This was fantastic and actually weirdly believable. I was really rooting for our protagonist and her bestie. It was so creepy and perfect. The ending was perfect.
You could not top the narration!

2.5 stars

Many wonder about the true cost of fame, and Margarita Montimore is here with an argument that it is - in this world - way too high.

Ivy has been the star pupil at Dollhouse Academy for nearly two decades, and while many dream of the kind of fame and success she has achieved there, no one really understands the sacrifices she has (often unwillingly) made along the way. She is a predecessor to Ramona and Gracie, the next generation of Dollhouse Academy stars, and their lives and experiences intertwine in some sinister and intriguing ways.

Though they are incredibly different books, this one just had me thinking about Awad's _Rouge_ often. There are some unique ties between the sinister, cultlike element, the medical content, and especially the willingness to expunge aspects of the self for external glory. While there is a lot of promise in the premise, for me, this one was too slow, extremely predictable, and not up to the typical level of character development I'm used to from this author.

I'm looking forward to reading more from this author and hopefully with different outcomes.

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced audio edition of The Dollhouse Academy by Margarita Montimore.

I loved Oona out of Order, so I was very excited to grab Montimore's newest. I was not prepared for the direction this book was heading!

Ramona and Grace have finally gotten their big break! After doing small acting stints, they have been accepted into the Dollhouse, the most prestigious and secretive institutions for hopeful young actors. But it doesn't take long for Ramona to start to feel uneasy. Not only is she struggling to find her feet in this new place, but Grace's star is rising. They are also providing their actors with mysterious supplements to help them with energy, weight control, ect. The actors around her also seem to be altering their appearance at an alarming pace.

Cut to journal entries from one of the Dollhouses most profitable and famous actresses, and the horrors of belonging to this prestigious company starts coming to light...

Given how much garbage keeps getting revealed in Hollywood, it's really not even hard to believe that this could happen. Be that as it may, this was fun and fresh, a bit slow at times, but an interesting and haunting read.

Margarita Montimore's "The Dollhouse Academy" is a darkly enchanting novel that will captivate readers with its unique blend of fairy tale elements and psychological suspense. The story follows a group of young women selected to attend a prestigious finishing school, where they are groomed to become the perfect wives for powerful men.

This was fun and kept me interested and entertained but didn't really blow my mind. I was waiting for a big twist at the end and I'm ok that there wasn't. I just didn't quite love or hate it.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for sending me an audio-ARC in exchange for review.

3 stars

This was a really fun and twisty thriller esque story about two best friends chasing fame and the dark depths some people will go to for money and power. It was so eerie “black mirror” atmosphere with almost a Serena and Blair (though less toxic) friendship/rivalry between the two FMC Ramona and Grace. I do feel the story was lacking some originality however that is more difficult these days and it didn’t take away much of anything from my enjoyment. Especially having the audio I flew through this and I really loved the past POV and present retelling POV with switches between narrators where you could tell in their voices time had passed. It definitely made me feel like I was watching a tv series which was really fun!

Thank you so much!

Ramona and Grace are best friends and have always wanted to be stars. They especially want to be on the dollhouse academy, a network that grooms talent. They actually get into the exclusive society, but Ramona begins receiving threats. Grace is seemingly doing better than her and it's so competitive.

This story is interspersed with diary entries from Ivy, who is a long time dollhouse star. It's clear that there is something dark happening inside the walls of the dollhouse, but it's not clear how it's all going to end.

A fun read and makes you think twice about becoming famous. The narrator does an excellent job!

This is a story about a secretive entertainment behemoth that has trained and produced some of the most popular stars of stage and screen(s) through their famous Dollhouse Academy. Think of the Disney Mouseketeers crossed with the Xavier Institute. Two best friends are desperate to be accepted, despite the rumors and NDAs that must be signed. It's their story as well as that of Ivy, one of their most popular and seemingly successful actors. Can Ramona and Grace get in... and can Ivy get out?
There's a lot of silly stuff and DRAMA in this book. It is light and fun when it doesn't take itself too seriously. The author gave the best friends very detailed backgrounds and I liked them quite a bit before they became obsessed with the Dollhouse. Then things got weird between them.
The narration is good, although I sometimes had a moment of confusion when the storylines switched. Different voices would have helped.
3.5* rounded up for entertainment.
My thanks to the author, publisher, producer, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook for review purposes. Publication date: Feb. 11, 2025.

