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    Private
    Private
    Private
    Audiobook6 hours

    Private

    Written by Kate Brian

    Narrated by Cassandra Campbell

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Fifteen-year-old Reed Brennan wins a scholarship to Easton Academy-the golden ticket away from her pill-popping mother and run-of-the-mill suburban life. But when she arrives on the beautiful, tradition-steeped campus of Easton, everyone is just a bit more sophisticated, a bit more gorgeous, and a lot wealthier than she ever thought possible. Reed realizes that even though she has been accepted to Easton, Easton has not accepted her. She feels like she's on the outside, looking in.

    Until she meets the Billings Girls.

    They are the most beautiful, intelligent, and intensely confident girls on campus. And they know it. They hold all the power in a world where power is fleeting but means everything. Reed vows to do whatever it takes to be accepted into their inner circle.

    Reed uses every part of herself-the good, the bad, and the beautiful-to get closer to the Billings Girls. She quickly discovers that inside their secret parties and mountains of attitude, hanging in their designer clothing–packed closets the Billings Girls have skeletons. And they'll do anything to keep their secrets private.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateAug 10, 2009
    ISBN9781400182312
    Author

    Kate Brian

    Kate Brian is the author of the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Private series and its spin-off series Privilege. She has also written many other books for teens including Sweet 16 and Megan Meade’s Guide to the McGowan Boys.

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    Reviews for Private

    4/5

    22 ratings12 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Warning: Review may contain spoilers!Reed Brennan desperately wants to escape her hometown of Crofton, PA. Her mother suffered a tragic accident and now pops pills and drinks away her pain. She takes most of her suffering out on Reed. Meanwhile Reed’s father tries to hold the family together, but Reed knows this is a burden for her dad. When she’s offered a scholarship to Easton Academy, she knows this is her opportunity to leave and live the life she’s always dreamed about.The first day she stepped foot on campus, she felt she was out of her league. The other students were different than her peers at her former high school. Suddenly doubts fill her mind and she begins to wonder if Croton, PA is her fate after all.While walking back to her dorm, she meets Thomas Pearson, the most popular (and gorgeous) senior on campus. Reed is immediately attracted to him and secretly wishes she’ll run into him again.It’s not until her chance glimpse of the “mysterious girls” that things start to turn around for Reed. She learns their true identities during a meal in the cafeteria: Noelle, Ariana, Kiran and Taylor AKA the Billings Girls.Billings House is the dorm on campus. If you’re fortunate to live there, then you are set for life. All the girls want to be a Billings Girls. Much to Reed’s amazement, she wants to befriend them as well. These girls represent everything that Reed doesn’t have: wealth, beauty, power, confidence and loyalty. Due to her home life, Reed isolated herself from her peers and did not have social relationships. Now that she’s at Easton, she’s realizing she has missed out on a major part of being a teenage girl.The Billings Girls take an interest in Reed as well, and before Reed knows it, she has become part of their group (well on the peripheral). There is a price to be one of them. These girls begin to ask Reed to steal an exam, break up with a guy and any other demeaning task they can think of. As Reed struggles to belong to their group and do what’s right, she begins to wonder if their friendship (if indeed it is friendship) is worth it.Meanwhile, her relationship with Thomas develops and soon they become a couple. Things are going well with them, until Reed learns Thomas’s secret. Devastated that he lied to her, she ends their relationship, but isn’t sure if she did the right thing. He attempts to explain to her why he did not confide in her and wants to get back together. The Billings Girls tell her she’s better off without him and makes her promise to have nothing to do with him. Reed finds herself torn between these new feelings for Thomas and wanting to secure her place with the Billing Girls.Just as Reed makes her decision, Thomas goes missing and one of the Billings Girls is expelled from Easton for cheating. Which means there’s a spot open. . . in the Billings House. Will Reed be the next Billings Girl?I really liked this book! I was immediately hooked with Reed’s humble background versus the entitlement of the Billings Girls. Although I didn’t agree with the decisions that Reed made, it was hard not to empathize with her. Reed is so desparate to be a “normal” girl and leave her past behind, that this often clouded her judgment. Following her conscience repeatedly conflicted with the goal of becoming the next Billings Girl.I liked that the book ended with a cliff hanger. So where is Thomas? Will Reed fill the open spot in the house? What was the real reason behind the expulsion of the former Billings Girl? To be continued in. . . Invitation Only.
    • 4/5
      This book was really interesting. But the back cover summary was way off, but I'm not sure if it was talking about the entire series, or just that one book. I've heard that the series was pretty good. I can't wait to read the next ones. I think my favourite part was when Reed and Thomas first kissed. The part of the school dance. That was pretty interesting. The end was really weird. Like it was just sort of outta the blues, and also Reed was looking for Thomas, and suddenly it happened, and she just forgot about him. How weird was that?
    • 4/5
      This is by no means my kind of book. It's a blatant girly book, and it screams Gossip Girls. I got it as a present last year and just got around to picking it up- wanting a light read.

      It basically features 16 year old Reed, who moves away from her dysfunctional family to a posh, private school on a partial scholarship. Naturally, she's willing to do anything to fit in there.

      It really, really surprised me. I was absolutely sucked in from the beginning. I thought Reed was very likable (though she could do with not changing her mind so often) and the plot kept me wanting to read more.

      I'm not a major fan of the cliff-hanger ending, because I'd love to see what happens next, but it's a long series and I'm not sure I really want to read it.

      I would, however, like to know what Brian's editor was on while going through this one. The mistakes throughout were just ridiculous. I fail to see how an ''I'' goes without being capitalized, or how sentences can be missing fairly vital words.

      Over all though, very impressed with this one.
    • 5/5
      I got this book as a free download on my Kindle so I didn't expect much, as it is a teenage book. However, I totally got sucked in!!! I guess I got sucked in because of the concept of a story at a boarding school but also because you can't see what is coming... it is fairly unpredictable. So of course the book ended with a cliffhanger so I immediately had to get the next book. Thank God for instant download on Kindle (is it ethical to give you free downloads of a series? It is like giving people a free sample of crack- but next time you have to pay!). So anyways, beware, it is pretty addictive, and even worse, as with drugs, you feel you have to hide your addiction from your friends since it is, after all, a series written for kids! A little like a teenage "Desperate Housewives"?
    • 3/5
      A new series emerges out of a world already full of Gossip Girls, A-lists, and Cliques. Sophomore Reed Brennan has been accepted into the prestigious Easton Academy on scholarship. Getting out of her depressing hometown and her emotionally abusive mother’s grasp is liberating for Reed, but it is not too long before she once again feels like retreating into her usual antisocial loner shell. The only bright spot in her life is the bad boy Thomas Pearson—totally wrong but dangerously attractive and attentive to her.Then she meets the Billings girls. They are beautiful, brilliant, and the best…and there are only four of them who really matter: Noelle, Ariana, Kiran, and Taylor. Reed thinks that she’ll be set if she can only become one of them, and so takes every opportunity to suck up to them. Sure, some of the things they make her do, such as stealing a test, make her think twice, but Reed knows that without the Billings girls, she’d simply be another sophomore nobody at Easton.However, the Billings girls and Thomas don’t get along. In the meantime, Thomas has secrets of his own, too, and Reed fluctuates from desperately wanting to be part of the Billings girls to hating them for having a sickening power over everyone. Can Reed love Thomas, please the Billings girls, AND stay true to herself all at once? That seems like an impossible mountain to climb.There is really nothing that has already been written in Private. Thomas is the stereotypical guy we hate to love, and Noelle is your average two-faced perfect villainess. There will certainly be room in this world for Private and its fans, though.
    • 5/5
      What can I say? I'm a sucker for any ridiculously over-the-top YA series about privileged teenagers. (Murder) mysteries abound; an abundance of foe yay between the two leads; not actually boring hetero romance; and a series conclusion that completely loses control of itself. Easy, delicious reads.
    • 5/5
      I fell in love with this book (and all those that followed) right from the start! The plot was very original and being a Connecticut native, I loved that it took place in Easton, CT. There was never a dull moment while reading, I always kept wanting to turn the page to see what would happen next. I would even read an entire one in a day if I had the time! The characters (good and bad) all found a way into my heart and I grew attached to all of them. This book series has definitely been one of my favorites! I would definitely recommend this series to any book lover!
    • 5/5
      This book we get introduced to scholarship student Reed. She is timid yet wants to become a Billings Girl, all Billings girls are the most popular and powerful girls at Easton Academy. The main Billings girls that are mentioned are Ariana, Kirana, Taylor, and Noelle. Noelle by far is the best and she brings humor and life to the story. Reed gets a bit irratating but it is interesting to read about her mistakes throughout the story. Over all a great read.
    • 4/5
      Reed, a scholarship student from Pennsylvania, must quickly learn the rules of the prestigious private school. In the process, Reed embarks on a journey of self discovery and finds herself falling for the notorious bad guy on campus. What happens at the end will leave readers wanting the second book in the series. Thanks to a former student, I read the entire series over the summer. Reed is a character I love and I look forward to more books from Kate Brian.
    • 3/5
      Reed is exponentially more likable than any character in the Pretty Little Liars books, and her conflicted decision making seems realistic to her situation. As these series go, this is better than many of the other options out there. I'm not sure that it would tie in well with a curriculum component, but it would be a good option for readers wo have read Gossip Girl or Pretty Little Liars and are looking for similar material.
    • 3/5
      I thought this book was typical teen girl lit which I love. The main character was funny and kept me interested in her thoughts. This reminds me a bit of Gossip Girl which I am addicted to. I will be getting the rest of this series.
    • 5/5
      I got it for free on my Kindle and didn't expect much. But I have to say I really enjoyed this book.I would purchase the next book in the series except that the pricing is all wrong for the Kindle. The PB is just 3.56 while the Kindle version is 7.19. Makes no sense...