Murder on the Upper East Side

by Gigi Waldorf

Scandal never graduates. Holly Jackson meets Gossip Girl in this glossy thriller, set in the glamorous world of New York's ultra-elite. 

2016. Hannah Miller has begun her senior year at The Prescott Academy of New York alongside the rich and famous of the Upper East Side. Or at least, their children. 

Among the trust funds and penthouse parties, there’s one rule for staying out of the way of Queen Bees Madison DuPont and Elle Harrington. 

For Hannah, being a scholarship student makes her invisible. Or so she thinks.

2026. The Academy's alumni have gathered for a glittering charity gala. Only Madison DuPont could host an event this grand. 

But what starts as a champagne-fueled party soon descends into chaos when Madison is found dead moments after her speech. It doesn't take long for fingers to point at Hannah – everyone saw her talking to Madison only moments before she died. She shouldn't even be at the gala. She's not really one of them. 

The truth is that everyone had a reason to want Madison dead. To clear her name, Hannah must unearth the secrets that this crowd would kill to keep buried.

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Thriller, Fiction, New York, Young Adult, Ebooks

336 pages, Paperback

Published September 8, 2026

Reviews

[Sundar Parajuli]

The Gossip Girl mood and the murder mystery intrigue me, so I enjoyed reading the book with its thrilling plot twists and turns set in two different timelines. The book kept me guessing as to who the killer might be among all the suspects. There were too many storylines running at the same time, making me get confused about who is doing what.

I think the story could have been faster-paced and more exciting. Too much was dedicated to the description of the rich and fashionable lifestyle that makes everyone want to become a part of this world. There was an overuse of words to describe the appearance of the main characters. Besides, I felt disconnected from the protagonists in general.

The ending came out a bit surprisingly, and, honestly, I did not like it. In general, I liked the idea behind the book, but somehow the implementation disappointed me.

[Angie Miale]

Murder on the Upper East Side is basically Gossip Girl meets Mean Girls meets a cozy whodunit, which is a very fun premise—even if the execution ended up being a little more “liked it” than “loved it” for me.

The story moves between two timelines. In 2016, Hannah has moved from Pittsburgh to Manhattan and is attending the elite Prescott Academy, where money, status, and social hierarchy rule everything. At the top are queen bees Madison Dupont and Elle Harrington, surrounded by classmates divided by old money, new money, and where exactly they fall in the school’s complicated pecking order. Adding to the drama is an anonymous Instagram gossip account that seems to know everyone’s secrets.

Then we jump to 2026, when Prescott alumni reunite for a glamorous charity gala—and Madison Dupont ends up dead. Considering Madison accumulated quite a few enemies during her school days, there is no shortage of suspects. Her husband? Her best friend? Someone she bullied? And, of course, there’s still the question of who was behind that gossip account all those years ago.

Despite the bloody cover, this is definitely more cozy mystery than slasher. The body count is low—Madison is poisoned—and much of the book is about the setting, the relationships, the secrets, and watching extremely wealthy people behave ridiculously.

I enjoyed the Upper East Side atmosphere and had fun with all the red herrings, but there were a LOT of characters to keep straight, and eventually I found myself skimming. I wanted to know the answers, but I wasn’t particularly invested in either who killed Madison or who ran the gossip account. For a book that’s only around 300 pages, it somehow felt about 50 pages too long.

So this lands squarely in the “it was fine!” category for me. I don’t not recommend it, especially if elite private schools, rich-people drama, anonymous gossip accounts, and lighter whodunits are your thing. It just never quite became as juicy or suspenseful as I hoped.

3 stars

Murder on the Upper East Side is out now. Gigi Waldorf is a pseudonym—and, frankly, a pretty adorable one for this particular book! Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books for sending me a gifted finished copy.

[hollyreadit]

Gossip Girl fans, you’re going to enjoy this one! It’s a whodunnit with a group of elites, that flashes back to their time in high school. I constantly found myself replacing the major players with Blaire, Chuck, Nate and Serena. There’s also a gossip anonymous instagram page included.

This was a bingeable read, I did find some of the descriptions unnecessary and the reveal I didn’t fully believe (I think who I thought did it made more sense, but that’s just me lol) but all in all if you’re looking for a fun, whodunnit with GG nostalgia this book is for you!

[Kärt]

I wanted to love this so much given my obsession with Gossip Girl & The O.C. when I was in my 20s but this ultimately fell so flat and dragged so much. I kept being pulled away by constant descriptions (unless you’re into fashion & the lifestyle of the rich and famous, then you’ll probably enjoy them) and I just barely hung on the whole time. It only got more gripping the last 20 or so per cent.

Thank you to the publisher for my early copy.

