The Chandler Legacies
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- Create Date：2022-01-21 08:50:55
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Abdi Nazemian
- ISBN：006303932X
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Summary
From the Stonewall Honor–winning author of Like a Love Story comes a revelatory novel about the enclosed world of privilege and silence at an elite boarding school and the unlikely group of friends who dare challenge the status quo through their writing。
Beth Kramer is a “townie” who returns to her sophomore year after having endured a year of judgment from her roommate， Sarah。
But Sarah Brunson knows there’s more to that story。
Amanda Priya “Spence” Spencer is the privileged daughter of NYC elites， who is reeling from the realization that her family name shielded her from the same fate as Sarah。
Ramin Golafshar arrives at Chandler as a transfer student to escape the dangers of being gay in Iran， only to suffer brutal hazing under the guise of tradition in the boys’ dorms。
And Freddy Bello is the senior who’s no longer sure of his future but has fallen hard for Spence and knows he has to stand up to his friends after what happened to Ramin。
At Chandler， the elite boarding school， these five teens are brought together in the Circle， a coveted writing group where life-changing friendships are born—and secrets are revealed。 Their professor tells them to write their truths。 But is the truth enough to change the long-standing culture of abuse at Chandler？ And can their friendship survive the fallout？
Beth Kramer is a “townie” who returns to her sophomore year after having endured a year of judgment from her roommate， Sarah。
But Sarah Brunson knows there’s more to that story。
Amanda Priya “Spence” Spencer is the privileged daughter of NYC elites， who is reeling from the realization that her family name shielded her from the same fate as Sarah。
Ramin Golafshar arrives at Chandler as a transfer student to escape the dangers of being gay in Iran， only to suffer brutal hazing under the guise of tradition in the boys’ dorms。
And Freddy Bello is the senior who’s no longer sure of his future but has fallen hard for Spence and knows he has to stand up to his friends after what happened to Ramin。
At Chandler， the elite boarding school， these five teens are brought together in the Circle， a coveted writing group where life-changing friendships are born—and secrets are revealed。 Their professor tells them to write their truths。 But is the truth enough to change the long-standing culture of abuse at Chandler？ And can their friendship survive the fallout？
Reviews
Cassandra
，
Please be advised to check for content warnings before reading， trigger warnings can be viewed below。（view spoiler）[trigger warnings: bullying， homophobia， racism， self-harm， sexism， sexual assault， adult/minor relationships， pedophilia， mention of serious forms of anxiety， trichotillomania。 （hide spoiler）]The Chandler Legacies took me on an unexpected journey through the lives of 5 teens， each carrying their own burdens with the past， and struggles with the present。 Centering around the infamou Please be advised to check for content warnings before reading， trigger warnings can be viewed below。（view spoiler）[trigger warnings: bullying， homophobia， racism， self-harm， sexism， sexual assault， adult/minor relationships， pedophilia， mention of serious forms of anxiety， trichotillomania。 （hide spoiler）]The Chandler Legacies took me on an unexpected journey through the lives of 5 teens， each carrying their own burdens with the past， and struggles with the present。 Centering around the infamous writing group known as The Circle， these young individuals find solace in one another， forming bonds and unraveling the secrets behind the elite boarding school’s transgressions。 Abdi Nazemian is a true talent to behold， his way of enthralling the reader into these character’s lives and thoughts really gave them a sense of relatability and authenticity。 You are able to truly capture the heavy influence of the author’s own experiences throughout the story。 I am a sucker for multiple POV’s especially when it comes to contemporaries， adult and YA alike - and the author handled that back and forth very well。 Being able to follow each character individually in their daily lives was a true asset for both character growth and providing that connection between them and the reader。 I found myself wanting to hug each of them through every page， struggle and negative thought。 Although this book does delve into some very heavy topics and themes， Nazemian tackles each with a neutral and thoughtful approach。 Because of that grace， the book carries an air of optimism， which helps set the foundation of true friendship between the characters。 I truly appreciated all the care that the author put into developing these characters and giving them their own voices， providing a safe space for them to find unity in such hardships， and the fresh outlook on the turbulence of adulthood。 My only issue with this story was the pacing， I believe that could have been rectified by making this book 100-130 pages longer。 The plot and all its loose ends were tied up fairly quickly and it left the conclusion feeling a bit abrupt。 4 starsThank you to HarperCollins Canada for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Starr ❇✌❇
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4*Review to come*
