Review: Great Start!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 12, 2013
When I was first offered the chance to read Georgetown Academy: Book 1, I instantly said yes. I'm always on the lookout for new Gossip Girl/Pretty Little Liars like reads, and this seemed like the perfect fit. Thankfully, even with a somewhat shaky start, Georgetown Academy managed to provide just what I was looking for: scandal, romance, and a twisty enough ending to have me clamoring for the next one.Georgetown Academy is told through the POVs of Brinley, Ellie, Taryn, and Evan, four Georgetown Academy students who don't know whether to be happy about the new political administration or to go running and screaming away from it. I'm always a little weary about multiple POVS due to characterization. However, it managed to work quite well in this one, as not only was it fun to see what every character was like, but it also allowed for some pretty interesting twists to occur, since I would see a scene through multiple eyes. My favorite out of the crew would have had to be a tie between Ellie and Evan. Ellie was the typical good girl who a secret, but she was still a ton of fun to read about. Plus her romantic tension with Gabriel sizzled! Evan was another girl dealing with secrets and her rising fame on the Georgetown social ladder. What I liked most about her, though, was seeing how a seemingly ordinary girl (someone whose parents weren't in the political seen at all) fit into the academy.The plot in this had the typical guilty pleasure read aspects: romantic trysts, backstabbing, and secrets. Plus it contained a pretty kick-ass setting: the DC political scene. I don't think I've ever read a book that has to do with that, so it was cool to see how the authors's presented it, especially when it turned out to work quite well. However, I will admit, I found the beginning to be a little shaky. It didn't really have anything that caught my attention, but when I got past the first couple of chapters, I was hooked. I wanted to know all about Ellie and Gabriel's past, Brinley's secret addiction and what it meant for her and her family, and Evan's new internship. Plus I was curious to see whether or not Taryn was as sweet and innocent as she led on. Furthermore, I especially loved how halfway through the book I was allowed to pick which character to follow during the pivotal party scene. It was an awesome little add-on, as it really had my head reeling as I tried to fit all the pieces together for everyone's stories.In all, Georgetown Academy: Book 1 is a scandalous and twisty read perfect for fans of gossipy contemps. However, word of warning, once you reach the ending, you're going to be dying to read the next one!Grade: B