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Experiment #1
The Boarding School Experiment
There are three steps to taking revenge on the most popular, hottest guy in your senior class:
• Stealth
• Planning
&
• Execution
After Elena fails at all of them, she’s tossed into a government run boarding school in Alaska.
The worst part? Thane Trallwyn--her worst enemy and subject of her blown revenge--goes in with her.
Alaska’s not big enough.
• Stealth
• Planning
&
• Execution
After Elena fails at all of them, she’s tossed into a government run boarding school in Alaska.
The worst part? Thane Trallwyn--her worst enemy and subject of her blown revenge--goes in with her.
Alaska’s not big enough.
213 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 17, 2012
55 people are currently reading
731 people want to read
About the author
Emily Evans
37 books427 followersEmily Evans writes fun, young adult romance. She holds a BA in Psychology from Texas A&M University and an MFA in Creative Writing from American College Dublin. A native Houstonian, she loves travel, movies, and books and may be found at www.EmilyEvansBooks.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
January 16, 2013
This book, despite its somewhat low ratings in the YA world (since usually books belonging to that genre has tons of "I HEART [main male character]"), was actually pretty good. The reason that I think it didn't rate higher is because the blurb above does not attract the right readers, and so readers might be disappointed. For me, since I had planned to skim through the book (due to the blurb), it turned out to be a nice surprise.
First, you simply have to disregard the above blurb. Basically, it is a YA adventure story that is somewhat, but not too heavily futuristic, with guns (well, maybe one) and running for your life drama, interspersed with trying to win a school competition so that they can go home. It's not a complicated story, and it'll never be a classic, but it was a fun, entertaining story propelled by believable dialogue, consistent characters (as opposed to some heroes or heroines who are said to be everything in the world, spontaneous and finicky, nerdy and popular (Travis from Beautiful Disaster), doesn't-care-about-clothes, but always wears hot clothes (the annoying girl from That Boy)), and plot-driven story. There weren't a whole lot of moments where you're stuck in the main girl's head and in her thoughts and thus, trying to poke holes into the storyline -- authors, that's what happens when the plot drags!!!
It was believable because they didn't engage in insta-love, and she wasn't always gushing about him when he wasn't around. She did talk about how he was attractive once or twice, and that was ENOUGH for the whole book...I really can't take it when the author insists on telling the audience every other page how attractive the guy is. WE GET IT FROM HIS ACTIONS, PEOPLE!!! THAT'S WHY IT'S A BOOK AND NOT A MOVIE. THAT'S WHY PEOPLE LOVE MR. DARCY, EVEN THOUGH ELIZABETH BENNET HATED HIS GUTS AND DIDN'T GO ON AT LENGTH ABOUT HOW HOT HIS TUSHY LOOKED, even though I'm sure he wore tight pantaloons. It wasn't a whole lot of romance, which is why I think the book didn't garner high ratings, but it was a cute, fast-paced believable book...which is more than I can say about a lot of YA books out there.
Although it doesn't totally make sense why the bad guys wanted the main characters to go down to the dig, and then come back out again...Why couldn't they just have guarded the dig and make sure the kids don't come out? More time-consuming, it's true. Or, why couldn't they have just struck the kids on the head and pushed them in? That's definitely less time-consuming.
First, you simply have to disregard the above blurb. Basically, it is a YA adventure story that is somewhat, but not too heavily futuristic, with guns (well, maybe one) and running for your life drama, interspersed with trying to win a school competition so that they can go home. It's not a complicated story, and it'll never be a classic, but it was a fun, entertaining story propelled by believable dialogue, consistent characters (as opposed to some heroes or heroines who are said to be everything in the world, spontaneous and finicky, nerdy and popular (Travis from Beautiful Disaster), doesn't-care-about-clothes, but always wears hot clothes (the annoying girl from That Boy)), and plot-driven story. There weren't a whole lot of moments where you're stuck in the main girl's head and in her thoughts and thus, trying to poke holes into the storyline -- authors, that's what happens when the plot drags!!!
It was believable because they didn't engage in insta-love, and she wasn't always gushing about him when he wasn't around. She did talk about how he was attractive once or twice, and that was ENOUGH for the whole book...I really can't take it when the author insists on telling the audience every other page how attractive the guy is. WE GET IT FROM HIS ACTIONS, PEOPLE!!! THAT'S WHY IT'S A BOOK AND NOT A MOVIE. THAT'S WHY PEOPLE LOVE MR. DARCY, EVEN THOUGH ELIZABETH BENNET HATED HIS GUTS AND DIDN'T GO ON AT LENGTH ABOUT HOW HOT HIS TUSHY LOOKED, even though I'm sure he wore tight pantaloons. It wasn't a whole lot of romance, which is why I think the book didn't garner high ratings, but it was a cute, fast-paced believable book...which is more than I can say about a lot of YA books out there.