Richard Winters
，
Wow。 I really mean wow。 I do not believe I have set aside a novel so many times to digest what I have read when it is not a textbook。 This unique look at private schools by Abdi Nazemian， very obviously told by the author from a personal experience， is brilliant， but at the same time， scary and disturbing。Chandler Legacies is told from the different perspectives of the main characters: Sarah， Ramin， Beth， Amanda and Freddy。 Each has their own very different background， experiences and secrets th Wow。 I really mean wow。 I do not believe I have set aside a novel so many times to digest what I have read when it is not a textbook。 This unique look at private schools by Abdi Nazemian， very obviously told by the author from a personal experience， is brilliant， but at the same time， scary and disturbing。Chandler Legacies is told from the different perspectives of the main characters: Sarah， Ramin， Beth， Amanda and Freddy。 Each has their own very different background， experiences and secrets they are hiding as either they return to Chandler， or arrive for the first time。 But one thing ends up bringing all five of these different people together on the campus: The Circle。 An elite writing group picked every year by Professor Douglas， this group of students are led on a journey of discovery of themselves， each other and the truth of what is happening on their campus。 The only question is， who can stop traditions and the way things have been done for a century？I admit， it is really hard to write much without giving away too much about this novel。 You need to understand this going into the novel， you will get mad。 You will be disgusted。 You will be offended。 You will be “triggered”。 If not， honestly， there is something wrong with you。 The accounts of what these students have done to them， or see others have done to them， is outrageous and horrible， but unfortunately believable。 And， due to what the author states， did。 The saving grace from this becoming a DNF book is The Circle。 As things become harder for them， the five characters draw in together to become a family on campus， learning more about each other and looking out for one another。 The chemistry that develops through writing （and Douglas’s writing exercises rock！） is a unique and interesting tool Abdi presents that fits the story perfectly， and helps the reader see more of the characters than otherwise there might have been a chance。 While Abdi is an experienced writer， this is his first novel。 After reading it， I sincerely hope this is not his last。 He handled some extremely tough issues with enough graphic detail to bring bile to the throat but still cup it in the humanity of the people to keep the story going and me reading。 And in the end， I was thrilled that it never made it into the DNF pile。 Thank you for the eye opener Mr。 Nazemian。 。。。more
Erin’s Not So Bare Bookshelf
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From the beginning I knew I would’ve appreciated this book more had I gone to a private boarding school or known any type of school hazing/harassment， I am fortunate enough to say I don’t。 However， The Chandler Legacy was a very interesting read， it was a different spin in a classic high school story that touched on several sensitive topics for young adults in there coming of age era when they are most impressionable。 I thought it was a good read but didn’t wow me like other story’s I have more From the beginning I knew I would’ve appreciated this book more had I gone to a private boarding school or known any type of school hazing/harassment， I am fortunate enough to say I don’t。 However， The Chandler Legacy was a very interesting read， it was a different spin in a classic high school story that touched on several sensitive topics for young adults in there coming of age era when they are most impressionable。 I thought it was a good read but didn’t wow me like other story’s I have more of a personal connection too。 All in all， I do recommend it to those who find themselves drawn to it， I believe you will be satisfied。 。。。more
Cammie Mark （cammreads）
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Such a moving novel really enjoyed this heartfelt story from Nazemian。This novel focuses on the story of 5 students at a New England boarding school。 Each student from a different background struggling to find themselves as we’ve all done in high school。 The students join a writing group entitled The Circle and in finding each other slowly unravel secrets about one another and the school as well as find themselves。 I loved this story for so many reasons here’s a few quick highlights:- relatable Such a moving novel really enjoyed this heartfelt story from Nazemian。This novel focuses on the story of 5 students at a New England boarding school。 Each student from a different background struggling to find themselves as we’ve all done in high school。 The students join a writing group entitled The Circle and in finding each other slowly unravel secrets about one another and the school as well as find themselves。 I loved this story for so many reasons here’s a few quick highlights:- relatable characters - academia landscape - young love- friendship The novel deals with some difficult subject matter with grace and respect。 Be sure to check content warnings prior to reading。This is my first read from this author and the writing style and pacing was really well done。 I’ll definitely be wondering where life took the characters for days to come and that’s the mark of a wonderfully written fiction novel。 Thanks to Harpers Collins Canada for the arc in exchange for honest review。 。。。more
