“One of Us Is Lying” meets “Gossip Girl” in this compelling new YA thriller from Olivia Worley. I really enjoyed Worley’s debut YA novel, “People to Follow,” so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book, and it did not disappoint. She delivered another gripping page-turner full of twists and turns. With its short chapters and multiple POVs, I couldn’t stop reading and binged it in one day. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, Worley threw in another jaw-dropping twist. She is quickly becoming a favorite of mine, and I can’t wait to see what she does next!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this book in exchange for a review.

I found the book starting off pretty slow on its explanation and introduction to the characters and the events leading to where we find the characters. The voices of the girls were pretty similar and I found the only way to distinguish them was through small details or name drops pertaining to each different character. But if you took a random line from either of these characters and I wouldn’t be able to differentiate who said the line.

The mystery didn’t go exactly as I thought, which I liked. I suspected and determined some things but the overall main mystery was pretty fun and complex to unravel. I didn’t think Margot to be an overall compelling character to have April and Lily fight over but she was essential enough for the core mystery. While I wasn’t emotionally attached to any of the characters, rich kid drama tends to be so mundane and even inane when you think about it. Perfect life, perfect school; no hardships to complain about other than parties and the occasional tiff. But in actuality it’s a torture in disguise. The rich and corrupt are never too far from each other and this book detailed that sort nicely.


The ending does leave me a little confused as to some details like who the Jester really was in leaving the notecards for the girls to find. Lily is a liar and pretty skeevy girl. The truth about her disappearance is covered by lies and half truths. The author really cock teases it. I guess stories really do have many sides and not all are revealed or uncovered in the end and are held secret. Overall, I did enjoy reading this book. Slow start but picked up pretty quickly by the first half.

The Debutantes, written by Olivia Worley, offers a captivating glimpse into the exclusive world of New Orleans debutante culture and the young women who are born into it. Through a diverse cast of characters, we are drawn into a suspenseful narrative that revolves around the disappearance of a debutante. This gripping tale will have you on the edge of your seat, eagerly turning pages late into the night as you anxiously await the resolution of the fates of these young women who are ensnared in the oppressive grip of upper-class New Orleans society. Despite the longstanding traditions that have dictated their lives, these girls are determined to challenge the status quo and fight for their autonomy. A story I easily got lost in and could not put this one down.

I enjoyed this book!! First, I loved the New Orleans/Mardi Gras setting! As someone who has spent time there, I really enjoyed the NOLA influence. I definitely got Pretty Little Liars meets Carrie vibes. I was hooked pretty quickly once I got into this book. There are good mysteries and twists and this is perfect for spooky season!!

This book dives into debutante culture and privilege, drama, the patriarchy and secret societies while still giving us feminist undertones. In my opinion it really worked well! I really liked how the author tied the story together.

We get multiple POVs which really adds to the story and this constant sense of tension. I loved how these girls who seemed to have nothing in common come together to figure out where their friend Lily is, if the last debutant queen was unalived, and who’s the Jester??

If you enjoy YA thrillers, I would give this a read!

✨What to Expect:
🔪YA Thriller
⚜️New Orleans Setting
🅰️Pretty Little Liars Vibes
🩸Bloody Ball Gowns
👗Debutantes
🔥Tearing Down Patriarchal, Elitist Traditions
💜Unlikely Friendship
🖤Dark Secrets

We are in New Orleans, and it is time for Les Masques Ball. This is when the rich and powerful get to watch their children parade in front of the right people. Tragically, last year’s queen Margot died, but this year, Lily is queen, and nothing can go wrong. Or can it?
Lily sends a message to Piper, April, and Vivien wanting to talk about what really happened to Margot.That is before Lily disappears.
These three will have to find Lily, uncover the details of Margot’s death, oh and expose many people who believe that money and power can let them get away with anything…… Even murder.
It took me a bit to keep the character straight, but that was probably a me issue. I read this at the beach and it was a day full of distractions. I liked how everything wrapped up and was super grateful, I did not take part in debutante season.

