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From the New York Times bestselling author of the Flowers in the Attic and My Sweet Audrina series, now Lifetime movies, comes a haunting new novella featuring a mysterious, highly intelligent teenaged girl as she struggles to survive high school and understand her place in this complex, sometimes dangerous world.

Corliss is not like other girls at her Los Angeles high school. Incredibly intelligent, shy, and a loner, she has difficultly in fitting in. What’s worse, a clique of girls is out to get her after she refuses to take drugs with them, leading to a violent confrontation. When Corliss is unknowingly drugged, her entire life is turned upside down and no one—not even the handsome valedictorian who had agreed to go out with her—looks at her the same way. Will she be able to return to her high school or is there another path she can take? And where will it take her?

80 pages, ebook

First published June 12, 2017

288 people are currently reading
1169 people want to read

About the author

V.C. Andrews

370 books9,096 followers
Books published under the following names - Virginia Andrews, V. Andrews, Virginia C. Andrews & V.C. Endrius. Books since her death ghost written by Andrew Neiderman, but still attributed to the V.C. Andrews name

Virginia Cleo Andrews (born Cleo Virginia Andrews) was born June 6, 1923 in Portsmouth, Virginia. The youngest child and the only daughter of William Henry Andrews, a career navy man who opened a tool-and-die business after retirement, and Lillian Lilnora Parker Andrews, a telephone operator. She spent her happy childhood years in Portsmouth, Virginia, living briefly in Rochester, New York. The Andrews family returned to Portsmouth while Virginia was in high school.

While a teenager, Virginia suffered a tragic accident, falling down the stairs at her school and incurred severe back injuries. Arthritis and a failed spinal surgical procedure forced her to spend most of her life on crutches or in a wheelchair.

Virginia excelled in school and, at fifteen, won a scholarship for writing a parody of Tennyson's Idylls of the King. She proudly earned her diploma from Woodrow Wilson High School in Portsmouth. After graduation, she nurtured her artistic talent by completing a four-year correspondence art course while living at home with her family.

After William Andrews died in the late 1960s, Virginia helped to support herself and her mother through her extremely successful career as a commercial artist, portrait painter, and fashion illustrator.

Frustrated with the lack of creative satisfaction that her work provided, Virginia sought creative release through writing, which she did in secret. In 1972, she completed her first novel, The Gods of the Green Mountain [sic], a science-fantasy story. It was never published. Between 1972 and 1979, she wrote nine novels and twenty short stories, of which only one was published. "I Slept with My Uncle on My Wedding Night", a short fiction piece, was published in a pulp confession magazine.

Promise gleamed over the horizon for Virginia when she submitted a 290,000-word novel, The Obsessed, to a publishing company. She was told that the story had potential, but needed to be trimmed and spiced up a bit. She drafted a new outline in a single night and added "unspeakable things my mother didn't want me to write about." The ninety-eight-page revision was re-titled Flowers in the Attic and she was paid a $7,500 advance. Her new-generation Gothic novel reached the bestseller lists a mere two weeks after its 1979 paperback publication by Pocket Books.

Petals on the Wind, her sequel to Flowers, was published the next year, earning Virginia a $35,000 advance. The second book remained on the New York Times bestseller list for an unbelievable nineteen weeks (Flowers also returned to the list). These first two novels alone sold over seven million copies in only two years. The third novel of the Dollanganger series, If There Be Thorns, was released in 1981, bringing Virginia a $75,000 advance. It reached No. 2 on many bestseller lists within its first two weeks.

Taking a break from the chronicles of Chris and Cathy Dollanganger, Virginia published her one, and only, stand-alone novel, My Sweet Audrina, in 1982. The book welcomed an immediate success, topping the sales figures of her previous novels. Two years later, a fourth Dollanganger novel was released, Seeds of Yesterday. According to the New York Times, Seeds was the best-selling fiction paperback novel of 1984. Also in 1984, V.C. Andrews was named "Professional Woman of the Year" by the city of Norfolk, Virginia.

