The Society

by Jodie Andrefski

Welcome to Trinity Academy’s best-kept secret.

The Society.

You’ve been handpicked by the elite of the elite to become a member. But first you’ll have to prove your worth by making it through Hell Week.

Do you have what it takes?

It’s time to find out.

Samantha Evans knows she’d never get an invite to rush the Society—not after her dad went to jail for insider trading. But after years of relentless bullying at the hands of the Society’s queen bee, Jessica, she’s ready to take down Jessica and the Society one peg at a time from the inside out.

All it’ll take is a bit of computer hacking, a few fake invitations, some eager rushees…and Sam will get her revenge.

Let the games begin.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Mystery, Mental Illness, Drama

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 3, 2016

About the author

I've been passionate about reading since I was a little girl, which lead to a love of writing. I write YA--especially if it involves at least some kissing.

I have my B.S. in Secondary Education-English from Penn State University, and am also pursuing my M.S. in Mental Health Counseling.

I live and write in New Bern, North Carolina.

Reviews

[mith · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is, by far, one of the worst books I have read this year.
And I've read some pretty bad ones in the past half of 2016.
-
This review is kinda long.
So tl;dr: I am sooooooooooo tired and I hate this book soooooo much.

I have a lot of shelves. Sometimes, I have the urge to create even more because there are so many ways I need to categorize books. Then I have the urge to delete them because I wouldn't have categorized them well enough. It's the reason my "favourites" shelves are a mess.
For the good books, there seem to be so many shelves. For the bad books? Not so many.
There are none that can accurately depict how much I despise this book.
There are just so many things wrong with it. All of them have to do with the main character, more or less.
Backstory: Sam is the daughter of a convict whose life was ruined after her best friend, Jessica, spied on her dad and figured out some plot to ruin Jessica's family or something. Money issues. Sam's dad was greedy. Because of all of that, Jessica tortured Sam: ostracised her in high school; continually made her look bad in front of large groups at school; graffiti'd her locker; etc., etc.
I hate bullies. I hate them so much and you know what, when Sam had the idea to get revenge, I was like... okay. I wouldn't do something like that because, duh, consequences. But does Sam think about that? No. Does she think it's foolproof? Yes. Is she absolutely fucking wrong? Yes. Yes, she is because not only did her stupid ass plan have a bunch of holes, I'm pretty sure doing something like hacking into a person's email can get you in some kind of trouble. I'm not a lawyer nor am I a law student in any sense, but I'm kinda sure only the government can get away with that.
A high school student? Um. No. Not at all.
I am clutching my hair. I hated Sam so fucking much, you guys have no idea. Her character had so many problems and since I'm not decent enough a reviewer to accurately portray her long list of problems, here are several problematic things she's thought and/or said, along with some side characters' sayings (warning: you may not agree with some of the things I'm quoting, but they were extremely problematic to me):

I was way too ordinary, and mortal was putting it mildly. My hair wasn't blonde and shiny enough. I didn't prance around in a cutesy little uniform with TA emblazoned across my not-quite-big-enough boobs.
The cheerleaders seemed to miss what just about everyone else recognized. ... Then again, they'd probably be proud to wear the label, Tits and Ass.

Excuse me?

"Food sounds good. I'm starving," I said. I immediately wondered if I was supposed to admit that to him, or pretend like other girls I knew that I never ate. And if I did, it was only things like kale or cucumbers.

It is 2016. 2016. why are we still doing this in books.
GUYS. WAIT. IT GETS WORSE. THIS IS INSTA-ATTRACTION AT ITS FINEST!!!

"Just thought it would be nice to know your name before I take you for a ride."
...
"Well? You in?"
He held the helmet out toward me. His expression held teasing, along with something more. A challenge. I lifted my chin and walked up next to where he straddled the bike.
"You don't think I will."
One eyebrow rose. "Prove me wrong."
That's all it took.

That's the first day they met. :)

"I'm not ready for..."
"Sex," he said bluntly.
"Anything more than this."
His dimples peeked out. "I'm not going to lie and say I'm not kind of disappointed." When my eyes widened, he hurried on. "Hey, I'm a guy."

??????????? I know there's that stupid mentality like that, but really? Really? You're blaming your sex on whether you wanna do it or not???

It felt somehow taboo to be in my school uniform straddling a motorcycle behind a guy I barely knew. A hot guy.

Because... he's hot... you're gonna do this again... ditch your friend for some cliché bad boy you met less than a day ago... (Oh, and because we know he's a bad boy, we know how that ends!)
Okay.
SIDE NOTE GUYS!!! THEY'VE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR TWO DAYS!!!
Oh, wait. Then he says this gem:

"I don't want to ruin the one possible good thing I have going in my life right now."

Okay, relax, Ransom.
Okay, now continuing with Sam's judgemental ass.

I once again thanked the heavens for Zena's poor taste in men.

Like you have good taste? Really, you wanna go there, Sam? You, who has been making one bad decision right after another?? (Read: Bad Boy)
Another side note. Sam was totally okay with prompting cheating! Isn't that so nice!
I hate cheating almost as much as I hate bullies/bullying. If you think you're going to have problems being faithful to someone and still stay in the relationship... Honestly. It's disgusting and it hurts both of you because of what it can lead to.
And what's worse, the whole cheating ordeal actually plays a small role in the book, in regards to Sam and Jessica's friendship. And yet. Yet.

I hadn't been so sure Zena would do it, but obviously she also had bad enough issues with Jessica and her crew that she felt no qualms stealing Jessica's douche boyfriend from under her turned-up nose.

Jessica is a bad person. Some people go through horrible things and it changes them. Sam became the prey as a result. Jessica became the predator. I would completely hate someone like that, too. I, however, would not think something like:

[Jessica] was probably shoe shopping to salve her wounded pride.

