The Dollhouse Academy

By: Margarita Montimore

Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

From the national bestselling author of Oona Out of Order, a novel about two best friends and aspiring actresses who join The Dollhouse Academy, where stars are made and dangerous secrets are hidden

Ivy Gordon is living on borrowed time. For the past eighteen years, she has been the most famous star at the Dollhouse Academy, the ultra-secretive, elite boarding school and talent incubator that every aspiring performer dreams of attending. But now, at age thirty-four, she is tired of pretending everything is fine. In secret diary entries, Ivy begins to reveal the sordid truth of her life at the Dollhouse: strange medical exams, mysterious supplements, and something unspeakable that’s left Ivy terrified and feeling like a prisoner. Is something truly sinister powering the Dollhouse’s success?

Ramona Halloway and her best friend, Grace Ludlow, grew up idolizing Ivy. Now both twenty-two, neither has made much headway in showbiz until a lucky break grants them entry to the Dollhouse. They’re enchanted by the picturesque campus and the chance to perform alongside their idols—though nothing prepares them for the fiercely competitive training boot camp. When Ramona begins to receive threatening anonymous messages, it’s easy to dismiss them as a prank from a rival. Her bigger concern is Grace’s skyrocketing success, while Ramona falls ever further behind. As the messages grow more unsettling, so does life at the Dollhouse. Can Ramona overcome her jealousy and resentment to figure out what’s really going on? Will Ivy finally find her voice, before another young performer follows her catastrophic path?

With dark academia twists and enormous heart, The Dollhouse Academy is a novel about the complexities of friendship, our desire to be seen and understood, and the true cost of making our dreams a reality.

©2025 Margarita Montimore (P)2025 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Montimore does it again! This time she sets her sights on female friendship, creating a protagonist we can’t help but feel for. Add in a shadowy entertainment school-slash-studio, a headmistress with a god complex, plus a star desperate to escape, and you have all the ingredients for an unputdownable novel. The Dollhouse Academy manages to be both dark and feel-good, a story that demands your attention.”—Stephanie Wrobel, bestselling author of Darling Rose Gold and The Hitchcock Hotel

"Imagine the juiciest pop princess documentary crossed with the darkest David Lynch fever dream, and you’ll get some idea what Montimore’s smart, surreal new novel The Dollhouse Academy has in store. But as she masterfully shines a spotlight on everything from the costs of fame, to competitive female friendships, to the pleasures and perils of commodifying yourself, believe me: you have no idea where this wild ride is headed, and you’ll never look at your favorite celebs the same way again."—Layne Fargo, author of They Never Learn and The Favorites