The Academy: A Novel (The Academy Series Book 1)
4.1 | 12,254 ratings
Price: 14.99
Last update: 01-27-2026
Product details
- ASIN : B0DSVHBKVF
- Publisher : Little, Brown and Company
- Accessibility :
- Publication date : September 16, 2025
- Language : English
- File size : 2.9 MB
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 428 pages
- ISBN-13 : 978-0316567909
- Page Flip : Enabled
- Book 1 of 1 : The Academy Series
- Best Sellers Rank:#25 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Coming of Age Fiction (Kindle Store)
- Mothers & Children Fiction
- Women's Friendship Fiction
- Customer Reviews:4.14.1 out of 5 stars(12,254)
Top reviews from the United States
- A. Steven TobyPrioritiesYou’ll have to read the book to understand the title of this review. Explaining it would give away an important plot element.
This is an abnormal book for me, a senior citizen with interests in ancient history/archaeology and naval action/adventure. It’s a coming of age story set in an elite private school (fictional) in western Massachusetts. I’m not even a preppie, I’m a public school boy from New Jersey but growing up near New York I had some idea of the allusions to people and places sprinkled freely throughout the story.
Setting a novel in a school is nothing new. Two novels I had to read in English classes, A Separate Piece and Catcher in the Rye, owe a lot to that environment. I didn’t like either of them. Little Men and Little Women, which I mostly enjoyed, have a similar background but from the 19th century.
A school, like a ship, is enclosed so characters can interact without interference. And this one is a complex web of relationships fueled by ambition, sexuality, and greed where something seems to be happening on every page. Unlike A Separate Peace, this book has something positive to say. Even though some of the students have been sent by parents who couldn’t be bothered to care for them, others chose a private boarding school to escape problems in their home lives. Heck, half the world’s navies were manned by teenagers who ran away from home! There’s teenage angst here but also romance. It’s fast moving even though it’s not short. It’s organized by the action taking place in one academic year, in a sort of Aristotelian dramatic unity.
For mature readers there’s millennial slang to contend with but it’s a worthwhile read. - sharon f. leffPrivileged, Entitled, and Pressured!While this world of elite high school boarding schools exists for most outsiders, those unable to even imagine these costs, the world seems unimaginable as it is unattainable. However, while the setting is almost a character in the story, the conflicts increase and thicken the plot when the impact of a social media app, a version of a tik tok takes hold of the student body, faculty, and administration. Secrets become exposed fracturing relationships and threatening careers.
The characters reflect the range of youth, the needs, reasons, and impacts of such boarding schools. And the pressures of the school are shown.
Not to spoil the story, but the contents of one letter are not revealed.
Worth a read. - Joanne MNot as good as usualNot her usual style heavily influenced by her daughter’s contribution, younger perspective, maybe trying to attract younger readers. Found it very unbelievable with certain aspects of the storyline and boring. Enjoy Elin’s other books totally, love them usually, so this was a disappointment.
- Nicole M. NealeElin never disappoints!Another hit from my favorite author!!
- Always Got a BookGlad I stuck with it!I've read all Elin's books and, for the most part, have loved them all.
I was expecting this one to be different to the beloved Nantucket books (I mean, how could it not be?) but, even so, I found the story difficult to get into.
However... I'm so glad I kept reading! It turned out to be a great story with relatable characters and by the time I was a few chapters in, I was hooked.
The only reason I haven't given a 5* rating is because I found the constant explanations of certain words distracting and unnecessary.
And, for the reviews which infer that the sex scenes are somewhat inappropriate for a mother and daughter team to have written, all I can say about that is that I think they show what a fantastically close relationship they must have.
All credit to them!
Edited to add: I forgot to say that I was a little disappointed that the reader doesn't find out what the email attachment that features quite heavily throughout the book is. I guess it's part of the set-up for book two? Whatever, it was a bit of a let down, although I still enjoyed the book. - John Kobylarzlove itLots of characters to keep up with , but great read, challenge me to also look up a few words, which I always love.
- Stephanie Keittthe ending didn’t end?So many loose ends in this book. The unopened file from Cinnamon? The mystery around her death? There were too many characters and not enough depth into them. Still a good read.
- Gloria DippiSuspensefulThis was a well written storyline. I highly recommend it!