Again, it's completely fine if you don't see the problem with this (or anything above) but me? Oh, boy, did I want to burn this book. (I read it on a kindle, too.)
I'm almost done guys. I'm beat. Here are the last few problems:

"Well, I think I'm going to go as Cat Woman."
I wrinkled my nose. "Cat Woman?" My words came out harsher than I'd planned.
Everybody at the table turned to look at me.
Abby frowned. "What's wrong with Cat Woman?"
Nothing, except the fact she'd be running around in a tight body suit, probably trying to get her claws in my best friend.
"Nothing," ... "I just figured you'd want to wear something with a little more class."

Cat Woman's hot. What is wrong with that? And having some sex appeal??? (Nothing. Absolutely nothing.)
(Also, she never apologised for that :))

All the girls at the party were bound to be wearing sexy nurse costumes, or sexy policemen costumes complete with handcuffs. Sexy anything costumes...with skirts barely covering their asses and cleavage spilling out of their tops.

Okay.

She wore a very official-looking Batgirl costume, sexy without looking slutty.

?????????????

I'd been right. Most of the girls seemed to be in a competition to see who could wear the least amount of clothing without being outright naked. None of the guys seemed to mind.

I'd also like to point out that Sam believes free wifi will keep her from being detected. I've learned that, if you log in to a website, like facebook or twitter, you give that no-detection away. Sam logged into an e-mail--the one she fucking hacked--alongside with some website she created. As I see that, that's also *false information*!! (but if you guys know more about this, please feel free to tell me, I'd love to know!)
And a final note. A little spoilery, so I'll be tagging it.
Sam uses a lot of people in her little revenge plot. She sets out to shun someone, thinking it won't go far, but it hurts the person she targets. What's more, Sam didn't think it would hurt anyone. She didn't think using Zena to fool around with Jessica's (ex)boyfriend wouldn't affect her so much, knowing that her dad cheated on her mom with Jessica's mom. She didn't think a chemically altered brownie batter--which would've given her a stomache--would cause Jessica to get into a hospital. She didn't think someone else could've been in a coma.
Sam thought her plan was fucking foolproof and that fact that she didn't count those things in--things like staying for a performance instead of leaving; smashing a head instead of just getting scared--would affect her plan. Which, clearly, is fucking ridiculous, since no one knows how a certain person will carry out their actions.
What I'm trying to say is, she played way too dangerously without little care. She's had warnings from her best friend (who I believe is an idiot for giving Sam so many chances but what can I do about that). She didn't think this through at all just because of her ego.
Look, I completely get being bullied can affect someone so physically and emotionally that they can just break. I don't believe that this book dealt with the consequences of being bullied properly. Maybe it's "character development" that she finally realised it was wrong, but I'm not buying it. There's no excusing this. Not when there were other alternatives--which she chooses to pick--from the beginning.
I genuinely would not recommend this book for anyone.

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Entangled Publishing, LLC and NetGalley.)

“Revenge would be so very sweet.”

This was a YA contemporary story about a girl who wanted revenge on another girl at school.

Sam was an okay character, but I didn’t really love her. Jessica was really quite mean to her, but I wasn’t sure that revenge was the best tactic.

The storyline in this was about Sam trying to get revenge on this girl called Jessica, and we also got a bit of romance. The pace in this was quite slow though, and it didn’t hold my attention very well at all.

The ending to this was okay, but Sam really did bring things down on herself.



6 out of 10

[Sophie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

I previously read Andrefski's, The Girlfriend Request, and though I wasn't too keen on it, I felt like giving her another chance when I saw the synopsis of The Society. To me, it seemed similar to one of my favourite series, Night School by C.J. Daugherty, and I hoped I would find something to fill the gap that series has left behind. However, that so wasn't the case. I read about 50% of this book, and pretty much shook my head on every single page, and after nearly three weeks of getting no further, I decided to stop putting off the inevitable, and just DNfed the book.

The Society is a elite group in Trinity Academy, and only the best of the best are chosen to be invited. If you're lucky enough to last through Hell Week, you're set for life - the best picks of college, jobs, you name it; if you fail, you're basically ruined. Samantha has had a tough past year. After her father was arrested and jailed for insider trading, her whole life has changed. Her best friend, Jessica, was instrumental in her father's arrest, and treats Samantha like something she stepped in, so Sam decides to get payback. Jessica is in charge of picking the rushees, so Sam hacks her account and adds a few others, who deserve to be in The Society, but who aren't the 'creme de la creme' that are normally picked.

I enjoyed the whole bit about The Society, but it wasn't great, and was overshadowed by the awful romantic aspect. Sam's best friend, Jeremy, is in love with her, and seemed to be falling into the 'friend-zone' category, especially when the new, mysterious guy, with the cliche motorcycle, turns up one day, and seems to know a lot about Sam and wants to spend time with him. I mean, she's only spoken to him (Ransom) for fewer than a few minutes, and then decides to go to his house, all on her own. Yeah, that's how girls get killed. It was just completely unbelievable, and ridiculous to me, that I was turned off from any redeeming qualities the book may or may not have had, and just had to put it down.

After this being the second disappointing book of Andrefski's I've read, I don't think I'll read anything from her in the future. Definitely a no from me for The Society.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

At thirteen Samantha Evans father was sent to prison and Sam has been living with the backlash of it ever since. Her then best friend Jessica's parents split up after everything that happened with Sam's father due to him having an affair with Jessica's mother so Jessica has blamed Sam ever since and treated her miserably often going out of her way to torture Sam at their school.

Now in her senior year at Trinity Academy Sam knows she won't be receiving an invite to the school's secret society. When Jessica starts up her torture and torment again though Sam comes up with a plan to not only get revenge on Jessica but to shake up the school's social ranks.

