Secret Society Girl (Secret Society Girl, #1)

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Secret Society Girl (Secret Society Girl #1)

by Diana Peterfreund (Goodreads Author)

3.71 of 5 stars 3.71 · rating details · 2,198 ratings · 248 reviews

Fans of Beautiful Disaster will devour Diana Peterfreund’s Ivy League novels—Secret Society Girl, Under the Rose, Rites of Spring (Break), and Tap & Gown. At an elite university, Amy Haskel has been initiated into the country’s most notorious secret society. But in this power-hungry world where new blood is at the mercy of old money, hooking up with the wrong people co...more

Paperback, 293 pages

Published May 1st 2007 by Dell (first published July 18th 2006)

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Jun 12, 2008 Angie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: good-uns, belovedbookshelf, new-adult

So I stayed up too late two nights in a row finishing this one. I found myself alternately morbidly fascinated by and completely frustrated with a world that (though "real") so utterly alien to the one I experienced at college. More to come on that further down.

Amy Haskel is your average overachieving junior at Eli University. Editor of the school's lit magazine, she's up to her elbows in a reading of War and Peace, sorting writing submissions, and negotiating a very tenuous friends-with-benefi...more So I stayed up too late two nights in a row finishing this one. I found myself alternately morbidly fascinated by and completely frustrated with a world that (though "real") so utterly alien to the one I experienced at college. More to come on that further down.

Amy Haskel is your average overachieving junior at Eli University. Editor of the school's lit magazine, she's up to her elbows in a reading of War and Peace, sorting writing submissions, and negotiating a very tenuous friends-with-benefits relationship with her assistant editor. Amid all this, Amy is shocked when Rose and Grave, the most prestigious secret society on campus, taps her for their annual initiation. Btw, it's clear from the get-go that Eli is not-so-loosely based on Yale, while Rose and Grave is patterned on the infamous Skull and Bones secret society.

The notion of a secret society is so outside my realm of experience, that that alone made the book interesting. It's hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that these groups actually exist and have persisted into the present day, albeit in altered and, one would hope, slightly more enlightened forms. In fact, the admission of women forms the backbone of this story as Amy's initiation class is the first to include a female contingent. Rather unsurprisingly, I spent a good portion of reading time railing away in my head at the archaic, misogynist, preposterous ways the men of Rose and Grave viewed the world. Don't even get me started on the so-called "patriarchs" who threaten (and come through on said threats) to make Amy's and the other girls' lives a living hell if they insist on remaining members, aka Diggers. Suffice it to say, I was ready to lose it long before Amy did. And I'm not at all sure I would have made the choice she did in the end.

That said, I sank into Peterfreund's clean, light prose. Just when the whole thing seemed too much to take, she'd include a quiet scene where Amy reminded me why I liked her so much.I finished the book still conflicted over Amy's choice and that of her fellow Diggirls. Still unsure which (if any) of her male friends can be trusted, particularly the intriguing GHP. Still supremely relieved I'm not living her life. And still satisfied in a I'll have another dish of pie, please, kind of way. I've got the sequel on my nightstand and I'm thinking I'll "dig" right in.(less)

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Nov 29, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

Meet Amy Maureen Haskel, a junior at prestigious Eli University. As editor-in-chief of the campus literary newspaper, Amy's a shoe-in to be tapped for Quill & Ink, the literary senior society, home to writers and scribblers of any and all degree. After all, it's a part of her master plan: get tapped into Quill & Ink, do her summer internship at Horton, make it through the Russian Novel class, decide what to do with her "friend with benefits," Brandon, a...more Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

Meet Amy Maureen Haskel, a junior at prestigious Eli University. As editor-in-chief of the campus literary newspaper, Amy's a shoe-in to be tapped for Quill & Ink, the literary senior society, home to writers and scribblers of any and all degree. After all, it's a part of her master plan: get tapped into Quill & Ink, do her summer internship at Horton, make it through the Russian Novel class, decide what to do with her "friend with benefits," Brandon, and, basically, enjoy a fulfilling life as a literary genius.

Except things don't quite work out that way. Amy is tapped to join a society all right, but she learns pretty quickly (all the guys in black robes hidden in shadow give her a clue) that it isn't Quill & Ink who is interested in her. No, she's been tapped by Rose & Grave, the mother of all secret societies on Eli's campus. Except that doesn't make sense either, as Rose & Grave is a society of men only.

The fact that Rose & Grave has decided to allow women into their society is just the beginning of Amy's junior year. She's heard so many rumors about the "Diggers" over the years that she doesn't know what is fact and what is fiction. Does Rose & Grave really run the country? Is every presidential candidate a member? Do they control the media? Is Rose & Grave funded with unlimited money from the world's biggest CEO's and business founders? Are you really supposed to leave the room if someone so much as utters the words Rose & Grave, and yet wear a Rose & Grave pin on your person at all times? It's all very confusing for Amy, and it only gets more so after her initiation.

Given the ultra-cool (not) name of Bugaboo, Amy is now in a secret society, which is great. Except she can't tell anyone that she's a member of Rose & Grave, never mind what she does during their meetings. There are some members of the Diggers who aren't thrilled to have women in their ranks, and that spells major trouble for not only Amy and the other members of class D177, but possibly for the entire Rose & Grace society.

SECRET SOCIETY GIRL is a blast! Fun and witty, with an engaging theme, heartfelt situations, intriguing dialogue, and a cast of characters that you'll be cheering for, it's a story you won't want to put down. Thankfully, there's another book coming in this series, so I have something to look forward to. As it is, though, I can't wait for another look into the lives of not only Bugaboo, but some of my other favorite characters--Angel, Little Demon, and Puck. Not to mention being able to catch up on the lives of the graduating class members such as Poe and Lancelot. You won't go wrong picking up a copy of this clever, imaginative story. (less)

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Mar 23, 2008 Tiffanyy added it

Shelves: books-o7-o8

Secret Society Girlby Diana Peterfreund
Deltacore Press 2006,291pp., $10.00
ISBN:978-0-440-24389-2

When I first picked up the book, I thought from the cover and the title that it would be something like the series of cliques and the life of a rich girl in an Ivy League school, with the money and the beauty, glamorous and rich. As I open the book to chapter 1, it was different from what I anticipated. I knew that there will be something more to the book than what is expected.
In the story, Amy Haske...more

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Apr 06, 2008 Sara rated it 1 of 5 stars

Recommended to Sara by: no one

Shelves: adult-fiction, hated, did-not-finish, 2008, chick-lit

Blech. The plot of this sounded good - a girl joins a secret society on campus and gets in over her head - so I checked it out of the library. I am sooo glad I did not waste money on this! It is poorly written, for starters, and the pacing is absolutely horrible. I did not once feel excited about anything going on, just bored. Lots of characters are introduced briefly, and then the reader is supposed to remember them and care about them. Riiiight. The characters are really self-centered and are...more

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Mar 11, 2009 george rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit, grown-up-books, read-in-2009, from-paperbackswap

Amy Haskel is a junior at Eli University, the editor of the Literary Magazine, and waiting to be tapped into Quill & Ink--the literary society. Her interview, though, is rather strange: she can't see any of her interviewers, the girl she assumes is her sponsor is sitting in the class Amy is currently skipping, and the panel seems to know everything about her. Things get even stranger when she receives a note. This note isn't decorated with the Quill & Ink colors and the seal is that of R...more

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Dec 13, 2008 Dana rated it 5 of 5 stars

LOVED IT - Couldn't wait to get started on the sequel. It's been a few years since I was in college - and I didn't go to a University - so I missed out on a lot of the "society" life.

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Mar 22, 2009 Jenna rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I hereby confess...

I really enjoyed this book:

The main character, Amy Haskel, is sort of an everygirl--if every girl is smart, funny, verbal, and ambitious--who finds herself "tapped" for membership into THE most exclusive secret society going. Talented and hard-working enough to have received early admission to Eli University (the novel's obvious alias for Yale with its secret society Rose & Grave being an equally obvious stand-in for Yale's famous Skull & Bones), Amy is nevertheless s...more I hereby confess...

I really enjoyed this book:

The main character, Amy Haskel, is sort of an everygirl--if every girl is smart, funny, verbal, and ambitious--who finds herself "tapped" for membership into THE most exclusive secret society going. Talented and hard-working enough to have received early admission to Eli University (the novel's obvious alias for Yale with its secret society Rose & Grave being an equally obvious stand-in for Yale's famous Skull & Bones), Amy is nevertheless shocked to find herself courted by Rose & Grave which she didn't even think had women members let along any who ran the university's lit magazine instead of running her own company or inventing a million-dollar internet technology.

And there lies the true mystery at the heart of this very fun novel about a smart young woman who ends up in a very tricky situation through no fault of her own but whose courage, determination, and big mouth eventually save the day. For Amy and her new sisters discover that they've been chosen to be the very first female members of the society -- and some of the existing members including some very old and powerful "patriarchs," aren't too happy about this change in the long-standing traditions.

Amy also has to deal with her best friend who has apparently also been tapped, but by a different secrety society, and the impact on their friendship these new obligations have. And along with membership comes the fearful respect of people she thought she knew as well as new strains on her already-complicated friendship-with-benefits with the likable Brandon.

With the futures and happiness of not only herself but her new society brothers and sisters threatened, Amy must decide how much she wants to be a part of Rose & Grave--and if she even has a choice to quit and escape the consequences. The way Ms. Peterfreund works out that drama, and fills-in several of the principle supporting characters inside the society, makes for a great story. There is a large cast of characters, most of whom come from very privileged backgrounds in comparison with Amy's own hard-working, self-made origins, and Ms. Peterfreund has a lot of fun with undercutting stereotypes by having Amy face up to her own acceptance of them. She also leaves a lot of threads open for future books (and this looks to be the first of some number of these books).

While not quite as dark and dangerous as it implies itself to be, Secret Society Girl is fun and interesting and intriguing enough to pull the reader along. It also stands out as a book more focused on the main character and her new friends figuring themselves out and showing what they're made of instead of tying up the end in a big romantic bow. This book is about Amy coming into her own as Amy; not Amy finding twu wuv to complete herself. I have a vague idea that a romance will eventually emerge, and I have a vague idea who Mr. Amy might turn out to be, if he's already been introduced as a character, but in the meantime, the story is more interesting focusing on Amy and her friends and what they'll do next. I look forward to the sequel.(less)

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Feb 10, 2009 Steph Su rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, writing-learn, favorites-2

Amy Haskel is a junior at the esteemed Eli University, editor of the college literary magazine…and not much else. Which is why she is utterly surprised when she is “tapped” by one of the famed Eli secret societies—in fact, by THE most notorious secret society of all, Rose & Grave, for which admittance promises eternal job security, prime networking, and lifelong happiness, more or less.

Encouraged by her friend-with-benefits Brandon Weare to stop overthinking for once, Amy accepts Rose &...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Nenia Campbell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: x-2006s

EDIT: OMFG. NEW SUMMARY, HOW DARE YOU COMPARE THIS BOOK TO BEAUTIFUL DISASTER? WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS MY RAGE. RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGE!!!!!

I pre-read books for a high school English teacher and decided to check 'em out. Two of them were Zoey Dean's A-List books and another was Gossip Girl, neither of which I really cared for. But the younger girls love them: whatever gets the kids reading, right? So, by the time I got to Secret Society Girl, my expectations were understandably low.

Boy, was I...more

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May 25, 2009 Jennifer Johnson rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this book while my husband was attending Yale. Light, fluffy and really nothing to add to the advancement of society- and yet, I enjoyed it. It was a great distraction read.

Secret Society Girl (An Ivy League Novel) by Diana Peterfreund is the story of the first female "taps" at Eli Univeristy's super, ultra secret society, Rose & Grave. Main character Amy is surprised to find out that she has been chosen to join the most top secret and talked about secret societies in the world. While...more I read this book while my husband was attending Yale. Light, fluffy and really nothing to add to the advancement of society- and yet, I enjoyed it. It was a great distraction read.

Secret Society Girl (An Ivy League Novel) by Diana Peterfreund is the story of the first female "taps" at Eli Univeristy's super, ultra secret society, Rose & Grave. Main character Amy is surprised to find out that she has been chosen to join the most top secret and talked about secret societies in the world. While she's trying to figure out how she was chosen along side of taps who have parents who were either alumni to the society or have strong political/financial/powerful global connections, Amy is also forced to ban together with this new group of strangers to fight the board of trustees refusal to admit women to their traditionally all male society. Making matters worse, Amy is sworn to secrecy about the society, and even admitting that she's a member is breaking rule #1, so she's having a difficult time explaining to her roomate and budding "booty call" her long absences and mysterious goings on.

To say that this story is "thinly veiled" to resemble Yale University and it's notorious secret society "Skull and Bones" is an understatement. The veil is so thin it's practically OPAQUE! For those of you not in the know, Yale students are nicknamed Eli's- and Eli University just happens to be in New Haven. Rose & Crown just happens to be in the exact location to the Skull and Bones Tomb. (Secret society buildings have no windows and are known as tombs on campus.) On top of everything the students visit well known Yale locations like "Tory's" (real name Morrie's) and Lenny's Lunch (real name Louis Lunch, the birthplace of the American hamburger.... TRUE STORY!). Anyone vaguely familar with Yale or New Haven knows EXACTLY what the author is talking about.

Peterfreund discussed freely the highly secretive goings on of America's most notorious secret society. (Skull and Bones has almnus such as Bush's Jr and Sr, Bill Clinton, Reaghan, John Kerry and the list goes on.... the last five presidents have had rumored affliation.) If what she says is true, this book is DAMN juicy. (The reader always wonders, "is this just creative bull shit?" or "does the author have first hand knowledge of what she speaks.) Either way, it's an enjoyable read and I had a hard time putting it down. In fact I even made another trip to the bookstore today so that I could start on the second book as soon as I finished the first! I highly recommend this book to anyone who's been curious about the famed secret societies at Yale. The author's writing style is fun and sarcastic and in general, the kind of genre of books that I tend to really enjoy. (comicstar I think you'd really like this one... it kind of falls in line with books you've been reading lately.) I'm giving the book an 8/10-- an awesome, "take your mind away" summer read.

A little bit about Secret Societies at Yale- (behind the cut)There are four tombs that are visable by the public, including Skull and Bones'. Students are "tapped" or chosen in their senior year and have absolutely zero control on being picked. (Although it helps if your parent is a "legacy" of said society.) According to Yale there are actually nine societies in total, but the "big 4" have the most prestige, and others choose to meet in non-publicly disclosed locations. There are tonnes of rumors about what goes on at these things, (read the book to find out some of them), where some are convinced that nothing happens and others are convinced that down right sinister deeds take place. Graduate students, sadly, are not invited to participate, as only undergrads are involved. Whether they are responsible for anything or not, the lore and the fabled rumors around the societies certainly keep the place interesting.(less)

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Feb 01, 2009 Reba Chin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: new-author, first-in-series, 2009

MY REVIEW ON MY BLOG

I've mentioned this book in an earlier post as a step on the path that has led me to enjoy and appreciate Chick lit for, what I think, it is meant to accomplish - Shall we say a bit of romance, relationship intrigue, bff drama, and perhaps some good ol' "Girl Power"?

I find it funny that I have never given the theme "girl power" [sounds trite, don't know how else to phrase it:] much thought until recently. It first really hit me in the context of the past election [regardless...more

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Mar 18, 2009 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: chicklit, fiction, friendship, read-in-2009, reading-challenges, college, library-books, library-books-i-wish-i-owned, women

The unpretentious editor of the school's lit magazine, Amy Haskel is an overachieving junior at Eli University. She spends her time drowning in War and Peace (she calls it WAP - not an acronym, but onomatopoeia - for the sound it makes when she drops it on her desk,) finalizing her plans for a summer internship, and working out a sophisticated friends-with-benefits relationship with her assistant editor. When she's "tapped" by the most elite and mysterious society on campus, Rose & Grave, Am...more

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Jan 02, 2009 Brittany rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Students in High School / College / Recent Grads

Recommended to Brittany by: Myself

Shelves: girly-books, fiction, college, series

How I Came To Read This Book: On Black Friday 2007 I was in the ol' US of A, and, determined to make the most of our strong dollar & cheap US book prices, I bought this book and its first sequel - Under The Rose.

