The Academy

A Novel

By: Elin Hilderbrand, Shelby Cunningham

Narrated by: Erin Bennett

From #1 bestselling author of The Perfect Couple, Elin Hilderbrand, and her daughter, Shelby Cunningham, deliver the irresistible, deliciously scandalous story of one drama-filled year at a New England boarding school.

It’s move-in day at Tiffin Academy and amidst the happy chaos of friends reuniting, selfies uploading, and cars unloading, shocking news arrives: America Today just ranked Tiffin the number two boarding school in the country. It’s a seventeen-spot jump—was there a typo? The dorms need to be renovated, their sports teams always come in last place, and let’s just say Tiffin students are known for being more social than academic. On the other hand, the campus is exquisite, class sizes are small, and the dining hall is run by an acclaimed New York chef. And they do have fun—lots of parties and school dances, and a piano man plays in the student lounge every Monday night.

But just as the rarefied air of Tiffin is suffused with self-congratulation, the wheels begin to turn—and then they fall off the bus. One by one, scandalous blind items begin to appear on phones across Tiffin’s campus, thanks to a new app called ZipZap, and nobody is safe. From Davi Banerjee, international influencer and resident queen bee, to Simone Bergeron, the new and surprisingly young history teacher, to Charley Hicks, a transfer student who seems determined not to fit in, to Cordelia Spooner, Admissions Director with a somewhat idiosyncratic methodology—everyone has something to hide.

As if high school wasn’t dramatic enough ... As the year unfolds, bonds are forged and broken, secrets are shared and exposed, and the lives of Tiffin’s students and staff are changed forever. The Academy is Elin Hilderbrand’s fresh, buzzy take on boarding school life, and a thrilling new direction from one of America’s most satisfying and popular storytellers.

Perfection

I all-caps LOVED Elin Hilderbrand and her daughter Shelby Cunningham’s THE ACADEMY, the first of a two part series. THE ACADEMY had all the charm of Hilderbrand’s Nantucket books set in the not-quite elite boarding school Tipton Academy. The idea for the mother/daughter book came from Shelby’s tales of her boarding school days. I’m not certain how much Cunningham contributed to the actual writing of this novel or if she primarily added plot and character development, but she’s well on her way to her own writing career with THE ACADEMY.

Told from the third person points of view of administrators, teachers and students THE ACADEMY, performed by the incomparable Erin Bennett, grabbed me from the first word. With the exception of one teacher, Simone, every character was sympathetic although imperfect. Simone was simply vile. I rooted for each character to come out on top.

I’m already counting the days until book two in the series comes out, presumably next September.

Returned not for me

This book was not a normal Elin H story or style. Just not for me.

Entertaining

Very entertaining and lighthearted read; very entertaining throughout course of audiobook and read well from audio standpoint

Couldn’t put it down!

Love the depth of the characters, you felt like you knew them by the end and were vested in the outcome. Well written and love that it was a mother-daughter collaboration. Highly recommend.

Slow start, but I ended up liking it

I love Elin H’s books! This one had some twists and turns, but ultimately turned into an interesting story that I enjoyed listening to!