“My interior architecture is sturdy. It’s composed of every book I’ve ever read.” – Charley from The Thoroughbreds by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham
Every autumn I look forward to reading a novel set at a boarding school. Since reading The Girls of Canby Hall series by Emily Chase in the 1980s, I have been fascinated by young teenagers coming of age while living away from their parents and the teachers who choose to live and teach on campus. Life must get messy! How does one ever escape the mean girl or the bully? Who are the teachers dating? These are just a couple of questions I ask.
Elin Hilderbrand and her daughter, Shelby Cunningham, wrote a two book duology set at a New England boarding school. Book One, The Academy, was released in September 2025, and the sequel, The Thoroughbreds, was released earlier this month. I couldn’t wait to read about senior year, or sixth form, at Tiffin Academy.
These Campus novels are not Young Adult. The teenagers as well as the adults make some very mature (and immature) decisions, and they are on the page.
Both The Academy and The Thoroughbreds are written in a multi-perspective third-person roving point of view. More than a dozen voices are used, and it may take the reader a moment to determine whose POV they are reading. One narrator, Erin Bennett, reads the audiobooks.
Both books begin on move-in day of the fall semester and end on the last day of the school year. In The Academy, an anonymous app called ZipZap creates chaos on campus soon after classes begin. Secrets are exposed. Certain students are elevated while others are destroyed. Do not forget about the teachers and staff. They are not safe either.
Hilderbrand and Cunningham leave the reader with many questions at the end of The Academy, but they answer them all by the end of The Thoroughbreds. Of course, more drama ensues in the second book. After all, the characters are sixth formers, and the college admissions process brings intense competition. They and their parents have high expectations!
I cannot wait for you to meet Charley, Davi, East, Miss Bergeron, Ms. Robinson, Dub, Mrs. Spooner, Taylor, Mr. Rivera, Chef Haz, and Olivia H-T!
Rumor has it the books have been optioned and are in development for a television series on a major streaming service. My fingers are crossed.
What I am Reading: Dissection of a Murder by Jo Murray
What Audiobook I am Listening to: Dear Dealer: A Memoir by Nadia Bowers
What Podcast I am Listening to: Mel Robbins Podcast Episode 435 Oprah Winfrey: How to Find Your Unique Purpose, Authentic Power, and Calling In Life
What I am Watching: Lucky
Look for books at Knox County Online Library or your local independent bookstore each week.
Linda Sullivan is an avid reader and wants to inspire you to become one, too. For more recommendations or to talk books, reach out to her at thebookwhisperertn@gmail.com. She can also be found @thebookwhisperertn on Instagram.
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