The Plot: Amy Haskel is a middle-ground member of Eli University's general population. She is not particularly exceptional, other than being on the lit mag, and is not expecting much as the school's annual 'Tap Week' happens to induct juniors into one of the school's many secret soci...more How I Came To Read This Book: On Black Friday 2007 I was in the ol' US of A, and, determined to make the most of our strong dollar & cheap US book prices, I bought this book and its first sequel - Under The Rose.

The Plot: Amy Haskel is a middle-ground member of Eli University's general population. She is not particularly exceptional, other than being on the lit mag, and is not expecting much as the school's annual 'Tap Week' happens to induct juniors into one of the school's many secret societies for their senior year. Imagine her surprise when it appears Amy is actually tapped for the Rose & Grave, the school's most notoriously powerful and secretive society, one that also happens to be all-male...but even if she is potentially part of the first group of female inductees into the group, bigger forces - namely the Eli alumni - might shut down the society before anyone has a chance to figure out what's going on.

The Good & The Bad: I felt like this book captured the general emotions of being a college student - often self-reaching, pretentious, and overconfident, but also vulnerable and relatable as the real world bats you down a bit. I flip-flopped between liking and getting annoyed by Amy, which is never a good thing, as her flaws do not add to her 'charm'. That being said, the Secret Society series was fresh to me, in that I rarely read books about the college years, and it wasn't really like any of the books (set before, during, or after college) I've read up to this point. The plot unfortunately is way too short, and one of the main weaknesses of the entire series is that each book covers a very short period of time while leaving BIG gaps between each story that allow for a disconnect between liking (and remembering!) the characters and the action of each book (there are 3 to date, with the fourth & final coming out in 2009 I believe). Additionally, the fact that there is a series of books somewhat indicates that the society is possibly (although not entirely) in as much danger as each book leads you to believe it may be in...the first book is almost pointless because it really just sets up the next two.

The Bottom Line: An interesting take on college life, but not an exceptional one.

Anything Memorable: This is the last book I read while on my free trip to Mexico and I remember packing for that trip, debating whether to bring the sequel (which I also already owned). Sigh I really wish I had cause I ran out of reading material by the end of the trip!

50-Book Challenge?: Book #4 in 2008(less)

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Sep 22, 2007 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Chick lit fans/college student/anyone wanting a fun read

Shelves: chicklit, funny

Once again, I find that the minute I say I don't like "chick lit," a book comes along that is totally entertaining. Like this one. Though not a deep read, this series opener takes a fun turn and a look at the workings of a secret society.

At Amy's Ivy League college, one of the most important things that can happen to a student is to get "tapped" or invited to join one of the several secret societies on campus. Think fraternity or sorority but on a bigger, more co-ed scale. When Amy gets tapped...more

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Jun 06, 2009 Haley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: couldn-t-put-down, fiction, hilarious, read-in-2009, romance, young-adult

This is a classic case of "don't judge a book by its cover". Yes, the head/eyes cropped off thing is a little reminiscent of Gossip Girl and has gotten a little old.
But read it and your doubts will be vanquished of a whir of wit, intrigue, snarky humor and allusions.
This is one of those rare books that belongs on two (debatably) opposite shelves: Academia( A Separate Peace, Erich Segal, etc.) and chicklit(Charmed Thirds, Fourth Comings, Perfect Fifths etc.). Not one to miss for a smart girl that...more

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Jan 05, 2009 Jodie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit, favorites

College junior, Amy Haskel, is stunned when she gets "tapped" into the elite secret society, Rose & Grave. The country's most powerful & notorious secret society has always been known to be a "boy's club" but this year the Diggers have voted to initiate women into the mix. Controversy spikes and Amy is suddenly friends with people she thinks to have nothing in common with until she realizes that she's just as good as them.

I really liked this story. I've always been fascinated with secre...more

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Sep 03, 2007 Tamara Collins rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: gilmore girls fans

Secret Society Girl takes us into the heart of the Ivy League’s ultra exclusive secret societies when a young woman is invited to join as one of their first female members. Elite Eli University junior Amy Haskel never expected to be tapped into Rose & Grave, the country’s most powerful—and notorious—secret society. She isn’t rich, politically connected, or…well, male.

Eli University, of course, is really Yale, home to both major-party 2004 presidential candidates as well as their infamous sec...more

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Apr 29, 2008 Rachael rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow, what a great novel. That's all I can really think of to say about this book. It was just phenomenal.

Diana Peterfreund has woven a creative story that incorporates secret societies, college life, brotherhood, and the importance of sticking up for your friends.

This novel is narrated by Amy Haskel (a.k.a. Bugaboo), an insider in the Rose & Grave secret society. As she is introduced into this society, you learn about her love life as well as her studies. I have to say that Amy's exploits ar...more

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Oct 07, 2007 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Chick lit meets secret fraternal society at Eli University. (founded in the 1700's to compete with Harvard). Amy Haskel is surprised to be "tapped" into the one the most secret societies on campus, the Rose and Grave. Modeled after Masonic/Templar groups, it's one of the more powerful secret societies, one that hadn't tapped women until now. Amy is part of an elite group of Eli women who join the Rose and Grave, only to have the patriarchs of the club threaten job/class/internship plans of the c...more

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Jan 18, 2012 KatiD rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: a-review-ish

I've been wanting to read this book for a while, ever since Lusty Reader told me she'd read them and enjoyed them. I just finished a slew of erotic romances, so decided I wanted something a little lighter. This book filled the order perfectly.

Amy Haskell is a junior at prestigious Eli University, which is an Ivy League school. She's busy getting excellent grades, and working on the Eli Lit Magazine as its editor. She's got a boy, Brandon, who is VERY interested in her, but who she just kind of l...more I've been wanting to read this book for a while, ever since Lusty Reader told me she'd read them and enjoyed them. I just finished a slew of erotic romances, so decided I wanted something a little lighter. This book filled the order perfectly.

Amy Haskell is a junior at prestigious Eli University, which is an Ivy League school. She's busy getting excellent grades, and working on the Eli Lit Magazine as its editor. She's got a boy, Brandon, who is VERY interested in her, but who she just kind of likes. Well. She likes him enough to sleep with him frequently, but he's not her boyfriend or anything. Eli University is full of secret societies like Dragon's Head, Book & Key, and the one Amy is expecting to get into, Quill & Ink, which is full of literary-types. So when she gets tapped for the Rose & Grave, she's shocked. The Rose & Grave is the most prestigious, elite secret society at Eli -- Presidents are members. Rose and Grave members are set for life professionally, they make tons of money and are universally successful. Also, until this year, they were a male-only secret society.

Amy is honestly befuddled by how they chose her. She's not rich, nor is she pedigreed. She's just...Amy. Her Dad is an accountant, for goodness sake! But here she is, in a room, conducting an interview with a bunch of Shadow Men who know everything about her, including which teacher she had in third grade. She's unnerved, which makes her mouthy and she's pretty sure she's blown her chance. Until she gets called for initiation. But once she's in, she, and the other girls who were tapped discover that not everyone is on board with women being admitted to Rose & Grave. In fact, their admission might be enough to close down the secret society altogether. The stakes have just been raised, now the question is, will the girls band together and rise above it?

I've met Diana Peterfreund before, and I found her to be smart and engaging, and to have the coolest hair ever. At the time I met her, she had already written all of the Secret Society Girl books and was moving on to a new series about Unicorn Hunters - the book we now know as Rampant. Anyway, I liked Diana quite a bit and figured she'd have a great writing voice. I was totally right. The book is told in the first person, and Amy, our narrator is smart, mouthy and completely engaging. She's often confused, and not always confident, but she fakes it til she makes it. I loved reading about her adventures, and the many boys who seem to be interested in her. This book is DEFINITELY not "young" Young Adult lit. It's set at the college level. These kids drink, have sex, and engage in other bad behavior. Although the book is never salacious, and it doesn't really feature any sex scenes, it's definitely geared towards the older end of YA readership.

Secret Society Girl is an entertaining, light read featuring an engaging main character and truly hilarious antics.

Final grade: B+(less)

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Aug 01, 2011 Madame X rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-or-teen-protagonist

I guess that SECRET SOCIETY GIRL is supposed to be a kind of fantasy - about a magical and far-away place called the Ivy League. I know there's a term for these books, about the high society New York teenagers and popular cliques and such - wish lit or something. I didn't go to Yale (Elihu Yale founded Yale University and the elite New Haven school is called Eli in this series), but I went to a different Ivy League school where, like the protagonist here, I staffed the lit mag and schemed to wor...more

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Dec 27, 2010 Jim From YAYeahYeah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Amy Haskel, editor-in-chief of the campus lit magazine at Eli university, is confidently expecting to be 'tapped' into Quill & Ink, the literary society there. She certainly doesn't think she'll find herself in Rose & Grave, the notorious - and hugely powerful - secret society. She's not rich, she's not famous, and she's definitely not male, which would previously have been the sticking point for R & G. But this year, the society members have decided to bring five women into the fold...more

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Dec 22, 2010 Alissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Snarky intellect. Charming, diverse characters. And an entertaining plot that progresses smoothly.

Secret Society Girl might appear to be a typical school soap opera, but in actuality it’s a cleverly disguised journey of finding oneself … with the help of a society most people only dream of joining, and an unsolved mystery. I’ve never before read such a successfully integrated mystery in a school setting; it kept the story unique and never permitted a dull moment.

The characters are just as origin...more

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Feb 24, 2010 Erica Leigh rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, chick-lit, library

Hard to get through this one. Writing was awkward; contained super long paragraphs and unrealistic dialogue. The main character wasn't fleshed out enough and I just didn't care for her--she's unlikable and unrelatable (not to mention the other characters, who were flat, stereotypical, and forgettable).

I also didn't like how the author had to throw in every SAT word she ever learned as if to prove that she graduated from an ivy league school (which she did. Yale, apparently). It was very annoying...more

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Jul 20, 2009 Katharine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, drama, chicklit

Fluffy, guilty-pleasure fun is the bottom line for Secret Society Girl . The premise is simple and the title pretty much covers it. The appeal is... not terribly intellectual, although there are some nice zingy lines based on typical college study content. And the plot twists are a bit predictable. Given "first girl to join an all-male secret society must fight against prejudice" it was pretty much guaranteed that there would be one of those movie moments when our heroine gives an impassioned, i...more

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May 05, 2013 Erin rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: new-adult, reality

