The Academy
A Novel
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4.1 • 859 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
From #1 bestselling author of The Perfect Couple Elin Hilderbrand, and her daughter, Shelby Cunningham: the irresistible, deliciously scandalous story of one drama-filled year at a New England boarding school.
It’s move-in day at Tiffin Academy and amidst the happy chaos of friends reuniting, selfies uploading, and cars unloading, shocking news arrives: America Today just ranked Tiffin the number two boarding school in the country. It’s a seventeen-spot jump – was there a typo? The dorms need to be renovated, their sports teams always come in last place, and let’s just say Tiffin students are known for being more social than academic. On the other hand, the campus is exquisite, class sizes are small, and the dining hall is run by an acclaimed New York chef. And they do have fun—lots of parties and school dances, and a piano man plays in the student lounge every Monday night.
But just as the rarefied air of Tiffin is suffused with self-congratulation, the wheels begin to turn – and then they fall off the bus. One by one, scandalous blind items begin to appear on phones across Tiffin’s campus, thanks to a new app called ZipZap, and nobody is safe. From Davi Banerjee, international influencer and resident queen bee, to Simone Bergeron, the new and surprisingly young history teacher, to Charley Hicks, a transfer student who seems determined not to fit in, to Cordelia Spooner, Admissions Director with a somewhat idiosyncratic methodology – everyone has something to hide.
As if high school wasn’t dramatic enough...As the year unfolds, bonds are forged and broken, secrets are shared and exposed, and the lives of Tiffin’s students and staff are changed forever. The Academy is Elin Hilderbrand’s fresh, buzzy take on boarding school life, and a thrilling new direction from one of America’s most satisfying and popular storytellers.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
A year of scheming and romantic intrigue at a posh New England boarding school unfolds in this drama by best-selling author Elin Hilderbrand and her daughter, Shelby Cunningham. From eccentric newbie Charlotte Hicks and untouchable legacy Andrew Eastman to immature teacher Simone Bergeron and solid, put-upon school head Audre Robinson, everyone’s got secrets, fears, and insecurities. Meanwhile, everyone’s also wondering exactly how the struggling Tiffin Academy suddenly jumped from being ranked number 19 to the second-best boarding school in the country. Hilderbrand and Cunningham seamlessly weave backstory with the calendar year’s relentless advance. There are several different points of view, including the omniscient academy itself, and we couldn’t wait to discover people’s real intentions and motivations. This is a light, unputdownable story that’s perfect for the start of the school year.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bestseller Hilderbrand collaborates with her daughter, Cunningham, a recent high school graduate, for a dishy tale of New England boarding school life. It opens on fall move-in day, when Audre Robinson, head of school at Tiffin Academy, is blindsided by news that the school has jumped from 19th to second place in an influential magazine's rankings, eliciting suspicion from rival schools that board president and top donor Jesse Easton has committed bribery. Jesse's popular but wayward 19-year-old son, a student who goes by East, has carte blanche to do whatever he wants at Tiffin. Still, East pushes the envelope, forging a partnership with new girl Charley Hicks to build a speakeasy on campus, and flirting with beautiful 24-year-old history teacher Simone Bergeron. Meanwhile, the students—who include popular influencer Davi Banerjee—are captivated by an app where anonymous users share dirt on students and faculty. As pressure mounts on the school from an investigation into the ranking, explosive secrets come to light about Simone's past and her encounters with East, while Charley and Davi forge an affecting friendship. The authors employ catchy narrative devices, such as the gossipy collective voice of a clique of Tiffin girls and SAT-word-riddled posts from Davi, and they give the main characters plenty of depth. Readers are in for a treat. Agents: Michael Carlisle and David Forrer, InkWell Management.
Customer Reviews
Fun Read
If you’re a fan of books about boarding school drama 📓, rich kids 💳, and inconspicuous activities 🤫 then this book is for you!
Lots of characters in this book, which was hard to follow in the beginning, but overall was a fun and easy read. Definitely falls into the young adult category in my opinion.
Just ok
It was interesting enough to finish. I had no idea high school students drank so much and had so much sex. I doubt I will read any sequel. Reading about 16 year olds is not my favorite type of story.
Oh east
Slow start but the ending was perfection.