Blog Tour: Prep School Confidential

Prep School Confidential
(Prep School Confidential #1)
by Kara Taylor
YA Contemporary Suspense
July 30th 2013 by St. Martin's Griffin

Summary
 In this breathtaking debut that reads like Gossip Girl crossed with Twin Peaks, a Queen Bee at a blue-blooded New England prep school stumbles into a murder mystery.

Anne Dowling practically runs her exclusive academy on New York’s Upper East Side—that is, until she accidentally burns part of it down and gets sent to a prestigious boarding school outside of Boston. Determined to make it back to New York, Anne could care less about making friends at the preppy Wheatley School. That is, until her roommate Isabella’s body is found in the woods behind the school.

When everyone else is oddly silent, Anne becomes determined to uncover the truth no matter how many rules she has to break to do it. With the help of Isabella’s twin brother Anthony, and a cute classmate named Brent, Anne discovers that Isabella wasn’t quite the innocent nerdy girl she pretended to be. But someone will do anything to stop Anne’s snooping in this fast-paced, unputdownable read—even if it means framing her for Isabella’s murder.
  

My Review
When I signed up for this tour, I thought this would be a light contemporary with some suspense. When I read the first chapter I was afraid it was going to be a book I wasn't going to finish because of the direction it seemed to be going (language, innuendo, a spoiled rich girl...). I was pleased and surprised that things change when Anne moves to the Wheatley School. The book turned out to not be so light either.

What makes this a little bit of a heavier read is that the characters aren't exactly what they seem. I didn't like Anne at first from my first impression of her. It's when she moves to Wheatley and you really see inside her head, that my perception changed. She is actually very smart, can be quite sweet, isn't a bully and stands up for herself and others. I also liked the two guys she is attracted to, although I wasn't sure if she could trust them at first. I wasn't really sure of anyone through the first half of the book until I figured out who the murderer was. Then I just had to wait for Anne to figure it out, which she didn't until towards the end. Even though I knew who the villain was, the ending still surprised me. I also liked that the romance wasn't the focal point. Of course it played a large role, but Anne was more focused on figuring out what was going on and who killed her roommate.

The head and teachers of the school really annoyed me. I rather dislike it when individuals try to cover something up because it would look bad for their reputations and, in this case, their school. I was glad that Anne was trying to figure things out, although I wish she would have told her dad what was going on and what she had found instead of thinking she could handle everything on her own. Thank goodness she has a few friends, one of which made quite a big difference. There were a couple of intense moments, especially at the story's conclusion.

By the end I was completely invested in the story and the characters, who were each interesting with their own stories and roles. I couldn't put this down because I needed to find out what was going to happen. There also was another mystery that I know Anne will delve into that I'm assuming will be the focal point of the next book. She is going to be messing with some pretty powerful figures and I'm really curious to find out what will happen.

If you enjoy reading YA Contemporary Suspense, then I would definitely recommend this!

Content: Some language, violence, innuendo, and brief making out.
Source: Copy from tour host, which did not affect my review in any way.


About the Author

Kara Taylor has a BA in English/Secondary Education from Stony Brook University. She loves New Girl, sushi, and puppets that say rude things. It’s her dream to own a bakery someday.

Kara was inspired to start writing in part by her grandmother giving her Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and in part by her father’s bizarre antics, such as blow-drying his car. Her father looked like Borat in the 80′s.

Kara lives on Long Island with a Chihuahua named Izzy and a kitten named Felix. Her favorite authors are Gillian Flynn, Maureen Johnson, and Nelson Demille. She writes full-time, both on the PREP SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL series and on an untitled television pilot for Warner Brothers Studios.



Giveaways
 
There are two giveaways. One is for some swag, that I'm giving away, and the other is for a finished copy of the book that is tour-wide. Both giveaways are for US entrants only and end July 29th.
 
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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