TV ADAPTATION “THE PLAYERS’ TABLE” STARRING HALSEY AND EUPHORIA’S SYDNEY SWEENEY COMING TO HBO MAX“A pristine infusion of Gossip Girl and Netflix’s Elite, this prep-school thriller has it all: plaid skirts, secret societies, and a gripping murder mystery, but paired with an adept critique of the powers and privileges that goeth before the fall.” – ElleIn Gold Coast, Long Island, everything from … Elle
In Gold Coast, Long Island, everything from the expensive downtown shops to the manicured beaches, to the pressed uniforms of Jill Newman and her friends, looks perfect. But as Jill found out three years ago, nothing is as it seems.
Freshman year Jill’s best friend, the brilliant, dazzling Shaila Arnold, was killed by her boyfriend. After that dark night on the beach, Graham confessed, the case was closed, and Jill tried to move on.
Now, it’s Jill’s senior year and she’s determined to make it her best yet. After all, she’s a senior and a Player–a member of Gold Coast Prep’s exclusive, not-so-secret secret society. Senior Players have the best parties, highest grades and the admiration of the entire school. This is going to be Jill’s year. She’s sure of it.
But when Jill starts getting texts proclaiming Graham’s innocence, her dreams of the perfect senior year start to crumble. If Graham didn’t kill Shaila, who did? Jill vows to find out, but digging deeper could mean putting her friendships, and her future, in jeopardy.
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I’m such a sucker for elite prep school thriller-mysteries, and this is the best of them: darkly simmering and intense, with flawless writing and a narrator who makes it impossible to put the book down. I devoured it in one sitting, and I can’t wait to see what else this author comes up with!
An entertaining Young Adult read. Great for fans of Gossip Girl. Lots of high school angst, lies, betrayals, and secrets.
The protagonist Jill Newman is now a high school senior at the prestigious Gold Coast Prep. Along with her friends Nikki, Marla, Quinton, Henry, and Robert, she should be excited that they now rule the exclusive society, The Players. They are now the leaders of the privileged few. However, they cannot escape the fact that there should be eight Players, not six. But three years ago, on initiation night, Jill’s best friend Shaila Arnold was killed by her boyfriend and fellow Player Graham. Graham confessed and has been in prison since the murder. But now he claims he is innocent. So, what actually happened that night?
Jill is caught in the middle. Should she try to find out what really happened and possibly alienate her friends, or don’t rock the boat and get through senior year? As the story evolves and secrets are slowly revealed, we learn Jill’s true character.
I thought the book gave a realistic view of how teens deal with their issues and the decisions they must make to maintain the popular elite image. I loved the focus on female friendships and loyalty. I was kept in suspense trying to figure out who really did kill Shaila and why. The plot twists were surprising yet believable.
I AM OBSESSED!
Jessica Goodman wrote one of the summer’s most anticipated books and I am all here for it. They Wish They Were Us is an addictive YA murder mystery set in the backdrop of one of Long Island’s most exclusive and prestigious school for the most privileged, Gold Coast Prep. This is a book that you will devour for its secret society, hazing rituals, exclusivity, popularity and power of the privileged few.
Jill Newman and her best friend Shaila Arnold were selected to join an exclusive secret society called “The Players” with an incredibly vicious hazing ritual that one would die for, to achieve status and the opportunity to access information that would ensure an Ivy League standing. Well, that is exactly what happened three years ago when Jill’s best friend was murdered at the hands of her boyfriend Graham Calloway, who confessed to the murder.
Now it’s senior year and Jill is determined to make this year the best ever! She is now one of the leaders of “The Players” and enjoying the privilege status everyone is coveting for. Everything is going well until she receives a text message from Rachel, Graham’s older sister that claims his innocence. At this point, through Jill’s POV and flashbacks to what really happened leading up to the murder had my fingers flipping unable to put this book down. Amazing!
I loved that the writing delved deeper beyond the prep-school murder-mystery trope and explores female friendships, loyalty and grief. Goodman explores the harrowing consequences of belonging and keeping up the façade. Don’t miss this one.
