Briarcliff Prep: Sophomore Year

Briarcliff Prep #2

by Brianna Peppins

Amelia Westlake Was Never Here meets an empathetic exploration of anxiety at historically Black boarding school Briarcliff Prep. Love triangles, friendship breakups, and slice-of-student-life are balanced with a thoughtful discussion about mental health, all in a love letter to Black girls.

Avielle LeBeau is beginning her second year at Briarcliff Prep, and she's got big dreams. Top of the list? Starting her own student life magazine and rooming with her besties Rhyon and Zazie. But a housing mix-up splits Avi from her friends—and to make matters worse, she's rooming with her rival, Fallon Walsh, instead.

How does one girl juggle school, a fracturing friendship, living with a mean girl, and getting caught in a potential love triangle between the ex she can't move on from and a friend who’s becoming something more? It's a lot. Made even harder by the panic attacks Avi has been experiencing lately.

If one thing is true about the LeBeau family, it's that they’re always there for each other. But with her older sister Belle away at college and her brothers preoccupied chasing their own dreams, Avi must learn how to find support in new (unlikely) places.

Will Avi finally find her voice? Or will her dreams be drowned out by everyone else?

Genres: Young Adult, Coming Of Age, Contemporary

Audible Audio

Published December 17, 2024

About the author

Brianna Peppins is the author of young adult contemporary books, including Briarcliff Prep and As Long as We're Together. She was raised in PG County, Maryland and graduated from Spelman College with a B.A. in Psychology. When not writing, Brianna takes special interest in spending time with her loved ones, social justice issues and is a self-proclaimed movie aficionado.
Briannapeppins.com
Twitter: @Lexi_pep
Instagram: @Lexi_pep

Reviews

[Gemini · Rating 4 out of 5]

So Much Growth

I really enjoyed catching up with Avi and her circle again. They experienced so many highs and lows during their sophomore year. Her bond with Zazie and Rhyon was tested. It was a realistic depiction of what can happen to friendships as you grow and evolve. I loved seeing Avi get her magazine off the ground; even though the process was very taxing. I was so torn about her love triangle. I loved Quincy and Avi’s relationship in book one. Then Jordan came along and won me over. I was happy with the end result, but I didn’t want either boy to get hurt. I appreciated the way the book addressed mental health, therapy, and medicinal treatments. It was informative and encouraging. I absolutely loved the evolution of Avi and Fallon’s relationship. Fallon became very likable. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for their junior year.

This was a great follow up to the first book. It’s a solid four and half stars read for me. I must say that the cover art is stunning! Thank you to NetGalley, Disney Publishing Worldwide, and Brianna Peppins for the advanced copy for me to review.

[DeAja · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great follow up to the first book, although I wish I reread the first one to refresh my memory a bit. I love how this series gives “A Different World: Boarding School Edition” lol, in that there’s a wide cast of different characters and important topics are discussed, such as mental health in this case. Would love to see this series continue on!

[Teri Sweet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope the author keeps this series up until Avielle graduates from Briarcliff Prep. This installment was full of trials and triumphs for her and other characters. I’m sure the story will resonate with angsty teens.

Avi spent a lot of time getting in over her head in many areas of her life. School. Romance. Extracurriculars. Friends. Family. Whew child. The poor girl couldn’t catch a break. I found myself asking 🗣️Now why would you do that? It got to be too much for me and I’m a whole adult. Thank God for love, patience, and forgiveness. The support she receives from her family and friends is unmatched.

[Tesia]

DNF at 70% book was dragging

[Briana · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Donna Metler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recieved a free eARC of this book. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

Avi is a sophomore at Briarcliff Prep, a historically Black Boarding School in GA. This is the second book in the series, but I found it easy to jump in. Things have changed since freshman year. Avi's sister, Bella, has graduated and moved on to Spelman. Avi is also struggling with the aftermath of Bella's abusive relationship the prior year and discovering her sister's battered body, which has left Avi struggling with panic attacks, and her father insisting on boxing lessons and therapy. But, she's looking forward to Sophomore year, rooming with her two best friends, starting the school literary magazine she wants to start, and generally getting her life back.

Except it doesn't work that way. She ends up rooming with someone she doesn't like, or trust. The magazine takes far more time and effort, and she's pulled between two boys. Her friendships are strained. And her anxiety is getting worse.

This is an enjoyable novel that doesn't shy away from tough issues or find quick solutions. As a parent who has a child at a historical Women's college in GA, some parts of the Briarcliff experience definitely rang true, particularly the concerns about integrating boys at the brother school into Women's studies classes, and the struggles that this caused. As someone who didn't attend a boarding high school, in many ways Briarcliff seemed more like a college experience than a high school one, both in the increased responsibility the kids had and in the increased autonomy. It's nice to see a boarding school novel where the conflicts are realistic.


Avi's struggles with anxiety also rang very, very true, and I think this book will be very helpful to teen girls who will relate to Avi's journey.


Overall, this is an excellent book, and I think it definitely has a place in school and public libraries.

[AndiMan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This didn't hit quite like the first book did. Though I adored the first book-teen me would've been obsessed-the pacing of it wasn't the best. The beginning was slower than necessary and the ending skipped over scenes that we should've seen on page but the progression of time was much better.

In this book, I often couldn't tell what time of the school year we were in. There was an outing amongst the friends during fall and brief mention of Thanksgiving and Christmas but I had no perception of time during the second semester.

I do enjoy these characters and their relationships with each other. The discussion of anxiety and how it can affect someone's life seemed done well and I'm sure it would resonate with those affected by it. I enjoyed the teen dating drama and the progression of Fallon and Avi's relationship. Therapy was also an appreciated addition to this book and I enjoyed seeing the LeBeau parents attempts (though sometimes misguided) to help their children deal with the trauma of last book's events. Overall, I'm looking forward to junior year.

[Emily Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to #NetGalley, Brianna Peppins, and the publisher of the book for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Avi is back for another year at Briarcliff Prep! Even though Quincy is no longer in the picture, she is eager to start another year sharing a room with her besties and starting a student life magazine. But when a roommate mix up lands her with her rival, Fallon, Avi is not sure it's going to be a great year after all. To make matters worse, she is experiencing anxiety worse than ever and her sister is away at college.

Will Avi be able to handle the hard things?

Another great Briarcliff read! It was as great as the first and did not disappoint! I like the Avi deals with issues that teens really experience. I also like that sometimes, Avi doesn's always solver her problems quickly. I will definitely recommend this book to others.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the sequel to Briarcliff Prep, and as is typical of a sequel, it didn’t hold up to the first book. Avielle has a lot on her plate, so much that it is setting off panic attacks and causing her to be spread so thin that she becomes forgetful with her schoolwork and friends. Learning how to be a leader, how to manage her time, and be a good friend are all very important life skills to have, and all things she must get figured out in this installment of the series. Unfortunately for me, the characterization and the plot were not as compelling as in the first book, as the topic of dating abuse adds more tension in a story than a single character struggling with panic attacks. This is still worth a read for those who like boarding school stories and who want a follow up to the first book.

[Anita White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow Brianna Peppins has done it again and has made me fall in love with these characters again 🥰. I really loved the journey of Avi realizing that she needs help and that it doesn’t make you less than yourself. One thing that will always stand out from this book is that “Anxiety and confidence can coexist.”

[RAWFIZZLE · Rating 5 out of 5]

i felt like i was overwhelmed with school, extra curricular activities, maintaining a social life, and working on maintaining my sanity right along with Avi! i’m loving the story progression and character development. i’m excited to see if the girls eventually warm up to Fallon and if she joins the friend group. i’m ready for book 3!!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

🎧

Not bad a nice continuation to book one Freshman year. Good story line and picked up right where it was supposed to. Great modern day topics covered again. Good YA book for sure. Looking forward to Junior and Senior year installments.

[Jay Dionne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Tiffany Joynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ambition is cool, but you cannot pour from an empty cup. You can be amazing and go to therapy too. Take accountability.

[han!! · Rating 3 out of 5]

[2.75] avi's journey with anxiety was relatable but i was fighting to get to the end, i fear. dragged a bit more than i would have preferred

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 Stars

[Shannon Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were less plot twist than the first book but this was still a good sequel. The only thing I didn’t like was the way the audiobook narrator pronounced words the ended in ‘nt’ 😬.

[ting · Rating 5 out of 5]

i have to preface this by saying briarcliff prep was one of my favourite books of 2023 and with the bar so high, i didn’t expect the sequel to surpass all my expectations. in this book, avi’s still reeling from the events of her freshman year - add that to her anxiety, and soon she’s overwhelmed by commitments to her student-run magazine, navigating an uneasy friendship while finding her heart torn between two boys. as a student who didn’t know how to deal with burnout, avi’s struggles with expectations and anxiety were deeply felt. there are so many things i adore about this book, but at its core, briarcliff prep: sophomore year is about a young Black woman finding her place in this uncertain and often unkind world. yet what i can be sure about is that i’m immensely proud of how far avi’s come from the start. brianna peppins, you’ve done it again. 💜

[Kelsi Pilcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brianna Peppins’ first novel in this series, Briarcliff Prep, created an incredible foundation for readers to meet and grow with her characters as they navigate life away from home for the first time in prep school and Briarcliff Prep: Sophomore Year did just that; one school year later, Avi, her family, friends, and peers have evolved in multifaceted ways allowing the reader to do the same as they journey alongside the characters.

More than just a novel about students at a prep school, Brianna continues to expertly craft an HBCU world inside Briarcliff by highlighting the dynamics of Black culture, creativity, and community, and inside this world, Brianna dives deeper into the psyche the characters and unveils the many layers that mental health holds on and over Black families.

What I enjoyed most about this novel is the broad scope of challenges and experiences each character faced; in a way, every character in Sophomore Year is a main character - the school’s close knit nature is an environment where one character’s decision is never experienced in isolation, and by providing the reader with more backstory and vulnerability for each character, the entirety of the novel was elevated and the characters’ growth by the end of the novel was that much more special.

Junior year is going to be fantastic!

[Toni H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Avielle LeBeau second year in the prep school. She has big dreams of starting a student life magazine with her 2 best friends, since they are inseparable. The housing department mixes up their housing and the 3 friends are separated and Avielle ends up sharing a room with her archenemy Fallon Walsh. After the stressful first year and all the trauma, she just wants things to work out for her. Her friendships are not the same, she broke up with her boyfriend and to make things worse, she is experiencing panic attacks. Sophomore is not going the way she thought it would go and she is struggling to make it.