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The Scammer
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Young Adult Fiction (2025)New York Times bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson delivers another stunning, ripped-from-the-headlines thriller, following a freshman girl whose college life is turned upside down when her roommate’s ex-convict brother moves into their dorm and starts controlling their every move.
Out from under her overprotective parents, Jordyn is ready to kill it in prelaw at a prestigious, historically Black university in Washington DC. When her new roommate’s brother is released from prison, the last thing Jordyn expects is to come home and find the ex-convict on their dorm room sofa. But Devonte needs a place to stay while he gets back on his feet—and how could she say no to one of her new best friends?
Devonte is older, as charming as he is intelligent, pushing every student he meets to make better choices about their young lives. But Jordyn senses something sinister beneath his friendly advice and growing group of followers. When one of Jordyn’s roommates goes missing, she must enlist the help of the university’s lone white student to uncover the mystery—or become trapped at the center of a web of lies more tangled than she can imagine.
Out from under her overprotective parents, Jordyn is ready to kill it in prelaw at a prestigious, historically Black university in Washington DC. When her new roommate’s brother is released from prison, the last thing Jordyn expects is to come home and find the ex-convict on their dorm room sofa. But Devonte needs a place to stay while he gets back on his feet—and how could she say no to one of her new best friends?
Devonte is older, as charming as he is intelligent, pushing every student he meets to make better choices about their young lives. But Jordyn senses something sinister beneath his friendly advice and growing group of followers. When one of Jordyn’s roommates goes missing, she must enlist the help of the university’s lone white student to uncover the mystery—or become trapped at the center of a web of lies more tangled than she can imagine.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published October 7, 2025
1042 people are currently reading
36662 people want to read
About the author
Tiffany D. Jackson
24 books10.4k followersTiffany D. Jackson is the New York Times Bestselling author of YA novels including the Coretta Scott King — John Steptoe New Talent Award-winning Monday’s Not Coming, the NAACP Image Award-nominated Allegedly, Let Me Hear A Rhyme, and her 2020 title GROWN. She received her bachelor of arts in film from Howard University, her master of arts in media studies from the New School, and has over a decade in TV/Film experience. The Brooklyn native is a lover of naps, cookie dough, and beaches, currently residing in the borough she loves, most likely multitasking.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,966 reviews
November 13, 2025
This book cured my reading slump I couldn’t put it down and couldn’t believe what I was reading. Had some issues with the ending but overall REALLY enjoyed
October 12, 2025
ANYTHING YOU WRITE TIFFANY I WILL READ!
In The Scammer Jordyn a freshman at college is about to be embroiled in a nightmare when one of her roommates’ ex-convict brother moves into their dorm and starts controlling their every move.
Whewww what a ride! Tiffany has a way of making sure she is going to grab you by your lapel and have you completely engrossed in her stories from the get-go.
I really enjoyed Jordyn as a narrator (although her behaviour at times annoyed me) and was so hungry for more of her story. She would feed us titbits about her life but mostly I was waiting in anticipation to find out what was the real reason she ended up in this HBCU school when she ‘destined’ for Yale.
I wish I had gone into this book blindly because the blurb for the book is a little misleading. I was thinking Jordyn was going to be a sleuth trying to find her missing her roommate with the only white boy in her school, but this doesn’t occur until about 70% into the story. This story was very much a book about manipulation and being seduced into a cult. I cant believe the book is based on a true story and I am running to Netflix after this review to go watch the documentary.
I HATE DEVONTE! My word Tiffany did her big one researching Devonte’s character because the emotions I was feeling when he opens his big pathetic mouth had me reeling. The adult in me was shouting at all these naïve girls to please get a ‘blue’s clue’ and not fall for his sadistic charm but I had to remember these are young college students that were enamored by this good-looking man and his ‘lifestyle’ and I can understand how easy it must be to get lured into his lies. With that said, it did feel very quick how easily the manipulation and cult ways happened.
Again, Tiffany hits us with a twist I truly did not see coming and those last few chapters were WILD! The dramatics were full on if not a little OTT and suspension of disbelief is probably needed but i loved it!
There are a few things that felt left unsaid and didn’t quite make sense but for a YA it was fast paced, exciting and a complete page turner.
I am already waiting in anticipation for Tiffany’s next book.
4.5 ⭐
In The Scammer Jordyn a freshman at college is about to be embroiled in a nightmare when one of her roommates’ ex-convict brother moves into their dorm and starts controlling their every move.
Whewww what a ride! Tiffany has a way of making sure she is going to grab you by your lapel and have you completely engrossed in her stories from the get-go.
