Since I read these books for study, a well-written one is usually a pleasant surprise, and the rest are useful but expected. After reading three of Jessica Goodman's works, I can categorize them all into the second group. The youngsters on scholarships live "real lives" and provide a good contrast to the one percent of students who attend creme de la creme private schools and are entitled to the tips of their Louis Vuitton shoes. I give Goodman credit for her hard work even though the characters never quite seem to be anything other than predictable. She always does a workmanlike job of keeping you engaged in the plot.

I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. The downfall was that I requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before the book was archived. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it!

In this YA thriller, the most elite teens of the city have been invited to join the Legacies, an organization that will secure their place within the upper echelon forever. But this group of teens is about to find out that it's not all it's cracked up to be. Their parents have secrets. They have secrets. Are these secrets worth doing anything to protect? How deadly will they be?
Teenager me would have liked this book more than adult me did. And it was mainly because every single character is so incredibly unlikable. But once I got through the background and set up and the action really started, it was entertaining and well written. I really like Jessica Goodman, the author, so I'll keep reading her work!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy. All opinions are mine.

3.5/5 Stars

An invitation to the Legacy Club can open doors for its members. It is no surprise when Excelsior seniors Bernie Kaplan, Isobel Rothcroft, and Skyler Hawkins are nominated as Legacies. They come from a long line of members. When Tori Tasso is nominated, everyone is confused. She is a scholarship student from Queens, not the typical nominee, and everyone is dying to know how she secured her nomination.

Big fan of books with betrayal, backstabbing, and a bunch of drama. I also love when we know there has been a death, but we don't know who the deceased is. I love trying to figure out the identity before its revealed. I can't say I particularly cared which one of them died, as I didn't truly connect with any of them but Tori - but it was fun trying to figure it out. Each nominee is hiding secrets from the rest, and I liked waiting for it all to be unveiled. We got POVs from Tori, Isobel and Bernie, as well as alternating timelines between the night of the Legacy Ball, and the days leading up to it. The writing style was very easy to read, and I flew through the book in one day.

Overall, a fun little mystery to solve, Jessica Goodman is a great author if you want something quick and easy to follow.

Thank you to Penguin GROUP Razorbill and NetGalley for this ARC of The Legacies in exchange for an honest review! This book gave me such Gossip Girl vibes with the secrecy, the opulence, the thrill, and most of all THE DRAMA. If you ever wanted Gossip Girl to have a sharper edge to it, The Legacies is the perfect book. It was short and didn't drag on, either. It was a fantastic read.

3.5 stars rounded up

THE LEGACIES is a fast paced mystery/thriller that I could not put down once I started it! It follows the perspectives of Bernie, Isobel, and Tori as they navigate the secrets, high society customs, and drama leading up to their induction into the exclusive Legacy Club.

The mystery surrounding the death teased throughout the book through short flash forwards is slowly revealed as you learn more about the characters. I loved how you didn’t find out the whole story until the very end.

Jessica Goodman is a favorite of mine - I am never disappointed by her thrillers! They keep you hooked until the very last sentence.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

this book was fun! if you like gossip girl type of high society and YA murder mysteries in a private high school setting, you'll probably enjoy this, it reminded me a lot of the spanish netflix tv series "elite". it's easy and fast to read. while i predicted some of the twists, the author still manages to surprise me at times. one of the thing that kept me engaged while reading is that we don't know who died until the very end. my only issues with this book are that most of the characters were unlikeable so it was hard to root for them and i kept waiting for a huge reveal that never came. i also felt like the pacing was off at time, the author choosing to focus on things that didn't turn out to be important instead of things i wanted to know more about. overall, i would recommend this to teenagers who are looking for a mystery book with a lot of high school drama!

This book gives me gossip girl meets a scary move vibes and I was 1000% down for it and loved every second Jessica Gordon had me hocked

Our teens are loving this one. Fans of Euphoria will love this! This book is a great addition to any YA collection where thrillers or boarding school dramas are popular.

Goodman sure knows how to create thrilling worlds and mysteries. I loved this book and will read anything she writes.

"The Legacies" is a compelling YA thriller set in the world of elite high school students in New York City who are vying for a spot in the exclusive Legacy Club. The story unfolds on the night of the annual ball, where a mysterious death occurs, leading to a deep dive into the secrets, betrayals, and connections that bind these characters together.

Bernie's mother has long spoken about her daughter becoming a member of the Legacy Club, but when initiation week arrives, her mother is nowhere to be found. Tensions have also arisen in Bernie's relationship with her best friend, Isobel, stemming from an incident at a party on Shelter Island that involved Bernie's boyfriend.

Isobel, on the other hand, harbors numerous secrets, including one she's in denial about – her growing dependence on illicit substances, which threatens to consume her just when she needs to maintain control.

Tori, an outsider in this elite circle, is a scholarship student with a mission to save her father's diner from financial ruin. However, she, too, has her own hidden truths that she keeps from her girlfriend.

This YA thriller effectively explores the darker, more petty aspects of privilege and wealth among the elite. While it's a solid read, it may feel a bit lengthy, and there's room for either a more fast-paced plot or deeper character development. Given that the story unfolds over a relatively brief period, the character relationships and their depth aren't fully explored. Additionally, the deliberate concealment of the identity of the deceased person even in the present timeline might come across as somewhat contrived. Nevertheless, the book offers an intriguing and enjoyable narrative, complete with a twist ending.

The author, Jessica Goodman, has delivered several satisfying books, though for some readers, none have quite reached the level of excellence found in her second novel, "They'll Never Catch Us," which was exceptional. "The Legacies" is likely to appeal to a broad range of readers, though be aware that it contains intense addiction content related to Isobel, which may be distressing for some.

I wanted to really like this book. But it just fell a little short for me. The high-end lifestyles and corrupt parents of the main characters made me feel sorry for them instead of connecting with and rooting for them.

This was my first Jessica Goodman thriller but it won’t be my last! I was hooked right from the start. I wanted and needed to know more about the Legacy Club and was so anxious to find out who had died (while hoping it wasn’t my fave!).

Omg I loved this book SO MUCH! I love anything Jessica Goodman writes. I love how messy the relationships were and how we didn't really see the ending coming at all!

Jessica Goodman is bound to deliver when it comes to a good mystery, and this one is no different. I found the pacing to be a tad off but I was still hooked. I love that you don't really know the full details until the end and that you learn little by little, keeping you eager to turn the page. The characters here really shine and will keep you coming back eager to spend time with them... not sure what it is about Goodman's writing that can make me fall in love with a shady character, but here I am again!

So the mystery aspect of this book is fantastic. Throughout the entire book you can’t tell who died. With each flashforward you get a little information. Enough to make your theories change.

I didn’t call the ending.

Isabel as a pov seemed an odd choice to me. She didn’t seem to have much to do with the central plot.

As for Bernie, I felt like there was a lot of naivety in the beginning. And as the story goes her eyes are opened to how people get power.

A fun thriller to be compared to "We Were Liars" and "One of Us is Lying". This story gives a realistic depiction of the complexities of being born or thrust into high society and forced to continue the same traditions that help push people down to be below them.

I am so sad :(

Jessica Goodman is officially a 50/50 author for me, with two books I liked and now two that I disliked.

This book had so much promising. The multiple POVs, the flash forwards, being told over only a few days and racing towards the end. There was so many different little mysteries and clues, the build up was *amazing*. But at the ending it all fell flat. I wasn't shocked or surprised. I hadn't necessarily predicted what all happened, but I got most of it correct, and the things I didn't predict were so mundane and lacked shock value :(

I really wanted to enjoy (and I did enjoy the buildup) but the ending left a sour taste in my mouth.

Thank you PenguinTeen for providing me with an e-ARC!

I liked this one quite a bit although I occasionally had to stop and think about who was who... I think due to the amount of characters as well as the different POVs. I loved the rich private school setting for a YA murder mystery, it always adds to the story

I’m a fan of Jessica Goodman’s mysteries, though I must admit this is not my favorite work of hers. The pacing fell a little flat at times. I wanted to keep reading, but I found my motivation more driven by a love of the characters than any sort of curiosity for the mystery aspects of the book, and in fact found myself a bit bored and underwhelmed by the mystery. However, I truly did love the characters (especially Tori) and they kept me coming back to the book. It was a solid read, and I look forward to Goodman’s next book.