The Debutantes by Olivia Worley

My Summary:
A group of girls uncovers cult-like activity in their pursuit to find a missing friend in New Orleans, LA. Dismantling a cult seems like an easy task, because cults are wrong…but what if your entire life is enmeshed within the cult..and what if finding out the truth brings out truths you’d rather keep buried?

My Review:
This was a fun YA book to read! I’d recommend it to anyone 16+. This book includes implied SA, drug use, murder, and LGBTQIA+ themes. I think anyone 16+ should be able to read this because these are all things they will probably experience or talk about during this time in their life and beyond. I loved getting to see each of the girls’ perspectives and personalities come out. I loved the diversity or lack-thereof mentioned throughout the story. I did feel at times that it got kind of preachy, but I think the author was trying to drive the point home that this particular circle in NOLA (debutantes, balls, secret gentlemen’s clubs) are NOT it. It was a quick and easy read!

You’ll like this if you like:
-deconstructing the Deep South
-YA mysteries
-elite high school to elite college pipeline

Similar titles/vibes:
-Pretty Little Liars
-Belladonna (mystery + gentlemen’s club)
-Butcher + The Wren (NOLA baby)

(I read an ARC via NetGalley)

4/5 stars. I really liked the characters: they all felt very real, with realistic feelings and storylines. I loved the atmosphere: the descriptions of the city and the whole debutante process were fascinating. The plot lost me once or twice, but overall I always wanted to keep reading to find out more!

This book was so good! I really loved how suspenseful it was, and the plot twist at the end was INSANE. I would definitely recommend!!!

I love nothing better than reading a book about rich people and all their drama. This book didn’t disappoint.
You follow three girls Piper, Vivian and April as they are trying to find a girl that went missing.
There was so many twists and turns. Which I thoroughly enjoyed, as they didn’t leave them all to the end. I found it very enjoyable and liked it a lot.

This was a fun YA mystery with an exciting New Orleans setting.

After the death of last year’s “Les Masques” Queen, April, Vivian, and Piper are a little too worried about the disappearance of this year’s queens to brush it off as a runaway situation. But the more they investigate, the more they uncover secrets that the New Orleans societies don’t want them to know.

I enjoyed this book! The mystique of New Orleans’ traditions and societies serves the plot well, and the pace is brisk. It took a minute to keep the many characters straight, but I liked them all and rooted for them as they unravel the central mystery. The ending fell a touch flat for me, but I had fun reading the book and expect that others will as well!

this was pretty good but a bit predictable like i read the first few chapters and basically predicted some of the most major plot points already. i also kinda skimmed some parts because i just wasn’t that interested, not gonna lie.

however, i always love the debutante concept in books ! & thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book !

Olivia Worley’s second novel, The Debutantes, takes the reader into the faux-aristocracy of New Orleans where traditions and secrets run deep.

The story follows Vivian, Piper, and April as they try to solve the mystery of where their friend Lily disappeared to in the night of their debutante ball. They are pulled into secret societies that uncover family betrayals, corrupt community members, and put their futures in jeopardy.

This book read a bit like a Karen McManus or Holly Jackson - and I mean that in the best way. Thank you to NetGalley for the digital advanced copy.

The mystery of New Orleans. The majesty of Mardi Gras. The mayhem of murder.
Behind the glitz and glamour of debutante culture lies a dark underbelly full of privilege, misogyny, and racism. And someone is set out to expose the Les Masques Ball for exactly what it is and overthrow its archaic and outdated traditions.

This is a well-written book with a timely message. There is a sinisterness underlying the events of the story that keeps you engaged and flying through the pages to see what will happen next. The characters are well-developed and provide varying perspectives of debutante culture. The conclusion was so satisfying. If you're a fan of Pretty Little Liars, give this one a read. (And Worley's debut novel, People to Follow, because it's equally as good).

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There is so much to love about The Debutantes. It has well-written and nuanced characters, a very fast-paced plot, and an incredibly alluring setting. It's the kind of YA that I wish was more common was I was younger — although I will obviously read the heck out of it as an adult. On top of that, the mystery was so much fun to unravel.

I loved Olivia Worley's previous book, People to Follow, and I already cannot wait for her next one.

Book:
THE DEBUTANTES by Olivia Worley
Thank you Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the e-arc---Out October 29

Revieew:
5⭐
I read PEOPLE TO FOLLOW by Olivia Worley last year, and I knew that I wanted---scratch that, needed---to read THE DEBUTANTES. The cover first drew me in with the bl**dy gloves, and after reading the synopsis, I knew it was exactly a mystery for me.
THE DEBUTANTES follows Vivian, Piper, and April as the embark on a journey to figure out what happened to their friends. The first few chapters got me hooked from the drama filled mystery to the tense scenes. I kept guessing, everything from what happened to Margot, the disappearance of Lily, and the Jester. I would describe this as a page-turning, nail-biter. The closer I got to the end, the mystery unravelling at the seams, the more I felt like I was closer to the truth, but I was so far away. The DEBUTANTES was a gripping read that I devoured: everything from the never-ending secrets to the cult-like behavior of the maids, deus', kings, queens, etc. This book is a must-read.

