The Academy: A Novel (The Academy Series, 1)

From #1 bestselling author of The Perfect Couple, Elin Hilderbrand, and her daughter, Shelby Cunningham, deliver the irresistible, deliciously scandalous story of one drama-filled year at a New England boarding school.

It's move-in day at Tiffin Academy and amidst the happy chaos of friends reuniting, selfies uploading, and cars unloading, shocking news arrives: America Today just ranked Tiffin the number two boarding school in the country. It's a seventeen-spot jump--was there a typo? The dorms need to be renovated, their sports teams always come in last place, and let's just say Tiffin students are known for being more social than academic. On the other hand, the campus is exquisite, class sizes are small, and the dining hall is run by an acclaimed New York chef. And they do have fun--lots of parties and school dances, and a piano man plays in the student lounge every Monday night.

But just as the rarefied air of Tiffin is suffused with self-congratulation, the wheels begin to turn--and then they fall off the bus. One by one, scandalous blind items begin to appear on phones across Tiffin's campus, thanks to a new app called ZipZap, and nobody is safe. From Davi Banerjee, international influencer and resident queen bee, to Simone Bergeron, the new and surprisingly young history teacher, to Charley Hicks, a transfer student who seems determined not to fit in, to Cordelia Spooner, Admissions Director with a somewhat idiosyncratic methodology--everyone has something to hide.

As if high school wasn't dramatic enough ... As the year unfolds, bonds are forged and broken, secrets are shared and exposed, and the lives of Tiffin's students and staff are changed forever. The Academy is Elin Hilderbrand's fresh, buzzy take on boarding school life, and a thrilling new direction from one of America's most satisfying and popular storytellers.

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Published Sep 16, 2025

432 pages

Average rating: 6.61

119 RATINGS

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North of Cincy Book Club

Group of open-minded, free-thinking women in their 30s and 40s meeting in the northern Cincinnati suburbs.

Community Reviews

Larry Burns
Oct 01, 2025
7/10 stars
Great characters.
Javagirl
Feb 08, 2026
8/10 stars
Love this book! Can't wait for the next.
GlossaryNotNeeded
Jan 06, 2026
4/10 stars
The Academy by Erin Hilderbrand was, unfortunately, not for me. The book feels like a young-reader, toned-down version of Gossip Girl—so much so that Chuck Bass is name-checked directly, which only highlighted how unoriginal the premise felt. I found the pacing slow, the plot predictable, and the characters flat. There was no emotional depth to pull me in, and I contemplated abandoning the book more times than I can count. Finishing it felt more like obligation than enjoyment. The narration was another major struggle. The author jumps back and forth between 1st and 3rd person repeatedly, but not to give insight into a character’s perspective or enhance the storytelling. Instead, it reads like indecision on the page—disjointed, distracting, and lacking purpose. What grated on me most was the tone of the writing itself. Throughout the book, Hilderbrand uses unnecessarily large, complex vocabulary, only to immediately turn around and define those same words for the reader. It came across less like helpful context and more like condescension—as if the prose was trying to sound intellectual, but the explanations assumed the reader wouldn’t understand it. The combination felt oddly patronizing and, at times, insulting to the audience’s intelligence. I’ve enjoyed other books by Erin Hilderbrand, but this one missed the mark in nearly every way I value as a reader—originality, depth, and narrative cohesion.
Lrenae
Dec 22, 2025
8/10 stars
Captivating and entertaining with a few slow moments

The Academy is another great addition to Elin Hilderbrand’s world of Nantucket storytelling — this time with a fun, mysterious boarding school twist. The characters are engaging and layered, and I loved how Hilderbrand blended drama, relationships, and suspense in such a vivid setting. The pacing was a little slow in the beginning, and a few subplots felt a bit rushed at the end, but overall it was a satisfying, addictive read that kept me guessing. Definitely a perfect book to curl up with on a cozy weekend!
Lynnreads29*
Dec 16, 2025
2/10 stars
I feel like Elin Hilderbrand used her name to promote this book to her followers. To me it felt like it was mostly written by her daughter, Shelby Cunningham. It seemed like it was more of an Young Adult read.

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