The Ivies Book Reviews

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Good Read. I thought it was a good book. It was refreshing to read something with a little different plot. I kept the turn the pages because I wanted to find out what would happen next. The one thing I thought that was a little strange was the killer’s motive for the murder.

Great read. Loved it kept me guessing the whole time

Mean Girls with Murder. Alexa Donne's first YA Thriller THE IVIES is Means Girl with murder. Yes. Exactly that. When competivite college admissions turn deadly, everyone is a suspect with everything to lose. THE IVIES at its core is about ambition, how far anyone is willing to go to secure their future, and what happens when caught in the crossfire. The protagonist is Olivia, aka Ms Middle-class Everyman. I selfishly enjoyed following her investigation, because it meant I got to learn her dirty secrets along the way. I found her relatable as the scholarship goose among stupidly wealthy swans (who are as mean as geese, btw!). She's wishywashy and at times hypocritical, and honestly, who wouldn't be in her situation? She had trudge through a bog of lies and conspiracies, but each step toward the truth just left her boggier and boggier. And she wasn't exactly clean to begin with, either. Donne's writing, from someone who tends to avoid YA, was easy. Not simple, just easy. It flowed nicely without being elementary or campy. I will say that there were a few things, some phrases and some descriptions, that I had a hard time believing that posh teens would say or use, but instead of breaking immersion, I decided it added to the charm. And who am I to say what super elite Gen Zs would say these days? The pacing suited my short attention span nicely. The clues were all there, but craftily misleading. The red herrings were believable and just juicy and dramatic enough that I fell for every single one. But hey, I love a good gut-punching twist. I'll admit, I suspected everyone at least twice, and may have been wrong toward the end. (Is it weird to have your heart set on a different psycho killer? Alas, I was not disappointed with the truth.) The killer was believable, the motive was unique and just plausible enough to make you go "You're nuts, but okay." As for the ending, I adored it. I don't often like endings where things are all wrapped up in a shiny bow, even when deserved. Especially in a thriller, and especially in a thriller with these kinds of stakes. Life is messy, and winning isn't always pretty. Sometimes, "winning" simply means living to endure the consequences. Justice doesn't always clean off the bog. And if this had ended with even half the consequences it did, it might have ruined it for me. But the ending hurt when it should and eased when it should. The right amount of gut-punch. I have a habit of avoiding thrillers. YA or otherwise, simply because I'm a slow reader and I have anxiety. Thrillers are not kind to me or my nerves. And cruelly, I also have a habit of enjoying the thrillers I sporadically pick up. This one, however, may have changed something for me. If I found more thrillers like THE IVIES, well, I may just become a thriller reader yet.

Best Admissions Scandal plot yet. When I say this was good, I mean GOOD. When I started the book I was a little worried I just wasn’t going to be into it and that it was little too much like Gossip Girl. But, it was Gossip Girl and then some! As soon as I got about 30% into the book and past the college early decision process I was hooked. The college admissions scandal has been the inspiration for a lot of novels, but this was the first time I felt like it was done right. No one was likable in this book except maybe Olivia our main character - I found myself rooting for. Not just because she was a scholarship student, but because she was trying to figure out how to play the game and do the least amount of damage. There was scandal after scandal in this book and no one was innocent. I thought I knew who the murderer was for most of the book, then I thought I really knew who did it, and then I realized I definitely did not. With everyone being a suspect and so many red herrings I was guessing until the end.

Wonderful and breezy. The last chapter tied up this book perfectly and it was such a page turner that I read it in one day. I was always trying to figure out what would happen next! Although I predicted some of the outcomes beforehand, I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing; there are tropes for a reason and Donne definitely delivered (and exceeded in some cases) expectations! One last comment on the voice of the main character: it seemed a lot like the persona that Donne uses on her YouTube channel, and I could not help but to hear it in her voice as I read. Not a bad thing, but I thought it was important to note. Bear in mind that I only leave 5 star reviews for books I intend to read again. Wonderful, breezy thrillers don’t tend to hit that mark. So keep that in mind :)

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