This book is wild.. What an amazing premise with writing that will keep you riveted the whole time. Set in the backdrop of New Orlean's elite social scene, the Les Masques Ball is where the book kicks off, with the debutante season. Lily LeBlanc, the crowned queen, vanishes during the event. The lives of several other debutantes are woven together, as these girls must unite to solve what's really going on behind the scenes. The whole time, the death of the previous year's queen looms, like a dark reminder they all vulnerable. This was a fun, fast, twisty read.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Oct. 29, 2024
Olivia Worley’s new YA novel, “The Debutantes” is the ideal read for fans of “Pretty Little Liars”. I enjoyed Worley’s debut novel, “People to Follow” and was excited to see what she would deliver next. “Debutantes” is a taut thriller about young friendships and the expectations that come with living in the upper crust of society.
The Les Masques Debutante Ball is the place to be for the New Orleans elite but, after last year, when reigning queen Margot Landry was found dead in her car the morning after she was crowned, all anyone wants is for this year to go off as smoothly as possible. Reluctantly, April, Vivian, Piper and Lily are participating in the ball this year in order to please their parents even though it comes as no surprise when Lily is crowned Queen. However, when Lily disappears without a trace after sending cryptic messages to the four young women, all anyone can hope is that Lily is found….alive.
“Debutantes” is narrated by Vivian, April and Piper, on the day of the ball and those proceeding it. The girls themselves are as relatively likable as elite, self-possessed teen princesses can be, although they are so similar it was difficult to tell them apart early on. I enjoyed the mystery of the novel, as the search for missing Lily begins.
To be honest, there weren’t too many twists that surprised me, although the tension was palpable and the story was well-written with good flow. Worley is a resident of New Orleans, and her love for the city is obvious in her pages, which served to provide the reader with an immersive escape to the southern city.
If you can stomach the misogynistic, outdated, sexist and anti-feminist rituals that lay in debutant culture (and, honestly, I struggled), then “The Debutantes” is engaging, enticing and mysterious. Worley is able to connect with her youth audience, and I enjoyed this fast-paced read.

YA books are VERY hit or miss for me, and this one was a HIT! the description had me interested and as soon as i started reading, i knew this was going to be a hit. i got a few of the characters contused at the beginning, but once i sorted out their personalities, i can't believe i ever confused them. this book has serious Good Girl's Guide to Murder vibes and is the perfect thriller to add to your fall TBR!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Debutantes is an excellent YA thriller with secret societies, friendships, betrayals, and a murder mystery all set in the lush scenes of old money New Orleans. If you had a Pretty Little Liars phase, I think you’ll like this!! We follow a group of high school seniors as they try to figure out what happened to their friend/frenemy/enemy when she goes missing after a debutante ball. The story is twisty and dark and fun and a perfect read to kick off autumn. I definitely had my jaw drop a couple times!! Would definitely read more from this author.

The Debutantes is a fun and entertaining mystery that flows from start to finish. Set in New Orleans, The Debutantes tells the story of 4 teenage girls dealing with school, extra curriculars, college applications, and the suspicious accidental overdose of last year's Debutante Ball Queen. When a second Queen goes missing, remaining debutantes work together to find her and understand what happened. There are secret societies, lies, scandals, and soccer practice. It's a well constructed story that will keep you guessing until the very end.

ARC Review

The Debutantes
By Olivia Worley
Publish date: October 29, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s press for sending me a copy to review.

This was the perfect YA thriller/mystery read to start the fall season off with. It was fast paced and full of twists and turns.

My one critique is I didn’t find the characters relatable and I hated lily from the start. The plot is what kept me intrigued.

I was not expecting the ending. I had my theories but how it ended was not one of them.

Olivia did an amazing job describing New Orleans and the culture.

If you don’t like YA this is not the book for you but if you do I highly recommend.

