It’s the beginning of a new political administration. That might not mean much at most high schools, but at Georgetown Academy, Washington D.C.’s most elite prep school, January 20th means new alliances, new flings, and new places to party.Review:
While freshmen—nicknamed “interns” for their willingness to jump into bed with anyone higher on the D.C. totem pole—navigate the not-so-friendly halls of GA searching for Algebra and Bio classes, the school’s lifers have other things on their minds.
For self-proclaimed D.C. royalty Brinley Madison (of those Madisons), the first day of school is all about establishing the social hierarchy and playing the part of perfect political wife to her boyfriend, the outgoing Vice President’s son. Too bad he has a wandering eye that puts Bill Clinton’s to shame. Can she keep him, and her own secret vice, in check?
Ellie Walker, Brinley’s best friend, floats through the halls on the arm of golden boy Hunter McKnight (the JFK of GA). But when her ex-boyfriend, Gabe, returns to town and her Senator mother’s political nemesis is reelected, Ellie’s life starts to snowball out of control.
Shy, quiet Evan Hartnett is more into books than beer, and her closet is full of t-shirts and jeans instead of Jason Wu and Jimmy Choo. No one’s ever really noticed her—but she’s been noticing them. When her star rises as an intern at D.C.’s most-watched political news show, she soon finds the two worlds colliding in ways that make her question what’s secret and what’s fair game.
New girl Taryn Reyes is all laid-back, California cool; with a father who’s in line to be the first Hispanic president, she’s ready to dive into the D.C. scene with an open mind. But when her fellow students turn out to be more interested in spreading rumors than making friends, she realizes that forging a drama-free path might be a lot harder than she thinks.
With so many new friends and former flames in the mix, things are bound to get a little heated. And while diplomatic immunity might keep the cops away, there’s not much it can do about the press.
In a town where one teenage misstep can turn into a national scandal, the students at Georgetown Academy will have to be on their best behavior—or, at least, they’ll have to make the world believe that they are.
Because there’s only one rule: whatever you do, don’t get caught.
When I was first offered the chance to read Georgetown Academy: Book 1, I instantly said yes. I'm always on the lookout for new Gossip Girl/Pretty Little Liars like reads, and this seemed like the perfect fit. Thankfully, even with a somewhat shaky start, Georgetown Academy managed to provide just what I was looking for: scandal, romance, and a twisty enough ending to have me clamoring for the next one.
Georgetown Academy is told through the POVs of Brinley, Ellie, Taryn, and Evan, four Georgetown Academy students who don't know whether to be happy about the new political administration or to go running and screaming away from it. I'm always a little weary about multiple POVS due to characterization. However, it managed to work quite well in this one, as not only was it fun to see what every character was like, but it also allowed for some pretty interesting twists to occur, since I would see a scene through multiple eyes. My favorite out of the crew would have had to be a tie between Ellie and Evan. Ellie was the typical good girl who a secret, but she was still a ton of fun to read about. Plus her romantic tension with Gabriel sizzled! Evan was another girl dealing with secrets and her rising fame on the Georgetown social ladder. What I liked most about her, though, was seeing how a seemingly ordinary girl (someone whose parents weren't in the political seen at all) fit into the academy.
The plot in this had the typical guilty pleasure read aspects: romantic trysts, backstabbing, and secrets. Plus it contained a pretty kick-ass setting: the DC political scene. I don't think I've ever read a book that has to do with that, so it was cool to see how the authors's presented it, especially when it turned out to work quite well. However, I will admit, I found the beginning to be a little shaky. It didn't really have anything that caught my attention, but when I got past the first couple of chapters, I was hooked. I wanted to know all about Ellie and Gabriel's past, Brinley's secret addiction and what it meant for her and her family, and Evan's new internship. Plus I was curious to see whether or not Taryn was as sweet and innocent as she led on. Furthermore, I especially loved how halfway through the book I was allowed to pick which character to follow during the pivotal party scene. It was an awesome little add-on, as it really had my head reeling as I tried to fit all the pieces together for everyone's stories.
In all, Georgetown Academy: Book 1 is a scandalous and twisty read perfect for fans of gossipy contemps. However, word of warning, once you reach the ending, you're going to be dying to read the next one!
Grade: B
Georgetown Academy (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads) is now out in eBook formats.
Source: Publicist
Other Books in the Series:
Beginnings are very important to me, but it sounds as like if I push on I will enjoy. Very helpful thank you.
ReplyDeleteSound like a great book to read!
ReplyDelete