I really enjoyed Jordyn as a narrator (although her behaviour at times annoyed me) and was so hungry for more of her story. She would feed us titbits about her life but mostly I was waiting in anticipation to find out what was the real reason she ended up in this HBCU school when she ‘destined’ for Yale.
I wish I had gone into this book blindly because the blurb for the book is a little misleading. I was thinking Jordyn was going to be a sleuth trying to find her missing her roommate with the only white boy in her school, but this doesn’t occur until about 70% into the story. This story was very much a book about manipulation and being seduced into a cult. I cant believe the book is based on a true story and I am running to Netflix after this review to go watch the documentary.
I HATE DEVONTE! My word Tiffany did her big one researching Devonte’s character because the emotions I was feeling when he opens his big pathetic mouth had me reeling. The adult in me was shouting at all these naïve girls to please get a ‘blue’s clue’ and not fall for his sadistic charm but I had to remember these are young college students that were enamored by this good-looking man and his ‘lifestyle’ and I can understand how easy it must be to get lured into his lies. With that said, it did feel very quick how easily the manipulation and cult ways happened.
Again, Tiffany hits us with a twist I truly did not see coming and those last few chapters were WILD! The dramatics were full on if not a little OTT and suspension of disbelief is probably needed but i loved it!
There are a few things that felt left unsaid and didn’t quite make sense but for a YA it was fast paced, exciting and a complete page turner.
I am already waiting in anticipation for Tiffany’s next book.
4.5 ⭐
October 15, 2025
If I could give this book 6 stars I would and that’s ok I’m going to say. Because WOW
Want to read
May 17, 2025ARC received!!!! Thank you, Quill Tree Books!!!
I have been anticipating this one for sooooo long. I'm 'bout to put everything else on hold so I can binge this one right away!! Tiffany D. Jackson can do no wrong in my eyes!
Earlier:
Obviously, this isn't releasing in January 2025 as the book page says. We don't even have a cover yet!?
Anyone have further info on this?
Original:
I see your 2025-release date, and I'm adding you anyway.
I have been anticipating this one for sooooo long. I'm 'bout to put everything else on hold so I can binge this one right away!! Tiffany D. Jackson can do no wrong in my eyes!
Earlier:
Obviously, this isn't releasing in January 2025 as the book page says. We don't even have a cover yet!?
Anyone have further info on this?
Original:
I see your 2025-release date, and I'm adding you anyway.
September 15, 2025
This is the first time I've been actually disappointed by a Tiffany D. Jackson novel. Sometimes I've had notes (her two horror novels have some issues with pacing and tension) but the good always outweighs the bad and her ability to dive so deep into real social issues makes up for other weaknesses. But this time I'm not sure it does.
She is still really good at the social issues she wants to dive into, and I can't deny that they are quite timely here. The idea of conspiracies and cults within Black communities is her focus, people using real oppression as the starting point but then building to something much more damaging and insidious. She was inspired by the Sarah Lawrence cult, but she's really effectively turned this into something that could pop up at an HBCU.
What doesn't work is, well, the entire plot. What took years to take root for the cult she based the story on here has to happen in a matter of weeks. It's much too rushed and we don't get any time to see why this group of four roommates is so taken in by the charismatic new man who arrives in their lives. This story needed time to steep but Jackson writes fast stories, so there's a mismatch in the subject and style.
Jordyn's home life stays much too vague. Eventually we find out why, but too much of the story is sacrificed for the sake of the reveals. We don't get a chance to really know what Jordyn is struggling with for much too long. And the biggest problem of all? After all of Jackson's reveals (which are, as always, impressive) if you look back, the story doesn't make any sense. Sure, you can see why the broad strokes worked the way they did. But none of the details work, especially with the kind of close narration we've had. I think this time Jackson's twists work against her, a novel where we knew all of this information up front sounds a lot more interesting to me, even if it means we sacrifice a few of her patented twists.
The plot overall is weirdly lackluster, every few pages the girls' intensity with this cult ramps up without explanation, and not a lot else actually happens. I don't think this type of plot works with Jackson's style. She really does work well when there is a lot of action, a lot of movement, and the ability to go really deep into her characters while still holding those little crucial pieces away from you for maximum impact. That's just not possible in this story.
Cult stories are always hard to tell. It's always hard to understand from the outside why people did what they did. This novel just can't overcome that.
She is still really good at the social issues she wants to dive into, and I can't deny that they are quite timely here. The idea of conspiracies and cults within Black communities is her focus, people using real oppression as the starting point but then building to something much more damaging and insidious. She was inspired by the Sarah Lawrence cult, but she's really effectively turned this into something that could pop up at an HBCU.
