⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book really makes me want to watch Pretty Little Liars again. A group of “friends” band together to find a their missing queen while running through the streets of NOLA in ball gowns and bare feet. This was a great YA read and I suggest it to anyone who likes a little drama.

One star docked because I wish the epilogue was different or from a different POV.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Olivia Worley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so much fun to read!! It reminded me of Pretty Little Liars in the best way possible. The plot moved on the faster side, especially with all of the twists and turns!! I highly recommend!!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this title!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, & St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a lot of promise at the start. But as it went on, I struggled to keep the narrators separated because they were very similar. There wasn't a lot of character development, and then it all became predicatible. Still a good book and will definitely recommend to my students. Had a Pretty Little Liars vibe with a good amount of thriller/mystery.
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Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this title. This books like like Pretty Little Liars meets I Kissed Shara Wheeler. Lots of games and twists and turns and head scratching going on throughout.

The New Orlean's Debutante ball is disrupted with a macabre display bringing up the previous year's Queen, who died tragically. When this year's Queen disappears the following morning, an unlikely trio of Debutantes team up to investigate - which leads them into a dark world of traditions, secret groups, and coverups.

This was a fun YA read. The New Orleans setting was a lot of fun, as was the connections between past traditions in current times. Element of the plot had a very "Pretty Little Liars" feel in a good way - so if you enjoyed the latter, you'd probably enjoy this one.

I loved this book's New Orleans backdrop, as well as the inside peek into an elitist social scene that was fully corrupt and intriguing. I thought this novel did an excellent job of keeping a thrilling mystery plausible, while also adding lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing throughout. This was a great read for anyone who loves to peek behind the curtain and see that what's on the surface doesn't always match the chaos going on behind the scenes.

The Debutantes by Olivia Worley is at first glance not something that I would enjoy. But once I began the novel, I needed to know what was going to happen next. Each page was simultaneously filled with suspense and terror, making me wonder who was the real killer because none of the characters were who they appeared to be with every turn of the page.

I honestly had a hard time getting thru this book.
It did give me a bit of a pretty little liars feel. But I found it was very slow and hard to get into any of the characters. It’s definitely not a book that stands out to me. I did enjoy learning about the New Orleans debutant side. But honestly this was not a book that I really enjoyed. Maybe I’m just a bit old for it. It might be better for a younger audience. Yes I know it is a YA novel but it was just way to slow and drawn out for my liking

This book was absolutely amazing!! I was a fan of “People to Follow” and could not wait to see what Olivia Worley did next! “The Debutantes” did not disappoint! Twists and turns, characters you root for and characters that STRESS. YOU. OUT. But all in all they compile well in this book! I was on the edge of my seat and could not put it down! Definitely a must read!

This was honestly such a fun YA book. It felt nostalgic in a way I can’t quite explain. Very reminiscent of Pretty Little Liars. The plot was intriguing and the execution was amazing. Their were twists and turns, some predictable and some not even slightly.

The Debutantes by Olivia Worley was messed up. Southern traditions as dark and twisted as they come. So many issues with the Good Old Boys Club in this way. Olivia Worley dug in deep highlighting the New Orleans elite and their Les Masques Ball, the social event of the season. Unfortunately, last year ended with a dead Queen and this year it's not off to such a good start, when someone throws "blood" on Lily LeBlanc as she's about to take the throne. Lily has sent three texts to other debutantes that kick in motion a domino effect of events and boy do things really get messy.

This is YA and it has some YA attributes in the wording and actions of the main characters at times that I found a bit grinding, but ultimately the plot is great. The darkness in this book was captivating and the determination of these young women to uncover what happened was impressive. I mean, let's be real, F the Patriarchy. I was all about the takedown in this book!

"Pretty Little Liars" fans, get your "intrepid teens searching for the Queen Bee before the clock runs out" fix from this YA thriller set in the most mysterious location of all - the secret clubs, exclusive societies, and masquerade balls of New Orleans.

Three debutantes are on the case when their friend / nemesis Lily Leblanc disappears from the Les Masques ball, shortly after being crowned queen. This ball came to a sudden end when Lily was splashed with red paint, "Carrie"-style, but last year's ended with the death of the queen - "troubled teen" Margot Landry. Our intrepid sleuths think there must be a link between the two - but will they find Lily in time, and can they keep their own secrets (and selves) safe from their mysterious foe, The Jester?

Twists and turns abound - the Big Bad is not the biggest surprise, but the Bigger Bad, on the other hand...

This was a good young adult murder mystery full of suspense and mystery. The storyline was intriguing and kept me guessing until the end.

The Debutantes
By: Olivia Worley

Judge me if you must, but I find that I get on really well with YA mystery/thriller offerings. The Debutantes was no exception. I had a really good time with this one. Olivia Worley drops us right in the middle New Orleans Mardi Gras culture and walks us through some of the history as the story progresses. If you are a lover of the city, as I am, I think you will especially enjoy having it as the backdrop to the story. The mystery element takes a little while to gain its shape,but once it does the twists and reveals fall into place nicely. I enjoyed that Worley gave us smart, capable characters which can sometimes be hard to come by in a story like this, as the character’s’ dimensions are often sacrificed for the sake of plot progression. In this case, the stakes start out minimal, but get gradually higher and more serious the further into the story we get. My one real critique is that I believe Worley takes the easy way out when creating some of the tension by leaning in on the, “I hope no one finds out this terrible secret that I’m holding,” plot point for the protagonists. I didn’t think that it was necessary and the payoff was nil.

For those that are into mystery/thriller and don’t mind teenage protagonists, I would say to pick this one up. It’s a quick, easy, fun read that would be great for a plane ride, a beach read, or just a slow Saturday.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

This was a thrilling YA novel that kept me wanting to know what happened next. I read it in only a few sittings and it held my interest the entire time. However, once I finished the novel, I can't say that I thought about it again. The story and the characters were not ones that stuck with me. I don't know that I could provide a thorough and accurate synopsis for someone if I tried.

Though entertaining, it fell short of being a "great" thriller for me.

Ugh this book!! Such a thrilling edge of your seat read from start to finish. I thoroughly enjoyed playing the guessing game with this one. It felt like PLL meets Scream Queens. I love a well written whodunnit book!!

The main characters are so well written and their stories really fascinated me in relation to the murder of their friend. Absolutely loved the setting and time the story took place. It added to the spookiness. I did find it a bit predictable but the twists to get there blew my mind each time. I found myself talking out loud to make sense of what I was reading. A big hit for Olivia Worley.

I will say this is my second by Olivia Worley and she’s become an auto read for me! Her books keep me invested and on the edge of my seat from start to finish each time.

Thanks so much NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC.

Title: The Debutantes
Author: Olivia Worley
Genre: YA Thriller
Format: eARC
Series: NA
Star Rating: 4 stars

tw: fake blood, alcohol, teen death, underage drinking, racism, real blood, assault, misogyny, infidelity, underage relationship

A special thank you goes to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with a copy of this book. Please know that this does not influence my rating or thoughts on the book itself.

I wasn’t too sure about this book when I first started. There were quite a bit of characters, both main and side characters, to keep up with and only one of them had a somewhat original voice. I’m also not familiar with New Orleans or a lot of the traditions they have. And while the book does explain the traditions, it was a little hard to keep up with.

While I did end up giving this book four stars, it took a little bit for me to get there. One of the problems that I had was the plot itself. It wasn’t presented right away so I wasn’t sure where it was going to go. I wasn’t sure if the girls were trying to find out who killed a debutante and their friend, who kidnapped their other friend, or both. After a bit, the smoke cleared and I was able to figure things out and enjoy the book more.

Let me talk about the characters. There were four POVs but there were three main ones. We had April, Vivan, and Piper with Lily having a POV at the beginning and end of the book. While I didn’t mind these characters, I was not in love with them. Piper and Vivan were pretty similar and if their names hadn't been on the top of the chapter pages, I wouldn’t have known who they were. April was the POV who I recognized but that was because she had a camera and an “I am better than everything who participates in this” attitude.

