I found this a deep and distressing novel with much to explore and be dismayed by the characters and students at this highly privileged school. When four scholarship students arrive in an experiment, to see if poor people can be clever to, what could possibly go wrong?

It turns out pretty much everything that could go wrong, does so. The explorations of character, privilege and endurance are hard to read and some of the events in the book seem pretty far-fetched, but the story holds throughout and reaches a conclusion of sorts.

I was a sucker for the cover on this book and knew I wanted to read it as soon as I saw it. It felt very dark and eerie to me and that exactly what the story delivered. The Four turned out to actually be a lot darker than I was expecting but I was there for it and I loved it.

Firstly, I am so happy that I am not smart or rich enough to have gone to private school because if it's anything like in this book, it's a hard pass from me. I had to remind myself so many times that these characters were late teenagers. They were treated so horrendously by those that were supposed to be working in their interest and the absence of care was devastating for the pupils. On top of that, they were vile to each other. This story was school bullying on a whole other level than I have ever heard of or seen. What it did mean is that where there were pockets of care and love between characters, they really stood out to me and made me quite emotional.

Rose was by far my favourite character. She wasn't perfect (because who is) and she made some poor decisions; but in my opinion, they were only poor in hindsight. She had all of the best intentions and she was fiercely loyal to her small group of friends, even when they may not have deserved it. Alongside all of that, she was struggling with her own grief and loneliness yet she was always the first person to go to bat for her group. Sylvia ended up being a surprisingly likeable character. Underneath her hard exterior, she was kind and caring. I firmly believed that she was a product of her environment, having basically been raised within the school.

This book turned out to give me so much more than I was expecting. It was difficult to read in places and the characters were beyond cruel but the underlying thread of friendship, loyalty and self preservation smoothed out the darker moments for me. I highly recommend this book, but I would definitely advise reading up on some of the themes covered before jumping in. A brilliant debut and I can't wait to read more from this author.

After securing a prestigious scholarship at an elite boarding school, Rose and the other three scholarship students must keep their heads above water to prove they belong there - academically and socially. But one fraught moment will change everything for all of them.

I loved the 90s vibes of this book and the British boarding school setting. The writing is very inviting and I very quickly fell into this world of school rules and social hierarchies. But at the very heart of this book is unwavering, steadfast friendship, the boiling pot that creates and solidifies those friendships, and the lengths you’d go to for your people. I really enjoyed reading it (mostly - there are some dark bits!) and was gripped throughout.

I don’t know where to start! I love, love, loved this. The story was so tense and did not do what I expected. I felt the dread and the weight of the character’s choices as though I was living it. Rose was an exceptional narrator in a cast of amazing characters. The narration was honest, and adult’s perspective carrying the weight of hindsight and shame.

The Four are new pupils at an elite private school each having won a scholarship. Here they encounter pure evil in the form of severe bullying and abuse, but they also find friendship loyalty and love between themselves.
This is at times a very dark hard hitting story which I found it very difficult to continue as I was shocked and outraged at the sheer terror they were put through. I think it was also the fact that those that were there to teach and nurture these young minds stood back and did nothing.
A tense read but one that certainly captures your imagination and keeps you turning the pages. Not for the faint hearted, but an excellent well written story.

From the first sentence of this book I was hooked.

I was never really quite sure where I stood within this story as there were so many twists and turns and that kept me gripped.

I love a deeply unreliable and reflective narrator and I thought that Rose was a really great viewpoint into this story.

I thought this was a really great exploration of what happens when children try to make the right decisions in high stress situations where they are pretty closed off from everyone else and exist in their own little society that has in-built hierarchies.

