I'm usually a big fan of M/M romance novels, but unfortunately this one didn't cut it.

The plot is basically uneventful and cliqué (the popular, rich guy interested in the poor, scholarship guy), a lot of teen-style drama and an unnecessary number of inner monologues. I could count the number of times the two main characters interacted with my fingers. It doesn't help that I couldn't connect with the characters. It felt like, by the end of the book, I really didn't know them. I felt that Nick complained a lot over unnecessary or unmeaningful things, while Sebastian fills out the cliché "popular douchebag with issues" bill very nicely.

It was a disappointment to me.

Nick Steele had taken a hiatus from college to care for, and then grieve, his dying father. Fulfilling his promise to return for his degree, Nick enrolls at The Academy, a tiny catholic college in Evanston, Illinois--a near-north suburb of Chicago. There he meets Seb Prinsen--wealthy party boy--and his cadre of hangers-on. There's an immediate attraction, but Nick isn't ready to break out of his grief and Seb's aggressive wooing is off-putting.

Seb is an only child of wealthy parents who are divorcing. He's a dedicated student, and a dedicated partier--with a well-worn fake ID. He and his childhood best pals, Theo and Dante, who are also Academy students have a long-standing competition for the fate of Barbzilla--a mangled Barbie trophy. Seb's dissolving family has made him yearn for simpler times and the challenge of beating his pals at something seemingly innocent. He's intrigued by Nick--from their first meeting--and wagers that he can beat Theo and Dante at getting Nick to kiss him.

Classes go on, and Nick's nerdy roomie is happy to accept Seb's invitations for parties on Nick's behalf. Nick is attracted, but he's not happy. He doesn't like Seb's pushiness. It's actually through conversation with Dante that Nick gets some insight beyond Seb's smarmy veneer. And, he see what Seb's been oblivious to: that Dante is in love with Theo. And, it seems the more that Seb begins to understand about Nick, the more he really wants a true relationship for the first time in his life.

So, the love story here is a little more on juvenile side, for New Adult. The way Seb pursues Nick was on the border of stalkery. The Barbzilla bet was totally middle-school, but it gave a good sense of Seb's emotional development. He's been a neglected child and always acted out for attention. Nick claims to see those vulnerabilities within a slew of drunken texts Seb leaves him by way of pouting that Nick skipped his fab party. Nick's gravitas seems to mellow those tendencies, and foster more grown responses. It's a bit of a slow burn--page count wise--to get the physical on, in accordance with Nick's hesitance for jumping into a relationship. It isn't a lot of actual time however. The coupling of Seb and Nick is complemented by Dante and Theo making their commitment, too. That was kind of fun.

In all, it's a breezy read with a silly bet sparking an attraction that grows between two lonely souls who truly need connection. The epilogue leaves no doubt of the HEA.

This book moved so painfully slow that when I finally got to the end I did not care about the two main characters. I would love to see the pacing of this book change so that I wasn't so frustrated by the book itself.

Nick and Sebastian are such well written characters. This book has such an intriguing story and the personalities are so well done, I loved it. A greats, romantic read

This started out really good... like, I was loving it from word one. I started to really like Nick, LOVED Deen, and was loving the tension that was building. While I was not a huge fan of "the bet", it was cute at first and I was totally on board for the ride.

But at about half way through, movement forward just kind of stalled, the bet was becomming more and more childish, the boys were all just that, boys. The fun and cute turned childish and immature and I just wanted it to end. When it did end, it was verging on the edge of very sappy and I was honestly glad it was over.

Quinn Anderson is always hit or miss for me, and sadly this one was a miss. While there were things I liked about the story, it just didn't bring it home.

3.5 Stars

Quinn Anderson delves into college life with her novel The Academy. The author states that this is a rewrite of a previous novel, and it made me wonder what the length of the first book was for this one was a bit long and might have benefited from a closer editing, mainly because it felt like the same angsty ground was covered multiple times with little impact on forwarding the plot. Despite that, there was some solid character development in this novel, and I enjoyed some of the characters very much.

