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My Wonderful Disgrace
What really happened on the night of the Senior Year Ball? Expect the unexpected in this uproarious, edgy, and much-anticipated second novel from the celebrated team behind Stuck Up and Stupid.
Amy Middleton isn’t in love with Leo Prince. Not yet. The Senior Year Ball is days away, and he still hasn’t agreed to be her date. But Amy can imagine it all in advance: a night of supreme perfection. She’ll bask in the spotlight in her silver stilettos and designer dress—rose quartz fabric, mermaid skirt, illusion bodice with beaded lace—and when the music starts, Leo will lead her onto the dance floor and into their shining adult lives. When he finally says yes, success seems assured, and the night belongs to Amy, arriving on Leo’s tuxedoed arm as planned. But with the buzz of an unexpected text, nothing that happens next will be as it seems—least of all Amy’s carefully choreographed love story. In their second novel, acclaimed mother-daughter duo Angourie Rice and Kate Rice draw on pacy journal entries, interviews, texts, and school newsletters to reconstruct a night gone terribly and hilariously wrong. Touching on themes of privacy, social media, and predatory relationships, Operation: School Ball is a deliciously dark comedy of errors about unrequited love, manipulation, misunderstandings, student protests, and the tragic fate of one innocent bystander of a goat.
Amy Middleton isn’t in love with Leo Prince. Not yet. The Senior Year Ball is days away, and he still hasn’t agreed to be her date. But Amy can imagine it all in advance: a night of supreme perfection. She’ll bask in the spotlight in her silver stilettos and designer dress—rose quartz fabric, mermaid skirt, illusion bodice with beaded lace—and when the music starts, Leo will lead her onto the dance floor and into their shining adult lives. When he finally says yes, success seems assured, and the night belongs to Amy, arriving on Leo’s tuxedoed arm as planned. But with the buzz of an unexpected text, nothing that happens next will be as it seems—least of all Amy’s carefully choreographed love story. In their second novel, acclaimed mother-daughter duo Angourie Rice and Kate Rice draw on pacy journal entries, interviews, texts, and school newsletters to reconstruct a night gone terribly and hilariously wrong. Touching on themes of privacy, social media, and predatory relationships, Operation: School Ball is a deliciously dark comedy of errors about unrequited love, manipulation, misunderstandings, student protests, and the tragic fate of one innocent bystander of a goat.
224 pages, Hardcover
Published May 12, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 16, 2026
Amy Middleton is the year 12 cohort rep. The school ball is her big event and she has it all planned. The dress, the speech, the presentation are all organised and when Leo suggests he and Amy go to the ball together, she is on top of the world.
Angourie and Kate Rice have delivered an hilarious and believable tale that involves a comedy of errors that gain momentum until the entire night ends in mayhem.
The book starts with a mystery feel. Police interviews are being recorded however the reader has no idea what happened. As the story evolves it gets more and more bizarre. I loved it!
You can read my full review at: https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp...
Angourie and Kate Rice have delivered an hilarious and believable tale that involves a comedy of errors that gain momentum until the entire night ends in mayhem.
The book starts with a mystery feel. Police interviews are being recorded however the reader has no idea what happened. As the story evolves it gets more and more bizarre. I loved it!
You can read my full review at: https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp...
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thank you to the publisher and to the author for an advanced copy in exchange for a review.
My Wonderful Disgrace 3.5/5⭐
Poor Choc-Top the goat🐐💀
Trigger Warning: Animal Death
Don't forget to follow me on YouTube, where I post all about my favorite clean books! https://www.youtube.com/@ItsRenity
✨Plot✨
The blurb was kind of confusing as to explaining what this book is about but not to worry here is a little explanation!
Amy has her 12th-grade ball all planned out. A designer dress. impeccable makeup. And the perfect date. The only problem? Said date hasn't asked her yet. The perfect night turns into a nightmare when Amy becomes the target of bullying after revealing photos are being distributed without her knowing. Murder, mystery, romance, and comedy abound, and not to mention one tragic happening to a goat.
✨Characters✨
Amy was fun, and I can totally relate! The poor girl thought this event would be the highlight of her life! I am still so mad at her friend, though.
✨Writing Style✨
I liked how it consistently switched between Amy's journal, police interviews, and school announcements. It kept me interested, and I practically read it in one sitting!
✨⚔️Action⚔️✨
There wasn't a whole lot of action, but when there was, my jaw was on the floor, and I was kinda sad.
✨Would I Recommend It?✨
Yes! I definitely liked this one more than Stuck Up & Stupid by the same authors. This was so fun and fresh! If you like drama and high school stories, you'll definitely like this!
My Wonderful Disgrace 3.5/5⭐
Poor Choc-Top the goat🐐💀
Trigger Warning: Animal Death
Don't forget to follow me on YouTube, where I post all about my favorite clean books! https://www.youtube.com/@ItsRenity
✨Plot✨
The blurb was kind of confusing as to explaining what this book is about but not to worry here is a little explanation!
Amy has her 12th-grade ball all planned out. A designer dress. impeccable makeup. And the perfect date. The only problem? Said date hasn't asked her yet. The perfect night turns into a nightmare when Amy becomes the target of bullying after revealing photos are being distributed without her knowing. Murder, mystery, romance, and comedy abound, and not to mention one tragic happening to a goat.
✨Characters✨
Amy was fun, and I can totally relate! The poor girl thought this event would be the highlight of her life! I am still so mad at her friend, though.
✨Writing Style✨
I liked how it consistently switched between Amy's journal, police interviews, and school announcements. It kept me interested, and I practically read it in one sitting!
✨⚔️Action⚔️✨
There wasn't a whole lot of action, but when there was, my jaw was on the floor, and I was kinda sad.
✨Would I Recommend It?✨
Yes! I definitely liked this one more than Stuck Up & Stupid by the same authors. This was so fun and fresh! If you like drama and high school stories, you'll definitely like this!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Unrequited love,
Deception,
And the tragic fate of one innocent goat.
My Wonderful disgrace is a YA book that follows Amy in the lead up to her year 12 ball and the tragic events of the ball. It’s hilarious and ridiculous in parts but actually highlights well the way teenagers think. And we all teenage decisions can be questionable at best! 🫣🤭
I enjoyed the way this book was set up. Through Amy’s journal, group text chats, police transcripts and statements etc, it made this book more interesting and fast paced.
I can definitely see teens enjoying and relating to this book. I did like the way that some teenagers had to take responsibility for their actions, and I liked how courageous Amy was in the face of all the adversity. I think these are really important lessons for kids! I did, however, find some of the characters a little juvenile considering they were 17/18 years old.
The downside for me was using the “tragic fate of an innocent goat”. I 100% know this was written in jest and absolutely nothing intended against animals but it just didn’t sit right with me as an empath. I think there are many ways an animal could have been included, kept alive and still been hilarious.
Thank you so much to Walker Books Aus for sending me an arc copy & finished copy of this book to review.
Deception,
And the tragic fate of one innocent goat.
My Wonderful disgrace is a YA book that follows Amy in the lead up to her year 12 ball and the tragic events of the ball. It’s hilarious and ridiculous in parts but actually highlights well the way teenagers think. And we all teenage decisions can be questionable at best! 🫣🤭
I enjoyed the way this book was set up. Through Amy’s journal, group text chats, police transcripts and statements etc, it made this book more interesting and fast paced.
I can definitely see teens enjoying and relating to this book. I did like the way that some teenagers had to take responsibility for their actions, and I liked how courageous Amy was in the face of all the adversity. I think these are really important lessons for kids! I did, however, find some of the characters a little juvenile considering they were 17/18 years old.
The downside for me was using the “tragic fate of an innocent goat”. I 100% know this was written in jest and absolutely nothing intended against animals but it just didn’t sit right with me as an empath. I think there are many ways an animal could have been included, kept alive and still been hilarious.
Thank you so much to Walker Books Aus for sending me an arc copy & finished copy of this book to review.
May 12, 2026
TW: Swearing, inappropriate relationship
Thank you Walkerbooks Australia for sending me a copy of this ARC to read!
To round out Aussie April I picked up this ARC written by Australian Mum & Daughter authors Angourie and Kate Rice.
It's mainly told from the journal entries of Amy Middleton but we also have other entries, text/group chat messages that help us keep track of what happened the night of the school ball.
There are definitely funny moments (it may even make you reminiscent of your grade 12 prom night)
Overall a wickedly dark humorous story about how to turn the worst night of your life into one no one will forget.
My Wonderful Disgrace
Amy Middleton has all her plans in place for the school ball – the perfect designer dress, the perfect dream date, the perfect night.
When Leo Prince finally agrees to go with her, success seems assured, and the night belongs to Amy.
But fate, it seems, has other plans, and with the buzz of an unexpected text, her perfect night begins to unravel.
Out now 01 May 2026
Thank you Walkerbooks Australia for sending me a copy of this ARC to read!
To round out Aussie April I picked up this ARC written by Australian Mum & Daughter authors Angourie and Kate Rice.
It's mainly told from the journal entries of Amy Middleton but we also have other entries, text/group chat messages that help us keep track of what happened the night of the school ball.
There are definitely funny moments (it may even make you reminiscent of your grade 12 prom night)
Overall a wickedly dark humorous story about how to turn the worst night of your life into one no one will forget.
My Wonderful Disgrace
Amy Middleton has all her plans in place for the school ball – the perfect designer dress, the perfect dream date, the perfect night.
When Leo Prince finally agrees to go with her, success seems assured, and the night belongs to Amy.
But fate, it seems, has other plans, and with the buzz of an unexpected text, her perfect night begins to unravel.
Out now 01 May 2026
April 19, 2026
3.5 ⭐️
Amy has her school ball all planned out, with the perfect dress and dream date, she’s expecting this night to be the best of her life. However her perfect night slowly starts to unravel as everything begins to go terribly wrong.
✨ review ✨
This book is the definition of a chaotic rollercoaster of events. So many crazy things kept happening and it just somehow managed to get worse and worse! At the start I struggled reading it because the FMC is very naive and immature, but then everything gets turned upside down and I was hooked. The entire story is told through different types of like embedded documents (text messages, newsletters, journal entries etc.) which makes for an easy read as you get snippets from multiple POVs which are chopped together to tell the story. A super quick and fun read (under 300 pages) that’s packed full of drama and chaos!
genre: YA contemporary
arc kindly gifted by Walker Books thank you so much 🫶🏼
Amy has her school ball all planned out, with the perfect dress and dream date, she’s expecting this night to be the best of her life. However her perfect night slowly starts to unravel as everything begins to go terribly wrong.
✨ review ✨
This book is the definition of a chaotic rollercoaster of events. So many crazy things kept happening and it just somehow managed to get worse and worse! At the start I struggled reading it because the FMC is very naive and immature, but then everything gets turned upside down and I was hooked. The entire story is told through different types of like embedded documents (text messages, newsletters, journal entries etc.) which makes for an easy read as you get snippets from multiple POVs which are chopped together to tell the story. A super quick and fun read (under 300 pages) that’s packed full of drama and chaos!
genre: YA contemporary
arc kindly gifted by Walker Books thank you so much 🫶🏼
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
my wonderful disgrace was funny and full of chaotic shenanigans that reminded me a bit of my high school days. the writing style was pretty good and i loved that this story was told through all these different mediums, including journal entries, text messages, newsletters etc. unfortunately though i think i’ve aged out of reading books with this kind of a dramatic plot because some of the characters’ behaviour felt frustratingly juvenile. i’m in such a different place in my life right now, and this book is firmly ya and i know i would have loved reading it back in school. i did appreciate how amidst all the fun and the chaos, the story tackles some incredibly serious topics and asks important questions about what it means to grow up and think about your future.
all in all, my wonderful disgrace does a great job at representing the high school experience and how wild it can be.
thank you walker books australia for sending me a physical arc!
all in all, my wonderful disgrace does a great job at representing the high school experience and how wild it can be.
thank you walker books australia for sending me a physical arc!
March 21, 2026
3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
I’ll be honest… the first few chapters had me questioning whether I’d stick with it, but I’m so glad I did. Somewhere along the way, this story pulled me in, in an unexpected way. The story is cleverly crafted with pieces of information are spoon fed to reader’s through journal entries, letters, text messages, principal’s reports, and police interviews, which made it feel fresh and engaging. For such a short book, the character growth was impressive. In the end, I couldn’t put it down—it was such a great read.
Thank you @walkerbooksaus for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I’ll be honest… the first few chapters had me questioning whether I’d stick with it, but I’m so glad I did. Somewhere along the way, this story pulled me in, in an unexpected way. The story is cleverly crafted with pieces of information are spoon fed to reader’s through journal entries, letters, text messages, principal’s reports, and police interviews, which made it feel fresh and engaging. For such a short book, the character growth was impressive. In the end, I couldn’t put it down—it was such a great read.
Thank you @walkerbooksaus for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
My Wonderful Disgrace is absolutely hilarious and gives you feelings of nostalgia for your senior years that you’d never had before, because let’s face it, those years were embarrassing. Its format made up of diary entries and statements felt refreshing and kept the momentum going. I was fully invested, I didn’t move for hours until its last pages. With a story complied of so many out there storyline’s it still hits home with its heavy topics of bullying, belonging, friendships and abuse. I couldn’t recommend it enough with its ability to make you laugh and cry, especially about beloved Choc-Top.
May 16, 2026
3.5 ⭐
This book was so chaotic in the best way!
I literally read this book in less than 3 hours. I couldn't put it down! When you thought things couldn't get worse they did and I just had to know what happened next. This book had me laughing out loud several times! 🤣
Everything that you can think of happened in this one night that was supposed to be the perfect senior ball. The main character Amy handled everything like a pro!
I also adored the way this book was written through emails, texts and newsletters that brought a more in depth feel to the situation and characters. This was a quick read and I highly enjoyed it!
Thank you so much Candlewick Press for the gifted copy!
This book was so chaotic in the best way!
I literally read this book in less than 3 hours. I couldn't put it down! When you thought things couldn't get worse they did and I just had to know what happened next. This book had me laughing out loud several times! 🤣
Everything that you can think of happened in this one night that was supposed to be the perfect senior ball. The main character Amy handled everything like a pro!
I also adored the way this book was written through emails, texts and newsletters that brought a more in depth feel to the situation and characters. This was a quick read and I highly enjoyed it!
Thank you so much Candlewick Press for the gifted copy!
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Amy’s planned the perfect school ball for her final year in high school - fancy dress, perfect make-up, and eventually a date with her somewhat reluctant crush. Everything that can go wrong does, from some typical social media drama to a totally out-of-left-field episode involving a road kill goat. There are also some serious themes - a teacher-student romance, questions about what it means to grow up and to experience grown up consequences. Short, mad-cap, page-turning format of witness statements, police reports, Amy’s journal, and social media. EARC from Edelweiss.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
While this was a fun read about a high school formal and the craziness that comes with it (as well as unrealistic expectations), it unfortunately wasn’t for me. I did enjoy that it was written like a thriller through a variety of media like Amy’s journal, group chats, police statements, excerpts from the principal’s newsletter and student letters offering multiple POVs of the night.
What unravels is not one disaster but a series of disasters, yet despite the rollercoaster of a night, the ending was a bit anticlimactic. All I can say is Amy needs new friends!
What unravels is not one disaster but a series of disasters, yet despite the rollercoaster of a night, the ending was a bit anticlimactic. All I can say is Amy needs new friends!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thank you Walker books for for the ARC.
The format of this book was very interesting and engaging. However in an age where we need kindness and emotional intelligence, books with extremely shallow and selfish teens just really aren’t up my alley. Nor are they what I would want my teen reading. While the plot addresses some complex real life issuers, the shallow world view and handling minimized the impact that could have been made.
I feel like this was a parody of a stereotype of a teen.
The format of this book was very interesting and engaging. However in an age where we need kindness and emotional intelligence, books with extremely shallow and selfish teens just really aren’t up my alley. Nor are they what I would want my teen reading. While the plot addresses some complex real life issuers, the shallow world view and handling minimized the impact that could have been made.
I feel like this was a parody of a stereotype of a teen.
May 12, 2026
1/5
I hate how I can’t really think of anything good to say with this book. What threw me off right away was how the characters voices sounded coming off the page. It just read more middle school than anything else. Not to mention, for me I felt like the events that happened were just being over dramatic, and some of the things that happened just could have been easily avoided by simply not doing it?
I hate how I can’t really think of anything good to say with this book. What threw me off right away was how the characters voices sounded coming off the page. It just read more middle school than anything else. Not to mention, for me I felt like the events that happened were just being over dramatic, and some of the things that happened just could have been easily avoided by simply not doing it?
May 10, 2026
Young adult book told in the form of diary entries, text messages, police statements, school newsletters to name a few. The story was not was I was expecting, but was highly enjoyable: recommended
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
3.5⭐️
This was a really fast and easy to read book that had me invested from the start and wanting to find out what happened on the night of the school ball. I really liked the way this book was written and told through different forms of media like journal entries, newspaper articles, group chats, police transcripts, letters and incident reports. I felt like it made it fun to read and get different POVs!
In terms of what happens in this book lets just say a lot of crazy shit 🫣😅 Like so much goes terribly wrong and the poor goat omg!! It was pure chaos!! I was shaking my head at a lot of the characters and I’ll be honest it felt like they were kids and not in year 12. Still, I enjoyed this and binged it in a couple hours! If you’re a fan of dark humour you’ll enjoy this and you’re in for a chaotic rollercoaster of a night!
And just a heads up this is a YA book but it does have swearing in it.
My Wonderful Disgrace is out now! ✨
This was a really fast and easy to read book that had me invested from the start and wanting to find out what happened on the night of the school ball. I really liked the way this book was written and told through different forms of media like journal entries, newspaper articles, group chats, police transcripts, letters and incident reports. I felt like it made it fun to read and get different POVs!
In terms of what happens in this book lets just say a lot of crazy shit 🫣😅 Like so much goes terribly wrong and the poor goat omg!! It was pure chaos!! I was shaking my head at a lot of the characters and I’ll be honest it felt like they were kids and not in year 12. Still, I enjoyed this and binged it in a couple hours! If you’re a fan of dark humour you’ll enjoy this and you’re in for a chaotic rollercoaster of a night!
And just a heads up this is a YA book but it does have swearing in it.
My Wonderful Disgrace is out now! ✨
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
3/5★
vibes: 📱🤪💌🥂💥📸🥂🪩🛒🐐
do I recommend?: Yes - for mid/older teens
─── ✦ ───
review:
This book was an actual rollercoaster.
The way it’s told is so fun and super engaging. You get a mix of character perspectives, journal entries, texts and even police reports. It kept me hooked the whole time because it never felt flat or predictable.
It also felt like a really realistic snapshot of being 16/17. From figuring out who you are, navigating school hierarchies, chasing that dreamy high school experience while also bumping up against real-world stuff and capturing young feminism. It balances the light, chaotic moments of high school with some serious themes and lessons.
Also… the goat. 🐐
I’m not explaining it. You just have to read it.
─── ✦ ───
vibes: 📱🤪💌🥂💥📸🥂🪩🛒🐐
do I recommend?: Yes - for mid/older teens
─── ✦ ───
review:
This book was an actual rollercoaster.
The way it’s told is so fun and super engaging. You get a mix of character perspectives, journal entries, texts and even police reports. It kept me hooked the whole time because it never felt flat or predictable.
It also felt like a really realistic snapshot of being 16/17. From figuring out who you are, navigating school hierarchies, chasing that dreamy high school experience while also bumping up against real-world stuff and capturing young feminism. It balances the light, chaotic moments of high school with some serious themes and lessons.
Also… the goat. 🐐
I’m not explaining it. You just have to read it.
─── ✦ ───
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews