They Wish They Were Us

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The book centers around a group of students in an elite New England Prep school. They call themselves "The Players" and they are the cream of the crop, the most revered, the smartest and most privileges ones. They are tapped as freshmen and complete an elaborate year-long hazing ritual that culminates in an initiation. Jill is now a senior Player, but during their freshman year her best friend Shaila died during the initiation ceremony. Another Player, Graham, was arrested for murder, but three years later he is claiming innocence. What really happened that night? and i know I’M coming across a little bitchy spice about this, but just think of me as a big dumb puppy nipping playfully at a book that wasn’t all i’d hoped, but is perfectly fine. having been spoiled by some of YA’s edgier offerings, i found this one a little more Y than i typically dig. the whodunnit is pretty predictable, the fact that so many adults are invested in the game and complicit in the whole system is a little goofy—when a player is shunned, word spreads, and they are scorned not just by current high-schoolers but also grown folks who should have matured out of such pettiness, and surely some college deans would value actual academic merit over cheating cliques, regardless of what they themselves did in high school.

Something I did love were the characters. They were so different and multifaceted, something that isn’t usually covered so well in a clique-y book like this. Everyone assumes that the popular kids are the popular kids and the chess girls are the chess girls and the nerds are the nerds. That’s just them. But they are not and we are not. Fast-paced and completely consuming—I was swept into this riveting mystery from beginning to end. They Wish They Were Ussmartly explores the complexities of friendship, the secrets and lies buried under the picturesque façade, and the ultimate cost of perfection.”

The real killer was predictable. Goodman tried to make us think it was someone else, but come on now, we're not foolish. I wish that there was just more put into this novel. I feel like there could have been just more ✨creativity ✨ put into this novel. I couldn't stand how ignorant and privileged most of the characters were in this novel (especially Jill). Like, the only characters who weren't in a privileged bubble were Marla and Quentin.

Good morning, Gold Coast,” Headmaster Weingarten bellows. His bowtie is slightly askew and his salt-and-pepper mustache looks recently trimmed above his pointy chin. “I see many new faces among our ranks and I want to say welcome from the bottom of my heart. Join me.” The pacing was beautiful. I was in a reading slump when I read this book and I zoomed through this. Then I rubbed my eyes and read it again and as soon as Choo Choo sounds of frustration train and retro dance images of Kylie Minogue singing Loco Motion, I realized this must be right book but it’s not the right book for me! And everyone believes the police( of course) but then 3 years later, new evidence is brought to light which clears away Graham leaving Jill with the unsettling fact that one of her own people murdered Sheila.It took me awhile to figure it out if Graham was actually innocent or guilty. But I was a little underwhelmed when I found out exactly what happened, which is why I lowered it to 4 stars. But other than that this book was an interesting, heart poundingly good read! ⁣ The murder of Shaila was blamed on her boyfriend Graham, while Jill and the rest of her squad tried their best to move on. Now Jill is a senior, ready to lead the Players and enjoy her last year at Gold Coast Prep, but suddenly Jill gets a text warning her that Graham might be innocent. Her world turns upside down and Jill has to decide between finding justice for her best friend and enjoying her senior year, pretending that Graham is the one to blame. and yes—some of the pops are more intense than these, including the one that led to shaila’s death, but for the most part it's silly stuff the achievement of which doesn’t seem commensurate with the supposed rewards of being a player. One of my favorite things about They Wish They Were Us is the concept of the Players. It’s sort of a secret society, with the exception that it’s not that secret. Everyone wants to be a Player, to be admired by everyone and to be the best at everything, just as well. I really liked how they were introduced and the rules the author set for this little group, too. I thought that was such a great concept overall and well-played into the story. Interesting Plot? Yes. Not very original, not going to lie, but it was intriguing. But did it deliver?