greyreads
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 3 stars。 Thank you to HCC Frenzy for sending me a copy to review！I’m so conflicted on this one。 On the one hand， I loved this book。 Butttt on the other I have some very big bones to pick with it。 Let’s start with the pros: THE PROS: -I loved how beautifully diverse and queer this book was。 -the enemies to lovers arc between Brunson and Beth was beautiful， probably my favourite part of the book。 I was rooting for them the whole way。 -Ramin， however was my favourite character， Until the end， but w 3 stars。 Thank you to HCC Frenzy for sending me a copy to review！I’m so conflicted on this one。 On the one hand， I loved this book。 Butttt on the other I have some very big bones to pick with it。 Let’s start with the pros: THE PROS: -I loved how beautifully diverse and queer this book was。 -the enemies to lovers arc between Brunson and Beth was beautiful， probably my favourite part of the book。 I was rooting for them the whole way。 -Ramin， however was my favourite character， Until the end， but we’ll get into that in the cons。 I loved how connected he was to his culture and how he handled the struggles he went through。 -I would kill to have been in a writer’s group like the Circle in high school。 - Nazemian wrote very eloquently about the insidious nature of preppy boarding school， the racism， the sexism， the homophobia， the cruelty that many children go through there。 I liked how he was writing from his experience of a queer POC teen who went to boarding school in the 90s。 They always say， ‘write what you know’ and that truly paid off here for him。 Until the ending of the book。 The cons:-the ending。 Omg the ending ruined an otherwise great book。 To make the lesbian professor defend and protect a r*pist？？？ After she had been r*ped herself in her past？ Bad idea。 Very very bad idea。 Especially since she was such a positive， cool lesbian character。 And then to have Ramin defend her and stuff… idk the whole thing sat super wrong with me。 I know the author Nazemian was trying to get the point across of how no one is truly innocent in these terrible school cultures， but there’s other ways to go about getting that point across。 And then everyone was somehow okay with it in the end？ The ending was very quick， almost too fast。 It should’ve been a bit longer， a bit more drawn out。 。。。more
Sacha
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3。75 stars In this novel， set in a swanky high school （which most but not all students experience as a boarding school） in New England， a group of five students develop unlikely connections to each other in The Circle。 The Circle， which is headed by the only out queer teacher on campus， is a select group of students who participate in a writing community。 These students learn a great deal about each other and themselves through this bond。 The novel moves quickly as a result of its structure。 Eac 3。75 stars In this novel， set in a swanky high school （which most but not all students experience as a boarding school） in New England， a group of five students develop unlikely connections to each other in The Circle。 The Circle， which is headed by the only out queer teacher on campus， is a select group of students who participate in a writing community。 These students learn a great deal about each other and themselves through this bond。 The novel moves quickly as a result of its structure。 Each of the five members of The Circle gets their own chapters， and they alternate viewpoints for the duration of the novel。 This helps readers stay engaged and get to know what each character is experiencing。 But。。。 this is no semi-lighthearted '80s movie。 The characters deal with horrifying scenes of bullying， sexual harassment， sexual assault， grooming， and utter failure on the parts of the adults in their lives。 Parts of this novel are tough to stomach because of the realistic depictions of hazing and assault。 On a more personal level I struggled with the role that the one openly queer teacher in this entire institution plays in these events。 I'll leave this vague to avoid spoilers， but that factor - along with the incredible failures to report， chaperone， and provide general care for minors in this environment - disturbed me。 I don't think the treatment is irresponsible for the audience， but I do think it could be less problematic。 Overall， I enjoyed this read and will recommend it to students with caveats and trigger warnings attached。 *Special thanks to NetGalley and Balzer + Bray for this arc， which I received in exchange for an honest review。 The opinions expressed here are my own。 。。。more
Tammie
