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Oct 29, 2011

Leanne rated it:

Hey girls, hey bitches, over here!

Drop that Vogue magazine. And yes, that Seventeen magazine too. Wait..Is that Snooki I see? Get rid of that. now. Throw away all your copies of Sophia Kinsella and Emily Giffin- because the one... the only...PRIVATE has arrived!

Are you searching for a book to read for English class but don't know where to start? Without all those annoying things like character development and multiple plot lines, Private is a pleasure to read and STILL More...

12 comments like (29 people liked it)

Feb 20, 2009

Jamila rated it:

Reading this book was mild torture.

The protagonist Reed Brennan is extremely flawed and one-dimensional. She truly has no redeeming qualities, interests or goals. Readers learn that she hates her home life and that she wants to become a Billings Girl, an elite group of 3rd and 4th year students who live in a special dorm. Her obsession with them is trite and poorly written. I kept waiting for her to grow a spine or to evolve even slightly. Apparently, this happens in book two, three, More...

3 comments like (13 people liked it)

Mar 20, 2009

Elizabeth rated it:

I was mortified by Private. No, not because I looked deep into myself and saw some of the traits of the protagonist, because it was dumb. I'd heard many good things about the book until finally I cracked and got it from the library.
It was a total waste of time. Here's the plot (or my interpretation):
Poor Reed has a problem (okay, a few problems). She has a barely-mentioned druggie mom who absolutely traumatizes her, so she heads of to a private school. Sounds great, right? But she More...

7 comments like (6 people liked it)

Oct 10, 2011

Nicola rated it:

This is by no means my kind of book. It's a blatant girly book, and it screams Gossip Girls. I got it as a present last year and just got around to picking it up- wanting a light read.

It basically features 16 year old Reed, who moves away from her dysfunctional family to a posh, private school on a partial scholarship. Naturally, she's willing to do anything to fit in there.

It really, really surprised me. I was absolutely sucked in from the beginning. I thought Reed was More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 18, 2008

Tiny Pants rated it:

I avoided this series for a long time, and upon actually reading it, I don't know why. I read the fifth book, loved it, and immediately went to the library to check out all the others. I would definitely recommend reading them in order -- the plot is continuous through the first four and then (I'm assuming as I haven't read yet) through the second four, and there's not a lot of rehash of "the story so far" so it will all make more sense to read in order.

While this is indeed More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 02, 2010

Page (One Book At A Time) rated it:

Oddly enough, I both loved and hated this book. There were quite a few things that I didn’t like. For example, throughout almost the whole story Noelle calls Reed “glass-licker”, and it rubbed me the wrong way. I also disliked how Reed would do anything they asked and barely bat an eye about it. But, the events were interesting and at times suspenseful. I think Reed wanted the perfect life, and felt like The Billings Girls had it. I think there’s a lot more to her character that hasn’t be More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jan 04, 2009

Jacki rated it:

A few students recommended this series, and it's a great quick read for those interested in a murder mystery. I've read the first four, and enjoyed them, but not sure if I'll read much beyond that.

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jan 13, 2011

Debbie rated it:

Mindless YA fluff. While there wasn't enough substance in this book for me, I can see how it would appeal to tween girls. It was a quick read, and for the most part enjoyable, but the main character was too two-dimensional. I had no idea just WHY, for a girl who was supposed to be so smart, Reed was determined to get in with the Billings girls. The reader also gets no indication of why the Billings girls would bother with a lowly sophomore, who also happened to be the new girl. This book could e More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 30, 2009

Katia added it

This is an exceptional, well thought of novel. It definitely kept me reading until I finished and it left me wanting more even when I was done. Maybe it's because I like murder mysteries, I don't know, but I was definitely hooked. I couldn't put the book down. I took it with me everywhere! Dance class, the dentist, my grandma's house...EVERYWHERE! This book also has really interesting characters and you get to see what they're all like. It is also really easy to read and has an alluring and comp More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 18, 2008

Izlinda rated it:

So Reed wins a scholarship to an elite private school, Eaton Academy. And of course, there's the group of girls who are the "most popular, pretty" and everybody from that House (Billings) go to an Ivy afterwards. Basically, the best of the best, and they're so exclusive, you don't apply to that dorm, but you're invited.

The things Reed does, in order to get closer to the Billings girls. *shakes head* Of course there's some kind of hazing and power plays going on.
More...

1 comment like

Dec 11, 2008

Ella rated it:

This book is about a 15-year-old girl named Reed Brennan. She went to a high school in Croton, Pennsylvania. When she got a half scholarship to Easton Academy. There everyone is rich and comes from a big city, like New York. Also they all wear brand names. She has never seen any group of girls they are so rich. The group of girls is called the “Billing Girls”. She tries everything to get in the cool house with them. In order to get in you need great grades. That is her only issue. But also there More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Aug 16, 2011

Sheyla rated it:

Reed Brennan has won a scholarship outside of her PA home. She is to start at Easton Academy. A private school with rich and beautiful people.
She is escaping her home and a pill-popping cruel mother.

Reed has been a loner but soon realizes that she doesn't fit in and after witnessing through her dorm's window four girls having fun, she decides she wants that for herself too.

The next day she learns these girls are an elite group. All great students, popular, smart and beau More...

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May 14, 2011

Claudia rated it:

Why did I not stop reading? I don't know. It was train wreck syndrome, I guess. I just had to keep going, fascinated by the badfic-ness of it. First of all, it was a free download from Sony e-book. Second, it was the kind of young adult book that is irritating on a multitude of levels. New girl is a scholarship student at rich-kid boarding school doesn't fit in but really really wants to. But all of this I could take.

But suddenly there was no real character motivations that I could u More...

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Apr 07, 2011

Marieme rated it:

Private

By Kate Brian
240pp. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
ISBN-13: 9781416918738
ISBN: 1416918736

Reed leaves her drug-addicted mother, and broken home back in Pennsylvania to attend the super exclusive private school, Easton Academy. As soon as Reed gets there, one of the cutest guys in school, Thomas Pearson (a senior) notices her. Then there are the popular girls in school, also known as the "Billing Girls". These are the girls who can make yo More...

0 comments like

Feb 20, 2011

Lindsey rated it:

Private is an interesting book that tells the story of Reed Brennan and her desperate desire to be a Billings girl. The Billings girls are rich, snobby, and sophisticated and for many reasons I cannot stand them. On page 77 it says, ‘ “You know, this apple is a little sour. I’d like a new one,” she said, looking directly into my eyes. “What?” “She said she’d like a new apple,” Noelle said. “And while you’re up you can get me a coffee, too.” I looked around at them, my cheeks burning. Were they s More...

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Oct 09, 2010

Jessica rated it:

I was excited to get my hands on this little novel. Private by Kate Brian is the first in the Private series about Reed Brennan, a small town girl from Pennsylvania who wins a scholarship to Easton Academy, a boarding school in Connecticut.

Reed will do ANYTHING to fit in. When she learns about the fabulous Billings girls- girls who live in the Billings dorms on campus who are the brightest, most beautiful and best on campus, Reed is determined to become one of them.

After scor More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 31, 2010

Bree rated it:

Private is your classic, trashy, YA gossip girl esc novel. The story centers around Reed, a teenage girl attending a renowned prep school on a scholarship, and her attempt to become accepted to the most popular clique on campus, called "The Billings Girls". My friends have all been obsessing over this series for awhile, and I finally decided to see what the fuss was about. Since my friends and I had planned on going to the beach together, I decided to read it yesterday while working More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Apr 03, 2010

Noa rated it:

Private, is the first book of this series. It is about a girl named Reed Brennan who receives a scholarship to enter the private high school "Easton Academy". She comes from a suburban town and it gives her the opportunity to experience a new and better educational life. It also enables her to get away from an addict unloving mother. At the beginning she feels as an outsider but then she becomes friend with a group of girls named "the Billings", who are a rich and powerful cl More...

0 comments like

Jan 30, 2010

Emily added it

Dear Glass-Licker,
Oh Reed Brennan, what am I going to do with you? Why are you so delicate and oblivious? Still, I've got to give you props for sticking to your goal of fitting in at the ever-so prestigious Easton Academy. But what's with all the self-demeaning stunts you've pulled this semester? That is so not cool Reed. I know that you are ashamed of what you used to be (and pretty much still are), but that is no excuse. You have the potential of being much, much more.

XOXO,
Emily

So if all More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 06, 2009

Shonda rated it:

Warning: Review may contain spoilers!

Reed Brennan desperately wants to escape her hometown of Crofton, PA. Her mother suffered a tragic accident and now pops pills and drinks away her pain. She takes most of her suffering out on Reed. Meanwhile Reed’s father tries to hold the family together, but Reed knows this is a burden for her dad. When she’s offered a scholarship to Easton Academy, she knows this is her opportunity to leave and live the life she’s always dreamed about.

More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 20, 2009

Lori rated it:

I have to say, this book seemed better when i picked it out that after i read it. A teenage girl, Reed has a rough life. Her mom pops pills, and she lives in the middle of nowhere. Lucky for her, she wins a scholorship to a private school; or so she thinks. She is happy to get there in the beginning, but that happiness changes for a while. She realizes that the people at Easton, the private school that she newly attends, do not accept her as the "new girl". she feels like an outcast. T More...

0 comments like

Dec 16, 2010

Noemie added it

Reed Brennan wins a scholarship to Easton Academy. When she arrives there she notices that everyone is way more sophisticated, more beautiful, and a lot richer and wealthier than she ever thought possible . Reed realizes that even though she has been accepted to Easton, Easton has not accepted her. Until she meets the Billings Girls.
They are the most beautiful, intelligent, and confident girls on campus. They have all the power. Reed does whatever it takes to be a billings girl.
She More...

0 comments like

Jul 08, 2010

Samantha rated it:

Private by Kate Brian was not an enjoyable read. In fact it was a tedious book that was a pain to finish. I was disappointed with this one because I have usually enjoyed Kate Brian's novels: the lighthearted, humorous chick lit young adult books. I would advise not reading Private: it is boring and at times downright ridiculous.

My main problem with this book was its protaganist and narrator, Reed Brennan. Never have I read about such an annoying, self-absorbed girl who makes the stu More...

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Mar 08, 2008

Brenna rated it:

In this first book in the Private series, Reed Brennan comes to her new school, Easton Academy, and is drawn to a group of girls who seem above all of the others. She wants to be like them, and will do anything to be one of the elite. This book is AWESome!!! I love love love this series, the characters are interesting and the author makes you love to hate certain people and just hate others. Try this book, and if you like it read the rest! it just gets better from there!

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 08, 2011

Jerry rated it:

This was recommended to me after reading and loving Pretty Little Liars and seeking out another YA mystery/whodunnit. I have to admit I spent most of this book questioning if that recommendation was even correct, since there's no mystery until literally the last few pages. Even then it's only implied that someone has died or gone missing, and there's a weird coven ceremony thrown in at the end.

As such, I can only really review this book as a piece of YA chick-lit, and in that respect More...

0 comments like

Mar 07, 2010

Kari rated it:

Oh, where do I begin with this book? Reed Brennan is leaving her small town to go to Easton Academy where she has received a scholarship. She quickly realizes she doesn’t fit in. She doesn’t have money like the rest of the students and she’s never been good at making friends.

The first night on campus she is mesmerized by a group of girls in a dorm acorss from hers. They are all beautiful and drinking wine. She soon learns that these are the Billings Girls. They’re the most popular, p More...

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Jan 01, 2010

Emilie rated it:

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

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Feb 17, 2011

-k The Lady Critic rated it:

I don’t like Reed.

There, I said it, may the backlash commence.

Ok, it’s not that I particularly hated her, I just thought that she was a bit of a jerk who was using anyone to get what she wanted even though she didn’t particularly earn it at all. Honestly, I think it’s because I read the Privilege books first (excluding the final novel which comes out this summer) and I really have come to like Ariana and her completely insane brain. Maybe in comparison Reed is just too More...

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Aug 11, 2009

Leslie rated it:

This series has been extrememly popular at our middle school library so I was curios to read this book. Reed Brennan is accepted to the exlusive Easton Academy as a scholarship student. She is thrilled to be away from her difficult home life and wants to be successful at her new school. She soon discovers that to truly be a part of Easton, she needs to get in with the Billings Girls - the most exclusive group on campus. Reed will do anything to befriend this group. But even when she does, are th More...

1 comment like

Apr 29, 2011

Clarabel rated it:

Ce livre est le premier tome d'une série qui comporte huit titres. C'est une chronique amère et cynique sur l'intégration difficile d'une jeune fille ordinaire prête à tout pour toucher les étoiles. Ce qui la fait tant rêver, apparaissant sublime et irréprochable en façade, s'avère plus sournois et criblé de faussetés. Les filles Billings ont une personnalité opaque, moins irréprochable et fascinante qu'au premier abord. Ce n'est pas tant le règne de l'apparence qui pousse à réfléchir dans ce ro More...

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