The Sandersons Fail Manhattan

by Scott Johnston

“A laugh-out-loud mash-up of Bonfire of the Vanities and Mean Girls.” ―Christopher Buckley, author of Thank You for Smoking

William Sanderson is very rich, but you can always be richer. He’s up for a huge promotion at investment giant Bedrock Capital, but there’s one crucial hurdle he must clear first―assuming he can also keep the HR department at bay. He’s also looking for any string to pull to get his maddeningly indifferent daughter Ginny into Yale. Ellie, his wife, is a newcomer to New York who only wants to fit in, while Daughter #2, the shy Zoey, is happy just to make a new friend, even in the form of the unusual new girl who calls herself a goblin.

Things turn upside down when the girls’ exclusive school admits its first trans student, only to have her mysteriously disappear. As a frenzied search begins, the entire city frets about her fate. Somehow caught in the crosshairs are the Sandersons, a family desperately trying to navigate all the new cultural rules―and failing miserably.

Genres: Fiction, Audiobook

352 pages, Hardcover

First published July 8, 2025

About the author

Author of St. Martin's Press novels Campusland and The Sandersons Fail Manhattan, Johnston grew up in New York and went to Yale. From there, Wall Street (Salomon Brothers of Liar's Poker fame) and a stint in Hong Kong. On the side, he opened a couple of nightclubs in NYC. One, called the Baja, had a great run. After that, he started and ran a quant hedge fund for about a decade, taking some time to teach as an adjunct at Yale. Somewhere in there he penned a fun little book on golf betting games. Growing bored of finance, Johnston shifted gears to tech, co-founding two startups, later sold. He and his wife live in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published July 8, 2025.

3.5 stars

The Sandersons of New York City are very wealthy. Will Sanderson is rising to the top of Bedrock Capital, he just needs to take one more step before he makes the executive committee. Wife Ellie isn’t from NYC and takes it all in stride, other than trying to fit in and raise their two girls. Ginny is a senior at the posh Lenox School for Girls, a lauded private school where William is on the board; it is vitally important to William that Ginny go to Yale since “that’s where Sandersons go.” Shy Zoey is Ginny’s younger sister and is also at Lenox, she befriends one of the school’s new students, brought in the enhance gender diversity.

Can the Sandersons navigate this year, where everything they have known turns on its head?

This was a bit BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES-lite. It’s a pity that this didn’t come out before Trump took office because it made more sense in a world where the orange menace wasn’t attacking trans rights every fifteen minutes. Now it already feels a little dated (and that’s depressing.)

Ellie is a little too perfect and Easter is maybe a bit of a cliche, as are her parents, but I enjoyed this well enough.

[Courtney Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very edgy and brave book but honestly we have all been on that zoom call haven’t we? Lol. The ending was so abrupt I was sure I accidentally clicked something wrong. Just … wow. Makes you think for sure.

[Bonnie Brody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read and loved Mr. Johnston's Campusland, I was gung-ho to read his new book, The Sandersons Fail Manhattan. With wry wit, farcical situations and character development that sometimes bordered on the histrionic, this novel spoke to me, making me laugh and shake my head at its incisive exploration of contemporary culture, social media, and the rich. While taking 'woke' and 'cancel culture' to the extreme, the author paints a picture of what power and excess is capable of doing. I wondered at times if I could laugh freely without feeling guilty.

The main protagonists of this novel are the Sanderson family, especially William Sanderson, a rising star at Bedrock Capital. His daughters, Ginny and Zoey, attend the posh Lenox School, an all-girls school for the rich and privileged. William's wife Ellie is a good-hearted woman, trying to fit into the rich enclaves and clubs of Manhattan while also being a good wife and mother.

Padma, the Head of School at Lenox, is being pressured to extend scholarships and admittance to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) students. She runs the school like a silk covered brick, always wanting the recognition and power she feels she deserves. To attain her Board's BIPOC goal, Padma admits a girl named Clover who claims to be a practitioner of Goblincore. Clover is also an eco-sexual, which I gathered meant that she could love and have sex with trees and greenery. She walks the halls of Lenox with twigs and berries embellished in her hair.

