Private

Fiction by Kate Brian and Julian Hope
Reviewed by Taylor T
Not in the NVHS Collection as of this post


Trying to escape her dreadful life in Pennsylvania, Reed Brennan’s wishes come true as she finds herself being admitted to one of the most civilized schools in the country, Easton High Academy. As she takes on new and difficult courses, she soon finds herself admiring the Billings Girls, or the prettiest, smartest, most popular clique on campus. She also meets new and exciting people when arriving, and as she walks towards her dorm, she casually bumps into a pleasant senior student named Thomas. Instantly, she knows she desperately wants to get to know this guy, and soon ends up doing so as she goes through her classes each day. While sleeping one night, a mysterious knock comes from outside her door, and soon she’s standing in front of the Billings Girls at three in the morning. “We have a challenge for you,” is all they say and, she soon finds herself sneaking into the chemistry room stealing answers for a test. As much as she knows what she is doing is wrong, she can’t help but be intrigued by the thought of fitting into this particular group. Besides that, she would have a “free ticket” to popularity and a spectacular future, and that was what she wanted most.

My favorite character would have to be Reed, because her personality and view on life is a lot like mine. She’s from a small town and even if she might make some bad choices, a lot of her desires would match mine if I was in her place. I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars because although the book set a good background for the other books in the series, it followed the same theme as many of the other “girly” books written. It also might start out slow, but the raging plot will make you think twice about what will happen in the end. As she goes through the year, Reed meets many of the right people but also fails to keep herself focused sometimes. But above all other thoughts, does she have what it takes to become a Billings Girl?