Ein Buch, das mich von der ersten Seite an mitgerissen und beeindruckt hat. Wir bekommen eine spannende Geschichte, einen möglichen Mordfall, verschiedene Erzählperspektiven und dürfen sowohl in der Gegenwart als auch in der Vergangenheit nach Hinweisen suchen. Dabei müssen wir nur aufpassen, uns nicht selbst in Gefahr zu begeben. ⏳ Für gewöhnlich mag ich diese krassen „High Society“-Bücher nicht ganz so gerne, aber hier hatte das Ganze seinen ganz eigenen Charme. Mich hat das Buch wirklich überzeugt und ich kann es mit gutem Gewissen weiterempfehlen.

Clearly the author has never ridden a motorcycle because what does she MEAN they listened to the radio while on the highway?? A thriller with dark academia vibes that had a good concept but feel apart after the 40% mark with a very obvious "mystery". The first half was well done, I was intrigued and read it in one sitting. Unfortunately it couldn't keep the momentum going and the pace started to feel really sluggish. Several parts felt like unnecessary filler, probably in an attempt to keep the suspense going while accomplishing the opposite. I was also confused and a bit put off by the obvious red herring at the 80% mark that was more akin to slapstick writing. Seeing as the setting was at Princeton and dealt with "elite societies" it was clear to me that there would be entitled rich people that do heinous acts because money, power etc. but unfortunately none of them got any deserved comeuppance. The main character especially is allergic to self-reflection and believes that being an accomplice is fine as long as you heavily judge your contractor and you're "just getting paid to do a job, not instigating the bad stuff"... make it make sense.

Clearly the author has never ridden a motorcycle because what does she MEAN they listened to the radio while on the highway?? A thriller with dark academia vibes that had a good concept but feel apart after the 40% mark with a very obvious "mystery". The first half was well done, I was intrigued and read it in one sitting. Unfortunately it couldn't keep the momentum going and the pace started to feel really sluggish. Several parts felt like unnecessary filler, probably in an attempt to keep the suspense going while accomplishing the opposite. I was also confused and a bit put off by the obvious red herring at the 80% mark that was more akin to slapstick writing. Seeing as the setting was at Princeton and dealt with "elite societies" it was clear to me that there would be entitled rich people that do heinous acts because money, power etc. but unfortunately none of them got any deserved comeuppance. The main character especially is allergic to self-reflection and believes that being an accomplice is fine as long as you heavily judge your contractor and you're "just getting paid to do a job, not instigating the bad stuff"... make it make sense.

Maya returns to Princeton for her little sister, Naomi's, graduation party. But it turns into a nightmare with the news of her sister's death. Everyone claims it had been an accident, but Maya starts to investigate the case by herself and uncovers far more than just secrets about the societies, but more lies and fraud that had killed more than just one person.

I pretty much swallowed this book in a few days, because it was so gripping. The changes between Maya in the present and looking back at Naomi's actions before she died changed perspectives on new realizations every time. However, because of the repeating characters in both povs I sometimes struggled with which person I was just experiencing the story. Definitely read the book without trying to figure out who the killer was and the twists and turns really led me astray till almost the end. All the topics touched upon from discrimination, hate, racism, homophobia and the superiority thinking in student societies made it for me a book I would recommend to everyone, who likes dark academia and the ugly truth of how much power one person can hold till others have to suffer because of it.