The Society is a YA contemporary novel that deals with the aspects of bullying and one girl's voyage into a revenge plan against her tormentor. There's an underlying message to the story that really two wrongs don't make a right. While the bullying was completely out of hand Sam let's herself get carried away with revenge which brought her down along with Jessica.

I liked the characters and setting in the story. It's really somewhat of a light read even with the subject matter at hand. Sam's plot was interesting to follow along with and see how it would all turn out and all the twists and turns along the way. Ransom added a bit of growing up into the story line for Sam to show her about love and friendship and thought was a good way of her finding herself.

Overall, an enjoyable read of growing up and self discovery in the face of many problems.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....

[The Candid Cover (Olivia & Lori) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full Review on The Candid Cover

When I first saw The Society, I was really intrigued. It is all about revenge, one of my favourite topics, and set at a private school, something else that I love! However, as I got into the book, the main character started to annoy me. She makes some really bad decisions and has a habit of taking things too far.

The Society is another one of those good old revenge books, which is probably why I was so drawn to it! I love the humour that comes with the plotting and execution of the plans. This book is all about the creation of a new fake Society to get back at the leader of the real Society. Just reading about all the computer hacking and sneaking around had me nervous for the characters. Suspenseful books like these are exactly the ones that I love.

I really enjoyed the school setting in The Society. For some reason, school settings are among my favourites. I feel like these books are more relatable because we all know what it’s like to be in the characters’ positions. In this book, the main character makes use of the resources at school to hide her connection to her own Society and publicly humiliate her ex-best friend. I found it really interesting how the author took the time to describe how careful Sam is to cover her tracks. This is more realistic than other revenge books I’ve read, and I really admired that.

Though I enjoyed the rest of the book, I had some problems with the main character. I understand that this is a revenge book and that Sam has every right to be mad at her enemy, but I feel like she was a bit too extreme. When making her plans, she even had a friend tell her that it was too much and that she shouldn’t go through with it, but she didn’t listen. During the book, Sam makes some really bad decisions, as most characters do, but she also takes things a little bit too far. She is so caught up in her own schemes that she doesn’t focus on the things that matter most, like her friends. This frustrated me, but I kept reading to see if she would start realizing the severity of her revenge.

The Society is a revenge book with a school setting. I enjoyed so much about the book, but unfortunately, the main character bothered me. I would still recommend this book if you are fine with some drama and poor decisions, however, because everything else in the book is really engaging.

[Laura Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't be more happier that I was afforded the opportunity to read an eARC of The Society as this was not only a wonderful read but this book also touched on the very real issue of bullying.

Sam had always lead a happy life full of friends and a loving family until her father was sent to prison. Once that happened her mother abandoned her at her aunt Lor's house and her best friend dropped her like white on rice. That would have been simple to get used to but her former best friend became her biggest tormentor at the private school they both attended. Now, she isn't just a misfit but also fair game to be bullied.

The other constant in her life is Jeremy until he discovers that Sam is preparing to get revenge on those who hate her and so then the story really kicks into high gear.

The author quickly ensnares you in the story line which is well written and fast paced and the characters are life like. I applaud how the author gives the reader the opportunity to live through Sam's character as you get to experience the bullying and see it through this young girl's life.

I highly recommend this read as you will experience a varying range of emotions. This is definitely a five star read.

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 1 out of 5]

"The silence stretched between us like old gum you don't want anymore and decide to play with instead."

That tells you all you need to know about the quality of writing.

THE SOCIETY was free on kindle so I took a shot.

[Deniz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually to be completely honest, this isn't quite what I expected.
Though I am not quite sure what I expected... It's not like the blurb is inaccurate.
In fact after starting this I went and reread the blurb, and I reread it again after I finished. So I wouldn't be able to tell you why I expected this to be different. I kinda just did.
I think I expected more cute&fluffy? Possibly more angst and high-strung drama? Again I actually don't know.
And while I have been flaxing on about how this is different, let me point out that I did enjoy The Society very much. This is very near 4.5 Stars in fact.

The plot is really intriguing and it kept me on my toes. Though some twists were clear others were surprising, somehow the balance between anticipation and surprise was met perfectly. I loved each little twist and turn, each mishap and each happy fortune. Right until the end, and somehow it was to perfect for me? And there is a question mark because, well I am not sure why I feel like that. I mean it's not picture perfect, but I think the epilogue though it's nice, was kinda what was too much happy-clappy for me, it kinda took away from the story somehow. Even if I loved it.
Andrefski knows how to pace a story and how to keep her readers engaged.

I love each quote at every chapter. I really really love the choice of them, kinda little foreboding messengers of what is to come. Brilliant little literary tool used with absolute perfection.

In many ways that describes Andrefski style. It's a well thought-through and executed novel. The story is all told from Sam's POV. It's a well told story. But more so Andrefski manages to tell it without judgment. It's simply told. There is no wrong or right. It's simply what happened.
And while morally we shouldn't agree with some of the things that Sam does, we aren't given the impression that Andrefski doesn't agree. On the other hand, we are made to get where Sam is coming from. Again there is no righteousness put out there. I mean Sam does justify why she is doing whatever she is doing, but that's it. It's simply put not black and white but grey.
And I really like this. Because it makes this non-preachy and incredibly human.

The character building as a result of this is really interesting. Most characters end up having many layers, they become way more complex that you'd expect at the beginning. There is no true villain in this. Even if at first you feel there is, at the end while I still don't quite get where Jessica was coming from- I have never managed to relate to bullying, it simply doesn't make sense to me - we get a glimpse of the fact that there is more to her as well.
I think essentially Andrefski really got many situations just right, the little awkward cattiness between girls, let's face it we have all experienced that. She describes it brilliantly!
The insecurity of first love, or taking a friendship further...Odd little things about teens, unique to heir characters but also things we all did and felt- it's there.
Sam is a brilliantly written lead. Her anger, her frustration, her fears and her utter loneliness made me completely get why she did all the stuff she did. Add to that her confusion and her bravery. It does make her a really likable character. And then she hits rock bottom and I wanted to shake her. Yet she does somehow come to terms with her past, she faces the consequences of her actions and she discovers her own strength. Flawed yet likeable makes her very human and her braveness while being in some ways her downfall it's also most redeeming.

