Your Thoughts

[Lafayette Public Library]

Did you enjoy They Wish They Were Us? Why or why not? How do you feel about the Players?

[Lacey]

They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


My First Impression:

I love a good high school story with juicy drama! I can't help the teen mind trapped inside of me even into my 30s. Anyways, this story reminds me of a story somewhere between Pretty Little Liars and I Know What You Did Last Summer. There's a group of teens who are a part of an exclusive group in this fancy high school setting. At the very beginning, the main character, Jill, reveals that a few years ago, one of their best friends was murdered, and every year the school starts off the school year with a memorial dedicated to her (the deceased) and her family. So, every year this group of friends has to relive the trauma from that frightful night.

As the story unfolds, we get to learn about all of the different characters, who are friends in Jill's inner circle from her point of view. All of the characters are now seniors in high school dealing with the pressures and excitement of being the ones in charge of this elite group, which involves recruitment of younger students, throwing epic parties, and planning for their future beyond high school. Meanwhile, Jill receives a text from a girl who is the brother of the only suspect in their friend's murder. She wants to meet and talk with Jill because she believes that her brother is innocent and that someone else is responsible for their friend's death.
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REVIEW UPDATE:

So, I had such high hopes for this book because it's about rich teens going to a prep school who are a part of a popular clique that requires students to participate in different "pops" (hazing type activities) in order to become a "Player." Being a Player means so much in this school besides being popular. It means access to secret files that provide answers to past exams and so on. It's a guarantee to get into whatever Ivy League college the students desire, but at a price. I cannot forget to mention that there is MURDER involved as well! I was so hyped up after reading the sneak peek to this book, but it fell kind of flat for me. I quickly predicted who the murderer was despite the author's attempts at trying to throw the story off, so that was disappointing to me. After I knew I was right, the ending was anti-climatic. It was still a good story that I would recommend because up to that point, it was pretty intense, and I was chomping at the bit at what would happen next. The ending wasn't terrible, but it just lost its momentum. I just can't give it the 5 stars that I really wanted to give it initially. Such a bummer.




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