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Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review！ 3。5 starsIt's been a while since I've picked up a YA contemporary novel as I feel like I've really outgrown them， but I was interested in this one because the premise sounds a lot like my own experiences with boarding school， and one of the main characters has trichotillomania， so I wanted to see how the rep was done。 Honestly， I was really pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book， Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review！ 3。5 starsIt's been a while since I've picked up a YA contemporary novel as I feel like I've really outgrown them， but I was interested in this one because the premise sounds a lot like my own experiences with boarding school， and one of the main characters has trichotillomania， so I wanted to see how the rep was done。 Honestly， I was really pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book， and how emotional of a read it was for me。I know that the author has said that this story is heavily influenced by his own experiences， and I think that comes through in the emotions and lessons conveyed in this book。 I also personally really related to a lot of what happened here， both in terms of the environment of the school， the characters' personal struggles， as well as the aftermath and having to come to terms with the part I'd played in perpetuating the toxic and harmful culture of these types of elite academic institutions。 One thing I really loved about this book is that while the themes of privilege， abuse， and complicity are all very heavy and the severity of these things is never downplayed， the overall tone of this book is still very hopeful and empowering。 A lot of the lessons that this book teaches， especially in terms of how complicity makes us all part of the problem， are all things that I already know now as an adult， but I think would be absolutely invaluable to a teenager （which is， of course， the actual target demographic of this book）。 This book ultimately tells the story of a group of teenagers who had been failed by pretty much all the adults in their lives who were supposed to be taking care of them， thought they were completely powerless， but found strength and courage in each other。 My main criticism of this book is that I felt like it was too short and all of the various plotlines that were carefully set up came to a resolution way too quickly for my personal liking。 I really wish this book was ~100 pages longer and took more time and care with these storylines， especially since they touch on such serious issues （especially the storylines that touched on sexual assault and institutional cover-ups）。 I also felt like while the trich rep was mostly well-done， it was sometimes presented in a way where it almost seemed like a symptom of Beth's anxiety， rather than a disorder in and of itself。 I do think it's important to differentiate that trich is a compulsive disorder， and while people with trich （like myself） can also have anxiety issues that trigger/aggravate it， it is a separate thing entirely。 That being said， I am definitely nitpicking here and I think the rep in general is so important - I can't explain enough how much I wish I had seen this represented in a book as a teenager， and think it's fantastic that Nazemian has included it here。 Overall， I think if you are a fan of YA contemporaries and/or books that take place in boarding schools， you will really enjoy this one。 It also at times feels like a love letter to the art of writing， so if you're a writer， you might also really love those parts of the book as well。 。。。more
Samantha （WLABB）
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Rating: 4。5 StarsBeing part of the Circle was a sought after honor at Chandler Academy。 A place to hone their writing skills， it became a safe space where they found friendship， love， and their truth。Two things drew me to this book: the author and the setting。I know I am not alone in my penchant for boarding school books。 I find the whole concept of living away from home before college so intriguing。 But， alas， I am a middle class girl from Brooklyn， and it was public school for me。 At least I c Rating: 4。5 StarsBeing part of the Circle was a sought after honor at Chandler Academy。 A place to hone their writing skills， it became a safe space where they found friendship， love， and their truth。Two things drew me to this book: the author and the setting。I know I am not alone in my penchant for boarding school books。 I find the whole concept of living away from home before college so intriguing。 But， alas， I am a middle class girl from Brooklyn， and it was public school for me。 At least I could delight in that world via books， such as The Chandler Legacies。 Nazemian made this school its own character， and he did a wonderful job pulling me into this world。 He exposed the good， the bad， and the ugly side of it all while the main characters struggled with their place in it。Each member of the Circle was unique， bringing something important to the story。 I enjoyed watching these people， who came from very different circumstances， bonding and learning from each other。 The friendship was probably the star of this story for me， but I also loved each character’s individual journey。Nazemian tackled multiple “tough topics” in this book in a thoughtful and organic way。 A focus on friendship and a touch of romance kept the story from becoming too heavy while still allowing those issues to have impact。 I am still smiling just thinking about the ending。 I was given a peek at the future of each Circle member， and I was quite happy for them。 There was one thing I had wished for， but overall， Nazemian gave them fantastic lives。Overall: A moving story of friendship， being your true self， and standing up for what’s right。*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review。 BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS 。。。more
Jimmy
