SYNOPSIS
She's a liar. A cheater. A murderer. And it's only her first semester.
Lia Setiawan has never really fit in. And when she wins a full ride to the prestigious Draycott Academy on a track scholarship, she's determined to make it work even though she's never felt more out of place.
But on her first day there she witnesses a girl being forcefully carried away by campus security. Her new schoolmates and teachers seem unphased, but it leaves her unsure of what she's gotten herself into.
And as she uncovers the secrets of Draycott, complete with a corrupt teacher, a golden boy who isn't what he seems, and a blackmailer determined to get her thrown out, she's not sure if she can trust anyone...especially when the threats against her take a deadly turn.
Title: The new girl
Author: Jesse Q. Sutanto
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication date: February 1, 2022
REVIEW
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐💫
After reading and LOVING “Dial A for aunties” last year, of course I had to read some of Jesse Q. Sutanto YA and, although in general I liked it, it didn’t came near her aunties series excellence. It probably wasn’t the book’s fault but my usual issues every time I read YA (it’s your typical “it’s not you, it’s me” conversation).
Lia has been granted a track scholarship to Draycott Academy, a prestigious boarding school. She feels she’s never fit in, and in her new environment she’s like a fish out of water. Soon she starts to uncover the school secrets and some of them will take a deadly turn, endangering her whole future.
With The New Girl I had the same problems I usually encounter with all these YA novels. I can never connect with the characters, and this time wasn’t the exception. On paper Lia had everything on her side for me to feel some kind of sympathy for her, but her stupid decisions over and over again made this a bit difficult. It was so frustrating!
The rest of the characters were even harder to connect with. They were your typical spoiled, entitled, rich kids with more money than brains. Talk about some toxic environment!
On the other hand it was good to see some representation in the cast of characters and the book addresses some interesting topics as privilege and racism. It also offered some insights into Indonesian culture and heritage and the conflict with Chinese-Indos, which I had no idea about.
The mystery had some unexpected moments I did not see coming and that held my interest for the most part. The audio performance was also good.
The whole story was a bit over the top, but fun and intriguing enough to keep you listening/reading. Besides, everything came together at the end, so that’s always a plus.
If you enjoy dark academia mysteries and YA, I’m sure you will like this one.
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