Genre: YA Thriller
Series: N/A
Hardcover, 336 pages
Publication: July 25, 2023 by Razorbill
Source: I received a review copy in exchange for a honest review.
Buy|AMAZON|B&N|
Source: I received a review copy in exchange for a honest review.
Buy|AMAZON|B&N|
Old money. New secrets. One killer party.
Scoring an invitation for membership to the exclusive Legacy Club in New York City is more than an honor. It gives you a lifetime of access to power and wealth beyond any prep school doors and guaranteed safety and security as Legacy Club members always look out for their own. That is, after you make it through a rigorous week of events and the extravagant gala, the Legacy Ball.
So it’s not surprising when Excelsior Prep seniors Bernie Kaplan, Isobel Rothcroft, and Skyler Hawkins are nominated as Legacies; their family pedigrees have assured their membership since birth—even if they're all keeping secrets that could destroy their reputations. But scholarship kid from Queens Tori Tasso? She’s a surprise nominee, someone no one saw coming. Tori’s never fit in this world of designer bags, penthouse apartments, and million-dollar donations. So what did she do to secure her place?
The night of the Legacy Ball is supposed to be the best night of these seniors’ lives, a night of haute couture, endless champagne, and plenty of hushed gossip.
Everyone expects a night of luxury and excess. No one expects their secrets to come out. Or for someone to die trying to keep them hidden.
MY THOUGHTS
The Legacies is a standalone YA mystery thriller with
the perfect vibe of Gossip Girl. The story is centered around four
Excelsior seniors leading up to the Legacy Club Ball, an event that will
shape their entire future. The book jumps back and forth through time
and multiple POV of the three main heroines,
Bernie the “It” girl, Isobel the “sidekick best friend” and Tori the “scholarship girl”. The Legacies opened up with a murder that shook high
society to its core, as readers discovers alongside the characters what
transpired and the identity of the victim as they navigated: lies,
betrayal, secrets, blackmail…all in the name of The Legacy Club.
I’m
normally not a fan of multiple point-of-view but in the case of The
Legacies, it worked and was integral to the story. Readers were able to
see more depth and exactly what the characters were thinking because
most of the time, what we think we see and know on the surface isn’t the
entire story. The girls couldn’t be more different, all nominated to
the club for different reasons but all with the same goal. The Legacy
club is the key to opening doors that are only available for the select members. Because it's not how or what you do but who do you know.
I
enjoyed The Legacies more than I expected to. The first page set the
tone of the book and I was hooked right away. The story flashed back
before the Legacy ball and after, sprinkled with interview snippets as
we pieced the puzzle pieces on the victim’s identity and people’
motives. The mystery aspect had me on the edge of my seat with endless
twists and turns I didn’t see coming! Goodman’s writing and storytelling
kept me engaged the entire time, adding enough bread crumbs along the
way to entice reader resulting in a satisfying conclusion. Its been
awhile since I’ve read a standalone and I forgot how nice it was to
reach the end with things all tied up and completed.