Although it doesn't totally make sense why the bad guys wanted the main characters to go down to the dig, and then come back out again...Why couldn't they just have guarded the dig and make sure the kids don't come out? More time-consuming, it's true. Or, why couldn't they have just struck the kids on the head and pushed them in? That's definitely less time-consuming.
August 26, 2014
I feel like I've been decieved. Here I was, looking for a chick lit or anything that resembles a chick lit, and found this. I thought this was about Elena and Thane's relationship and they got sent to a boarding school in Alaska. At least that's what the blurb says. The Boarding School Experiment was all about the "weirdness" that's been going on the school. Yes, there were teenage relationships, but the story didn't revolve around that. Seriously, somebody has to change that blurb above, and fast.
September 29, 2012
thanks to the descriptions because of that
my curiosity got the best of me hahahaha ..
This is amazing this got me hooked from the very last page
it is like at first hate then become love
then teamwork .
my curiosity got the best of me hahahaha ..
This is amazing this got me hooked from the very last page
it is like at first hate then become love
then teamwork .
December 30, 2012
I love reading about "love-hate" relationships and this book certainly grabbed my attention because of it. Although, it was quite a bit of a surprise when the story took an unexpected turn.
Over-all I liked the book for being a quick read and for its characters. Elena, main heroine, wasn't your typical wishy-washy female and Thane was all alpha male but in a good way. Rhys was another interesting character and I wished to have read more about him. I would also have loved reading more about the dynamics between the two main and secondary characters.
The twist in the story could have been treated a bit better, in my opinion. The ending was also a tad bit rushed. Everything just resolved itself; quite anti-climactic.
Still, I think this novel is better written than "The Accidental Movie Star" and made me want to read more of the author's work.
I agree that the blurb for this story be revised. It doesn't capture the essence of this book at all.
Over-all I liked the book for being a quick read and for its characters. Elena, main heroine, wasn't your typical wishy-washy female and Thane was all alpha male but in a good way. Rhys was another interesting character and I wished to have read more about him. I would also have loved reading more about the dynamics between the two main and secondary characters.
The twist in the story could have been treated a bit better, in my opinion. The ending was also a tad bit rushed. Everything just resolved itself; quite anti-climactic.
Still, I think this novel is better written than "The Accidental Movie Star" and made me want to read more of the author's work.
I agree that the blurb for this story be revised. It doesn't capture the essence of this book at all.
January 20, 2015
Plot twist: That's not the plot.
WHOA!
What a very misleading blurb!
WHOA!
What a very misleading blurb!
September 20, 2012
Well, well, well..this came as a surprise. The plot was fascinating. :)
Read
November 19, 2012I bought this book on Kindle after I heard the author speak about self-publishing. Her presentation was so good that I thought I should give her stories a try! I haven't read many (any?) other self-published books, and I was happy to see Evans defying the negative stereotypes: although this book is a self-pub, it is typo-free and the Kindle formatting is excellent (even better than in some of my major publisher Kindle books). Evans's writing is also very smooth, again, just as good as that I've seen in many professionally published books.
When Elena accidentally-on-purpose gets herself shipped off to an elite experimental boarding school in Alaska, she think her worst nightmare is that her archenemy has been shipped with her. But Thane turns out to be the least of her problems as sabotage and mad-science transform their contained environment into a deadly trap.
Things this book does best:
Setting: I love boarding school stories, which was one reason I chose this book. But Evans's school was NOT was I expected. I enjoyed exploring the school's artificial environment, which is super twenty-first century, yet still manages to have that gothic atmosphere.
Acknowledgement of labor: I realize this is a slightly weird thing to be happy about, but so many books about schools just brush over the enormous amount work that goes into making a school run. Evans shows that work happening and actually integrates it into the plot.
Character differentiation: A lot of times, school stories make the mistake of introducing way too many of the student population, and I can never keep them all straight. Evans introduces a manageable number of characters, and clearly makes them different, so they were easy for me to keep track of and didn't bog the story down.
I recommend this book for readers who like:
Dystopian boarding school stories
the clash between ultra-civilization and dangerous nature
excessive cupcake consumption
When Elena accidentally-on-purpose gets herself shipped off to an elite experimental boarding school in Alaska, she think her worst nightmare is that her archenemy has been shipped with her. But Thane turns out to be the least of her problems as sabotage and mad-science transform their contained environment into a deadly trap.
Things this book does best:
Setting: I love boarding school stories, which was one reason I chose this book. But Evans's school was NOT was I expected. I enjoyed exploring the school's artificial environment, which is super twenty-first century, yet still manages to have that gothic atmosphere.
Acknowledgement of labor: I realize this is a slightly weird thing to be happy about, but so many books about schools just brush over the enormous amount work that goes into making a school run. Evans shows that work happening and actually integrates it into the plot.
Character differentiation: A lot of times, school stories make the mistake of introducing way too many of the student population, and I can never keep them all straight. Evans introduces a manageable number of characters, and clearly makes them different, so they were easy for me to keep track of and didn't bog the story down.
I recommend this book for readers who like:
Dystopian boarding school stories
the clash between ultra-civilization and dangerous nature
excessive cupcake consumption
May 26, 2013
Nice read. Wrong blurb.
I have to admit, it was a big surprise on my part, as a reader. I was thinking hey, I'll pick this up for a light read. You know, just to pass time. A pastime. But it wasn't really about teenage puppy love. Or anything light. It was so much more, but so much less too. And because it was 'so much more', I rated it with 2 stars even if I was thinking of giving it a 1.
It was fast paced with lots of adrenaline rush. You can't even feel the 'love' thing any more and I like the twist (only a little), albeit such a passable twist. Nothing 'wow' with the twist, but still is.
It's not bad. But I wouldn't be reading it again. This is the point where I explain my "so much less". Although I liked Elena's and Thane's character, it's not enough for me to rate this even higher. The book lacked something. It lack conviction and substance. There is no craving. You get the feeling that these characters are indeed fictional. A better book for me is being sucked up into their world and believing that the characters are real. It didn't feel quite the same to me. It needs a good twist, I suppose.
Or maybe I'm just disappointed with the lack of 'weirdness'. The title said 'boarding school experiment' but let's face it, the whole school personnel was not in on it. They weren't thinking about experiments at all. They were just picking the best of the bunch. I can't spare you the spoiler but I expected more. It turns out that only the scientist and another person was involved with the weirdness. Not even the so-called "enemies" are that annoying. Which they should have.
A letdown. Don't get your hopes up in reading this one.
I have to admit, it was a big surprise on my part, as a reader. I was thinking hey, I'll pick this up for a light read. You know, just to pass time. A pastime. But it wasn't really about teenage puppy love. Or anything light. It was so much more, but so much less too. And because it was 'so much more', I rated it with 2 stars even if I was thinking of giving it a 1.
It was fast paced with lots of adrenaline rush. You can't even feel the 'love' thing any more and I like the twist (only a little), albeit such a passable twist. Nothing 'wow' with the twist, but still is.
It's not bad. But I wouldn't be reading it again. This is the point where I explain my "so much less". Although I liked Elena's and Thane's character, it's not enough for me to rate this even higher. The book lacked something. It lack conviction and substance. There is no craving. You get the feeling that these characters are indeed fictional. A better book for me is being sucked up into their world and believing that the characters are real. It didn't feel quite the same to me. It needs a good twist, I suppose.
Or maybe I'm just disappointed with the lack of 'weirdness'. The title said 'boarding school experiment' but let's face it, the whole school personnel was not in on it. They weren't thinking about experiments at all. They were just picking the best of the bunch. I can't spare you the spoiler but I expected more. It turns out that only the scientist and another person was involved with the weirdness. Not even the so-called "enemies" are that annoying. Which they should have.
A letdown. Don't get your hopes up in reading this one.
July 16, 2014
3.5 Stars
I loved to climb. I loved revenge. Combining the two had landed me where I was now.
I'm glad Elena hates Thane for reasonable reasons. It's not petty like the principal thinks it is. Thane and Elena get shipped out to a fancy but extremely dodgy boarding school. It's not dystopian by a long shot but there's something fishy going on.
Emily Evans is awe-sum. Okay, she's awesome and also really really absurd. Her characters always take stupidity to the next level. The plot lines are terrible and so many things remain unresolved.
Thane is hot but he also ignores Elena a lot of the time. He likes her but knows he's on her shit list.
On a side note, I really liked the secondary couple. An unlikely pairing but really adorable. I mean, not every guy will pick a fight with four dudes over his girlfriend's cupcake honour.
The position caused his biceps to bulge, and his eyes gleamed with a wild light. “I’m sure you’re about to say, thank you, Kaitlin, and eat one yourself. Maybe two.” He leaned deeper. “I’m real sure.”