4 Stars

I really enjoy Margarita Montimore’s writing style. After reading Oona Out of Order, I became a fan of how she writes, and this book was no different. The writing immediately pulled me in, and I’m not sure I would have enjoyed the story as much if the writing style hadn't been so engaging. The plot itself felt like a slice-of-life with some mysterious elements, but it was Montimore’s writing that made the story compelling.

The narration was well done, with each character’s voice clearly distinct, which made it easy to follow. I would be interested in hearing more work from the same narrator(s).

The story centers around a prestigious and secretive acting academy that is strict and can expel students at any time. As the story unfolds, there are strange things happening—students undergoing plastic surgery to resemble the main star of the "Dollhouse," and unusual tests being conducted. The mystery kept me guessing, but I felt that the explanation behind it all was unclear by the end.

What didn’t work for me was the pacing of the conclusion. The ending felt rushed, and the shift to a faster pace left me feeling a bit disoriented. The resolution felt underwhelming. Despite this, I would recommend the book to readers who enjoyed titles like Youth Juice or Natural Beauty. While the book isn’t specifically about the beauty industry, it has a similar atmosphere.

I look forward to reading more from Margarita Montimore, as I enjoy the mix of magical realism and science fiction in her work.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this advanced listener copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

I couldn't stop listening to this suspenseful novel about the downside and darkness of fame...it's kind of a dark Disney mixed set in a creepy academy. I was totally invested in the characters and the plot. The narrator is terrific, one of the best I've listened to. There's just enough mystery left in the end for a sequel, please, please.

Recently finished The Dollhouse Academy. This was an interesting, entertaining listen. I really enjoy listening to Brittany Pressley. She has a great voice. The premise of the book was good and really makes you wonder about childhood stars. If this book is any indication, you might not blame a star for shaving her head. The sci-fi aspect of the book was kind of a lot. Overall, an entertaining listen. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for the advance listen in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinion are my own.
Narration 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Story 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall this was a fun read. The plot of a dark Hollywood life is always a plotline I enjoy tossing in a bit of a cult life to it all and I’m hooked. The book moves rather fast, and is easy to get lost in with the characters. Having said that there is nothing I would say that special about this book. The plot is something I’ve seen in other movies, and there no real shock to the book or something gripping. It’s one of those books I read and enjoyed it. But in a few weeks, I feel like I’ll forget anything about it.

I loved Oona out of Order, but this was just okay. I think I wanted more from it? I listened quickly and it held my attention but I didn’t necessarily feel like much happened. It was fine… not sure who I would necessarily recommend this to. Big Black Mirror vibes.

Title: The Dollhouse Academy
Author: Margarita Montimore
Format: 🎧
Narrators; Brittany Pressley and Xi Sands
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Macmillan Audio and Flatiron Books
Pub Date: February 11, 2025
My Rating: 4 Stars!
Pages 320

Story is features three main characters Ivy Gordon and, Ramona Halloway, and Grace Ludlow
Story is told from the POV of Ramona and Ivy mainly via her diary.

For the past eighteen years, Ivy Gordon has been the most famous star at the Dollhouse Academy, an elite boarding school for aspiring performers.

Ramona Holloway and her best friend, Grace Ludlow, grew up idolizing Ivy. They are both twenty-two, but neither has made a mark in showbiz, until a lucky break and they are granted the opportunity of attending the Dollhouse which they dreamed of attending.

