The Dollhouse Academy is equal parts eerie, addictive, and emotional—once I started, I couldn’t stop reading. I was instantly drawn in by the premise: a prestigious performing arts school with a too-perfect reputation and a chilling undercurrent of secrets. Ivy’s diary entries add such a raw, vulnerable layer to the story, and watching her unravel was heartbreaking. Ramona and Grace’s journey, from wide-eyed dreamers to competitors caught in something much darker, was just as gripping.

The setting has that perfect mix of glamor and unease—think Stepford Wives meets Black Swan. There’s something not quite right at the Dollhouse, and that tension builds in such a slow, satisfying way. I loved the commentary on fame, ambition, and the toxic pressures that come with chasing perfection.

This one will stick with me. If you’re into dark academia vibes, layered female friendships, and suspense with heart, definitely add this to your list.

Umm – this book was WILD in the best possible way! I couldn’t get enough of the eerie atmosphere, the complicated friendships, and the slow unraveling of everything the characters thought they wanted.

I have read two other novels from Margarita Montimore and I'll go on the record to say she has such a unique voice and each of her novels are incredibly different!

In The Dollhouse Academy, best friends Ramona Halloway and Grace Ludlow are thrilled to be accepted into the ultra-exclusive Dollhouse Academy, a glamorous but secretive place that promises fame and fortune.

As Grace quickly rises to stardom, Ramona struggles in her shadow—and when anonymous warnings start popping up, it becomes clear the Academy isn’t what it seems.

And when you add in Ivy Gordon’s haunting diary entries from her time at the Academy, the suspense grew and kept me hooked!

Ramona must decide if chasing her dream is worth losing everything she loves—including herself.

Huge thanks to Margarita Montimore, Flatiron Books, and NetGalley for the chance to read this unforgettable story in exchange for a review!

✨ Review ✨ The Dollhouse Academy by Margarita Montimore; Narrated by Brittany Pressley & Xe Sands

Thanks to Flatiron Books, Macmillan Audio, and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

Valley of the Dolls inspiration abounds throughout the book as bffs, Ramona Halloway and Grace Ludlow, arrive at The Dollhouse Academy, a training ground for a big company of actors, dancers, singers, etc. to supply the Doll Land enterprises. Quickly, mysterious things start happening, and we're left to wonder what's really going on there.

The book alternates between Ramona's perspective, and Ivy Gordon's, who is one of the pioneering actresses and singers to help launch the enterprise to its global level of fame. Jumping back in time, we see a slew of suspicious things happening, furthering the suspense of this book.

There's big Hollywood energy (even while set in small town New York), and the book is full of divas. It's a gossipy light read blended with dark academia vibes.

It blends genres - thriller, mystery, romance, women’s fiction, etc., but this also left it feeling a little confused / unmoored in my mind as I read through it. I wasn't sure whether to focus on the romance or the mystery, and it let my mind wander a little. Overall, I thought this was fun, but not my favorite of Montimore's.

🎧 Amazing narration - these narrators can do no wrong!

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: women's fiction + thriller/mystery
Setting: rural New York
Length: 10 hours 38 minutes
Pub Date: Feb 2025

Read this if you like:
⭕️ Hollywood dramas (set outside Hollywood)
⭕️ dual timeline/dual POV narratives
⭕️ Rise to stardom coming-of-age books
⭕️ Dark academia mixed with diva energy

This book gives me vibes of other popular boarding school type books. There is mystery, intrigue, and the wonder if The Dollhouse is really where Ivy needs to be.

For me when reading this I felt a mix of thinking it reminded me of Pretty Little Liars and reality tv. Secrets, jealousy and striving for fame. I did think I was going to get a little more thriller within this book so my fault for it falling short for me. I did like the aspect of the good and bad about the main characters friendship. I just wish the ending had a little more to hold my interest.

Intriguing premise, not-so-great execution for me. This one fell flat. There were parts that kept me guessing and wondering, but many parts that felt too convenient and a little silly. The tone waffled a bit too much for me and the pay off just wasn’t there.

I didn’t hate it by any means, but I didn’t love it either. It’ll scratch some dark academia itches and maybe spark some conspiracy theory revisits, but it’s no blockbuster for me.

I found this book to be a really interesting look into the world of acting and what it does to a person and how it changes a person. The academy and the vibe of training people from a young age kind of reminded me of some of the K-Pop groups out there, which was super interesting to me. The one thing I wish was different about this book was the cloning project - I feel like it either had to be a more prominent aspect of the book or not there at all. It was kind of in a weird in between phase where it was looming over but it didn't really feel all that important until all of a sudden it was. There was just varying degrees of weight given to the project that I wish had been more consistent throughout.

Overall, I think this has potential but ultimately fell short. The ending was a bit too HEA for me, which is maybe a personal problem of mine rather than a problem with the book, but I did find the ending to be a little disappointing - it felt like all the tension in the book just kind of evaporated all at once.

I was fully invested in this up until the end. I felt very let down by the ending. While I didn't particularly like the characters, I was invested in the possible downfall of the academy and those in charge.

I really enjoyed how engrossing this book is. I couldnt put it down and hope that the author expands on this alternate reality.

Very well written novel! I was intrigued and questioning what to believe throughout this entire book. I am looking forward to reading more from this author!

I think this novel could have benefitted for some editing due to its length. It was suspenseful and an excellent concept, but I felt like we could have got to the point, and had more action with the characters in the end.