Keel had such a great writing style that kept me hooked in the world of High Realms

This book drew me straight into the story and I was hooked from then on in!
Four scholarship outcasts in a boarding school club together naturally as they experience life with cruel and never ending jibes from the rich, snobby children around them. One of them seems to be singled out, and the bullying is relentless and sometimes physical. Marta takes it all, She loves school. It seems she was home schooled before and has leaped at the chance to get away from all that.
Marta is very intelligent which doesn’t help her cause, and most of the time she takes what punishment she gets, but one day she snaps. What is an innocent defence has huge repercussions and her future is uncertain. Her friends rally round and try to help. Will she get punished or are her friends able to help her cause?
Definitely a five star read!!
Many thanks to HQ Stories for the chance to read this arc copy for review consideration. My opinion is my own.
#Netgalley, #HQStories, #EllieClareKeel.

This started well. The outsiders are give a hard time from the very beginning but I'm afraid by the end I found it quite preposterous. I'm aware it's set in 1999 when safeguarding wasn't as high profile as it is these days, but the actions of various individuals is hard to reconcile. I wondered if the writer was quite young, as it seemed almost juvenile at times, but I don't think that is the case.

When four scholarship students join elite boarding school High Realms, they struggle to fit in and find themselves in the middle of a tragic situation involving the most popular student.

An atmospheric debut full of tension from start to finish.

The Four is such a gripping book that you won't be able to put it down. The themes are actually really dark and that surprised me but definitely kept me turning the pages.

I particularly enjoyed how unpredictable the plot felt and how I had no idea what would happen. I loved that there were four main characters at the centre of the story.

I love anything with a hint of dark academia and this hit the mark perfectly. I could easily imagine the setting and found it very immersive.

Thank you NetGalley and HQ for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this awesome book

oh my goodness me what have i just read... this book is going to stay with me for a while and i dont want to give to much away but its a book that needs to be read slowly and thoughtfully....

four pupils win a scholarship to a prestigious school.... each come from different backgrounds and from their first day they needed each other as they entered a world that was so vastly different from what they had known

the bullying was horrendous but the four made it work as they stuck together..... but all to soon tragedy struck them, what was worse they had no one to turn to..... only each other

oh man this book...it reminded a little of tom browns school days and a little bit of hogwarts but only the school there is no magic between these pages.... its compelling and horrendous in equal measures but what a book

I think for me this book just missed the mark. Don't get me wrong, I really liked Ellie's writing and there were certain aspects of this book I really liked. The atmosphere was tense and just perfect for the premise and her writing was really gripping and at times addictive. I found myself needing to know what happened to these characters who were ealistic with their own set of flaws and problems.

I liked Rose and having the story told from her narrative. She deals with a lot in this book and it was interesting to see how she dealt with each dilemma as it arose. I didn't connect with the other characters as much but maybe I would have if we had seen things from their perspectives.

One of the issues I had with this book was the lack of trigger warnings considering the amount of things that happen in this book (please message me if you want to know what those triggers are). I knew going into this book that it was a dark read and that it would have some trigger worthy content but I do feel like it should have contained a page at the beginning to warn people (even if it's just to mention the warnings are at the back of the book so not to spoil certain plot points).  For me I have to be in the right mental space to deal with things that may trigger me and I was completely blindsided by an event that happened quite early on and it unfortunately triggered me and I had to put the book down for the rest of the night and even considered dnf-ing it.

I'm glad I didn't dnf it and stuck with it as it is an interesting read and as I mentioned before I liked Ellie's storytelling. It was a gripping story and definitely worth a read. I'm gutted I didn't love this book as everyone else has but it's just one of those things that happens sadly.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars. Whilst I did enjoy this book well enough to read it at quite a fast pace, there was something lacking in it as a whole that stopped me from really liking it. I think this was mainly down to pacing and a slightly thin set of characters. I don't feel like I really know any of them, maybe this was intentional (teenagers generally don't know who they are, after all) and maybe I'm too old at 48 to be the target audience for it. The pacing was on the slow side, and I think it would have flowed a lot better if it was around 50-60 pages shorter - there was some repetition in the scenes that made it feel laborious at points.
All of that being said, the general story is good - four outstanding students get a scholarship to High Realms and enter a world like nothing they have known, one of entitlement and spoilt, truly terrible people who will never accept them. The bullying they encounter and witness is off the charts and constantly ramping up - so much so that I became desensitised to it as I read through. They have each suffered already in their lives, to different degrees but Marta in particular seems to have resigned herself to a life of pain. The writing about her declining mental state was very good, her desperation and detachment were really believable. There was also an interesting nod to the fact that seemingly having it all doesn't mean you are untouchable by misery and emotional hardship, none of the affluent kids were any happier than the four and their nefarious behaviour was fuelled by their own sadness and need to fit in/keep their status.