Rhys is the best character. Sometime he's slumming it as a volatile pyromaniac and other times he's all brainiac and chivalry. He is who he is.
I loved to climb. I loved revenge. Combining the two had landed me where I was now.
I'm glad Elena hates Thane for reasonable reasons. It's not petty like the principal thinks it is. Thane and Elena get shipped out to a fancy but extremely dodgy boarding school. It's not dystopian by a long shot but there's something fishy going on.
Emily Evans is awe-sum. Okay, she's awesome and also really really absurd. Her characters always take stupidity to the next level. The plot lines are terrible and so many things remain unresolved.
Thane is hot but he also ignores Elena a lot of the time. He likes her but knows he's on her shit list.
On a side note, I really liked the secondary couple. An unlikely pairing but really adorable. I mean, not every guy will pick a fight with four dudes over his girlfriend's cupcake honour.
The position caused his biceps to bulge, and his eyes gleamed with a wild light. “I’m sure you’re about to say, thank you, Kaitlin, and eat one yourself. Maybe two.” He leaned deeper. “I’m real sure.”
Rhys is the best character. Sometime he's slumming it as a volatile pyromaniac and other times he's all brainiac and chivalry. He is who he is.
January 29, 2013
Omg. Omg. OhMyGod.
At first I was like, what's this book about? Is it a love story including a school to get together or something else. And OMG, I didn't think I'd like it that much.
The Boarding School Experiment is a nice story, though I didn't really like how they didn't get revenge from this whole mess. The way the coordinators acted and the emails they got and all, there sure was something odd about this school.
I really liked the Elena and Thane love story, it was so cute. And the end, omg again, I loved it. Pure cuteness. The way Thane took care of her and her insecurities, such a nice, though unnerving at first, guy.
Too bad it's not a long book, I would enjoy more of this story.
4.90 stars.
PS: I love the names of the charaters, pretty original.
At first I was like, what's this book about? Is it a love story including a school to get together or something else. And OMG, I didn't think I'd like it that much.
The Boarding School Experiment is a nice story, though I didn't really like how they didn't get revenge from this whole mess. The way the coordinators acted and the emails they got and all, there sure was something odd about this school.
I really liked the Elena and Thane love story, it was so cute. And the end, omg again, I loved it. Pure cuteness. The way Thane took care of her and her insecurities, such a nice, though unnerving at first, guy.
Too bad it's not a long book, I would enjoy more of this story.
4.90 stars.
PS: I love the names of the charaters, pretty original.
March 22, 2013
The full review can be found at my blog.
I was slightly disappointed by this book. I really feel like she could have turned this book into a great trilogy if she had put a little more into it. The idea behind it is good, she’s got good chemistry between the two main characters. The problem? Everything felt rushed, like it was a mad dash to the end but in the end the reader loses.
I was slightly disappointed by this book. I really feel like she could have turned this book into a great trilogy if she had put a little more into it. The idea behind it is good, she’s got good chemistry between the two main characters. The problem? Everything felt rushed, like it was a mad dash to the end but in the end the reader loses.
March 7, 2015
4 STARS I know it seems a lot but between Macy's 5 STARS and my 3 STARS 4 STARS it is.
On a side note... It is a lot better than I thought it would be and the author did a great job with a unique story line and has the opportunity to explore the Boarding School Experiment's in a more romantic setting if the author continues.
I'll be honest, if the author decides to continue the story... not only will Macy continue but so will I. Also, who says the author has to give up the mystery.
On a side note... It is a lot better than I thought it would be and the author did a great job with a unique story line and has the opportunity to explore the Boarding School Experiment's in a more romantic setting if the author continues.
I'll be honest, if the author decides to continue the story... not only will Macy continue but so will I. Also, who says the author has to give up the mystery.
October 21, 2012
i love Emily Evans wits! The story is not as close as the description of the book. Some would think they're deceived by that & i'm one of them.
Anyway, i like the story. It's not another your typical chick lit which i'm glad. The romance is moderate for YA, perfect!
However, i was lost at most of the description of the sport events. That cost half the enjoyment & lost one of the star on my rating.
Anyway, i like the story. It's not another your typical chick lit which i'm glad. The romance is moderate for YA, perfect!
However, i was lost at most of the description of the sport events. That cost half the enjoyment & lost one of the star on my rating.
May 2, 2013
I want a Thane, where can I get one????
Awesome book, I really liked the characters and the plot. It wasn't what I expected was going to happen - but in a good way. I am really starting to love Emily Evans' books. I have them all and can't wait to read the next one, I am thinking 'The Kissing Deadline'!
