Author: Kara Taylor
Publication Date: July 30th 2013
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Anne Dowling practically runs her exclusive academy on New York’s Upper East Side—that is, until she accidentally burns part of it down and gets sent to a prestigious boarding school outside of Boston. Determined to make it back to New York, Anne couldn't care less about making friends at the preppy Wheatley School. That is, until her roommate Isabella’s body is found in the woods behind the school.
When everyone else is oddly silent, Anne becomes determined to uncover the truth no matter how many rules she has to break to do it. With the help of Isabella’s twin brother Anthony, and a cute classmate named Brent, Anne discovers that Isabella wasn’t quite the innocent nerdy girl she pretended to be. But someone will do anything to stop Anne’s snooping in this fast-paced, unputdownable read—even if it means framing her for Isabella’s murder.
"Roses are red,
Violets are blue
Your roommate is dead
Mind your own business, or you will be, too." -Prep School Confidential.
"Once upon a time there was a girl who was special.
This is not her story.
Unless you count the part where I killed her." - Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson
The point to that, you ask? Well, there needs to be more
things like that, because really, I'll read them in a heartbeat.
I have never watched or read Gossip Girl, but I'm addicted
to Pretty Little Liars, and Veronica Mars, and Prep School Confidential in
essence, reminds me of them.
When Anne Dowling starts a fire and burns down her school
(Ahem, part of the auditorium in the
school), is the last straw for her fancy school, and her over-emotional mother
(no, really, she needs to see someone, stat.) and her big shot Lawyer of a
father, she gets sent to an exclusive small
boarding school, Wheatley, where
the kids are all proper, and sons and daughters of politically important
people. Wheatley, with they're proper uniform with ties and headbands. In other
words, way out of Anne's comfort zone. It doesn't take her long to settle in
and her roommate is nice, she finds it's not so bad, though she misses her
friends and ruling her old school. Until her roommate is murdered and nobody
questions anything and sweeps it under the rug.
But one thing's for sure; Anne will find the murder.
Even if it puts hers in danger.
There is a desperate need
to have more characters like Anne Dowling. She may be rich, and easily a
Queen Bee, but she's not a bitch, she's not snobby, she's outspoken and
confident but insecure enough that she's not all high and mighty . She's snarky
and sarcastic, and all kinds of wonderful, and very observant . She's also
mischievous, a rule breaker, a little untrusting but really, really loyal. And
she also sees the lines between her world and the world at Wheatley, and the
shocking reality of what hides behind closed doors. She was determined, even
when she was afraid, even when she knew she was being framed for Isabella's
murder. She was funny too, with her own quirks. What I did find, she
underestimated the friends she made, her little following, and took them for
granted. But under the circumstances, when she can't trust anyone, I forgive
that. And that she was never mean about it.
Anthony, Isabella's brother. Hmm, I'm not sure about him. He
was a little contradictive, calling out Anne for being snobby and presumptuous,
when he was being presumptuous about her at
the same time. He's the type of hit-first character, he doesn't think things
through, and yes I felt sorry for him, but I didn't really care for him at all.
Then there's Brent, who 's hot and cold with Anne at times,
who's also hiding something from her. He was nice, and a little mysterious, and
though his reputation is of a 'ladies man.' or, which I like to call it, a man
whore, he's not, and he really likes Anne. I needed more Brent.
And of course, the mean-girl. Alexis, used to getting what
she wants, whether from blackmail or sabotage, or her father throwing money at
the school. Ex-queen Bee because she is, well frankly, a bitch. A real bitch.
Pompous and arrogant, with a fake smile and daggers for eyes, all kinds of fake
that's not even hiding that it's fake.
I didn't like her in the slightest. But that's probably the
point.
The thing I loved about Prep School Confidential is that it
actually kept me guessing. I watch a lot of crime shows and am usually right,
and though I had a feeling, I wasn't a 100% sure, and I was wrong. Which made
me happy, because it wasn't predictable.
I also loved that the romance was light, which depending on
my mood, differs whether it annoys me or not. But, it alright good, and no
insta-love people! It progressed with the book, and wasn't the main focus, and
it would've been just as good without it.
Oh, Prep-School Confidential, you were full of charm, wit,
and murder. I want to give you a formal apology, I really underestimated you.
I'm sorry.
Rating:
4.5/5
