The Legacies by Jessica Goodman
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Web ID: 17302220Teen Drama and Mystery!
Teen drama, mystery, intrigue, a who done it? Yes please. This was my first Goodman book and I was not disappointed with how it went. Was it somewhat unbelievable, perhaps. Did the teens have a bit too much power, for sure. Did it matter in the end, nope. I went to private school for 10 years and, while it wasn't exactly what is represented in this book, I can definitely see things I experienced in the stories of these characters. I read this book in almost one sitting. The pacing and cadence were spot on. The characters were well developed. The relationships between those characters were somewhat unexpected. I enjoyed seeing the book through several points of view. This helped solidify what each character was going through and also see a different perspective of each character through multiple perspectives. The mystery was fun. I did figure out who it was that actually died prior to the reveal, but that didn't keep me from turning the pages to get to it and see how it happened. I will say, I can't see how such a big secret could be kept forever without guilt eating away at someone. But perhaps the point is what the characters have to live with to maintain their place in the society they have grown up in. Well, all except the one character who truly didn't seem to belong until she did. Overall, a page turner that kept me wanting to get to the end to see how things wrapped up. I'd delve into another Goodman book, given the chance.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
magnific
my friend let me borrow her copy because I was in a reading slump, and oh. my. god. its so good. I plan to buy all of Goodmans books when I Finnish.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
exactly what I wanted
This book was exactly what I wanted it to be! Flawed wealthy people drama...betraying each other, keeping secrets, telling lies, cover stories, blackmail, suspense...what more could you ask for? The murder mystery kept me guessing, and I loved the major plot twist--never saw it coming! I liked how the story was told from the three main characters' different perspectives and on different timelines. (The development of the other characters was a little lacking, but the main ones were the ones that mattered the most.) Tori was my favorite, as she struggled to fit in and make connections to improve her family's standing. I also thought her family were some of the most likable and relatable side characters. I would have liked to see those relationships develop even more. The ending was good, maybe a little predictable but it worked for the book.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Posh teen mystery
The Legacies is a young adult mystery about a group of New York private school teens that are nominated for a prestigious private club. On the night of the club’s formal ball one of the attendees is found dead after falling from the roof. The Legacies opens with detectives investigating a fall from the roof of one of New York City’s exclusive private clubs. As detectives begin their investigation the story is told in flashbacks of the days leading up to the ball. The new inductees include a group of teens from Excelsior Prep: Bernie Kaplan: school queen bee Isobel Rothcroft: Bernie’s best friend who is struggling with drugs and alcohol Skyler Hawkins: Bernie’s boyfriend Tori Tasso: scholarship student from Queens As Bernie tries to figure out why her glamorous mother disappeared days before the ball she is rocked by a series of reveals that involve their parents, greed and betrayal. The Legacies is fast paced and kept my interest throughout. Because the reader doesn’t know which ball attendee was the victim I found myself hoping it wasn’t any of the girls whose point of view we have been following but I can’t say I was particularly invested in any of them. Although it does remind all of us of the privilege that comes with wealth, connections and the right schools it wasn’t a deep or thoughtful novel. I’d recommend it to readers that enjoy mystery books about wealthy teens and their parents.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Loved it!
I have really enjoyed almost all of Jessica Goodman's books thus far, and this book is no exception. I loved The Legacies! Jessica just has a way of writing the perfect, easy to read yet intriguing mystery/thriller. The setting of a rich prep school has once again drawn me in to reading a book, it may be my love of Gossip Girl growing up, but I just cannot get enough. Write a book with preppy rich kids attending a private academy and I am immediately sold. Once again Jessica writes some great, complex and intriguing characters that keep you engaged with the story. I am definitely a reader who needs to connect with the characters I am reading about and this book did not disappoint in that area. As for the story and plot - amazing! Jessica Goodman has done it once again with The Legacies and I look forward to reading many more of her books when they release!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Slow burn mystery
This book reminds me so much of Riverdale, Gossip Girl, and Pretty Little Liars. Shows that I used to love to watch. A fun, slow burn who done it involving rich, young high schoolers and their parents. I found this book to be a very compulsive read. A great amount of tension and desire to keep reading late into the night. I had to know what was going on. I enjoyed the multiple POVs. It definitely added to the book. I did have a little trouble keeping all the different characters straight though. There are a lot of people to get to know, as they are all intertwined. The characters do lack a bit of depth because there are so many of them. I also liked the alternating timelines. I enjoyed seeing how the timelines came together in the end. I don’t think I’d refer to this book as a thriller. It’s more of a slow burn mystery. The secrets slowly unravel, but no big, thrilling moments occur. The ending all left something to be desired. It felt unfinished. I guess that as intensional by the author. Overall, it’s a quick read with an interesting premise. Just lacking a bit of depth.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
YA mystery
Nominated seniors participate in a week of events leading up to the Legacy Ball, a gala where they will be inducted into the exclusive and elite Legacy Club. The Legacy Club’s social circle opens doors to power and wealth but it also comes with secrets, lies… and murder. Despite the pacing of most of the book being fairly slow with the end speeding up significantly, THE LEGACY CLUB was overall a rather quick YA mystery read. It kept me turning pages as between all the lies and secrets, I couldn’t figure out who had been murdered until the reveal toward the end. Chapters flip flop between character narration and also time frame before and after the ball, though each is clearly labeled at the beginning so it was easy to keep things straight. Character development was lacking but didn’t bother me since the mystery aspect of the book held my interest enough. THE LEGACIES was an enjoyable YA mystery that I’d recommend. It had a lot of ‘Gossip Girl’ vibes. Thank you to Razorbill for the gifted ARC.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
So much drama…I loved it
Gossip Girl with a little bit of dark academia. You have Isobel, the artsy free spirited in denial addict. She’s keeping secrets. Bernie, the perfect it girl, clueless to all the secrets, and Tori, the queer outsider scholarship kid, with secrets of her own. Add in boy drama, absentee parents, extreme wealth, a secret social club and a murder; and you got yourself a delicious mystery. I appreciated the short chapters and the different view points each gave you of the situation. After reading one, you think you got it all figured out, and then you read the next and realize how much you really didn’t know after all. The characters were well developed and unique enough that the different point of views weren’t a retractor and never became confusing. You always could tell who was the character based on the environment and their inner thoughts. I would highly recommend this if you’re looking for a salacious YA mystery with just enough twists to keep you satisfied.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com