"The Academy" | Reviewed by Tonya O'Connell

“The Academy,” by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham, is about the Tiffin Academy, its students, and staff. Tiffin Academy is a college preparatory boarding school that has consistently ranked low in comparison to similar institutions.

As the students move in for the year, amid the happy chaos of friends reuniting, selfies being uploaded, and cars unloading, shocking news arrives. America Today has just ranked Tiffin the number two boarding school in the country. This is a 17-spot jump from last year. How can this school have scored so much higher? The dorms are dingy, the sports teams always come in last, and Tiffin students are known to be more social and good-looking than brainy. However, the campus is beautiful, the class sizes are small, and the dining hall is run by a New York chef.

          Before the students and staff can enjoy the school's elevated status, they are hit with scandalous, anonymous stories on Zip Zap, a new app, which appears on phones across the campus. No one is safe with this devious app; everyone’s deepest, darkest secrets are out there for everyone to see—from Davi Banerjee, queen bee and international influencer, to Simone Bergeron, the new, young history teacher, to Charley Hicks, a transfer student who seems determined not to fit in. Everyone has confidential things to hide.

          As the year progresses, friendships are forged and broken, secrets are shared and exposed, and the lives of the Tiffin students and staff are changed forever. Central to the story are the three characters, previously named, whose confidences prove to be material that could trap and unhinge their school success.

         I recommend “The Academy.” The novel will take readers back to their school days, reawakening all the drama and secrets that come with that age. The novel will also remind readers of the true friendships developed during this chaotic but exciting time.

Buy the book.