They Wish They Were Us

Product Information

The project, which was recently taken out by Endeavor Content, hails from Sweeney’s Fifty-Fifty Films, Jean-Marc Vallée and Nathan Ross’ Crazyrose. Freshman year was awful when her best friend, Shaila, was murdered, and Shaila’s boyfriend Graham confessed, but Jill and her friends have all (mostly) moved on from that tragedy. I love them, with my soul and EVERYTHING and maybe this is part reason why I get super pissed off when a book with a good plot sucks. I am sweating by the time we reach the auditorium, and when Henry opens the door for me I’m filled with dread. I listened to the audiobook of this one, which was a good way to experience it as I love Kristen Sieh as a narrator (She blew me away with An Absolutely Remarkable Thing and A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor) She gave Jill a believable voice in this tale.

The author did try to throw in some substance when wrapping everything up but it was too little, too late.It was interesting seeing Jill's perspective of everything she knew completely flip, and see her handle all the shit she went through. This is all well and good, I wouldn't mind the society being a little more public, except that The Players (the name of the society, cue eyeroll here), are actually the main fixture of the whole book. For example, her love for her brother and friends is commendable and I think many of us would react in similar ways she did if put in the same situation.

With so much wild and crazy behavior going on, I wasn't compelled to like any of the characters, including Jill. Slowly though, the author uncovers hints here and there about what happened leading up to their senior year and it made me hate them a little less. After all, she’s a senior and a Player–a member of Gold Coast Prep’s exclusive, not-so-secret secret society. Jill Newman is honestly why I enjoyed this book so much; she is a protagonist that I think everyone cheers for.Don't waste your time on this unless you are interested in losing a few of your precious brain cells. The culprit was pretty obvious to me from the beginning, but I kept reading to find out the reasons and events that surrounded the death. I didn't dislike Goodman's writing at all, she has a clear voice that I found enjoyable, youthful, and if the story had been better, I think it could've been fun. Putting her friendships, her future and her actual life on the line as she tries to put together the pieces of what really happened the night her best friend was murdered.

The Players has a cheesy and dated feel to it like the story would have fit better in the 1980s time period rather than now. The Players and their seemingly ENDLESS recruitment/hazing/initiation rituals are the focus for, without exaggerating, the first 200 pages. A pristine infusion of Gossip Girl and Netflix's Elite, this prep-school thriller has it all: plaid skirts, secret societies, and a grippingmurder mystery, but paired with an adept critique of the powers and privileges that goeth before the fall. A pristine infusion of Gossip Girl and Netflix's Elite, this prep-school thriller has it all: plaid skirts, secret societies, and a gripping murder mystery, but paired with an adept critique of the powers and privileges that goeth before the fall.She was pressured by her parents to be the best possible, get better grades, and eventually get into an Ivy League school. But now that we’re actually here, parked in the Gold Coast Prep senior lot for the first time, a shiver slinks down my spine. I liked learning about the different characters in the novel and seeing their little development (even though Robert had the least development).