Debutantes, secret societies, and murder all set against the backdrop of mystical, magical New Orleans. Perfect for those who are fans of characters whose lives are not always what they seem.

Loved this book!! The story is definitely a YA one, though I think can be appreciated by more mature readers. Any girl/woman who experienced the difficulties in fitting in and the loyalty and importance of friends in high school can relate on some level to The Debutantes!!

Disappearances, secret societies, he essence of Marti Gras, and lots of secrets make for a great story that will keep you on your toes and entertained throughout.

Must read for those who love a fast paced read and a little Gossip Girl type drama.

Thank you to St. Martin’s press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy for an honest review.

I mean, it was pretty good, there were some parts I got lost or bored, but I personally am very picky with my thrillers and mysteries. But all in all I still enjoyed it quite a bit

This was a solid 3 star for me. I felt this way about the author's previous book as well it just leaves me wanting a little bit more and the twists are decent enough to make me want to keep reading but nothing jaw dropping. Overall a solid YA thriller.

A thrilling twist to a New Orleans tradition including extravagant balls with debutantes, jesters, kings and queens, and the secrets hidden beneath the surface. Last year’s queen Margot was found dead in her car after the annual ball, and this year there was a stunt pulled on the newest queen Lily with fake blood, sparking questions and a trail to discover the truth about Margot’s death and what secrets had been discovered.

After the ball, Lily ends up going missing and 3 debutantes go on the hunt to discover what has happened to Lily and how it’s linked to last years’ queen and the secrets that are protecting a possible killer.

Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy for review.

A New Orleans society made up of elite families is hosting their annual ball complete with debutantes and their escorts. This is the first since their Queen deb died after last years event. This year when the new queen goes missing her fellow Debs dig into the organization to try and find her. They uncover generations of secrets and a part of the organization that is kept from the women. I likes the differing points of view that help tell the story in time intervals. It was interesting to see what each girl found and experienced as the mystery unfolded. The ending was a bit twisty and confusing for be but overall a fun YA read.

Way too many unnecessary things in this one. Lily’s story should have been skipped and the book should have been April’s story.

I struggled to get through this. I don’t think I’d recommend it.

The stars are for the beautiful descriptions of New Orleans. I felt like I was there.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I thought the premise was fascinating. Although the start felt slow it did pick up. I thoroughly enjoyed the location and the way the author describes New Orleans. It sometimes felt very "preachy" when discussing certain topics. I don't mind politics in books but there is a better way to address it than the way the author did. I felt the characters were a little flat as it was a multiple-POV book, but I often forgot whose POV I was reading from.

The book was a typical YA mystery although it did have a lot of potential to be a little better. All in all I thought it was a decent book.

3.5 stars

First off the atmosphere of this is great, it really feels like you are in New Orleans and "southern royalty". However the voices of the Maids in the beginning all had similiar voices and I kept having to really think back about who was who. Those voices did eventually differ but I wish it would have happened sooner and that the big lead up would have happened slightly earlier. Overall it was still a fun YA thriller.

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

At its core, this is a typical YA novel, but the unique setting really sets it apart. The author’s deep knowledge of New Orleans, beyond just the tourist spots, shines through—especially with the portrayal of the elite Krewes and their not-so-secret societies, which I found fascinating.

I liked the main characters, though it took a bit of time for their distinct voices to emerge. Once they did, they truly won me over. Overall, it’s a fun and fast-paced read!

Pretty Little Liars NOLA debutante version…. Very entertaining and a quick read! The vibes were great, the author thoroughly knows their knowledge on all things New Orleans, not just the well known spots but the history with it all as well. This is a fast paced thriller mystery following 4 debs, one goes missing and the other three are tied to her all in different ways. You follow them trying to find out what happened to Lily. It’s unsettling at times, which makes it all the better.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the chance to review

The beginning of this book started strong but I found it difficult to connect with the characters throughout. In the end I ended up more skimming this book than reading it.

Ooooooo this was a wild one! The premise of this book was really intriguing and unique - a group of young debutantes in New Orleans investigate the disappearance of that year's queen, Lily, who disappears after a prank pulled during the debutante ball. Coming on the heels of last year's tragic ball, where the Queen was found dead, Lily's friends and competitors suspect foul play. I never really knew what was coming next in this book. The plot was much more intricate than I'd expected, and while a bit absurd at times, it was exciting and campy and never had a dull moment. I love an over-the-top YA thriller and this certainly didn't disappoint!