The story revolves around four main men: Sebastian, his two friends Dante and Theo, and the new guy on campus, Nick. The three friends spy Nick across campus, and Sebastian decides to make a bet with them. They apparently have a pseudo trophy that has a barbie head glued to the top, due to the original being broken off, that they call Barbzilla. With the trophy up for grabs, the three bet on who will be first to get Nick to kiss them. Sebastian is fairly cocky about the fact that he will be the winner and sets off to pursue Nick relentlessly. However, Nick is no one’s fool, and with the past year weighing so heavily on him, he is determined not to screw up his full scholarship to the academy, so he rebuffs Sebastian, for the most part. But there is no denying there is chemistry between the two of them and before long, Sebastian finds himself in a quandary. All the false bravado and seemingly cool and callous ways Sebastian beds various men hides a real fear of abandonment—in fact, that was what the bet was all about. Seb fears that after graduation his friends will leave him, much like his divorcing parents already have. Yes, he is rich, and yes, he is always taken care of in terms of physical needs, but Sebastian longs for loving parents who want to spend time with him. His views of love and relationships are rather skewed, to put it mildly. Consequently, when he begins to realize he is falling for Nick, he runs scared. And when Nick finally initiates a kiss, Sebastian cruelly reveals the bet, pushing Nick away. However, little does Sebastian know that there is more than meets the eye to everything about how he and Nick have been interacting, and it may be Sebastian who loses the bet after all.

The strength in this novel really lies in the side characters. The relationship between Theo and Dante was rather sweet and fun to watch progress. Nick’s roommate, Deen, was just the best and provided comic relief that was greatly needed in such a heavy novel. I mention the word ‘heavy’ because the style in which the author chose to reveal more about her main characters demanded we hear their constantly running internal dialogue. While this can be a really effective tool to lay groundwork about what makes a person tick, and show who they truly are, this story used this development vehicle so often that eventually it began to slow the pace of the story and frustrate me. For instance, after the third or fourth time of rehashing how Nick felt about the loss of his father, I really got it and didn’t need for it to come up in the story yet again.

The same went for Nick’s strained relationship with his parents and the way in which they were so selfishly self-absorbed they basically had no time for their son. What this novel lacked was a good edit to slough off the constant reminders of what happened to these guys in the past, and more observations about who they were becoming. Instead, it seemed to bog down in constant inner dialogue that became repetitive and boring. However, while that may have been the low in this novel, there were also some really fun and sweet moments between Nick and Seb, and in the time spent with their friends. The plot twist at the end of the novel was both interesting and seemed a tad bit cruel, but I can’t comment too much on that since to do so would give too much away. Suffice it to say that it showed a side of Theo that startled me a bit, and, for me, it also further muddied an already strained relationship between Nick and Sebastian that seemed more antagonistic than loving at times.

Overall, The Academy was a bit muddled and slightly overworked. I enjoyed getting to know the various characters in this novel and, as an ensemble, they were entertaining. The romance was a bit far-fetched, given all the subterfuge and the basis for how it all began, but the author managed to pull it off in the end.

Reviewed by Sammy

This was a not so stereotypical college romance, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It had some issues, on which I'll elaborate further down.

Nick arrives at The Academy for his senior year after having taken a year off due to the death of his father. Starting over a tiny Catholic college wasn't the plan, but here we are. Nick plans to focus on his studies, maybe making some friends, and then getting his diploma and go home. Still struggling with grief, and on a tight budget, Nick knows that he's dependent on the scholarship he got, and has no plans whatsoever for a college romance or any such nonsense.

Sebastian is the college campus player. When he spots Nick, he makes a bet with his two oldest friends, Dante and Theo, on who can kiss the new guy first - with the provision that the new guy has to initiate the kiss. Sebastian is the proverbial spoiled rich kid. Or so it seems.

Nick doesn't want to give Sebastian the time of day at first, but slowly the ice melts a bit.

With the premise as it is, Nick and Sebastian don't spend a whole lot of time together on page to begin with, though that time becomes more and more as the plot progresses. As Sebastian develops real feelings for Nick, he's terrified of the bet coming out. The author attempted to show us that despite all the material things he has, Sebastian is still yearning for something money can't buy, something that he lost and cannot get back; his insecurities are hindering him, and causing him to covertly lash out and hurt others before they can hurt him.

There are some clever plot twists here as well, which I didn't see coming, so I was pleasantly surprised toward the end.

What didn't work so much for me is that Sebastian and his friends often sounded and acted a lot younger than their actual presumed ages - they read a lot more like moody highschoolers (especially Sebastian seemed very much a jerk) than college juniors. The poor little rich boy trope is a little overused here also, and while Sebastian's background makes for a good explanation of his behavior, I didn't buy the rapidity with which he falls for Nick, especially considering the fact that Nick and Sebastian have no more than maybe 10 or 15 actual conversations with each other over the course of the book. I wasn't sold on there being an actual romantic relationship between them - it felt more like lust than love.

Dante and Theo, Sebastian's friends - those two had their own issue to work out, and they did, and while they're supposed to be side characters, they actually felt more real to me than the MCs, probably because we see them spent more time together on page than Sebastian and Nick.

