Book Review: Girls With Bright Futures by Tracy Dobmeier & Wendy Katzman

Rating: ★★★★★

---

A few weeks ago, I was looking to step out of my comfort zone and try reading books in a new genre. I landed upon Dobmeier and Katzman's college admission thriller, Girls with Bright Futures, and I could not be more happy than I did.

Three girls, all dreaming of being admitted to Stanford University.

And three moms, determined to do what they need to ensure their child gets what they deserve.

But when their elite private school notifies the families that Stanford is only accepting one more student from their school this admission cycle?

Well, that's when the drama really begins.

Tumultuous family dynamics. Friendship drama. An exploration of the different realities families in private school face. An attempted murder.

Sound interesting to you? Read Girls with Bright Futures by Tracy Dobmeier & Wendy Katzman!

Buy Now!

I cannot say enough wonderful things about this novel! For starters, it was the very first audiobook I was ever able to finish, which is definitely saying something. I usually get bored so quickly when listening to novels narrated aloud, but Girls with Bright Futures hooked me so deeply I couldn't stop listening.

My favorite thing about this novel was its authenticity to the experience of attending private school and applying to an elite college while still having fresh drama, twists, and turns. The three moms in this novel, Alicia, Kelly, and Maren, all came from different socioeconomic statuses and wanted their children to go to Stanford for different reasons. As we watch the college admission cycle unfold, we see how the different needs of each child to get into college strain the families in different ways. This novel does a great job of showing that not all families in private schools are like the uber-rich Alicia. It also demonstrates the many complexities and struggles families face in sending their children to such costly institutions.

I didn't expect any of the surprises in this book, which might be because I don't read a lot of thrillers, but it was so fun to guess what would happen next and be wrong! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, which was so much fun. As this book was told from various points of view, I was never bored and was always looking forward to seeing what would happen to each character in their storyline.

I was absolutely obsessed with the ending of this novel! It's everything you expect, yet totally unexpected, all at the same time. I ended up sad yet completely satisfied, which is rare for me when reading the endings of books.

Overall, I loved this novel so much and recommend you all try it out!

--- Thanks for reading, everyone! Be sure to check out the rest of my blog for more information on new books to read, and follow my social media for more bookish content.