The Society essentially is about bullying- and it's effects, the cowardice around it, in many way it's mechanics as well. It is also a book about revenge and it's consequences.
I think Andrefski did a brilliant job at highlighting bullying. Looking at it from one of the victims POV but also the other side, when the victim essentially decides to flip things upside down.
I have to mention, I personally have no experience with the subject. As I said I simply don't get why someone bully others- and I am fortunate enough never having been bullied. I would love to hear what a victim would have to say about The Society. Can they relate as much to Sam as I did? Do they like the storyline?

So while it is a captivating easy read and there is a nice bit of romance- let me warn you it's slooooooow burn but o so sweet- it left me thinking about a serious subject.
As I said: so much more that I expected.

[Kristine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Original review can be found at http://kristineandterri.blogspot.ca/2...

** I received an advanced readers copy from Entangled Teen via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!**

This is the second book for me by this author and unfortunately I found I had a lot of the same issues with this book as the one I previously read. The characters were not overly likeable, there were numerous rabbit trails and a random boy that did nothing to enrich the story.

This was the story of Sam who was bullied by her ex best friend and the elaborate plan she came up with to get even. First off, I hate bullying but what I hate even more is an eye for an eye. Two wrongs don't make a right and that was the exact direction this book was going. I couldn't feel for Sam's situation when she was guilty of throwing it right back in a more sneaky way. Her inner dialogue was childish and she had an excuse for everything. Even when she began to realise that what she was doing was wrong there were a thousand excuses trying to justify it. The moral of the story was totally lost in her excuses and it didn't feel like she really learned anything valuable from it.

Unfortunately this book really just annoyed me and made me angry. Perhaps younger readers will feel differently but for me it was just a story of two bullies (Sam being one of them) and whole lot of innocent victims. I almost didn't finish it.

[Karen • The Book Return · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read more on my blog:The Book Return Blog
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Samantha Evens used to be popular at school. Then her father is arrested for insider trading and her life falls apart. Her former best friend is now her tormentor. Sam vows to seek revenge by using the schools secret society against it's own members.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This novel was interesting as it highlights what can happen when bulling gets out of hand. Sam is bullied and then becomes a bully herself. I did like this book and I think it would be great for high school students. I did emphasize with Sam. I think everyone it's easy to understand how hard it would be for Sam in some of the circumstances she was in.It had a very specific point to the story. It did drag a little towards the middle. It was definitely a plot driven book but the main characters were very believable to me. I would recommend as a novel for you adults. Perhaps especially those going through a similar situation as Sam did.

[Michelle Leonard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just Ok

Ended with very few questions answered. There were some major plot points that were left unresolved. Overly detailed in many places.

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF after about five chapters, when I found myself repeatedly thinking, "I think I hate this book." Sam, the narrator, just seemed so oblivious and unlikeable right from the start. The writing seemed juvenile and the characters cliche. Hard pass.

[Erica Chilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this title to read and review for Wicked Reads

4 stars

Young Adult Age-range: 12+ includes kissing & bullying.

As an adult reading The Society, I'd give it 4 solid stars. Thinking back to my reading tastes as a young adult, The Society would have hit all of my favorite notes: thrilling pacing, mild romantic triangle to keep my turning the pages, and friendship troubles. I believe most young adults would give the novel 5 stars.

I was hooked on page one with the introduction 3 years in the past as a 13 yo girl deals with her father's trial, the loss of her best friend turned enemy, and the abandonment of her mother. This gave me the feels, and had me flipping the pages into the present time.

This was a very moral novel beneath the surface, showing both why good people do good and bad acts, and why bad people do both good and bad acts, and how there is a very thin line separating the two. Even justified in your actions, the results may be more than you bargained for, more for everyone involved.

Frustrating was the core feeling I had for Sam/Samantha while reading The Society. After not only losing her best friend, she has to suffer at the hands of the person who should have had her back after her life incinerated. Jessica not only bullied Sam, she turned the entire school away from her. In reality, this is realistic. Fed up, Sam seeks not vengeance but revenge, and there is a difference.

I won't give out details, as I feel that would do a disservice to readers. But there were a few points in the book that I would have liked addressed. The moral of the story was incredible, taking responsibility for your actions without using projection. (So&so did it too, but they didn't get in trouble so I shouldn't either. Yes, you should. But actions should be taken so the rest take responsibility as well) BUT after 3 years of bullying, I would have liked to see some justice for Sam, some closure dealing with her father/Jessica/Trinity. Everyone failed Sam, including the school, Jeremy, and the aunt, with no one stepping in to STOP the bullying that was so prevalent. In fact, her bully was made out to be the victim. I understand taking responsibility for your actions, and not allowing someone to lower you to act as they do. Sam went from ignored victim to criminal, where all the victimizers were labeled and shown as innocent victims, all of whom had a major hand in changing who Sam was at her core.

Everyone knew it was happening, saw it was happening, but just told Sam to deal with it and wait to get to college. I would have liked to see some outrage in Sam toward those who were meant to protect her. The only life ever ruined on the pages of The Society was Sam, from start to finish, with only Sam ever taking responsibility for her actions. Even the BFF/love interest was cowardly by never telling Sam how he felt, leaving it to Sam to figure it out, while he flirted with others. To be fair, there was Ransom, but there would have never been a Ransom if Jeremy would have spoken up. Such as taking her to a party, where both were excited to be with one another again, only to leave her the entire night after going to get her a drink (he never did bring her that drink), completely forgetting about Sam. It was written Sam was Jeremy's focus, yet he lost focus too often for me to buy the epilogue.