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"Nonfiction is about telling the truth。 Fiction is about telling your truth。 Fiction is a mystery only its author can solve。 You。"In 1999， Chandler Academy， a group of 5 students find themselves selected to be part of a highly selective writing group on campus called The Circle。 Together with the help of their professor， they'll learn how to speak their truth through writing。 There's Beth， a local 'townie' that has anxiety of her own after what happened last year。 Brunson， who has a desire to su "Nonfiction is about telling the truth。 Fiction is about telling your truth。 Fiction is a mystery only its author can solve。 You。"In 1999， Chandler Academy， a group of 5 students find themselves selected to be part of a highly selective writing group on campus called The Circle。 Together with the help of their professor， they'll learn how to speak their truth through writing。 There's Beth， a local 'townie' that has anxiety of her own after what happened last year。 Brunson， who has a desire to succeed and not be pitied by any of her classmates。 Freddy， the jock who is more than his athleticism and is beginning to doubt if he wants to remain training as an athlete。 Spence， the privileged daughter of elites but is looking to prove things on her own。 Ramin， a boy who has moved away from Iran only to find things aren't all that much better in America。 Will they be able to come together as a group and explore their truths through writing？While the premise at first might seem similar to The Secret History， that's pretty much the only similarity you'll find。 This is a story that really explores these characters and what drives them， their struggles， and their revelations as they get to know one another better。 The themes explored can be dark and be a little triggering for readers， but there's never a point where anything gets too graphic。 Nevertheless， at the heart of the book is a story of not only friendship， but of self-acceptance and expressing oneself through the power of writing。As much as I loved this book， there were a few areas in which there could have been some improvement。 With five characters points of view to read， this book could have definitely been longer。 There was much more to their characters and their experiences that could have been explored， and I only wish I could have gotten to know who they were a little bit better。 Some of the scenes， especially towards the end， felt rushed。 Plot points would move from one thing to the next with exceptional speed， not even bothering to extend the drama as much as it could have。 This story moves away from stirring up any unnecessary drama that would bloat the writing， but I felt it could have had just a little more tension。 Just enough to make me worry for the characters a bit more。Regardless， I still thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would gladly recommend anyone to check this out。 。。。more
Anna Marie
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Thank you so much， Balzer + Bray， for allowing me to read The Chandler Legacies early！I have been a fervent supporter of Abdi Nazemian since my first reading of Like A Love Story， and I’m specifying "first" because there have been several re-reads since then， so I appreciated very much the chance to read Abdi's upcoming book。 The Chandler Legacies is a book that feels very real: the characters， the not-so-hidden workings of privilege in academia， the queer themes。 I cherished everything， but es Thank you so much， Balzer + Bray， for allowing me to read The Chandler Legacies early！I have been a fervent supporter of Abdi Nazemian since my first reading of Like A Love Story， and I’m specifying "first" because there have been several re-reads since then， so I appreciated very much the chance to read Abdi's upcoming book。 The Chandler Legacies is a book that feels very real: the characters， the not-so-hidden workings of privilege in academia， the queer themes。 I cherished everything， but especially reading the author's note in the beginning。 I definitely think this book belongs in the hands of students everywhere。 。。。more
Allison Van Rhee
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This book started off so strong， a full 5-star read， but towards the second half the pacing started to feel off and somewhat rushed and the ending was abrupt。 I still give it 4-stars and really really loved it overall！The characters were really interesting and I loved learning about their backstories and individual character arcs。 This is something that Nazemian does really well。 Sometimes I had trouble differentiating between them and I think it would have benefitted from a first person narrati This book started off so strong， a full 5-star read， but towards the second half the pacing started to feel off and somewhat rushed and the ending was abrupt。 I still give it 4-stars and really really loved it overall！The characters were really interesting and I loved learning about their backstories and individual character arcs。 This is something that Nazemian does really well。 Sometimes I had trouble differentiating between them and I think it would have benefitted from a first person narrative to help distinguish voice and really get into the mind of the characters。 Ramin was the strongest character and honestly I would have enjoyed this book just as much if it was entirely from his point of view （though I think the multi-POV was probably the right narrative choice for the structure of this particular story）。 I definitely do not see the "cross-over appeal for readers of The Secret History"。 I would not classify this as dark academia and I think the comparison comes from the fact that this book is about a group of students working with a professor， and stops there。 This is more of a hard hitting contemporary that just happens to take place at a prep school。 The ending was abrupt and unsatisfying， but I believe that was intentional and it actually worked for what the book was trying to do。 Normally I don't like an epilogue but this one was perfection and brought me to tears。 。。。more