What doesn't work is, well, the entire plot. What took years to take root for the cult she based the story on here has to happen in a matter of weeks. It's much too rushed and we don't get any time to see why this group of four roommates is so taken in by the charismatic new man who arrives in their lives. This story needed time to steep but Jackson writes fast stories, so there's a mismatch in the subject and style.
Jordyn's home life stays much too vague. Eventually we find out why, but too much of the story is sacrificed for the sake of the reveals. We don't get a chance to really know what Jordyn is struggling with for much too long. And the biggest problem of all? After all of Jackson's reveals (which are, as always, impressive) if you look back, the story doesn't make any sense. Sure, you can see why the broad strokes worked the way they did. But none of the details work, especially with the kind of close narration we've had. I think this time Jackson's twists work against her, a novel where we knew all of this information up front sounds a lot more interesting to me, even if it means we sacrifice a few of her patented twists.
The plot overall is weirdly lackluster, every few pages the girls' intensity with this cult ramps up without explanation, and not a lot else actually happens. I don't think this type of plot works with Jackson's style. She really does work well when there is a lot of action, a lot of movement, and the ability to go really deep into her characters while still holding those little crucial pieces away from you for maximum impact. That's just not possible in this story.
Cult stories are always hard to tell. It's always hard to understand from the outside why people did what they did. This novel just can't overcome that.
dnf
October 25, 2025It’s a struggle to go along with this scammer premise when all I am thinking is “these girls are so incredibly dumb!”
October 8, 2025
⭑ ⭑ ⭒ ⭒ ⭒
1.5 stars
ꨄ︎ I wrote seven different rants in my notes app before realizing… it’s not worth it. This book isn’t worth it.
🖤 I’ll keep it simple: she could’ve handled everything without dragging innocent people into her little plan.
➼ But no she just had to ruin lives for the plot. And that “twist”? Please. It was inconsistent with her character, her thoughts, her actions and literally everything we’d been told for 300 pages.
➼ That was some Freida McFadden type of absurd plot twist and dare I say I’ll rather read that than this?!
🩷 I’ve read Tiffany’s books before. I know she can handle social issues with depth and nuance.
➼ But this…This was abysmal. Like, spectacularly dumb. Even the social commentary( the one thing I expected her to nail ) was handled in the most surface-level, cringe way possible
➼ Who the fuck falls so quick for a man who says pigs are manufactured and sausages are mad out of rats dogs and cats…like come onnnn henniiiiii y’all are pre-law, accounting erc students ffs😭😭😭 matter of fact y’all had access to the fucking internet like¿?
➼Other people were aware that ts was happening and literally no one told authorities or complained or made a report like?!?😭
🖤 But hey, at least she got her happy ending with her little wigga boyfriend 😭Two people might be dead, but she chooses to believe they’re fine, so it’s okay, guys!! Everything’s totally fine 🤭
“psychological thriller,” but all I got was psychological nonsense and anger issues.
Also can we literally talk about how the synopsis made it look like we’d be uncovering wtf happened to Kammy but it’s literally not the point like at all?? The whole Kammy shit started 82% into the GODDAMN BOOK!!
Truly blew my shit with this one, Tiff.
1.5 stars
ꨄ︎ I wrote seven different rants in my notes app before realizing… it’s not worth it. This book isn’t worth it.
🖤 I’ll keep it simple: she could’ve handled everything without dragging innocent people into her little plan.
➼ But no she just had to ruin lives for the plot. And that “twist”? Please. It was inconsistent with her character, her thoughts, her actions and literally everything we’d been told for 300 pages.
➼ That was some Freida McFadden type of absurd plot twist and dare I say I’ll rather read that than this?!
🩷 I’ve read Tiffany’s books before. I know she can handle social issues with depth and nuance.
➼ But this…This was abysmal. Like, spectacularly dumb. Even the social commentary( the one thing I expected her to nail ) was handled in the most surface-level, cringe way possible
➼ Who the fuck falls so quick for a man who says pigs are manufactured and sausages are mad out of rats dogs and cats…like come onnnn henniiiiii y’all are pre-law, accounting erc students ffs😭😭😭 matter of fact y’all had access to the fucking internet like¿?
➼Other people were aware that ts was happening and literally no one told authorities or complained or made a report like?!?😭
🖤 But hey, at least she got her happy ending with her little wigga boyfriend 😭Two people might be dead, but she chooses to believe they’re fine, so it’s okay, guys!! Everything’s totally fine 🤭
“psychological thriller,” but all I got was psychological nonsense and anger issues.
Also can we literally talk about how the synopsis made it look like we’d be uncovering wtf happened to Kammy but it’s literally not the point like at all?? The whole Kammy shit started 82% into the GODDAMN BOOK!!