Upon Andrews's death in 1986, two final novels—Garden of Shadows and Fallen Hearts—were published. These two novels are considered the last to bear the "V.C. Andrews" name and to be almost completely written by

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5 stars
146 (36%)
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102 (25%)
3 stars
97 (24%)
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42 (10%)
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11 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
Profile Image for Dash fan .
1,518 reviews714 followers
June 15, 2017
3☆ Short read

Corliss is a very short book.
I have mixed views on this one.

I understand this is part of a series of
The four Girls of Spindrift e-novellas together form a prequel for Bittersweet.

However something is missing.
You are dropped straight into the story with not a clue really what's going on.

You can only assume you are at a school and students are trying to force Corliss to take 'X' a type of Drug.
Which she refuses

The story is a little jumbled and not quite explained very well.
One minute Corliss says no, next you can only assume her drink is spiked, rushed to hospital, next she is having a sexual encounter with Jackson who becomes her boyfriend.

The school that Corliss is invited too is not mentioned at all. It's mentioned at the very end. As far as I was aware from reading the blurb that the new special school features heavily in the books. But there is no explanation as to what the school is or what it's about.

Maybe that will come once all four students are introduced.

I think it has potential. But as it stands it's very rushed and the reader isn't really introduced to Corliss properly. To be honest I don't know anything about her or why she is special.

Would I recommend this book.... It's a tough one. Yes I would because it has potential. But on the other hand this book is rather confusing.
So I am undecided!

I will read book 2 as I am curious to see if there is any change or any more information about the school.

I also want to add how beautiful the cover is. It really stands out.

Think this is perfect for YA fans

I received this book from the Publisher in exchange for a honest and fair review via Netgalley.
Profile Image for Carrie.
3,574 reviews1,697 followers
June 1, 2017
Corliss is a high school student that learned early on in life that she was considered a genius and way ahead of her peers and most adults intelligently. This however causes problems with the other students at her school with their constant teasing and tormenting.

When Corliss is cornered and offered drugs by a group of girls at her school she refuses listing off the side effects and possible outcomes of unknown drugs. This of course leads the girls to more teasing and eventually they find a way to spike Corliss's punch with the drugs landing her in the hospital and changing her look on life.

Corliss is the first book of the Girls of Spindrift series by V.C. Andrews. The series is a set of novellas that are prequels to the book Bittersweet Dreams which has already been published. I have not yet read Bittersweet Dreams myself but I don't believe it would necessary to have done so to understand this novella, it seems to be mainly some character building for what would be coming in Bittersweet Dreams.

The story of Corliss was an OK one but with this one being novella length I think it suffered a bit with things not being expanded on more. I understood what the author was trying to go for with building up Corliss character with what happened to her but it all seemed so rushed that some actions become a bit questionable and perhaps not very realistic. It did however make me curious to read Bittersweet Dreams to see whatever happens to Corliss in her future.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
Profile Image for Deanne Patterson.
2,410 reviews121 followers
June 13, 2017
I have read almost all of V.C. Andrews books starting with Flowers in the Attic that released long ago.I love the Gothic feel of them. This is the first novella in a series of four prequels leading up to Bittersweet Dreams. Corliss, is a very intelligent girl, more so than her classmates and her teachers as well. In class the teachers ignore the other students to converse with just Corliss since she knows the materials and this makes the students think she is stuck up. Popular girls at the school think they are all that and they rule the school as catty high school girls tend to do. The girls do drugs for excitement and don't like being warned by Corliss of how bad they are for them. When Corliss drinks a spiked drink at a party she loses control and has to be taken away by ambulance. The drink was given to her by her date but he wasn't the one spiking it, the girls did when they distracted him and added something to it. After her release from the hospital she sets the girls up in a drug sting in the girl's bathroom. After they leave a dead bird on her porch with a cord around it's neck Corliss's father goes to the school and they insist she goes to a private school for her continued education. The school is for the developmentally advanced and going there will keep her safe as well. I very much enjoy reading V.C. Andrews books and look forward to reading the rest of the prequels in this series.
Pub Date 12 Jun 2017
Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books for a review copy in exchange for my honest review.
Profile Image for Freda Mans-Labianca.
1,294 reviews125 followers
July 5, 2017
It ended kinda weird.
The story as a whole was pretty good though, and not what I had expected at all.
I liked Corliss. I didn't get why no one believed her, she seemed like a trustworthy gal from the get-go, but still she was doubted when she told what happened one night... that night.
I'm looking forward to seeing what the next one, Donna, is about. I hope it's a lead-up for something greater.