Cath T
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"I think writing is by definition an act of optimism。" This story had me completely obsessed。 It has everything I love in a book: character driven stories， multiple povs， found family， academia （though it's more of a squint to see it type）， LGBTQ and diverse characters， and it's about writing。 This is the recipe for my new favorite book。 The story follows these five students and their experience at this prestigious boarding school while uncovering the horrors underneath。 The horrors are so grou "I think writing is by definition an act of optimism。" This story had me completely obsessed。 It has everything I love in a book: character driven stories， multiple povs， found family， academia （though it's more of a squint to see it type）， LGBTQ and diverse characters， and it's about writing。 This is the recipe for my new favorite book。 The story follows these five students and their experience at this prestigious boarding school while uncovering the horrors underneath。 The horrors are so grounded in reality， taken almost straight from scary news headlines making them even more horrifying than mothers。 Reading the Nazemian's author's note in the beginning really added layers to the story。 This is personal to him and I can tell just from the detail in the writing。 From the start， the story is very gripping。 You learn about each character individually but also through the eyes of others。 Their stories are all interwoven but could stand alone。 There's a great mix of heartbreak and bright moments that balance the story。 As much as you are reading about bullying， you're also reading about five kids who just want to belong to someone。 My only critiques would be the book is entirely too short。 I feel like there was a lot more to discuss with the characters， so much more I wanted to learn about them。 The "romance" aspect was seriously lacking with a certain couple。 I really didn't see the chemistry between them。 The best part was the friendships which were still so new and not that development， so when a romantic relationship happened it came off rushed。 If there was more time with the characters to develop and see their bonds grow stronger then I think the romances would have made a lot more sense。 The most development friendship wise was Brunson and Beth， I really liked seeing them grow closer and learn about each other。 That's my only real complaint。 A need for time with the characters and the story。 But other than that， I really enjoyed reading it。 If you liked Looking for Alaska by John Green （or read it when you were fifteen and made it your personality）， you'd like this one a lot。 Make sure to read the content warning in the beginning！ Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this arc in exchange for my honest review 。。。more
Annie （Annie's Readingtips）
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Abdi Nazemian’s Like A Love Story is one of my all time favorite books; it completely blew me away and I’ve reread it several times， always finding new depths to the story and getting my heart broken for the characters。 So The Chandler Legacies has been one of my most anticipated releases since I first heard of it and I was so happy and grateful for the chance to read an eARC of it thanks to SparkPoint。 And while it’s a very different story from Like A Love Story， The Chandler Legacies and its w Abdi Nazemian’s Like A Love Story is one of my all time favorite books; it completely blew me away and I’ve reread it several times， always finding new depths to the story and getting my heart broken for the characters。 So The Chandler Legacies has been one of my most anticipated releases since I first heard of it and I was so happy and grateful for the chance to read an eARC of it thanks to SparkPoint。 And while it’s a very different story from Like A Love Story， The Chandler Legacies and its wonderful characters definitely stole my heart too。This is a beautiful， gripping and heartbreaking story following five students at a privileged elite boarding school。 It’s both a dark tale revealing how they experience the toxic and abusive culture in different ways， as well as a hopeful and warm story about their dreams and hopes and friendships。All of the five students get their own chapters to tell the story from different POVs: Beth who is a “townie” and doesn’t feel like she belongs neither in her new elite environment or at home in her old one， Sarah who desperately wants to succeed and build a new future for herself， Spence who is the privileged daughter of NYC elites but who wants to achieve things on her own， Freddy who has worked so hard to become an elite athlete， but who starts to doubt his life choices， and Ramin who has transferred to Chandler to escape the danger of being gay in Iran， only to find himself the victim of brutal hazing under the guise of tradition in the boys’ dorm。 