Truly blew my shit with this one, Tiff.
October 22, 2025
I’m the minority here but this ending was not worth what my mind had to endure to get there 😭 I just don’t even know .. let’s call it 3.5 stars.
September 19, 2025
If you're a fan of true crime, specifically cults, and/or if you love to read about anything unhinged, then this might just be the book for you.
The novel starts off innocuous enough, but the more I read, the more off the wall it became. You don't need to be familiar with the true crime case that this was based on (a student's father at Sarah Lawrence College, Larry Ray, moved into her shared dorm and created an abusive, controlling cult) because both the real story and this novel are so bizarre that it was hard for me to wrap my head around it.
I first read about the Sarah Lawrence story in 2019 when it made headlines and I still can't grasp how this middle-aged man managed to have such a hold on his young victims for so many years. The Wikipedia article is very detailed if you want to go down a rabbit hole.
Anyway, this novel was almost as bizarre as the real story. Talk about a thriller! I finished this book in two days because I was so immersed in all of the drama. I wanted—needed—to know if Jordyn and her roommates were going to make it out alive.
And similar to the real story, the villain, Devonte, was just as over the top as Larry Ray. Every word out of his mouth was designed to slowly charm these young women under his spell. After that, everything he said was so absurd and ridiculous that I wasn't sure if this was a satirical comedy or a thriller. Maybe both?
While I had a lot of fun reading this novel, you really do have to suspend your disbelief a lot, which is why I didn't rate this higher.
The timeline in this novel is a lot more accelerated than the real story, so it might be difficult to reason out why things spiraled so quickly. And as a person who's very skeptical of homeopathy and men who think they're (literally) God's gift to women, it was hard to understand why Jordyn's roommates were so enchanted by him.
But other than my complaints, this was a fun, quick read.
Thank you to Quill Tree Books and NetGalley for this arc.
The novel starts off innocuous enough, but the more I read, the more off the wall it became. You don't need to be familiar with the true crime case that this was based on (a student's father at Sarah Lawrence College, Larry Ray, moved into her shared dorm and created an abusive, controlling cult) because both the real story and this novel are so bizarre that it was hard for me to wrap my head around it.
I first read about the Sarah Lawrence story in 2019 when it made headlines and I still can't grasp how this middle-aged man managed to have such a hold on his young victims for so many years. The Wikipedia article is very detailed if you want to go down a rabbit hole.
Anyway, this novel was almost as bizarre as the real story. Talk about a thriller! I finished this book in two days because I was so immersed in all of the drama. I wanted—needed—to know if Jordyn and her roommates were going to make it out alive.
And similar to the real story, the villain, Devonte, was just as over the top as Larry Ray. Every word out of his mouth was designed to slowly charm these young women under his spell. After that, everything he said was so absurd and ridiculous that I wasn't sure if this was a satirical comedy or a thriller. Maybe both?
While I had a lot of fun reading this novel, you really do have to suspend your disbelief a lot, which is why I didn't rate this higher.
The timeline in this novel is a lot more accelerated than the real story, so it might be difficult to reason out why things spiraled so quickly. And as a person who's very skeptical of homeopathy and men who think they're (literally) God's gift to women, it was hard to understand why Jordyn's roommates were so enchanted by him.
But other than my complaints, this was a fun, quick read.
Thank you to Quill Tree Books and NetGalley for this arc.
November 20, 2025
3.75 stars - heart pounding, infuriating, and sooo good except I haaaated the ending
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTreapFPC/
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTreapFPC/
Want to read
June 22, 2025……because I have loved everything Tiffany Jackson has written
October 14, 2025
There is no amount of words to describe how good this book was!
December 1, 2025
This book was an easy 4.5 until near the end, the twist just didn't do it for me and it really changed the way I saw the whole story in a way that wasn't good. I liked the cult aspect and its interaction with the conspiracy theories and their root in reality and whole why people take to them. Maybe my expectations were too high after the Weight of Blood and Monday's Not Coming.
September 21, 2025
Wow this is one messed up book lol!
Pre-Read Notes:
I mean, it's Tiffany D. Jackson...
"Dad still doesn’t understand how I could choose Frazier over Yale. He’s just never experienced the glorious energy of truly belonging. He’d rather continue fighting for a seat at a table that won’t serve him." p253
Final Review
(thoughts & recs) This book was absolutely gripping and I could not put it down. I know a lot of readers had quibbles with the plot here, but I had no trouble buying in. I know how fast and deep cult-leader type personalities can entrench themselves in ordinary spaces. If cult horror gets you going, this is for you.
