They Wish They Were Us
- Downloads：3051
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-19 09:56:36
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Jessica Goodman
- ISBN：0593204204
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A murder mystery set against the backdrop of an exclusive prep school on Long Island。
In Gold Coast， Long Island， everything from the expensive downtown shops to the manicured beaches， to the pressed uniforms of Jill Newman and her friends， looks perfect。 But as Jill found out three years ago， nothing is as it seems。
Freshman year Jill's best friend， the brilliant， dazzling Shaila Arnold， was killed by her boyfriend。 After that dark night on the beach， Graham confessed， the case was closed， and Jill tried to move on。
Now， it's Jill's senior year and she's determined to make it her best yet。 After all， she's a senior and a Player--a member of Gold Coast Prep's exclusive， not-so-secret secret society。 Senior Players have the best parties， highest grades and the admiration of the entire school。 This is going to be Jill's year。 She's sure of it。
But when Jill starts getting texts proclaiming Graham's innocence， her dreams of the perfect senior year start to crumble。 If Graham didn't kill Shaila， who did？ Jill is vows to find out， but digging deeper could mean putting her friendships， and her future， in jeopardy。
In Gold Coast， Long Island， everything from the expensive downtown shops to the manicured beaches， to the pressed uniforms of Jill Newman and her friends， looks perfect。 But as Jill found out three years ago， nothing is as it seems。
Freshman year Jill's best friend， the brilliant， dazzling Shaila Arnold， was killed by her boyfriend。 After that dark night on the beach， Graham confessed， the case was closed， and Jill tried to move on。
Now， it's Jill's senior year and she's determined to make it her best yet。 After all， she's a senior and a Player--a member of Gold Coast Prep's exclusive， not-so-secret secret society。 Senior Players have the best parties， highest grades and the admiration of the entire school。 This is going to be Jill's year。 She's sure of it。
But when Jill starts getting texts proclaiming Graham's innocence， her dreams of the perfect senior year start to crumble。 If Graham didn't kill Shaila， who did？ Jill is vows to find out， but digging deeper could mean putting her friendships， and her future， in jeopardy。
Reviews
Iris Schmeder
，
a cross between pretty little liars and gossip girl that is reminiscent of we were liars。 very fun and entertaining to read， but lacks some complexity and depth。
Yas
，
BRO I LITERALLY KNEW FROM THE BEGINNING IT WAS ADAMthis book is so toxic， everything and everyone is so toxicIM SO FRUSTRATED I READ THIS BOOK IM ON THE VERGE OF TEARSI hate the misogynyI hate the fake nessI hate the ending I hate the characters I hate Adam most of allI just hate everything THIS IS THE MOST HATED BOOK IVE EVER READ I WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH ITAnyways Adam deserves to rot in a jail cell not because he killed Shaila and has a dry personality but because he strung Jill along and ho BRO I LITERALLY KNEW FROM THE BEGINNING IT WAS ADAMthis book is so toxic， everything and everyone is so toxicIM SO FRUSTRATED I READ THIS BOOK IM ON THE VERGE OF TEARSI hate the misogynyI hate the fake nessI hate the ending I hate the characters I hate Adam most of allI just hate everything THIS IS THE MOST HATED BOOK IVE EVER READ I WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH ITAnyways Adam deserves to rot in a jail cell not because he killed Shaila and has a dry personality but because he strung Jill along and hooked up with her “best friend” which btw isnt what a true friend is。 Shaila KNEW Jill was infatuated with Adam and still went behind her back。 If you look at a dictionary and find the word toxic you’ll find the title of this book inscripted next to it。 Anyways I’m so done and I want to burn every copy of this book！ 。。。more
Haylee Homs
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A little to juvenile for me。 I’m sure this could be someones favorite book but I couldn’t get into it and stopped after an hour of reading。 Too much HS BS Drama
Olivia
，
a quick & easy summer read but very predictable & leans a little too heavily on its influences
Charlie
，
i expected this to be better than it was， and it was a little heavy-handed with the 'message' at times but overall it was a decent read。i was definitely bored in parts， i was expecting a thriller type thing and i feel like it didn't really deliver。 it was pretty slow in the middle and a lot more focused on the player drama （which i guess i missed in the synopsis。 or it wasn't in the synopsis at all。 idk） than the murder mystery （which was defintely in the synopsis）。 i also think it was trying ve i expected this to be better than it was， and it was a little heavy-handed with the 'message' at times but overall it was a decent read。i was definitely bored in parts， i was expecting a thriller type thing and i feel like it didn't really deliver。 it was pretty slow in the middle and a lot more focused on the player drama （which i guess i missed in the synopsis。 or it wasn't in the synopsis at all。 idk） than the murder mystery （which was defintely in the synopsis）。 i also think it was trying very hard to be Feminist Ra Ra and kinda hit you over the head with girl power， which is like a good message but teenagers are actually capable of grasping subtlety。 idk i'm no longer a teenager but even when i was i wasn't a fan of books that try to beat you to a pulp with their message。 feels a little condescending。that said the last 40% was actually really good and the end had me ALMOST cry for a second there （tho fight song by rachel platten came on right when i was reading it so i think that might have had something to do with it）。i also saw someone else say they saw the killer coming from their first introduction and i gotta say （view spoiler）[I knew who it was as soon as jill read the first letter。 i think that was because i write though， so i thought it was that person because that would be the most interesting thing i could think of lol （hide spoiler）]。the entire time i've been writing this i've been going back and forth between three and four stars i wish half stars were a thing here。 i guess i'll round up and go with four lol。 。。。more
