I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Penguin Random House Children’s UK in exchange for an honest review.
I was definitely intrigued by this book. I've actually read a previous book by Zoella but while that was a fluffy tween romance, this was marketed as a mysterious tale of a secret society at a boarding school. My hopes weren't hugely high as it was a series and YA thriller series tend not to work for me, and sadly I was right.

Firstly, there is nothing hugely wrong with this book. It sets up a decent enough mystery and has some really cool moments. I think its biggest flaw is the characterisation. We have two main narrators, Ivy and Audrey. Ivy has been at the school for several years whilst Audrey is an american who has recently moved to the UK and joined the school. At first, both characters are fairly distinct and bring their own personalities to the table. As soon as the mystery starts though, they both turn into protagonists of an Enid Blyton book. I stopped being able to tell who was speaking, who was narrating and the whole thing became an ode to Famous Five mysteries and the like.

When the mystery changes pace again, some of their original personalities came back but again, they stopped being so distinct. That's when they also started to make some really dumb decisions. After finding a huge clue about the potentially accidental drowning of one of Ivy's friends, Audrey suggests going to the police. Ivy...insists they don't and burns the evidence. Sure, maybe she has a mysterious reason for doing that. But that's not explored in this book which means in the context of this book, it's at best a dumb decision and at worst, should ring major alarm bells for Audrey.

Overall, this series is fine if you belong to the age group its aimed at. I wish the characters were more distinct and interesting because I would probably read at least the next book if that were the case. Alas, this is not a series I am interested in continuing on with as the mystery just isn't strong enough to keep me invested.

Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

The target audience for this book is Young Adult, but even at the age of 40+ I really enjoy a good YA read and this book on the synopsis appealed to me. However, this book is written for young YA - pre to young teen age and for this reason I didn’t enjoy the simplistic writing style. I’m sure it will appeal to the younger reader.

I received this book from NetGalley for an honest unbiased review. Thank you NetGalley

Wow. What a read!

When I first heard about this book I knew I had to read it. I wasn’t disappointed.

Illumen Hall has lots of secrets and mysteries, and when Audrey arrives she is sucked into all its drama.

Ivy is already involved the schools news after a body of a fellow student was found over the summer.

Unlikely allies, Audrey and Ivy, must work together to uncover the truth behind Lola’s death. They find out more than they expected, of course.

The Magpie Society is a secret group that seems to have been around for centuries. No one knows who they are, but they are certainly involved in Lola’s death somehow.

This story ended on such a cliffhanger. Roll on 2021!

A massive thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this review copy!

This YA thriller was a fantastic read. Think Hogwarts but a school that’s overflowing with mystery instead of magic.

I enjoy reading books with different perspectives so the alternating first person perspectives written by Zoe and Amy really keep the book interesting and help us to get to know Ivy and Audrey so much better.

It’s so intriguing as we follow this whodunnit storyline trying to solve the clues alongside the girls and one of my favourite quotes from the book is “Absolutely. I feel like Robert Langdon”.

The mix of old traditions with new technology to tell the story make this book a creepy, modern and twisty tale.

The ending of this book is so atmospheric and dramatic and leaves me so eager to find out what is next to discover in the walls of Illumen Hall and the lives of its students.

This is a classic murder mystery set in a boarding school. Audrey is newly arrived from the USA, and room sharing with the resentful Ivy, who expected to have a room to herself, having reached sixth form.
Very quickly, Audrey picks up on the tragedy of the previous term when a popular student was found drowned during the end of term party. The police have concluded that it was a suicide and drawn a line under the affair but others have different ideas. Audrey finds herself being drawn into the mystery and investigating the past events alongside Ivy.
I found this book well written and engaging. It's told from two differing points of view (Audrey and Ivy) presumably written by the two authors, although the style is consistent throughout. At the end of the book, you are left in no doubt that this is the first of a series. I am sure my students will be queuing for each book as it comes out!

This story is set at the boarding school Illumen Hall, immediately after one of their students was found dead. Her death was ruled as ‘misadventure’ with the police believing it was suicide. But was it? We get to see the story unfold from the perspective of Ivy – one of Illumen Hall’s top students, a prefect and all-round perfectionist, and Audrey – an American that recently had to move to England, attempting to leave her past behind. But it’s not always that straight forward.

I loved that the two authors, Sugg and McCulloch, each wrote from one of the protagonist’s perspective. I didn’t know this until after I’d read the book, but honestly you couldn’t tell there was a switch, their writing was perfectly in sync. I think the very subtle differences probably just enhanced the character definitions.

For me this was a modern day ‘Enid Blyton – The Naughtiest Girl in School’ (if you’re old enough to remember this trilogy!). The story held everything you could want from a boarding school novel: inter-pupil dramas, difficult backstories, a secret society, and even an unsolved mystery. The use of a mystery podcast presenter was a stroke of brilliance and very current. It added to the suspense and generally kept us pondering…is this more than it seems? And if so, who did it???

