Warning: Review may contain spoilers!

Reed Brennan desperately wants to escape her hometown of Crofton, PA. Her mother suffered a tragic accident and now pops pills and drinks away her pain. She takes most of her suffering out on Reed. Meanwhile Reed’s father tries to hold the family together, but Reed knows this is a burden for her dad. When she’s offered a scholarship to Easton Academy, she knows this is her opportunity to leave and live the life she’s always dreamed about.

The first day she stepped foot on campus, she felt she was out of her league. The other students were different than her peers at her former high school. Suddenly doubts fill her mind and she begins to wonder if Croton, PA is her fate after all.

While walking back to her dorm, she meets Thomas Pearson, the most popular (and gorgeous) senior on campus. Reed is immediately attracted to him and secretly wishes she’ll run into him again.

It’s not until her chance glimpse of the “mysterious girls” that things start to turn around for Reed. She learns their true identities during a meal in the cafeteria: Noelle, Ariana, Kiran and Taylor AKA the Billings Girls.

Billings House is the dorm on campus. If you’re fortunate to live there, then you are set for life. All the girls want to be a Billings Girls. Much to Reed’s amazement, she wants to befriend them as well. These girls represent everything that Reed doesn’t have: wealth, beauty, power, confidence and loyalty. Due to her home life, Reed isolated herself from her peers and did not have social relationships. Now that she’s at Easton, she’s realizing she has missed out on a major part of being a teenage girl.

The Billings Girls take an interest in Reed as well, and before Reed knows it, she has become part of their group (well on the peripheral). There is a price to be one of them. These girls begin to ask Reed to steal an exam, break up with a guy and any other demeaning task they can think of. As Reed struggles to belong to their group and do what’s right, she begins to wonder if their friendship (if indeed it is friendship) is worth it.

Meanwhile, her relationship with Thomas develops and soon they become a couple. Things are going well with them, until Reed learns Thomas’s secret. Devastated that he lied to her, she ends their relationship, but isn’t sure if she did the right thing. He attempts to explain to her why he did not confide in her and wants to get back together. The Billings Girls tell her she’s better off without him and makes her promise to have nothing to do with him. Reed finds herself torn between these new feelings for Thomas and wanting to secure her place with the Billing Girls.

Just as Reed makes her decision, Thomas goes missing and one of the Billings Girls is expelled from Easton for cheating. Which means there’s a spot open. . . in the Billings House. Will Reed be the next Billings Girl?

I really liked this book! I was immediately hooked with Reed’s humble background versus the entitlement of the Billings Girls. Although I didn’t agree with the decisions that Reed made, it was hard not to empathize with her. Reed is so desparate to be a “normal” girl and leave her past behind, that this often clouded her judgment. Following her conscience repeatedly conflicted with the goal of becoming the next Billings Girl.

I liked that the book ended with a cliff hanger. So where is Thomas? Will Reed fill the open spot in the house? What was the real reason behind the expulsion of the former Billings Girl? To be continued in. . . Invitation Only. ( )

Twitter review @book_kungfu (http://twitter.com/book_kungfu):
Wannabe posh girl tries to fit in the cutthroat world of private school. Everyone has secrets -- Kung fu moment: Making a tough choice. ( )

I got it for free on my Kindle and didn't expect much. But I have to say I really enjoyed this book.

I would purchase the next book in the series except that the pricing is all wrong for the Kindle. The PB is just 3.56 while the Kindle version is 7.19. Makes no sense... ( )

Tradition, Honor, Excellence...and secrets so dark they're almost invisible...

Fifteen-year-old Reed Brennan wins a scholarship to Easton Academy -- the golden ticket away from her pill-popping mother and run-of-the-mill suburban life. But when she arrives on the beautiful, tradition-steeped campus of Easton, everyone is just a bit more sophisticated, a bit more gorgeous, and a lot wealthier than she ever thought possible. Reed realizes that even though she has been accepted to Easton, Easton has not accepted her. She feels like she's on the outside, looking in.

Until she meets the Billings Girls.

Reed uses every part of herself -- the good, the bad, the beautiful -- to get closer to the Billings Girls. Will Reed regret all that she has given up to try and get in with these girls? Will she recover her inner strength and find a place at Easton apart from them? Or will the Billings Girls find that they have more in common than otherwise with Reed Brennan, and let her into their fold as a real friend?

She quickly discovers that inside their secret parties and mountains of attitude, hanging in their designer clothing-packed closets the Billings Girls have skeletons. And they'll do anything to keep their secrets private.

I couldn't put this book down. This is one of the most entertaining YA books I have recently read. It is readable from beginning to end. Gossip Girl and other chick lit series couldn't possibly hold a candle. Ultimate guilty pleasure for bitch lit :)

Book Details:

Title Private (Private, Book 1)
Author Kate Brian
Reviewed By Purplycookie ( )

I read this thinking it would be a 'clique' type of book, but thank god I was wrong! This is about a girl who gets a scholarship to an elite private school and the 'in' crowd almost immediately singles her out as someone with potential...that is until the Queen Bee's ex boyfriend starts hitting on the new girl!! This is a nice, short fun read, and although I didn't finish the series (there's a bunch now), I still enjoyed the first one. ( )