Review for Whole Series

Amy Haskel didn’t expect to be tapped by the secret Rose and Grave society. For one, they only ever tapped men. Until now. From the start, she’s none too thrilled about the initiation rites, or the fact that one particular member the year above her seems determined to make her life in the society as difficult as possible. In the first book, Amy must contend with the sexism of the patriarchs, upset at the inclusion of women, and keep her own prejudices against her fellow taps in check. And reign in her budding relationships that anger the patriarchs, who are convinced the club will become a dating cesspool, even more. Then, a new recruit appears to be kidnapped and a secret society within the society forms. After that, Amy is kidnapped and must accept her feelings for a former enemy and then she must decide how to preserve her legacy in the society as she prepares to graduate.

Amy handles every situation thrown her way with sass, sarcasm and spunk. She refuses to be defeated and her quick thinking gets her out of most situations that her stubbornness lands her in. She’s the Lizzie Bennet of the modern age, handling all the usual stress of university life in addition to the new calamities that befall her as an inaugural female inductee in one of Eli/Yale’s oldest and most clandestine secret societies. Diana Peterfreund wrote “new adult” fiction before “new adult” was a thing and she did/does so brilliantly with her witty and clever cast of characters. I highly recommend the series for any girl heading off to college looking for a bit of adventure. ( )

SO MANY EMOTIONS. But in that perfect way that only YA novels seem to provoke in me. :) ( )

Eli University senior Amy Haskel is busy with writing her thesis, finding a job…and selecting a tap to take her place in the infamous Rose & Grave secret society when she graduates. Finding a good tap is hardly easy, though. There are patriots to please and complexities to work around. On top of all her responsibilities, Amy is also trying to make her relationship with her new boyfriend, a former Rose & Grave member, work.

When Amy discovers Michelle, she believes she’s found the perfect person to replace her in Rose & Grave. But Michelle has secrets and problems of her own, some of which could affect Rose & Grave…

TAP AND GOWN is a satisfying conclusion to this addicting series about college-level secret societies, though it is not without its unsatisfying moments. Diana Peterfreund’s strength in writing interesting and well-rounded characters still shines through, although the introduction of new characters with their own problems is rather jarring and rushed, especially when they ultimately play such a large role in the book.

I have mixed feelings about the fact that this series about the inner workings and dramas of a secret society did not give more attention to the natural stresses of college. It seemed like the society members were constantly getting into one screwup after another and having their traditional “secrecy” compromised, without striking a good balance between normal academia and their society life. It’s for the sake of fiction, yes, I know, so I can’t really say more than that I hope future books set in college will actually deal with, you know, actual college life.

The pacing of TAP AND GOWN felt rushed to me because a whole drama involving the possible end of Rose & Grave was thrown into the last 50 pages with hardly a hint of warning beforehand, making it so that the climax of the story and its subsequent resolution felt unnatural. As far as story arc goes, this one’s is rather helter-skelter, but fans of Amy Haskel will still not be disappointed. There is still enough wit, drama, and romance to go around. ( )

** spoiler alert ** The final book in Diana Peterfreund's "Ivy League" series comes to a satisfying conclusion.

Amy Haskell, aka "Bugaboo", a member of Eli University's elite secret society Rose and Grave, has just returned from a stressful spring break. After being drugged, kidnapped, and threatened by the teenage son of a Patriarch on the island where she and the other Diggers were staying, Amy has only more stress to look forward to during her last months at Eli: a thesis to turn in, final exams to take, and a new class of Diggers to tap. In addition, she has a new boyfriend, Jamie Orcutt--aka "Poe"--a fellow Digger whom no one else seems to like.

Amy is forced to deal with unexpected issues--such as finding out that her perfect tap has a secret history, that her kidnapper, Darren, is back out on the streets, and that Jamie has been offered a job that will take him away from Amy. As in the previous books, these issues culminate in secret society related drama and action, but are tied up neatly in the end with good triumphing over evil. Peterfreund's modern, third-wave style feminism shows up, as in the other books, in the form of Amy and the Diggirls fighting against the system and protecting their own. I feel like these books probably speak to women around my age who have grown up with the expectation of gender equality and who are far more comfortable fighting for their rights.

SERIOUS SPOILER: In the last few pages, we find out that Jamie turns down his super-secret job and shows up at Amy's graduation. In any other book, I would have been pissed at this "unrealistic", sappy ending. However, in Tap and Gown, I was nearly crying with happiness (maybe it was just PMS). I think this is because I really, really did not expect it and also because I felt that turning down the job fit with Jamie's evolution as a character--i.e. from someone who likes secrets and tradition to someone who wants to be open. I still would have been happy with the book if Jamie had taken the job and disappeared "like a ghost", but the fact that he turned it down, at least in part to be with Amy, made the ending that much better. Oh, it's also hilarious that George ends up working for Teach for America. ( )

Tap and Gown is the fourth and final book in Diana Peterfreund's fabulous Ivy League series. The series follows Amy Haskel as she is "tapped" and inducted into fictional Eli University's most prestigious secret society, the Rose and the Grave. In this last novel, Amy's tap class must come together before they graduate and decide who will be their successors in the society.

I am so sad to leave this series behind. The characters are so quirky and witty, and I have loved being a part of their lives for a short time. The clever dialog between the entertaining and original characters is Gilmore Girls-esque, which only adds to the reading experience. The storyline is captivating - I really enjoyed being on the "inside" of this society for all their intrigues and drama. The setting is incredibly evocative, bringing the campus to vivid life before the reader's eyes.

Overall, I really enjoyed the entire series. Tap and Gown is a little bittersweet for me, knowing that Amy's story is over, but Peterfreund has another novel coming out later this year, Rampant. It's a completely different genre, but I'll pick it up and probably will enjoy it just the same. ( )