[chelle_reads_books]

The book is loaded with DRAMA. I did not clock the killer at all. I like how you get two different timelines. It helps you understand everything that’s unfolding in present time. Sad that no one in the book can be called a good friend though.

[Lauren]

This is perfect for anyone who is a fan of Gossip Girl and, as someone who was obsessed with both (but read the books probably, like 17 times each), I feel like this was more reminiscent of the books than the show, particularly with the 2016-2017 character dynamics.

Elle, Madison, Theo, and Bash all have very clear similarities to original GG characters, with splits and variations combining the way they are in the books with the way they are in the show. Hannah is interesting because she's almost like a mix of book Jenny and show Dan, which made her fun to follow along with.

Although you primarily follow Hannah, this is told in third person and there are occasional offshoots in the police interviews that leave Hannah to follow different characters. While it is enjoyable to read, I don't think this is one that is too easy to "solve" on your own ahead of time. You just don't get the information early enough and pretty much ever person has a reason to kill Madison. If you love Gossip Girl though, this is a definite pick up.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria books, and Gigi Waldorf for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Jen Ryland (jenrylandreviews & yaallday)]

I live on the UES, read the Gossip Girl books (and met the author!) and loved the show, so was excited to try this. Was further excited to learn that "Gigi Waldorf" is actually Kit Frick, an author whose YA and adult suspense books I've enjoyed.

But I am sad to agree with the 3.2 rating. This probably should have been published as YA and even then, it kind of needed more oomph. With all the Gossip Girl vibes this could have been so much more fun.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!

[ilse]

I support womens rights AND womens wrongs.

[Jess Gelder]

A good premise but poorly executed. That couldn’t have been skim read any quicker 🥲

[Emily]

3/5 stars!

I picked this book up randomly from Tescos I was immediately intrigued just by looking at the cover. Gossip Girl meets murder! I did enjoy the majority of the book and the ending was really clever. I found the characters to be interesting and the premise too. But something about the writing was pulling me back from enjoying myself.

I don’t think I have ever read a book that has so many errors. I don’t mean oh there was a comma in the wrong place I mean full blown errors. It said ‘Madison shook her head.’ Well Madison was dead at this point and it was Elle that was talking. A few ‘He’ instead of ‘He’s’ so it sounded like a cave man was speaking. I’m honestly shocked that it says ‘Simon & Schuster’ and I got it from the supermarket!! I don’t know who edited this book but they need firing. I felt that the book was constantly going off on a tangent. Really long paragraphs filled with nothing. One minute we’re at the school next minute we at Madisons home. I felt like I couldn’t fully immerse myself because it felt like a rough draft. This isn’t really the authors fault by any means because I really did enjoy the story and the characters the editor and everyone who read this over is at fault.

It’s a shame because this book did have some great potential. Gossip Girl was the first TV show I ‘binged’ before Netflix days. This has made me want to watch Gossip Girl from the beginning. What’s even better is there’s also a murder involved. I love a whodunnit murder where every character has a motive. Very Agatha Christie it being in a secret club with hidden compartments and rooms. It’s just such a shame because I feel like this book could have been about 350 pages. There’s no excuse this book isn’t self published and someone is having to write and edit etc. this definitely isn’t the authors fault! The book was really fun and I did enjoy myself but I honestly think Gigi Waldorf needs a good chat with her editor.

[Niamh]

Well, she wasn’t a very good journalist at all was she?

[Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle]

The Upper East Side really said, “Let’s gather every emotionally damaged rich kid from high school in one room, add champagne, unresolved bullying, designer gowns, and a murder.” Incredible planning. Absolutely no notes. Whoever approved that charity gala deserved a subpoena and maybe a nap.

Hannah should not have gone back into this crowd without protective eyewear. She spent senior year at Prescott Academy trying to survive the social food chain as a scholarship student while Madison and Elle ran the place like tiny dictators with better hair. Ten years later, she walks into the alumni gala and somehow becomes suspicious the second Madison drops dead. Because of course the girl who never fully belonged is the easiest person to blame. Rich people love a scapegoat almost as much as they love naming buildings after themselves.

Madison was one of those queen bees who didn’t just sting people, she kept detailed emotional spreadsheets. Everyone had history with her. Everyone had a reason to hate her. Every time someone acted shocked she was dead, I was like, “Be honest, you rehearsed this face in the bathroom.” The suspect list was basically the entire graduating class plus anyone who ever read the Upper Edge.

And that gossip account? A menace. A digital demon in a private school blazer. Nothing good has ever come from anonymous rich kid gossip, and yet everyone kept acting surprised that years of public humiliation might lead to consequences. The internet was out here ruining lives before brunch and everybody just kept refreshing.

Hannah is easy to root for because she has that exhausted “I cannot believe I’m dealing with these people again” energy. She isn’t trying to be a detective for fun. She’s trying not to get framed by a social circle that already decided she was disposable ten years ago. That part worked for me. There’s something deeply gross about watching privilege protect itself, especially when everyone is smiling through veneers while hiding emotional crime scenes.

I did want a little more bite from the story. With a setup this juicy, I wanted the drama to come swinging harder. There were moments where I could feel the book reaching for full Gossip Girl chaos, but then it would pull back right when I wanted someone to flip a table, reveal a secret sibling, or emotionally destroy a trust fund heir in public. Give me the mess. I came dressed for mess.

Still, I had fun. It’s glossy, suspicious, petty, and packed with people who all needed therapy before they needed another champagne flute. I guessed a few things, side-eyed everybody, and enjoyed watching Hannah dig through the designer garbage pile of Prescott Academy’s past.

This lands at 3 stars for me. Fun, dramatic, and perfectly readable, even if I wanted it to sharpen its claws a little more before going for the throat.

Whodunity Award: For Making Every Former Private School Mean Girl Look Like a Future Dateline Episode

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC. I came for Upper East Side scandal and left convinced every alumni gala should come with metal detectors, a therapist, and a strict no-gossip-account policy.

[Kimberly]

Gigi Waldorf’s Murder on the Upper East Side was my after-work escape, and apparently nothing helps you unwind quite like champagne, old grudges, obscenely rich people, and murder. Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the gifted copy. Tell me I’m not the only one who finds wealthy people behaving terribly ridiculously entertaining?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ten years ago, Hannah Miller was the scholarship student at Prescott Academy, trying to survive senior year among Manhattan’s elite without attracting too much attention. Unfortunately, Queen Bee Madison DuPont notices her, and suddenly Hannah has a front-row seat to friendships built on money, manipulation, secrets, and who has enough social power to destroy whom.

Now it’s 2026, everyone is back together for Prescott’s glamorous anniversary gala, and Madison drops dead shortly after giving her speech. Hannah was one of the last people seen talking to her, so naturally the finger-pointing begins almost immediately.

Except Madison collected enemies like other people collect shoes.

I really liked Hannah, especially as the outsider looking in on this completely different world. She’s now a journalist, and once she realizes she needs to clear her own name, she starts digging into everyone’s secrets. And there are SO many secrets.

The story moves between Hannah’s senior year and the night of the murder, and I especially enjoyed watching the past slowly explain all those uncomfortable conversations happening in the present. Every time I decided someone was obviously guilty, another revelation had me mentally crossing them off and circling somebody else.

The Upper East Side setting was half the fun. Private clubs, penthouses, designer clothes, old money, new money, and people who have apparently never heard the phrase “actions have consequences.” These characters are messy, privileged, occasionally awful, and incredibly entertaining to watch.

There are quite a few people to keep straight, and I sometimes had to remind myself who was connected to whom, but the mystery kept pulling me back in. I guessed a few things but definitely not everything, and the final stretch had some surprises waiting for me.

Basically, give me prep-school secrets, rich-people drama, a ten-year grudge, and a dead Queen Bee, and I’m seated.

Which would make you more suspicious: the obvious outsider everyone blames or the lifelong friends who know exactly where all the secrets are buried?

#MurderOnTheUpperEastSide #GigiWaldorf #AtriaBooks #MysteryBooks #ThrillerBooks #YAMystery #Bookstagram #BookReview

[Tessa Talks Books]

The atmosphere of the book is that Gossip Girl has grown up, went to a very luxurious alumni gala, and as a result someone died.

My thoughts:

Offer me a murder involving the ridiculously wealthy, some buried secrets, penthouse parties, and a social hierarchy that seems to have carried on long after people have graduated from high school, and I'll have a great time. And I did! The setting on the Upper East Side was most likely my favourite aspect of Murder on the Upper East Side. It's flashy, over-the-top and absolutely fun.

The narrative alternates between Hannah's final year at the prestigious Prescott Academy in 2016 and a luxurious alumni charity dinner a decade later, at which the former popular girl Madison DuPont is found dead. Hannah, who had previously been the scholarship student and had never really belonged in this set of people, is now regarded as a suspect. Of course, all the people present have secrets, in fact a great many secrets.

Those secrets were delightful.

I really enjoyed the various grudges and complicated relationships that arose from this particular little system based on wealth and privilege—about who sat where, who belonged, who merely thought they belonged, who had money and who had even more money. 😂 It may sound silly, but that is precisely what gave the situation its tension for me. There's a certain fascination in seeing people who have spent years keeping up a perfect appearance begin to crack when their past starts making an appearance.

It's also very Gossip Girl – with all the privileges, the parties, the queen bees, the outsider watching from the sidelines, and those carefully presented lives which hide some quite ugly truths underneath. And yes, I definitely noticed that the author went with the name Gigi Waldorf. I can see what you've done there. 👀

What confused me a bit was the pace of the story. I wished it had moved more quickly, particularly after the murder and the start of the investigation. There were sections in which I found myself wanting to prompt everybody to hurry up and say, All right, great group of people, we have some secrets to uncover and a murderer to catch. Let's get going. Considering that the mystery revolved around so much scandal, I had expected a bit more urgency.

Yet the atmosphere and the social relationships continued to draw me in, and I was eager to find out what each person was keeping from me; there is indeed something wonderfully exciting about seeing the carefully built world of the ultra-elite start to collapse.

[vlm]

Murder on the Upper East Side is a fun, fast-paced YA mystery that perfectly blends elite prep school drama, long-buried secrets, and murder. With strong Gossip Girl vibes and a twisty whodunit at its core, this was an entertaining read that kept me guessing until the end.

The story alternates between 2016, during Hannah Miller's senior year at the prestigious Prescott Academy, and 2026, when the school's alumni reunite for a glamorous charity gala that ends in murder. The dual timeline worked well, gradually revealing the complicated relationships, rivalries, and secrets that led to Madison DuPont's shocking death.

Hannah was an easy protagonist to root for. As a scholarship student navigating a world of wealth and privilege, she always felt like an outsider, and her perspective provided an interesting contrast to the privileged lives of her classmates. When she becomes the prime suspect in Madison's murder, the stakes immediately become personal, and I was invested in seeing her uncover the truth.

One of the book's biggest strengths is its atmosphere. The lavish parties, designer wardrobes, exclusive social circles, and Upper East Side excess create a glamorous backdrop that feels both enticing and toxic. Beneath the glitter and luxury lies a web of jealousy, betrayal, and resentment that makes nearly every character a potential suspect.

The mystery itself was engaging, with plenty of twists, red herrings, and revelations to keep the pages turning. While I correctly guessed a few pieces of the puzzle before the final reveal, there were still enough surprises to keep the ending satisfying.

Some of the supporting characters could have been developed a bit more, and there were moments when the large cast made it difficult to keep track of everyone's motivations. However, the strong pacing and addictive drama more than compensated for those minor issues.

Overall, Murder on the Upper East Side is an entertaining YA thriller filled with secrets, scandals, and suspense. Fans of prep school mysteries, wealthy socialite drama, and books like A Good Girl's Guide to Murder will likely have a great time with this one.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Stephanie Barnett]

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

If Gossip Girl and a murder mystery had a bookish love child, it would be Murder on the Upper East Side. Packed with prep school drama, old-money secrets, elite social circles, and plenty of scandal, this was such an entertaining read. The story follows Hannah Miller, a former scholarship student at the prestigious Prescott Academy, who returns ten years later for an exclusive alumni gala. When former queen bee Madison DuPont is found murdered during the event, Hannah unexpectedly finds herself caught in the middle of the investigation. As old friendships, rivalries, and buried secrets resurface, it quickly becomes clear that almost everyone had a reason to want Madison dead.

The Upper East Side setting was easily one of my favorite parts of the book. Between the glamorous parties, luxury lifestyles, private school politics, and constant tension between old money and outsiders, the atmosphere felt like classic Gossip Girl. If you're a fan of wealthy family drama and characters with far too many secrets, this absolutely delivers.

I also enjoyed the dual timeline structure. Flashing between Hannah's senior year and the present slowly revealed how fractured these relationships really were, allowing the mystery to unfold piece by piece. There were plenty of suspects, hidden motives, betrayals, and shifting alliances that kept me guessing throughout. While I did find the middle section slowed down at times, mostly because there were so many characters and relationships to keep track of, I was always curious enough to keep reading. The flashbacks occasionally felt repetitive, but they also helped explain why nearly everyone had a motive. I also would have liked a little more from the ending. While the mystery itself wrapped up, I found myself wanting just a bit more closure after the final reveal. Still, it didn't take away from how much fun I had with the overall story.

Murder on the Upper East Side is a fast-paced, entertaining mystery filled with prep school rivalries, privilege, betrayal, and plenty of Upper East Side drama. If you love books like Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, or Jessica Goodman and Karen M. McManus novels, this is definitely one worth adding to your TBR.

[Hannah]

Of course I was expecting this to read as much like Gossip Girl as humanly possible because it is presented as a Gossip Girl knockoff. What I did not expect was for it to be a Gossip Girl-referencing, Gossip Girl knockoff complete with a pen name for the author that perfectly aligned with UES lore that also read too much like someone my age thinking they know how people younger than them talk and act while actually having no idea. This was an extremely sloppy book that clearly passed based on vibes but did not have a strong editorial eye looking over things or demanding excellence. The way it constantly shifted from third person limited to third omniscient was like it couldn't remember which one it was supposed to be doing. The way these young adults talked was simply not in keeping with the real world, it was exactly like the performative and stylized way our Blair and Serena spoke, except remember how those books came out 20 years ago and this book very overtly made the statement "this is not about millennials" by making it about the class of 2017, not 2006? All the mystery setup was good, with all the "hey, you thought this person was the obvious killer? Now let me tell you about how THIS person is also the obvious killer?" but in the end, this book was strikingly reminiscent to the Ghost Killer arc in the show Bones, by which I mean both the exact ending and reveal and also the buildup > disappointment trajectory. If you are still mad about the way Stephanie MacNamara was handled in Bones, you will be newly angry if you read this book. So much potential for snarky, salacious fun! So little payoff.

[Yes, I had an e-galley from either Netgalley or Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review blah blah FTC shit, but for anyone who finds themselves at this review thinking that you can't judge a galley because what if the author goes back for more developmental editing before publication, that is not how publishing works. What is bad developmentally about this novel will remain bad in its final form, because you don't produce arcs and then go back for a rewrite.]

[Donna]

Madison Dupont was murdered at the Hundredth Anniversary Gala celebrating Prescott Prep's beginnings. Everyone who attended the lavish school fundraiser watched in horror as she dropped her martini glass and sank to the floor and no one was leaving until interrogated by the police. It was going to be a long, dismal night. And like in a famous Agatha Christie novel, there were many people who had their reasons for wanting her dead.
Flashback to ten years earlier. Hannah Miller began her senior year of high school at the most prestigious prep school in New York. Her family moved to the city from Pennsylvania and her dream was to attend UPenn upon graduation. Prescott gave Hannah a scholarship to attend their school her final year and she was excited and very anxious to begin. Figuring that the best thing she could do would be to excel at her studies and keep drama to a minimum, she was flummoxed on her first day to be taken under the wing of beautiful Madison Dupont, meanest of the mean girls. Madison introduced her to the school hierarchy, and though not completely accepted by the upper crust, Hannah was somewhat included in their social scene. She knew they were using her but she really enjoyed being included in a lifestyle that she never dreamed of being a part.
Ten years later, Hannah was a journalist who mined her Prescott experience for a hit piece on her fellow students. In the eyes of the police, that made her the prime suspect and it seemed that all of the other guests who were questioned that night agreed. If she didn't want to leave the exclusive restaurant in handcuffs, she had better find out who murdered Madison and why.
Waldorf wrote a fascinating story about New York's one percent and the problems that their money creates. This mystery was a real deep dive into children of the rich and famous. The privilege, the cruelty, and the competitiveness of these students is eye opening and is just as jarring as the actual murder. Will bad behavior triumph over good detective work? Hope for the best, expect the worst.

[Amanda Bray]

This book was marketed as perfect for fans of Gossip Girl and Holly Jackson, and I have to concur. As a devout lover of teen dramas and thrillers alike, I really enjoyed that this gave us the best of both worlds.

Hannah Miller hasn't spoken to any of her short-lived friends from her single year at Prescott Academy since graduation. However, she has no choice but to face them when her editor wants her to write a piece on the school's 100th anniversary gala being held at the exclusive Lennox Club. The night goes from awkward to deadly when former Queen Bee, Madison DuPont, is seemingly poisoned. Being the clear outcast from the rest of the New York City elite, Hannah is quickly dubbed suspect No. 1. But the truth is that almost everyone at the gala had a reason to hate Madison, and after the police decide that no one can leave the secluded club until everyone's statement has been taken, tensions rise, and old secrets emerge.

The vibes in this book were immaculate. There's just something so alluring about the glitz and glam of the obnoxiously wealthy, and the author captured that perfectly. The dual timeline also let us enjoy both petty teenage gossip and the higher stakes of real adult problems. I loved the setting of the Lennox Club with its hidden rooms and secret passageways. A locked-room mystery is always more fun when it's not really a locked room.

Even though the main focus is finding Madison's killer, we actually have a few mysteries here, and I thought the way they all came together was well constructed. I was as confused as Hannah as she investigated her old classmates, and I even fell for a few of the same red herrings. While I had some suspicions, at no point did I have it all figured out. I loved the final reveal at the end, and my only gripe is that I wish there had been a little bit more follow-up on some of the collateral damage.

I think this is a great book for fall, and I would recommend it if you've ever wished Gossip Girl had a murder-mystery episode.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the eARC for review purposes.

[Connie]

Hannah Miller is attending The Prescott Academy of New York for her senior year of high school as a scholarship student. She is immediately thrown into the paths of the two Queen Bees of the school, Madison DuPont and Elle Harrington. Hannah realizes she is looked down upon as not part of the rich students but she is just there to finish school and go on to the college she has selected.

She immediately sees the games played by the rich students who all seem to not like one another but only play up to each other. They love to find a student and see if they can tear their life apart and send them away. With all that money, life can get boring otherwise.

Ten years later, Hannah is working for a place that has published a tome she has written putting down some of these people she had gone to school with. So, when she receives an invitation to an alumni gala, she does not want to go as she knows she will be treated as persona non gratis. But her boss insists so she heads out. Just as soon as Madison strolls into the gala on the arm of her wealthy husband running for mayor, she stares down Hannah. Then after some speeches by Madison and another, Madison disappears into the ladies room with her martini glass in hand. When she emerges, she falls down dead, obviously poisoned. Now, everyone is sequestered and questioned. Of course, many people think Hannah is the main suspect.

The story switches back and forth from the time they were all in high school and back to the present day. The constant nasty backbiting of teenagers really shocked me. I guess it’s the fact that so many of them were so rich that they felt they were special and above others. This story did drag for me. Oh my. I was so glad when it ended. Not at all interested in wealthy teenagers strutting their stuff. Big eye roll.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Jen]

I thought this was a fun read- if you are a sucker for the lifestyles of the rich who will do anything to get their way, you will like this book. It centers on Hannah, who moves to a super prestigious high school in her senior year as a scholarship student. For whatever reason, the popular girls, lead by Madison, take a liking to her, and she navigates that year as a pawn in their games. 10 years later, Madison is murdered at an anniversary event where most of that same group, including Hannah, is in attendance. People point the finger at Hannah, but as a journalist, she thinks she can find out what is really going on. The story is told in alternating timeframes from that year of high school to the present time.

The mystery in this book was sound, and I changed my mind multiple times about who I thought the villain was. There were a lot of characters and sometimes I had to remind myself what the relationships between them were, but I did feel that their voices, for the most part, were distinct. I enjoyed the settings, from their mansions to the exclusive club in which the anniversary gala was held. I felt like the back and forth between timelines kept the story moving along and created good background for the current happenings. The ending was multi-faceted and contained some surprises as well as some more predictable moments, but I liked it and thought it worked. There were a couple minor things that I felt never really got cleared up, but they made suitable red herrings throughout the story.

Overall, I thought this was a fun read and I got through it really quickly because I really wanted to know what happened. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Betsy]

Gossip Girl but with murder.

I picked this up expecting a rich people behaving badly thriller... and ended up completely invested in their toxic drama.

If you love elite private schools, old secrets, social climbing, murder, and characters who make terrible decisions but are impossible to look away from, this one's for you.

Ten years after graduating from the prestigious Prescott Academy, former classmates reunite for an anniversary gala. Before the night is over, queen bee Madison is dead.

And guess who's the prime suspect?

Hannah. The scholarship student who never quite belonged.

Told through dual timelines, we bounce between senior year at Prescott and the present-day murder investigation. Every chapter peeled back another layer of manipulation, privilege, betrayal, and secrets.

The cast is messy, privileged, manipulative, and honestly not always likable ....but that's exactly what kept me turning pages. I couldn't stop wondering what they'd do to each other next.

What I Loved:
• Elite prep school drama
• Wealth, privilege, and power plays
• Dual timelines done well
• Lots of suspects and red herrings
• Twists that kept me guessing
• Fast-paced and bingeable

This wasn't a book full of characters I loved. It was a book full of characters I couldn't stop watching. And sometimes that's even better.

Mood Rating:
Gossip Girl meets murder mystery
Wealthy people making terrible choices
Constantly changing your suspect list
One-sitting thriller energy

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the gifted eARC through NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

Confession: I changed my mind about the killer more times than Gossip Girl changed identities. You Know you love me. XOXO Gossip Girl! ( I always wanted to do that!)

[Ashley Early]

Set in the glamorous world of New York’s Upper East Side, this book follows Hannah Miller, a scholarship student at a prestigious prep school, just looking to make it through her senior year. In 2016 (her senior year), Hannah juggled with navigating the schools queen bees Madison DuPont and Elle Harrington and dealing with an anonymous online gossip account that shared everyone’s secrets.

Ten years later, Hannah is attending a school alumni event for work where the night quickly turns deadly when Madison DuPont is found murdered. Hannah immediately becomes suspect #1 due to an article she had written not long before about the upper east side and her trying to speak with Madison right before her death where she was tossed away.

With a long list of potential suspects and motives, it is up to Hannah to figure out who truly killed Madison before she ends up arrested for a crime she didn’t commit. What secrets will come out in the meantime?

This book was giving major gossip girl vibes and I was here for it. I read all the wording on the anonymous gossip site in the voice of gossip girl because of course I had to. The book had drama, mystery, and did I mention drama? I did enjoy the plot, but kind of wished there was a little less of the over-descriptions of various rooms in these fancy buildings. I found myself just scanning through several paragraphs because they didn’t add anything to the story. I also wish there were a few things that were more tied up at the end. But overall, this book is great for anyone who enjoys some elite drama or who grew up on gossip girl like me.

Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for the gifted arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Sharon]

Thank you @Atriabooks #AtriaPartner#AtriaPartner for the free book 💖.

🗓️Out 9/8/26

As soon as I heard this had similar vibes to the show Gossip Girl, I knew I wanted to read it. I obsessed over that show when I was younger, and I’ll always be a sucker for the rich people behaving badly trope 😂.

When Madison DuPont, a wealthy socialite, is murdered at a glamorous reunion, Hannah Miller suddenly finds herself as the main suspect. To clear her name, she has to figure out who really wanted Madison dead and what secrets everyone is hiding. The thing is, it seems like everyone has something to hide.

I liked the dual timelines because they slowly revealed what happened between this group of rich kids, and gave some context for how everything turned to be in the present for them. However, it was hard for me to feel invested in their stories. I have read a lot of books with these tropes, and this one just didn’t completely wow me unfortunately.

Honestly, this had all the things I usually enjoy—secrets, drama, twists, and a whole bunch of suspects, but it was just ok for me. Pretty much everyone had a motive, which made it fun trying to figure out who actually killed Madison, but other than that, I wasn’t really excited about it as I read.

Books are extremely subjective, and I’m sure others who haven’t read as many of these kinds of stories will enjoy it a bit more than I did, so if you are intrigued I’d still say give it a try and see how it works for you.

Read if you like:
🎀Upper east side setting
🎀Gossip Girl x Mean Girls like drama
🎀Murder mystery
🎀Dual timelines
🎀Lifestyle of the rich
🎀Unlikeable characters
🎀Frenemies

⚠️CW: Poisoning, murder, classism, bullying, manipulation, toxic friendships, toxic gossip website.

[Jo Dervan]

Murder on the Upper East Side
Hannah and her sister moved from Pittsburg to NYC. She was entering her senior year and started at Prescott Academy, a posh Upper East Side prep school. On her first day of school she met Madison who took Hannah under her wing.
Madison was the original mean girl. She was the Queen Bee of her class and spent her time bossing around Hannah and other
classmates.
Hannah lost touch with all of her classmates after she graduated even though she attended college in NYC.
Ten years later Hannah was a reporter for a local magazine and had recently written a popular article about the excesses of billionaires in NYC. Prescott was holding a fundraiser at the swanky Lenox Club for their anniversary and alumni were invited. Hannah’s boss bought her a ticket and asked her to attend in hopes that she could write a story about the event.
Many of Hannah’s classmates attended as did some of their former teachers. Madison was there with her husband, a newly declared candidate for mayor of NYC. She was not very friendly toward Hannah. However when Madison was found dead in a bathroom from poisoning, Hannah was the main suspect.
The club was locked down and all attendees were questioned overnight by local police.
Hannah decided to solve the murder and find the real killer. The killer was finally exposed at the very end of the story.
This is a story about rich society folks in NYC. There is lots of name dropping of luxury items and exclusive locations. However the author keeps our interest until the last page.
I received this ARC for the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

[hannah ⊹ ࣪ ˖]

2.5⭐ | I picked this up for one reason: Gossip Girl meets murder mystery. An elite Manhattan prep school, a scholarship student caught in a web of privilege, a queen bee with plenty of enemies, and a reunion that ends in murder? It sounded like exactly the kind of popcorn thriller I'd fly through.

The setting was easily my favorite part. The Upper East Side atmosphere was full of old money, designer labels, exclusive parties, and decades-old grudges, making it easy to get swept up in the drama. I also liked the dual timeline, which gradually revealed the history between the characters while building the present-day mystery. There were enough suspects and shifting motives to keep me guessing, and I genuinely wasn't certain how everything would come together.

Where it lost me was the pacing. The mystery often took a backseat to lengthy descriptions of wealth and social status, and with such a large cast, many of the characters blended together rather than standing out. I also found it difficult to become emotionally invested in anyone, so while I wanted to know who the killer was, I wasn't particularly attached to the people involved.

Overall, this was an easy thriller that delivers exactly the glamorous prep school drama it promises, but it never became as sharp or addictive as I'd hoped. If you enjoy stories packed with privilege, gossip, and tangled friendships, it might be worth giving it a chance. It just wasn't what I was expecting, and I wish the mystery had been tighter and the characters a little more memorable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for this ARC!

[Dana]

Gigi Waldorf is the pseudonym of Kit Frick, an author of young adult mystery novels. This book has some elements of dark academia but also includes a present timeline involving the adult lives of the characters. Every piece of marketing and almost every review includes a "Gossip Girl meets X" comparison, with X being some kind of murder mystery. The Gossip Girl vibes are indeed strong, with an anonymous Instagram account dedicated to the lives of the extremely unlikeable students at a posh, exclusive prep school in New York City's Upper East Side. There are characters and locations similar to those in Gossip Girl as well, and about 20% of the text is just name-dropping luxe brands and descriptions of opulence. This didn't bother me much, but others may find it over the top. I also found the story overly long and quite repetitive. I stayed with the book in order to provide a full review, but I think I would not have finished it otherwise. Overall, this was a decent popcorn thriller that was interesting to read, but it wasn't anything special. Fans of elite high school drama will probably enjoy this more than I did.

The murder happens in the prologue, in first person, and the story progresses through two timelines, narrated in third person. This makes every conversation, relationship, and observation suspicious. This made for a fast-paced read. I did not figure out whodunit, so at least that reveal was entertaining.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Andria Lambert]

3.5 out of 5 stars. This is my first time reading a book by this author.

Murder on The Upper East Side is a mix between a mean girls story and a murder whodunnit mystery and may slant more towards the YA group of readers. The Alumni of The Prescott Academy of New York is having a charity gala of which Madison Dupont is the host. She was the Queen Bee along with another girl back when they were in high school. Moments after the opening speech at the gala, she is found dead and everyone is pointing their fingers at Hannah Miller who was the last one seen talking to Madison. Hannah was also previous a student at the school, but not one that was rich and from a rich and privileged family. Madison was one of those mean girls in school, she was also known for her bullying, manipulation, and terrorizing of other students at the school. Hannah is caught up in an investigation and a suspect, she needs to find out who the real killer is, but it seems that there are secrets that people don't want exposed. There are so many possible suspects too. The story has red herrings, twists and turns, and hidden secrets and is told through the use of dual timelines. You find in the 2016 timeline possible people that might have grudges and motives for the murder. I liked the story, but thought the pacing was a little slow and somethings a little repetitive or overly descriptive, and leans more towards the drama aspect and less towards the suspenseful thriller.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the complimentary copy of the story.

[Linda (The Arizona Bookstagrammer)]

Thank you for the free book Atria Books @atriabooks , Emily Bestler Books, and Netgalley @netgalley
“Murder on the Upper East Side” by Gigi Waldorf ⭐️⭐️⭐️Genre: Locked Room Thriller. Location: Manhattan’s Upper East Side, New York, NY, USA.

SYNOPSIS:
2016: Scholarship student Hannah Miller is a senior at the Prescott Academy of New York (educating ultra rich teens). She wants to belong, but knows to beware of mean girls Madison DuPont and Elle Harrington, and The Upper Edge IG gossip page.
2026: Madison is murdered during the academy’s 100 year charity gala. Fingers point at Hannah, who was talking to her just before she died. But the truth is everyone has a motive-from Madison’s best friend to her former devotees to her bullying targets. To clear her name, Hannah must find the secrets this pearl-clutching, ultra-elitist crowd would kill to keep buried-before the Upper East Side police decide only a former scholarship student could possibly be guilty.

FAVORITE BIT:
Locked Room trope/subgenre. It leads to so many red herrings!

HARD TO SWALLOW BIT:
In 2026, Hannah is a journalist, but doesn’t keep up with social media.

NOT SO FAVORITE BIT:
The bullying and slut-shaming, because it’s a vivid reminder that this happens in real life-and current politicians are even more guilty than high schoolers. So, I read and enjoy the book as thriller fiction, but at the same time am saddened by the reminder of what is wrong in real life today.

It’s locked rooms, secret passageways, double betrayals, lots of red herrings, and it’s 3⭐️s from me 📚👩🏼‍🦳

[Susan Ingraffea]

I received an ARC of this book from Atria Books via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. My first comment is that it was unnecessarily long! Not much happened - just a lot of descriptions of rich people and thier brand names and their completely stereotypical categories in high school. Also, maybe cause I am significantly older than these characters, but people who only graduated high school in 2017 are YOUNG. To me, there is almost no difference in them in 2017 vs them in 2026; they are still YOUNG. So this read a lot like YA fiction, in my opinion.

There were a lot of characters, and I think some purely existed to be red herrings. Which is fine, except it was definitely hard to keep track at many points. Alice? Alex? Beatrice? None seemed important, really.

The scenes where Hannah was literally eavesdropping under a tablecloth and under a blanket - really? Can you imagine someone crawling under a tablecloth, unobserved, in the middle of a fancy party?

Hannah was the main narrator, but then sporadically, another character would be mentioned and then just BOOM we were suddenly in their point of view. No warning, no new chapter. I don't think I have ever seen this in any other books.

Hannah seemed whiny to me, and again, YOUNG. Overall I just didn't care about any of these people, and by the time we finally got to the conclusion, I still didn't care to who did it.