Tisha
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I guess I could give it 3。25， because though this was a just-okay book， loOK AT THAT COVERIT'S GORGEOUSSSS 😍😍😍I predicted the killer pretty early on， and I was right。 But， the MC's character development was nice， and the friendships dynamics and power plays were even better， so。 Not that great a plot， but it is enjoyable， and you could binge it on a cold afternoon while sipping cocoa for a perfectly cozy and wistful atmosphere。。。 🥺💖😎 3。25 it is I guess I could give it 3。25， because though this was a just-okay book， loOK AT THAT COVERIT'S GORGEOUSSSS 😍😍😍I predicted the killer pretty early on， and I was right。 But， the MC's character development was nice， and the friendships dynamics and power plays were even better， so。 Not that great a plot， but it is enjoyable， and you could binge it on a cold afternoon while sipping cocoa for a perfectly cozy and wistful atmosphere。。。 🥺💖😎 3。25 it is 。。。more
Maxx
，
This book was pretty good and I enjoyed the storyline but it took me a little while to get through and the ending wasn’t as shocking as anticipated。 Overall it was a good read。
Emily
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Couldn’t put it down！ Read the whole thing in 5 hours😅 Little heartbreaking tho…。😔🥺
Chance （temporary。escaper）
，
3。25 stars
Sarah
，
Like other reviewers， I was intrigued by the premise of "They Wish They Were Us，" but unfortunately， right from the beginning， the character Jessica Goodman penned rubbed me the wrong way， and， as much as I hoped that would change as I continued reading， I found that I did not like any of them！Perhaps that was the point: the generally vapid， privileged， kids breaking the law with underage binge drinking and cruel hazing， who get away with their behavior， even when it leads to murder， because of Like other reviewers， I was intrigued by the premise of "They Wish They Were Us，" but unfortunately， right from the beginning， the character Jessica Goodman penned rubbed me the wrong way， and， as much as I hoped that would change as I continued reading， I found that I did not like any of them！Perhaps that was the point: the generally vapid， privileged， kids breaking the law with underage binge drinking and cruel hazing， who get away with their behavior， even when it leads to murder， because of their families' wealth and their white skin。 The fact that the administrators of Gold Coast Prep look the other way when they know their students are cheating and plagiarizing their way into their first-choice colleges/universities so long as said students are bringing "honor" to the prep school is ghastly。That said， Goodman's writing style was fine: nothing jarred me out of the story。 。。。more
Twilight Zone:）
，
Who do you think the killer is？ Your right。 I promise。 It’s that easy。 I knew after like 30 pages。 Not because I’m good with that stuff…it’s just that easy。This book would be great if:1: spent any time on the actual crime and not just the players2: wasn’t so horrifically predictable。I will say that the ending was written well in my opinion。 It tied things up nicely。 It’s not an AWFUL book， and my actual rating would be more like 2。5 stars。 The two improvements I listed could easily bring it up t Who do you think the killer is？ Your right。 I promise。 It’s that easy。 I knew after like 30 pages。 Not because I’m good with that stuff…it’s just that easy。This book would be great if:1: spent any time on the actual crime and not just the players2: wasn’t so horrifically predictable。I will say that the ending was written well in my opinion。 It tied things up nicely。 It’s not an AWFUL book， and my actual rating would be more like 2。5 stars。 The two improvements I listed could easily bring it up to a 4/5。 Overall I wouldn’t waste time on the book but the author isn’t bad， they just made two huge mistakes。 Fixing these could result in a MUCH improved story！！ 。。。more
Ashley
，
This had a lot of of potential， but it was pretty predictable。
Britney Gonzalez
，
I guessed the killer。 Love a good private school， elite， money and society story。 I just know it's going to be an epic TV show I guessed the killer。 Love a good private school， elite， money and society story。 I just know it's going to be an epic TV show 。。。more
Gen L
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It took me a surprisingly long to time to figure out who did it， which was entertaining。
Montse db
，
This book was the most predictable thing ever。 I saw everything coming from a mile away。 Also main character is bland as hell。 Homegirl has no personality besides “uwu I’m smart and i like the stars uwu”。 Barely has any dialogue of her own and her inner monologue is mostly exposition。 I’m only giving it 3 stars because it was a fun read。 But any show on Investigation Discovery has better twists lol
Addison Miles
，
This was the best book I have read in a long while。 I could not put it down！！
Melissa Baklund
，
3。5。 Fast read。 Kept me engaged， but totally predictable ending。
Evan
，