Overall, despite my complaints, this was a great book. It has made me pretty terrified of teenagers. Maybe My Chemical Romance was on to something. They can be so terrifying! But besides that, I think this was great. The twists and turns kept me guessing until the very end. I highly recommend this book.

This is a book that fans of Pretty little Liars may well enjoy. it had a lot of promise, but it failed in its delivery. Characters weren't distinct. They were quite stereotypical, and it was hard to stay engaged with or care about what happened to them. The pacing was very uneven. The mystery angle was okay. Overall, this was quite predictable, and the ending felt rushed.

This was such a fun YA thriller/mystery! It was fast paced and kept me entertained and flipping the pages. Recommend this if you’re a fan of YA thrillers!

Book: The Debutantes
Author: Olivia Worley
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Wednesday Books, for sending me an ARC. I had a lot of fun with this one. It reminded me so much of Pretty Little Liars. It has characters from the same economic background, who are part of good families and have secrets. A stalker has found these secrets and is sending the girls messages.

In this one, we follow a group of New Orleans debutantes. This season is going to be much different than the last one. You see last year one of the debutantes ended up being found dead. No one wants to repeat that this year. After all, this is the elite; things like that just don’t happen to them. Plus, it was kind of Margot’s fault. She was a wild child, the one who didn’t fit in with polite company. Bad things just happen to girls like her. Lily, this year’s queen, is nothing like that. She is the face of the elite and is a good girl. That is until history repeats itself. Now, Lily is not dead, but her crown is ruined and she is missing. No one knows what happened to her, but they all know it is linked to the Jester, who is this masked figure. The next day, the other debs receive a text from Lily asking for her help. Piper, April and Vivian quickly find out that there are secrets, ones that some people will stop at nothing to protect.

Let’s start with the characters. In this one, we follow four girls who are part of the New Orleans elite. They are rich and have never had to worry about anything. Their names alone will get them anything they want in life. Yet, beyond the beauty and the ball gowns, there is more at work than what meets the eye. All of them have done things that they are not proud of and would do anything to make sure that they stay covered up. Most of it is pretty small, but it’s enough to send their families into a scandal. After all, everyone watches the daughters, just waiting for the one time they slip up. Most importantly, the elite protect each other even if it means tearing someone down. The girls do not know all of this right away. As they start to dive into the mystery surrounding Lily’s disappearance, they start to see it. They realize that the life that has been created for them could end up costing them more than they realize.

All the girls get their point of view chapters. Lily doesn’t get as many chapters as Piper, April, and Vivian. All of this allows us to see a lot of the world and gives us a strong insight into the characters’ personal lives. All of them come from the same background. I am going to be honest here. It was the fact that we got all their points of view that made me lower my rating-well, one of the reasons. I found it very difficult at times to keep each point of view separate. While they are supposed to be their own person, there were many times that it felt like all of their voices were blending into one. I would have loved to see their voices be a little stronger and a little more unique. We are told certain things about them that are supposed to make them stand out, but there were times when it was very difficult to remember who was who.

The set-up and the mystery did pull me right away. I love learning about the elite and seeing the ugly behind all of the beauty. Oftentimes we worship the one percent, thinking that they have it all together and wanting to be like them. This shows us the ugly side of it. We have family drama and coverups. We see how the idea of the good ol’ boys club and family legacy can be harmful. Now, I know the book takes it to the extreme, but we often see this in real life. We see how groups protect their own, no matter what the cost is. Plus, the characters have their lives planned out for them without anyone stopping to think about or ask them if this is what they truly want. It makes for a very interesting read.

Now, I did figure out the big reveal before it happened, but it was still fun. Again, it shows us how far people will go to protect their own. We see friends turn on friends and even family turn on family. It’s a cutthroat grab for the crown. We see a lot of fathers protecting their sons at the expense of their daughters. However, it does change as the story goes on. It’s just a deep dive into the lives of these characters and the consequences of choices people have made.

If you are a fan of Pretty Little Liars, I do think you will enjoy this book. It’s a fun and quick read full of action, secret societies, and rich people drama.

This book comes out on October 29, 2024.

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