of a YA thriller that was easy to read and kept me guessing until the very end. Initially, I had a hard time getting sucked into the story, only finding I was able to get 2-4 pages in before my interest was lost. I am glad I stuck it out because the ending was well worth the wait.

The books alternates between four different views, three of which are of nominees who are set to gain access to the most exclusive club New York City has to offer in the week leading up to the prestigious Legacy Ball, and the fourth view is of the night the ball, which is also when the elusive murder takes place.

Sometimes, the switching between storylines threw me off and I definitely was more interested in Bernie and Tori’s storylines than I was Isobel’s, but ultimately I guessed 100% wrong at the murder victim, which made the read more fun. Overall, I would give the book a 4/5 stars and would recommend it to anyone who loves YA thrillers.

Big thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of The Legacies to review for my honest feedback!

The Legacies is Gossip Girl with murder!

The students at Excelsior Prep are rich and entitled, and the students who are nominated into the Legacy Club are the absolute elite. The Legacy Club gives you lifetime access to an exclusive New York Club and contacts that open doors.

Seniors, Bernie, Isobel, and Skyler are nominated, following in their parent’s footsteps they have prepared for this their whole lives. For wild card nomination, Tori Tasso, this is a world away from her family diner.Tori may not fit in or indeed even want to, but she does want to win. She just has to navigate the events week that culminates in a lavish ball.

The narrative switches between the female characters as they prepare for the ball. There’s romance, breakups, sex, drugs, and glamour. While it looks to the outside world that these girls have everything, they are all coping with their own demons and family secrets.

The narrative also switches between the present day Ball where someone has died and the past week. The reader has to put together the pieces of the puzzle to find out who has been killed and why, who is responsible, and what secrets did they hide.

This is a pacy, YA thriller. With the possible exception of Tori, the characters are all quite unlikeable but that doesn’t stop you from wanting to find out what happens to them all.

Thank you to Netgalley for my gifted, digital copy of The Legacies.

I love a mystery that kicks off with the end result — the book kick off a murder at the Legacy Club, an ultra elite club for wealthy New Yorkers and their offspring. We follow rich teens Bernie, Isobel and Tori as they attempt to solidly their entry into the club, with insights from the present at the murder scene interspersed throughout.

Rich teens behaving badly is my favorite genre and Goodman excels at immersing the reader into the wealthy, privileged worlds of the characters. Bernie and Tori were excellent, fully fleshed out characters and I enjoyed getting the multi-POV on the same events. My only minor complaint was that Isobel felt fairly one dimensional but I suppose that was intentional due to some of the struggles she faces in the book.

This is not my favorite of Goodman’s books (that honor goes to The Counselor) but it was a fun and fast paced read. If you loved Jessica Goodman’s other books, you’ll enjoy this one too!

Not my favorite Jessica Goodman, but still really enjoyable! This was such a fast read that I flew through but I just wanted a little more at the end and a little more explanation for some of the plot points. Still really entertaining.

I DNF'ed this book but there wasn't anything particularly wrong with it. It was a little bit slow but I've realized Jessica Goodman's writing feels that way to me. The covers of her books look very shocking and thrilling but her books are more slow burn and almost slice of life? This felt like a bird's eye view to a secret society/debutant ball situation. And while I would probably be a little more interested - I was distracted by the similarities this book has to Gossip Girl. The characters feel very copy and pasted from the show - there are name parallels as well as character traits that are the same. I couldn't shake it and was therefore not interested in continuing. I have no doubt it probably would have been a 3 star read had I finished. So good for someone, just not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group for the advanced reader copy!

The elite have their own world but when one of their own ends up dead that world may shatter. Told from multiple povs The Legacies shows us the not so glittery world of the wealthy.
Bernie has always been told she will be a part of the Legacy club like her mother before her but the day she’s been waiting for - the ball - ends in murder. With old money, damning secrets and questionable motives this group of so-called friends and Legacy club nominees take us on a thrilling ride. These kids are given the opportunity to be a part of this club that can change their lives and give them every opportunity from wealth, influence and connections and they will not let this opportunity pass them by with letting their secrets out. An easy teen drama with a murder mystery for a great beach read.
Unfortunately I didn’t like any of the characters but to be honest I don’t think we are suppose to. Jessica Goodman always writes an intriguing story.

this one actually turned out way better than I thought when I started it! I feel like YA high school murder mysteries are hit or miss - and I’m so happy this one was a hit for me!