What I Liked About It:
*the drama
*the secrets
*the tense scenes
*the multi-pov

A New Orleans thriller! Margot was last year's Les Masques Ball Queen, but her death immediately after the ball didn't seem to stop the festivities. Her closest friends however, are still in mourning a year later. Now some of them are in the newest group of maids and the queen and are completely shocked when the pre-ball event is ruined by an interloper throwing red paint and sharing photos are Margot. Not long after, the new Queen disappears. The young women have no choice but to band together to try and find out what happened to Margot and and in enough time to save missing Lily LeBlanc.

The best part of this novel is that New Orleans is more than a setting and is it's own character in it's flavors, colors and culture. I love that Olivia Worley provides a story without pulling any punches. You will be completely captivated by this tale. It's not too YA but additionally not graphic.
#stmartinspress #YA #thedeutantes #oliviaworley #neworleanslore

I really enjoyed it. It’s a multiple POV thriller set in New Orleans, which meant I really wanted to get my hands on it. This was fast paced and I truly didn’t see a lot of it coming: I think the multiple perspectives had a lot to do with that.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book! This will be out this October, don’t miss it!

I’ve been a fan since People to Follow, and when I heard about The Debutantes, I knew I was going to be in for a wild ride. With twists that keep you on the edge of your seat, dark secrets that should’ve been kept buried but come to life, bone-chilling scenes, fast pacing, voicey characters, and a vivid, lush setting in the beating heart of New Orlean’s infamous Mardi Gras, The Debutantes is the perfect sophomore novel from the Queen of Thrill, Olivia Worley!

I love reading about how "the other half" lives. Mix it with a little mystery and this makes for a fun summer read!

I'm usually not a huge YA reader but I really enjoyed trying something new.

What first pulled me into reading this book was the cover. I liked that the font reminded me of other thriller/mystery Young Adult series, like “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” and “One of Us is Lying.” I enjoyed those series a lot and was looking for a similar vibe.

I really enjoyed that the main characters in this book were complex and felt real. Each had a very distinct personality and the author took the time to establish their dreams/fears so that when their thoughts were revealed, or actions were taken, it was understandable.

I also liked that each relationship was explored, whether it was the characters’ relationships with their parents, or their relationships with each other. Those dynamics made the situations more terrifying considering all the betrayal and secrecy in the book. It’s a little hard to get into that without mentioning spoilers, but some of the things these characters did and said to each other were only made worse because who they were to one another.

I also think that using somewhat of a nonlinear timeline was used well. The characters all had memories that they would reference that would piece together important parts of the story. Or it would explain an important aspect of their relationship.

I did find that the beginning of the book felt a little confusing because there were so many different POVs that were introduced. I also found that the dates and time stamps didn’t exactly enhance my reading experience.

I also wished that with each character’s different POV, there was a slightly different writing style. Although there were definite personality traits attributed to each character, I wanted the characters to be individualized. It almost felt like even though it was labeled as a “Piper” chapter, it could very easily still been an “April” chapter because of how it was written.

I still enjoyed it and will look for more books from this author!

Thank you Net Galley for an ARC copy of this book!

In New Orleans, debutant queens are being targeted. When the new queen, Lily, who took over for Margot after she was found dead via overdose, goes missing, what are the chances the two events are related? Between secret societies, murder charges and teenage sleuths, can 3 unlikely friends get to the bottom of what’s going on in their city before it’s too late?

This was past paced and intriguing! It was a tad predictable and I called part of it early on, but it was still a good read! There were some things that I definitely didn’t put together and took me by surprise.

I thought the characters were great, albeit a little vapid and ignorant. However, overall this was a great YA thriller and fits in perfectly without feeling overdone. Definitely recommend!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end! I appreciate YA’s like this that still have a good storyline with deeper meanings, but don’t get as dark as some of the adult horror/thrillers I read. I especially enjoyed New Orleans as the location of the book.
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing me with an arc!

3.5
It just felt like there were so many people with so few personality traits between them that they all kind of blended together at points. The story was fine, though not much more than that.

This book was a thrilling read for me! Loved how it felt like an off shoot of Pretty Little Liars meets secret societies. I throughly enjoyed reading this book and loved how it always kept me guessing

I’m often a fan of crime solving teens, and always a huge fan of any books set on New Orleans. This particular book fell in the “eh” category for me. It was a quick read, the setting and storyline hit the nail on the head, but the characters were just lackluster in my opinion. The narrating swaps between girls, and none of them really stood out to me-I had to sometimes take a minute to figure out who I was currently following in the chapter. The main villain was fairly easy to spot early on, the wrap up post climax had a couple of twists I didn’t see coming.
Having read her previous book, People to Follow, I think this just may not be the author for me. It’s a good book, but maybe more for actual teens than adults reading YA!

Thanks to Olivia Worley and Wednesday Books at St Martins Press for the advance copy!