Book Description 

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.

My Review 

The sequel to this book comes out in a couple of days, and I am just now realizing that I have not reviewed the first book in the series. Boarding school books have always been my favorite genre for almost my entire life, so of course I was intrigued by the premise of this book. 

The book takes place over the course of an entire school year and features a truly remarkable number of point of view characters, each with a unique perspective to offer. 

One of my biggest pet peeves about boarding school novels is when authors get things wrong. I know there are going to be unique elements at any given school, but there are also many truths universally acknowledged, if you know what I mean. As Miss Cunningham is an alumna of St. George, this book nails the boarding school vibe. 

The plot held my interest, with all sorts of juicy secrets and scandals. I read this for the first time as a Buddy Read with a coworker because I had gotten a copy after waiting months on hold at the library only to jump to the front of the library queue immediately after my purchase. Since I was in possession of two copies, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to share with my coworker. We both tore through this book and thoroughly enjoyed it.  

I am relieved that they made a point of mentioning that one character was held back twice and is therefore a 19 year old 5th former (junior) because his plotline includes some elements that cross lines but do not break the law. 

They do not specifically mention at the end of the book that it is the first book in a series, so I was somewhat confused when the book ended with so many loose ends… like what’s in the Google Doc. IYKYK. Needless to say, I was thrilled to bits when I found out there was going to be a sequel. 

I would absolutely recommend The Academy. I have read this book multiple times, including listening to the audiobook at least twice. My only complaint about this book would have to be that the audiobook only has one narrator and I think it would have made much more sense stylistically to have a full cast reading with each character having their own narrator. But aside from that, this is such a good book. It’s written in an easily accessible style that makes it perfect for a casual read. My last thought is that although this book features high school kids, it is not intended as a YA book.