
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: December 1st 2020
Format: Paperback
Source: Times Reads
Page Count: 337
Blurb 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
3 STARS
HERE’S MY THOUGHTS!
The first time I saw this book, I thought to myself, what the hell was this book about? Little did I know, this book was inspired from the biggest college admission scandal in the United States. I thought this was such an interesting and thought-provoking read to discuss with friends. I craved for different and unique YA stories like this one.
The book was written in alternate chapters between Then and Now. I was definitely intrigued in reading the Now section as I wanted to know what happened after they have been caught. I didn’t pay much attention to the Then sections because the chapters were cliché and predictable. The predictable part in the book was when the main character, Chloe fell in love with a cute guy and all of the feud with the best friend thing. I found myself mesmerized by Chloe’s life as the daughter of a celebrity where everything is prepared and polished for her in a silver platter. She didn’t have to worry a single thing about her college education and life because her parents worked so hard to prepare a good and comfortable life for her and her sister.
However, with all of her parents attention didn’t seem to help with her college application and SAT exam. She kept on scoring low marks for her exams till her parents did what normal parents would do. They hired a college admission coach and all was settled. She scored high marks and got into the college of her dreams.
In my point of view, Admission was all about how hard it is for some people to pass their test. Not everyone is deemed to pass even though you have prepared beforehand and hired high skilled tutors. It’s just about luck. In every other YA books we read, we always see how genius and gifted our main characters are, like they will surely get an A even though they don’t study for a test. What I meant to say is how unreflective the generic YA stories are compared to real life.
While digesting the story, I found myself empathizing with Chloe because of what her parents did to her but at the same time I was furious about her parents’ crime. Her parents have destroyed Chloe’s future by damaging her name and reputation. It would be harder for colleges to accept Chloe because of the scandal.
Apart from that, I found myself dissatisfied with the characters. Chloe even though has a hardworking scholarship student who is Black, failed to understand how privilege and race play an important role in college admission and tertiary education as a whole. That shows how insensitive and underdeveloped Chloe was. With all the wealth and sources she had, she could easily Google how to understand and be more thoughtful about the issue. I just couldn’t stand this rich girl living in the bubble trope. I also hated the parents. I understand parents have their dreams but it doesn’t mean that the rule is above you. The problem with rich people is money gives them absolute power to do anything they think they deserve. By cheating the education system, they have denied many people chances to get into their college choices.
Thank you Times Reads for sending me Admission in exchange of honest review.
X
Sabrina