I really appreciated the diverse cast and the complexity of issues they all dealt with。 Ramin resembles the author himself very much， and Abdi Nazemian has explained that the story is based on true events from his own youth， which makes these events even harder to read about。Overall， this was quite a dark story （much darker than I had first expected）， but Abdi Nazemian handled the story and the tough topics in such a delicate and realistic way。 A lot of times there was a sense of hopelessness about how everything got silenced and how toxic behavior was even encouraged as part of the tradition， but with the Circle， a coveted writing group led by Professor Douglas， as the light in the darkness。 It was so beautiful and wonderful to see how the writing sessions brought the five characters together and empowered them to be brave and true to themselves。 This book is something of an ode to the power of the written word and how important friendship and to have a safe place in life is。I immediately rooted for Ramin， Freddy and Spence， but Sarah took a little longer to warm up to。 And sadly I never really felt like I got to know Beth。 As a character she felt bland and didn’t add so much to the story。 I think the story could have benefited from fewer POVs， where each character could have gotten more time and been more fleshed out。 I would have loved to learn even more about the backgrounds of especially Ramin and Freddy， and Professor Douglas。But all in all， this was such a gripping and poignant story that held me captivated all the way through and made me root for many of the characters。 Even though it was so dark and showed all toxic sides of a culture build on silence， fear and nepotism， it also gave me so much hope and warm fuzzy feelings for the wonderful friendship and how the Circle members had each others’ backs。 It was also a wonderful coming-of-age story and the character growths were absolutely amazing！ The way they all， and especially Ramin， eventually dared to be true to themselves and stand up for their beliefs was such a hopeful and wonderful message。4。5 gripping stars rounding up to 5。Thank you to Sabrina Kenoun， SparkPoint Studio and NetGalley for the ARC。 All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily。 。。。more
Jenn
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DNF。 The writing felt very amateurish and the story wasn't interesting me。 DNF。 The writing felt very amateurish and the story wasn't interesting me。 。。。more
D Amora
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Thank you NetGalley for sending this arc for an honest review！ Have you ever watched elite？ Or perhaps any movie or tv show that entitled in it “boarding school”。 Well this book has exactly that， a group of privleaged kids set their life in a boarding school， of love， drama， and adventure。 It was so enticing and captivating reading a book in multiple povs and truly understanding each individuals motives and feelings。
Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell
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I feel like if you tell me a book is set in a boarding school， my interest goes up 1000%
Alyssa
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I received a digital ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。For the most part I enjoyed this book and appreciated the attempt at diversity。 However， I'm not sure what the point of having so many multiple points of view is because I felt like I received no resolution。 The ending seemed a bit lackluster and there are no parts of the book that really stand out to me。 It wasn't a bad book， I just found it hard to invest myself in the characters。 I received a digital ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。For the most part I enjoyed this book and appreciated the attempt at diversity。 However， I'm not sure what the point of having so many multiple points of view is because I felt like I received no resolution。 The ending seemed a bit lackluster and there are no parts of the book that really stand out to me。 It wasn't a bad book， I just found it hard to invest myself in the characters。 。。。more
Marochka
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7/10
Merisha
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The only reason I’m giving this a three rating is because I appreciate the diversity of characters and the complexity of issues they all fought with internally and externally。 I did not care for the writing style as much and the ending felt very rushed。 I really wish there were 1/2 star ratings because this would be 2 1/2 stars for me。
Katie
