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Prep School Confidential
(Prep School Confidential #1)
by
In this breathtaking debut that reads like Gossip Girl crossed with Twin Peaks, a Queen Bee at a blue-blooded New England prep school stumbles into a murder mystery.
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. Determin ...more
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. Determin ...more
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Start your review of Prep School Confidential (Prep School Confidential, #1)
Aug 16, 2013
Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
ya-contemporary,
ya,
romance,
awesome-guy,
kick-ass-heroine,
alpha-male,
siblings,
mystery,
boarding-school,
high-school
4.5 stars
Take your preconceptions on Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars and check them at the door. Haters to the left. This book was an absolutely blast to read. I want to give this a solid 5, I seriously do. I have no complaints at all about this book, none. But I am still stupid, and my mind cannot wrap itself around the concept of giving such an exalted number for an YA book of this light nature.
I'm not perfect by any means. I judge books: more often than not, my expectations are shot down ...more
Take your preconceptions on Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars and check them at the door. Haters to the left. This book was an absolutely blast to read. I want to give this a solid 5, I seriously do. I have no complaints at all about this book, none. But I am still stupid, and my mind cannot wrap itself around the concept of giving such an exalted number for an YA book of this light nature.
I'm not perfect by any means. I judge books: more often than not, my expectations are shot down ...more
What an intriguing novel! When I fist saw this book, I debated for a couple weeks over if I should get it or not. I can now say that I am glad I did.
Our leading lady, Anne, is sent to a prestigious boarding school after a mishap at her old school. She was expecting a lame, prep-filled year but instead is thrust into a mystery when her roommate is murdered. Determined to find out who did it, Anne begins her search. Let me tell you, almost everyone in this book has a secret. Some dark, some petty ...more
Our leading lady, Anne, is sent to a prestigious boarding school after a mishap at her old school. She was expecting a lame, prep-filled year but instead is thrust into a mystery when her roommate is murdered. Determined to find out who did it, Anne begins her search. Let me tell you, almost everyone in this book has a secret. Some dark, some petty ...more
4.5 stars
This book was very very surprising. I did not expect to fall for this book. When I read the first few chapters, I was really pleased with how the narration was going and nothing more and all of sudden - BAM! I'm falling for this book.
This book is a little bit like Gossip Girl. I mean, the main character, Anne Dowling is from Upper East Side and she reminded me so much of Gossip Girl. Well, when I first heard about it I presumed we'd have a very bitchy annoying bratty main character who ...more
This book was very very surprising. I did not expect to fall for this book. When I read the first few chapters, I was really pleased with how the narration was going and nothing more and all of sudden - BAM! I'm falling for this book.
This book is a little bit like Gossip Girl. I mean, the main character, Anne Dowling is from Upper East Side and she reminded me so much of Gossip Girl. Well, when I first heard about it I presumed we'd have a very bitchy annoying bratty main character who ...more
Jul 21, 2013
Cora Tea Party Princess
rated it
it was amazing
Recommended to Cora by:
Faye, la Patata
5 Words: Mystery, school, plotting, murder, twists.
I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I picked this up. In fact, four of those five words at the top wouldn't have applied. So this book was a surprise, a really pleasant surprise.
It was such a fun read.
The plot was engrossing and I got completely caught up in the investigation, the spying, the twists and turns of the mystery. And the school life.
Take Gossip Girl, set it in a boarding school, and add lost of extra danger and intrigue and then ...more
I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I picked this up. In fact, four of those five words at the top wouldn't have applied. So this book was a surprise, a really pleasant surprise.
It was such a fun read.
The plot was engrossing and I got completely caught up in the investigation, the spying, the twists and turns of the mystery. And the school life.
Take Gossip Girl, set it in a boarding school, and add lost of extra danger and intrigue and then ...more
Mini review:
DNF
GR Ultimate Summer Reading Challenge: Beach Bum.
Prep School Confidential sounded right up my alley! When I saw that my library had a copy I jumped at the chance. Unfortunately it wasn't for me.
I loved Anne as a heroine! But I didn't like anybody else. Reading about Anne's classmates really frustrated me. And half of them creeped me out. Thus I couldn't bring myself to read any more.
I do still recommend. ...more
DNF
GR Ultimate Summer Reading Challenge: Beach Bum.
Prep School Confidential sounded right up my alley! When I saw that my library had a copy I jumped at the chance. Unfortunately it wasn't for me.
I loved Anne as a heroine! But I didn't like anybody else. Reading about Anne's classmates really frustrated me. And half of them creeped me out. Thus I couldn't bring myself to read any more.
I do still recommend. ...more
3.5 stars
"The last time I did something like this, I wasn’t scared. Not because I was braver. I was just stupider."
