The Ivies
- Downloads：7264
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-16 07:51:34
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Alexa Donne
- ISBN：0593303709
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Hannah | Reading Under Covers
，
I think I’ll always enjoy a good ‘mean girls at a private school’ thriller 🤷🏼♀️ this one had some fun elements and sabotage… 🤐
Ellie Strasser
，
I was going to give this 4 stars but after thinking about it I don't know if there was anything。。。bad about this book？ There certainly was a lot of good。it's fun， quick， engaging， kept me guessing。。。the twists didn't blow my mind but they were executed in a way that I was never bored or felt like I knew precisely what was going to happen before it happened。I adore so-called "unlikeable" female characters， so I'm a big fan of how Donne handled Avery （and Olivia at times！！）。 I digged the theme。 I I was going to give this 4 stars but after thinking about it I don't know if there was anything。。。bad about this book？ There certainly was a lot of good。it's fun， quick， engaging， kept me guessing。。。the twists didn't blow my mind but they were executed in a way that I was never bored or felt like I knew precisely what was going to happen before it happened。I adore so-called "unlikeable" female characters， so I'm a big fan of how Donne handled Avery （and Olivia at times！！）。 I digged the theme。 I love books that utilize the author's niche expertise and Donne's experience with super competitive elite college admissions made this all kind of scarily realistic。maaaybe the motive for murder was a bit too sociopathic when the rest of their actions weren't really that sociopathic？ they were an expert manipulator for sure， but totally callous sociopath？ apparently this is a popular thriller trope， so I'll let it slide for genre。（another review mentioned that the murder was just some "teenage hormone" thing。。。and I can assure you it was NOT， which is one of the better twists of this story） 。。。more
Alyssa
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Ugh。 I wanted this to be better than it was。 Characters were grossly underdeveloped， melodramatic and inconsistent。 The author， for whatever reason， kept making digs at white people， and one character randomly came out as gay at the end。 Obviously she had to check off some “woke” boxes。
Alexandra Tolhurst
，
Tl;dr: an enjoyable trashy YA drama that's very Mean Girls-esque， but a predictable murder mystery with unlikeable characters and overblown drama。 I picked this up because I went to an Ivy League and worked in Ivy League admissions for ~3 years so I found the premise hilarious and intriguing。 This definitely clouds my feelings about it， so someone who hasn't been in that world may like this more。After reading it， I'm indifferent about the book。 It was definitely a page-turner - I read it in one Tl;dr: an enjoyable trashy YA drama that's very Mean Girls-esque， but a predictable murder mystery with unlikeable characters and overblown drama。 I picked this up because I went to an Ivy League and worked in Ivy League admissions for ~3 years so I found the premise hilarious and intriguing。 This definitely clouds my feelings about it， so someone who hasn't been in that world may like this more。After reading it， I'm indifferent about the book。 It was definitely a page-turner - I read it in one sitting， but as far as the murder mystery/whodunnit goes， I felt it was extremely predictable and I had it figured out about 1/3rd of the way into the book。 It does paint a fairly accurate picture of Ivy League admissions， though there were definitely inaccuracies。 Though obviously overblown， I think it captures how cut-throat the world of Ivy League admissions has become and I found myself saying "yes， I can absolutely see that happening" a few times。However， what really irritated me about this book （other than the predictability） was the characters。 Looking back， there was not a single likeable character in this book。 Literally， every single one was doing sketchy things。 The main character， the one character you're supposed to like in this book I think， isn't even likeable。 She's very much a Cady Heron figure， but I don't feel she really had an arc。 She didn't really change as a character or grow。 。。。more
sara ت
，
