Thank you Penguin Young Readers and Netgalley for a copy of this digital ARC.

The Legacies follows a group of teens who attend a private high school, and their ambition to gain access to the Legacy Club – which promises wealth and exclusive opportunities for its members. Told in multiple POVs with a now/then timeline, one of the key differentiating factors in this book is that we don’t know who the victim is.

Unfortunately, I did not find the story that intriguing, and didn’t find myself wanting to pick it up and find out what happened. This was just not a super memorable read for me.

Many thanks to Penguin Teen and Razorbill for the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
Old money.
New secrets.
The Legacy Club is the highly selective group for the top NYC private school students, six per school per year. We are talking about the uber-wealthy - rich people behaving badly. There is a dead body at the exclusive club during the final event, the Legacy Ball, launching the murder mystery. Timing-wise, the book alternates between the days leading up to the ball and the police questioning immediately after the ball, building the anticipation of the murder as well as many potential motives for murder. The victim remains a mystery until pretty close to the end of the book, too. I liked that there was room to suspect almost any of the main characters - either as the killer OR the victim! This seemed to me like a deadlier version of Gossip Girl but (gasp) I’ve never actually seen GG so that might not be an accurate representation!!
While this is a YA novel, the amount of normalized drinking and drug-use make it seem more mature than what I’d usually recommend to my students. If you read this AND you’ve watched Gossip Girl, please let me know if I’m right in my comparison of the two!

It's no secret around here that I love a "rich people behaving badly book" - there's something about it that appeals to my Gossip Girl-loving heart. I KNOW they're bad people and I'm okay with reading about them. I don't have to like or root for the characters in every book I read. I know it's a personal preference thing and I'm okay with that. Just be warned, if you aren't a rich kid drama girlie, you probably won't find much to like in this one.

This book feels simultaneously similar and different than Goodman's other books. I've rated her other books 3, 3.5, and 4 stars, respectively, so she's always been a good-but-not-a-favorite author of mine. I still find myself so drawn to her synopses and eagerly await each new release! The whole vibe of this one (like her other three books) is more of a contemporary fiction book with some death and suspense as the backbone. Her books aren't thrillers, they're sort of mysteries, but they're more like... mysterious contemporary fiction? This book is the first that features unlikeable rich kids at a prep school in NYC - the others are set in normal high schools or at summer camp.

The story alternates between Bernie (a rich kid living in her mom's shadow), Isobel (another rich kid and Bernie's best friend with a substance abuse issue), and Tori (the scholarship kid whose mom died the year before). I enjoyed reading from each of their POVs for the most part but I didn't love any of the characters. Isobel was pretty insufferable throughout. I found myself rooting for Bernie a little bit and obviously Tori is the most likeable of them all. She's trying to better her life by making it into ~the Club~ and getting the cash prize to help her father out. The book also alternates in chapters "After the Ball," where we find out that someone fell off the roof and died during the event, so the reader tries to figure out who it was, what happened, and why.

There were a handful of intertwined mysteries that I found pretty unique and interesting! I figured out one small piece of the puzzle but wasn't able to put the whole thing together. I enjoyed the journey and pretty much read the final 3/4 of the book in one sitting, which is always a good sign!

I enjoyed this read from Jessica Goodman. I love a good dark academia book with mystery and all. Some characters were stronger than others. I was surprised at who the body turned out to be and felt like that was not who it should’ve been.

Thank you publishers and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I always love a good “rich people being rich people” satire, and while The Legacies doesn’t reinvent the wheel, Goodman weaves a fun thriller that had me rapidly turning the pages. The characters are wonderfully messy, and there’s a refreshing multigenerational arc that I rarely see as elaborated as it is in this book. Beyond just rich people being bad, Goodman deftly handles how the upper class elite continuously exploits the working class, as well as how that entitlement is passed on to their heirs.