They Wish They Were Us is the absolute perfect title for a YA mystery thriller that will leave you thinking, “thank god I’m not them.” Jessica Goodman seamlessly introduces us to a cast of characters that you will instantly feel a little unsure about. It’s impressive how she made me understand them despite their morally gray personas, all while building up a mystery “whoactuallydunit?” plot in the background.
Our main character Jill is dealing with the pressures that someone feels to fit in, because it seems better than the alternative of being left out. The pressures of any high schooler to do well, because someone is depending on them to do so. Add on to that the fact that the boy who admitted to murdering her best friend 3 years ago, is suddenly claiming he’s innocent.
Yeah. This one is a ride. I honestly enjoyed that it took time to understand Jill’s motivations in this story. This book doesn’t move at a quick pace by any means. It takes time to explore the prep school experience from the perspective of someone who knows the cost of fitting in and introduces you to The Players and other morally gray characters in Gold Coast.
Jumping from the past and present POV of Jill, subtle clues to the mystery are dropped and layers are built up to show us who Jill truly is. I will say that some of the transitions between past and present were rocky to navigate, but by the end I sort of adjusted to them.
All that being said, I thought that this was an entertaining read. I do feel that it focuses more on Jill and her friends involvement with The Players, and in the Gold Coast community in general. How they navigate and the choices they’ve had to make along the way. The mystery is important, obviously, but the stakes feel pretty mild considering the crime has already been committed. That’s all I really want to say without spoiling, but I highly recommend for anyone who thinks they would enjoy a mash up of Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl. I know that many people hate when books are compared to other series, but I honestly feel like that combination perfectly describes the overall vibe and bones of this story.
They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman is one of many YA novels set in a high school. But while most stories tend to be narrated by underdogs, this one takes the reader to the world of the “cool gang”. Those girls and boys everyone openly envies and who everyone dreams of being. But popularity has its price.
This book deals with an issue that has been getting more and more attention in the media: dangerous student initiations, peer pressure and constantly going over your own limits in order to gain some popularity. The story is very recognisable, even to those who’ve never been the prom queen. Jill’s narrative of dreams and doubts has echoed in most of us.
The writing is fast-paced and young, and the story manages to hold the attention of the reader by only giving one piece of the puzzle at a time to discover what happened during that horrible night. Personally, I wasn’t convinced by the way the flashbacks were handled. They were not clearly enough distinguishable from the present. Different verb tenses are used within the same paragraph to set the timelines apart, but that’s simply not enough when the reader is not yet familiar with all the characters.
Even though it’s meant as a teenage whodunit, the story doesn’t create a lot of suspense. You want to continue reading, it’s true, but it doesn’t keep you on the edge of your seat. And it really doesn’t help that the character descriptions give away all the eventual suspects as of the start of the story. But in general, this is a good book to relax with: no big emotions for the reader, but entertaining enough.
I love me a good YA mystery and I was really excited to read They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman. Not only is it a solid mystery, but I also loved the setting at a prep school and that it is about a “secret” society at said school. This was a very addictive and quick read that I was able to finish in just a couple of sittings. I also thought it was a really great debut novel, and I was a huge fan of Goodman’s writing style as well. The concept of the Players was pretty simple, and it was shocking how far some of these kids would go to remain in it. I loved the way we learn little by little what being one entails, and this book is chock-full of so much betrayal and a strong dose of lies. It also has some great twists and turns along the way and I don’t think I was fully prepared for the way it was going to end.
The audiobook was really good as well and also a great way to go if you are going to read this. The narrator is Kristen Sieh who I have listened to before, and I always enjoy her narration. I don’t know what it is about a book with mean girls, but I always seem to enjoy those types of reads, and They Wish They Were Us is full of them, along with some douchey guys as well. There were times that it was quite chilling and Goodman covers some very real and tough subjects. I loved the rawness to this one, and there are times it gets a little dark and gritty which I really liked. Jill is the viewpoint we have for the entire story, but it definitely took a while to find out what really makes her tick and what her motivations are. The jumps between past and present were great to give the reader a full picture of everything by the end and it was quite the ride to get there. I will be recommending this to anyone who likes a quick read, and fans of prep/private school settings!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
It honestly pains me to say that I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I hoped I would. There was quite a bit that drew me into They Wish They Were Us, namely the whole murder bit and the secret/not so secret society called The Players that the characters are a part of, BUT overall the book was just ok.
