The good news is I'm still trash for mysterious and indulgent campus (boarding school, university) set stories. The better news? THIS MAY BE MY FAVOURITE OF THE VARIETY. At least, since S.T.A.G.S. and Truly Devious. (Also, before you ask, yes I'm excited for the adaptation and the inevitable newly drawn obsession.) 

They Wish They Were Us
by Jessica Goodman

A murder mystery set against the backdrop of an exclusive prep school on Long Island.

In Gold Coast, Long Island, everything from the expensive downtown shops to the manicured beaches, to the pressed uniforms of Jill Newman and her friends, looks perfect. But as Jill found out three years ago, nothing is as it seems.

Freshman year Jill's best friend, the brilliant, dazzling Shaila Arnold, was killed by her boyfriend. After that dark night on the beach, Graham confessed, the case was closed, and Jill tried to move on.

Now, it's Jill's senior year and she's determined to make it her best yet. After all, she's a senior and a Player--a member of Gold Coast Prep's exclusive, not-so-secret secret society. Senior Players have the best parties, highest grades and the admiration of the entire school. This is going to be Jill's year. She's sure of it.

But when Jill starts getting texts proclaiming Graham's innocence, her dreams of the perfect senior year start to crumble. If Graham didn't kill Shaila, who did? Jill is vows to find out, but digging deeper could mean putting her friendships, and her future, in jeopardy.

They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman
Review: ★★★★★

 As always, a copy of this book was provided by the author or publisher in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way.

Given the fact that I've been obsessed with stories in a similar vein to They Wish They Were Us for, er, most of my reading life, this book was kind of everything to me. It was a little bit reminiscent (though not even slightly a mirror of) Private which made the experience all the more nostalgic and enthralling; dripping with the same luxury as Gossip Girl, tangled with mysteries that will leave readers on the edge of their seats.

Jessica Goodman's writer takes readers on a wild ride. Verbally, it's kind of like being tugged by your collar to follow someone into the unknown. While the central mysteries and characters won't be for everyone, it certainly hits all the right marks for a specific target audience--it will be newer reader's Pretty Little Little Liars and Private. 

Reading They Wish They Were Us was a genuinely fun experience. I could NOT put this book down.

Suddenly, I felt as though I'd been thrust back into the days where I spent my lunch periods at school devouring any Kate Brian novel I could get my paws on instead of the greasy chicken nuggets that were served all too frequently. Much like how I feel in comparing Katharine McGee to Cecily von Ziegesar, Jessica Goodman's writing is a definite hit for fans of Sara Shepard and Kate Brian. Certainly, they aren't the same writers nor the same stories, but they strike a similar cord of indulgence and intrigue. 

They Wish They Were Us is one of those novels that is so compulsively readable, you find your day has settled itself in the narrative and before you know it you've read the entire story without moving. Vivid, mysterious, and a delectable, They Wish They Were Us is no guilty pleasure--it's a new obsession.