I think the cliché of starting out the story with an unknown murder and then going back in time to get the backstory is so overdone - however, the plot was so captivating to me (I mean, who doesn’t love secret cult-like societies) that I actually didn’t mind!

the MCs go through a lot in this short span of time, and while it was a bit unbelievable at times, I was back in my PLL era and was soaking up alllllll of the drama! the stark difference between the “rich white kids” and tori, the token non-legacy child, was a lot let me tell you

I loved the conversation jessica started about how rich white people get everything and how much harder those of color, lower class status, and LGBTQ+ communities have to work for the same thing. however, as none of the MCs were BIPOC or AAPI, it was a little disappointing that this fact wasn’t expanded upon more.

it was definitely a fast-paced quick read with a ton of twists and turns, but ultimately forgettable over time for me 🙃

thank you to netgalley and razorbill for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 3.5 stars
wine pairing: alsace grüner veltliner

"This is when you will receive a key, which lets you into the Legacy Club on Sixty-First Street, a key that every single other member has, a key that binds us together."
I've seen people comparing this book to gossip girl and pretty little liars, and I say they are pretty spot on with vibes, and I'd add a dash of Skins, maybe.
Rich kids will be rich kids, right, they all are Nepo kids and don't always have to do anything to get something and achieve some goals. And add a murder mystery and suddenly the rich kids aren't as boring anymore.
When the death scene was revealed I was on edge, I already suspected it was going to be that character pages before I got there and even though I would never say that about a living person, let alone a teenager, I'm glad it happened in the book. Pretty satisfying death, and ending was quite good.
I probably would have liked more murder and less mystery, but it was a fun book nonetheless.

This book kicks off with a bang; you know someone is dead, you know it happens at the Legacy Ball so you spend the rest of the book trying to decipher clues as to who it was. I'll tell you right now, I don't think you're going to figure out the who, why, or how. It was a shock and I truly didn't see it coming.

"The Legacies" is the perfect combination of Pretty Little Liars, Euphoria and Gossip Girl. I love the New York City setting, the idea of there being a secret club amongst the high schoolers that is invite only, that goes on for generations... it's prime real estate for a story like this one.

There are multiple mysteries that are happening within the book aside from who was killed and who did the killing. You spend the whole book trying to unweave the webs that were created by our characters off page; who nominated Tori Tasso, the Dan Humphrey of the group, where is Bernie's mom, and what is the secret that Isobel and Skyler are keeping?

I will say, I did not expect any of the answers to those questions and you cannot predict them so don't even waste your time. It was so thrilling to put the pieces together at the same time that our characters were and I enjoyed every minute.

You are constantly flip flopping back and forth from the week leading up to the Legacy Ball and the aftermath of the murder, so you do have a general idea of who was not killed, which was a little calming because I was on edge the whole time trying to figure out who was the victim.

The inner workings of the Legacy Club were very intricate and detailed; Goodman put a lot of thought into the story and the history of the characters, their parents, and the other members of the club.

The writing was perfection, you really got inside Bernie, Tori and Isobel's heads and got to know them. There was great character development from everyone, though I was not really a fan of Tori and Isobel. Something about them rubbed me the wrong way, and I really did not like Tori's girlfriend - I felt like she was very rude and dismissive of everything Tori was going through.

Bernie was my favorite character; she's Blair Waldorf with a soul and I was proud of her for sticking up for herself throughout the book. She was fun, relatable and interesting; by far my favorite character of the book.

As I said, I was very surprised at who was killed, how it happened and what the reasoning was; everything that happened at the Legacy Ball (and in the hours leading up to it) were high intensity and it added a quicker pace to the book which I appreciated; nothing is worse than a reveal that is held too close to the chest and takes forever to reveal.

The story surrounding our main characters was wrapped up nicely and things didn't end with the killer/killed reveal, but there was so much left on the last page that I would be very surprised if we didn't get a sequel.

The Legacies was an excellent book that I loved so much; it was well written, had good pace, an interesting story and flawed but developed characters. I cannot wait to read Jessica Goodman's other novels!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5 STARS

This is a YA contemporary drama/mystery.

Similar Books:
Gossip Girl
They Wish They Were Us

Synopsis:
Set in a NYC private high school, wealthy teens vie to be part of The Legacy Club, an exclusive society for the elite. But when someone is murdered in the club, secrets and lies are uncovered.

This is pitched as a YA thriller, but it is more a drama with a little mystery. It is written from three different POVs. You do not know who was killed or what happened until the very end, so it keeps you guessing. It reminded me a lot of Gossip Girl with a murder twist at the end. It was fast paced and kept you reading. If you have read any other of Jessica’s books this has a similar vibe. I enjoyed it!