3.5/5
Profile Image for Angelc.
422 reviews52 followers
June 17, 2017
I enjoy a good VC Andrews book, they're a nice guilty pleasure. Nothing too hard to digest here, but also a lot of dark, gothic fun for an afternoon read. Yes, some awful things happen, but the way that it's written, it never feels hopeless. It may be a tale that his been told before, high school girl is bullied, but it's told in that special VC Andrews way.

This ebook is very short, but that works great for this short tale. Anything else would have felt dragged out. This ebook is part of a four part prequel for the Andrews' book "Bittersweet Dreams." I haven't read the full novel yet, but I believe I would have enjoyed Corliss even more if I had.

The novella ends with Corliss being accepted to Spindrift, the school for special teens. I think the book serves as a great teaser for "Bittersweet Dreams," or as complementary reading for those who have already read the novel. For me personally, it made me want to read Bittersweet Dreams so I can find out what happens and who Corliss will meet there.

Overall, I found the story quite interesting, and I think it will appeal to fans of VC Andrews' work. I will definitely be reading "Bittersweet Dreams" and the additional four "Girls of Spindrift" novellas.

reviewed for http://inthehammockblog.blogspot.com

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review

Profile Image for Sarah.
1,456 reviews31 followers
July 5, 2018
I was given a copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.

I have to admit that I found it incredibly difficult to engage with Corliss as a character. From the start, Corliss is unbearably smug and self-satisfied. Breaking the first rule of fiction, Corliss tells readers all about herself and the narrative never slows down enough to really show readers anything below the surface of the naive and entitled young woman.

And this novella is just Corliss’ back story. Readers get a glimpse into her history and the reasons for attending Spindrift but the story ends before her Spindrift experience starts.

I haven’t read VC Andrews since high school and as an adult reader I found myself disappointed by the choppy, slightly detached style of writing and the weak character development. Honestly, the non-story feels like a cash grab prequel to a bigger story and I’m guessing readers will get a recapped synopsis at a later point in the series.
Profile Image for TDCbookreviews.
705 reviews68 followers
July 15, 2017
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I have read every V.C. Andrews book and have always been a fan. This is a very short book and I didn't feel that the characters had enough time to tell their story.
I loved Corliss and she reminds me of similar V.C. characters I have seen in the past. I think what I like most about her is she doesn't stand down and is very opinionated. Her father reminded me of Willow's father and while he loves her, he holds very high standards of her, like most V.C. Andrew fathers.
I loved the mean girls of this story, while they are more ruthless, they reminded me of Fanny. They are simple and don't seem to have to very much depth to them.

I didn't understand how she was not believed, knowing that she was the top of her class and was known to be an extreme good girl.

I hope the books have some more texture and actually the Spindrift school because while it is about the Spindrift girls and how they come to be there, it actually doesn't offer anything about the school.

Book Blurb:
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Flowers in the Attic and My Sweet Audrina series, now Lifetime movies, comes a haunting new novella featuring a mysterious, highly intelligent teenaged girl as she struggles to survive high school and understand her place in this complex, sometimes dangerous world.