There is also a lot of pressure on Padma to admit a Trans student and, to accomplish this goal, she admits Easter, a transgendered student. When Easter disappears, the whole of the school, and New York City as well, are searching for her.

Ginny is a senior and Zoey is a freshman. William has his heart set on Ginny going to Yale where several generations of his family have gone. Ginny is supposed to write an application essay about a challenge she has faced but, growing up in the 1 %, she hasn't faced too many challenges. She also is not too sure she wants to go to Yale.

Zoey is a quiet girl who is being bullied at school. When she is befriended by Clover, she awakens to a reality much different from the one she expected.

When William and Ginny get caught up in the spider web of political correctness, a storm begins to brew, with the Sandersons at its epicenter. Everything they've learned to expect is put at risk, including William's career.

While this novel is funny, it is also a scary reminder of what internet hate and cancel culture can do. I had trouble putting this book down and stayed up way past my bedtime reading.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an Advanced Review Copy of this novel. The contents of this review are mine alone, independent from NetGalley and the publisher.

[Erin Clemence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

Expected publication date: July 8, 2025

Scott Johnston, author of “Campusland”, has entered the world of fiction writing in a big way. His debut novel, “The Sandersons Fail Manhattan” is subversive, thought-provoking, relevant and powerful, touching on major themes like capitalism, racism and transphobia, all in three hundred pages.

Will Sanderson is mega rich and the one thing he strives for is to get richer, so he is thrilled when word gets around that he may be up for a promotion with his company, Bedrock Capital. He serves on the board of his daughter’s elite private school and his beautiful wife, Ellie, is trying to make a life for herself among the super rich wives of New York City. The private school the Sanderson girls attend makes news when it admits its first trans student but it isn’t long until the student disappears- leaving everyone scrambling and putting the Sandersons in the spotlight, for the wrong reasons.

“Manhattan” is a novel that will stick with you, regardless of what side of the political fence you’re on. Whatever your background or beliefs, Johnston’s novel will run you through the emotional gamut, and it is one heck of a provoking page-turner. “Manhattan” alternates protagonists, not just the Sandersons but other players in their world, such as the school’s new head, a journalist trying to make a name for herself and another new student Clover, who is also selected as part of the school’s “diversity” practice. All of the characters have very different stories to tell, so readers will be able to connect with at least one amongst the pile.

“Manhattan” has politicking, nepotism, back-biting, scheming and plotting- all of the central aspects of life among the rich and infamous. Ellie and her daughters are pawns in a larger scheme and it was easy to sympathize with them, making William and his super rich colleagues the obvious villains. But there is more at play in “Manhattan”, and it brings to light a lot of modern issues.

This novel is complex, so it was difficult to summarize and review, but it is a novel that I guarantee will leave a mark on every reader. It will definitely anger some and inspire others but it will get everyone thinking and, hopefully, talking. “Manhattan” is a powerful examination of the rich and influential, and what happens when things don’t go their way. This novel will offend some readers, that is a given, but that was Johnston’s intention, as “Manhattan” had me re-examining my own views and opinions on a variety of important topics. Johnston’s “Manhattan” stands out for its creativity and up front, in-your-face subject matter and I’m interested in what Johnston does next.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won an ARC from the publisher as part of the Goodreads Giveaways program.

This novel centres around the Sandersons, a very wealthy family with daughters in an elite private school for girls. They fail miserably at navigating new cultural rules and things come to a head with the arrival of the school's first transgender student who subsequently goes missing.

I really enjoyed this book. I always enjoy a novel that provides a satirical look at society and this one did not disappoint. I felt that the author was poking fun at woke ideology and I loved that about it. Despite their wealth, the Sanderson family comes across as very human with human flaws and I found I related to them in that regard.

This book is well written with a good plot that keeps the reader turning the pages and smiling. Definitely worth a read.

[Briann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

This book wonderfully demonstrates how people have become reactionary rather than rational when dealing with perceived social injustices and slights. It demonstrates the sometimes disastrous snowball effect of cancel culture. What Scott Johnston does well is he never villainizes or criticizes members of communities or movements like LGBTQ+. Rather, he villainizes and critiques those who take advantage of social injustice for their own personal benefit. The Sandersons Fail Manhattan is a well-developed book about social movements, social revolutions, and people.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF skip the writer’s twitter feed. Super bothered by trans, gender reveals, DEI and critical race theory. Also writes op-eds for the NY Post. These folks don’t need my book dollars or space in my brain. What a bummer. With everything happening in the states this feels more mean spirited than comedic. So not fetch.

