Buddy read with Sierra! ❤

The premise is interesting and has definite potential for development over the course of the series; I particularly loved that (some of) the Mean Girls^TM got character depth and development as well as some backstory, though I'm getting pretty tired of the Othering of Romani (G*psy) and Asian Indian people. (Hopefully this improves in later books, though I'm not holding my breath.) Gemma Doyle herself is actually kind of annoying, and she makes a lot of dumb decisions — though from a "realistic teenage girl" perspective, they're understandable if extremely frustrating, especially when you see her dramatic reactions to the inevitable consequences of her actions.

And the romantic subplot (specifically Gemma's, because Felicity's was at least interesting) was honestly unnecessary and felt like it came out of nowhere. I had a bit of a boy-crazy phase myself so I get it, I do, but that doesn't make it any less cringeworthy, particularly the way it's filtered through the societal values of the time period.

Still, the all-girls boarding school (finishing school) setting is fun, if not unique, and this was an entertaining enough read. I'm not super eager to read the next book, but I do plan on picking it up eventually.