Kudos to the author for showing Sam's empowerment even when at the lowest of the lows. I just wish someone in the cast of characters would have shown similar growth/responsibility/redemption/courage/protection/non-judgmental attitude/Self-reflection.

There is having Sam take responsibility for her actions, accepting how she contributed to her role, forgiving to not forget but move on, but empowering it is not to allow yourself to be a victim by not sticking up for yourself. In this, I mean, like how Sam spoke to her father. The author had to opportunity for Sam to do the same to her aunt, her mother, Jeremy, Jessica, her classmates, and the entire school administration. SOMEONE. By the end of the book, I just felt Sam was setup to be an apologist, with everyone just running right over her because her feelings weren't of value.

Tell someone when you're being bullied should have been another added moral in the story. If that person doesn't take action, they are as much at fault as Sam was for turning bully to protect herself.

I know where the author was headed, and I appreciate it, especially to show young adult the perils of bullying, but I feel it also gave the wrong message. The bullies won, don't protect yourself, and only you are to blame.

*I thoroughly enjoyed the quotes at the beginning of every chapter, and I hope it encourages young readers to give other works at try.

[Mina Reyes · Rating 3 out of 5]

#TheSociety by #JodieAndrefski it's exactly the opposite of what I thought it would be. Bullying it's a very serious problem that keeps happening doesn't matter how hard we try to stop it. How far would you go if you where a victim of bullying? Samantha finds a way to get back at the people who had made her life miserable but at what cost? How many futures she needs to destroy to get her revenge? And at what consequences. It's a good read and if you have the time and are interested in the subject the society might be for you. I give it 3 starts out of 5.
"This blew. I'd lost Jeremy to a cat. And everyone had someone but me"

"Where does friendship draw the line? Apparently for Jeremy, it was in a spiral notebook"

"Here's to no one!" I took a long drink. "And here's to sucky parents!" I got a few cheers for that one, so I took another giant gulp.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars.

I received a free digital copy of The Soicety in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Entangled Publishing, LLC and NetGalley

"Survival is a game with a chance; revenge is a calculated plan of action."

This is the first novel I have read by Jodie Andrefski. I wasn't sure how her writing style would be or how well developed her characters are, etc. But the premise of the story intrigued me so I was happy when I received my free copy of The Society.

It is a really easy and quick read with a powerful message. The story deals with bullying and how relationships between the bully and the victim are complex and how easily the roles can be switched. I enjoy reading book that deal with bullying because I think it is SO important that these types of books are out there for young people to read because so many are effected by it. I also liked how this book dealt with how the roles between bully and victim can turn and suddenly the victim is now the bully. I think it allows it's reader to think about ways in which to deal with bullying and to be conscientious of the bully and their feelings...even though it can seem impossible to do so at the time.

I thought that the main character, Sam or Samantha, was well developed. I didn't necessairily relate to Sam all that much. I have a hard time relating to characters that are charged by anger and revenge. Anger is not an emotion that I do NOT like to deal with so I usually just try to ignore it as much as possible lol which isn't healthy but oh well lol. Even though I didn't relate to Sam because of this, I still was able to understand her and see her point of view.

The book took a slightly different turn from what I expected and I am not sure how I feel about it. At times I thought it was a little over the top and unrealistic. I just didn't believe how nonchalant Sam was towards her mother. I personally think that what her mother did was worse than her father going to prison. I also found the ending a little too 'happily-ever-after' for my taste. To me, it just doesn't seem that realistic considering what Sam has gone through for her to turn out completely unscathed. I think its important for authors to highlight that the journey to healing takes longer than just going to college or whatever. I mean Jodie Andrefski touches on this with Sam's relationship with her father but it just sort of rubbed me the wrong away.

Even though the book deals with a powerful subject, I didn't find that book to be all that powerful or enlightening to me. It was just an okay book that was at times, over the top. But over all, it's an easy and quick read for a Sunday afternoon or a day at the beach. Not something I'll rave about or think about for months after. But a nice read.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**


The Society is a young adult standalone suspense by Jodie Andrefski. It deals with one of my favorite young adult subjects- a secret society in a boarding school setting. The Society took a bit of a different twist on the secret society thing. Instead of secrets to uncover from the school, this was a revenge plot. Secrets of a different kind. It was an interesting take on a secret society and it certainly was new and different. The whole thing felt very Scream Queens to me...minus the guy in the mask.

Sam and Jessica are the two main characters of The Society and their relationship and dynamic was actually the most interesting aspect of the entire novel to me. Jessica is the quintessential mean girl to Sam. They used to be best friends but because of some legal issues involving their dads, they had a major falling out. Sam's dad landed in jail, but Jessica's family certainly did not come out of the situation unscathed. What I found to be the most interesting was that as much as Sam wanted to believe that she is the only victim in this whole story, her and Jessica are actually much more similar than either one of them would like to believe. The whole fiasco with their fathers affected both of them. Their families hurt each other. There was no one way road. And yes, Jessica started out as the mean girl, but Sam kind of morphed into her. (although I'm sure Sam's mindset was more of the ends justify the means.) My point is good girl and mean girl roles got a little blurry in this book, which made for a very interesting shades of gray kind of read.

The boarding school setting is a favorite of mine, and I loved it for The Society. This was a fast read for me. (though a few parts in the middle did drag on a bit.) To me, it will be a hit more with plot driven readers, as I didn't find any of the characters particularly lovable. They were interesting, but I didn't end up rooting for any of them too much. I was more interested in seeing what was going to happen next in the story. That is not necessarily a bad thing, just a bit different for me, as I tend to be a more character driven reader.

