Courtney Armstrong
4.5 stars to this amazing take on the college admission scandal! After hearing about this book, I knew I had to have it. It was one of my most anticipated of the year, and it truly lived up to my expectations. Chloe has everything going for her. Her mom is a TV star, her dad is in finance. She lives in a great house, with a pool, and has everything she could ever want. If only she could get into her dream college, SCC. This book shows two timelines - then and now. 'Then' was interesting, and I understand why it needed to be told for the story. However, I couldn't wait to get to the 'now' sections. They were so riveting. I had to see what was going to happen to Chloe and her parents. Who would go to jail? Who would be charged? How much - if anything - did Chloe really know??? I loved all the characters in this book. Yes, Chloe was flawed, but she was still real and likable. She went through things all teens go through. I loved the way her relationship with Isla, her sister, grew. I loved both her parents, even though they did bad things. Shola, her best friend, was probably my favorite though. She was so sassy and I loved it. There were a couple of references that made me squee! When she talked about listening to podcasts and wanting to free Adnan Syed, I was like YES!! #FreeAdnan Kid is innocent. Also, she talked about hating the patriots. Same, girl. Same. If you want a good family drama, with teen angst, set around a college scandal, read this! It was so intriguing. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars, was because about 30-40% it started dragging, but it picked up and I couldn't put it down! Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte press for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.