Gr 10 Up--Debut author Goodman uses the plot device of a murder mystery to examine the power imbalance among boys and girls. Goodman studies the lives of students who are privileged and well-off versus those who receive scholarships, and people who believe the world belongs to them versus those who will do anything to achieve social and financial mobility. Becoming a Player means everything to students at Gold Coast Prep. It is a virtual ticket to every opportunity in life, offering prestige, study guides, answers to tests, and covert assistance in getting into an Ivy League college. As a freshman, Jill is thrilled to be tagged as a potential Player. But after the mysterious death of her best friend, terrible hazing, and sinister secrets, Jill isn't sure being on top is worth the price she has paid. Friendships are tested as Jill questions her place as a Player and vows to see the toxic hazing stop. Told as flashbacks from freshman to senior year, the novel offers a deep dive into the world of young elites and the pressures of success. Goodman stops just short of examining rape culture thoroughly, while many of its elements are portrayed: awful hazing events that revolve around forced nudity, sexual encounters lacking consent, implied statutory rape, and other forms of sexual harassment. The female characters always fall prey to the worst, most humiliating demands. Yet Goodman never goes farther than simply pointing it out and chronicling it. VERDICT The mystery holds, and while strong language, drug use, and full sex scenes make this a better choice for older teens, the novel has appeal for most collections.--Kristen Rademacher, Marist H.S., Chicago

Things haven't been the same for high school senior Jill Newman since her best friend was murdered. Three years ago, Graham Calloway confessed to killing his girlfriend, Shaila Arnold. Now he's in a juvenile facility, and Jill is starting senior year at Long Island's Gold Coast Prep without her dearest friend. Luckily, Jill has Nikki Wu, whom she's grown close to since Shaila's death; her sweet boyfriend, Henry; and, of course, the Players, an exclusive club that all but guarantees an easy ride to a successful future. Jill, an aspiring astronomer who attends Gold Coast on a scholarship, must help choose the next round of freshman Player recruits while also securing desperately needed scholarship money for college. When Graham's sister, Rachel, texts Jill with claims of Graham's innocence, Jill reluctantly agrees to help. What if he actually is innocent? As Jill digs for the truth, she must come to terms with her own complicity in the Players' culture of misogyny and casual cruelty and realizes that Shaila might have been keeping explosive secrets. Goodman deftly explores the complex nature of friendship, privilege, grief, and the often crushing expectations placed on teens, all of which dovetails neatly with a twisty murder mystery. Most characters seem to be white except for Nikki, who emigrated with her family from Hong Kong; Jill is Jewish. There is queer representation in the supporting cast. A sophisticated and suspenseful debut. (Mystery. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Jill Newman isn't just any senior at Gold Coast Prep. She's one of the Players, as the members of a secret society at her exclusive high school are known. It's a bittersweet time because her best friend, Shaila, who was killed during freshman year by a Player wannabe, won't be graduating with her. Then out of the blue, Jill receives a text stating the killer is innocent. As the senior Players test the freshman wannabes--including Jill's younger brother--she is haunted by Shaila and the possibility that her friend's killer is still on the loose. Watching her peers closely, Jill regards the Players with fresh eyes and, subsequently, makes two consequential decisions that alter her fate and that of those around her. This debut murder mystery is filled with twists and turns that will keep its pages turning. Jill's progression is predictable but not without a satisfactory payoff. Give this to mystery buffs and to readers who enjoy stories about seemingly powerless individuals finding the ability to make a difference.