That being said, it was well written, and I it had a compelling theme - it just didn't have enough drama and action to continually hold my interest - the characters were not as captivating as the story seemed to wear on.

A sharp thriller that explores the dark side of fame and power, but I unfortunately didn't connect with the writing style, which felt poorly edited. I would have liked this a lot better if it had remained purely in thriller territory and avoided the science fiction twist. The premise of a secret society conspiring to shoot certain people to stardom was fascinating, but I didn't feel connected to any of the characters. I wish there had been more narrative distinction between Ivy and Ramona: as it stands, it was difficult to differentiate between their chapters.

As a child I once had an ongoing fantasy about a house where all the current child stars of the day lived together. It was a found family situation, but there was also plenty of internal drama. intrigue, and personal interactions. Margarita Montimore wrote my old imaginary world into life in an adult form.

We follow friends, Ramona and Grace, as their 15 minutes of live theater fame morphs into a coveted invitation to join The Dollhouse. The Dollhouse is the old Hollywood studio system reinvented as an insulated town/compound in upstate New York with an uncanny success rate of turning out star performers. One friend experiences a catastrophic rise into stardom, the other begins to question herself and everything The Dollhouse represents. Adding to the story’s mystique are diary entries from the OG Dollhouse star – Ivy Gordon. Are her recollections and musings true, or the byproduct of someone who has broken under the pressure of her storied career? There is no question that The Dollhouse makes stars – but how?

Sometimes the suspension of disbelief necessary to get into a book can be a barrier to enjoying it, but in this case I just sailed right over that barrier. This book was twisty, fun, and exactly what I needed. The Dollhouse Academy was boarding school meets the Stepford Wives and, although some of the revelations were predictable, I still very much enjoyed the ride.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Dollhouse Academy by Margarita Montimore!

Does fame and glory worth selling your soul over?

This is an exciting mystery novel with a dual POV that starts off strong: the first scene sets the pace as we follow Ivy Fordon, a young superstar from The Dollhouse Academy being this close to experiencing a plane crash. But did she really? After this traumatic experience, she dedicates her time off to put pen to paper and write everything she goes through as a Dollhouse Academy star.

We also get introduced to Ramona and Grace, two aspiring actresses/singers who just want one thing out of life: to join the Dollhouse Academy. Is this really what they want? What is the Dollhouse Academy about though, really?

This book is sick and twisted and made me resent Hollywood even more than I already did recently with these ugly cases emerging these past few years with the Diddy case, the Album of Year award that Jay Z paid for his wife to "earn".. it was fun to read, and I wouldn't be surprised that what his happening behind closed door at the Dollhouse Academy isn't just fiction.

If you are sensitive to trigger warnings, please look them up before reading this book, though.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange of my honest opinion.

The Dollhouse Academy started strong with a setting I WANTED to eat up, but it just never fully delivered. I think that making a good, middle-of-the-road dark academia novel is easy, but making one that truly stands out among the crowd is DIFFICULT, and unfortunately, I do not think that I will remember any details about this book beyond the final pages.

By the end, the twists felt regrettably predictable, and the tension had fizzled out for me personally, leaving me with an electronic book that was far more interesting in its concept than its execution. Again, it was a solid read, a FINE book, and there's nothing wrong with that, but I just think it could have been more, done more, sunk its teeth into something. I also think better pacing could maybe have benefited the book.

I didn't know what to expect from The Dollhouse Academy coming from the author of Oona Out of Order which I absolutely loved. From page one of this book you can tell you are going to be in for a ride. The story revloves around a person who is in the academy and wants out two that are in it and trying to stay in it. The acdemy is a place run by a woman who manipulates the boys and girls in the academy who are trying to make it n show business. If you are chosen tham you will make it if you follow her advice and take the medicine that the acdemy makes. I mean what could go wrong. The two woman Grace and Ramona soon find wht can go wrong. It's an absolute page turner of a novel and you can already see the mini-series being developed from this book. I know I'd watch it. We live in a society that is all about perfection and if you just do do this you'll succeed. But sometimes that is not the case and a lot of it has to do with luck and if you actually have talent. This is a though provoking novel with characters that burn right off the page. This is an excellent book for bookclubs and discussion groups. This book will be a word of mouth book. I know I'll be telling people if you're looking for a fun read to get your mind off things than this is the book for you. Thanks to Flatiron Books and netgalley for the read!

What an interesting idea for a book! The Dollhouse Academy is a residential school and entertainment agency in Owl’s Point, NY where potential actors/performers go to hone their skills and flourish. It’s very competitive to be selected to attend, and some of their actors have become quite famous and successful. However, the Academy turns out to be a closed off, super controlling, dystopian type world. But why don’t people leave? In the quest to become the next popular celebrity name, what are people willing to do to make it big? What are they willing to sacrifice? How important are family, friends, relationships, education, health, dignity, vanity? Who is really in control? What about the power of money? This book brought up many ethical questions. I found it a little confusing at first, but then I grew to like the characters, their emotions and what drove them to work hard. 3.75 stars rounded up to 4 stars! And a great ending! Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the digital ARC.

I really loved this book!! So crazy and fun! I loved the ideas in this book. It's also so weird you can hardly believe it but it definitely makes you wonder if the things that happen could be possible!

I got a good way through this book before I became quite bored. While the intrigue was very strong at the beginning I felt like I stopped carrying whether the girls made it through in this situation,. Definitely a disappointment.