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“Chandler is a place with endless secrets and no secrets at the same time。”It took me a while to write this review， to truly put into words the joy I felt reading this book。 And even now as I type this I find myself wondering if I am truly doing it justice。 This book truly was a masterpiece and a story that needed to be told。 I’ve always said that sometimes we find books at just the right time and I think that was the case for me。 I was going through yet another one of my phases where I only wan “Chandler is a place with endless secrets and no secrets at the same time。”It took me a while to write this review， to truly put into words the joy I felt reading this book。 And even now as I type this I find myself wondering if I am truly doing it justice。 This book truly was a masterpiece and a story that needed to be told。 I’ve always said that sometimes we find books at just the right time and I think that was the case for me。 I was going through yet another one of my phases where I only wanted to read a certain type of book and the week I picked up this one it happened to be boarding school books。We follow five different characters， each with their own point of view as they navigate Chandler Academy。 Some of the point of views I ended up loving right off the back and others it took me awhile to get into。 But let me tell you once you get into it this book became quite the page turner。These five teens are all brought together when they get the coveted initiation to The Circle， a writing group on campus。 While each has their own reason for wanting into The Circle soon these five teens become some of the best friends I’ve seen in books。 Through sharing their writing and time with each other to sharing the truths that happens in the dorms and their experiences because what happens in The Circle stays with them， which is the only thing they know they can count on。 But all is not perfect in the group。 They must learn to get past feuds from the past and accept their differences to survive their time at Chandler。Pros: A group of teens brought together by love for writing who become amazing friends， addresses important topicsCons: None， this book was amazing！Recommended for: anyone who loves boarding school books and tight knit friend groupsI received an arc from the publisher and NetGalley。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 。。。more
sarah
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spoilers below -- making a lesbian feel predatory and protect a pedophile/rapist AND having the gay guy defend the lesbian's actions and refuse to expose her made me feel sick。 no just no。 spoilers below -- making a lesbian feel predatory and protect a pedophile/rapist AND having the gay guy defend the lesbian's actions and refuse to expose her made me feel sick。 no just no。 。。。more
Audrey
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I received a digital ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。There's nothing really wrong with this novel。 That doesn't sound like a promising way to begin a review， but it's true。 There's nothing wrong with it。 The characters are relatable， although I felt that they were a little too generalized; it would be the work of just a minute to put each of them into a stereotype。 But they are a diverse group， which I appreciate， and their differences were things tha I received a digital ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。There's nothing really wrong with this novel。 That doesn't sound like a promising way to begin a review， but it's true。 There's nothing wrong with it。 The characters are relatable， although I felt that they were a little too generalized; it would be the work of just a minute to put each of them into a stereotype。 But they are a diverse group， which I appreciate， and their differences were things that both created problems and fostered friendships。 I guess that's really my complaint about the entire book -- it just felt too generalized， from the setting to the characters to the plot。 There's an author's note that implies that much of what happened in this story came from true life experiences。 I wonder if， by trying not to write specifically about his own experiences， the author leaned too much in the other direction and ended up making this story too general。 Like I said， it was okay， but I didn't feel emotionally invested in these characters or their struggles。 This story felt too much like other stories I've read。 。。。more
Azin （kade lover no。1）
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God if my ARC request for this gets approved i will cry。
rachel ☾
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Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 Blog • Trigger Warning Database • Twitter • Instagram Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 Blog • Trigger Warning Database • Twitter • Instagram 。。。more
Mdproulx
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This book was a tough read because it was so deep。 I was not expecting it to be soo dark， but i thought the author really approached some tough topics with the grace necessary for teenagers。 It was realistic and thought provoking and overall tackled a lot of tough issues！
Brady
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I got this off of Netgalley and these opinions are my own。 I struggled with being able to get into this book。 I thought all the characters were relatable and I like the way they all came from different backgrounds and formed a bond。 I liked that they were there for each other， but overall I just struggled with the story。
Becky
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I honestly did not enjoy this book。 It was just bland and it was hard to connect with the characters。 But it was a quick read and there where apsects of the book that where intriguing。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Chandler Legacies
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Chandler Legacies&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Chandler Legacies&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0