SECRET SOCIETY GIRL is the story of Eli University student
Amy Haskel and
her induction into the ultra-secret society, Rose and Grave.
While the rest of
Rose and Grave's members are all rich, politically well
connected, and male,
Amy is none of the above. While she struggles to make sense
of the reason
she was chosen for such an elite and notoriously private
sorority (and she
can't keep her mouth shut about anything), she also has to
deal with the
perks of being popular.
SECRET SOCIETY GIRL was not at all what I wanted it to be. I
found the
character of Amy to be a bit obnoxious, annoyingly quick on
her feet, and
overall difficult to relate to. Amy is so busy coming up
with witty comebacks
for most of the book, it's difficult for her to actually
listen to what other
people are saying. When her quick tongue and endless sarcasm
get her in
trouble, she doesn't stop for a minute and think about her
actions, she just
continues to plunge forward, full steam ahead—which I found
annoying.
Furthermore, this book is so full of pop culture references
and satire that
you'd almost be better off catching Entertainment tonight.
And it's a shame.
Diana Peterfreund is a good writer. The story that she's
trying to tell is
interesting, and even if the plot itself seems loosely based
on her own Ivy
League experiences (Yale University and its secret society
Skull and Bones),
she adds enough of a twist that you have to wonder how much
of it is
personal experience and how much is exposition. But, in my
opinion, the time
it took me to wade through the endless similes, flawed
patriarchal society,
and vocabulary list worthy of an SAT-prep course, just
weren't worth it for a
simple chick lit novel.
In a fabulous blend of the bestselling traditions of
Prep and The Devil Wears Prada, Secret
Society Girl takes us into the heart of the Ivy League’s
ultraexclusive secret societies when a young woman is
invited to join as one of their first female members.
Elite Eli University junior Amy Haskel never
expected to be tapped into Rose & Grave, the country’s most
powerful—and notorious—secret society. She isn’t rich,
politically connected, or... well, male.
So when Amy
receives the distinctive black-lined invitation with the
Rose & Grave seal, she’s blown away. Could they really mean
her?
Whisked off into an initiation rite that’s a
blend of Harry Potter and Alfred Hitchcock, Amy awakens the
next day to a new reality and a whole new set of
“friends”—-from the gorgeous son of a conservative governor
to an Afrocentric lesbian activist whose society name is
Thorndike. And that’s when Amy starts to discover the truth
about getting what you wish for. Because Rose & Grave is
quickly taking her away from her familiar world of classes
and keggers, fueling a feud, and undermining a very
promising friendship with benefits. And that’s before Amy
finds out that her first duty as a member of Rose & Grave is
to take on a conspiracy of money and power that could, quite
possibly, ruin her whole life.
A smart, sexy
introduction to the life and times of a young woman in way
over her head, Secret Society Girl is a charming and
witty debut from a writer who knows her turf—and isn’t
afraid to tell all....