The Academy

I finished the novel The Academy while on a recent jaunt to Las Vegas. (More on Vegas forthcoming.) The Academy is another page-turner by Elin Hilderbrand, and it's her first collaboration with daughter Shelby Cunningham.

I went to a book launch event with Hilderbrand back in September. She explained that she needed her daughter's insider intel when crafting the novel. Cunningham recently graduated from St. George's boarding school in Rhode Island. The idea for The Academy came when Cunningham shared spicy school tidbits with her mom; Hilderbrand knew they'd have to turn those tales into a juicy book. Juicy it is! There are dark parts, for sure, but there are a lot of fun details. Grownups behaving badly, kids pushing boundaries, posh campus vibes. It's the perfect novel for autumn.

There are some unfinished threads in The Academy, but there's a sequel coming. I'm waiting with bated breath.

AES