Corliss is not like other girls at her Los Angeles high school. Incredibly intelligent, shy, and a loner, she has difficultly in fitting in. What’s worse, a clique of girls is out to get her after she refuses to take drugs with them, leading to a violent confrontation. When Corliss is unknowingly drugged, her entire life is turned upside down and no one—not even the handsome valedictorian who had agreed to go out with her—looks at her the same way. Will she be able to return to her high school or is there another path she can take? And where will it take her?
Profile Image for Erica Chilson.
Author 42 books437 followers
June 5, 2017
I received a copy of this title to read and review for Wicked Reads

4.5 Intrigued stars.

Young Adult age-range: 14+ due to drug-use, bullying, and sexual situations.

Instead of a short-story, I'd call this a serial.

To be honest, as an old-school V.C. Andrews fan, I wasn't sure what to expect, as I stopped reading the ghost-written books about a decade or so ago. I began reading V.C. Andrews in the late 80s, early 90s when I was about 10 years old. When the opportunity arose to read this series, as well as after checking out the blurb, I honestly went into reading thinking I would be disappointed. I know that sounds odd, but I think that actually was a help, not a detriment, as I thoroughly enjoyed Corliss.

Corliss was a very short introduction to Corliss, our narrator. 4 character introductions, showing events leading up to their admittance into Spindrift, trying into the full-length novel, Bittersweet Dreams.

Corliss is a genius, a teenage Temperance Brennan (Bones). She's highly intelligent, cerebral to the point she has a difficult time interacting with her peers, making friends, or dealing with her family. Her mind works on a different wavelength than normal folks. Her narration made it difficult to connect at first, but after I realized her characterization, it made it much easier.

Corliss doesn't have any girl friends- she's too smart, risk-assessment, and she is also beautiful. A self-admitted Beyonce. Since she and her family are poor, she's at a public school that is barely teaching its students as it is, let alone the brightest of the bright. Corliss isn't 'smart', like how we mean when we say genius- it has another meaning entirely.

She's struggling, because in order to get a college acceptance, where they want well-rounded academics, she has to take care of her younger siblings instead of engaging in extracurricular activities, which also puts a divide between her and her peers.

After something horrific (the event gave me gut-twisting feels), Corliss is set adrift farther than before, so when the opportunity arises for a different life, she takes it with both hands, even with the guilt of leaving a family who doesn't understand her behind.

Corliss' introduction left me wanting more, eager to read Donna to see how the next narrator ends up at Spindrift, and is making me feel anticipatory for when the girls finally make it to the school. No doubt, in true V.C. Andrews fashion, nothing good will come from where they will end up.

I cannot wait to read more. I'm seriously surprised.

Recommended to fans of V.C. Andrews, readers who enjoy young-adult-aged characters, and those who love twisty, gut-twisting thrills.

Gorgeous cover.
Profile Image for Fyre.Katz.
816 reviews24 followers
July 24, 2017
Good girl tries to get back at bad girls but things go wrong and she must leave her home to protect her family against these nasty girls! (short summary)
Profile Image for Carey Sabala.
370 reviews15 followers
June 12, 2017
"The four Girls of Spindrift e-novellas together form a prequel for Bittersweet Dreams"