With a couple of twists and turns along the way, coupled with an unlikely alliance, we were kept guessing right up to the end. I found myself not wanting to put it down, helped by the shorter chapters, switching perspectives and intermittent podcasts. Of course, we also had that ending! I mean really?! Bring on 2021 when I can read the next instalment!

Thanks to the authors, publisher and Netgalley for granting my wish to read this ARC. Apologies, my review is a few days late due to ill-health.

I was pretty intrigued by this book as soon as it popped up on my radar, there is something about the boarding school setting that drew me in, especially because there is a big mystery and a lot of secrets, which seems more intense when all the characters are ‘locked in’ together. Of course, this was made even better by the fact that it is a very old building with a lot of history and set in a quite bleak and remote, yet very atmospheric, part of England.

The characters all worked well together, Audrey is the American transplant who is running away from her problems and starting afresh at Illumen Hall and is sharing a room with Ivy, a prefect and a very determined and hardworking student who was very affected by the death of Lola. I liked that they clashed in the beginning, that it took quite some time for them to bond and that when they do it is over something that would cause problems between most people.

It was also a clever pairing as we get to see the school from the two perspectives, getting introduced to the school and its eccentricities through Audrey and then getting the deeper knowledge through Ivy, this really helps when they both end up investigating what happened to Lola. Another character that stood out was Clover, kind of rebellious but for the greater good, stands up for what she believes in and isn’t afraid to make her voice heard even if it will possibly get her into trouble. Ivy is Clover’s mentor and again I liked that they were both so very different in character but got on so well and that their differences cause some tension between them as the investigation goes further.

The storyline had all the right ingredients to make a good mystery, and even though it is a little slower paced at the start as we learn about the school and its rituals and get to know the characters, the pace definitely picks up when Ivy and Audrey decide to investigate. There were a few things that had me a little disappointed one was how unfulfilling the confrontation with a potential suspect was and how easily this person got let off the hook, I feel there was a lot of set up there for it to fall a bit flat on delivery. The other was how many unanswered questions were left at the end of this book, I know it is the first book in a series, however, I feel that maybe some resolutions would have left me feeling more satisfied at the end. I always worry that one of the threads will be dropped and I won’t find out the answer that I am looking for.

Despite that, I am, of course, desperate to find out what happens next and what kind of trouble is brewing at Illumen Hall.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Children’s UK for granting my wish to read this book and in exchange here is my unbiased review.

Audrey is the American new girl at Illumen Hall and finds herself miles from home in a completely different world to everything she has ever been used to. Illumen Hall is an elite boarding school, with it's own rules, history, mysteries and societies and Audrey is a girl who is trying to escape the past.

Soon after her arrival, Audrey discovers that at the end of the previous school year, one of the school's most popular girls Lola died in mysterious circumstances. The case has been closed by the police, but not everyone agrees with their finding and a new podcast raises a number of questions over Lola's death. Was it an accident? Or suicide? Or even murder? The podcast not only raises these questions but also the nerves and hackles of many at Illumen Hall.

This is a great young YA book, and will definitely capture any social media mad early teen. It combines the current media world with the traditional boarding school environment and uses the podcast as a tool to bring out many questions, mysteries and theories on Lola's death.

However, the downside of this is that this book will inevitably date very quickly, there are so many references to current and at the time of publishing past media trends, combined with simple acceptance of events and evidence that would definitely be questioned in the real world. And the likelihood of any detective doing a phone interview on a recently closed and contentious death is extremely unlikely.

On the plus side, the story is aimed at a younger audience and it is tailored very well. The story is written from the PoV of the two main characters, Audrey and Ivy. Ivy, is an intriguing character who comes from an impoverished home in the light of Illumen Hall and she does bring a different perspective to the tale. It definitely helped here that the two authors each wrote one of the characters.

Overall, an enjoyable book that solves this mystery, and will satisfy any young teen, but I didn't like all the loose ends left for the sequel and at times the story pace just feels too slow and elongated. It is only towards the end that the pace gathers and a sense of urgency comes through.

I'll be honest, there are aspects of this book that I found frustrating, and I will think hard before I decide whether or not to continue the series. I'm rounding my 2.5 up to 3 stars for this. one.

The Magpie Society is the perfect YA book to curl up with on a stormy, autumn day. McCulloch and Sugg take you on a journey to a prestigious boarding school full of secrets, as their main characters Ivy and Audrey become unlikely sidekicks in trying to solve the mysterious death of pupil Lola.

