no spoilers because it’s an arc but!! jessica goodman does it again! she will say “hey here’s a ya mystery with messaging about class” and i go “and” and she sighs and says “and the main character is jewish” and i go nuts for it every time!! i will say the constant flash forwards were a little confusing but they did a really good job of hiding the reveal. (i, of course, am a nancy drew level genius and guessed the reveal on my own.) overall i really did like it a lot!!

SPOILERY STUFF AHEAD:
i was so intrigued as to how esther is such a calculating figure but rlly did seem to regret what she did to tori’s mom!!! and the way the book left off i really hope we get a family of liars style prequel i’m so ready. also why did esther even dislike tori’s mom in the first place?? also like it was so clear that it was bernie’s boyfriend who died but yk what it’s ok i was still gagged.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book kept my attention but I did not enjoy it much as I enjoyed Goodman's last two books. I didn't find most of the characters, and their motivations and actions, believable. One of the underlying mysteries - where is Bernie's mom- was particularly underwhelming. I do understand Goodman's larger point about the advantages of privileged private school kids in NYC and the performative philanthropy of their parents, but overall the book was too silly for it to have much impact.

Without spoiling the ending, I will say that the main murder victim was pretty obvious but the perpetrator's actions seemed inconsistent with their character and entirely unnecessary.

I was on the edge of my seat for the majority of this book. Goodman's use of flash forward scenes created the perfect air of suspense, and the various points of view helped me truly understand the main characters and their motivations. The Legacy Club is such an intriguing concept that confronts many issues and important topics, a glaring one being nepotism. The juxtaposition of the characters with privilege to a character like Tori created a new perspective on wealth and connections, and whether they are as all-important as they seem. Truly enjoyed this book, and would definitely recommend! Thank you Netgalley and publishers for the eARC!

There is a specific genre of YA mystery (specifically, murder mysteries) that I absolutely love. It's the very niche 'rich and/or privileged kids face consequences' type of mystery and I love it. Bonus points if there are noble/deserving less well of kids who are either there to solve the mystery or be involved in the crime in some way (although rarely the culprit). There's something fun about reading a story featuring teenagers with what I would think of as adult money, because the drama is able to be so much more heightened.

The Legacies scratched every itch of this genre and then some. Strong plotting, engaging characters, and just enough information that you could make guesses about what might be coming next and reevaluate when you received new information. The structure of the book plays into this, with character POV chapters describing past events happening interspersed with the present-time descriptions of investigation. The novel follows three of the six "Legacy" nominees from Excelsior Prep, and their week leading up to the Legacy Ball. But someone's there who maybe doesn't belong, and the past will influence how the future unfolds.

Goodman is great at building tension, and if I was able to predict the ending, that's likely because I'm an adult reader who has read my fair share of mysteries both new and old. I think a teen/YA reader would enjoy this as much if not more than I did. There are proper red herrings and betrayals, and reading this was an indulgent pleasure. Fun, thrilling, and just a little bit of scandal - the perfect book for a summer read!

Teen drama, mystery, intrigue, a who done it? Yes please.
This was my first Goodman book and I was not disappointed with how it went. Was it somewhat unbelievable, perhaps. Did the teens have a bit too much power, for sure. Did it matter in the end, nope. I went to private school for 10 years and, while it wasn't exactly what is represented in this book, I can definitely see things I experienced in the stories of these characters.
I read this book in almost one sitting. The pacing and cadence were spot on. The characters were well developed. The relationships between those characters were somewhat unexpected. I enjoyed seeing the book through several points of view. This helped solidify what each character was going through and also see a different perspective of each character through multiple perspectives.
The mystery was fun. I did figure out who it was that actually died prior to the reveal, but that didn't keep me from turning the pages to get to it and see how it happened.
I will say, I can't see how such a big secret could be kept forever without guilt eating away at someone. But perhaps the point is what the characters have to live with to maintain their place in the society they have grown up in. Well, all except the one character who truly didn't seem to belong until she did.
Overall, a page turner that kept me wanting to get to the end to see how things wrapped up. I'd delve into another Goodman book, given the chance.

I’ve read 2.5 of her books and the writing in this was miles beyond the other ones. I really found myself scared and intrigued. It’s like a gossip girl murder thriller.

Interesting but not my cup of tea. It was slow to start and it took me a while to get into the book. Although the mystery and plot twist was interesting, I felt unsympathetic towards the characters. The ending felt a little flat, but I can see it potentially leading to a sequel.

This book got me out of rut and I’m still thinking about it! And haven’t picked up something that has sucked me in quite like The Legacies since I finished. For fans of gossip girl and pretty little liars, you’ll love this fast paced thriller taking place on the upper east side.

*Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of The Legacies by Jessica Goodman.*

The high society elite seems like the A-dream, classy balls, exclusive access to your dream school and connections with the best of the best, but we learn through the pov's of six seniors of Excelsior Prep that the high society isn't all glitter and glamour.

Money, lies and drama in the world of the Legacy club where you can achieve your dreams, if you get in and if you survive. A spectacular story about the hidden truths inside the world of the rich and famous with dash of a murder mystery. The switching from counting down the days until the ball to snippets of interviews about what happened, gets you on the edge of your seat. Bit by bit you learn what happened, and the secrets each character keeps.