TW - murder， mentions of eating disorders， mentions of rape， racismAn incredible page-turner。 The moment you believe you've figured out who the murderer is， new clues come up。 No strings were left hanging。The only downside for me was the 'teens investigating murder' trope， but it was so well done that I really can't complain all that much。Highly recommend this if you're in a reading slump。"Because this is the game。 The long game。 Play the part， try to fit in。 Earn their trust。 Take their shit。 C TW - murder， mentions of eating disorders， mentions of rape， racismAn incredible page-turner。 The moment you believe you've figured out who the murderer is， new clues come up。 No strings were left hanging。The only downside for me was the 'teens investigating murder' trope， but it was so well done that I really can't complain all that much。Highly recommend this if you're in a reading slump。"Because this is the game。 The long game。 Play the part， try to fit in。 Earn their trust。 Take their shit。 Claw my way up， up， up。" 。。。more
Melissa Stacy
，
3。5 rounded up to 4This definitely had its moments！ Alexa Donne's third published novel， the YA thriller， "The Ivies，" published in 2021， is definitely her best work yet。I really enjoyed the prose in this book。 I enjoyed the plot twists and turns， especially in the novel's long middle section。 The final action scene did not thrill me， but I've never been a fan of villain monologues， either; tastes vary on that one。I loved how active this protagonist was。 Although I didn't like Olivia Winters as 3。5 rounded up to 4This definitely had its moments！ Alexa Donne's third published novel， the YA thriller， "The Ivies，" published in 2021， is definitely her best work yet。I really enjoyed the prose in this book。 I enjoyed the plot twists and turns， especially in the novel's long middle section。 The final action scene did not thrill me， but I've never been a fan of villain monologues， either; tastes vary on that one。I loved how active this protagonist was。 Although I didn't like Olivia Winters as a person at all， and never cared about her， I enjoyed her agency a great deal。 It was fun watching her Nancy Drew antics at a private boarding school full of Mean Girls。"The Ivies" is a smarter， more plot-driven version of "Pretty Little Liars。" There is a lot of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ diversity in the story。 The story is stridently political in places， wearing its identity politics proudly。 High school students can murder each other， but racism and homophobia are beyond the pale， completely unacceptable， and "The Ivies" stands in that truth in all ways。The truth about murder， though， is that all kinds of -ism's play into who is targeted as a victim: sexism， racism， classism， etc。 etc。 "The Ivies" certainly didn't delve into the sexism that drove this whole plot。 For all of the social commentary layered into this book， the novel was silent about the larger ramifications of the ending。But that's not really a criticism。 I don't expect thrillers to give social commentary on their own endings。 "The Ivies" just set itself up to read that way， adding social commentary on so many other topics throughout the story that the lack of any attention on sexism was glaring。The pacing in the final section felt off to me。 Things slowed down a lot， and then seemed to continue too long。Overall， if you like cozy mysteries and Mean Girl stories， I would recommend "The Ivies。" The book reads like a blend of "One of Us Is Lying" and "Pretty Little Liars。" If that sounds like a good time， definitely pick this one up。 。。。more
Christina McKnight
，
Great read！
peyton
，
3。5
katie
，
THE ENDING HFEUDHDJ it really was unpredictable
Làm Bằng 247
，
Bạn đang tự hỏi liệu có mua bằng cấp 2 được không？ và có thể làm bằng cấp 2 ở đâu chất lượng đảm bảo mà giá cả lại phải chăng？ Hãy đến ngay với Làm Bằng 247 – đơn vị chuyên cung cấp bằng cấp 2， cấp 3， cao đẳng， đại học… uy tín， chất lượng hàng đầu。 https://lambang247。com/mua-bang-cap-2/ Bạn đang tự hỏi liệu có mua bằng cấp 2 được không？ và có thể làm bằng cấp 2 ở đâu chất lượng đảm bảo mà giá cả lại phải chăng？ Hãy đến ngay với Làm Bằng 247 – đơn vị chuyên cung cấp bằng cấp 2， cấp 3， cao đẳng， đại học… uy tín， chất lượng hàng đầu。 https://lambang247。com/mua-bang-cap-2/ 。。。more
asic