Don’t get me wrong, it was a quick read and I was totally hooked from the first chapter, but the plot was just ok and I guessed who Shaila’s real murderer was early on. Which, by the way, was a huge bummer because who did it isn’t actually revealed until the last 10% of the book, and you’re supposed to be like super shocked by the reveal and I was not lol
Anyway, it’s not a bad YA mystery, and definitely not bad for a debut novel, I just wish it was better?
Prep school group with mysterious rituals and secrets, a murder of one of their own, and the truth gradually comes out. This debut is amazingly well-written and told in intriguing past and present timelines effectively keeping me glued to the pages. The clues are revealed with a tantalizing slowness that reminded me of a Gothic mystery and the conclusion is oh so satisfying.
I received a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Author packs an intensive punch with this suspenseful and unpredictable YA thriller. It was a fast and easy read for me because the storyline was absorbing and I couldn’t find a point where I could let myself stop reading. The characters so realistically represent high school teenagers and the problems they face in the wake of pleasing their parents, keeping good grades and dealing with peer pressure. This is a chilling read where you aren’t quite sure what lengths someone will go to, to achieve the best grades, popularity and get everything they desire.
*****
If you want to be a PLAYER, which is a secret society that only Gold Coast elite freshman are selected for. One must try out and perform a list of secret rituals in order to be inducted to this elusive club. What comes with it isn’t only being a PLAYER until your Senior year but a whole world that opens up to you that helps you get the best grades, reach the best contacts, attend the best parties and pretty much ensures your success after High School. But when Jill Newman and her best friend Shaila Arnold make it their freshman year, only one of them survives. Because one of them is murdered. The killer confesses and is behind bars but when new evidence is found, it may be that the confession was coerced. That would mean that the killer is still out there and possibly one of the PLAYERS.
Becoming a player is a gamble. The rules are terrifying and your life may just be the very thing at risk.
This book had many twists throughout it. I really enjoyed it. I especially enjoyed reading the actions and reactions of characters as they developed from their first year to their senior year.
I absolutely loved this book!!!
I initially read a snippet of this book on BookishFirst and loved it! It was advertised as Gossip Girl meets One of Us is Lying and I totally agree. I would even add Pretty Little Liars to the mix. The partying, drama, murder, and overall darkness of this book made it a must-read for me.
This has a very interesting writing style that I wasn’t sure I liked at first but ended up loving. It walks through the events that are happening in present time, but the main character often has flashbacks to freshmen year, when everything went wrong. These flashbacks are crucial to understanding the present and putting together the past. As well, they really show just how messed up everything was and is.
The main character, Jill, is an interesting character as she struggles with who she is, who she wants to become, and who she believes everyone else to be. I like that we see Jill at the beginning of the book as she was and then towards the middle, we start to see the evolution. Part of me wanted this change to happen sooner in the book, but the other part of me really enjoyed how dark and dramatic the book was with an emotionless Jill.
I kinda wish we could have seen a bit more of character development with some of Jill’s friends. I partially understand why we didn’t, why Jill had to be the front-runner on this, but I still would have liked it.
Overall, it was a great book that gave a gritty and harsh look at how things are and how important it is to pave a new path. Just because things are a certain way doesn’t mean they can’t or shouldn’t be changed.
Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Overall, I LOVED this book. It is everything I’ve wanted in a book. If you know my book picks, you know I’m a HUGE Karen McManus fan. Her books make me want a whole genre for YA mystery books. When I saw They Wish They Were Us advertised on Books-A-Million, I knew I needed it, and I’m so glad I got it. The characters are great, the plot is fabulous, and the mystery is brilliant. Every time you think you solve something, you get thrown a curveball. The whole original idea of the Players is excellent too. It is original, and I really felt Jessica Goodman captures the age of her characters in a realistic way.
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