After setting the backstory and context, the pace of the story really kicks up a gear in the final third of the book. As The Magpie Society is part of a series I didn't expect all of the loose ends to be tied up, but I was left hoping that more pages would suddenly appear so I could find out what happens next. I really hope the second book keeps up this pace with more twists and turns.

YA Fans of Riverdale, Nancy Drew and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder will really enjoy The Magpie Society.

I'm always on the lookout for some really good new YA fiction, both as someone who likes a slightly lighter read from time to time and as a parent of a male bookworm who seems to be stuck in a dystopian rut when it comes to books but really enjoys a good old-fashioned story when well presented. There are so many YA books that just end up being too "girly".

Set in a private boarding school and narrated by the two main characters, one a stereotypical wannabe head girl (but not quite stereotypical private school pupil) who's come through the system, the other a fish-out-of-water American thrown in at the deep end. Roll on Nancy Drew style capers brought well and truly up to date.

This was a jolly good read. The characterisation of the two girls, Ivy and Audrey, was very good although at times I found it hard to follow the change in voicing, often having to turn back a page or two to remind myself who was speaking. Perhaps something more obvious about each character's style would have helped. The minor characters, Araminta and Henry, in particular, could, I think, have been developed more. In common with many "series" books (and indeed TV drama series), the book ends somewhat abruptly and with questions unanswered. I find this really annoying often unable to decide whether it is just an author's cop-out. My son, in comparison, is not bothered and spurred on to the next instalment. In this sense, I think the authors have judged their audience well.

With themes of suicide, death and bullying this is a book that could open conversations and I like the addition of the "help" section at the end to point readers towards assistance should they need it. What I really liked was the fact that this wasn't a "girly-girl" book - my son really enjoyed it too. We're both looking forward to the next instalment!

Readers of "One of Us is Lying", "The Truth About Lies" or "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder" will enjoy.

With thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for granting my wish to read this ARC in return for an honest review.

PS: I can really see this televised!

So Audrey Wagner is from Georgia, USA, and moves to the UK coast with her rich but rather unloving family. You get the impression that this is her last chance to get a good education before her dad gives up on her. To start with Audrey feels rather unwelcome at Illumen Hall. This is mostly due to her new room mate, Ivy Moore-Zhang. Ivy was expecting for this to be her first year at Illumen Hall where she didn't have to share a room, so she is less than thrilled when Audrey arrives. Things are very frosty between them, partly due to each girl having some serious baggage that they're trying to deal with as well as each other. For Ivy, it is the loss of Lola Radcliffe at the end of the previous school year. She washed up on the beach during their end of year party, and the entire school is still in mourning about this event as she was loved by all. The tragic death of Lola was ruled 'death by misadventure' by the police, but there is someone out there who doesn't believe this to be true. This is why a podcast called 'Who Killed Lola?' is released by a mystery person, and is listened to by all of the students and staff at Illumen Hall.
Audrey has her own issues from back home that she can't shake off, but these are not so clear-cut as Ivy's.
The girls are forced to join forces when they keep hearing mentions of the legendary 'Magpie Society'. What is this elusive club, and is it a blessing or a curse upon their school? How does it link to Lola's death?



I REALLY loved this book. I found Audrey and Ivy likeable for different reasons, and there is a well-written supporting cast too.
The chapters alternate between the main characters of Audrey and Ivy. Audrey is written by @amy and Ivy is written by @zoella, with the plot and podcast episodes being jointly written. You'd think this would be noticeable and lead to feeling a bit jarred between chapters, but I often forgot they had been written separately as they flowed so well. I think it actually added to experiencing the feelings of each character on a deeper level.
The story kept me hooked and I wanted to read on and find out more about Illumen Hall and the secrets it was keeping. I'm SO glad this is going to be a series!
Since finishing this book, I have read an interview that zoella and Amy did where they say that they wanted this story to be able to stand alone, but also have minor plotlines hidden throughout that will become important in the subsequent books. I am so on board with this kind of storytelling! Who doesn't love reading a series and being able to look back and see how it all eventually knits together!
I found some parts of the story predictable (it is YA after all) but there were also some pretty good plot twists that had me finishing chapters thinking 'WHAAAAT?!' The book also ends on a cliffhanger, and a great one at that. I've found myself thinking about this a lot in the days since finishing this book, which is always a good sign.

This is the first ebook I had approved on Net Galley, and I'm so glad it was.
I've always enjoyed YA fiction, even many years after leaving my teenage years behind (as many of us bookstagrammers do!) so I was really keen to give this a go.
It did not disappoint. I may actually buy myself a copy as I feel this will be a series I will be collecting over the next few years!

“I won’t cross the Magpies and the Magpies wont cross me”

Calling all Riverdale and Pretty Little Liar fans – This is a must read for you!

