The Dollhouse Academy is a gem that perfectly scratches all my dark academia itches. This novel is a captivating blend of entertainment and a mesmerizing atmosphere. Set in an ultra-secluded boarding school for actors, it follows the journey of two best friends as they navigate the complexities of ambition and sacrifice. The beautifully crafted storytelling draws you into a world where dreams come at a cost. The characters are complex and relatable, making their struggles and triumphs all the more impactful. I found myself utterly engrossed from start to finish. I cannot recommend The Dollhouse Academy enough if you’re a fan of dark, intriguing narratives with rich character development. A definite five-star read!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the chance to listen to this audio-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The narrators, Brittany Pressley and Xe Sands were amazing!

2.5 stars rounded up

This had a great setup but I feel like it kept pulling its punches. By the end it felt too similar to other things, which is a bummer because I like this kind of book. The Dollhouse Academy is a modern gothic set in the world of the entertainment industry where a talent incubator locks performers into contracts and requires creepy things from them.

We follow a young woman who has always longed to be a Dollhouse star. So when she and her best friend are plucked from relative obscurity and offered training and contracts, it seems her dreams have come true. But she begins receiving notes of warning, there are invasive medical tests, and her best friend is quickly separated from her. Interspersed with this are diary entries from one of the biggest stars Dollhouse has ever had, detailing her disturbing experiences and strong-arming her into signing new contracts.

The Dollhouse is rife with manipulation tactics and gaslighting, but towards the end it got a little absurd when it should have been getting more scary. Again, part of this is because it pulls its punches which makes things feel less believable. I think this had a lot of potential, because there have been real cases of cultish talent incubators in Hollywood in recent years, and this touches on the pressure to change physical appearance in order to succeed as well. Ultimately though, the ending fell a bit flat for me. Not a bad book but a little lackluster. The audio narration is well done with a strong cast. I received an audio review copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

I am thankful to have gotten an eARC for free from through NetGalley to enjoy which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

Thank you Flatiron and MacMillan audio for review copies of one of my most anticipated reads! I am a big fan of Margarita Montimore and The Dollhouse Academy is a new favorite from her. This book, and fantastically narrated audiobook, has all the themes I love: friendship and friendship challenges, boarding school themes, behind the scenes Hollywood (though not Hollywood here per se), and a sense of mystery and well developed unease. I really loved the way the plot was developed, weaving in Ivy's story/diary with Ramona's own story and experience at the Dollhouse Academy. The excellent and consistent pacing, the themes on industry exploitation and the costs of celebrity and fame, and the exploration of Ramona's and Grace's friendship, and feelings of envy blended with true affection, really made this an engrossing read. The elements explored in the mystery part of the story, themes on identity and memory, make for excellent discussion potential as well.

A great read, recommended on audio as the voice acting from personal favorite Brittany Pressley and also from Xe Sands really made this story resonate!

The Dollhouse Academy, by Margarita Montimore, is an unsettling novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. I'm sure it helped that I listened to the audiobook version narrated by one of my very favorite voices, Brittany Pressley, and Xe Sands (also great, though her voice has a raspy tone that always takes me a few chapters to get used to.) I won't rehash the plot, but I will say that I really connected with the storyline involving Ramona and Grace, best friends since childhood. At the Dollhouse, their paths diverge and their friendship turns rocky. From Ramona's POV (narrated by Pressley), we hear her struggle with missing her bestie as well as her own jealousy and resentment at Grace's success. Highly recommend!!

I LOVED this audio book! It was creepy, fabulous and oh the characters..so good!! I don't want to give anything away but definitely needs to be on your list to read or listen to!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I was thrilled to get an advance copy of The Dollhouse Academy because I loved Oona Out of Order and Acts of Violet. The Dollhouse Academy had a more sinister vibe than the other books I've read from Montimore with Ramona, Ivy, and Grace working at an entertainment company that pushes them in how far they will go for fame.

Montimore blends genres in a way that worked really well for me. The writing was immersive, and I couldn't stop listening to hear what would happen next. I really enjoyed the audio narration.

Though I don't think I liked The Dollhouse Academy as much as Oona Out of Order or Acts of Violet, it was an excellent book and I will continue to read anything Montimore publishes.

The Dollhouse academy was a decent ⭐️⭐️⭐️ read! The beginning started off very strong, however the middle got a little slow.

That aside, the premise was a good one. The dark side of entertainment, the stripping of autonomy, the “understudies”. While a bit of it was a little far fetched for me, the idea still stood out to me and I enjoyed the read! I would recommend to anyone into the arts, and actors/actresses.

Also, I loved the narrators!

Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

#booksonaburger #booksbooksbooks #audiobook #macmillanaudio #thedollhouseacademy #ARC #bookstagram

This book is essentially a mystery story flirting with dark academia and sci-fi elements. Oh, and with a little Evenlyn Hugo touch (there is a former famous actress sharing her story - and secrets - through entries on her own diary).
Two long-time friends get the big break of their lives to have a chance to attend the Dollhouse Academy, a place where young girls go to improve their singing and acting, and practice other skills in order to become big movie/TV stars.
But we all know fame and popularity has its price, and Dollhouse Academy is no exception. Soon, one of the friends realises there is something weird about that place and the strict rules they are supposed to follow. Some girls seem to be replaced by others very easily and in a terrifying way, but it might be too late for one of them.

This story is told by two POVs: one of the girl friends and by entries of a diary written by a former successful movie and tv star 'graduated' at the Dollhouse Academy when she was very, very young. She is a little older now and fed up with everyone and everything connected to the Academy, so she is spilling the tea and sharing all the dark secrets from that place - to whoever finds her diary.
Both young girl friends have their friendship put to test during their training in the Academy and one of them is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve her biggest dream.

I liked this book a lot, but I'm not gonna lie: a huge part of it reads as YA. The friends are 22 years old (both of them) and particularly one of them speaks and behaves like a 15-year old selfish, narcissist, spoilt brat. It annoyed me a little, and it might annoy other readers who are not into YA, so be aware of that if you're intrested in this book.
In my opinion, the mystery of what's really going on with that place and with those girls is well done. The pacing is good, the writing is engaging, thewhole plot is quite realistic, really. The social discussions are still relevant to this day. The story is mostly set in the late 90's - but it could be set today.
This book can be very thrilling, tense and a real page-turner if you're invested in the storyline. I was.
This was my first time reading a book by this author, so I cannot compare this book to their previous ones.

I listened to the audiobook and it was very, very good. Both narrators were great at voicing the different characters and delivering the right pitch in the most tense moments. Highly recommend it.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for allowing me to listen to an advanced audio copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC.

I thought this book had a little bit of everything: Mystery, thriller, sci-fi, romance, and more!! It was an addicting read.

I chose this book because I had enjoyed Oona Out of Order and was excited to read another book by Margarita. This book did not disappoint. I was hooked from the very beginning.

Brittany Pressley and Xe Sands are two of the best audiobook narrators in my opinion and they did a fantastic job bringing this story to life. This book was creepy yet mesmerizing and I really enjoyed it. I look forward to reading more by Margarita in the future as well.

Thank you again to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for the ALC.

This book was great. It seemed so realistic that often times I forgot I was reading a fiction book. I have read so many memoirs and this book reads like it could be a memoir or real diary from an actress. I would definitely recommend this book to people interested in that kind of book.

Childhood best friends, Ramona Halloway and Grace Ludlow, are plucked from the underground NYC theatre scene to enter the esteemed Dollhouse Academy. The academy is a modern throwback to the old Hollywood studio model where aspiring actors are put through grueling training regimens to maybe one day become superstars beholden exclusively to The Dollhouse, if they are able to adequately impress the right people. While the Dollhouse is home many a star, Ivy Gordon is their brightest and the particular idol of Ramona. Told from the perspectives of both Ivy and Ramona, we are treated to a slow unfolding of what's really going on underneath the veneer of perfection.