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. I tell you what, the cover really caught my attention and then the synopsis. But I was kind of disappointed in the story. It is very slow building and i just found the annoying woke subjects mentioned in the novel just made me roll my eyes and that just took the book plot away from me. It was just a pass for me.

I'm gonna start this review off by saying that I am a native Louisianian. Not from New Orleans, but from a small town in the South that has very very different traditions for Mardi Gras. So, when I started reading this book, I already had the cultural background that Worley was describing on the pages, but minus the debutante stuff.

I'm not gonna lie, this book creeped me out more than once. Was it the sexist culture and nature of this story? Maybe. Cult vibes? Again, maybe. But I'd say I was sufficiently creeped out by the end and not at all satisfied with the justice that was "served".

I'll start with something easy to review. The setup of this novel was kind of wonky in my opinion. There are four different point of views, but you mainly only read three different ones for Piper, Vivian, and April. Well, Piper and Vivian's POVs were so similar that if I didn't pay attention, I forgot who I was reading about and that was a problem. If you're going to have that many different POVs, they at least need to be characters who have differences that are easily recognizable in their voices when writing. I often found myself flipping back to see which POV I was actually reading and that took me out of the story a lot.

As far as the characters go, Margot and April were my favorite. Unfortunately, you only get to know Margot through subtle flashbacks and what April says about her character. She was the type of bold character that you automatically fell in love with and wanted to help (she reminded me a lot of this short story I read once called We All Know About Margo and all you want to do the whole time is fight for the girl who deserved better). Just those little tidbits, though, had Margot built into a better character than Vivian was. Piper was definitely more developed, but I felt like Vivian specifically fell flat. Don't even get me started on Lily (also kind of a Margot situation where you hear about her in flashbacks and read about her once or twice). The villains from this story, too, seemed so... I don't know if unrealistic is the word I want to use, but like, they had no depth? None at all. And sometimes they felt childish in their reasonings. I don't know how I feel about that in particular.

The story and plot itself was really fun to follow. I loved the mystery behind it and all the threatening messages and strings you had to follow. That was probably my favorite part about the whole book was the way the plot was so expertly woven. I loved every minute of it and the story itself was so satisfying except for the villains behind it (like I said, they felt more like little boys with play things than like actual villains who have depth and trauma that may be their reason for their brutality). I also really really could have done without the last chapter. It felt like it was just added for shock value and actually made the ending less satisfying.

Overall, I loved Margot (and desperately wanted justice for her) and I loved April. The plot was *chef's kiss* the perfect mystery. The villains, though, fell flat, and the POVs were so confusing at times that it lost me. Rating this, I'd say 3.75/5 rounded up for all my social platforms. A fun read for sure!

*My review will be posted on my blog on August 28th at noon CST.

The New Orleans debutante scene is back on track after the mysterious death of last years Queen, Margot. So when this years ball is sabotaged with images of Margot and a Carrie-esque scene, and the new Queen goes missing, it’s up to her maids to uncover the secrets behind their Queen, while keeping their secrets protected. A twisty YA book that is fast paced and will keep you guessing through the end!

I love when southern culture is brought into horror books, because I mean the whole south was based on a horror. This story was a perfect YA thriller that brought in New Orleans and Southern culture with interesting characters. Don't know how I feel about the ending though.

This is a fast paced murder mystery that is perfect for teen readers. The first part was really good and I was super engaged but the second part I found harder to get through.

My daughter enjoyed this one. She said it was a good, complicated, murdery, teenage read. Overall, it did give some Pretty Little Liars vibes and I think will be one that my HS students will pick up for the cover and the murder!

As a YA mystery lover. This book hit all that enjoy about the subgenre. I like that it has a unique setting and the mystery is set against a debutante ball. It is told from three point of views. Three different debutantes team up to figure out what happened to their recently missing friend as well as last year's queen. At times though I had a hard time remembering who's POV I was in. I also would have loved to see more of Aiden and Piper, but overall it was an entertaining read. I recommend to anyone who enjoys YA mysteries.