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The Ivies

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The Ivies

By: Alexa Donne
Narrated by: Phoebe Strole
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About this listen

 Enroll in this boarding school thriller about a group of prep school elites who would kill to get into the college of their dreams...literally.

"The Plastics meet the Heathers in this murder mystery about ruthless Ivy League ambition." -Kirkus Reviews

"Twisty and thrilling...boarding school murder has never been so much fun!" –Kara Thomas, author of That Weekend

Everyone knows the Ivies: the most coveted universities in the United States. Far more important are the Ivies. The Ivies at Claflin Academy, that is. Five girls with the same mission: to get into the Ivy League by any means necessary. I would know. I'm one of them. We disrupt class ranks, club leaderships, and academic competitions...among other things. We improve our own odds by decreasing the fortunes of others. Because hyper-elite competitive college admissions is serious business. And in some cases, it's deadly.

Alexa Donne delivers a nail-biting and timely thriller about teens who will stop at nothing to get into the college of their dreams. Too bad no one told them murder isn't an extracurricular.
 Difficult Situations Literature & Fiction Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Racism & Discrimination Thrillers & Suspense Crime Discrimination Fiction Suspense Murder Dream Exciting Mystery

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Critic reviews

"The Plastics meet the Heathers in this murder mystery about ruthless Ivy League ambition....A thrilling boarding school story with a satirical edge." -Kirkus Reviews

"Donne pens a thrilling novel set in the world of competitive, hyper-elite college admissions, combining romance, suspense, and mystery into one thrilling story that closes with a twist." -Booklist

"Quick pacing, dark humor, and deftly drawn characters distinguish this satirical thriller from Donne." -Publishers Weekly

"This compelling thriller will have teens asking whether sacrificing one’s morals to get into college is worth it." -SLJ

"The Ivies is ruthless, clever, and infectiously thrilling—I couldn’t put it down." -Dana Mele, author of People Like Us

"Donne unravels elite college admissions with a bitter blend of privilege, high pressure, competitiveness...and murder, in this twisty, page-turning thriller. A definite one-sitting read.” –J.Elle, New York Times bestselling author of Wings of Ebony

"A timely and compelling examination of the maelstrom created when girls are pitted against their environment--and each other." -Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, author of All Eyes on Her and The Girls Are All So Nice Here

“Tense, twisty, and oh-so-addictive, The Ivies kept me guessing right up until the end.” –Emily Lloyd Jones, author of The Bone Houses and The Hearts We Sold

"A satisfying page-turner, full of surprises and dark humor." -Emily Arsenault, author of All the Pretty Things
All stars
Most relevant
Great thriller, lots of suspects, kept guessing. Fantastic rich kid imagery. Main character quite relatable.

Thoroughly enjoyable!

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Expect the un expected wanting to know whether he was sent down or not ?

Interesting

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I liked the concept, the conflict and the writing style. I liked the voice of the reader. The execution is nice, but sometimes I felt it a little bit contrived. Especially when the writer talks about important social issues. At some points it comes out very natural, but at other points it is overexplained. Less can be more and if it’s better implemented it would have a more powerful effect. Trust your readers! Overall a very good and engaging read. I will follow this author and I think she has a great potential to be one of my favourite writers.

Watch this author, one day she will be a NYT bestseller

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I really really enjoyed this one! I loved that all of the characters had depth, that there wasn’t black and white morality to any of them - they remained sympathetic while being flawed, and the twists and turns of the plot really got me. Only slight drawback is I couldn’t help but feel some of sleuthing the main character got up to should have had more consequences - I kept internally screaming that she was leaving a digital footprint behind herself, but it was only a minor thing and didn’t hamper my enjoyment of everything else. I really loved the way this wrapped up, too, how it wasn’t too neat. Was very fitting for some messy characters.

A really fun ride!

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The book was very-well written and well-told filled with complex and realistic characters and a fascinating plot. Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in YA crime set in an idealistic yet tainted Massachusetts heir/heiress- populated private school!

Brilliant story full of twists and turns providing insight into the hypercompetitive US college world.

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