The Ivies Audiobook By Alexa Donne cover art

The Ivies

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The Ivies

By: Alexa Donne
Narrated by: Phoebe Strole
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Enroll in this boarding school thriller about a group of prep school elites who would kill to get into the college of their dreams...literally.

"The Plastics meet the Heathers in this murder mystery about ruthless Ivy League ambition." -Kirkus Reviews

"Twisty and thrilling...boarding school murder has never been so much fun!" –Kara Thomas, author of That Weekend

Everyone knows the Ivies: the most coveted universities in the United States. Far more important are the Ivies. The Ivies at Claflin Academy, that is. Five girls with the same mission: to get into the Ivy League by any means necessary. I would know. I'm one of them. We disrupt class ranks, club leaderships, and academic competitions...among other things. We improve our own odds by decreasing the fortunes of others. Because hyper-elite competitive college admissions is serious business. And in some cases, it's deadly.

Alexa Donne delivers a nail-biting and timely thriller about teens who will stop at nothing to get into the college of their dreams. Too bad no one told them murder isn't an extracurricular.

©2021 Alexa Donne (P)2021 Listening Library Difficult Situations Literature & Fiction Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Racism & Discrimination Thrillers & Suspense Crime Discrimination Fiction Suspense Murder Dream Exciting Mystery

Critic reviews

"The Plastics meet the Heathers in this murder mystery about ruthless Ivy League ambition.... A thrilling boarding school story with a satirical edge." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Donne pens a thrilling novel set in the world of competitive, hyper-elite college admissions, combining romance, suspense, and mystery into one thrilling story that closes with a twist." (Booklist)

"Quick pacing, dark humor, and deftly drawn characters distinguish this satirical thriller from Donne." (Publishers Weekly)

"Donne unravels elite college admissions with a bitter blend of privilege, high pressure, competitiveness...and murder, in this twisty, page-turning thriller. A definite one-sitting read." (J.Elle, New York Times best-selling author of Wings of Ebony)

Featured Article: Get Lost in the Drama and Intrigue of Dark Academia


Both an aesthetic and a subgenre of fiction, dark academia explores morally gray characters with impious or evil intentions set against the backdrop of beautiful, hallowed, and unsettling boarding schools and university campuses. The dark academia subgenre encompasses everything from murder mysteries to horror and fantasy, so there's a little something in it for everyone. From angst-filled fiction to brooding novels, we've rounded up the very best listens.

Featured Article Get Lost in the Drama and Intrigue of Dark Academia
Unpredictable Twists • Engaging Storyline • Great Narrator • Satisfying Mystery • Perfect Voice • Easy Listening
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I loved this book; the characters were interesting, and the storyline kept me guessing. This was an exciting ride, and the ending was a surprise to me. Easy listening while I worked in my office during the day and even at night, I had to know what happened next. Definitely recommend this book.

Suprise! It's great!

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Storyline kept me engaged until the end. Makes the listener invested in where our main character ends up based on the choices she makes throughout the story.

Great Book

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The pacing keeps you listening long after you meant to! The end is just *chefs kiss*. This was my first YA thriller and it has opened up a genre door for me!

Consumed it in 2 days!

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A super fun contemporary YA thriller!! Love that it’s a standalone because I get tired of trilogies but I would love to see more of these characters. Good representation and thoughtful commentary. Addicting for sure.

Love love love

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This was a 4.4 for me. This had so many of the elements I love from YA thrillers. If you were a fan of AGGGTM, I think you will enjoy this too. Before picking it up, remember it is YA and full of teens making bad decisions haha This also gave me Gossip Girl vibes as well. It centers around a group of elites called the Ivies, they are attending a $65k/yr boarding school and shocker someone dies. The lies and schemes begin to unravel as everyone starts pointing fingers at each other. I was entertained and shocked by many of the twists.

Fabulous YA Thriller!

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I like the story line but there was way to much VS we had to throw in every little thing. I read to escape all the crap going on in the world not to her about capitalism sexism etc etc etc pretty much everyone was mentioned. Unless you are writing political literature leave it out of fiction it will make the book way more enjoyable

The book could be better if…

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Alexa has a nice entrance into thrillers! I didn’t realize this was a thing in Americans schools & how competitive it is, so that was interesting to read. I did find the main characters constant comparisons to the rich kids a little exhausting after a while & the why of the killer was silly, but I guess that was the point.
I liked the characters relationships but some could have been developed more.
I think the ending was little rushed & closed a lot of plot points abruptly but also a satisfying ending where I have no unanswered questions.
Overall I enjoyed it & finished it quickly. Plus I find Alexa’s YouTube channel very helpful. So congrats to all her hard work!

A fun read!

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This book was great- I was hooked right from the start and stayed interested due to all of the twists and turns. I am an adult woman and enjoyed this, but think it would also appeal to older teens.

Hooks you from beginning to end.

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I LOVED LOVED LOVED the ending. It was the sort you know in your head is the truth, but in your heart wish was different. The whodunnit wasn’t as strong as I wanted, but it was still pretty great. Almost so obvious that you can’t guess. YA is not usually my thing but this had all my fav mystery tropes and it did not disappoint. The performance was terrific too.

Super Fun Read!

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This book is definitely unputdownable and a great read. The narrator was easy to listen to which was a plus. If you like the movie The Heather’s than this is most likely a great pickup for you. Solid characters and great plot twists keep you guessing until the end

Do not miss this book

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