The Debutantes by Olivia Worley
Jessica Goodman meets The Agathas in this taut, twisty YA thriller set in the glittering world of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, where secrets—and bodies—never stay buried.
For the New Orleans elite, the Les Masques Ball is sure to be the social event of the season—if they can avoid another dead Queen. When debutante Margot Landry was found dead the morning after her reign at last year’s ball, it was a tragedy, but not a shocking one. Margot was a wild child with a self-destructive streak, nothing like this year’s Queen, Lily LeBlanc. With a perfectly poised debutante on the throne, everything is going according to plan…until the ball is hijacked by a mysterious figure in a Jester costume. That night, Lily sends a text to three of the Maids on her royal court—her best friend, Vivian; her boyfriend’s sister, Piper; and April, her former frenemy—asking them all to meet the next morning. But Lily never shows up.
On the surface, these three debutantes don’t have anything in common except their exclusive private school and their ties to Les Masques. But soon, they realize why Lily brought them together: something dark is lurking beneath the glamorous surface of the debutante world, and it might be the reason she disappeared. And the further the girls dig, the more they begin to suspect that Margot’s death may not have been an accident—and that Lily may be next. When the Jester starts threatening to expose their own secrets, this unlikely trio must team up to uncover the monsters behind the Mardi Gras masks—before they’re left with another dead debutante.
Expected publication October 29, 2024
This was a fast read that I really enjoyed. Pretty sure I finished it in a day. I needed to find out what was happening next and struggled to put it down.
Since this is a mystery/thriller, this will be short. The Debutantes takes place in New Orleans with old traditions. So pretty much white and rich. There is a court every year with a queen and her maids. Margot was queen the previous year and was found dead. Now Lily is queen and she goes missing that night. There is a message left for three girls that aren’t friends. They all believe something bad happened to Lily but the adults think she just ran away. They started getting little clues and start looking into things themselves. They find a society with power and what they’re doing is dangerous. None of them are safe.
The book has chapters from all the main characters. I wouldn’t say that anything was shocking, but there were little twists here and there. I thought the pacing was good and enjoyed pretty much everything in the book.
I gave this 4 1/2 stars. Thank you to Netgalley for my earc.
Have you read this? Is it on your TBR?