3.8 for me because there was lots of the standard drama, but it still got me on hook to find out how the characters were connected.

I have loved Jessica's other books so this was a very similar read. In The Legacies, there is The Legacy Club - the ultimate status symbol in elite prep school NYC (think Gossip Girl), but for the Excelsior Prep seniors, their initiation will end with one of their deaths.

Although I'm older than this book's intended audience, I am always searching for things similar to the Gossip Girl TV show and its exclusive rich people school vibe that I enjoyed as a teen. This book delivered in that way.

The characters were interesting, full of secrets, and I enjoyed the multiple POVs the story was told through.
It was easily binged and I would happily read anything else this author writes. I think this book will be really successful upon publishing.

Thank you so much for the ARC.

Seniors from the Excelsior school and several other private schools in New York are nominated into The Legacy Club. These are the elites of NYC society - to be in the Legacy Club is to be someone and to have power.

The Excelsior nominees are Bernie, Isobel, Skyler, Lee, Kendall, and - unexpectedly - scholarship student, Tori. Almost everyone has a secret and some are darker than others.

The story is told from the perspectives of Bernie, Tori, and Isobel. There’s also a time jump to After the Ball, where we know there is a body but we don’t know who or what happened.

I’ve seen this compared to Gossip Girl and I highly agree. That’s exactly what I thought of when I was reading it. Entitled teenagers, family secrets, and even set in NYC.

Overall, it was definitely interesting and held my attention. Was I absolutely shocked about what happened? No. Did I tear through this book very quickly because I enjoyed it? Absolutely.

The Legacy Club is so glitzy, glamorous and addictive! I loved the storyline and the whole atmosphere of this YA story! Characters were very interesting as well! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

When I saw that this was a prep school thriller, I was definitely on board for the ride. This is the first book I have read from this author and would like to read more. This book definitely fit into the Gossip Girl/Pretty Little Liars bubble that I enjoy as a little guilty pleasure from time to time. This book delivers on the privileged, preppy, rich kid vibe that is at the core of these types of dramas and provides the perfect amount of underlying scandal to keep it interesting. The book starts out with a murder investigation and backtracks into the particulars and how things started out with the central characters. The alternating chapters that were written from different perspectives was a good way to tell the story, however Bernie was just extremely insufferable by the end with her momma drama. I like that the book kept me guessing until the end. The only criticism I have is regarding the pacing which I felt was off at times and made the story drag in parts. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

The beginning was slow and there was a lot of character building that did not make sense at first. The trust was good and how the characters were connected was also interesting
Overall not a bad read.

Pub date: 7/25/23
Genre: YA thriller
Quick summary: The Legacy Club is the ultimate status symbol in elite prep school NYC - but for Excelsior Prep seniors Bernie, Isobel, Skyler, and Tori, their initiation will end with one of their deaths.

Jessica Goodman's YA thrillers are always fun, quick reads, so I was really excited to have the chance to read this one! If you miss Gossip Girl, this book will definitely ease your craving! Everyone has secrets, (almost) everyone has money, and there's drama galore. I was surprised by the ending, and the book kept me entertained enough to read in one day! 3.5 rounded to 4. If you can suspend your disbelief, this is a very fun ride.

Thank you to Razorbill for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much netgalley for giving me this arc. Jessica Goodman is one of my favourite author / writer all of time. Ive been waiting and waiting for this book since she announced it. The writing was addicting and I couldn't be more into it.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC of The Legacies in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn't necessarily bad per see, it was just really mediocre and forgettable.

The mystery was really predictable, which was a shame since this alternated between past and present povs. This made the past povs really boring. I had guessed the death and antagonist quite early.

The characters were alright, nothing too good or bad.

The concept was really interesting but the execution wasn't done well enough.

If pretty little liars and gossip girl had a child, it would be this book.
It has hooked me a lot.
The characters are fine and the desire to know what happened makes you turn the pages compulsively.
A good book if you like adolescent mysteries.

Si pequeñas mentirosas y gossip girl tuvieran un hijo, seria este libro.
A mi me ha enganchado muchísimo.
Los personajes están bien y las ganas de saber que ha pasado te hace pasar las paginas de manera compulsiva.
Un buen libro si te gustan los misterios adolescentes.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

ARC review of ‘The Legacies’ written by Jessica Goodman

Expected on: 25 June 2023

Recommended for:
Fans of Gossip Girl
Lovers of YA mysteries
People who enjoy short but engaging books

Vibes:
rich kids and the luxury that comes with itmurder mysteryelegant partiesgossip girl

Positives:
Multiple perspectives (Bernie, Isobel and Tori) they were all strongly different types of characters, so it was nice to read from each of their perspectives regularlyThe chapter lengths are perfect. Short enough to keep you hooked and encourage you enough to finish the chapter before you stop reading.enough information is being shared about characters to make sure you're getting to know them without feeling like you're getting a jarring crash course on personalities and individual histories.

Negatives:
No negatives. This is a fantastic and easy to read YA mystery/thriller.