I had seen the synopsis for this title on Waterstones under their signed/special edition section and it instantly grabbed my attention. I quickly pre-ordered the signed copy and have been waiting for publication day to read it. Then something magical happened…I saw the title on NetGalley and was granted my wish! Now I really can’t wait for my signed copy to arrive!!

This title is about a prestigious boarding school – Illumen Hall – and two current pupils: Audrey (the new girl from America) and Ivy (the hard-working prefect). Before the end of the previous school year, Illumen Hall experiences tragedy when future head girl Lola’s body is found. Declared as suicide, the police are not interested in any other theories, but someone within the school doesn’t believe that Lola’s death was that clean cut.

With a potential murder mystery, hidden school knowledge and secret societies on their hands, Ivy and Audrey find themselves forming a formidable friendship as they aim to unravel some of the hidden mysteries within their boarding school.

I for one am fully invested in this series already and I cannot wait to read the next instalment!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin and Penguin Random House Children’s UK for granting me my wish to read this title.

Audrey has moved to England to board at Ilumen Hall, being put in a room with Ivy is the last thing Ivy wants, she was hoping for a room if her own this year and is not happy she has to share with the new girl. The school is alright with rumours of what happened to Lola a girl that was found dead at last years end of term party when a podcast starts looking into Lola’s death.

A fast paced book that I really enjoyed I can’t wait to read the next instalment.

I had such high hopes for this book but unfortunately, I just didn't love it! I think it was tailored towards a younger audience as the writing style seemed a little on the younger side although there was frequent swearing and references to slightly older themes it seemed that the authors didn't really know their demographic. I can usually never guess what's going to happen in a mystery book but I predicted almost every single thing that happened fairly early on. I also just didn't care much for either of the main characters (or the side characters). I'm such a fan of Zoe and thought this series sounded so promising but I don't know if I would be in a rush to continue it! My copy had some printing errors too but I was able to figure out what was going on with that pretty quickly and it didn't affect my experience too much.

I wanted to love this book more, but it felt so flat for me and I really didn’t like it all. I found the characters irritating & they were all so boring . The whole story felt like a mix of One of us is lying and a good girls guide to murder which is nice because I like both of them but it felt way to similar. I also had trouble with some of the text in my arc on kindle most of the words were shortened and I’m not sure if this is just me but it through me off, Aswell the mystery and who done it was revealed way to early.

A perfect YA read, ideal for a school book club. Set up as a modern gothic with whodunnit aspects, it was an enjoyable read. Whilst a little predictable and cliched at times, it was a solid story and plot, and the dual narrative aspects worked well to tell different aspects of the story. The narrative voices were very similar, however, and at times it became a little difficult to differentiate which character was which. This won’t set the literary world alight, but it would make an ideal weekend easy read.

I read this book in one day, I just couldn’t put it down. It is a YA mystery and it is definitely that.
Audrey is coming to Illumen Hall boarding school from America. Something happened to her in America and this is a new start for her. She is sharing a room with Ivy, who is supposed to be a very good student and who will help Audrey settle in. However, Ivy is none too chuffed to be sharing the room she worked so hard to get to herself. As Audrey tried to settle in, she learns that a girl was murdered the semester before. Not only that but she was friends with Ivy and she used to have the room that Audrey and Ivy share.
The story revolves around Audrey and a mysterious podcast that is going to reveal who killed the girl. As we learn more, Audrey and Ivy become closer and work together to reveal the identity of the podcaster and maybe they might work out who the murder was. But as they delve deeper, they discover more secrets held within Illumen Hall.
I really enjoyed this book and hope that there will be more to come.

A great find for school book club. Set up as a modern gothic with whodunnit aspects it was a great start to a new series. i'm sure even some of my most reluctant readers will love it.

Overall this is quite an enjoyable thriller but at times a little cliched and predictable.

I liked the setting of a boarding school by the sea which helped build atmosphere, but I found the characters a bit unbelievable and relying a little too much on stereotypes for my personal taste.

Ending in a cliff-hanger I am interested to find out what happens next but I’m not sure it is enough to persuade me to read any more of the series.

I do think the series will find an audience with teen readers, maybe I struggled with it being a little more mature!

This is the first book in a modern gothic thriller series and I, for one, was very impressed. Set in Illumen Hall, where only the gifted and the talented (and mainly rich) attend, new student Audrey feels very far away from her American high school. Not that she’s not pleased to be away from what happened at home, but a new country and a new school mean new ways of understanding the protocol. She is sharing a room with Ivy, whose former roommate was discovered on a beach just months before. Lola had everything going for her and when a podcast airs announcing the murderer, and that someone listening will be next, it gets everyone’s attention. Ivy and Audrey have to team up to make headway in this novel which throws a lot of information at the reader. I’d be interested to see how the second novel advances the story.