Also this is really solid YA with enough style to keep me entertained and enough realism to keep my eyeballs from rolling off my face. It struck a good balance and therefore I think it's good fare for typical readers of popcorn thrillers also.
Apologies for not taking notes this time, I was so swept up!
Notes: bullying, gaslighting, emotional abuse, physical abuse, indoctrination, cults, squatters, starvation, sexism, misogyny, physical assault, SA, group punishment, financial scams,
Thank you to Tiffany D. Jackson, publishers HarperCollins Childrens, and NetGalley for an accessible digital arc of THE SCAMMER. All views are mine.
Pre-Read Notes:
I mean, it's Tiffany D. Jackson...
"Dad still doesn’t understand how I could choose Frazier over Yale. He’s just never experienced the glorious energy of truly belonging. He’d rather continue fighting for a seat at a table that won’t serve him." p253
Final Review
(thoughts & recs) This book was absolutely gripping and I could not put it down. I know a lot of readers had quibbles with the plot here, but I had no trouble buying in. I know how fast and deep cult-leader type personalities can entrench themselves in ordinary spaces. If cult horror gets you going, this is for you.
Also this is really solid YA with enough style to keep me entertained and enough realism to keep my eyeballs from rolling off my face. It struck a good balance and therefore I think it's good fare for typical readers of popcorn thrillers also.
Apologies for not taking notes this time, I was so swept up!
Notes: bullying, gaslighting, emotional abuse, physical abuse, indoctrination, cults, squatters, starvation, sexism, misogyny, physical assault, SA, group punishment, financial scams,
Thank you to Tiffany D. Jackson, publishers HarperCollins Childrens, and NetGalley for an accessible digital arc of THE SCAMMER. All views are mine.
October 11, 2025
The Scammer is a fast-paced YA thriller that is interwoven with social commentary, politics, and personal agendas, following Jordyn, a Black freshman at a very prestigious HBCU in Washington D.C. She grew up in predominantly white suburbia, existing in various token capacities, and, on the surface, her entry into this HBCU against her parents' wishes and friend's insistence appears to be her attempt to align herself with Blackness and assimilate into Black culture during a time rife with brutality against Black people that results in people marching in the streets.
Here's the thing: I had some issues with this. Namely, Jordyn goes all the way to a HBCU and falls for the only white boy her eyes can see, and he feels very white savior coded despite being in a Black frat? Stand up, sista! Because of way some of the twists and turns rolled out, I learned to be okay with this and accept the subversiveness of the commentary on this front. But then the ending made me feel like I had to take back my acceptance? LOL.
I know that falling susceptible to cults is an extremely easy thing to do, and I've learned to stop saying "it could never be me!" because of documentaries about cults in recent past. But baybeeeee, this could NEVER be me! These kids were not equipped to be out in the world. Devonte is a believable villain/cult leader, but for some reason I also struggled to accept the decision to have him be the villain in the way that he villainizes on the campus of an HBCU. I suppose it ultimately makes folks falling for the hickory dickory that much more compelling, but I worry that a young adult who doesn't pick up on the nuances could read this and decide against attending an HBCU? Maybe I'm tripping!
I wish the ending wasn't so crammed into the end, and it was somewhat McFadden-esq in its execution where you think you understand but "ah-ha! gotcha!" persists for another 3 pages after that.
With all that said, believe it or not—I had a LOT of fun! And sometimes thrillers that entertain more than they thrill are a-okay with me.
This was my first Tiffany D. Jackson book and I am very excited to dive into her backlist!
Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books, Quill Tree Books, and NetGalley for the ARC!
4 ⭐️s
Here's the thing: I had some issues with this. Namely, Jordyn goes all the way to a HBCU and falls for the only white boy her eyes can see, and he feels very white savior coded despite being in a Black frat? Stand up, sista! Because of way some of the twists and turns rolled out, I learned to be okay with this and accept the subversiveness of the commentary on this front. But then the ending made me feel like I had to take back my acceptance? LOL.
I know that falling susceptible to cults is an extremely easy thing to do, and I've learned to stop saying "it could never be me!" because of documentaries about cults in recent past. But baybeeeee, this could NEVER be me! These kids were not equipped to be out in the world. Devonte is a believable villain/cult leader, but for some reason I also struggled to accept the decision to have him be the villain in the way that he villainizes on the campus of an HBCU. I suppose it ultimately makes folks falling for the hickory dickory that much more compelling, but I worry that a young adult who doesn't pick up on the nuances could read this and decide against attending an HBCU? Maybe I'm tripping!
I wish the ending wasn't so crammed into the end, and it was somewhat McFadden-esq in its execution where you think you understand but "ah-ha! gotcha!" persists for another 3 pages after that.
With all that said, believe it or not—I had a LOT of fun! And sometimes thrillers that entertain more than they thrill are a-okay with me.
This was my first Tiffany D. Jackson book and I am very excited to dive into her backlist!
Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books, Quill Tree Books, and NetGalley for the ARC!
4 ⭐️s
October 2, 2025
4.5⭐️
Book Stats:
📖: 366 pages
Genre: YA Thriller
Publisher: Quill Tree Books
Format: eARC from NetGalley
Series: Standalone
Audiobook Stats:
⏰: 9 hours 10 minutes
🎤: January LaVoy
Publisher: Quill Tree Books
Format: Single POV
Themes:
💫: Revenge
💫: Belonging
💫: Sisterhood
Representation:
🪽: HBCU Setting
🪽: Black Cast
Tropes:
💗: Forced Proximity
💗: Cult vibes
🥵: Spice: 🚫
Potential Triggers: **check authors page/socials for full list.
General Thoughts:
this book was suspenseful and compelling from start to finish. When I tell you, I did not see the twist at the end coming. I absolutely was bamboozled.
This novel does an excellent job of making you feel for the main character. I was rooting for her the entire time, and she felt very relatable and realistic. Even though her past is clearly shrouded in a lot of mystery, you do feel like you get to know her. Everything she goes through feels very personal, and I was going through a lot of visceral feelings throughout this novel on her behalf.
This novel has a whole lot of unlikable characters. They are definitely meant to not be liked though so the novel does exactly what it's meant to do in regards to these characters. I really love a good character that I am supposed to despise and this book really delivered on that.
Even though it seems like this book surrounds a completely unbelievable situation, I was constantly reminded that these kinds of things do happen frequently. And have happened routinely throughout history, which makes it honestly pretty terrifying as well.
Tiffany D Jackson will always have a fan in me and I will read anything she writes. This book just for her solidified what an amazing artist she is when it comes to writing fantastic stories.
Disclaimer: I read this book as a gifted eARC from NetGalley and a gifted audiobook from the Libro.FM audiobook program. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Book Stats:
📖: 366 pages
Genre: YA Thriller
Publisher: Quill Tree Books
Format: eARC from NetGalley
Series: Standalone
Audiobook Stats:
⏰: 9 hours 10 minutes
🎤: January LaVoy
Publisher: Quill Tree Books
Format: Single POV
Themes:
💫: Revenge
💫: Belonging
💫: Sisterhood
Representation:
🪽: HBCU Setting
🪽: Black Cast
Tropes:
💗: Forced Proximity
💗: Cult vibes
🥵: Spice: 🚫
Potential Triggers: **check authors page/socials for full list.
General Thoughts:
this book was suspenseful and compelling from start to finish. When I tell you, I did not see the twist at the end coming. I absolutely was bamboozled.
This novel does an excellent job of making you feel for the main character. I was rooting for her the entire time, and she felt very relatable and realistic. Even though her past is clearly shrouded in a lot of mystery, you do feel like you get to know her. Everything she goes through feels very personal, and I was going through a lot of visceral feelings throughout this novel on her behalf.
This novel has a whole lot of unlikable characters. They are definitely meant to not be liked though so the novel does exactly what it's meant to do in regards to these characters. I really love a good character that I am supposed to despise and this book really delivered on that.
Even though it seems like this book surrounds a completely unbelievable situation, I was constantly reminded that these kinds of things do happen frequently. And have happened routinely throughout history, which makes it honestly pretty terrifying as well.
Tiffany D Jackson will always have a fan in me and I will read anything she writes. This book just for her solidified what an amazing artist she is when it comes to writing fantastic stories.
Disclaimer: I read this book as a gifted eARC from NetGalley and a gifted audiobook from the Libro.FM audiobook program. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.
December 6, 2025
I was honestly irritated the whole time reading this. The amount of times I was yelling! 😭I had to remind myself to give them grace because they were just young and dumb.
October 27, 2025
What a fucking rollercoaster. If you saw my updates, you know I was going through it with this book. Man, these characters had me PISSED. Lots of yelling at the book like I would yell at a movie. I simultaneously did the ebook + audiobook as usual. My Kindle notes will be spoilers and a mess of emotions. Never a dull moment. I enjoyed this immensely, especially at the end when I breathed and said "Ohhhhhhhhh okaythatmakessensethen."
October 8, 2025
SHE DID IT AGAINNN.
November 15, 2025
The Scammer by Tiffany D Jackson is a top 5✨ book. Being an older white woman I had a real difficult time getting into this book. Cults, brain washing, it can happen so easily. This book shows just how easily. I love Tiffany D Jackson. She is the best found author of 2025.
November 24, 2025
2.75 ⭐️. That’s all I want to say in my review
November 27, 2025
This was crazy as hell! I definitely had to look at it from young adult lens because at times it was hard to believe. Then I dug into the cult that it was based on... OMG! Plus, I loved TDJ's spin on it and how made it Blackity Black! Listen, Devonte was a character for sure and the foolishness that spewed from his mouth kept me laughing. Definitely my favorite Tiffany D. Jackson book and I've read most of them. Do yourself a favor a pick this gem up if you haven't already.
Rounded up from 4.5 ⭐️
Rounded up from 4.5 ⭐️
September 29, 2025
I will never give up the chance to read a Tiffany D. Jackson book. Period, the end. Ever since I read The Weight of Blood, I was hooked on her as an author. The Scammer is no different, she’s back to the YA world with a stunner.
This was such a hard read. The Scammer highlights the ease that people, especially college students, can be manipulated when the wrong person is given the opportunity. It was emotional for me, I fell victim to something very similar and had my world turned upside down. Tiffany D. Jackson brings in another layer of complexity to it by hinging it on the struggle of Black and Brown people. How can you have fun and drink the night away when your community is being targeted and people are wrongfully imprisoned for profit. It’s such an easy story to fall into and it’s what makes this book so compelling. It’s easy to see why the girls in the novel were made targets, and the emotional manipulation was gradual, until it wasn’t. It was an absolutely riveting book, and quite frankly needs to become required reading for every high school student. Hell, there’s probably some adults that could benefit from reading this, too. Jackson is a masterful author, lulling you to complacency in the narrative and then hitting you with a one-two punch. I won’t spoil anything here, but you definitely will not see it coming.
Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books | Quill Tree Books for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
This was such a hard read. The Scammer highlights the ease that people, especially college students, can be manipulated when the wrong person is given the opportunity. It was emotional for me, I fell victim to something very similar and had my world turned upside down. Tiffany D. Jackson brings in another layer of complexity to it by hinging it on the struggle of Black and Brown people. How can you have fun and drink the night away when your community is being targeted and people are wrongfully imprisoned for profit. It’s such an easy story to fall into and it’s what makes this book so compelling. It’s easy to see why the girls in the novel were made targets, and the emotional manipulation was gradual, until it wasn’t. It was an absolutely riveting book, and quite frankly needs to become required reading for every high school student. Hell, there’s probably some adults that could benefit from reading this, too. Jackson is a masterful author, lulling you to complacency in the narrative and then hitting you with a one-two punch. I won’t spoil anything here, but you definitely will not see it coming.
Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books | Quill Tree Books for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
October 21, 2025
Unpopular opinion, I did not care for this 🥲😭
October 7, 2025
I absolutely loved the FMC in this story! Although Jordyn didn’t always make the best decisions, I feel as though she did the best she could at her age AND not having the parental support she needed. When she arrived at Frazier University, it was evident that she had an ulterior motive for being there & not strictly for the love of attending an HBCU! It was much much later when we discovered exactly what that was, but Tiffany D. Jackson did a great job at alluding that Jordyn was investigating something or someone, without giving away too much. The story also touched on some heavier topics such as protests and things that are truly happening today.
Devonte was Lucifer’s son! There’s no other way to describe him. His charming ways have allowed him to infiltrate young lives, and it’s scary to think that could truly be a Devonte somewhere lurking. I despised Jordyn’s parents and blame them for some of her reactions to some of the situations she was put in.
Overall another fantastic read by Tiffany that I loved! Thank you HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.
Publication 🗓️ : 10.07.25
Devonte was Lucifer’s son! There’s no other way to describe him. His charming ways have allowed him to infiltrate young lives, and it’s scary to think that could truly be a Devonte somewhere lurking. I despised Jordyn’s parents and blame them for some of her reactions to some of the situations she was put in.
Overall another fantastic read by Tiffany that I loved! Thank you HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.
Publication 🗓️ : 10.07.25
November 5, 2025
Wowww. Just wow. I angry read this book, talked to myself and threatened every character at one point out loud. This book had me immediately hooked and invested until the very last page. And the plot twist was twisting!! Because how sway?!
October 18, 2025
Damnit, I really liked this book until the twist happened. It made zero sense and was a complete cheat. I love an unreliable narrator, but the reveal is still supposed to make sense. We were in the main character’s head the whole, she NO reason to fake certain emotions and not to be honest with herself. That’s not a well written unreliable narrator and it sucks because I love Tiffany, but this is the second book I’ve read of hers that pulled this. Ugh, it REALLY didn’t need that “twist.”
It probably should get a two rating on the ending alone, but I did really enjoy the story up until then, so I’ll go three this time.
It probably should get a two rating on the ending alone, but I did really enjoy the story up until then, so I’ll go three this time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 6, 2025
DNF @ 48%
This book was sooooo boring, the characters has no personality and allowed themselves to be overrun by some guy who just starts living with them?!
I am a whole grown ass adult, you give me an 8pm curfew … you can fuck all the way off.
Seriously though, the main character is so spineless. And that is a deal breaker for me.
This book was sooooo boring, the characters has no personality and allowed themselves to be overrun by some guy who just starts living with them?!
I am a whole grown ass adult, you give me an 8pm curfew … you can fuck all the way off.
Seriously though, the main character is so spineless. And that is a deal breaker for me.
Read
November 19, 2025This is one of Book Riot’s Best Books of 2025:
I was still preaching the gospel of The Weight of Blood when I got around to reading The Scammer, and let me tell you, Tiffany D. Jackson does not, cannot miss. I was engrossed from the moment I saw where this story was headed (it's inspired by the events surrounding the Sarah Lawrence cult, but set on an HBCU campus), and the ending left me in open-mouthed appreciation of a well-executed twist. If you like suspenseful books set on college campuses, explorations of cult dynamics and manipulation, and stories ripped from the headlines, you're going to want to read this one now.
- Vanessa Diaz
I was still preaching the gospel of The Weight of Blood when I got around to reading The Scammer, and let me tell you, Tiffany D. Jackson does not, cannot miss. I was engrossed from the moment I saw where this story was headed (it's inspired by the events surrounding the Sarah Lawrence cult, but set on an HBCU campus), and the ending left me in open-mouthed appreciation of a well-executed twist. If you like suspenseful books set on college campuses, explorations of cult dynamics and manipulation, and stories ripped from the headlines, you're going to want to read this one now.
- Vanessa Diaz
June 2, 2025
ARC for review. To be published October 7, 2025.
3 stars
Jordyn arrives at Frazier University, (Howard by another name) an HBCU which she’s chosen over Yale for some very personal reasons, so her parents aren’t really speaking to her or part of her life at all at this point. She loves her suiitemates, Loren, Vanessa and Kammy and things couldn’t be better. Then, Vanessa’s brother, Devonte, comes to visit after he’s released from prison.
Devonte is great. He’s older and he cooks and cleans for the girls, and opens their eyes to a lot of truths about being Black in America; he’s always around to help them when needed. However, Devonte never seems to leave and his influence over the girls and their friends becomes more intrusive and sinister as time goes on. Then one of the roommates disappears and Jordyn must determine how to best protect herself from Devonte and the others.
I appreciated that Jackson drew inspiration from a real life case at Sarah Lawrence, otherwise I might think this was all a bit too crazy to be believed (although who knows why I would think that these days, up is down, dogs and cats, living together…). There is a bit of a twist I wasn’t crazy about because I didn’t feel it was explained well at all (like how Jordyn figured it out, and how she made it all happen, etc.)
So, overall, I thought the book was OK YA for me, and real YAs will probably like it quite a bit. Devonte got pretty lucky having three sets of disinterested/naive parents to deal with. The writing was good, though. I wish there had been for focus on how an HBCU is different from a non-HBCU school, if it is (or maybe it isn’t other than the racial makeup of the students.)
3 stars
Jordyn arrives at Frazier University, (Howard by another name) an HBCU which she’s chosen over Yale for some very personal reasons, so her parents aren’t really speaking to her or part of her life at all at this point. She loves her suiitemates, Loren, Vanessa and Kammy and things couldn’t be better. Then, Vanessa’s brother, Devonte, comes to visit after he’s released from prison.
Devonte is great. He’s older and he cooks and cleans for the girls, and opens their eyes to a lot of truths about being Black in America; he’s always around to help them when needed. However, Devonte never seems to leave and his influence over the girls and their friends becomes more intrusive and sinister as time goes on. Then one of the roommates disappears and Jordyn must determine how to best protect herself from Devonte and the others.
I appreciated that Jackson drew inspiration from a real life case at Sarah Lawrence, otherwise I might think this was all a bit too crazy to be believed (although who knows why I would think that these days, up is down, dogs and cats, living together…). There is a bit of a twist I wasn’t crazy about because I didn’t feel it was explained well at all (like how Jordyn figured it out, and how she made it all happen, etc.)
So, overall, I thought the book was OK YA for me, and real YAs will probably like it quite a bit. Devonte got pretty lucky having three sets of disinterested/naive parents to deal with. The writing was good, though. I wish there had been for focus on how an HBCU is different from a non-HBCU school, if it is (or maybe it isn’t other than the racial makeup of the students.)
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