11 Apr Book Review: They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman

There’s something irresistible about a prep school mystery. The rich kids, the dark secrets, the intense pressure to succeed—all that glossy privilege wrapped around something rotten. They Wish They Were Us taps into that world with a familiar but compelling energy. It’s a YA thriller set in the elite world of Long Island’s Gold Coast, where ambition and tradition blur into something much darker. If you’ve ever liked a story about a high school that feels more like a battleground than a classroom, this one has plenty to offer.

What’s it about?

The story follows Jill Newman, a senior at the exclusive prep school Gold Coast Academy, where she’s one of “The Players”—an ultra-secret, ultra-exclusive society made up of the school’s top students. Think Ivy League pipelines, legacy wealth, and a long-standing tradition of rituals, hazing, and whispered privilege. Once you’re in, life supposedly gets easier—grades, internships, even college admissions. But there’s a cost to that kind of access.

Three years earlier, Jill’s best friend Shaila Arnold was murdered during their freshman year. Her boyfriend, Graham, confessed to the crime, and the case was considered closed. Jill, along with the rest of the school, tried to move on. But as senior year begins, cracks start forming in the narrative everyone’s accepted. Jill receives a text message that says Graham is innocent, and that the real killer is still out there.

From that point on, Jill finds herself caught between maintaining her position in The Players and digging into the past. The more she uncovers, the more she starts to question not just the details of Shaila’s murder, but the entire foundation of the world she’s been trying so hard to succeed in.

The narrative balances Jill’s present-day investigation with flashbacks to her early days in The Players, showing how the group operates through manipulative dares, secret meetings, and a toxic loyalty culture that punishes anyone who steps out of line. At the same time, Jill’s trying to survive the pressures of senior year—AP classes, SAT prep, and the looming weight of college applications. Her relationship with her boyfriend is strained, her family life is complicated, and the legacy of Shaila’s death still hovers over her.

As Jill starts pulling at the threads of the case, she uncovers secrets that force her to rethink everything—her friendships, her school, and even her own role in what happened. The final chapters bring everything to a head with a twisty, satisfying (if slightly dramatic) resolution that plays with the idea of justice in a world that’s anything but fair.

What This Chick Thinks

A strong protagonist

Jill is a solid lead—smart, conflicted, and just self-aware enough to question the system she’s been benefiting from. What I appreciated most about her was how her growth didn’t come in one big “aha” moment. Instead, we see her struggle with guilt, complicity, and her desire to belong, even when she knows something isn’t right. She’s not a perfect heroine, but that’s what makes her feel real.

Twisty enough to keep the pages turning

The mystery itself is well-paced. It’s not a full-blown thriller, but the tension builds steadily, and the payoff is satisfying. You do get some of the usual YA tropes—secret notes, love triangles, dramatic reveals—but it’s all delivered with enough polish to feel deliberate rather than cliché. The final reveal works not because it’s shocking, but because it fits the emotional logic of the story.

Dark academia meets Mean Girls

What sets this apart is the setting. Gold Coast Academy is exactly the kind of place that looks perfect on the outside and is quietly rotten underneath. The Players are like an academic Greek life society, but with more manipulation and privilege baked into the mix. Goodman does a good job of showing how these environments encourage silence, competition, and the erasure of guilt—especially when it comes to girls who are trying to survive within them.

It also doesn’t shy away from the cost of that pressure. Jill’s journey isn’t just about solving a murder—it’s about untangling herself from a system that demands perfection, obedience, and sacrifice.

Final Thoughts

They Wish They Were Us is a sleek, fast-paced mystery that blends privilege, pressure, and prep school politics with a sharp eye. It’s not reinventing the genre, but it delivers exactly what it promises: drama, secrets, and a girl who learns how to ask the right questions—even when the answers hurt.

Rating: 8/10

Try it if you like

• One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus – Another high school whodunit where secrets unravel and reputations shatter.
• The Ivies by Alexa Donne – Dark prep school antics with a focus on college admissions and cutthroat competition.
• A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson – For readers who love amateur sleuths and layered, twisty storytelling with a strong female lead.