Bottom line: The Society is a very interesting read. I think it will be great for fans of plot driven stories looking for a secret society read with a twist. It is a solid read.

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

[Stephanie Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

'The Society' is a new young adult contemporary novel that focuses on several issues relevant to our world today - mostly bullying and revenge. There have been a ton of books lately that deal with bullying, as well as a bunch of titles revolving around revenge - so this wasn't anything groundbreaking for me as a reader. It brings the two topics together and adds in the intrigue of a secret society at a prestigious private school, but it wasn't really original and didn't make a big impact on me. Don't get me wrong - the writing was solid, the plot was well done, and the characters were pretty rounded; it just didn't have anything to make it stand out from the other books like it out there right now. I immediately connected with the main character - Samantha - and could really empathize with her situation and feelings. Having been bullied in high school myself, I could easily put myself in Sam's shoes and understand every thought and feeling she experienced. She did get a big annoying after awhile - to be honest, I wanted to smack her a few times to bring her back down to reality. She was a well rounded main character and I enjoyed getting to see the story from her perspective. The author used the first person point of view writing style for the book - which, in my opinion, was a perfect fit for the story. I loved getting to know Sam on such a deeply personal level - her fears, thoughts, memories, plans, and so much more.

Other than getting to know Sam on a very personal level, the rest of the story was rather ordinary and predictable. Again, this is solely my opinion - I'm sure other readers will really enjoy this book. As I mentioned earlier, it's very well done with vivid descriptions, a main character who feels "real" and a great story about revenge. I'm not sure what I was hoping for or expecting before reading this book, but I guess I'm a bit let down due to the reasons I listed. I think fans of the genre should give it a shot, because everyone has different tastes and I know lots of readers will really enjoy it.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Keanna (JustKey) · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Received ARC from NetGalley*

The Why: Ex-bestfriend who bullies her and seeks revenge. But how far would you go to seek revenge on a girl who's ruined your life?

Characters:
Samantha (or Sam) has been through a lot especially since she's been pegged the convict's daughter. Ever since her father went to jail she leaves with her aunt who is sick. Sam's ex best friend, Jessica who essentially sent her father to jail bullies her to no end. Jessica, of course the queen bee of the school and draws on her locker and anything she can think of to make her life horrible. She is also part of this not so secret society that only the most popular get into.

Revenge Set In Motion
At some point, when you push a person so far, they go off the edge. And Sam is tired. Tired of the constant teasing. Tired of her locker being spray painted locker. Sam decides the best to get to Jessica is maneuvering her way to induct people she thinks should be in the secret society. So Sam hacks her way and makes fake invitations, but things go far from what she expects it to be.


Sam basically picks 3 people to be pawns in the game to get revenge on Jessica. But when people to get hurt, Sam wants everything to stop it. But she has to finish what she started. Her only friend advises her at the beginning never to start it. He was there all along for her. I felt really bad for Sam, because her former best friend bullied her for most of her high school life. It was really sad to see how she was treated. But as Sam carried on these tasks, the question of what she was really doing this far really worth it.

Final Thoughts:
I really love the aspect of bullying on and the cattiness that turns bad to worse. With a mixture of fake invitations, pawns, ex-best friends and revenge.

[Lelia Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teen bullying has become more widely talked about in the last few years than ever before, rightfully so, and many young adult novels have focused on the topic. This is a good thing because it helps shine a light on a serious problem but making such novels fresh and different has come to be more difficult as time goes by. It's similar to some other book themes that seem to lose their punch as too many authors and publishers jump on the bandwagon,

Sam has suffered at the hands of a former friend, Jessica, and Jessica's treatment of Sam can't be justified in any way even though the reason behind it is understandable. Sam's eventual decision to take revenge, on Jessica and on the school's higher society, is at the core of the problem for me because, to my mind, Sam becomes every bit as mean-spirited and unlikeable as Jessica.

The Society is well-written, don't get me wrong, but I had trouble empathizing with Sam once she set out on this path to get even although I fully understand the realities of human nature and the desire to get back at the people who've hurt us. Although I think this is a good book, I just didn't quite connect with Sam or her story but I think many other readers will.

[K.M. Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Society is a book about a Sam, a girl who has been bullied ever since her father was arrested for insider trading. Her former best friend has become the queen of the school and is terrorizing her. In an effort to get payback and put Jessica in her place, Sam hijacks the school's secret society and sends fake pledges on fake missions meant to bring Jessica down. It's a great story about how revenge is never as sweet as it should be and how actions always have consequences.
I really liked that Sam's friend, Jeremy is the voice of reason within the story, standing by his friend but not accepting her actions. The storyline with Ransom is definitely interesting to the story because he gives Sam a sense of freedom and acceptance that feeds into her game plan. I also really liked seeing how Aunt Lor has stepped up and stepped into Sam's life when her father as arrested and her mother pretty much abandoned her. The whole family dynamic was interesting to study through the book and how to shaped the decisions Sam made.
It's definitely a great book about how bullying can help define the choices a person makes, as well as how far a person is willing to let go of themselves in order to get revenge.
It was a great, fast read, and I highly recommend it.

[Abbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I received a copy from Netgalley, In exchange for an honest review.)

I felt quite sorry for Sam at the start of this, but after a while she annoyed me.

This started out okay, but as the book progressed I started to feel a bit bored unfortunately. There wasn't anything awfully wrong with it, it just struggled to hold my interest.

Overall, An okay read.