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the gifted copy! 💵

"The Legacies" is a YA thriller/mystery full of drama and rich kids. The story follows kids from New York, who get nominated for an exclusive club that could get them connections for the rest of their lives. All of the nominees are rich, except one, and they have a lot of secrets. One of them ends up dead.

I really liked this book. It had multiple POVs throughout and different timelines. One leads up to the ball and the other after the ball (when the murder happened). The story unfolds nicely and I like how we didn't know who died until the end and the hints were sprinkled around. The drama kept things interesting and fast-paced.

My only complaints are that most of the characters are pretty unlikeable. They were all spoiled rich kids and annoying. The story also seemed a bit too unrealistic like everything resolved too nicely.

If you like Gossip Girl and drama-filled YA, I recommend this book! Thanks so much to netgalley, Penguin, and Jessica Goodman for the arc!

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen for the advance copy!

This is not my first Jessica Goodman book and every time there's a new release I always find myself being drawn her books solely for the covers. Plus growing up in the days of Gossip Girl, messy, rich, high school kids are always a fun ride.

I am conflicting on how I feel about this because I was drawn to the premise and wanted to know who died & who the killer was. I had previously done audio only for Goodman's prior work and I got about 40% in before I received access to the audio and until then it was a struggle for me to read. Once I got the audio and did them in tandem, it was just a better experience for me (also the narrators were great). I will say this was probably my favorite out of the ones I read.

I love the way Goodman was able to put us in the space of an elite high school and how status and who you know is everything. I like the way she broke the story up between the present (at the crime scene) and leading up to the Ball. We could speculate who was the victim and who caused the death and naturally I was wrong as always. These high schoolers in this book felt so much more wiser beyond their years. I know I definitely wasn't has poised and smart as these kids are.

It is hard to say the things I want to say without giving away spoilers but there was a certain character whose actions really bothered me. And those who read may feel the same way??

I will probably continue to check out Goodman's future work because I do get invested into the storylines and I need to see how it ends.

I recommend this if you love multi POVs, unreliable narrators, messy, rich, high school students with messy parents.

As someone that rarely read YA mystery or any kind of YA, this book is surprisingly doesn't bored me and pretty interesting.

The legacies give me gossip girl X magnolia parks vibes, and I'm here for it. I love how complex each character is, and depending on which POV you're reading, you can hate and love a character only in a matter of different POVs. I also love the additional "After the Ball" chapter which gives me a glimpse of what mystery lies ahead and gives me some clues on what's going to happen and what to believe.

Each character has its flaw and that is understandable, but in this book, I truly can't sympathize or even root for Isobel. I found her quite unlikeable and I don't fond of her POV but I do like Bernie's POV and like a little bit more of Tori's POV.

The Legacies is a YA Thriller mystery with a splash of drama, rich people's antic, gossip girl vibes, and the toxic and confusing dynamic of the friend group. Thank you Razorbill, Author, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Just…wow. This book was absolutely and completely addictive! I definitely did not want to put it down!

This story is a young adult thriller set on the scene of NYC’s Upper East Side old money aristocracy. Wealth and power may seemingly solidify friendships and alliances however, behind the scenes, secrets are really the glue that binds.

The story unfolds from three point of views from Excelsior Prep seniors. Bernie Kaplan: reigning school queen, epitome of old money elite, and yet she has a predilection for making damaged friends. Isobel Rothcroft: the quintessential self-destructing golden girl with a self-loathing artistic talent and a penchant for abusing opioids. And finally, Tori Tasso: the misnomer that no one looked twice at and now wondered how she ended up with a nomination to the Legacy Club without the pedigree to get her there.

I genuinely liked the viewpoints of Bernie and Tori and the revelations that unfolded; however, Isobel was another matter. She’s an absolute mess in need of serious intervention and her viewpoint reads like a sloppy drunk. Unfortunately, that didn’t make me empathize with her character, instead I sped through large chunks of her “woe is me” monologues.

The suspense and thrill were also missing until about page 200. From this point the story explodes until it burns all the way through the end. If you find yourself debating a DNF, I definitely did, hold on it gets much better.

I enjoyed this. I have to say, though, that I didn't necessarily find a lot of the characters to be very compelling. Could it be that I am just too old to relate to our characters? Potentially. I do tend to really enjoy this type of YA thriller/mystery though, so I'm not sure. I liked that we were sort of questioning who the victim was throughout the story--that was a cool mechanic and added another layer of mystery to an already twisty story. I also like how this was sort of Gossip Girl-y--those book series (like Gossip Girl, or the Clique series sort of) where teenage drinking and drugs and opulence is really heightened are so fun. Overall, a twisty and fun story, but I do wish I had been able to get on with the characters even more to make this an even better read.