Read this if you're into:
- A speculative fiction take on the old Hollywood studio
- Childhood best friendships being tested
- Diary-style story telling

The Dollhouse Academy had me constantly wondering what was really going on and I could not stop listening. The narrators, Brittany Pressley and Xe Sands, do an incredible job of bringing Ramona and Ivy to life. Ramona's character development throughout the novel was very well done - seeing her grow beyond the jealousy she experienced with Grace zooming to fame. I felt her gut wrenching feeling where she was excited for Grace, but also devastated that she was not measuring up. Seeing her work through that as the book progressed was lovely and so much of the book emphasizes how important those friendships are in the long run.

Where I did find myself having trouble was depth of character for folks who where not Ramona and Ivy. Maybe in part because Grace wasn't a perspective character, I didn't fully grasp her backstory beyond her being an orphan who was in and out of foster care - I didn't get a good picture of her outside of being Ramona's best friend. The same for Mason, some of the conversations he had with Ramona were highly suspicious in terms of how involved in the Dollhouse he truly was, but I didn't feel like his motivations were fully explored enough.

That being said, I still highly recommend The Dollhouse Academy and the audiobook is also an excellent option should you prefer to read with your ears. Thank you so much to NetGalley and to Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy.

Dark academia, friendship, and mysterious threatening messages? Sounds awesome! Narrated by Brittany Pressley and Xe Sands? Yes, please.

This might be a good fit if you're interested in:
- the cost of fame
- mysterious medical testing
- the highs and lows of long-term friendship

The cover, synopsis, and narrators of this audiobook had me intrigued. Unfortunately it didn't work for me. It didn't grab my attention or have me emotionally invested in any of the characters. The Dollhouse Academy was listed as women's fiction on NetGalley and had some mysterious vibes, but it turned out to be a little more sci-fi in my opinion. While I think the story could have been a more powerful and engaging, I know most of my opinion is a personal issue. I'm learning Hollywood and fame stories don't often work for me, and I've never been into techy/medical tropes.

I will say Brittany Pressley and Xe Sands were terrific as always. If you are interested in a story like this, the audiobook is a great option!

Rating: This wasn't for me, but the audio production was solid. (2)

Wow! Valley of the Dolls meets the Disney/Nickelodeon tween exploitation machine…and then things get sinister! This is a complex and page-turning story of the drive for fame and fortune. It provides a look at the ugly business side and cost of said fame. While the most nasty elements may be fiction, I wonder how many celebrities can relate…

This started off slightly slow and confusing for me. I wasn’t really grasping that the Dollhouse Academy was basically a content mill or hype house… but “historical?” cause it’s the 80s and 90s (I’m assuming this was done so the characters couldn’t use their smartphones to do research).
There’s A LOT going on throughout this book. A mistreated child star, one girl born in a cult and raised by her gay uncles, basically another orphan girl (I never truly grasped Gracie’s storyline besides that she was the best friend). There’s medical experimentation, conspiracy theories, mental gymnastics, creepy headmistresses, and neat ambiance on the grounds of this academy.
This all makes it sound like I didn’t enjoy The Dollhouse Academy, but I definitely DID. It’s a good confusion and the narration is done excellently. It’s dark academia but make it theater camp vibes. It’s a story of friendships and love and when it feels cookie cutter and unrealistic, you remember where you are and fall back in. I’m tempted to pick it up again in physical form and see what I take away with my eyeballs vs my ears.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Wow. I didn’t expect this to turn out like that!
This book mixes some definite stepford wives vibes with creepiness all around.
Great characters and character development. Held my interest to where I finished it in a day and a half. Great narration.
This was such a creative book. Had a great storyline and concept. Plenty of suspense and wondering where things would go. Sad moments as well. And a tiny bit of futuristic sci fi thrown in.
Great book. Definitely read it! Or listen to it. You won’t be disappointed.

"The Dollhouse Academy" mixes up allure not unlike the dark academia trend with the classic thriller vibe that wouldn't have felt out of place in days of black and white to the early color film era. It isn't a novel that depends on being revolutionary. Like a classic, it feeds off of the execution and how it uses the concept.

The story is told in two perspectives. The first is the diary of the star that started it all as the media empire was born and the slow stitching of her into the world. The second follows an aspiring newcomer and her best friend as they join the elite training program formed from the success of the other's legacy. The later is a struggle between the traditional pulls of show business and the murky secrets that are preparing to burst.

