Prep School Confidential by Kara Taylor

Prep School Confidential by Kara Taylor

Release Date: July 30, 2013
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Series: Prep School Confidential, Book 1
Rated: YA 14+
Format: eGalley
Source: NetGalley
Buy: Amazon ● The Book Depository
Goodreads ● Website

In this breathtaking debut that reads like Gossip Girl crossed with Twin Peaks, a Queen Bee at a blue-blooded New England prep school stumbles into a murder mystery.

Anne Dowling practically runs her exclusive academy on New York’s Upper East Side—that is, until she accidentally burns part of it down and gets sent to a prestigious boarding school outside of Boston. Determined to make it back to New York, Anne couldn't care less about making friends at the preppy Wheatley School. That is, until her roommate Isabella’s body is found in the woods behind the school. 

When everyone else is oddly silent, Anne becomes determined to uncover the truth no matter how many rules she has to break to do it. With the help of Isabella’s twin brother Anthony, and a cute classmate named Brent, Anne discovers that Isabella wasn’t quite the innocent nerdy girl she pretended to be. But someone will do anything to stop Anne’s snooping in this fast-paced, unputdownable read—even if it means framing her for Isabella’s murder.

I loved the idea of rich kids and a murder mystery once more! I will admit– this sounded a lot like The Liar Society at first, and I thought it was going to be one of those cliché boarding-school-solve-the-murder-mystery type of books, but I'm glad that I was wrong. This book was great, enthralling, had two cute boys...so what more could you ask for?
Kara Taylor can pretty much get into the mind of a teen. I totally felt that I could have narrated the book and the teen-language would be pretty much accurate. There aren't all too many authors who can actually do that, who could actually literally make the teenaged characters believable, but I thought she'd absolutely nailed it.

Hands down, I was a fan of Anne from the start. Her commentary throughout the book was hilarious, and I liked that even though she's quite rich, she still doesn't end up fitting in at an elite boarding school... because everyone else is richer than her! Sarcasm, no tolerance for the queen bee, rebelling against proper school conduct: a loveable heroine.
I'm a sucker for a good love triangle, and I'm tellin' ya– this one was good. Anthony and Brent. Even though I knew whose side I was on from the start (BRENT!), I still thought that this was a strong one and could have gone either way. Anthony was great, but I guess I was just rooting for Brent a little more. I do like good guys better than bad boys!

The mystery was classic "whodunit?" and I had my suspicions from the start when the killer is revealed. The book really twists around and around and around so that you don't know who it could really be and in the end, practically anyone could be a suspect. It was really that difficult to guess until the murdered was finally put up front.
I thought the end was fantastic, because it opened up the door for the second book, and now I can't WAIT for it. 2014 is still a while away, but I definitely will be first in line to read it.

Murder, lies, deceit– all of the usual elements in a not-so-typical story. Definitely a unique turn from the young adult murder mysteries now days, and I'm glad I got the chance to delve head-first into this one. Kara Taylor's debut was deliciously deadly, and I gobbled it up hook, line and sinker. Can't wait for Wicked Little Secrets!

If you like this, try...

• The Liar Society by Lisa & Laura Roecker ● Goodreads
• New Girl by Paige Harbison ● Goodreads