Book: Private
Author: Kate Brian (a pen name of Kieran Scott's)
Source: my bookshelf
My Summary:
Reed may be fifteen, but she's ambitious. She wants more for her life than what she was given, so she's taking the chance at Easton to become a better, more successful version of herself. Not to mention, she can finally leave behind the mess of a family that awaits back home on Croton, Pennsylvania.
Only problem is that her straight-A's seem to have been left behind when she moved, her roommate drives her crazy, not to mention the other girls in her dorm. Only highlights? Thomas Pearson, the older and more influential boy at school who becomes enamored with Reed, she still kicks butt at soccer, and then there's the Billings Girls.
Noelle (the bitchy leader), Ariana (the soulful, motherly one), Kiran (the model), and Taylor (the smartest girl at school with a bubbly personality). The rightful quartet that lead the Billings Girls, these girls are everything Reed wants to be, and she'll do anything to be one of them...
Review: Addictive with every word, Private is just like chocolate, a guilty pleasure that you can't get enough of.
Narrated in first person, we get to know Reed from the first page. She's one of those girls that's seeking better things, a better life, and Easton Academy is her answer. It's easy to relate with Reed, from her embarassing moments to her more confident ones. She is flawed, constantly seeking the acceptance of four girls who do, in a sense, everything they can to belittle her. She makes mistakes, but it's easy to want her to pull through in the end.
The other characters, like the leading ladies of Billings, are very intriguing as well. Brian manages to make them seem even a bit likable, despite the cruel measures they (at times) resort to.
Highlights: Private is a great start to the series, and Brian takes her time making her characters as real as possible. Plus, her writing is just addictive, and she's wonderful at creating suspense.
Lowlights: Maybe Reed's desperation...but I still love the suspense, romance, and mystery of this book and this series.
Rating: 
Wow..That is many books in the series. I might pass this one but it still sounds like a very enjoyable read. Glad you like it =)
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I've been wanting to read this for a long time.. it sounds like it will be an awesome series!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to read this! I've heard amazing things about this series and Private is one of the books I'm going to be reading soon :)
ReplyDeletehmmmm this sounds pretty good! maybe I'll have to give it a go. great review :)
ReplyDeleteOh, sounds so dramatic and scandalous! Haha. I'm glad you liked the book. I'll have to check out this series. It reminds me a bit of Pretty Little Liars.
ReplyDeleteAddictive writing? Nice, I love that :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome review. If haven't already told you, I really enjoy the way you structure your reviews. I LOVE the highlights and lowlights elements, really helpful!
ReplyDeleteI loooooove this series to pieces! Seriously addictive.
ReplyDeleteI thought the first several books in this series were really good. I've read 1-6 and for some reason I just haven't gotten around to reading #7 and on. Maybe I will get back into the series but after a while the same set of things start to happen over and over.
ReplyDelete