The Legacies is Jessica Goodman’s best piece so far. Gossip Girl meets Pretty Little Liars and One of Us is Lying.

Bernie, Isobel, and Tori are all Legacy Club nominees, fighting for a life changing scholarship and the chance to prove that they belong in this world of elites, but then someone gets murdered and everything changes.

I really liked the three points of view as well as the flash forwards to the murder - not knowing who died until the very end was exciting and it kept me guessing. I enjoyed the twists and turns in this one. I thought I had it all figured out, but I never guessed what really happened. It was a fun, quick read and definitely worth picking up!

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'm a sucker for books that take place at elite schools, and I will admit it. But it did throw me off that the synopsis on NetGalley compared this to Euphoria, because I see very little connections. More Gossip Girl than anything.

This multi POV book follows Isobel, Bernie and Tori through the week leading up to a ball that will potentially induct them to a society at their elite NYC school. Bernie can't find her mother, Tori's is dead, and Isobel has her own set of problems. The book also has chapters that flash forward to the ball. letting us know something happened, but we don't find out until the end.

It's not my favorite Jessica Goodman. I'm unpopular, and prefer They'll Never Catch Us, despite some hot takes about the cross country aspect of that book, but I obviously inhaled it in one day, so it reads quickly and is enticing enough to keep people reading.

Gossip Girl meets Big Little Lies in this new YA mystery by Jessica Goodman and I had a great time reading it. I loved the alternating POVs of Tori, Bernie and Isobel, plus the little chapters of the aftermath of the Legacy Ball. I honestly wasn’t sure which way this book was going to go, which is how I felt reading Goodman’s three other mysteries. She does a really great job of dropping little twists like breadcrumbs that leave you completely guessing until the end. The teenage drama was ON POINT too. Very reminiscent of an episode of Gossip Girl or Pretty Little Liars and I mean that in the best way. I was absolutely hooked from page one and didn’t lose that steam at any point throughout the story. The pacing was pretty steady throughout, maybe a touch slower at times. The characters themselves were all very interesting. The ending, well I kind of saw the ending coming, but only because I was reeeeeeally hoping for that outcome so I was pleased! It was definitely satisfying and wrapped up well. I think this one might be tied with They’ll Never Catch Us as my favorite Goodman mystery.
TW: underage drinking, drug use, death, infidelity, violence

Thank you to NetGalley and Razorbill for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.2 rounded down to 4/5.
The Legacies presents an intriguing premise and a mix of Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars vibes. While the book falls short of its full potential, it offers a quick and entertaining read. The intermittent flash-forward chapters create suspense, but the chapters set in the present could have been more engaging. The main characters are developed reasonably well, but a deeper exploration of the supporting cast would have been beneficial. The use of multiple perspectives provides insight into each character's perspective, and the resolution of questions and mysteries is satisfying. However, readers expecting a thrilling experience may find that the book leans more towards a contemporary drama with elements of mystery rather than a true thriller.

The Legacies is like if Gossip Girl had more dead bodies. If you like fast-paced YA thrillers, this is definitely the book for you. It was fun, if a bit predictable. Goodman’s writing shines through the atmosphere and setting, however some of the dialogue felt a bit cringey in the way YA dialogue often can. I think part of the issue of my indifference toward this book may be I’m not the best audience for this, I could see this being a hit for the right person.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

Like Gossip Girl on steroids. I loved the rich people drama and twisted secrets, all wrapped up in a Manhattan prep school package. There were a couple characters I which we delved into a bit more, but overall this was a dark and twisty read I recommend!

The Legacies was a bit of a mystery about what happened to Skylar. Did he fall? Was he pushed? Tracing the week before his death, many secrets come to light. Friends turn to enemies, and everyone has a secret.

The pacing is fantastic and the reveals are well-timed, but I struggled to connect with some of the characters. A solid read and my introduction to Goodman's writing, but left me wanting for more depth for some of the characters. Perhaps too many POVs for my limited attention span to keep track of with the random omniscient third person chapters interjected throughout.

4/5 Rating

This was my first book from Jessica Goodman and let me say, it did not disappoint! The Legacies questions morality and nepotism at its finest. I loved reading from different POVs instead of just following one character, and each chapter left me wanting more. It definitely gives Gossip Girl vibes, but a more tamed version. There are lies, secrets, betrayals, and death. Everyone has their own hidden agenda, even the parents. A bit predictable at times, but overall a great YA Thriller!

An entertaining gossip girl-esque YA read with a thriller twist.
Colorful, lively characters, complicated relationships, and an interesting premise make this a fun & compelling read you can't wait to return to.
Great new entrant into this highly readable category.

