The Ivy (The Ivy, #1) by Lauren Kunze with Rina Onur
Reading Level: Young Adult
Release Date: Available Now
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Pages: 320
Source: Received from publisher for honest review
Summary: 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?
My Review: Lauren and Rina's The Ivy, initiated a sensational glimpse into the esteemed reputation of Harvard University. With a glamorous outside and an underlying element of cunning behavior, this debut knocked my socks off. The intensity and raw depth behind the story was an immensely pleasurable experience. The characters eccentricity was evident from the first introductions, thus, helping me build connections on different levels. Callie, a naturally beautiful girl from California was an easy individual to understand. The students there supplied an affluent appearance, while Callie expressed herself as simple and low maintenance. My favorite aspect of the novel, were her roommates. Each and every one of them brought something new to the table. There sarcastic and laugh out loud remarks continually surfaced from start to finish. However, all these girls can't live in one dorm without some drama! Sometimes, personalities aren't what they seem, females can be so damn catty. I found myself feeling bad for the on-going trust issues among her roommates and other "acquaintances."
Besides that drama, Callie unexpectedly fell into a pool of drool worthy guys all fighting for her attention. I mean, wow, Clint and Gregory were sizzling hot. Gregory came across as an excessively cocky and egotistical bastard. While, Clint was the sweet and classy guy who treated her well. Yet again, I found myself falling for the badass. I don't know what it is, the guy's who deserve a punch in the face, call my name in YA books. All throughout The Ivy, each direction Callie took, her life was in shambles. It was bad enough she had schoolwork but also had to look out for backstabbers and a secret that was continually haunting her. By the end of the book, I was flabbergasted at the cliffhanger. I simply am dying to get my hands on the sequel, Secrets. I definitely feel a lot of things will start blowing up and I can't wait to see it happen! Just a little warning for my young readers, this book contains sexual content, drinking, drugs and well anything that you think goes on behind college doors. However, being a twenty-five year old I was happy to see all these grown up factors. Love drama and hot boys? Pick this up!
My Rating: 
(4.5)
(4.5)Author's Info:
Lauren Kunze grew up in Piedmont, California, and is the author of The Ivy. She enjoys reading, running, theater, writing bad poetry, and making Rina read her writing. At Harvard, Lauren studied English and neurobiology, and she has indefinitely deferred graduate school to focus on creative writing.
Rina Onur grew up in Istanbul, Turkey and collaborated on developing the storyline for The Ivy. She enjoys traveling, new restaurants, the Mediterranean coast, and reading Lauren's writing. After majoring in Economics at Harvard, she has worked at investment banks and in private equity management, where she comes up with story ideas when the boss isn't looking.
For more info on Lauren + Rina, visit their sites:
Coming Soon:
Secrets (The Ivy, #2) - June 1, 2011
5 comments:
I'm so glad you liked it. I loved it, but I've seen a lot of mixed reactions to it.
I want to read this one too!!
Thanks for the review :)
I can't wait to read my copy!
I have to say that I really love the covers for these. And this is actually the first review I've read on The Ivy. I will definitely check it out soon. Great review, Eleni. Thank you! =)
Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked it. I have it on my to-read list, but not sure when I will get to it, sadly. :(
My husband has banned me from buying books for the time being since I have a lot already that I haven't read yet. Ha ha.
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