The author does a fine job writing the steam, and while there are but two steamy scenes in this book, they were pretty damn hot, but also continued to lead me down the path of believing in their lust, not their love.

Probably not my favorite by this author, but a good effort, and an enjoyable read.

I first read Quinn Anderson in Fourteen Summers and quite liked the writing, so I jumped at the chance to read this one. Sadly I didn't like it as much as I did Fourteen Summers, but it was still sweet.

Nick is starting at the Academy after losing his father. He hopes its a fresh start for himself.

Sebastian can have anyone he wants. He's the typical rich kid whom doesn't have to worry about everything. But appearances aren't always what they appear as. Right away Sebastian was intrigued by Nick but his own issues are getting in the way.

Because of Nick's past, he gets defensive easily. Which made Nick drive me crazy with all his assumptions. He as too quick to assume and slow to listen to logic.

In the end I felt the back and forth between Sebastian and Nick finally get together was too drawn out for my taste.

I did like Sebastian and Nick together and I did like Dante and Theo as well. They were a good addition to the story and without their issues in between the book would have been way too drawn out. Thank goodness for those breaks in the angst between Sebastian and nick.

2.5 to 3 stars

DNF @ 13%
It's not that the writing is bad, but the content, for me, is a bit too juvenile. I just can't get into the story. Sorry, I won't be finishing this one :(

3.75 Stars

Quinn Anderson is one of my favorite authors and I’ve been really looking forward to this book, but unfortunately, it wasn’t my favorite. I understand this book is full of college students, but sheesh, were they all immature, especially Sebastian. *bangs head against wall*

I loved Nick and my heart broke for the loss that he’d suffered. To lose his father and be so alone in the world, I just wanted to give him a big ole hug. Sebastian was another story altogether. I didn’t care for him from the very beginning and his little bet with his friends didn’t help to endear him to me any. He rubbed me the wrong way from the start and even after learning what was taking place in his life and why he acted the way he acted and even after his mostly half-assed apology, he still didn’t win me over.

I loved Theo and Dante, Sebastian’s best friends, and I loved that they were such a huge part of the story. I only wish the author had given them their own story, hmm.. maybe it’s not too late? I would have loved, and would still love, to dig deeper into their backgrounds. *hint hint, nudge nudge*

Although I didn’t care for Sebastian, I do have go admit he and Nick had great chemistry and were smoking hot together.

I’m torn with what to rate the story, because while I didn’t like Sebastian, the story is still well-written and it flowed well. There is definitely no denying Ms. Anderson’s writing talent.

Although not MY favorite, I can still definitely recommend it.

copy provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I was really excited to start The Academy. Having read a couple books by the author before, I knew she could deliver a fun, bright writing style and banter, and I thought a college-aged romance would be a home run. Unfortunately, this was one of those titles that simply never measured up to my expectations. The writing style was still good, the premise fun and interesting, and the romantic connection reasonable. However, I never fell for the characters completely and ended this book feeling more “meh” than “woo-hoo”.

The bet seduction plotline can be hit or miss for me. Although I enjoy the conflict it brings to the plot, it sometimes results in the romance lacking a true connection, which is precisely what I thought in The Academy. Nick and Sebastian were promising heroes with interesting backstories, and I liked the complexities about their personalities that came out as the book progressed. In many ways, these men worked together with a bit of an opposites attract vibe. I liked when Nick and Sebastian went head to head over things, as much as when they came together. In those moments, the romantic tension really showed through and the dialogue drove the scene. However, so much of the drama revolved around lacking communication or withholding information that it wore on me after a while. I think had there been less inner monologues, and more relationship development, I may have felt differently, but I simply never felt strongly about the heroes as individuals or a couple. I think The Academy is best suited for readers who don’t mind a good dose of new adult drama in their romances, and although this wasn’t a solid win for me, I will certainly be looking forward to the author’s next release.

this was, in the worst way possible, like reading a soap opera.

everything was incredibly contrived, and most of the conflict hung on my absolute least favourite romance trope, miscommunication. a bit of miscommunication is fine, but when it comprises most of the conflict, it just seems lazy. both nick and sebastian also really irritated me as characters - sebastian as the proverbial Arrogant Rich Boy But Look He Has Problems Because Rich People Can Have Problems Too! right, okay, fascinating.

everyone was also extraordinarily childish to the extent that this absolutely could have been a story set in high school, and if the explicit scenes were taken out then i could absolutely believe this was written about fifteen or sixteen year olds rather than twenty year olds. they did not behave like they were at university; they barely behaved like senior high school students.

overall, completely and utterly unimpressed.

I loved the friendship dynamic in this book, both old and new friendships. Theo and Dante were really scene stealers from the get go and I wasn't mad at it.
I was a little surprised that we got their POV in addition to the MCs, but I enjoyed them so much that I was happy to hear part of the story in their voice.
But, this book isn't about them. Not really. It is about Sebastian and Nick and their all around inability to be in the same room without lusting after each other or arguing. After a while, I was over the sniping, one liners and inability to just talk to each other. I wish they had more time in the book learning about one another and actually *liking* the time they were spending together.
I didn't love the story or how it was told, over the course of the 3 weeks the story is told in we go through extreme highs and lows in their relationship. Unfortunately, it felt like the highs were so short lived while we wallowed in the lows. Even as I was frustrated getting there, I was still invested in the characters, their relationship and I was rooting for everyone, I just wish there had been more of a balance.

This novel is a play on the movie Cruel Intentions (which is referenced in the book), but with a m/m romance (two, actually) and a much happier ending.

After meeting Nick, a handsome new student at their small college, Sebastian makes a bet with his friends Theo and Dante about which of them can kiss Nick first. Theo and Dante play along, but mostly because Seb has been depressed about his parents getting divorced, and they see his interest in Nick as a positive sign. Nick isn’t sure just what to make of Sebastian’s very obvious pursuit of him, given that Seb has a reputation as a playboy who isn’t into long-term relationships, which Nick very much is. And really, all Nick wants is to focus on school and getting his degree after his life was sidetracked by his father’s unexpected death. But Sebastian shows unexpected depths when he opens up to Nick, something Seb can’t seem to stop himself from doing, and real feelings start to grow between them. But there’s still the matter of that stupid bet . . .

Both of romantic relationships in this novel worked for me. The hurt/comfort dimension to the romance between Sebastian and Nick gives their storyline depth. Unlike Cruel Intentions, this book doesn’t have a true villain, just an emotionally damaged Sebastian who struggles to change his ingrained behavior in light of new and unexpected feelings for Nick. Of course, Nick has his own problems accepting the possibility of feeling something for Sebastian, given the pain he still experiences over the loss of his father. So, there’s a lot to work through there, but the heaviness of their storyline is complemented by the rather sweet secondary friends-to-lovers romance between Theo and Dante.

I enjoyed this novel, and I’m going to be keeping an eye out for more of Quinn Anderson’s books in the future.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

I liked it but it was a bit to overdramatic. Everything was this big guilt trip. Everything. They couldn't enjoy anything with pages and pages of internal monologues why they shouldn't be enjoying this. I wanted to slap some sense into both of them

There were really cute scenes, though. Some borderline cheesy as hell. I love those.

The Academy was very on page at first but then it sort of faded away. I would have loved more scenes near the Acadsmy, just to see them doing more things other that wallowing in self-pity.

I liked the ending, the epilogue was really nice and all the on page characters, mains and sides, were all interesting.

I always appreciate Quinn Anderson’s ability to weave a story. No matter the subject, her stories always contain complex characters, witty dialogue, a dash of humor, and a happy ending. The Academy is just as beautifully written as everything else I’ve read by this truly talented author.

Even though The Academy was a bit too corny for my taste, I’m certain that if you’re in the mood for an incredibly romantic coming of age, hurt/comfort tale this is going to be a huge win for you.

Quinn Anderson's last novel, The Long Way Around, left me a little cold as I expected more from it. That's why I was a little hesitant going into The Academy, but I'm happy to say that any hesitance was for nothing as I enjoyed this story and its characters a lot. There was a great cast of characters; funny roommate Deen, insightful Theo, cool Dante, enigmatic Sebastian, and cautious Nick. Better than that, there was complexity to the characters. For example, Nick was very cautious because of the loss he experienced a year earlier, but he also wanted to make new friends. More than that, The Academy was a big on perspective of happiness and privilege; if someone is rich, does that make them happier than the one who's financially struggling? And of course, there was insane chemistry and tension between Nick and Sebastian, which made it a captivating read.

The Academy took place within two weeks; it felt longer and the building up of friendships and relationships was good. Still, two weeks is not a long time and the knowledge how little time had passed made Nick and Sebastian's growing closeness a little bit off, especially since they spend half of the time avoiding each other. That's my only complaint of this story and I feel like it would have been amazing if there had been a little more time between the beginning and end (not counting the epilogue, of course).

The Academy was enjoyable read; there's flirting and chemistry, worries and suspicion, and getting to know a new place and new people. It's all about forming bonds with others - friendships and relationships - and about trust. Trust in other people and risking your heart to find something that may or may not last. It's about that place between childhood and adulthood; when legally you're an adult with all the responsibilities but not necessarily emotionally ready to descent into the adulthood.

So yes, I do recommend The Academy.

This story reeled me in. Sebastian has issues...but man don't we all. He doesn't believe he can love seeing how his parents are with each other. He is the king of his college castle and pretty much does whatever he wants to. Nick has his own set of issues and his only goal is to get through college without too many heartbreaks. Seb is a heartbreak waiting to happen. For me, the true stars of this book were Dante and Theo. These two were not only hilarious in the machinations but just really heartwarming people looking to make sure their friends are happy. Closer to a 3.5 star for me as this became more drawn out than it had to be but in the end...it had a fair amount of steam and I still love Quinn's words. Provided by Netgalley for an honest opinion!

This is a MM romance set in a college environment. The characters are wonderful, really developed with all their quirks. I really enjoyed getting to know them. I felt the pace was a little slow. The setting was really developed. I enjoyed the book.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆☆
Nick is the new guy on campus, arriving at a private Catholic college, which is filled with young adults who have been in school with one another since kindergarten. It's a tight-knit group that's nearly impossible to get into – either you're in our you're out. Then there is the angst and fear of coming out as bisexual in a religious setting...

The initial setup weaved an air of mystery, almost to paranormal levels. The comparison to Twilight I'm about to make is not an insult, only making that leap due to the fact that I just did two Saga marathons back-to-back and read half of the first book. Once a Twihard, always a Twihard.

Shiny new toy

Anyway, Nick is the new guy on campus and stumbles upon a dining hall table filled with ethereally beautiful men. Otherworldly acting, the first contact between Nick and Seb hooked me and sank its claws in deep. Not reading the blurb before jumping at the chance to read the novel, I went into it blindly, so this mysterious air did feel paranormal, even though I knew deep-down it wasn't. Intrigued.

Nick is an orphan who is grieving the recent loss of his father/best friend, after taking bereavement leave from school. Unable to afford tuition without his father, Nick is forced to take a scholarship far from his beloved city of Chicago. Nick may be a hard character to connect to for most readers, I believe, but he and I share a spirit animal.

Detached. Logical. Nick is looking for authentic friends, not wishing to play the mating dance filled with lies, evasions, and peacock posturing. He doesn't feed into lust, no matter how strong the pull may be, needing more authenticity from Sebastian. But he's a bit too stuck on himself, coming off as judgmental and emotionless at times, because all of their early interactions are tainted with phoniness, even when Seb accidentally reveals his true self.

Sebastian is the playboy, the boy every boy wants to be noticed by in order to become popular. Rumors swirl everywhere Seb steps, and Nick easily buys into them, simply because Sebastian always seems to be acting, never being real.

Nick and Sebastian are both equally flawed, which draws them into 3D characters who are realistically lifelike. There were times I wanted to wring their necks, but it fit their personalities as well as their ages, 20 and 21, juniors in college.

Push-pull tension, filled with a love-hate vibe, this slow-burn romance is a character evolution as two main narrators come to terms with their feelings as they grow up. Nick and Seb's interactions are filled with banter and frustration that waffles between lust and raw emotion.

A minor romance is formed by Seb's meddling best friends, Theo and Dante, who share a few pages of narration. They added a bit of emotion and humor to an otherwise tension-filled novel.

I love to be surprised... there's a bit of a twist that left me shocked, and that's a very difficult thing to do. This forced me to see the novel from another angle, appreciating how it unfolded, and simultaneously rooting for and blaming all four narrators equally – neither good nor bad, all equal due to human nature.

As always, I highly recommend Quinn Anderson to fans of MM romance, especially if you want a mix of humor, tension, angst, lust, and romance.


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
This is a sweet and angsty young adult read. Set at a tiny private university, this is the story of Sebastian, the campus playboy prince, and Nick, a scholarship transfer student.

Both Sebastian and Nick are troubled kids. I say kids because they both read as very young college students and their tiny, insular campus feels more like a Gossip Girl-style high school than a university. For the most part, the story is Nick’s and readers slowly learn about the recent tragedy that reshaped his life.

If Nick is as likeable as an angry, grieving young adult can be, Sebastian had me wary from the start. I was ¾ of the way into the story before I felt any empathy for the predatory and entitled young man and I still don’t quite believe in the significant character changes that make him likeable and trustworthy at the end.

As for the storyline, early references to the film Cruel Intentions might give readers a sense of the basic plot. Sebastian and his friends start the story with a bet involving Nick. Fortunately, a lovely and unexpected plot twist near the end saves the story from becoming too predictable. I enjoyed the sexual chemistry between Nick and Sebastian and I really liked the intensity of the many friendships in this story.