The Academy

Confession: I may be the only person who’s never read an Elin Hilderbrand novel. I can’t tell you how The Academy compares to her famous Nantucket beach reads. What I can tell you is this: it’s a fun ride.

What first pulled me in was the collaboration. Hilderbrand wrote this one with her daughter, Shelby, and they set the story in a boarding school. The result is a campus novel with plenty of characters, quick-moving chapters, and just the right dose of drama. You’ll find yourself swept along easily, as if you’ve joined the students mid-semester.

If you’re looking for a book that delivers the breezy satisfaction of a beach read but trades flip-flops for a fair isle sweater, The Academy is exactly that.