The Legacies begins the moment the police arrive at the secretive Legacy Club, where a body has been found and Bernie Kaplan, the daughter of a New York socialite and big-shot lawyer, is the one with blood on her hands. This cold open works great by building suspense, and I really liked how the victim’s identity is kept a secret as well. This adds an additional mystery element; whereas most thrillers spend time exploring the potential murders and their motives, Goodman asks if, maybe, the victim deserved their tragic end. While I was able to guess the murderer’s identity early on, I think the true twist/revelation (or at least the one that had me clapping a hand over my mouth in shock) was revealing the victim and really elevates the book’s interrogation of social class and privilege. I loved that Goodman was able to tackle some more difficult topics without losing the clear satirical edge.

Though the writing wasn’t particularly notable and some of the tropes were familiar to me as a casual YA thriller reader, the three POV characters were all fun to follow. Working-class scholarship student Tori Tasso was my favorite, especially because I related to her the most. Refreshingly, although her backstory does somewhat play into the “dead mother” trope, Goodman takes time to explore the effects of her mother’s death on Tori’s widowed father and avoids stereotyping him as a workaholic-turned-abuser, unlike most adult thrillers. Her arc also includes a fascinating commentary on how the legal system enables the elites. Tori’s world is effortlessly diverse: she’s a queer Greek-American with a Japanese girlfriend, Joss. I really liked Joss’s character—she’s supportive but blunt and not afraid to be honest with her girlfriend, though Goodman’s use of the word “cute” to describe her felt like it was feeding into a stereotype about Japanese girls and made me wince.

Bernie is the magnetic Queen B-type stock character, but I really enjoyed her character arc as she realizes her special relationship with her (now-missing) mother may have been more codependent and exploitative than she initially thought. She’s a more straightforward character that lacks the nuances I found in Tori, but her introspective growth felt authentic, especially when she begins to go outside her privileged bubble to befriend Tori. Her disillusionment with her wealthy childhood was a bit too instantaneous for my liking, but I liked the emotional aspect.

The last POV character, Isobel Rothcraft, is the stereotypical unhinged teen in the vein of HBO’s Euphoria. She’s an unstable artistic genius whose wealth has enabled her addictions to alcohol and opioids as people turn a blind eye to her. I felt that Isobel could have been a good vehicle to explore these issues, but she was too one-sided for my liking as she just got drunk or high throughout the entire book. I did like that she eventually realized her problems and sought help, but like the rest of the book, felt a tad rushed to be believable.

Despite my reservations about the characters, The Legacies was still wildly entertaining and kept me engaged throughout. The ending is nice and tidy (perhaps too easily resolved), but a nice open-ending grants the characters closure while leaving the door open for a prequel or spin-off.

Stuffed with plenty of backstabbing, drama, and, of course, rich kid antics, The Legacies is a YA thriller worthy of any genre fan’s collection.

3.75/5 stars

3.5 rounded up. Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book. I really enjoyed the way this story was told through the eyes of several girls with flashes forward to the future from the scene of the crime. I liked seeing how these different girls navigated their lives through the Legacy ball and the drama that ensued. There were lots of interweaving story lines and it was interesting to see how they came together. The pacing was a little slow for me in the middle but picked up nicely at the end. I wasn't super thrilled with the ending and I'm assuming there is going to be a sequel maybe to tie up some of the loose ends. Defiantly a good read if you are into books centering around girl drama and secrets. I would definitely read more from this author in the future.

Jessica Goodman is a summer staple for me. Her books never disappoint and I really enjoyed her new book! This book definitely had "Big Little Lies" callbacks with the flash forward of a murder scene and then backtracking to find out who died and how/why. A group of teens are part of an exclusive club called the Legacies. Each member is connected in unexpected ways and are hiding juicy secrets. I love stories about rich people behaving badly, fascinating secrets, and a hunt for clues to a mystery. This plot is fast, well-written and fun. Loved this one! Thank you to Jessica Goodman, NetGalley and Razorbill for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

5⭐️

The Legacy Club is one of the greatest secret society societies housed in New York. Members are all alumni of fancy, private prep schools where the students already have a leg up. Being invited to join The Legacy Club opens even more doors and gives it's members unlimited access to power and wealth. Five of the students nominated from Excelsior Prep to join the club made sense; all of them growing up in wealth and either children of Club members appeared on the outskirts of the club. But the sixth nominee is a surprise.

