I admit that I was very upset when I found out that Erin Hildrebrand was retiring from writing Nantucket novels, but after reading The Academy, I have to say that I truly hope we get to hear more of Elin Hildrebrand exploring different areas.

I appreciated that The Academy has a cast of characters that don't only include students, but faculty and staff as well. There are romances between students, romances between faculty and even some naughtiness between a teacher and an over-18 year old student. There is drama for the school President. The hot guy who got kicked out of all the other boarding schools has a thing for the girl that - let's be honest - every booklover is going to swoon over because she's a reader and she's smart and a little different.

Descriptions of food and parties, made me realize that there are wonderful events even outside Nantucket - we just have to take the time to see the world and appreciate it the way that Elin Hildrebrand does!

Audre the head of Tiffin an old established boarding school in the east is preparing for another year. A year she hopes will be quieter than the last. Lasy year one of her well loved students took her own life. An event which will shadow Charley Hicks time here. Charley can no longer live in the same house with her mother and her new husband. A man a decade younger than her mom. Charley feels her mom got over the death of her dad too quick. Charley quickly establishes her space and her intellect to all of Tiffin. Davi another Tiffin student is sophisticated, loved by millions on the internet, and provides content that has established her throne among her peers. Dub was best friends with Cinnamon,the student who died and although on the outside he seems okay, the surface below is in turmoil. East has never had a bad day in his life. Jesse Eastman, his dad, has been a financial godsend to the school. East knows this and truly exploits the fact often and hilariously. Two new teachers round out to set the stage for a microscopic view of boarding schools, their pecking order, the all too human faults that are in charge. It’s a complete package with a twist that hopefully will be addressed in the next publication. Happy reading

Thanks go to NetGalley for providing me the DRC.

I'm conflicted here. First, I love all things Elin HIlderbrand. I was excited when she announced although "retiring" she was doing this collab with her daughter. That being said, I fear most of Elin's readers will not be the target audience for "The Academy".

"The Academy" is based on a New England boarding school. Over the course of a school year we follow the trials & tribulations of not only the students but the administrators as well. As with any Hilderbrand book, we are treated to an inside look at the world of privilege; name brands being dropped, hot vacation spots to check out, the new "in" drink. etc... It's not a stretch to see these teenagers as the children of HIlderbrand's characters from her Nantucket, St John's, and Martha's Vineyard books.

While surely entertaining, reading about this teens this book felt more for the YA- early 20's crowd vs. middle age mamas crowd.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Although it pained me to write, I did not like this book. Far too many characters flitted in and out, and we never got enough of their backstories to make them feel important to the story. It also felt too long in several spots and poorly written by a teen.

This has everything you love about Elin Hilderbrand, but instead of Nantucket, it's set at a boarding school - the perfect locale for all the drama, scandal, and intrigue that keep the plot moving at a brisk pace. The book features a rich cast of characters, comprised of both students and faculty/administrators, who play off of one another's best and worst impulses, creating a swirling storm of deliciously intertwined storylines. I loved the students' voices, and it was refreshing to read their points of view and their take on Tiffin Academy and the escapades of both the student body and those there to lead it. As reliably fun and compelling as all of Hilderbrand's books - she and Shelby make a great team!

I read this book because of the author and loved that she wrote it with her daughter. The novel itself was just okay. Some interesting points but overall it wasn't a rave.

Elin and her daughter, Shelby make a great writing team! This book is super cute, fun and an easy lighthearted read.

Thank you to net galley for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

Hilderbrand co wrote this novel with her daughter and it’s a fun read about the faculty and student tea at an elite east coast boarding school. Excited that it will be a series.

I don't think there's ever been an Elin Hildebrand book that I did not like. This book was not in a different it was suspenseful with mystery and cover different important topics for teenagers and young adults. This really felt like an elin Hildebrand book even though I know her daughter Shelby is listed as co-author I was unable to tell where Elin left off and Shelby began. It was a great book one night I really had trouble putting down I think if they're going to continue writing books together they will make great partners and I look forward to the next book

I love the cover of this book and think it matches the story perfectly. I love that the author is branching out.
For me, this story was hard to get through. The story lines seemed to blend in with one another. Even though it was high school, 80% of the book had me feeling college vibes. I constantly questioned what the purpose was for this story other than a year in the life of...
This novel isn't for me personally. I'll recommend to anyone who loves Hilderbrand, though. I'm sorry this isn't a better review. I enjoy Hilderbrand's writings and will continue to seek her new releases out.
Thank you for offering an eARC for my opinion. I'm thankful for the opportunity and wish the author the best!