I feel like this book could be summed up a couple of phrases: <i>Pretty Little Liars</i> but make it NOLA and "We are the granddaughters of the witches you couldn't burn."
For the first, the more I read of this book, the more I just kept feeling those PLL vibes. Full disclosure: I never read the PLL books so any similarities are straight from watching the original show (not the spinoffs) years ago. But with that in mind:
Lily = Alison
Piper = Spencer
Vivian = Emily
April = Aria
It's not so egregious that I would call this PLL fanfiction or anything like that, but it just felt like maybe it was inspired by the PLL TV series to some degree. There was a lot of melodrama (to be expected when you're talking about teenagers, honestly) but it felt like the author kept trying to push the envelope only for the reveal to be more tame than what was expected. (There was one exception to this and no spoilers but ick.) But ultimately I couldn't really connect with any of the characters (my favorite was unfortunately a tertiary character that had barely any page time overall). There's even a small element of blackmail that gets tossed out pretty quickly because their villain makes good on their threat to let the world (i.e. their school, Beaumont) know about some serious transgressions the girls have committed. But in the big scheme of things, they weren't <i>that</i> bad - especially Vivian's. Hers might have been crappy to do to a friend, but it's not like what she did was illegal. And the others were pretty minor, too, in the big scheme of things. But everything feels higher stakes when you're a teenager, and that was portrayed very well.

As for the other part, the rallying cry of "we are the granddaughters of the witches you could not burn" - it felt like the author was trying to drive this home, but it just felt like it fell flat. Because in the end, women of all ages were being silenced by men of all ages, and they had to rely on quiet acts of rebellion. When all was said and done, there weren't any real consequences - not even for the girls' transgressions. Piper still got to go to Vanderbilt, nothing happened to Vivian, and April didn't get busted for massive vandalism. And while we get some confirmation that different women are using their charms to navigate this disgusting world of male privilege depicted in the book, they still end up whispering that rallying cry rather than what they should have been doing which was screaming it from rooftops.

Thanks to NetGalley for an arc of this in exchange for my honest feedback.

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

Let me start by saying this is another win in my eyes from this author! It’s like Pretty Little Liars but in NOLA. I loved the twists at the end, this story keeps you guessing until the very last page. Each character had their own story line that comes together in the end. I will continue to keep an eye out for future works from this author. 10/10

What a great read The Debutantes turned out to be! Spoiled rich entitled girls, badly behaved wealthy families, great setting in New Orleans, thrilling plot and twists. I could not put this down! Highly recommend.

This book was pretty good! I read it fairly quickly. I really enjoy young adult thrillers. This was a good one!

This was everything I wanted and more after reading the synopsis. As woman in the south I immediately was drawn to the New Orleans backdrop but stayed for the absolutely brilliantly written thriller. This felt like The Luxe series with edge and I’m obsessed

4/5 ⭐️
Pretty Little Liars but set in New Orleans’ debutante and Mardi Gras.
This is the second book I’ve read by this author and each time it is a fun bingeable read. Each time I’ve devoured her story in one day. They’re fun little ya thrillers. I was able to guess some of the mysteries, but it just made me feel smart. But there were definitely some twists that got me.
As a North East girl, the backdrop to this story was so new and intriguing to me. I will say the scariest part wasn’t the jester hunting them but the room full of “traditionalist” misogynistic men. And I loved the different messages. Like even if your home is doomed & sinking, you want to stay and maybe try to fix it.
I only have two negatives for this. One was the “what I’ve really done thing.” While does get my heart racing with intrigue, after the third time from the third girl I’m like uh you too. But then they repeat that sentiment often enough that it lost its punch. I think it would be a bigger twist if that line was cut except once. The other negative was the ending. I had a similar problem with her other book. It just felt a tad messy. There were great twists in each the endings, but it felt rushed and at points a little silly.
Overall, great bingeable read. Highly recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Publishing for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.

So, at its heart, this is kind of standard YA. It’s the setting that makes this different!

The author clearly knows New Orleans – not just the touristy places, but the society and history. The Krewes are the ultimate in rich people not-so-secret societies and I love what the author does with them.

I liked our girls.

I’ll be honest, it did take me a little bit before their voices became strong enough that I could tell them apart, but once I could, they won my heart.

It’s a fun and fast read!

This was such a fun YA mystery. It gave big gossip girl meets pretty little liars. Kept me guessing until the end.

I loved this book! It's low effort but high reward as a book. It's the vibe of all those teenage shows I used to love to watch, but with that full thriller vibe. Definitely worth the read!