[Paige (Illegal in 3 Countries) · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Getting revenge on your bully makes you just as bad as they are" Oh my Goooooooooood, no it doesn't, shut up and learn a thing or two

Picture this. I'm ten, autistic and undiagnosed, and a frequent target of bullying. This one girl I'll call Karen (because she'd be a Karen unless she got better as she grew up) was particularly awful to me. After a guidance counselor came to my fourth grade class to teach us about conflict resolution with "I" notes, I decided I'd try to solve our conflict with one of those. Valentine's Day was coming up, so I told my best friend I'd slip one into Karen's Valentine card. Something like "I feel like crying when you bully me. Will you please stop bullying me?"

Yes, very effective. I was ten and this is exactly what the guidance counselor taught us to do.

Anyway, I didn't end up going through with it solely because I was lazy and forgot. Karen didn't forget, though. She'd overheard me and struck back with one of those mass-produced Scooby Doo Valentine cards you buy in Walmart. Though I don't remember the exact message of the card, I do remember her addition to the message: "NOT!!!"

When I got home, I showed my mom, who got P I S S E D and made sure the teacher saw it too. Karen got a referral. If she did anything else to me the rest of the school year, I can't recall. I do remember I kept writing her into my creative writing exercises as a monster I defeated, though. This was also the year I got in trouble for drawing a different bully getting struck by lightning, so my teacher REALLY should have been asking me a few questions.

Even though my revenge was accidental, it was revenge nonetheless. It taught me the two tenets of revenge in the real world: you play by the rules and you go for humiliation with a 0% chance of physical harm.

So I knew by eleven what Samantha Evans in The Society never really figures out.

The book is essentially Mean Girl vs. Mean Girl. The one difference between Jessica and Sam is that Jessica is popular while Sam is not. It's not possible for her to become just as bad as Jessica by getting revenge because she is already that bad. Jessica is a one-note bully, but Sam is a piece of paper with a serious Pick Me problem. Sam haaaaaaates all other girls. constantly sneering at the fact they have breasts and curves that she doesn't. My God, the Halloween party at the end of the novel really brings out the worst in her.

Really, the girl has no personality outside her desire for vengeance. What does she like to do? Computer stuff considering what she does requires a lot of technological subterfuge? Maybe, but it is written as a means to an end. It's a skill she acquired solely for her revenge, not something that's part of her. I can't even recall what she looks like besides having curly hair and no boobs.

This is a deeply tired revenge story, and not because it's a young adult novel and/or about revenge.

Take The Princess Bride. The movie, seeing as I've never read the book. Inigo Montoya's driving force is revenge on the six-fingered man for the death of his father, but that desire isn't Inigo's one trait. He has a strong code of honor, he's loyal, he's smart, and he's funny as hell. If you take that need for revenge away, you still have a whole character who's interesting.



Perhaps more importantly, Inigo doesn't waffle about being just as bad as a the six-fingered man for seeking to kill him or angst about it once the deed is done. He gets his revenge and he is satisfied, absolved. Now he has the rest of his life to look forward to.

THAT is a good revenge story. It's unique, it's something people still discuss and talk about decades later, and it's cathartic.

The Society can't do even one of three. That's why it's tired.

Without her revenge, Sam is nothing. None of these characters are anything more than one or two traits thrown on a page.

OH SHIT, I NEARLY FORGOT ABOUT THE RACISM. One character Sam uses for her revenge, Zena Patel, is Indian and her only trait is her ~exotic beauty~. "Exotic" is a word directly out of Sam's mouth. Sam uses Zena to seduce Jessica's boyfriend Blane away and once that's done, Zena is gone. Sam never mentions her again. Becky and Patrick, the other two fake pledges to The Society, have more to do, but Zena? Nothing.

So that's an Indian character who is nothing more than sexuality being used for exactly that purpose and then being discarded. Gotta love that intersection of misogyny and racism.

All you get from The Society is a racist, sexist book with poorly written characters and the inability to tell a good revenge story.

[Alyssia Cooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, if this book had completely removed the bloody awful romance 'sub-plot', it might have actually been a good read. I enjoyed the writing style, which had just the right blend of quirky, sarcastic humour and seriousness. The revenge plot was interesting, and whilst I didn't quite like Sam as a main character, I found her entertaining enough. The problem comes back to the romance. The god awful love triangle cliche rears it's aggravating head again and the romance takes over the plot to such a degree that the main narrative is all but ignored. Grah!

You have Samantha, bullied at school because her father was convicted of inside trading. You have Jeremy, the sweet, slightly nerdy boy next door who is also drop dead gorgeous but seems to have fallen into the friend-zone. And you have Ransom, the slightly older bad-boy with a motorcycle who Sam obviously falls for in one of the worst examples of insta-love I have had the misfortune of reading. In between this, you have a convoluted revenge plot that Sam has cooked up for her bullies, using the mysterious Society's initiation traditions to mess with people. That bit had a chance of being interesting. But instead of reading about that, I got pages upon pages of vomit inducing romance with a side helping of boys will be boys and bad boy attitude. Not what I was looking for at all.

This had the opportunity to be a really powerful book that focussed on the very real damage that bullying does and the devastation it can leave in its wake. It could have been a sassy and smart book with a good moral behind it - because whilst revenge might be tempting, it rarely works out the way we plan. Instead it's a smoochy, nauseating romance and in brutal honesty, I really couldn't have cared less which of the two guys Sam eventually decided to be involved with. I had no interest in her falling for motorcycle guy or realising that he was obviously trying to take advantage of her. Insta-love, friend-zones and secret kisses do absolutely nothing for me. And yet these were the elements that completely took over the narrative. It wasn't a subtle sub-plot that I could ignore in favour of the more interesting bits. It was the whole damn thing.

Oof. Essentially, this book's blurb needs to be re-written, because the revenge story takes a complete back seat to the romance. If you're going to write a trashy romance then tell me it's a trashy romance and I won't pick it up!

[Rachel Girdler · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only purchased this audiobook because it was 0.99 and I had a road trip ahead of me. I won’t say I wasted the dollar but I would also never suggest the book.