With great thanks to NetGalley & Penguin Group/Penguin Teen for this e-ARC!

Loved this book! I absolutely loved Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars and this book reminded me of a mashup type of both stories. This is everything I look for in a YA type thriller. I loved this so much I can’t wait to read other stories by this author!

I usually don't like multiple point of views but I loved how the multiple point of views was done in this book. It was a fast paced twisty book. Weaving the past with the present made the story more interesting.

Jessica Goodman is my favorite ya thriller writer and this book is exactly why. She ATE! The story line kept me pulled in and my wife also loved it so that’s a win.

This book had potential and the premise sounded interesting but was slow to get into and didn’t hook me from the start and the ending fell a bit flat

I don’t ask for much from a YA mystery. Usually give me opulence, a campus, an old friend group, a summer camp, a podcast or an unsolved murder and I’m happy as a clam. This one didn’t disappoint. It was like soaking in to watch some PG(ish) reality TV. Definitely a fun read even though you’ll love to hate all the characters. And I KNOW. That’s coming from me, 👑 of saying I don’t like a book because I need to like at least one character.

There’s a lot going on in this book and the intricate web that’s spun about a fairly complex high society club is super well done for a YA. It managed to clearly explain everything, while developing both the plot and the characters. Suuuuuure not everything lines up in a satisfying way + you do have to look past some things where the explanation doesn’t actually provide any explanation but as a whole it was v good!

Def a good get you out of a slump, fun, snackable YA thriller (more thriller leaning than mystery only because you don’t find out who died until the end but that’s a mystery in itself really).

Wow!!! 5 star read!!! I could not put it down!! This is a murder mystery book, that’s multiple pov, and you don’t know who died until the end. It’s like if Gossip Girl and Only Murders in the Building had a baby. There’s lots of secrets that get revealed throughout the book. Along with lots of twists and turns that I was not expecting. I felt like the ending left off in a cliffhanger, so I’m hoping there’ll be another book. Either way I can’t recommend this book enough and can’t wait to own a physical copy of this book! I will be definitely reading more books from this author. I do want to add that this is my first murder mystery book and that I mainly read fantasy and romance, so the fact that I was very into the storyline speaks volumes for this book and how amazing it is.

I tried so hard to care. I'm sorry, I don't. I used to love rich teens/gossip girl vibes... but apparently not anymore because this was not for me.

I really enjoyed Goodman’s first novel and I have been chasing that ever since. This is a decent YA mystery, very reminiscent of Gossip Girl, but I just didn’t care about the characters. It’s interesting to read about the elite, but it’s so over the top that I have no frame of reference for if people actually live this way. And if they do? No thank you. The backstory between the older Legacy club members was much more interesting to me. That said, it was entertaining overall and would be a good way to spend an afternoon on the beach.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy and a chance to read this early. All opinions are my own.

The Legacies, by Jessica Goodman.
3/5⭐️⭐️⭐️

TRIGGER WARNINGS-
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Murder, drinking, drugs, death

Past alumni members to the exclusive Legacy Club in New York City, (where you get a life time supply of power and wealth), get to nominate new members every year. Each year these high school seniors get a chance to win the $25,000 cash prize on the night of the Legacy Ball.
This year friends Bernie, Isobel, Skyler, Lee and Kendall are nominated from Excelsior Prep along with a new face, Tori.
This year is different though as secrets start to emerge, relationships are rattled and on the night of the Legacy Ball there's been a murder.

I was so confused for the longest while on the whole legacy thing and how the schools worked. Like are there multiple schools involved? Only one school? How are all the schools connected? I think I managed to figure it out in the middle.
The story is told from the POV of three of the characters. It's told in the setting of before the ball and after the ball.
It's written a bit different because not only do you obviously not know who the killer is you also don't even know who was killed till almost the end.
It does drag on a bit-the beginning and end were good, but the middle had some long draggy parts.

I'm familiar with her writing, having read her other three novels, and since she writes all her books the same way I know her style so, I know that the obvious isn't always the answer and that there's twists and turns coming so it kind of gives the element of surprise away. 


Thank you to Razorbill and NetGalley for giving me an E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Razorbill for the eARC of The Legacies in exchange for my honest review!

A mix of PLL and Gossip Girl with a group of girls who are legacies for an exclusive club with the extra member of their group getting in on a scholarship. The book alternates between their POVs which showed all of their secrets.

The pacing was alright, I think it could have been stronger for sure. I felt as if we had a lot of build up at the beginning and then it tapered off which led to an almost lackluster ending.