Wish I didn't know Kara Taylor was Kara Thomas's pen name. That way I wouldn't be comparing Prep School Confidential to her other work and probably be more... thrilled than I am now. Because going into this and expecting Little Monsters made the entire experience underwhelming.
On the bright side, I loved the characters - at certain moments I had a feeling I was reading an adorable Y ...more
"The last time I did something like this, I wasn’t scared. Not because I was braver. I was just stupider."
Wish I didn't know Kara Taylor was Kara Thomas's pen name. That way I wouldn't be comparing Prep School Confidential to her other work and probably be more... thrilled than I am now. Because going into this and expecting Little Monsters made the entire experience underwhelming.
On the bright side, I loved the characters - at certain moments I had a feeling I was reading an adorable Y ...more
Jul 21, 2013
Faye, la Patata
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
fun-narration,
good-heroine,
revenge,
contemporary-fiction,
net-galley,
2013,
mystery,
drama,
young-adult,
crime
This book surprised me a lot. I can't believe how I thoroughly enjoyed this. I'm a little cautious of films, series, or books that are set in a school for rich kids, because, you know, Gossip Girl (which I didn't like very much), but wow! This was a lot of fun.
Prep School Confidential is your usual murder mystery book, except this time you're dealing with really powerful people, and in an environment where everybody has something to hide and where no one's absolutely innocent. Everywhere you ...more
See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads
Thank you St. Martins Press for sending me this copy. No compensation was given of taken to alter this review.
' It's not hard to think like a criminal. But I guess if you want to get technical about it, I am a criminal.'
Turns out, I can't fortune tell.
I really wish I could. However Prep School Confidential cements my childhood dream of becoming some fancy magician as impossible and absurd. You see, Prep School Confidential is exhaustively unpredictable an ...more
Thank you St. Martins Press for sending me this copy. No compensation was given of taken to alter this review.
' It's not hard to think like a criminal. But I guess if you want to get technical about it, I am a criminal.'
Turns out, I can't fortune tell.
I really wish I could. However Prep School Confidential cements my childhood dream of becoming some fancy magician as impossible and absurd. You see, Prep School Confidential is exhaustively unpredictable an ...more
It was the perfect book to read after Crooked Kingdom and cure my small depression : light and not heartbreaking.
I do admit that after a while, I was reading it more for the love stories (beware, there is a love triangle) than for the mystery, even if I really liked the ambiance. Not the finest writing, plot or character development but I wasn't looking for depth or intricacy.
I will read the other books of this series anytime I need a break. ...more
I do admit that after a while, I was reading it more for the love stories (beware, there is a love triangle) than for the mystery, even if I really liked the ambiance. Not the finest writing, plot or character development but I wasn't looking for depth or intricacy.
I will read the other books of this series anytime I need a break. ...more
very flat 3.000 stars. do i recommend: no. there is definitely better out there. unmemorable already and i just shut the book (that being said, it’s not the worst thing i’ve read).
Actual Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Anne was expelled from her old school because she accidentally started a fire. Because of that, she was sent to a boarding school to have a do over. At first, things are really looking good and she was making friends but when something terrible happens to her friend, Anne was shocked. She started looking for answers since no one seems to care for her friend. The problem was when she was nearing to find out who did the deed, she might as well also acquired a target to he ...more
Anne was expelled from her old school because she accidentally started a fire. Because of that, she was sent to a boarding school to have a do over. At first, things are really looking good and she was making friends but when something terrible happens to her friend, Anne was shocked. She started looking for answers since no one seems to care for her friend. The problem was when she was nearing to find out who did the deed, she might as well also acquired a target to he ...more
Anne Dowling took me back to school. I walked the halls with my teenage self, only in this reincarnation I had more money and an attitude to match. I may have even been a practicing pyromaniac with a chip on my shoulder, neither of which occurred during my formative years. But both of which helped define Anne’s character, along with the Boston setting. A universe which felt real to me, and which I thoroughly enjoyed, since I spent a couple of years meandering through Boston’s cobblestone streets
...more
Five stars for a YA murder mystery set in a prep school? WHY YES! Look at this as a preppy modern Nancy Drew-esque type. I'm starting the new year off right, that's for sure.
Anne, the MC, is forced to attend the Wheatley School after almost burning down her Manhattan prep school, where she finds a new friend in her seemingly bookish, academic-oriented roommate, Isabella. Tragedy strikes when Isabella is found murdered on campus a week later.
There really isn't much I didn't enjoy. Call it unprece ...more
Anne, the MC, is forced to attend the Wheatley School after almost burning down her Manhattan prep school, where she finds a new friend in her seemingly bookish, academic-oriented roommate, Isabella. Tragedy strikes when Isabella is found murdered on campus a week later.
There really isn't much I didn't enjoy. Call it unprece ...more
5 Words: Intrigue, murder, cover-up, school, friendship.
This was a fantastic re-read! This book is one of those ones I could happily read again and again. It's better with every re-read. ...more
This was a fantastic re-read! This book is one of those ones I could happily read again and again. It's better with every re-read. ...more
Read for The YA Room's Throwback Bingo Challenge!
Challenge Square: Boarding School
I was super surprised by how much I enjoyed reading Prep School Confidential. Up until today, I didn't even know that this story existed! Nevertheless, I am really interested in continuing on with the series! The main character Anne is a troublemaker and after an arson at her high school in Manhatten, her family send her to a prep school near Boston. It's there when strange things start to happen on campus. Most no ...more
Challenge Square: Boarding School
I was super surprised by how much I enjoyed reading Prep School Confidential. Up until today, I didn't even know that this story existed! Nevertheless, I am really interested in continuing on with the series! The main character Anne is a troublemaker and after an arson at her high school in Manhatten, her family send her to a prep school near Boston. It's there when strange things start to happen on campus. Most no ...more
Anne Dowling’s tenuous relationship with rules lands her in boarding school after she accidentally sets fire to her prep school. Oops. Now she’s in New England with preppy girls in headbands. Her roommate Isabella seems kind, unlike the others. Too bad Isabelle is murdered. Anne decides the school is covering up evidence and with the help of Isabelle’s brother and a cute guy from school, she sets out to solve the mystery.
PREP SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL is a really fun read. Kara Taylor aka Kara Thomas ...more
PREP SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL is a really fun read. Kara Taylor aka Kara Thomas ...more
Don't let the preppy, tame cover fool you; this book was one hell of a ride. Normally I don't find myself very attracted to contemporary mysteries, much less ones with a cast of privileged white characters, but god, this mystery had me guessing from start to finish. I was enamored by a book I hadn't really been expecting to care much for.
To be fair, I didn't read the synopsis--a habit of mine--and honestly I think this really improved my overall reading experience, mostly due to the shock felt u ...more
To be fair, I didn't read the synopsis--a habit of mine--and honestly I think this really improved my overall reading experience, mostly due to the shock felt u ...more
With a clever and fresh voice, Kara Taylor’s Prep School Confidential had me laughing one moment and on pins and needles the next. The amazing blend of humor and suspense will have you turning pages like crazy. I can’t wait for the next installment!
2.5-3.0
Thriller for maybe more younger readers. I was up till 4am reading and thoroughly enjoyed it but the writing and plot is not developed enough for older readers.
Its worth a read though
Thriller for maybe more younger readers. I was up till 4am reading and thoroughly enjoyed it but the writing and plot is not developed enough for older readers.
Its worth a read though
Anne Dowling accidentally burns down the auditorium of her Upper East Side school so her parents send her to a boarding school in Massachusetts. Around a week later, her roommate Isabella is found murdered in the woods behind the school. Since everyone is mysteriously silent about it, Anne decides to uncover the truth herself.
From the first chapter, I was unsure of what kind of character Anne would be, but she ended up surprising me so much and I absolutely love her! She may have been spoiled, b ...more
From the first chapter, I was unsure of what kind of character Anne would be, but she ended up surprising me so much and I absolutely love her! She may have been spoiled, b ...more
3.5 Stars
This is such a fun novel! I couldn't put it down, it's an easy read with lovely characters and great pacing. Some things are predictable, I knew who the killer was only after reading about Isabella's death but there are a few surprises that kept me at the edge my seat as well. So many things going on in the book that I think Kara Taylor did a fine job organizing.
Prep School Confidential has a few flaws that I couldn't overlook. Throughout the novel, there's quite a few clichés conce ...more
(Source: I received a copy of this book as a gift – Thanks Abbie!)
It totally wasn’t Anne’s fault that her school nearly burned down; just because she was holding the lighter that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t an accident!
Unfortunately though, the school doesn’t quite see it that way, and Anne goes from ruling the school, to be sent to boarding school in Boston.
When her new roommate ends up dead, and it looks like the school are covering up the identity of the killer, Anne then feels like it’s up t ...more
It totally wasn’t Anne’s fault that her school nearly burned down; just because she was holding the lighter that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t an accident!
Unfortunately though, the school doesn’t quite see it that way, and Anne goes from ruling the school, to be sent to boarding school in Boston.
When her new roommate ends up dead, and it looks like the school are covering up the identity of the killer, Anne then feels like it’s up t ...more
This was a very fun young adult book that was full of mystery.