[Katie Koch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book and shoutout to dad for the rec!! The story follows the Sanderson family as they navigate the world of wealthy upper east siders in New York City. In a satirical and entertaining way, the author sheds light on the dangers of cancel culture and those who hide behind and exploit social justice as a means of getting ahead. It was probably a more accurate depiction of the political climate 2-3 years ago rather than today but still hear the message. This book reminded me a lot of a modern day / more lighthearted take on Bonfire of the Vanities. I would recommend!

[Stacy40pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sandersons Fail Manhattan by Scott Johnston. Thanks to @stmartins #smpinfluencer for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

William is determined to get his daughters into Yale. When the girls exclusive private school accepts its first trans student, only for her to disappear, the school and the Sanderson’s lives are turned upside down.

This is a wild contemporary fiction that shows the complexity within striving for a diverse and equal place, as well as the intentions and reasons behind that. I really wish this had came out post January 2025. It unfortunately demonstrates how much our society has changed in such a few small months. The story just doesn’t make as much sense in today’s climate where inclusion is a now a bad word- which of course is a horrible thing. However, if you pretend it was post 47 presidency, it’ll help to appreciate the novel for what it is. I really enjoyed the story. I was uncomfortable at times, where the reader is meant to be, and rooting for certain individuals (mostly the youth), who had the best of interests and intentions.

“The social dynamics of these movements may seem differentiated and complex, but they’re really not. There are only, ever, three groups at play: the true believers, the cowards, and the sleepwalkers.”

The Sandersons Fail Manhattan comes out 7/8.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

While satire isn’t my usual thing, I thought that The Sanderson’s Fail Manhattan pulled it off pretty well. Yes, the narrative did go a little overboard and was a tad heavy-handed, but sometimes over exaggeration is needed to point out the absurdity of the situations being discussed and examined.
In the case of The Sanderson’s Fail Manhattan, Johnston writes about the dangers of performative activism, specifically ‘woke’ activism that corporations and the top 1% take part in in order to make themselves look better, without having any true understanding of the situation(s) at hand.
Obviously, social justice is important, but it can very rapidly turn harmful when the rich and elite decide to not only take part in it, but hijack it solely for their own personal gains. The activism is no longer about supporting and giving a voice to marginalised groups and educating others on important topics, but rather about the rich saving face in the most selfish way imaginable.

*I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Sandersons Fail Manhattan” by Scott Johnston is a clever satire about New York City’s powerful elite and what happens when things don’t go their way. The story revolves around a blue blood family who continually step on social land mines when a transgender student is admitted to their daughter’s private school.
It is a compelling examination of the cultural changes in the US post 2020. This book will have you questioning your own thoughts on hot button issues and Mr. Johnston spares no one on either side of the political fence with his very sharp pen. This book will cause a lot of important conversations because it serves as a mirror and a microscope. It’s tough, funny, and honest with a fresh perspective on modern America.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Ian]

Cutting satire depends on humor and irony, but also empathy. When the political commentary lacks that final ingredient, as in Scott Johnston’s The Sandersons Fail Manhattan, we’re left with unrelatable, unmoving characters who exist in a world detached from reality. The novel’s publicity sheet bills it as a satire mocking Manhattan’s elite, their private schools, and the society behind them. It’s a subject with plenty of mass appeal, like last year’s Plays Well With Others by Sophie Brickman, a novel that examines class hierarchies and questions modern parenting trends. Instead, Johnston’s novel reads like a manifesto written by an aggrieved boomer scrolling Facebook memes created by Fox News anchors attacking everything from rent regulation to racial identity.

MORE...
https://chireviewofbooks.com/2025/07/...

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

With surgical precision, Johnston has somehow managed to satirize both 1% villainy and hyperwoke culture simultaneously with this deftly written novel you might choose to read based on the strength of his characters alone. He does so with such skill to lead readers of all ideologies to ask fair questions about the pitfalls of identity exploitation and power hierarchies. My main takeaway? The kids are alright.