Early on there is a nod to how controlling studios were in the early days. The book doesn't hide it's inspiration. It asks instead how someone might achieve that same type of control in a way they could spin as acceptable in a later time. It's not a secret that the entertainment industry can be insidious in nature and how many young stars come out with the need for at least three therapists and five lawyers. To frame the institution as so plainly evil could make the narrative feel like it's rehashing old news for some. For me it created that pocket of possibility that the best psychological thrillers have. By including an element that is a hard known reality it leads to more questioning. In a way it feels timeless in a similar way to the Academy's set and costume design description.

Where it is truly clever is in its choices -- including an ending that is divisive even in this one reader. It is either incredibly daring or woefully anticlimactic. The more I sit with it the more I'm willing to applaud the risk the author took. Some books may have chosen to follow a character like Grace and explore in a Hitchcock-esque tribute the depth and cross of sanity, ambition, and vanity. They might have used the element of jealousy to fuel the entire believably element.

Instead we follow Ramona and in doing so almost push this book into literary genre territory as she struggles with facing her own failings and personal growth as much as stretching for fame. Even though she is receiving threats and we experience the testing through her, in some ways her narrative is the most steadfast. Even mundane.

Admittedly, "The Dollhouse Academy" might not be as pulse-pumping as if it had taken more traditional twists. There were times I did hope it would reach those levels. Outside of the threats and medical testing, the obstacles Ramona faced and her classes didn't seem excessively beyond what I'd expect a competitive training world to be. It never really built up the tension that would drive her to those first decision for me. I did keep waiting for that true edging in terror moment that never quite came. if it had pushed a little harder somewhere I could see this title skyrocketing.

Overall it is something I respected more than I felt. The dual narration was distinctive yet complimentary even without two different narrators in the audiobook version I listened to. That is harder than it seems in an era of multiple timelines being more common. There was a surprisingly healthy relationship when so many are very toxic in this type of genre. The choice to highlight the dark things happening instead of the spiral of madness was bold. I just don't think it's going hit in the way the author is hoping.

What price fame? This cannot be answered truly; however, this book has me thinking about that concept. How far would one go to become famous? Ramona Halloway and Grace Ludlow are lifelong friends who have been accepted into the Dollhouse Academy and are ready to realize the dreams. Instead, they find the darker side, including jealousy, pills, medical tests and alienation from each other. This compelling novel weaves sci fi aspects seamlessly into the storyline and provides food for thought long after it is over. The narration by Brittany Pressley and Xe Sands was compelling and had me listening all day long.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

After reading "Oona Out of Order", I was intrigued to see Margarita Montimore delve into a dark academia thriller with "The Dollhouse Academy", and I’m thrilled to say it was quite the ride! Montimore has a knack for weaving a sci-fi twist into her storytelling, and this book was no exception. The characters, particularly Ramona, were incredibly relatable and well-crafted. The tension Montimore built throughout the novel was pitch-perfect, keeping me hooked until the very end.

As for the narration, Brittany Pressley is at the top of her game, as usual. I’ve never listened to anything narrated by Xe Sands before, but I really enjoyed her chapters too! She brought such emotion to the narration, making Ivy’s chapters feel less like reading and more like she was having a conversation with you. If you’re looking for an atmospheric thriller with a unique edge, "The Dollhouse Academy" is not to be missed!

Thank you to Margarita Montimore, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for sending me the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC audiobook for review. This book was fabulous!! I loved this author’s first book, Oona Out of Order, so I knew when I read the synopsis that this book would be for me. Really want to get ahead in show business? You need to get into the Dollhouse Academy! They can ⭐️MAKE YOUR CAREER!⭐️ But is the Dollhouse Academy as great as it seems? Ramona and Grace have just been accepted into the academy and Grace is rising to the top of stardom. But there are medical exams, special pills they have to take, is this all just for their health and to be at peak performance or something more sinister going on? Ramona is worried about her friend Grace when she can’t reach her anymore. This book was so good I couldn’t put it down!!