Well thank goodness that is over. Now, to be fair, I have been in a bit of a book slump of late, and it is possible that at another time my impressions would have been more favourable, and if not love then at least not total hatred, but as it is I just have to give this book one big UGH. Secret Society Girl had flat, unlikable characters that I did not care for or about at all, which ruined much of the plot (not that there was much of one...) of this book. The world building was poor and the pl...more Well thank goodness that is over. Now, to be fair, I have been in a bit of a book slump of late, and it is possible that at another time my impressions would have been more favourable, and if not love then at least not total hatred, but as it is I just have to give this book one big UGH. Secret Society Girl had flat, unlikable characters that I did not care for or about at all, which ruined much of the plot (not that there was much of one...) of this book. The world building was poor and the plot weak. I wanted to give up on this book the entire way through but just kept pushing through. Finally, how do you make Secret Societies boring? They are awesome. What with their mysteries, illicit behaviour, intricate rituals and world domination...oh wait this book had none of that.
Characters make or break books for me. Amy, our main character, was a whiny, annoying little bitch. I just couldn't stand her. She is just beyond self absorbed and awful. As for the secondary characters there sure seemed to be a lot of them (many of them with two names to remember) and they were very unmemorable. I had a difficult time keeping them straight, but since they were just a series of stereotypical one-dimensional plot pawns I don't think I was missing much. This book had no character development plain and simple. Another thing that really fucking bugged me and is one of many examples as to why I disliked this book (view spoiler) I just didn't "get" Amy or her relationship with others.
Much of this book relies on your belief in the world of Secret Societies and Ivy League Schools. I just think the author failed to immerse me in these worlds. (view spoiler) Not much of the world of Secret Societies is revealed. So, what is the big perk? Why do these brotherly bonds form so deeply? What do you do? Fuck if I know.
I thought based on the first few chapters of this book that Amy would be made to do something that challenged her ethics, or made her make big life-altering decisions. That there would be, you know, a plot with action maybe some mystery, but there really wasn't one. (view spoiler) All the plot points were wrapped up really simply. Things that had appeared to be BIG OBSTACLES were wrapped up off-screen mostly and by a single conversation.
Finally, the jack ass who compared this big to Beautiful Disaster, come on that is a ridiculous comparison. Those two books, love them or hate them, are not in any flipping way similar. I guess people can just flat out lie in order to sell books...
So, in conclusion, I should really not review or read books when I am in a bad mood. This book was atrocious. I hated the main character and the rest barely made any impression at all. There was no plot and no real consequences to anything. This book left me with a burning desire to actually read a halfway decent book about Secret Societies, and, to well, burn this book.
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Dec 10, 2010 Lisa O. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit, favorites

This book - this series - was recommended to me by a blogger in reply to a comment of mine on how much i had loved the Jessica Darling series. She told me i would love this series just as much and not to stop at the first installment 'cause the other ones are better.
I think she might be right.
This book is not an unputdownable but the premises and potential to be a great series are there.

I like Amy, she a strong, singleminded, witty character. She is the editor of a Lit Mag and has that tenden...more

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Mar 24, 2008 Kristine rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is one of my guilty pleasure books. I always walk around BN to find some interesting new books and this was one I came across. I thought it was intriguing to have a woman be initiated into a secret society that was for males. I loved the movie "The Skulls" and this is right up that same alley only for females. It was a great quick and fun book to read that didn't require much thinking. Definetly a good read before trying to tackle Atonement.

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Apr 17, 2012 Kristin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: calling-to-me-from-the-shelf-of-the, teen-trash, ya

My current ridiculous obsession with the TV show Gossip Girl is making me want to read this book. I would read the Gossip Girl books but One page into You Know You Love Me convinced me that this was one of those instances where the show far outshines the books. Or maybe reading about snobby upper-east-siders is just too much.

4/16/12
This was a quick YA read. It is perfect to enjoy poolside when you want to let your brain slip into neutral. The writing is good and the characters are likable. It d...more

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May 29, 2012 Chev E rated it 5 of 5 stars

As a fan of Diana Peterfreund's Killer Unicorns books (KILLER UNICORNS!!!! HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE THEM????) I was looking forward to Secret Society Girl, despite the cover which predicts a petty shallow sorority novel. Instead of girls bouncing around and predicting the apocalypse because of a bad dye job, SSG was filled with unique characters and women that made me proud to be one. Amy is a junior at the fictional Ivy League Eli University and with all her extra-curriculars and internships is hop...more

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About Diana Peterfreund

Diana Peterfreund has been a costume designer, a cover model, and a food critic. Her travels have taken her from the cloud forests of Costa Rica to the underground caverns of New Zealand (and as far as she’s concerned, she’s just getting started). Diana graduated from Yale University in 2001 with dual degrees in Literature and Geology, which her family claimed would only come in handy if she wrote...more

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Books by Diana Peterfreund

For Darkness Shows the Stars (For Darkness Shows the Stars, #1)

Under the Rose (Secret Society Girl, #2)

Rites of Spring (Break) (Secret Society Girl, #3)

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“I don’t do drugs, I’ve never been arrested, and from what I hear, I’m not too shabby in bed. Not that any of you people will ever have the opportunity to discover that first-hand!” — 12 people liked it

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