Tori is a scholarship kid from Queens who's family is on the brink of losing everything. She has no idea who nominated her. From her outside perspective, The Legacy Club comes across as a misogynistic, 'Good Ol' Boy' club that begrudgingly had started letting women in. But there is the chance of a $25,000 prize following a presentation, Tori swallows her pride to win the money for her family. But the closer she gets to The Legacy Ball, the more secrets of her late mother's are revealed. And those secrets lead to the dead body found outside The Legacy Club that day.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I love reading about the snobby upper class getting what they deserve. I also love secret societies and bringing down an organization from the inside. This story was told from four POV's: Bernie, the It girl of the nominated class; Isobel, Bernie's best friend who is spiraling with a substance abuse problem; Tori, the scholarship kid who is amazed at how out of touch the rich are; and a 3rd person perspective from the night of the Ball. I like watching these characters going from out of touch to realizing that they're the problem through out the story and that they don't have to follow their "legacy."

I maybe in my 30's, but I will always devour teen drama. This read like Gossip Girl meets Pretty Little Liars meets Riverdale and I loved everything about it. I can easily see this as a CW/Freeform show and that's the exact kind of trashy show I will always watch.

Thanks Netgalley and Razorbill for providing this ARC to me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC!

The Legacies follows an elite social circle of high school students in New York who would do anything to get into the exclusive and elusive Legacy Club. Gaining access to this Club gives you a lifetime access to wealth and power - they look out for their own. Spend the week up to the night of the Legacy Ball where secrets come out and a dead body is found.

Who did it? How did it happen? What happens now?

Read it to find out.

An exclusive society initiation ball with lots of drama? How about this book?
Elite Club - The Legacies are an elite club with golden keys that give them access to not only the club building but also the support and friendships of very successful alumni
Nominees- but you have to be nominated during your senior year by an existing member. Bernie and Isobel were pretty much a shoo in due to family connections
Unexpected - Tori, however, is someone no one expected, being a scholarship student who no one has taken the time to get to know
Tragedy - as we follow these 3 girls, we inch closer and closer to a tragedy that happens on the night of a ball, and how everything is all connected.

If you have been following me the past few months on this platform, you probably have seen that I have been reading Jessica Goodman’s previous books since I enjoyed The Counselors last year. This one to me was such a great story that kept my attention. It’s not the most unique story I have read, but it definitely falls into the scholarship student has to fit into an upper class situation trope. But I really did root for the main characters, despite their flaws. And as for the tragic mystery, there are short chapters throughout the book that give you more and more insight as to what happened. And while I felt like there could have been things that tightened it up, and sometimes there were a few red herrings, I just really enjoyed the story.

The legacies takes you into that world of glitz, glamour and secrets. The synopsis of this book originally had me really intrigued and as i’m not partial to mystery books, I had to read it. It was a really simple read imo, sure the characters were somewhat complex, but overall everything was just easy to read. Bernie was my favourite character and while she has a her few faults, I found myself annoyed with almost most around her and I couldn’t find any part of me supporting any of the other characters. The closest was Tori, who I like but I wouldn’t say I had any strong feelings for and as for Isobel, well I don’t like her and quite frankly I don’t care to. In terms of the story, I can see what the author wanted to do with this plot and prompt but ultimately I think a good bit of it ended up being predictable - fun and intriguing ofc - but still and oddly enough, I’m not satisfied with who died, kinda wish it was someone else and nothing about this story felt like it should lead to death. I also wish we got more from the end which felt like it was missing something.

However, I would recommend this to anyone who wants to get into this genre and looking for an easy read to do it.

*Thank you @netgalley and @penguinbooks / @penguinteen and the author for this ARC

This book was a mix between Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, & Big Little Lies.