Elin Hildebrand has returned to writing with her young daughter, and what a contemporary and fun read it is! It was not too layered but an interesting look into boarding school life and the students that attend The Academy.

I love Elin Hildebrand and was so intrigued to read a book co authored by her daughter. I devoured this book. It had all the delish details expected of an Elin Hildebrand book, while giving you the feeling of being a student at Tiffin. There were some loose ends, but if there is a second book those could easily be tied up.

3.5 stars

The book covers a very unusual year in the world of Tiffin Academy, a boarding school in New England, which has just been named the number two boarding school in the U.S., a huge jump from the year before, thanks largely to the deep pockets of the parents of one of its students, Unless it’s a terrible mistake. Because the sports teams mostly lose and the dorms could use renovating, plus it is largely known for being a “social” versus an intellectual school. Anyway, the students, faculty and staff and reveling in the achievement.

However, things are starting to get a little crazy with a new app, ZigZag posting blind items about the school and its students and staff. How will this affect queen bee and influencer Davi Banerjee, Charley Hicks, a transfer student, Simone Bergeron, the new, young history teacher, Cordelia Spooner, director of admissions, Andrew Eastman, the son of the school’s benefactor, Dub Austin, the star quarterback and other students and staff?

Hilderbrand is a very popular author so I can’t imagine this won’t do well. Her daughter, who is billed as a co-writer just graduated from boarding school and you can definitely see her influence on the book with references to music, brands, etc; I’m not familiar enough with Hilderbrand’s writing style to know whether she actually contributed to the writing, but I’m sure she was more on background here. It was very gossipy and a little exhausting…I don’t think I would have the strength anymore to be part of so much drama. I enjoyed it, though.

Gossip girl meets Gilmore girls meets a splash of Magnolia parks? This was so fun. I couldn’t take my eyes away from it. I really appreciate how Shelby Cunningham was able to accurately depict teenagers rather in a way that felt so much more authentic than someone who just googled “what are teens into”

So good! I loved the premise of this. Elin Hilderbrand knows how to bring the drama in such a delicate way. I also loved the location of a boarding school—I don’t know that world, but I know the private school arena and so many things were accurate to my own experiences. I imagine this is going to be on the top of everyone’s reading lists this fall

While The Academy, by Elin Hilderbrand, and her daughter, Shelby Cunningham, is not what I expected, it grabbed my attention right away.  The storyline was fun and kept my attention. A lot was going on, some of which made my teacher heart cringe, but things happen in real life... The cafeteria food sounds amazing, and the friendships are realistic, but that ending left me hanging.  I hope this means we can look forward to a sequel.  After all, they do have another year... Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

I love Elin’s books and really wanted to love this one as she pivoted into new genre. However, the first half of this book is just way too slow with way too many characters introduced. And by the end of the book, we don’t have closure for most of those characters. There were some major loose ends left behind. I did like the second half better, but I am just too many characters to track.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. This is so hard for me to type because Elin Hilderbrand is one of my favorite authors and I do love the opportunity she gave her daughter by co-writing this with her, but this was bad. I struggled to get through it, It dragged on and honestly felt like it was written by a teenager. Ugh, I'm sorry Elin.

As a devoted fan of Elin Hilderbrand, I was delighted to be able to read a galley of The Academy. Knowing it was cowritten by Elin and her daughter, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Unfortunately, I wasn’t terribly impressed with the book. It read like a YA novel. The use of italicized “vocabulary words” followed by their definitions was very annoying. Some of the many characters were not fully developed and some were very cliched. I hope their next book venture together improves.

The book was about a school year at a boarding school, it focused on the lives of both the students and the teachers. Cute book, it left a few loose ends but I would recommend as an easy, fun read.