Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

From the New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me Three Things comes an of-the-moment novel that peeks inside the private lives of the hypercompetitive and the hyperprivileged and takes on the college admissions bribery scandal that rocked the country.

It's good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer. She's headed off to the college of her dreams. She's going to prom with the boy she's had a crush on since middle school. Her best friend always has her back, and her mom, a B-list Hollywood celebrity, may finally be on her way to the B+ list. It's good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer--at least, it was, until the FBI came knocking on her front door, guns at the ready, and her future went up in smoke. Now her mother is under arrest in a massive college admissions bribery scandal. Chloe, too, might be facing charges, and even time behind bars. The public is furious, the press is rabid, and the US attorney is out for blood.

As she loses everything she's long taken for granted, Chloe must reckon not only with the truth of what happened, but also with the examination of her own guilt. Why did her parents think the only way for her to succeed was to cheat for her? What did she know, and when did she know it? And perhaps most importantly, what does it mean to be complicit?

Review:

This book hit so close to home for me, as my daughter went through the college admissions process just prior to the college admissions scandal that rocked the nation.  She even applied to USC, one of the main universities involved in the controversy.  She didn't get in.  With the school's reputation now in shambles, I think we dodged a bullet.  While my daughter is very happy at an amazing college, we will always wonder if someone bribed their way into a spot she could have gotten.  

With this in mind, I read Admission, by Julie Buxbaum.  It was riveting to imagine what the young students must have gone through, as they came to realize what their parents had done.  Or were they in on it too?

What I Liked:

Characters:

I did feel sympathy for Chloe, the mostly clueless high school senior who is at the center of the fictional college admissions scandal.  As the daughter of a famous actress, she feels the pressure to attend a prestigious university.  But she's really not into it.  She's an average student at a high-priced high school where everyone is expected to achieve greatness.  While everyone is caught up in the admissions process, Chloe would be happy to attend a low-key college in Arizona.  But her Hollywood parents won't be content unless she can attend SCC (a fictional version of USC).   Chloe really doesn't realize what her parents have done.  But she does have inklings that something is off.

I liked that the character Chloe is actually a good person.  In the real-life scandal, it certainly didn't appear that the students cared how they got into college, or who they hurt along the way.

Inside Story:

What is so compelling is how the reader gets to see how the families lives are turned upside down once they are charged by the Feds.  There are lawyers, PR firms, and image consultants camped out in their living rooms.  Plus the students involved need lawyers for themselves. They are also not permitted (by the lawyers) to even talk to their parents about the case.  This creates a pent up anger for Chloe as her questions remain unanswered.  Did her parents think she was too stupid to get into college?  Was their true motive to help her, or was it just for bragging rights.  And how does this affect the other members of the family? 

What I Was Mixed About:

Characters:

While I liked most of the characters, I couldn't quite feel sympathy for the parents of the story.  The author paints a picture of entitlement that leaves very little room for empathy from me.  As they try to justify why they used the "Side-Door" to get their child into one of the best colleges in the country, it made me so disgusted.  They never truly understand how incredibly unfair all the consultants, private tutors, special SAT classes, and then bribes, and test cheating, were to students who play by the rules.    

Rating: 

Release Date:  December 1st, 2020

Author:  Julie Buxbaum

Publisher:  Delacorte Press

Genre:  YA Contemporary

Page Length:  304 pages

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  A very compelling book about how families get caught up in the college admissions process. Very timely.