Reviews

The Debutantes by Olivia Worley

lollyreadspei's review

Go to review page

4.0

3.5/5

This is definitely YA- but that’s not a knock. It’s giving Pretty Little Liars but make it Mardi Gras, which was a fun ride. Like PLL, the plot is bonkers and not everything makes sense - but it was still fun. Will definitely be recommending this one to my high school kiddos.

mc_reader's review

Go to review page

5.0

The Debutantes, set in the vibrant backdrop of New Orleans, is a thrilling blend reminiscent of the intrigue of Pretty Little Liars and the suspense of Good Girls Guide to Murder.

The pacing and suspense were great, but a few twists were predictable. That did not take away from the story; it kind of added to it. You knew where it was headed but not how it would get there. The journey was worth it. I read this in one setting and wish I could read more.

The Debutantes is due to come out October 29th.


Thank you, Netgalley and St. Martin Press, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

lunargoddessera's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

sjbryson's review

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.5

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

agigliotti758's review

Go to review page

4.0

Really good mystery with an group of teen girls, and recent debutantes at a New Orleans Krewe sponsored event, searching for answers to a missing queen and a dead former queen. I really liked Piper, Vivian and April. A very unexpected and disparate group brought together to solve this crime. I also liked that as part of solving the mystery they also had the chance to discover, and try to take down, the rotten roots of a Krewe (a elite and selective group that is part of the Carnival and New Orleans history) that refuses to progress with the times. Their investigation was tense and intelligent. They each had unique skills that benefited the investigation in different ways. I did not enjoy Lily, the missing queen with secrets; she was spoiled and privileged and took advantage of, or tore down, nearly every other girl she interacted with. The adult men had a lot of major ick factor which made some of the reveals less shocking.
Worley continues to write solid mysteries and I’ll definitely keep picking them up.

nuttytwitchy22's review

Go to review page

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

jmackay's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

indeanna_jones1327's review

Go to review page

4.0

This was a fun read! It reminded me of a faster, shorter version of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. Of course the characters weren’t as developed with the whole story being just one book but they definitely all had their own personalities and motivations throughout. There were some twists that were a little predictable but more were very unpredictable! Definitely a quick exciting read!

chelsmarieantoinette's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

This one was pretty far-fetched. I love a good boarding schools/private school, privileged kids misbehaving plot and I love a unique setting. The Debutantes made me feel like I truly was in the middle of New Orleans with these bratty, rich kids, so 5 stars for atmosphere. BUT, 3 stars for believability. The tangled web was too much for these teens to really have been involved with. And speaking of the teens, I couldn’t tell the three main girls apart for probably the first 30% of this novel. And once I did know who was who, I couldn’t decide if I cared because they put themselves in such precarious positions to “solve the mysteries” which were the potential murder of one girl and the disappearance of another girl who none of the adults seemed worried about. I just couldn’t really suspend my disbelief enough to truly immerse myself.
Again, though, the atmosphere is great and maybe I’m just too old for a YA thriller these days.

euphpaige's review

Go to review page

4.0

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. <3

So I actually really liked this book especially because I haven't read a YA mystery in a while and for a time that was all I used to read. I loved the New Orleans setting and the light that was shed on some of the not so nice (racist) roots of the debutante world in the city.
I haven't been to New Orleans in a long time but this honestly made me want to go back bc I feel like I didn't appreciate it enough.
April was honestly my favorite character partly because I think I related to her a lot and because she was just so real.
I didn't really like Piper that much, I felt like she was so comfortable in her white privileged bubble, that she refused to believe that life and the debutante scene wasn't all sunshine and rainbows outside of that and it annoyed me.

I will say there was some of it that was a bit predictable, but I was also still surprised at the same time.