The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham (Sept 16, 2025) Thank you, @hachetteaudio for the advanced listening copy! #hachetteaudioinfluencer
The Academy immerses readers in the privilege, pressure, and secrets of Tiffin Academy, an elite prep school, across one turbulent academic year. The story begins on move-in day, with returning students still reeling from the death of a classmate the year before. At the same time, Tiffin rockets from the bottom of the top-20 prep school rankings to the number two spot—sparking gossip, suspicion, and new rivalries. Add in entitled legacy kids, influencers chasing clout, a digital anonymous gossip site taking over the student body, a too-perfect new student, and even a secret underground speakeasy in the school’s cellars…and that’s before we get to the faculty drama!
Living near real prep schools myself, I can say Hilderbrand and Cunningham nail the mix of wealth, entitlement, and under-the-table antics. Reading this often felt like watching a documentary crew follow the cast of Gossip Girl through a school year. There are a lot of characters and not much of a central plot – it’s more a chronicle of bad decisions than a traditional narrative – but if you love “rich people behaving badly,” this book has endless entertainment.
🎧 Audiobook Thoughts: At 13h 22m, Erin Bennett does an excellent job carrying the narration, but with such a sprawling cast, I think a multi-narrator production would have added even more dimension to the listening experience.
Book: 🌟🌟🌟
🎧 Audio performance: 🌟🌟🌟💫
🔥 Spice: 🌶️
Book Smart Kate 