This was a really solid book！ I thought the cast of characters were all well-defined， dynamic， and interesting。 They seemed really fleshed out and I enjoyed watching them interact。 The main character is very compelling and experiences a clear arc throughout the story。 The beginning was a bit slow， and the story overall is less of a "mystery" than I expected/what it was billed as。 Jill is less the plucky girl detective than a high-schooler caught up in a whirlwind of events， but she still drove t This was a really solid book！ I thought the cast of characters were all well-defined， dynamic， and interesting。 They seemed really fleshed out and I enjoyed watching them interact。 The main character is very compelling and experiences a clear arc throughout the story。 The beginning was a bit slow， and the story overall is less of a "mystery" than I expected/what it was billed as。 Jill is less the plucky girl detective than a high-schooler caught up in a whirlwind of events， but she still drove the story forward through her choices。 Overall， I highly recommend！ 。。。more
Crystal
，
It wasn’t great。 It was pretty predictable and the characters were pretty basic。 The story jumped around a lot going from one timeline to another， which I is a writing style I’ve never been a fan of。 Maybe I’d have enjoyed it more if I were a teenager？
Jackie Bruen
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This book was very bland， sorry。 I had pretty high expectations just because I love the YA murder mystery genre （especially when it's related to private schools/beach settings- which this book was both）， but it just was kind of boring。 It took me a pretty long time to get through the book， and when I finally did I was unimpressed。 Don't get me wrong- it was a fine book， but the ending was VERY predictable and not interesting/fulfilling at all。 Once I got to the end I just- felt like something wa This book was very bland， sorry。 I had pretty high expectations just because I love the YA murder mystery genre （especially when it's related to private schools/beach settings- which this book was both）， but it just was kind of boring。 It took me a pretty long time to get through the book， and when I finally did I was unimpressed。 Don't get me wrong- it was a fine book， but the ending was VERY predictable and not interesting/fulfilling at all。 Once I got to the end I just- felt like something was missing。 idk， it could have been much worse， but nothing about the book really stood out to me， and it was very forgetful。 I felt it was very similar to "People Like Us" by Dana Mele， but it was a much more watered-down and boring version of it。 Overall， this book was nothing to praise， but it was fine enough。 。。。more
Ali
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I liked this one！ The story moves along quickly。 Ending is kind of cheesy。 I would recommend。
Heather Owens
，
oof that took forever。
Abigaël Bensoussan
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 it was good but also kinda disappointing， and the twist was way too easy to guessi still enjoyed the book， but i didn’t like it as much as i would’ve liked to
Emily
，
Eh
Ava
，
Okay。。。。This is my favourite book that I’ve read this year。 It literally left me not wanting to read other books because it was so good。 I loved the characters and the story was always interesting。 READ THIS BOOK，you won’t regret it 💞💞💗💞💕🌊
Hilary Dotson
，
♥️♥️♥️They Wish They Were UsBy: Jessica GoodmanIf you like a good murder mystery， this is for you！ It has major Gossip Girl/Pretty Little Liars vibes。 You follow the story of “The Players” an elite group at Gold Coast High （I had to keep reminding myself that these people were in high school… I was getting more of a college or older vibe）。 When one of their own dies during the initiation called “Pops” the dynamic shifts and secrets are unearthed。 #Fiction #MurderMystery #♥️♥️♥️
Danielle Jenkins
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Read this book in one day。 I had to know who killed Shaila。 Loved the story line and predicted the killer。
Mia
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I wouldn't call this a literary masterpiece by any stretch， but it serves it's purpose。 The concept was interesting and the characters were well developed but I could accurately predict the "plot twist" or "big reveal" by the third chapter， so I would consider it to be a bit formulaic？ Either way it was a nice quick， fluffy （although a bit dark） read。 I wouldn't call this a literary masterpiece by any stretch， but it serves it's purpose。 The concept was interesting and the characters were well developed but I could accurately predict the "plot twist" or "big reveal" by the third chapter， so I would consider it to be a bit formulaic？ Either way it was a nice quick， fluffy （although a bit dark） read。 。。。more
Clara
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I loved books sets in prep school with rich kids and murders so of course I liked this book。The mystery was kind of predictable （ they always kind of are anyway in YA thrillers） but I was still entertained and really that's all I was asking。 I loved books sets in prep school with rich kids and murders so of course I liked this book。The mystery was kind of predictable （ they always kind of are anyway in YA thrillers） but I was still entertained and really that's all I was asking。 。。。more
Madeleine
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Good premise ， gripping but took to long to wrap up the plot ，
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=They Wish They Were Us
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=They Wish They Were Us&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft