You can’t put lipstick on a pig. 

 

In the bayou of weird that is New Orleans, the debutante balls with their Queen and Maids are some of the most culty and backwards traditions you may hear about. Taking place during Carnival (leading up to Mardi Gras), debutante balls present young women dressed in all white to society so that their Queen can accompany the King of their Krewe (and yes, it’s spelled that way for a decidedly racist reason) on their parade float. It’s misogynistic, classist, and rather gross, all things considered. 

 

If there’s one thing I enjoy reading about in any book, it’s culty stuff. The Debutantes is a great mix of fast-paced whodunit mystery and suspense thriller with three different POVs told in first-person. There’s anxious April, a photographer who is great at observation but not so good with people; headstrong Vivian, who was the Queen’s best friend but didn’t see this coming; and intelligent Piper, top of their class and the biggest believer in the debutante traditions out of all of them. They’re all hiding something, but all of them are also invested in discovering the answers to three questions: Where did Lily LeBlanc disappear to? What really happened to Margot Landry? Are the two events connected? 

 

My usual issue with books in this genre is either pacing or romantic subplots that feel extraneous, given the storyline. Thankfully, Olivia Worley doesn’t fall into either trap. The book starts off like any normal book would, but it takes off before you’re even 10% of the way in and doesn’t truly slow down in any substantial way until the end. While there is a hint of romance in one character’s subplot it’s nominal and mentioned only in passing, which I’m thankful for. A lot of YA books I’ve read this year haven’t passed the Bechdel Test (despite the amount of female authors or the amount of female characters), but this book passes it in spades as the characters talk about their families, friendships, futures, fears, and feelings. They see issues and look for solutions together. They see problems and try to solve them. They also fight, like teenage girls are wont to. They are stressed out, exhausted, and having to deal with more than any other teenage girl usually would because the adults in their lives aren’t doing their jobs. 

 

Overall, it was a fun YA thriller read, though I kind of wish it had come out closer to Mardi Gras. I also wasn’t quite sold on the ending. April’s storyline kind of fell flat for me towards the end when it started out so promising, while Piper’s turned out to be more profound than I thought at first. It had its flaws but I’d still recommend it. 

 

I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you. 

 

File Under: YA Fiction/YA Mystery/YA Thriller