Ramona begins to receive anonymous, threatening messages; and assumes a prank from a rival. In the meantime Grace’s skyrocketing success is skyrocketing but the opposite seems to be happening for Ramona,

This story deals with the dilemma of doing anything to make your dreams come true. In this case, behind the scenes look at some nasty things that happens in the entertainment industry.
Ivy, a former student of the academy, is still dealing with the memories of her experience time via diary entries.
Newbies, Ramona and Grace, excited to be part of this world soon find themselves consumed in the toxic environment of rivalry and suspicion.

Although I am not a fan of profanity and yes these characters did challenge my tolerance - I was glued to this story.
Plus narrators Brittany Pressley and Xi Sands are two of my very favorite audiobook performers!

Want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for granting me this early audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for February 11, 2025.

This was creepy and weird and dishy and really really enjoyable! I found the story and characters compelling and never knew exactly what was going on or how it would all play out. It's an odd story, and requires a significant ability to suspend disbelief, but not in a bad way. It's a story best served up cold I think - go into this one just waiting to see what happens, and you won't be disappointed! The narration was excellent and really suited the tone of the story, which definitely added an off-kilter aspect to the listen. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more from Margarita Montimore...

I loved this. I think the narrator mixed with the prose created a great story filled with tension that kept me engaged. I think the story was interesting and the characters interacting with one another was fun and kept me engaged.

I could not stop listening to this book! It feels a little ironic to say but this would make an epic movie or mini series. Sort of Real Life meets Degrassi meets Inception. Shew. And the ending was PERFECT. Nothing more and nothing less would have been sufficient. I definitely recommend this audiobook!

#netgalley #MacMillanAudio

I always thought Oona Out of Order would be my favorite Margarita Montimore book, that was until I read The Dollhouse Academy! If you loved The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin then this book is for you! Absolutely loved it! Thanks NetGallery!

Instantly absorbing, this books interrogates how far would people go to fulfill their dreams. Two young women are plucked from relative obscurity to attend the famed and secretive superstar generator "Dollhouse Academy." The academy's creepy secrets are revealed slowly through murky experiences and interspersed diary entries from an older star

This book was a set of contradictions: a fun premise that just didn't end up being fun, retro "Stepford Wives" vibes that somehow never embraced its 1990s culture, and a cast of characters that were overly earnest when perhaps they should have been campy. It made for a boring read that never seemed to go anywhere. Note: I listened to the audio version and the narrator did an excellent job.

Story: Ivy Gordon is in her 40s and still playing the same character on the long running hit TV series The Dollhouse. She feels trapped in many ways, some sinister. Meanwhile, neophytes Ramona and her best friend Grace are excited to have been chosen to attend the Dollhouse Academy - a special gated community in New York where the tv show is filmed and the actors live and train. For Ramona especially, this is her big break and she'll do whatever it takes to get a part on the show. But all is not what it seems at the commune and the girls could be in very real danger.

So yes, the premise is similar to Stepford Wives which, in its time, felt right - coming in the era of Disney creating lifelike robots and emerging technology in androids. Similarly, the more modern movie Don't Worry Darling also plays with the same theme somewhat successfully and also with a retro feel. While the previous two were existential in nature, this book is much more concerned with what people are willing to do in order to achieve stardom. It never needed the sci fi twist.

The story follows two POVs - older Ivy writing in her diary about her decades of experiences in the Dollhouse and Ramona's view of being accepted into the academy. As Ramona deals with envy over her best friend's rising success she also begins to realize something is not quite right with the academy and its enigmatic owner.

One issue I had with the book is that there really isn't any suspense or attempt at horror - it's just a tepid, 'oh well, that is kind of strange and maybe kind of wrong, but hey, who cares as long as I get to be a star!?" The denouement especially was anticlimactic and rather bland. As well, none of the characters were very interesting: Ivy is more of a sad sack while Ramona is honestly rather stupid and selfish - she spends most of the book pursuing her pleasures and felt very one dimensional. I never really wanted to root for any of the characters.

Yes, this is a very implausible story. It didn't bother me with the Stepford Wives due to the creepiness factor and the big reveals at the end. In contrast, this book just plodded along and then ended peacefully and rather boringly. Nothing was really resolved. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.