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 this book is the thriller of the century。 the pacing was amazing， and the textbook definition of not being able to put the book down。the killer of emma shcoked me and i had no idea it was tyler—i had my suspicions on ethan， avery and tipton。 i loved the descriptions and unlike other books this one did not go overboard at all。 i loved the tiny build up b/wn ethan and olivia。 olivia was the perfect protagonist and her role in the book really made sense（if that makes sense lol）—her being used as a this book is the thriller of the century。 the pacing was amazing， and the textbook definition of not being able to put the book down。the killer of emma shcoked me and i had no idea it was tyler—i had my suspicions on ethan， avery and tipton。 i loved the descriptions and unlike other books this one did not go overboard at all。 i loved the tiny build up b/wn ethan and olivia。 olivia was the perfect protagonist and her role in the book really made sense（if that makes sense lol）—her being used as a scapegoat， being excluded， her fear， anger， disgust and envy towards the ivies（herself included） all being bundled up together was a sight to see。 there’s absolutely nothing about this book that i hated。 it was pure magic。 just perfect and i would 100% re-read it again and again。 if someone dnf’s this book or hates it， i’m coming for you😤😤rating: 10/10 no cap 。。。more
Isabel Carter
，
Good young adult mystery。 Easy to read
Beth
，
Meh。 Had promise。 Failed to deliver。
Wanderingthepage
，
3。75 stars - I really enjoyed The Ivies。 Honestly， the twists were obvious， but I was still hooked！
Courtney
，
Such a fun read！ It kept me guessing the whole time， and the writing style is perfect for a murder mystery。 I read this in one sitting。 I took a star off because the motive was。。。unconvincing。 It wasn't as compelling as it needed to be to wrap the story up， but it also didn't take a whole lot away from the overall reading experience。 This is SO going to be made into a series on the CW。 Such a fun read！ It kept me guessing the whole time， and the writing style is perfect for a murder mystery。 I read this in one sitting。 I took a star off because the motive was。。。unconvincing。 It wasn't as compelling as it needed to be to wrap the story up， but it also didn't take a whole lot away from the overall reading experience。 This is SO going to be made into a series on the CW。 。。。more
Parks
，
4。5 Stars
Janelle
，
4。5
Kim
，
Pretty good until the end。 The ending felt a bit forced。
Charlotte
，
Wow that ending freaking sucked。 Otherwise a very captivating story
Arianna
，
4。25 stars I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it to be a rollicking good time。 I'm really not a thriller person but I follow Alexa Donne on Youtube and the passion with which she talked about American college admission made me immensely curious。 While this is not my favourite book ever it was full of twists and turns that kept me surprised at every turn。 The weakest part of the book for me was the writing style， which was perfectly serviceable but not my favourite。I highly recommend this b 4。25 stars I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it to be a rollicking good time。 I'm really not a thriller person but I follow Alexa Donne on Youtube and the passion with which she talked about American college admission made me immensely curious。 While this is not my favourite book ever it was full of twists and turns that kept me surprised at every turn。 The weakest part of the book for me was the writing style， which was perfectly serviceable but not my favourite。I highly recommend this book if your looking for something fun， twisty and only slightly melodramatic college admissions plots。 。。。more
Melanie Shaw
，
This book drew me straight in from the opening paragraph and kept me guessing right to the end。 I loved the 'flawed' heroine and often found myself laughing out loud at her internal monologues。 A cracking read！ This book drew me straight in from the opening paragraph and kept me guessing right to the end。 I loved the 'flawed' heroine and often found myself laughing out loud at her internal monologues。 A cracking read！ 。。。more
andi
，
changing my rating from 3 stars to 2 after researching some stuff。 at first， i was side-eyeing this so bad because the main character and majority of her friends are POC。 3/5 of the Ivies are POC， right？ so i was like， why is a white writer in POC business？ but after reading some articles， i was like ok sure。。。 BUT THEN， after considering it， this kinda gives off white savior complex， no？ and i feel like the characters of color were poorly researched and underrepresented。 the concept was nice， i changing my rating from 3 stars to 2 after researching some stuff。 at first， i was side-eyeing this so bad because the main character and majority of her friends are POC。 3/5 of the Ivies are POC， right？ so i was like， why is a white writer in POC business？ but after reading some articles， i was like ok sure。。。 BUT THEN， after considering it， this kinda gives off white savior complex， no？ and i feel like the characters of color were poorly researched and underrepresented。 the concept was nice， i admit， it's the characters and the way the author dealt with social justice/privilege i have a problem with。 and this was soooo predictable。 maybe this deserves a 1。5 but i am feeling generous also i have never written a review this long。 。。。more
