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| August 2 - 3, 2013 |
Publication Date: July 30, 2013
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Number of Pages: 310
Genre/s: Young Adult, Mystery
Source: ARC provided by publisher
In this breathtaking debut that reads like Gossip Girl crossed with Twin Peaks, a Queen Bee at a blue-blooded New England prep school stumbles into a murder mystery.
Anne Dowling practically runs her exclusive academy on New York’s Upper East Side—that is, until she accidentally burns part of it down and gets sent to a prestigious boarding school outside of Boston. Determined to make it back to New York, Anne couldn't care less about making friends at the preppy Wheatley School. That is, until her roommate Isabella’s body is found in the woods behind the school.
When everyone else is oddly silent, Anne becomes determined to uncover the truth no matter how many rules she has to break to do it. With the help of Isabella’s twin brother Anthony, and a cute classmate named Brent, Anne discovers that Isabella wasn’t quite the innocent nerdy girl she pretended to be. But someone will do anything to stop Anne’s snooping in this fast-paced, unputdownable read—even if it means framing her for Isabella’s murder. - (source)
Anne Dowling practically runs her exclusive academy on New York’s Upper East Side—that is, until she accidentally burns part of it down and gets sent to a prestigious boarding school outside of Boston. Determined to make it back to New York, Anne couldn't care less about making friends at the preppy Wheatley School. That is, until her roommate Isabella’s body is found in the woods behind the school.
When everyone else is oddly silent, Anne becomes determined to uncover the truth no matter how many rules she has to break to do it. With the help of Isabella’s twin brother Anthony, and a cute classmate named Brent, Anne discovers that Isabella wasn’t quite the innocent nerdy girl she pretended to be. But someone will do anything to stop Anne’s snooping in this fast-paced, unputdownable read—even if it means framing her for Isabella’s murder. - (source)
I would've been ecstatic to learn that I'd be sent to a boarding school, as my only punishment for becoming an accidental arsonist, but Anne Dowling was less than thrilled.
I go into this type of book with little to no expectation. There's just so much that could go wrong about a boarding-school-mystery-thriller story, it's not fair to even expect to have the time of your life while reading one. Clichés are almost inevitable and will possibly happen, if the author suddenly run out of creative juices, and just decided to end the story with a cop-out move.
I am pleased to say that Prep School Confidential while not void of clichés, definitely came through and splendidly worked all of it and more in its favor.
Anne Dowling, our protagonist, is a likeable character. She's a rich Queen Bee who got expelled by accidentally setting her old school on fire. In a nutshell, I know I wouldn't like her character, but Anne proved to be smart, charming and caring. I liked her voice and I found myself wanting to know every move she will make, which made this read quite unputdownable.
The mystery aspect of the novel was as absorbing as its main protagonist, and I felt myself being transported to my Nancy Drew reading days. As the plot thickened, I really hoped Prep School Confidential would be a series of books and I'm glad that it is. It's been a long time since I read a mystery series that I can see myself investing in.
One minor problem I had with the book was the romance. I really do believe a book can survive without it, and I don't want to read about a half-baked one. I also hate love triangle with a passion. I would like to clarify that this didn't ruin the story, I just think the book would be better without it or if it was, at least, a slow-burning romance that would slowly progressed over the course of the series, then sign me up.
Despite my minor qualm, I definitely enjoyed Taylor's debut novel. Prep School Confidential is perfect for fans of Carolyn Keene and Ally Carter, and if Taylor continues this kind of quality in her future Anne Dowling's books, I might have just found my permanent replacement fix for my never been satisfied Nancy Drew cravings.
I go into this type of book with little to no expectation. There's just so much that could go wrong about a boarding-school-mystery-thriller story, it's not fair to even expect to have the time of your life while reading one. Clichés are almost inevitable and will possibly happen, if the author suddenly run out of creative juices, and just decided to end the story with a cop-out move.
I am pleased to say that Prep School Confidential while not void of clichés, definitely came through and splendidly worked all of it and more in its favor.
Anne Dowling, our protagonist, is a likeable character. She's a rich Queen Bee who got expelled by accidentally setting her old school on fire. In a nutshell, I know I wouldn't like her character, but Anne proved to be smart, charming and caring. I liked her voice and I found myself wanting to know every move she will make, which made this read quite unputdownable.
The mystery aspect of the novel was as absorbing as its main protagonist, and I felt myself being transported to my Nancy Drew reading days. As the plot thickened, I really hoped Prep School Confidential would be a series of books and I'm glad that it is. It's been a long time since I read a mystery series that I can see myself investing in.
One minor problem I had with the book was the romance. I really do believe a book can survive without it, and I don't want to read about a half-baked one. I also hate love triangle with a passion. I would like to clarify that this didn't ruin the story, I just think the book would be better without it or if it was, at least, a slow-burning romance that would slowly progressed over the course of the series, then sign me up.
Despite my minor qualm, I definitely enjoyed Taylor's debut novel. Prep School Confidential is perfect for fans of Carolyn Keene and Ally Carter, and if Taylor continues this kind of quality in her future Anne Dowling's books, I might have just found my permanent replacement fix for my never been satisfied Nancy Drew cravings.
Cupid's Verdict:
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| 4 Cupids |
A copy was provided by the publisher at no cost via Netgalley
in exchange for an honest review.
in exchange for an honest review.
