The 4th book in Kate Brian's hit seriesAriana Osgood HAD it all. After rotting away at the Brenda T facility she's broken out into the real world. Her biggest mistake? Trusting cellmate Kaitlyn Nottingham. Kaitlyn's on the loose and to add to Ariana's living nightmare goes to Ariana's school. Not only that she probably killed Bridgit, Ariana's friend. Then the 2 girls find out it was for nothing!Best moment?When Kaitlynn went down! Revenge bitches!Worst moment?When Ariana/K were friends. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. That was...INCREDIBLE. I cannot believe...oh my gosh. I'm sorry, I just finished the book about a minute ago, so you all are getting all my emotions. As you can tell, I was SO shocked by this book. WOW. I did NOT know that this series would basically be a continuation of Private, as it shows what happens to people AFTER the end of Private. Oh, lord. I don't even want to know what Ariana's going to do if she finds Reed and Josh... Anyways. This book was AMAZING. Definitely the best of the series. By far. I did not even hesitate when rating it the full-on solid 5 stars. I finished the book in a day, even with everything going on (homework, meetings, shopping). I could NOT put it down. I should have gone to sleep an hour ago, but I was GLUED onto this book. I could not stop. I cannot believe it. I'm still in shock over what happened. I seriously thought Ariana and Kaitlyn could have been friends, but I guess not. FINALLY, this book ends for Ariana's benefit. IF ONLY SHE HADN'T RUN INTO KIRAN. Oh, that part made me so sad. It not only marked an end to one of my favorite characters from Private, but it means that Ariana will probably meet with the others at a point. Oh, lord. There was absolutely nothing wrong with this book, really. I didn't find any grammar errors, which is a biggy for me, and everything was just great. I did not see that ending coming. I mean, I thought the book would end with Ariana killing Kaitlyn and her and Lexa teaming up, then Palmer and Ariana to be happily ever after, but of course not. Just when you think you have Brian and her shocking endings down, she drops the bomb. Darn it, Brian! I outsmarted you on the last book and saw it coming, but this one totally shocked me. I was left overwhelmed. I can sometimes hint that same tone of writing Brian used to write Private...I actually detected it a lot, actually. Every author has their own style, and I personally love Brian's. That was an amazing book. Just fantastic. I have no complaints. There is only one thing I WORRY about for Ariana, and that is Grandma Convington and the fact that they didn't just burn Kaitlyn's body. Ew, terrible picture, and I'm feeling pretty queasy about saying that, but it would have been the best choice for Ariana, that way there would be no way for the officials to find Kaitlyn's body, and it won't come up in a later book as I'm sure it will. Throughout the book I am always trying to guess what Brian's surprising ending will be, taking it from every angle. I thought, in the beginning of this book, that Brian would make Grandma Convington show up at the school, as I'm sure it will be inevitable that she will in one of the books. That would be a great dramatic ending. I can just picture it now, "And she looked up into the eyes of the one person who could ruin everything with just a few words. Grandma Convington." Or you know, something like that, a lot better than that, obviously, but I'm not a professional author so don't blame me. Overall, AMAZING book. 5 stars, well-earned. I'm SO excited to read the next books, as I know it will be great.
What do You think about Sweet Deceit (Privilege (2010)?
I love the Privilege series by Kate Brian. They are the spin-off series of The Private series. I actually like them more though. In Sweet Deceit Ariana and her new friends are just getting over the fact that their good friend Bridget died. And now, Ariana and Kaitlynn are rooming together. The girls are struggling to get into the schools elite secret society of Stone and Grave. The girls are a little shocked when they find out that even though now one of the opponents is out, there is still a possibility that they might not get in. Ariana and Kaitlynn work together and actually seem to bond because they both want the potential of getting in. I don't want to really give anything away because 2 MAJOR events happen in this book. One will change the way that Ariana's life will be and definitely makes things look up for her in the future, and the other even messes with the Private series! I am so excited to read the next one. The plot still had me going and I can't even imagine what will happen next. Favorite Character: I've always liked Lexa. Ariana is a little intense for me and although I admit she is extremely intriguing, she kind of creeps me out some times. Murderers can be scary. (: Lexa is pretty put together and she is overall a nice chick. Crush: Definitely Palmer. He is really growing on me. He is not only very good looking, but is helpful and kind. Ariana doesn't deserve him, but I'm kind of on her side since she is the main character, and I'd rather have it that way. I give Sweet Deceit an A-. I thought that after so many in this series the heat might be lost a little, but the fire just started. It was great and definitely left me wanting more. I recommend this book for those 14+. And for those who haven't read Private or Privilege, get to it!! :)
—nlmann
This book is a continuation of the the story of Ariana, whom escaped from jail and is still under the assumed identity of a dead billionaires (who she killed) in a boarding school. She is faced with trying to keep her cover, while her roommate and ex cell mate attempts to do the same. Ariana has to deal with a lot. The murder of her friend, her tap for a secret society and her roommate threatening to expose her. The book goes through her journey of finding a way of keeping her roommate out of her way and getting into stone and grave. This is a struggle for her as she goes though several different "tasks" that sound like pledging for a fraternity. Having to share her past, do ridicules stunts, murder and a party, all part of almost every Kate Brian novel, and some of it doesn't seem to fit in the story line. The plot although suspenseful and eventful seemed like the others in the series and in her other series Private. The book had high and low points and the only reason you keep reading is to see if it gets better, or you just want to finish it in hopes the next book will be better. In the final chapter you remember why you read her book, the cliffhanger and twist in the story, and like the rest it drives you to read the next book. I do recommend the book if you follow the series, but it does leave much to be desired.
—MikaylaAnne
