Summary (from GoodReads):Eli University junior Amy Haskel never expected to be tapped into Rose & Grave. She isn’t rich, politically connected, or . . . well, male. So when Amy is one of the first female students to receive the distinctive black-lined invitation with the Rose & Grave seal, she’s blown away. Could they really mean her? Whisked off into an elaborate initiation rite, Amy awakens the next day to a new reality and a whole new set of “friends”—from the gorgeous son of a conservative governor to an Afrocentric lesbian activist whose society name is Thorndike. And that’s when Amy starts to discover the truth about getting what you wish for. Because Rose & Grave is quickly taking her away from her familiar world of classes and keggers, fueling a feud and undermining a very promising friendship with benefits. And that’s before Amy finds out that her first duty as a member of Rose & Grave is to take on a conspiracy of money and power that could, quite possibly, ruin her whole life.
Thoughts: Amy is your typical college girl--smart, freaking out about the future, best friends with her roommate. She's chosen to be one of the first women in the most elite secret society at her already elite university. From there things go a little crazy. Friend drama. Boy drama. Secret Society drama.
The book is completely unputdownable. I read it in one sitting, taking breaks only to tweet about how much I loved it. It is everything I wanted it to be. It had me texting my best friend at 1am, demanding that we start our own secret society. I'm glad this is a series, because there were a few story lines that I expected to be resolved that weren't. The book still felt complete and whole, but I was very surprised on how the romance is resolved. I also saw a lot of set up for more drama with Amy's bestfriend/roommate that didn't get the payout I expected.
The only thing that made me uncomfortable was Amy's initiation into the secret society. They put her in a coffin, pretend like they are going to throw it in a pool, and basically threaten her with gang rape. It is a very realistic portrayal of the kind of thing college guys find funny. I thought it was something that should have been addressed, especially when it fit so well with the book's theme, but Amy let it go and I decided not to let it effect the rest of the book for me.
Moments I Loved: Amy shows up at her secret society interview, thinking she is being interviewed by a not-so-secret society for lit majors. She has no idea it is really Rose and Grave, the most elite secret society on campus, and she flips them off when she leaves.
WTF Moments: There is a moment when someone's own father makes them feel like complete shit in front of all their friends. Seriously, if that doesn't get a WTF, I don't know what does. Loved the end of the scene though. It really showed how much these characters had become a family.
Overall: I started this book before bed and ended up staying awake most of the night. Fun and addictive, I will definitely be reading the rest of the series.
Secret Society Girl gets a FakeSteph rating of...
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My pen pal is obsessed with this book series. Guess I really need to get on that then, don't I? (the reading lol)
ReplyDeleteAhhhh, that initiation is horrible. Eek! I will read these someday because Peterfreund.
ReplyDeleteYay! Another fan! I have reread this entire series about as much and as often as I've reread Harry Potter (which is a lot). The other three books are as unputdownable as the first one is. It gets soooo good!
ReplyDeleteI am totally on board with reading this! Great review, Steph!
ReplyDeleteSo definitely sounds interesting. What is it though about people who wear sweaters tied around their shoulders like that, kind of makes me feel like the girl on the cover is going to beat me up. Ya i'm weird
ReplyDeleteSold! Do you own this? How do you feel about me borrowing it? You feel good about that don't you ;)
ReplyDeleteHmmm, I don't know if I'd like these. Your raving all most convinces me to try it though.
ReplyDeleteYay! This sounds so awesome! I hadn't heard of it but it's definitely going on my to-read list. I assume this would fit into the "New Adult" category that everyone's talking about since it's set in college? Awesome! Excited to check it out!
ReplyDeleteLauren @ Hughes Reviews
You almost had me Steph! I was getting all excited thinking I've never read a book about a secret society (unless you include Dumbledore's Army)...until you mentioned the coffin.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest most paralyzing fear in life is being buried alive. I'm not sure I would survive that moment without puking on my book.
Oooh, I want to read this even more now! Great review, Steph!
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