Poisoned Ivy by Ava Rani (Oct 17, 2025) Thank you @authoravarani and @ingram_books for the gifted print copy! Billed as equal parts passion, privilege and mystery – it more than delivers!
Malena Amin is living a double-life. Her controlling parents demand relentless perfection and total focus on her academic success in service of the medical career path they’ve set forth for her. Mal also wants to have a life and have fun. She has a burner phone so that the phone her parents track her with can always be in the apartment she shares with her best friends (whom her parents disapprove of). She writes for the school paper, which her parents think is a waste of time, and she hooks up with guys – but no strings, ever. Then there’s fellow newspaper writer Conrad Hastings, who can wear a sweater. He is almost as absurdly rich as he is handsome. And he has the key to her next story – access to an elite secret society. She’ll even share the byline. But soon they discover a mystery amongst the secret passages of the secret society and as they work to solve it, they each begin to feel seen for the very first time. And their electric chemistry becomes impossible to deny.
This is everything I want in a college romance – found family friendships, decadence, shenanigans, deep connection, some sports – he’s a rower, and emotional growth. PLUS – there’s a really fun art forgery mystery. There is definitely a lot of rich people privilege in this one, but the characters are multi-dimensional and they do good with their privilege. I loved the book and I’m thrilled that it is the start of a series. The second book was teased in this one and I cannot wait to get into the tale of Mal’s roommate and her bodyguard.
🎧 Audiobook Thoughts: If I haven’t already convinced you to read this book, here’s one more enticement: An absolutely perfect DUET narration by Connor Crais and Soneela Nankani. It is SO GREAT. (11h 44m)
Book: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🎧 Audio performance: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🔥 Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Book Smart Kate 