Last year’s assembly wasn’t so bad. Weingarten stood up and said something about how much Shaila loved math—she didn’t—and how she would have been so thrilled to be starting AP Calc if she was still with us—she wasn’t. Mr. and Mrs. Arnold showed up, as they did the year before, and sat in the front row of the auditorium, dabbing their cheeks with cotton handkerchiefs, the old-fashioned kind that were so worn, they were almost translucent and probably held residual snot from decades before. It was so fast, jumping between memories and the present. But the time skips weren’t confusing, because they were clear and well connected. So take this as a reminder,” Headmaster Weingarten continues. “At Gold Coast Prep, we strive to do good. We aim to be grand. We see ourselves as helping hands.”

Take Gossip Girl, add a dash of secret societies and a little bit of a murder no one can forget and you’ll get They Wish They Were Us. Not going to lie: this is what drew me to this book in the first place, this excellent mix it seemed to be between one of my favorite show with the rich and dramatic and thrilling mystery stories. I’m happy to say: this book delivered. Goodman also will executive produce. Dre Ryan will supervise and executive produce. Halsey will co-executive produce. The Players are the chosen elite who pinnacle the Gold Coast prep school's social hierarchy. They are more than the most popular students though and they do more than throw the wildest parties. The Players have access to test answers, have their chosen college admissions guaranteed, and the futures they desire provided for them. They also have the task of ensuring those next in line sacrifice everything they are to get this place, just like they did. The plot twists were to be expected, because this is a murder mystery. There was a notable red herring, because what’s a mystery without one or five of those?But now that we’re actually here, parked in the Gold Coast Prep senior lot for the first time, a shiver slinks down my spine. We still have to get through Shaila’s memorial and it hangs over us like a cloud, ready to rain all over the fun. It was just so boring knowing who the killer was from the beginning and waiting for the mc to finally realize and yes—some of the pops are more intense than these, including the one that led to shaila’s death, but for the most part it's silly stuff the achievement of which doesn’t seem commensurate with the supposed rewards of being a player.

Jill and her friends are Players, part of the exclusive, not-quite-secret society at school. There’s some serious hazing involved as a freshman, but when you’re a Player, your life—and in many ways, your future—are set.

The Players has a cheesy and dated feel to it like the story would have fit better in the 1980s time period rather than now. It's over the top but on some level it worked enough to keep my interest. With so much wild and crazy behavior going on, I wasn't compelled to like any of the characters, including Jill. I was curious though to see if the author was going to come up with some spectacular conclusion in regards to the mystery surrounding Shaila's death. Unfortunately it was unimaginative and therefore a disappointment. The author did try to throw in some substance when wrapping everything up but it was too little, too late. Unfortunately pace was so slow, flat , boring and the chapters were too wordy. It should have been more intriguing, mysterious and gripping with better characterization and slow building high tension to keep attention alert! I want to mourn what I thought I knew about the people I love. Loved. How do I recover? How do I get over this? I can’t. Not yet, anyway. Because it feels like my heart has been smashed open and every truth I ever knew is spilling onto the floor.” of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman Jill - I understood her so well. She loved the stars and she was so passionate about what she really cared about. She was pressured by her parents to be the best possible, get better grades, and eventually get into an Ivy League school. Her lust for popularity put more pressure on her, to be prettier, to be seen, to be better. The anger and hidden anxieties couldn’t come out because she was “that girl”.