A fun thriller that is set in a teenage debutante society in New Orleans. Last year, the queen debutante died after a prank went awry. This year, the new queen, Lily, goes missing at the same debutante ball. Three friends start to investigate and find a secret brotherhood society that seems to be connected to both disappearances.

There are multiple POVs that could get confusing. I enjoyed the twists but figured out most of it early on. I did like reading about debutante society and having New Orleans as the backdrop.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Wednesday Books for this eARC. The Debutantes is out now.

I really enjoyed this book! I would highly recommend this book to my friends. I really enjoy this book!

This was interesting enough. Books don't need to be everything to be a decent read and this was absolutely a decent read. I love the setting. I am looking forward to what the author does next. Thank you for the ARC. It was a good time.

Rating: 4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub Date: 10/29
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The Debutantes is a YA thriller focusing on the elites in New Orleans. Following the disappearance of the queen of the debutantes, just a year after the prior years queen was found dead, three girls come together to solve the mystery of it all.
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I was addicted to the drama of this story. Right from the start I was really enjoying the exposure of the elites. I loved the shifting of the POV’s between the three girls. The pacing was perfect and the intensity of the story increased as they came closer and closer to finding out the truth. I love that their own secrets were revealed as well. The twists were perfectly timed and while not all were super shocking, they were perfect for this story.
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The only place where I struggled was I found myself confusing the three characters too often. I feel like they weren’t fleshed out enough for me, but this is totally a me problem; but with that being said I did love how strong all of the female leads were.
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Overall, this was a win for me. Definitely recommend this one! Huge thank you to NetGalley, Olivia Blake and St. Martins Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Murder, mystery, intrigue, and suspense; all combine to make this story one with tons of twists and turns. The debutante balls's queen is found dead. The following year, the new queen was abducted. Friends of both queens go searching for the truth and hopefully find the missing girl. There are multiple points of view through the timeline, which makes things even more curious seeing the events play out through the eyes of different people. You don’t know what's real and who's being manipulated to believe what they see or hear. Nothing is what it seems, yet much of it is... This thriller will take you on quite a ride.

This book gave me big Pretty Little Liars vibes and I had such high hopes going into it. I loved the setting of New Orleans, but there were way too many characters that were drawn up entirely too stereotypically. Overall, it was entertaining, but just OK.

Once I got past the shifting first person perspectives, I loved this book. Every twist and turn is perfect, and all three of our POV characters are so fun. I read this book in one sitting because I couldn't put it down. The only thing I wish were different is I wish there had been one well-intentioned adult who was actually willing to help the girls and not embroiled in the whole patriarchal scheme. The one betrayal I saw coming because really, when are law enforcement ever reliable in this kind of story, but the other one blindsided me and made me so sad. Then again, maybe the story wouldn't have been as good if the girls hadn't had to rely on themselves. Anyway, I loved it. Five stars.

Olivia Worley's The Debutantes delivers a gripping blend of Southern gothic and high-society drama, weaving intrigue, danger, and decadence into the world of New Orleans debutantes. The Les Masques Ball provides a lush, atmospheric backdrop for a tale of secrets, betrayal, and deadly games.

The narrative follows Vivian, Piper, and April as they reluctantly band together to unravel the mysteries surrounding Lily’s disappearance and Margot’s suspicious death. Their uneasy alliance feels authentic, with each character bringing unique strengths and vulnerabilities to the table. The shifting perspectives keep the pacing brisk, while the Jester's cryptic messages inject a steady dose of tension.

The setting shines as a character in itself, from the opulence of Mardi Gras festivities to the sinister undercurrents of the debutante world. Worley skillfully balances the glamor and the grit, immersing readers in an environment where danger lurks behind every sparkling mask.

Though the central mystery is compelling, some plot twists feel predictable, and a few relationships could have been developed more deeply. However, the story’s momentum and the characters’ evolving dynamics make up for these minor flaws.

Perfect for fans of Pretty Little Liars with a Southern twist, The Debutantes is a thrilling exploration of privilege, power, and the price of keeping secrets. A solid 4-star read!