Awesome book, I really liked the characters and the plot. It wasn't what I expected was going to happen - but in a good way. I am really starting to love Emily Evans' books. I have them all and can't wait to read the next one, I am thinking 'The Kissing Deadline'!
February 28, 2013
This was weird, well not really expecting Elena's view in all things and her attitude of being, i don't know uhm secretive?. But I enjoyed reading this and the attraction between Thane and Elena was inevitable, hate and love is separated by a thin dashed bar. XD
September 21, 2012
This book captured my attention from the first chapter. It was fast paced and well written with realistic characters.
December 24, 2012
Great plot the storyline was entertaining seeing how she would pretend she had no feelings for Thane. Elena is a good at climbing and a great friend. Loved this book
January 7, 2013
This book was like “The Mysterious Case of the Albright Academy” by Diane Stanley with a bit of romance.
August 13, 2016
I love Emily Evans' writing style, but not a huge fan of this story :( A lot of the imagery is really hard to follow. I had a hard time picturing what was happening in some scenes.
April 22, 2013
Thought the ending was rushed, for the amount of build up that there was.
May 22, 2013
i love this book. it was fast moving which i love. i like the romance in the book to. i want there to be a squeal because the ending could made you want to read more . i lover this book.
June 14, 2013
awww *sigh* oh! that was the sweetest present ever. i was gonna rate this book waay lower cause i like a good romance with lots of romance but.. uh that present was uh my god love it.
January 17, 2014
Amazing book
June 9, 2017
So usually I love the books I read by Emily Evans. This one was going great up until the ending. I have no idea how this ending even seemed conceivable to her. This book strayed a bit from the others I've read by her and I was really excited. I'd already read other reviews of a terrible ending, so I was prepared, just not as prepared as I should have been.
I liked the idea of this book, but I wanted more information. Such as, was Alaska the only school or was there really other schools? Why didn't anyone else notice things were off? There was so many questions that weren't answered that I felt let down.
Mostly, it's the ending of this book that destroyed the whole thing. I think the author had a great chance to put in a different ending, one that would have been more fitting. So sadly, this was my first novel from Emily Evans were I felt completely let down. She's great at the romance, she has a way of making her characters people I want to know and who I root for no matter what.
I liked the idea of this book, but I wanted more information. Such as, was Alaska the only school or was there really other schools? Why didn't anyone else notice things were off? There was so many questions that weren't answered that I felt let down.
Mostly, it's the ending of this book that destroyed the whole thing. I think the author had a great chance to put in a different ending, one that would have been more fitting. So sadly, this was my first novel from Emily Evans were I felt completely let down. She's great at the romance, she has a way of making her characters people I want to know and who I root for no matter what.
May 23, 2017
eh, just okay. I wonder if this was one of her earlier books because it wasn't as polished. Several scenes I couldn't visualize because I couldn't follow the descriptors. The characters were interesting and varied. I liked that Elena was scampy. A lot of it I had to go a little further in my suspension of disbelief. But really, I think the thing I disliked most, was how much more of this one was action than romance compared to the first one I read by her. I just liked the Accidental Moviestar couple better.
October 2, 2018
I'm ashamed to say that I read this in its entirety.
It's definitely a middle-grade book, and a poorly written one at that. The storyline and dialogue are just so unrealistic and – to put it bluntly – bad.
Emily Evans is a really odd author because she has written a book that I really like, and have reread multiple times, but everything else I have ever picked up by her, no matter when it was written, has been absolutely unbearable.
It's definitely a middle-grade book, and a poorly written one at that. The storyline and dialogue are just so unrealistic and – to put it bluntly – bad.
Emily Evans is a really odd author because she has written a book that I really like, and have reread multiple times, but everything else I have ever picked up by her, no matter when it was written, has been absolutely unbearable.
November 7, 2018
Ok
I enjoyed the idea of the book and the story had a great deal of potential.
Unfortunately I have to agree with the other reviews that characters didn’t have enough depth.
I do genuinely believe it has the making of a great book just needs a bit more
I enjoyed the idea of the book and the story had a great deal of potential.
Unfortunately I have to agree with the other reviews that characters didn’t have enough depth.
I do genuinely believe it has the making of a great book just needs a bit more
August 5, 2020
Simply romance
A lovely romance which is an easy read. There is some crossed lovers stuff but all pretty superficial . A nice simple read.
A lovely romance which is an easy read. There is some crossed lovers stuff but all pretty superficial . A nice simple read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews