The Thoroughbreds

The Academy #2

by Elin Hilderbrand, Shelby Cunningham

Class is back in session!

It's the start of another school year at Tiffin, with our favorite characters from The Academy returning for senior year - "sixth form" in Tiffin‑speak - a time of college admissions and trying not to crack under pressure, of partying hard and last hurrahs.

In the wake of Honey Vandermeid's exit, will the new college counselor be up to the task? What do the cards hold in store for Tiffin's It couple, Charley and East? What will become of underground speakeasy Priorities? And what was in Cinnamon Peters's final email?

Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham answer these burning questions and more in The Thoroughbreds, a page‑turning story about friendship, treachery, ambition, and sacrifice.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Autumn, Contemporary, Academia, Chick Lit, Ebooks

464 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication September 15, 2026

About the author

Elin Hilderbrand lives on Nantucket with her husband and their three young children. She grew up in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and traveled extensively before settling on Nantucket, which has been the setting for her five previous novels. Hilderbrand is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the graduate fiction workshop at the University of Iowa.

Facebook.com/ElinHilderbrand

Pinterest.com/ElinHilderbrand

Reviews

[Liana Gold]

The drama better be as good as it was in The Academy. Some of the twists, turns and reveals had my jaw on the floor. Jumping in!

*Predicting for this to be featured on BOTM in September*



Many thanks to NetGalley, Little, Brown and Company and the author, Elin Hilderbrand for an early copy!

Publication date: September 15, 2026

[Erin]

ARC for review. To be published September 5, 2026.

DNF at 13%

I usually stay away from Elin Hilderbrand’s books; I know they are popular but just not for me. However, I made an exception for her last book. THE ACADEMY, since it was set at a prep school and I love boarding school stories. I thought it was just OK, but when I saw there was a sequel I definitely wanted to take a look to see what happened next.

Inanity, that’s what. This just starts off SO badly. On the adult side the new head of school? She’s lost about seven million dollars of the school’s operating expenses because….she wasn’t paying attention?!?! And now she’s just not going to tell anyone while she sees whether she can figure it out for herself WITH THE GUY WHO TRICKED HER INTO LOSING THE MONEY. I’m supposed to feel sorry for this woman? She should be frogmarched out. This is beyond dumb.

On the side of the spoiled children it looks to be a battle of the influencers and the school’s golden boy doesn’t want to go to college. And you just know it’s all going to tie up into a neat little bow for these moneyed, beautiful people. Vomit.

I always get hate from mega fans of the authors when I rate a book a haven’t finished, but I would give this one star. Hilderbrand doesn’t seem like she’s even trying here.

[Bianca | bookd_by_bee 🐝 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley & Little, Brown and Company for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5⭐️!!!

THIS is how you write a sequel. If I’m being honest I MAY even like this better than the first book (too close to call). I was BEYOND excited to get this ARC because I loved “The Academy” so much and even had my last book club read it as our monthly selection. In this book we head back to Tiffin Academy where most of our former classmates return and as the popular kids say, “a new bombshell enters the villa” in the form of Phillippa “Pippa” Sacks. Along with a couple of other new faces, this school year gave us all the drama and intrigue from last season, PLUS some new rivalries and student/staff shenanigans. I loved every minute of this book. This book is set up just like the previous one- multiple POV’s, third-person omniscient structure, and quick chapters that will keep you reading late into the night.

Chaotic, messy and actually heart-warming at times, this book tied up all the loose ends from previous book, but gave us so many other intriguing storylines to follow. I think the authors even set up the ending to where the story could continue if they wanted it to. I’d love to return to Tiffin again to follow the new group of Thoroughbreds. And as I said in my review for “The Academy”, RUN this book to a Netflix/Hulu exec and make it into a series! These stories are begging to be put on the small screen.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m so sad this book is over!
Another year at Tiffin! The drama is unreal. All of your favorite characters are back. Charley and East bring the relationship drama. There’s some new characters in the mix as well. I couldn’t put this book down and now I’m sad it’s over. So worth the read!!!

[Mikayla Larlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this sequel! The new characters brought so much fresh energy to the story, and I was completely invested from beginning to end. A perfect mix of drama, heartbreak, and heartwarming moments. I’m genuinely sad to be finished with it!

[Wendie Zasowski doyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of The Thoroughbreds in exchange for an honest review. This book is scheduled to be published in September.
The Thoroughbreds is the second book in The Academy series by mother-daughter duo Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham. The story returns to the elite boarding school setting introduced in The Academy, where wealth, privilege, friendships, secrets, and the pressures of the future all collide.
I have always been a fan of Elin Hilderbrand’s novels and was so sad when I heard she intended to retire. When I learned she would be writing a series with her daughter, I was incredibly excited. I really enjoyed The Academy and always described it as Gossip Girl at a boarding school, and the first book definitely left readers with questions.
I’m happy to say I really enjoyed The Thoroughbreds. The book does a great job refreshing readers on what happened in the first novel. You quickly remember the students you met before, while also being introduced to some new characters who add to the story. I found myself rooting for these kids during their college searches and life decisions, and also cringing for them as they made the kinds of mistakes teenagers often do. The authors did a wonderful job making you care about these characters and their futures.
I especially enjoyed the storyline and was really touched at the end when we finally learned what was in Cinnamon’s email. It felt like a satisfying and emotional wrap-up to the story.
If you enjoyed The Academy, you will be very pleased with the wrap-up in The Thoroughbreds. Fans of boarding school drama, coming-of-age stories, and character-driven novels will definitely want to pick this one up when it releases in September. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel delivered! The drama continued and I found more characters I liked. I definitely enjoyed this one more than the first, and was glad everything was resolved by the end. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact these were high school students, some were more mature than others and still the partying was similar to college. Most of the parents still don’t have redeeming qualities and some of the other adults I didn’t like. There were a few dramatic story lines but I do like how it wrapped up their high school experience and talked about the colleges they’ll be going to. However, without giving a spoiler, Cinnamon’s message wasn’t at all what I expected. Thank you Net Galley for the ARC.

[Dori Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this so much. I can’t get enough of these books and these incredibly well written characters. The cringey ones were SO cringey and the stories were clever and it was so much fun from start to finish. I ate this up and now I want to go back and re-read The Academy. Then read this again. Thats how much I loved it.

The writing throughout was incredibly strong and I wonder what the process is like between Elin Hilderbrand and her daughter Shelby Cunningham.

I wish I went to boarding school. I hope we get to keep following these characters because I need to know what they all do next.

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the gift of getting to read this early in exchange for my honest review.


…quick note as someone who grew up in Flushing, Queens. Liam didn’t need to go to Flushing High School. He would have easily gotten into Townsend Harris or tested into one of the specialized schools (like Stuyvesant, where Yardley works!) or gotten in to a program at another good high school (ex, Cardozo has a law program that could be a way in). But that’s me being nitpicky for knowing specifics the authors likely didn’t know about.

[Savannah Rudy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely immersive & super fun to read. The hundreds of 2026 pop culture references are a little silly but once you just accept them it’s like yeah ok I’m having fun

[Morgan Ackley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love Elin, most of her books walk the line of cringe and cute but unfortunately this one was just not good. Tried to do way too much and went overboard.

[KC · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am an Elin Hilderbrand LOVER. She can do no wrong in my book, and this one gave me every ounce of fall nostalgia, boarding school drama, and juicy scandal that I needed. THIS is a damn good sequel!!!

I do think you need to read The Academy first for this one to fully come together. We’re following the same characters, and after spending so much time with them in both books, I genuinely felt like I knew them. By the time we started getting closer to graduation, I was surprisingly emotional!!

And the DRAMA. My goodness. It felt like every time I turned a page, there was another secret, betrayal, or jaw-dropping revelation. I was eating it up!

I know some people hesitate to pick up this series because it’s technically set at a boarding school, but I really don’t think you should let that stop you. Yes, the characters are high school students, but there are so many adult characters and storylines woven throughout that it never felt like a YA book to me. To me, it gave Gossip Girl… but make it refined, coastal New England. 😂

The setting also gave me ALL the fall vibes. I read this in August while it was approximately 100° in Kansas City, but people around me were starting to go back to school, so the timing actually worked perfectly. It gave me that nostalgic, back-to-school feeling I was craving without being an outright fall book. If you want maximum cozy boarding-school-in-New-England vibes, I’d save this one for September or October.

I think I liked this one even more than The Academy!! I know the first book has some mixed reviews, but I personally loved it, and this one somehow managed to top it for me.

A juicy, dramatic, emotional sequel that had me completely invested in these characters. I cannot wait to see what Elin gives us next!

[Hailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Little Brown and Company and of course Elin Hildebrand and Shelby Cunningham for the opportunity to read this eARC before it publishes September 15 2026, in exchange for my honest review.

Here we are for another year at Tiffin, and dare I say this year is 10 times better! More of our favourite characters (plus some new faces), more drama, and many more questionable decisions.

When I say more of our favourite characters, I truly mean it. Everyone makes an appearance in ways big or small, and we get SO much more depth into these characters in the sequel. I truly feel like I’m back in my senior year, as a fly on the wall, knowing everyone’s drama, while also being all of their friends listening to the gossip first hand.

The drama, as always in Elins books, is top notch. I eat up the scandals, the romances, the lies, and the upheaval of secrets. This book is full of all of the above and more.

As always, the multiple POVs is such a strength in Hildebrands writing, and I can tell all the talent of writing multiple POVs has also been passed on to Cunningham, maybe it’s genetics. She manages to keep the storyline linear, and cohesive, while keeping you on your toes.

Overall, one of my top reads of the year. I am DEVESTATED our time at Tiffin has come to its bittersweet end. I am so ready to see what comes next from Hildebrand!

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

still deciding on my final rating but somewhere between 3.5-4⭐️ this was a fun follow up to The Academy & it did a great job refreshing you on all the characters and drama from book one, which was absolutely necessary because there are A LOT of characters. I loved being back at Tiffin for all the messy friendships, secrets, college drama, and finally getting answers to some lingering questions. My only complaint was the constant Gen Z slang, pop culture references, and brand name dropping, but maybe I’m just aging myself! Also, this is such a perfect transition read from summer into fall with all the back to school vibes! 🍂

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 🌟

I cannot say enough good things about this book wow. I truly couldn’t put it down. The introduction of new characters brought fresh energy to the story and each one added a unique layer that made the plot even more engaging. The drama unfolded perfectly with a balance of heartbreaking moments and heartwarming ones that kept me fully invested.

The characters were incredibly well developed; some you deeply empathize with, while others are so intentionally frustrating that you can’t help but appreciate how well they were written.

This was an amazing sequel and I’m genuinely sad to be finished with it.

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for this ARC.

[Chelsea Crosswait · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown & Company for the ARC of this book! ‘The Thoroughbreds’ was a dramatic, fast-paced read that I absolutely flew through. That being said, I found myself feeling a bit conflicted overall. While the plot was engaging, some elements didn’t fully land for me, and I had a hard time connecting with certain aspects of the story. I do think it wrapped up most of the story in a satisfying way, but it didn’t quite have the same impact for me as ‘The Academy.’ It was definitely an entertaining read though, with plenty of drama that I think many will enjoy!

[Sierra · Rating 4 out of 5]

So thankful to Netgalley and little brown and company for an ARC!! This was so good really enjoyed this series! I am glad that I gave it a chance. Once I heard that Elin was done with her Nantucket novels I was so upset but this one definitely still has some of my favorite aspects of her writing style!

[Ashton Duff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this way more than The Academy. Had to savor it because I don’t know when we will get new Elin!

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Thoroughbreds by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ I was SO EXCITED when I saw this on Netgalley - it doesn’t come out until the fall. I loved The Academy last year, the first part in the series, and The Thoroughbreds was just as good if not better. It felt a bit more fast paced and I really enjoyed it. Part of what makes a great book for me is the feeling of “I cannot stop reading”, “I cannot wait to keep reading”, or “I wish I was reading this right now” and I definitely had that with The Thoroughbreds. Go ‘breds!
#thethoroughbreds #netgalley

[Julia Shelburne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. In this sequel to The Academy, the authors continue the stories of the students, teachers and administrators, and parents we met in the first story at a prestigious boarding school. The book is filled with drama, so I appreciate it reads as a summer beach read while still being able to resonate any time of year as it follows the academic year. I appreciated the development of everyone’s story and the finale.

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

[Helya · Rating 5 out of 5]

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
If you read The Academy and loved it, then you have to read this one because I loved it even more. If you haven’t read The Academy yet, consider this your sign to pick it up so you can dive into this one in September! I loved this book so much. 🥹 I got so emotional at the end, and finding out what was in Cinnamon’s letter was truly worth the wait. I loved seeing how much each character grew, and I appreciated the reminder that even though they’re in high school, they still have fears, feelings, and flaws, and they’re learning from their mistakes. Even the adults had so much growth, and I loved being able to relate to them. There was such a nostalgic feeling that took me back to my own high school days. Since I teach high school, I always appreciate the reminder that school is only one part of my students’ lives, and I love how real they all felt. There are a lot of characters, but they were all so well developed that they were easy to keep track of. The writing was superb, fun, and so fast paced that I couldn’t put this book down. The perfect second book to wrap up the series.

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
🏫Boarding school setting
📈Coming of age
🎭All the drama
🍎School politics
🤫 Secrets & scandals
💕Romance & tension
🫶🏼Found family
🗣️Multiple POVs
📖Book 2/2 in series

🐎𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾🐎
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

💕Q U O T E: “𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝑒𝓍𝓅𝓁𝒶𝒾𝓃 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝒞𝒾𝓃𝓃𝒶𝓂𝑜𝓃'𝓈 𝒹𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒽 𝓉𝒶𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝒯𝒶𝓎𝓁𝑜𝓇-𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝑒𝓁𝓈𝑒-𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝓇𝒶𝑔𝒾𝓁𝒾𝓉𝓎 𝑜𝒻 𝒽𝓊𝓂𝒶𝓃 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒, 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓅𝓇𝒾𝑜𝓇𝒾𝓉𝒾𝓏𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒶𝓁 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓁𝓉𝒽, 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓃𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇, 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉'𝓈 𝑔𝑜𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑜𝓃 𝒾𝓃 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝑒𝓁𝓈𝑒'𝓈 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓉 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝒾𝓃𝒹, 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓃𝑜 𝓂𝒶𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝓈𝓂𝑜𝑜𝓉𝒽 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒻𝒾𝓁𝓉𝑒𝓇𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑜𝓊𝓉𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒, 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒷𝑒 𝓂𝑒𝓈𝓈𝓎 𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒾𝓃𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒.”

🙏 Thank you Little Brown and Company for this eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great follow up to The Academy. Readers were taken back to Tiffin and the senior year for many of our characters - Charley, East, Davi, Taylor, Hakeem, Dub, while being introduced to several new ones - Pippa and Liam. There also is a new history teacher in Coop and a new counselor in Mav. The book follows these characters through their senior year, from the opening day back to school barbecue, dances, parties, holidays, spring break, and the college application cycle.

From the beginning we are provided more insight to some of the characters and the challenges teenagers face as they complete high school. There is significant tension around the college application process and where they want to go to school, predominantly filled with Ivies. There is concern over how the new students will fit in with the old group and some competition for the attention of the new boy. Relationships are tested whether it is through secrets or jealousy. And the adults in the novel are as front and center as the students as they navigate potential career changes and secrets as well. The authors do a good job of wrapping up the storylines that carried over from The Academy and giving the readers optimism for the future of the seniors as they move on to college.

Thank you to Little Brown for the opportunity to read and review.

[Marti Perronie · Rating 4 out of 5]

ust finished this early release by Elin Hilderbrand and her daughter Shelby Cunningham.

Thank you @netgalley and @littlebrown for this early release copy!

As everyone knows, I love all things Elin. This is the follow up of The Academy and I loved that one, so I couldn't wait to read this one.

We follow all our favorite teens again, Charley, East and Davi, as well as our teachers and staff.
They are seniors at Tiffin Academy and you have all the pressure of college early acceptance and just last year angst. They have added a new student to the mix and she's a doozy. Also, two new teachers who become a big part of our teens lives.

I loved this and am so pleased with how they delved into our characters.

#crazybooknerd
#bookstagram
#netgalley
#littlebrownandcompany

[Kaitlyn Varner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thankful to have received an early copy of this one as I’m a huge Elin fan!

I was so happy to be back at Tiffin Academy. We still had the multiple POV and same writing style as the first book which I loved! I was so ready to find out what was in the email and it was not what I was expecting but I was delighted!

All of the storylines were so engaging once again. The ending was beautiful and came full circle! I do think it would be fun to keep this series going by following an upcoming class at Tiffin. I could also see this series becoming a series on tv.

[MidgeB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

I loved The Academy the first book in this duology so I was really looking forward to reading this sequel. However for me it didn’t hit the way the first book did. I found the chapters too jumpy between different character and honestly felt that not much happened. The email from Cinnamon reveal was also a bit of a letdown . That being said the book was really easy to read and I’m glad I finished the series to see what happened with all the main characters 3.75⭐️ rounded down

[Jennifer V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Book Huddle and Little, Brown, and company for the opportunity to read this ARC! I shouldn’t be as invested in the lives of high school children as I was, but WOW was I! I loved going through their heartbreaks, triumphs, and lessons learned as they prepared to enter the next stage of their life. You’re never too old to learn about the importance of friendship, self growth, mental health, and good old fashioned effort.

[Jordan Pascucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am totally invested in Tiffin Academy and the group of people in this book. This is the sequel to the Academy, but might actually be better! The storylines, the rich people drama, the relationships and the friendships were all done so perfectly. I will surely miss these characters, but would be happy to follow along if there is a third book with some of the younger characters. Thank you NetGalley for my ARC.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was provided an ARC of this book on NetGalley.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read this book early as I have loved Elin Hilderbrand’s work for a while. I really enjoyed The Academy and was thrilled to revisit the place and these characters.

This book dove deeper into the characters and once again took place over the course of a school year and skipped around to stories of the different characters. It is filled with gossip and drama. If you enjoy boarding school/campus books, this is definitely for you! They do a truly wonderful job of describing the intricacies of boarding school life, and if you know it, it makes it even more enjoyable to read!

[Autiumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Net Galley for an early copy of this book! Throughout the book I felt like I was immersed with the characters’ lives and emotions . Elin Hilderbrand never disappoints when it comes to vivid, engaging stories. The middle of the book dragged a bit but of course it all came together nicely in the end.

[NikyB · Rating 3 out of 5]

Upgraded to 3.5⭐️ Sequel to The Academy this continues the sort of life at Tiffin boarding school. We catch up with Charley, East,Davi and others in their final year at Tiffin. Thought the book was a bit of a filler if I’m honest with not much plot and the revelation at the end felt very anticlimactic. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC but not as good as the first book.

[Savannah Flack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC! This was SO fun and such a good sequel. It really picked up nicely from the first book and I loved seeing the character development and where they went next. Fun and unique characters, toxic prep school drama, and such growth. A fun read!!