The Academy A Novel

From #1 bestselling author of The Perfect Couple, Elin Hilderbrand, and her daughter, Shelby Cunningham, comes a deliciously scandalous peek behind the ivy-covered walls of an elite New England boarding school.

Move-in day at Tiffin Academy starts with the usual chaos—reunions, selfies, and parents unloading mini-fridges—until shocking news breaks: America Today just ranked Tiffin the number two boarding school in the country. A seventeen-spot jump? For a school known more for legendary parties than legendary test scores? The campus may be gorgeous and the dining hall chef may be acclaimed, but everyone knows Tiffin’s sports teams finish last and the dorms desperately need updating.

Just as the champagne starts flowing, scandal arrives in the form of ZipZap, a new anonymous app spreading blind items across campus. Nobody is safe—not Davi Banerjee, the international influencer and resident queen bee; not Simone Bergeron, the suspiciously young new history teacher; not Charley Hicks, the transfer student determined to remain an outsider; not even Cordelia Spooner, the Admissions Director with her unconventional methods.

As the academic year unfolds, bonds form and shatter, secrets surface, and lives transform in ways no one could predict. This mother-daughter collaboration brings fresh energy to Hilderbrand’s signature storytelling, capturing all the drama, friendship, and heartbreak of boarding school life. If you loved Gossip Girl or craved more after binging The Secret History, pour yourself something cozy and settle in for a year at Tiffin Academy—where the real education happens outside the classroom.

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