Following four full scholarship students as they take up their sixth form places at the extremely elite public school High Realms, the narrative explores just how far you would go to protect someone you love and care for in the name of true friendship and loyalty. I found myself thinking that this book was sitting more towards a YA read and yet the themes and content are really almost too much for that category. However, I couldn’t put my finger on why it felt more like YA. It’s a dark and often violent and traumatic story that often left me feeling quite disturbed , yet I felt compelled to keep reading, to find out what happened, despite the sense of impending doom. There are some truly despicable characters in the book, but the Four all manage to have you rooting for them and are well drawn. Definitely not my usual genre, but I’m sure it’s going to be a debut book that is widely talked about this summer.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, HQ books, for an arc in exchange for a review.

Intriguing and dark, nevertheless this kept me absorbed. The four scholarship students are oddballs at this high-class public school that is rather seedy behind closed doors. Mystery abounds and one of the quartet is at the centre of it.

Felt a little long in places but absorbing, gripping and a compelling read.

TW: abuse, self-harm and bullying

The Four are a group of gifted students on a scholarship programme to an elite boarding school where family connections and status matter more than intellect. Rose and Marta are put together as room mates and quickly become very close friends through the incessant bullying they receive from the rich students.

This is a much darker tale than I expected, nothing cosy about this boarding school - it's more Secret History than I was expecting and the bullying and violence at times was a bit much for me but I know plenty of people will enjoy this dark journey.

This was a very good read.

I really liked the writing style, it kept me engaged and invested in the story. I'm excited to read more by this author and can't wait to get my physical copy of the book.

I really adored this book. It had everything in it more me.
Four misfits trying to get along within a privileged setting without knowledge of how to fit in.
There is a dark and disturbing scenes within this book but the author Ellie Keel has written them brilliantly.
If you want a dark and twisted novel then this one is for you.

In retrospect, this one was a bit too dark for me.

High Realms is a private school, and one with a high reputation. For the first time, it has admitted four scholarship students into the world of privilege and elitism and, from the very beginning, they stand out and find themselves relying more and more on each other. There is no doubt that they are smart enough to hold their own academically - but can they survive the strange regime they find themselves in?

There is no doubt that this is a very cleverly written novel but enjoyable? Not for me. I cringed at the whole scenario these four found themselves part of and was very uncomfortable throughout. Not one for me, but I'm sure plenty of others will love it. For me, 3*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

This book is Mallory Towers *dark and moody edition*. It’s dark academia at its most accessible with no Shakespeare, no Latin, just twisted friendships and emotional devastation with a boarding school backdrop.

The story follows Rose and three of her fellow scholarship students navigating life at a prestigious boarding school in Devon. When one of the scholarship students, Marta, is involved in an accident with a student who has been bullying her, the other scholarship students are forced to lie to the police and evade the schools probings in order to protect their friend. All while keeping up impeccable grades. It is a real testament to the lengths we will go to in order to protect our friends.

This book is a really solid debut and I was hooked from the start. Some moments were a bit dramatic and at time implausible but this didn’t distract from the emotional impact of the story

Took me a while to get immersed into the book. The mood is dark at times and you feel the tension and fear. The characters are well written and you learn so much about their personalities