The Ivy

September 6, 2010
Just because a novel is set at Harvard doesn't mean it has to be smart. Freshman Callie Andrews, a California transplant, feels out of place alongside her three
archetypal roommates: religious Dana, worldly Mimi, and edgy Vanessa. After her high school boyfriend, Evan, breaks up with her via e-mail, he reveals a past indiscretion, which Callie is certain would ruin her should anyone find out. The roommates rally around Callie, bringing her to parties and offering shoulders to lean on, but misplaced crushes lead to further betrayals. Interspersed are dispatches from Alexis Thorndike, a snarky columnist for a university magazine Callie desperately wants to write for. First-time novelists Kunze and Onur, who themselves met at Harvard, ratchet up the tension when Callie begins dating Alexis's ex, making her a target for Alexis; a cliffhanger ending sets up the next installment of a planned four-book series. Entertaining but predictable, the authors' portrait of Crimson life is full of benders, hookups, and scandals, making this a guilty pleasure, but also an empty one. Ages 14–up.

August 1, 2010

For Callie, getting into Harvard was easy, but fitting in is hard. The jeans-and-sweatshirts California girl finds herself thrust into a world of designer shoes and highly competitive extracurriculars. Guided by her chic roommates and new friends, Callie undergoes the rigorous audition system for one of Harvard's top social clubs and builds her portfolio for the Harvard Crimson. She also attracts a gorgeous upperclassman, but his ex-girlfriend is the one who decides whether Callie will make both the cut for the social club and the staff of the Crimson. Wicked games and salty dialogue abound as Callie transitions from laid-back mathematician to social climber. The characters possess all the nuance of a nor'easter, but readers will be too caught up in the action to notice. This first book in a series from two recent Harvard grads exposes a social side of Harvard that is just as competitive as its academics and has its own set of rules. Readers still in high school are sure to be intrigued by college politics and romances, not so dissimilar from their own but with much higher stakes. (Fiction. YA)

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December 1, 2010

Gr 9 Up-As one of the smartest students at her high school and a star soccer player, Callie Andrews is used to achieving everything that she sets her sights on, including acceptance to Harvard University. She leaves everything she loves-her parents, her best friend, her boyfriend-in California to follow her dreams in Massachusetts. There is a lot of smoking, drinking, drugs, and sex in the book; none of it is overly gratuitous and seems to fit in a story about kids leaving their adults behind to try their hand in the real world of higher education. Readers will get to know Callie as she navigates the tricky world of college with its rules (written and unwritten) regarding relationships, friendships, and memberships. Along the way, she deals with backstabbing best friends, upper-class girls who are out to get her, and feelings for a certain boy across the hall-not to mention that pesky sex tape that was made and distributed without her knowledge by her ex-boyfriend. This is a lighthearted and quirky read, and although the characters are a bit one-dimensional and an alcohol-poisoning situation is a bit glossed over, this is a good read for older teens.-Traci Glass, Eugene Public Library, OR

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2010
Grades 9-12 Two Harvard grads examine the lighter side of higher education in a frothy debut that makes college out to be just a higher-stakes round of high school. California girl Callie doesnt fit in with the labeled legacies that make up most of the snooty student body. Her more worldly roommates introduce her to the exclusive social scene, which seems to take up more time than actual classes. What they dont know is that Callie is hiding a scandalous secret that could ruin her new rep forever if discovered. Unfortunately, mean girl Alexis is determined to dig up that dirt, especially since her hot ex has fallen hard for Callie. The cliff-hanging ending indicates that the race for popularity has only been put on pause. Gossip Girls and A-Listers will enjoy the bonding, backstabbing, and sneak peek into some of Harvards secret social clubs, but the conspicuous lack of collegiate activity, other than dating and drinking, may leave readers, especially those striving for high-scoring SATs, wondering what makes an Ivy so different from State U.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)