The best social novel I've read in some time, I lost an entire Winter Saturday to this book (and I'm not sorry about it). I expect it to see it later this year on Top 2025 Books lists.

[Al]

I thought this would be a clever satire. Instead, it’s a story by a Trumper who’s strongly opposed to CRT and DEI programs. I don’t have time for his brand of nonsense.

[Kathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had high expectations that this book would be a lively expose of the farce that is modern politics-from both sides. It attempts to do that and in the end is a bit successful. Ellie is the hero and Clover helps Zoey grow into standing up for herself. Unfortunately, the author presents the trans community as covert radical revolutionaries organized to force DEI initiatives down the throats of admittedly privileged white Institutions with no empathy for the generational family heritages that are being destroyed. He goes beyond that to imply that LGBTQ+ (especially the trans and the +) are manipulators using their DEI status as immunity for bad behaviors. His only trans character is conflicted at the end, almost but not quite saying they were pressured into being trans by their parents for financial gain. For me, at best this book fails to be humorous, and at worst, it is damaging in the extremely negative slant it puts on all things trans. I do think the girl characters (Clover, Zoey, Ginny and Coco) were well done.

[Evan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers a glimpse into what life is like for the mega-rich of NYC. It introduces topics of modern contention such as the negative effects of social media and “wokeness” with humour and is certain to keep the reader thinking long after closing the book. The Sandersons Fail Manhattan pulls you right into the families and skillfully employs a multi-narrator approach to further enhance the readers experience.

[Jill Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this one! It was a delicious riff on wokeness and performative virtue, full of snark and aggravation that was perfectly paced to keep you on edge throughout the course of everyone's (mis)adventures. I thought the writing was excellent - biting and sharp, while remaining fully human and relatable (even in the darker, more annoying and difficult moments). It's a thoughtful book, but also an entertaining story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t wait to finish to see WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN? Very entertaining. The Sandersons found their worlds unraveling and I found myself yelling advice out loud to them. Johnston wittily weaves a story shining a light on the ridiculous and unnecessary lengths we all found ourselves brought to in the recent past. Beach read, pool read, train read, plane read, mostly FUN read.

[Kristi Picken · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book but the part with Bob and Ellie at Starbucks where Bob was talking essentially about our current society and the role of our current administration was unnerving. I can only hope I’m doing enough to not be a “coward” as Bob said.

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another home run by Scott Johnston.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Thk you for the ARC

[Peggy Berenblum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book presents a perspective all should understand. There are always two sides to issues and open minded people will consider both sides. So well written and fun to read.

[Stephanie Peterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

a perfectly-timed satire about the new york 1% that made me laugh, seethe, and question everything – this one ticked all the boxes. LOVED!

[Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sanderson Fail Manhattan delivers a sharp, uncomfortable look at Manhattan’s wealthy elite, peeling back the polished surface to reveal how privilege shapes—and often distorts—every interaction. What stands out most is how casually power is wielded by adults who should know better. Their influence isn’t loud or obvious; it shows up in subtle manipulations, strategic kindness, and quiet decisions that ripple through other people’s lives.
The novel is especially incisive in showing how the wealthy don’t just benefit from the system—they know exactly how to play it to stay protected. Rules bend, accountability softens, and consequences seem optional when you understand which levers to pull and which doors will always open for you. The adult characters move through the story with the confidence of people who know the system is designed to shield them.
The story captures how wealth creates a kind of insulation, allowing characters to treat consequences like inconveniences and people like pieces on a board. Watching these social and emotional games unfold is both fascinating and disturbing.
While a few moments feel slightly overextended, the novel’s insight into privilege, protection, and control more than makes up for it. Smart, observant, and often biting, The Sanderson Fail Manhattan is a compelling exploration of how power operates behind closed doors—and who ultimately pays the price.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this one is pretty over the top, but very funny. When you need a life experience for your college admissions essay and you’re a privileged 18 year old at an exclusive girl’s school in New York, what do you do? And what if what you do gives you a very public life experience and not really the one you were hoping for? Well, that’s just the catalyst in a social circle using any current social justice issue as a means to get ahead and appear to care about anything besides money and social standing. The 18 year old is just a pawn in the game of who is on a higher road. The author has great fun making fun of New York’s elite social class and their attempts to seem to care about anything that isn’t about money and social standing. The book is loaded with insensitivity about sensitivity and vice versa.

[Bonnie M. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I freely admit that truly effective satire is no small feat and that there surely is a wry and even hilarious book about the all the human frailty — ego, insecurity, cupidity, ignorance — that undermines contemporary social movements and mutual understanding,
especially in the age of social media. But when an author has this much open contempt for his antagonists, the project is doomed to fail: Johnston shows his own persuasions so early and often that there is nothing left for the reader to ponder, only a polemic that relies on premises of outright conspiracy. He seems to care so much about roasting his villains (who are uniformly female, POC, educators and/or members of the media — in case you didn’t get where the novel’s politics reside), leaving you with protagonists who are almost completely deprived of interiority or mission (until the sloppy, meant-to-be-dramatic conclusion that even wants to minimize mortal self-harm).

Then there is the outright sloppiness of the thing: there is far too much detail here to recuse the many logical holes and factual lapses (what NYC private school would bring a journalist to campus to profile a student without notifying a parent first? What members club would allow a bus full of non-members to trespass and fail to act immediately? A biracial Black character who thinks Black people look alike? 740 Park is surely not the only building that still has an elevator attendant and lastly, the Social Register stuff is WAY off base, up to and including that “Dilatory Domiciles” is the supplement containing contact information for vacation homes — not city residences). But I presume the author was worried that these absurd, retconned and unfunny set pieces were the only way we wouldn’t miss his point: it’s a world gone mad, “special rights” are to blame and if you don’t agree wholeheartedly, you’re the problem.

A grasping, poor relation to Bonfire (which has aged terribly, IMO) this is a slog that is too mean-spirited to be provocative or amusing, so if you are interested in a take on the limits to our current era of social discourse that doesn’t sound like the rant of an overserved patriarch determined to keep swinging at social change well into his twilight years, may I recommend Frank Bruni’s “Age of Grievance,” a wise and even-handed book by an *actual* cultural critic and qualified academic; if you like this style of novel actually done well, read John Lanchester’s “Capital.”

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this as a goodreads giveaway.

Johnston writes from experience—and it shows. As a Yale graduate who once taught there and grew up immersed in Manhattan’s elite circles, he captures the nuances of privileged life with pinpoint accuracy. From overwrought charity galas to painfully civil parent-teacher meetings, every scene is steeped in detail that makes this world feel both ridiculous and compelling.

The novel is at its strongest when it portrays these supposedly worldly characters stumbling through today’s cultural terrain like nervous teens at a debutante ball. Johnston doesn’t merely poke fun at his characters—he humanizes them. Their awkward battles with fading relevance are funny, painful, and at times, surprisingly moving.

Some readers might flinch at just how sharply Johnston skewers his subjects or argue about whether certain punchlines go too far. But that discomfort is part of the design. This book doubles as both a mirror and a magnifying glass, laying bare how even the most advantaged can flounder in a world they no longer fully understand.

For fans of high-society takedowns, or anyone who appreciates sharp-witted satire that’s as self-aware as it is stylish, The Sandersons Fail Manhattan hits the mark. It’s biting, smart, and just the right amount of cruel to feel true.

[Angel **Book Junkie** · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Glowing Stars - Almost 4 but during the middle of the book I got a little bored.

This book was humorous but real. It shows that if you want money and notority you will do anything to get it. It is about the inclusiveness which is bought. When rich George Sanderson marries Ellie, a military brat. The daughters both get to attend Lenox School which is a highly prestigous school in Manhattan. When the school decides to start including other genders and natures by allowing more people to in and being even more competitive. This was a decent and funny read. You get to hear about people who are one with nature, to people jumping off bridges. But Elle and her girls rose above and proved that money isn't as powerful as family.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Alexia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm embarrassed I finished this book. If you - like the author- are a straight white man of privilege who is angry that the world may have started to acknowledge that privilege, this book is for you. So so gross.

[Justine Wezenaar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like it was written by a conservative trying to seem “open minded”