At roughly 80 pages long, this quick YA read is more character building for the book Bittersweet Dreams then a full story unto itself. In a series of novellas, the author is setting up the backstory for the secondary characters to help with the overall story.
In this novella (named for the title character) Corliss is hazed by some mean girls after she declines their offer of drugs because she's too smart to go down that rabbit hole. When the girls turn to retaliation, Corliss finds herself in even deeper trouble; which ends with a visit from her teacher and an offer she can't refuse.
Overall, I really wouldn't suggest this as a stand-alone and it can be a bit confusing for someone who hasn't read or doesn't know that these are basically prequels for already established characters from a main book.
But with that being said, fans of Bittersweet Dreams will love these additional little stories of their favorite characters and how they all ended up in the novel.
For something to read while waiting or if you loved Bittersweet Dreams and want to know more about your favorite girls, this was an interesting quick read with all the Je Ne Sais Quoi of V.C. Andrews that we know and love.
Profile Image for Sue Wallace .
7,400 reviews141 followers
June 12, 2017
Corliss by V C Andrews.
Corliss Simon is what teachers at her school call gifted. The only boy who will talk to her is Jackson Marshall. The girls in her class are trouble. The school disco she learns what that trouble is. What can she do to get them to stop bothering her?
This was a fantastic read with brilliant characters. I liked corliss. I did not like those girls though. 5*. Netgalley and gallery, threshold, pocket books.
Profile Image for Stella.
1,118 reviews45 followers
July 23, 2017
Corliss is book 1 - of a four part sequel to a larger book from famed writer 'V.C. Andrews.'

I've read a lot of V.C. Andrews. A LOT. Granted, it's been a few years since I read my last one, but this was lacking in everything. EVERYTHING.

I don't think there's been a change in ghost writer, but it seems as though this was written by a college student looking for extra credit. The story is lacking in structure and frankly, lacking in complete story.

Corliss is smart. Very smart. She's too smart (and kind of an ass) to all of her classmates. "Something" happens and changes Corliss's life.

Ugh, it was just so boring and ....not good.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Profile Image for Mahasin.
191 reviews9 followers
March 16, 2019
I'm not like other girls, book one in a series.

I had low expectations and this hit all of them. Solid C+.
Profile Image for Grace.
407 reviews47 followers
August 21, 2019
You can tell it’s fiction (written by a man) because Corliss
Profile Image for Sarah McMullan.
285 reviews4 followers
October 13, 2023
A complete waste of time.
Was this "series" a writing exercise for 13yo girls?
A complete waste of time.
Profile Image for Denise.
1 review
Read
July 31, 2017
I could not believe that when I hit chapter 5 it was done. I wanted to know more. Just left you hanging. I hope there is a follow up book.
Profile Image for kim blocker.
1 review1 follower
September 18, 2017
Make sure you read bittersweet dreams before this one because it is the first of the spindrift series

Good book.worth the time to read.to short though it needed to be a little longer.cant wait to read donna the nxt of the spindrift series
Profile Image for Laura C.
538 reviews5 followers
May 6, 2024
A short story about a girl called Corliss who is extremely intelligent. So much so that it causes her to be bullied at school.

It was pretty basic and juvenile. Nothing like the usual VC Andrews books.

Part of my 2024 reading challenge: a book with less than 200 pages
Profile Image for Tammi.
2,173 reviews30 followers
August 25, 2017
I enjoyed the story but it was just ok. It was nowhere near up to par with VC or even the ghost writers others book. Honestly a bit disappointed.
Profile Image for Jodi Auker.
3 reviews
July 27, 2017
Good

It was a good short story! Could have been longer! Always like these books! Must read! Always follow V.C. andrewx
Profile Image for Cassie.
23 reviews1 follower
July 9, 2017
{Excerpt}
When I first read the concept for the Girls of Spindrift series I was intrigued. When I learned that the first novel, Corliss by VC Andrews, was available as an early read through a site that I review books through I had to jump on it. I’ve been a VC Andrews fan since I was a teenager so having a new series by her is amazing. However, once I started reading I was greatly disappointed...

Read more here.
59 reviews
September 12, 2017
Very Intriguing!!!