Satta
，
I genuinely can't remember the last time I had this much fun reading a book。 I genuinely can't remember the last time I had this much fun reading a book。 。。。more
Laurel Tom
，
More like 4。5 maybe， but I'm rounded up because。。。wow。 This story blew me away。 I watch Alexa Donne on YouTube and couldn't get past the first chapter of her first two sci-fi books， but I love YA mysteries so I wanted to give this book a shot。 I didn't think I would be able to get into a book about the competitiveness of college admissions， especially about Ivy League schools， but somehow I did。 But that was less the draw into the story。 It was more the protagonist's investigation into the reali More like 4。5 maybe， but I'm rounded up because。。。wow。 This story blew me away。 I watch Alexa Donne on YouTube and couldn't get past the first chapter of her first two sci-fi books， but I love YA mysteries so I wanted to give this book a shot。 I didn't think I would be able to get into a book about the competitiveness of college admissions， especially about Ivy League schools， but somehow I did。 But that was less the draw into the story。 It was more the protagonist's investigation into the reality of her friendships that got me。 Revelations stunned me as if I was uncovering close friends' small （and large） betrayals。This was a fast-paced story with little if any down time leading to a twisty conclusion and denouement that left me feeing exhausted but satisfied。 LOL。 。。。more
Allison
，
Lot's of fun with great pacing！ I managed to figure out the twists before the main character， but there were enough red herrings and impactful scenes to keep me well entertained。Definitely a tongue-in-cheek take on the topic and genre， （and the ending isn't exactly a "redemption" for the main character。。。。 in fact， there are few people to "root for" at the end。） All in all though， I had fun and it was great to see Alexa Donne's creativity in action。 Lot's of fun with great pacing！ I managed to figure out the twists before the main character， but there were enough red herrings and impactful scenes to keep me well entertained。Definitely a tongue-in-cheek take on the topic and genre， （and the ending isn't exactly a "redemption" for the main character。。。。 in fact， there are few people to "root for" at the end。） All in all though， I had fun and it was great to see Alexa Donne's creativity in action。 。。。more
CORY
，
Really good read。
Olivia Mohtady
，
This wasn't really my sort of genre or style so I don't feel qualified to say much about it。 I do love Alexa Donne and her authortube channel （which is why I bought the book in the first place）。 I got into the mystery and was desperate to find out what happened so she was definitely doing something right！ I think she's good at suspense。 But I found it hard to connect to the characters。 There were some clearly deliberate "real" elements to Olivia， which I appreciated。 And I liked that Avery wasn' This wasn't really my sort of genre or style so I don't feel qualified to say much about it。 I do love Alexa Donne and her authortube channel （which is why I bought the book in the first place）。 I got into the mystery and was desperate to find out what happened so she was definitely doing something right！ I think she's good at suspense。 But I found it hard to connect to the characters。 There were some clearly deliberate "real" elements to Olivia， which I appreciated。 And I liked that Avery wasn't all she seemed。 But I didn't really feel much love for them and they were very much the sum of their parts - it felt like it was all more plot or theme driven than character driven which I guess is ok， just not for me。 I liked Ethan and then was so sad how that romance turned out。 I'll probably keep steering clear of YA thrillers for now。 Always good to step outside your usual genres once in a while！ 。。。more
Danny Frost
，