Really enjoyed the scenery described in this book with NOLA. All the twists and turns that this book took had me on the edge of my seat as well! I wasn't expecting half of them, which is always a good time! I would recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was such a FUN read. I absolutely loved every second of this read. Perfect for those who love rich people behaving badly. Also great for those who are interested in New Orleans and Mardi Gras.

This Y/A mystery/thriller gave me such pretty little liar vibes at first. Mainly it's the friend group and they're interactions. The drama surrounding them. The way the parents are portrayed. It was a cute story. I do feel like the ending was a little rushed, but there was some great twist and turns. A couple that I did not see coming so I enjoyed that.

I feel like what drew me to the story the most was the location. It's based in New Orleans and you could just tell that the author done the research or has lived there because it was very vivid and gave you such a feel for the area. It definitely intrigued me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, St Martin's press, and Wednesday books for the opportunity to read and give my honest review.

Love the cover of this book! It was such a twisty mystery trying to find out “who done it.” Set in New Orleans with all the elite.
It does have a lot of characters in this one but once you get into it and find out about their personalities it’s easy to keep track.
Bonus… there is a bit of cult vibes (which I love books with crazy cults in them) ☺️
Reminded me of pretty little liars the show with all of the girls, betrayal, death, twists, lies
Overall I give it 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you netgalley for an advanced readers copy

I could not get into it! I love a teen thriller murder mystery but this seemed too similar to other titles in the genre!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars

[ thank you @wednesdaybooks for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own! ]

PUB DATE: October 29, 2024 (out now!)

THOUGHTS:

This was the perfect book to read for the spooky/halloween season! It’s a YA thriller set in New Orleans during Mardi Gras.

This had my attention immediately!! The secrets, the lies, the twists. Dare I say, it reminded a bit of Pretty Little Liars? I was drawn to the mystery of the dead queen and how the four characters were weaved together with their different POVs.

I love a good YA thriller and this checked all the boxes for me. If you are looking for something that’s a little bit eerie (but not scary!) check this book out!

The Debutantes is a typical YA mystery. It's full of bad behaving teens, and secrets but not really original. The story was okay, the characters were all unlikable and not in an entertaining way. I liked the setting of New Orleans and the vivid descriptions. There were some decent twists but the ending was unsatisfying.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher the ARC.

Okay yeah, I ate this up and I was at the edge of my seat for much of the book. This is the first novel I have read from Olivia Worley and it will not be the last. The setting was perfect for this tension and drama. The characters had me guessing and shook!

I enjoy a thriller as much as the next gal and really enjoyed Worley's last book.

Unfortunately, this one felt a bit predictable and fell flat for me. The multiple perspectives were hard to follow, and it felt like the big twist was obvious and the payoff wasn't as substantive as it could have been.

The debutantes is a ya southern gothic. A group of debutantes are still reeling from the death of Margot a year ago at the ball. When this years queen, lily, sends a text to her maids, but doesn’t show to the meeting she requested, the maids are horrified it’s happening again to another queen. Vivian, April, and piper are determined to find lily before it’s too late. They end up uncovering a deadly conspiracy that will rock their New Orleans town forever-and hit closer to home than any ever expect.

Told is alternating views between the debutantes, Worley draws readers into the mysterious world and the underbelly of new Orleans culture. The atmosphere Worley evokes sets this apart from other ya reads.

A fun fast-paced atmospheric read that reads above a typical
Ya novel. Thanks to the publisher for the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review..

If you are looking for a horror/thriller YA book, then this book is for you. It is appropriately set in New Orleans, where we all know is a spooky city with ghosts. And add in a good ole fashioned Debutante ball (Which I thought were a thing of the past, but I guess the Deep South is still holding on). Add in murder and a kidnapping/possible second murder and you have a great spooky read for teens.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Net Galley for an e-read copy!

This was a very quick and fun YA mystery/thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I almost wish that there had been one less character in the main cast, since sometimes I felt like it was hard to differentiate them all from each other, but overall, I thought each character was likable and I found myself rooting for all of them.

I thought that the setting was really well done as well as the almost stereotypical debutante society, although the characters all went below the surface level, which I appreciated.