I liked the storyline and found Corliss very upbeat for her age! I would definitely recommend this book to family and friends alike!!!!!!!
Profile Image for JoDeen .
586 reviews47 followers
August 13, 2017
Corliss is my very first story by V.C Andrews so when I go the chance read it . I was very intrigues to find out what it was about. The minute I got the chance to read this story I dived into it and thoroughly enjoyed it . In this story we follow Corliss who because of the fact that she is incredibly intelligent has an issues to fitting in with her peers, eventually everything escalates and results in Corliss getting drugged . I really felt for Corliss in this book because after she got drugged she was looked at differently by so many people and not in a good light but at the same time we began to see her stand up on her own and seek out answers and while at time I was worried for her I was happy for her at the same time . I felt like this story gave me a lot of background information on this character as well set up for what happens next and I cannot wait to find out what happens next. I am just so excited to find what will happen next in the Birds of Spin drift series.
Profile Image for JeniReadABook.
440 reviews6 followers
September 6, 2017
Honestly this isn't my favorite V.C. Andrews book series. I am curious to see what happens next. I want to read about Spindrift, but the backstories are likely important. LOL :-) I'll let you know once the culmination occurs, if it was worth the effort...since these are more like novellas than novels, it probably will. V.C. Andrews books have been my guilty pleasure ever since I read Flowers in the Attic as a teenager.
Profile Image for Theresa.
8,285 reviews135 followers
June 8, 2017
Corliss (ebook)
by V.C. Andrews
This is a tease a history of the characters in the Girls of Spindrift series. Corliss is a brilliant girl who is stuck in the dregs of the LA school district. Brilliant beyond other students she is outcast by the school’s popular group who plot to humiliate her. Their ploy causes the adults to question her safely, Spindrift is offering a free advanced gifted and talented school alternative. Its is a great insight into the complications of AGATE students and an explicit example for peer pressure, drug problems, bullying, the complicated public school system dealing with these conflicts. I think it would be a great teaching resource for schools, students and parents.
Profile Image for N Swaffar.
859 reviews27 followers
June 7, 2017
The story was ok, Corliss was a very smart girl who deserved so much more than how everyone treated her. I enjoyed the little love story she had with her friend. But right when I felt like the book was finally going somewhere, it ended. The story ended too quickly with no real ending, so it ruined it for me.
Profile Image for Kim.
197 reviews4 followers
June 5, 2017
Corliss is the smartest girl in the school and for that reason is picked on by the bullies called terrible names and her life is made to be not very nice.

One night at a school dance Corliss drink is spiked and her chances of valedictorian are gone.

This book is the start of a new series and I am excited to read the next instalment.

Thank you Net Gallery for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Amy Stephens.
Author 121 books550 followers
August 14, 2017
I'm really excited to see where this new Spindrift series is headed.

Corliss, the first novella in the series, started out really good. I was able to connect with Corliss and truly felt bad for some of the things she had to deal with at her high school, especially when it involved the cliques and the party that deeply affected her. I did wonder though why all of the adults doubted her. For someone who was smart and clearly a level-headed person with a very promising future, why were they even questioning her when it came to the drugs and whether she knew about them? Even her own parents seemed to doubt her honesty.

The part that I didn't like was towards the end when she went from being a strong and confident young lady to a loose and much to care-free teenager. I didn't like how quickly she responded to her boyfriend. To me, that just made me question everything I believed about her from the beginning.

Overall, I'm looking forward to the rest of the books in this series. Seems as though they touch on things that young adults deal with in today's society and that makes them interesting.

**ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.
Profile Image for Shane.
Author 34 books653 followers
May 27, 2017
I was all in by the first few paragraphs. A super smart girl who got a lot of hate for basically being a genius among her peers. Very relatable. But after what happened to her things kind of went a tad downhill for me. Like I couldn't understand certain moments, especially how she ended up doing that with Jackson. And the conclusion was also off to me. Even though this is a novella, I still feel like certain things could have been fleshed out a little more so that certain scenes didn't seem weird. Overall, it could have been more.
Profile Image for Jessica Kimbel.
955 reviews11 followers
October 28, 2017
Missing something?

I thought this was a stand alone book, or the first in a series, but I feel like there was another book I should have read before this one. It’s hard to review it based on this, I just feel confused after reading it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews

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