This story follows Anne, she is kicked out of her Upper East Side school after accidentally starting a fire and she is forced by her parents to go to Boston and attend a boarding school. Her initial impressions aren't that good until she meets Isabella her room mate and they hit it off pretty well, they spend every moment together for a week until Isabella refuses to attend a party with Anne. The next morning Isabella is missing and t ...more
This story follows Anne, she is kicked out of her Upper East Side school after accidentally starting a fire and she is forced by her parents to go to Boston and attend a boarding school. Her initial impressions aren't that good until she meets Isabella her room mate and they hit it off pretty well, they spend every moment together for a week until Isabella refuses to attend a party with Anne. The next morning Isabella is missing and t ...more
Ummm, I do think that people with no mental problems indeed arrange their clothes according to color, because it's easier to deal with? because they might be anal? because they have nothing better to do a Saturday afternoon?
But because I loved Anne Dowling so much, I'm willing to ignore a lot of things. And because I loved this book so much, I'm willing to ignore even more things. (No, it's only because I have a poor memory.)
MORE. NOW. ...more
But because I loved Anne Dowling so much, I'm willing to ignore a lot of things. And because I loved this book so much, I'm willing to ignore even more things. (No, it's only because I have a poor memory.)
MORE. NOW. ...more
This book is genious!!!
It's the perfect book for teenagers who like thrilling episodes mixed with crime, murder, corruptions, spoiled brats and complicated love.
I loved it and I recomend it to everyone between 12 and 35 :D ...more
It's the perfect book for teenagers who like thrilling episodes mixed with crime, murder, corruptions, spoiled brats and complicated love.
I loved it and I recomend it to everyone between 12 and 35 :D ...more
So much fun! It's contemporary YA + boarding school + murder mystery thriller element. What more could you want? Oh wait...there's cute boys.
...more
Well, well. This was unexpected. I really didn't think I would like this book this much. Prep School Confidential has everything I want - friendship, romance, an intriguing mystery and character development - with excellent execution in a completely believable setting. Kudos to you, Ms.Taylor.
The Characters:
When I first met Anne Dowling, I disliked everything about her. She is whiny, pretentious, incapable of thinking beyond herself and kind of oblivious. She is also caught making out with a guy ...more
The Characters:
When I first met Anne Dowling, I disliked everything about her. She is whiny, pretentious, incapable of thinking beyond herself and kind of oblivious. She is also caught making out with a guy ...more
Sep 03, 2017
Lisa
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2017-reading-challenge
Super fun, awesome cast, especially regarding our protagonist, Anne. I loved her, she may be a bit spoilt but at the same time she is very smart and has common sense. The secondary characters are also well written and complex, nobody is a cliché, instead they are human.
One thing that annoyed me, but luckily not a great deal, was of course the love triangle. But still the romance was handled well, there was no insta-love with both guys. Furthermore, the ending felt rushed but it also left me wan ...more
One thing that annoyed me, but luckily not a great deal, was of course the love triangle. But still the romance was handled well, there was no insta-love with both guys. Furthermore, the ending felt rushed but it also left me wan ...more
I received an ebook ARC from the publisher, through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
What didn't I love about PREP SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL? That is the question still on my mind. Mystery, death, rebellion, shady characters, you get it all in this fantastic novel by Kara Taylor. You'll enjoy reading every second of it, I promise!
I've had quite the hard time figuring out what exactly to say about PSC. After everything that happened in the story, I was stumped for words on how to convey how ...more
What didn't I love about PREP SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL? That is the question still on my mind. Mystery, death, rebellion, shady characters, you get it all in this fantastic novel by Kara Taylor. You'll enjoy reading every second of it, I promise!
I've had quite the hard time figuring out what exactly to say about PSC. After everything that happened in the story, I was stumped for words on how to convey how ...more
A fast and fun read, and also one that kept me on the edge of my seat—the mystery part was well-done in my opinion, enough that I had my suspicions about a potential culprit, but without seeing it coming too easily.
I have a soft spot for boarding schools. I don't know why. Perhaps because I've always wondered in hindsight if I wouldn't have felt better in such a school as a teen? (Not necessarily a posh prep school. Just a school where I could be away from my family and experience things in a di ...more
I have a soft spot for boarding schools. I don't know why. Perhaps because I've always wondered in hindsight if I wouldn't have felt better in such a school as a teen? (Not necessarily a posh prep school. Just a school where I could be away from my family and experience things in a di ...more
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| YA Buddy Readers'...: Prep School Confidential (Prep School Confidential #1) by Kara Taylor - Restarting August 14th 2018 | 23 | 158 | Aug 30, 2018 04:56PM |
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Kara Taylor wrote PREP SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL in her first semester of graduate school, in between pulling all nighters and listening to her dad say writing isn't a real job. She recently signed a blind script deal with Warner Brothers television and is now the writer and co-executive producer of THE REVENGERS, a dramedy in development at The CW with Rashida Jones and Will McCormack (CELESTE & JESSE
...more
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