It was a quick, interesting reading. I enjoyed the flashes between the present and the night of the incident. There were some twists that were a little more difficult to believe. Overall, the characters were somewhat likeable and the plot was interesting. I truly didn’t know what to expect at the end of the book until I reached it.

I haven’t read any of Goodman’s other books, but will definitely be checking them out after reading this.

DNFed at 13%

I was not connecting to this story at all and found myself dragging through the few chapters I did read. This sadly is just not for me.

Goodman's latest novel has been one that I've been looking forward to reading for a while. Although they aren't literary masterpieces, her books are typically fun and engaging, with just enough mystery to keep me interested. I appreciated that this one seemed to follow a similar pattern.

Conceptually, this story was fairly promising. Isolated, I enjoyed the major plot points. However, the narrative seemed to drag and stretch out, overtaxed by a cast of completely unrelatable and unlikeable narrators. While I appreciate the realism in these characters' personalities, this ultimately worked to the detriment of the story.

There is very little left to say about it. A potentially fun and engaging read that, for some readers, might fall flat. I didn't hate this one. Unfortunately, I didn't particularly love it either. .

Thank you, NetGalley for this advanced reader copy!
If you love “Gossip Girl” you will be enamored "The Legacies". Senior year has begun and a few will be selected for the Legacy Club. We get the perspective of besties Isobel and Bernie and outsider Tori. Your jaw will drop at the secrets they keep and the many ways they're connected.

Jessica Goodman's books have been on my radar for awhile, but this was the first I've actually read, and it was a great pick!

The premise of this young adult novel is fierce, and the back-and-forth timeline kept me turning pages (well, swiping pages 😊). This would be a fantastic plane book or beach read!

Jessica Goodman delivers with another great one. This one had so many twists and turns. I thought I had figured everything out but I kept being surprised over and over.

I was given an Advanced Reader Copy by NetGalley for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book!

The Legacies is Jessica Goodman's latest YA thriller and while it is not my favorite of her books, I enjoyed the story! If you enjoy books set in elite circles and/or lies, gossip, and backstabbing, this might be one you'll enjoy.

Several prep school students are being inducted into The Legacy Club, which will essentially set them up for life with connections, etc. But, one student chosen to join the club isn't the "typical" type--she is a scholarship kid. This, plus the fact that someone dies at the Legacy Ball, propels the mystery and the book. The story is told via multiple POVs, which I thought was mostly effective. I also liked that it was not known until the very end who died.

This was a fact read and one that I will be adding to my classroom library!

Solid murdery Gossip Girl YA thriller from Jessica Goodman. I always enjoy her books, although none of them are ever groundbreaking for me. They’re kind of a pleasure read where you’re pretty sure you know what is going to happen, but are sometimes caught off guard by a solid twist. This one definitely had a twist and I’m happy to say that I did not see the ending coming.

Even though I’ve tried one of Jessica Goodman’s books in the past and didn’t like it, I have a weakness for dark academia/boarding school murder mysteries so I decided to give her another try, even though this was less dark academia boarding school and more so gossip girl. Whatever, teen murder mystery dramas are fun, so I decided to give this a try. There’s a part of me that loves reading about the messiness of the elites upper class.

This ended up being an okay book. Not really a stand out read. It falls into a category where I’m not sure what kind of target audience it is for. There wasn’t enough upper class drama to appeal to fans of Gossip Girl (I’d recommend Magnolia Parks if that’s what you’re looking for) and regular thriller readers wouldn’t find this interesting enough. I just wasn’t super invested in this story or the characters.

This was a super fast read though, and I whipped through it in a couple hours. This is great if you need a super easy read, something light and not too serious. I like that they didn’t reveal who was killed until the end, because that is what kept me motivated to read until the end. It was a decent read, pretty predictable, not anything groundbreaking or original. I wouldn’t call it a waste of time either though, because I thought this was a nice palette cleanser in between books.

Thank you to Netgalley and Razorbill for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.