The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand & Shelby Cunningham is an interesting read about an school which has just skyrocketed in the rankings but the students are in a state of amaze. Why?
Is something wrong? Let’s find out….
“It’s a normal day at Tiffin Academy and amidst the happiness of friends reuniting, taking pics and a bomb dropped, America Today just ranked Tiffin the no. 2 boarding school in the country. Is it a typo? The dorms need to be renovated, their sports teams always come in last place..” But is this the truth…?
The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand & Shelby Cunningham- 3⭐️
The Academy was a fun, fast ride through New England boarding school drama—think Gossip Girl with blazers and a rogue app called ZipZap. The setting? Delicious.
The cast? Messy in the best way. But did every plotline land? Not quite. The suicide subplot doesn’t goes as planned around and looks more like an essay draft, and the ZipZap reveal felt somewhat less than mic-drop.
Still, I sort of liked it. Because who doesn’t love secret gossips (in basements) called Priorities? 3 stars: entertaining, sort of provide an escape, but not life-changing. Would I read a sequel? Maybe, Yes . Am I already side-eyeing ZipZap notifications? Absolutely.
Also Read: The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley
| Genre | Fiction Contemporary |
| Number of Pages | 432 pages |
| My Rating | 3.0⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
| Release Date | September 16, 2025 |
The Academy Summary Spoilers
News breaks that your school, long known more for its parties than its GPA, just rocketed from No. 19 to No. 2 in the nation. A typo? A bribe? Divine intervention? No one knows, but as of sudden Tiffin is waving in glory, and everyone’s egos grow three folds overnight.
Enter Charley Hicks, a intelligent transfer from Maryland who would with her heart, rather discuss unheard novels than attend another dance. She’s still trying to find her footing when an app called ZipZap drops onto everyone’s phones and—oops—starts airing out secrets like laundry on a windy day.
“The real curriculum? Lies, loyalty, and late-night speakeasies.”
Who’s cheating? Who’s starving themselves behind the perfect Instagram feed? Who’s crushing on the wrong person? ZipZap knows, and it’s not holding back.
At the center of the storm: Davi Banerjee, queen bee and influencer extraordinaire, whose glossy perfection hides a dangerous struggle. Then there’s Simone Bergeron, a new history teacher who maybe blurs the line with her students a little too much.
And Cordelia Spooner, admissions director with her… unconventional methods. Did we forget about the rich bad boy who opens a speakeasy in a basement….& the name “priorities” (Because, obviously everybody has set of those)
Oh, and hovering over it all: Cinnamon Peters, the beloved student who died by suic*de last year, leaving behind a mysterious note that won’t be opened for twelve months. Why the wait? And what’s inside?
A whole academic year moves by—it was full of gossips, hookups, heartbreaks & betrayal—until Tiffin’s number 2 position glamour starts to fade and it starts looking more like a scandal. Secrets explode, alliances shift, and everyone learns that at Tiffin Academy, nothing stays hidden forever.
So the real question is: do you dare to log into ZipZap?
Also Read: The Gingerbread Bakery by Laurie Gilmore
Quotes:
“At Tiffin, secrets aren’t whispered. They’re uploaded.”
Books like We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter:
- Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld
- Looking for Alaska by John Green
- The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff
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