It’s cheesy, stereotypical, and melodramatic at best. It’s the everything is bad in my life, the cheerleaders and jocks deserve to be taken down, and a mysterious bad boy shows up randomly like every other generic high school book. And of course there’s a happy ending with “I learned a moral and we can move on” to finish.

In reality, it’s poorly written. There are plot holes that haven’t been resolved and other sequences of events that simply don’t make it seem believable. Character development is dismal and rather shallow. The antagonist bad boy is even named “Ransom.” Seriously? If that was the end of it, I’d call it a below average YA novel and not waste my time with a review, but that’s not even the biggest problem.

While protagonist Samantha “learns her lesson,”before anything bad really happens with Random, saying that she “saw his real character” and making him quickly sound like a jerk who just wanted sex, I found his character, behaviors, dialogue, etc to be less mysterious and charming and more of a lesson in grooming behaviors 101.

You can try and Call it what you want, but he spotted a lonely girl in need of someone, who felt unseen / unloved and he preyed on that. It happens everyday in real life and it’s very dangerous. Are we still writing books that encourage teens, especially young girls (as that is the target audience) that this behavior is normal? That we should be flattered by a stranger’s very direct advancement? That a man showing up at your place of work (or school as in the book)- uninvited and stalker-esque since she made it clear that she had not time him her name nor location - is not only surprising but romantic? That it’s ok to sneak off to a boy / man’s house rather than expect to be taken out? But hey, as long as she learned a lesson, right? …. No. Wrong. Seriously didn’t anyone read this book before it was published?

[Manuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is soooo much more than it appears to be.

I mean, yes, it's a young adult book, but is has some deep and beautiful messages.

It has a lot of tropes that are typical in this kind of literature, like cliqués in school, "omg my life is so terrible nobody gets me" and so, but it manages to avert a lot of others.
For example, the author tries to make it really clear that Sam is overall a very smart girl, she makes a freaking great plan (seeing it through and objective lens), she doesn't need ANYONE tell her Samson is a bad guy, so that "I told you" moment can't even be possible.
Also she's very credible as a character, she's impulsive and sometimes a bitch to a lot of people around her, so she has flaws and they show, like everyone.

The books makes a stand against bullying and I really appreciate that, it's not the center of the action but the theme is relevant enough.

Did I mention Sam gets a great character development? Well, she does. Too bad she's the only one getting that. Jem feels kind of flat because it seems he's just the nice, smart, good-looking guy through all the story, although this is told from Sam's first person view so maybe it is how Sam sees him.

I would recommend it to everyone that is open minded enough and has time to spend reading a decent story. It's not a masterpiece so don't go in there trying to find what it isnt.

If the author somehow saw this, I can only congratulate her.

[Sunnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Results from being bullied

While I readily admit that I prefer more of a cozy mystery type of story, The Society was an interesting read. We all know what bullying means and this story shows life from both sides of this ugly equation. The protagonist is brave, sometimes a bit crazy, and seems to learn fairly quickly. She doesn’t truly understand the flip side, nor how deeply affected all parties to, and witnesses of bullying feel because of the situation. Yes, bullying is cruel, but is it actually a disease? What can be the ramifications of this act? Is the person being bullied the only one who is deeply affected? What about those who witness the situation but don’t tell someone in authority? Are they deeply affected or can they simply turn their back and walk away like nothing has happened? What act(s) of desperation will someone go to to get even with their perpetrators? Is getting even satisfying and does it solve anything? Does getting even stop the situation or heal the pain? Lots of things to consider throughout the story with some great solutions listed by the author at the end. Recommend for all ages.

[Isla Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the start of this book I didn’t think o would like it and thought I should just stop reading it and go to another one but I am so happy I finished this book. Samantha I feel has changed a lot as her character in this book. She has become more confident, mature and owning up to her actions was a big one. I was so proud of her when she told the police what she did because that shows how mature and responsible she is and that she will do the right thing even if it hurts her. I did not like the relationship between her and ransom I feel like he was just using her for sex and that he didn’t really like her and I can’t believe she gave her first kiss to him. But I’m very glad her and Jeremy got together because they are such a cute couple and he cares about her so much. Jessica was really mean through out This book but I also feel she was just struggling her own way and by cooping with it she thought she had to be popular and ruin the person she thought started it all. Over all I loved this book and I’m so glad I read it thanks mom!!!

[Alana Byers-Crawford · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't usually read much chick lit and this book made me realise why.
The cattiness and drama is just way too much.
Sam infuriated me so much and I found it hard to like her. Becoming a bully is not the answer to being bullied and I felt what she did was so much worse than what Jessica did.
I didn't like how Jeremy always stuck by her no matter what. Sometimes it's necessary to let go of toxic people in your life.
And adding in Ransom just felt so unnecessary and that it was only done to add the bad boy love triangle to the mix.
Overall the book definitely wasn't for me but might be enjoyed by people that actually like chick lit.

[Jeanne Brewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well worth your time

Teen angst with a positive twist. When a teenage girl's comfortable life comes crashing down around her ears, her former best friend becomes a formidable enemy, bullying her mercilessly and depriving her of any quality of life. She deals with both old and new friends, with enemies, with school administrators sans merci and without understanding, as well as with folks who have no idea of the myriad challenges facing her as she tries to advance into maturity. Backbone and character, however, serve her well and help her move toward a future that is not without hope. Well done and enjoyable at any age.

[Brandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing awful about it, just nothing great either. I wasn't terribly connected to the characters and it was rather predictable as the story unfolded.

My expectations were a mix of "The Skulls" and maybe a tense mystery or two. Lots of skulking and secrecy. It just fell flat and was rather vanilla. The society itself was barely discussed!!!

This book is more suited to the younger range of YA readers. Not my cup of tea.