The Ivy by Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur
Hardcover, 320 Pages
2010, Greenwillow Books
ISBN: 0061960454
Synopsis
Congratulations! You have been admitted to the most prestigious university in the world. Now what are you going to do?
Callie Andrews may not have money or connections or the right clothes, and she may have way too many complications in her love life, what with—
Gregory
the guy she loves to hate
Evan
the guy she'd love to forget
Clint
the guy she'd love to love
and Matt
the guy she really should love
—all vying for her attention.
But she has three fantastic roommates (best friends or her worst nightmare?) and a wholesome California-girl reputation (oops) and brains and beauty and big, big dreams.
Will it be enough to help her survive freshman year at Harvard?
Review
I loved The Ivy. Honestly, by page 4, I already knew I was going to read this book in one sitting. The Ivy is college life, ivy league style - everyone rich, famous and geniuses, or some mix of the three, or at least it seems that way. Can an average girl survive and find her way at an above average school?
I adored everything about The Ivy, from the secret societies (or Finals Clubs as they are called at Harvard), to the choosing of classes, to the parties (with authentic sounding drunken hookups), the friendships, the extracurriculars, and even the first use of pot. It truly brought back fond (and not so fond) memories of my less than ivy league college experience.
There was a lot of romantic prospects on the horizon for Callie. This felt very real, doing a fantastic job of showing the different ways guys approach dating. The book ends with a giant cliffhanger, regarding relationships, friendships, and the entire college experience that left me anxious to know how everything turned out. I desperately hope Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur have more in store for Callie because I'd love to continue the journey with her and her friends.
The Ivy is both relateable and over the top. It's a wonderful mix of scandal and heartbreak with fun, modern tech thrown in. Blogging, Twitter and Facebook are utilized and do much to remind readers they are experiencing the Harvard of today. Is this what Harvard is really like? I don't know. This book is so outrageously fun it really doesn't matter. The Ivy is definitely the best book about college life I've read so far.
Rating
This looks great! I love when books use modern technology especially when they are set in modern day. Thanks for the review! I'll be adding this one to my reading list.
ReplyDeleteWow. I honestly wasn't expecting this one to get such a good review from you. I'm really impressed that it did, though, and now I'm really eager to read it myself. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
ReplyDeletegreat review, this is actually one novel im really looking forward to!!! when its released here in the uk that is :o(
ReplyDeleteGreat review! Your enthusiasm is so contagious I've added Ivy to my list.
ReplyDeleteI love fun, addictive books like this! I don't blame you for reading it in one sitting - I've heard it's an excellent book! Fantastic review.
ReplyDeleteThis one looks really good! I have an ebook of this, but sadly, I get so dizzy reading ebooks and such so I might just give it away. LOL. Great review though! I'll definitely read it when I have a physical copy. :)
ReplyDelete@anjohnston - So do I. I think it can really help to make a book feel fresh and the I like the way the different ways of communicating information really bring the reader into the story. It's like updating the way older novels sometimes used letters and diary entries.
ReplyDelete@Natalie - I didn't expect to love it either. The YA I read is usually seated more in the paranormal and general YA fiction doesn't usually resonate with me. I thin it was the way college life was portrayed. It fit my own experiences so well that it felt like I lived it myself, but on a less scandalous level. I deeply related to it and I think books that effect me enough that I relate them to my own life are beyond awesome.
@The Readings of a Busy Mom - I hope it's available to you soon!
@Kittie Howard - Oh, fantastic. I did end up feeling very enthusiastic about The Ivy and I'm glad that came across well.
@Emidy - I've seen mixed reactions. Some people say that the way college life was portrayed was unrealistic and Callie was acting dumb a lot of the time. Maybe it was just the school I went to, but the drinking, drugs, and hookups were very realistic to me and most of the girls I was friend with in college (myself included) often did very dumb things during that time. I think adult's reactions to this book will have a lot to do with what their own college experiences were like.
@Jillian - How frustrating to have a copy yet not be really able to read and enjoy it. I hope you get a paper copy soon!
This looks like a good one. I also wanted to let you know that you have been given a blog award at my blog.
ReplyDeletehttp://abookgeek-llm.blogspot.com/
You had me at "authentic sounding drunken hookups" because, come on, those are always fun!
ReplyDeleteI love your excitement over this book. I feel like I need to read it now, but I don't even own it. That could be a problem. LOL
Great review!
ReplyDeleteI've been curious about this book recently!
@LLM - Thanks!
ReplyDelete@Missie - Right? You just don't see stuff like that enough in books.
@Marie - Thanks!
*le sigh* Although I enjoyed my college experience tremendously, I do wish I had lived in a dorm of sorts.
ReplyDelete@christina - Living in the dorm makes all the difference in the college experience. I went away to college, I went to community college and I telecommuted through online classes. Each was a very different thing, but going away and living in a dorm was truly THE college experience all the movies portray.
ReplyDelete