Admission by Julie Buxbaum
Release: December 1st 2020
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Source: Netgalley
Synopsis:
From the New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me Three Things comes an of-the-moment novel that peeks inside the private lives of the hyper-competitive and the hyper-privileged and takes on the college admissions bribery scandal that rocked the country.
It’s good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer. She’s headed off to the college of her dreams. She’s going to prom with the boy she’s had a crush on since middle school. Her best friend always has her back, and her mom, a B-list Hollywood celebrity, may finally be on her way to the B+ list. It’s good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer–at least, it was, until the FBI came knocking on her front door, guns at the ready, and her future went up in smoke. Now her mother is under arrest in a massive college admissions bribery scandal. Chloe, too, might be facing charges, and even time behind bars. The public is furious, the press is rabid, and the US attorney is out for blood.
As she loses everything she’s long taken for granted, Chloe must reckon not only with the truth of what happened, but also with the examination of her own guilt. Why did her parents think the only way for her to succeed was to cheat for her? What did she know, and when did she know it? And perhaps most importantly, what does it mean to be complicit?
Admission Review:
A BIG Thank You to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for providing me an advanced reader’s copy of “Admission” for my review.
I had mixed feelings about this story. The premise had me hooked, about how a rich family gets into trouble and their lives fall apart from cheating on the college admissions process. It is based off the recent 2019 college admission scandal and had the potential to be a great read. As much as I wanted to enjoy reading it, I just felt disappointed.
What I liked: I liked the overall plot of the story and the way it highlighted the scandal. It was nice to see the story told between alternating chapters of “Then” and “Now”. One chapter would focus on the past which leads to the events of the scandal. The following chapter would move to the present situation post the fallout. Moreover, I liked how it highlighted the impact on the mother and how she would be struggling. I also liked Shola as the supporting character. In fact I pretty much liked her and Iris more than anyone else. They are strong, dynamic characters and their interactions with Chloe was intense.
What I disliked: I really did not like Chloe as the main character. There was nothing really wrong with her. But she just felt like a weak, spoiled and dumb character. In fact, I really did not like many of the characters, like Levi, and Hudson. Also, the author tells the story from Chloe’s perspective, which made it bland and repetitive. It would have been better if we got a point of view perspective from all the other characters, like the mom, dad, Iris etc. Also, I felt like the author dragged the story with unnecessary details. For example, I did not see the point of Hudson’s scenes in the hospital. It felt like reading one of those books where the author adds random information to fill the pages. I would have liked if it focused on what happened to Wilson instead.
Overall, I thought this was a good concept. Unfortunately, it was not my cup of tea.
