The Ivies by: Alexa Donne
Release Date: May 25th, 2021
Publisher: Crown
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery, Contemporary
Pages: 320
Synopsis
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.
Review
Thank you to Turn the Page Tours and author Alexa Donne for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I am always down for a good boarding school mystery and Donne certainly did not disappoint with this page-turner about ruthless teenagers who want to make it into one of the Ivies, no matter what. The plot of this story was very solid and a really great thriller. One of the girls in this group of friends gets into an altercation with the other, but one of them turns up dead the next day. Reading through this story will make you second-guess who you think did it multiple times and Donne even throws quite a few twists in there to keep you on your toes.
The characters in this book were also interesting and made sense with the plot. Our main character, Olivia, takes you on an investigative journey to find out who murdered Emma and why. I truly didn’t want it to end. I definitely recommend this book to high schoolers and readers of YA alike. Definitely a book to add to your dark academia TBR lists.
Giveaway for ONE (1) finished copy of The Ivies by Alexa Donne (US only)
Meet the Author
Alexa Donne is the author of Brightly Burning and The Stars We Steal, YA sci-fi romance retellings of classics set in space out now from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Her next YA, THE IVIES, a thriller set in the world of competitive college admissions, will be out in May 2021 from Crown/Random House. A graduate of Boston University, she works in TV marketing and has done pro bono college admissions mentoring since 2014. A true INFJ, in her “free” time she mentors with WriteGirl, runs the Author Mentor Match program, and manages one of the most popular writing advice channels on YouTube. She lives in Los Angeles with two fluffy ginger cats named after YA literature characters. You can find her in most places @alexadonne.
Turn the Page Tours Schedule: The Ivies
Blog Tour
May 23rd
Turn the Page Tours – Welcome Post
Book Briefs – Review
DJREADSBOOKS – Review
May 24th
Bookshelf Life – Review
Twirling Book Princess – Review
The Scribe Owl – Review
May 25th
TeaTimeLit – Review
The Book View – Review
Justice for Readers – Review
May 26th
Regal Reads – Review
Stuck in the Stacks – Review
Kait Plus Books – Review
May 27th
Stacia Loves to Read – Review
Confessions of a YA Reader – Review
The Inharmonious Heroine – Review
May 28th
Sophie’s Corner – Review
Into the Spare Oom – Review
Windows to Worlds – Review
May 29th
Buried in Books – Review
The Tattooed Librarian – Review
The Never Ending Chronicles of Jawahir the Bookworm – Review
BookTube Tour
May 23rd
capricioushelen – Review
Yna the Mood Reader – Review & Thoughts While Reading
Everything plus Everything – Author Interview & 5 Outfits Based on The Ivies MISSING
May 24th
XannasBooks – Review & Thoughts while Reading
Beautifully Bookish Bethany – Author Interview
May 25th
Shellyflowers Reads and Writes – Review, Writing Workshop Based on The Ivies & Book-Inspired Make-Up Tutorial
Madison Estes – Review & 5 Outfits Based on The Ivies
May 26th
Books on Stereo – Review & Author Interview
Inquillery – Review, Thoughts while Reading & Songs to Listen to while Reading The Ivies
Braden’s All About Books – Review & Reading Vlog with Book-based Outfits
Kelley Tai – Thoughts while Reading & 5 Outfits Based on The Ivies
May 27th
Booktube Goddess – Book-Inspired Make-Up Tutorial & Author Interview
Bookish Cousin – Review, 5 Outfits Based on The Ivies & Songs to Listen to while Reading The Ivies
Aliciadreams – Review & Thoughts While Reading
May 28th
Starred Pages – Review
One Page at a Time – Review & Author Interview
May 29th
Sassybooksquirrel – Review & Author Interview
tropetrinitytrilogy – Review
Lauren Sevier – Review, Book-Inspired Make-Up Tutorial & Songs to Listen to while Reading The Ivies
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