This book was a good enough。 I really enjoyed it and in a way I was left guessing。I mean it was not anything mind blowing， but I found it to be a touching story especially the way the characters were written。 I have waited a week to write this review and I have to say I still deeply care for some of the characters。 To me the biggest twist was not the murderer but the truth behind the story itself， who the characters really were and what they truly wanted。Alexa donne did an amazing job with her c This book was a good enough。 I really enjoyed it and in a way I was left guessing。I mean it was not anything mind blowing， but I found it to be a touching story especially the way the characters were written。 I have waited a week to write this review and I have to say I still deeply care for some of the characters。 To me the biggest twist was not the murderer but the truth behind the story itself， who the characters really were and what they truly wanted。Alexa donne did an amazing job with her characters and the plot is simple enough。 I believe it is the worth the read。 The story touched me and that is why it gets three stars， it would have gotten four or five stars if the killer had not been so obvious。 Plus there are times when some of the tricks they pulled were just shocking to me like overkill， maybe it's because I don't live in America and that is why I found it weird they sabotaging their classmates in such manners。Through all this it was a good enough read。 。。。more
Karen Barber
，
Getting accepted into one of the Ivy League colleges is hard work， and this book exposes just how brutal the system is。Olivia has a place at Claflin Academy on a scholarship。 For reasons she’s not sure of she has been befriended by a group known as the Ivies。。。girls from wealthy backgrounds who will do whatever is needed to get into the college of their choice， and not worry about who they trample in the process。When Olivia gets early acceptance into Harvard she should be screaming it from the r Getting accepted into one of the Ivy League colleges is hard work， and this book exposes just how brutal the system is。Olivia has a place at Claflin Academy on a scholarship。 For reasons she’s not sure of she has been befriended by a group known as the Ivies。。。girls from wealthy backgrounds who will do whatever is needed to get into the college of their choice， and not worry about who they trample in the process。When Olivia gets early acceptance into Harvard she should be screaming it from the rooftops。 However， in the world she’s part of the Harvard spot was meant for Avery。。。and when she’s rejected it sets in place a truly scary sequence of events。We have the death of a student， and Olivia is convinced one of her friends could be behind it。 We follow her attempts to investigate what happened。。。and though it is quite ridiculous it is just on the edge of credibility。 There’s intrigue and scandal aplenty， and I imagine readers will lap it up。 。。。more
Welsh Reader
，
I don't wander outside of Sci Fi and Fantasy often but this was a lot of fun。I had so much fun taking notes and theorising the likelihood of certain characters being responsible for certain events or actions。 I'm happy to say I was spot on with a lot of things。Unfortunately I guessed the killer and some of the twists didn't really affect me at all， because entitled rich kids doing fucked up shit just kinda makes sense to me。 It was really interesting to see just how different the college/univers I don't wander outside of Sci Fi and Fantasy often but this was a lot of fun。I had so much fun taking notes and theorising the likelihood of certain characters being responsible for certain events or actions。 I'm happy to say I was spot on with a lot of things。Unfortunately I guessed the killer and some of the twists didn't really affect me at all， because entitled rich kids doing fucked up shit just kinda makes sense to me。 It was really interesting to see just how different the college/university application process is so different from the UK， and how these private boarding schools are on the opposite end of the scale from my own experience going to a public catholic high school in one of the poorest areas in Wales。I wish Margot had played a larger role。 I felt that she was the Ivy who had the least screen time and the least to do in the whole story， which was a shame and somewhat of a missed opportunity。 The pop culture references didn't bother me too much， but I think in 2021 we can leave references to Harry Potter behind forever！I enjoyed the ending and thought it was pretty fitting and went well with the overall theme of the book and its messaging about wealthy privilege。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Ivies
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Ivies&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Ivies&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0