Private by Kate Brian

Reed Brennan’s scholarship to Easton Academy is her ticket out of Croton, Pennsylvania, where everything is ordinary and boring, and where her pill-popping mom resides. To outsider Reed, Easton Academy is both sophisticated and intimidating, and it’s obvious that Reed doesn’t fit in, but she refuses admit defeat and go home. And then she meets the Billings Girls, the most powerful, beautiful, smart, and successful girls on campus – not to mention elite. These girls are envied by every other girl in the school, especially Reed, who vows to be accepted into their inner sanctum. But her crusade for acceptance isn’t going to be easy, and any slipup on Reed’s part may put Billings out of her reach forever.

At first glance, the Private series may appear to be just another lame story about over-spoiled girls and their exploits. However, I found Private to be much better than that. The plot is rich with suspense and intrigue as Reed navigates the socially dangerous territory at Easton, but what really separates Private from other Gossip Girl knockoffs, is that Reed actually has a conscience; she’s not so ruthless as that she would do anything to get what she wants, and that’s very refreshing. The private boarding school setting may seem overused, but it’s really the perfect place for this story. I really liked how there was always an element of danger to the story, whether it was being caught outside after hours or a secret on the verge of being spilled. Private and the subsequent books its series are sure to thrill readers with their drama, secrets, and peek into the private lives of the young and elite.

Strangely, though Private is the first book in its series, it’s the last one I’ve read due to a bookstore mix-up when I first began reading this series (I started with the second book). I definitely recommend Private as well as the other books in the series as an intriguing and dramatic read.

Rating: 4.5

Review copy from BookDivas