Extracurricular

Extracurricular #3

by Josie Brown

In the third and final installment of the Extracurricular series:

Lavinia’s death catalyzes a power play for control of  Ashbury Academy’s trustee board. Daniel’s covert actions, however, have Audrey questioning his vow to protect Lavinia’s legacy at the school.

The arrests resulting in the FBI’s investigation into Miranda’s college admissions fraud bring tragedy to some of the families involved, and unexpected opportunities to others.

Can Ashbury Academy survive this scandal?

An even bigger question:

Will Audrey’s marriage—and her family—fall apart after her long-held secret is finally revealed?

282 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 9, 2019

About the author

Josie Brown's forty-two novels are now in the hands of over two million readers.

She has been published by St. Martin's Press, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins Publishers, Penguin Books.

Read Josie’s books. You’ll get a good idea of her sense of humor. https://www.JosieBrown.com

You'll also find Josie on
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JosieBrownCA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josiebrownau...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josiebrownn...

Visit her podcast, where she discusses writing with other authors:
http://bit.ly/AuthorProvocateurApple

Josie is the author of these novels:

The Housewife Assassin Novel Series, including
- Handbook (Book 1)
- Guide to Gracious Killing (Book 2)
- Killer Christmas Tips (Book 3)
- Relationship Survival Guide (Book 4)
- Vacation to Die For (Book 5)
- Recipes for Disaster (Book 6)
- Hollywood Scream Play (Book 7) [2014, Signal Press]
- Killer App (Book 8) [August 2014, Signal Press]
- Hostage Hosting Tips (Book 9)
- Garden of Deadly Delights (Book 10)
- Tips for Weddings, Weapons, and Warfare Hosting Tips (Book 11)
- Husband Hunting Hints (Book 12)
- Ghost Protocol (Book 13)
- Terrorist TV Guide (Book 14)
- Deadly Dossier (Book 15 - SERIES PREQUEL)
- Greatest Hits (Book 16 )
- Fourth Estate Sale (Book 17 )
- Horrorscope (Book 18 )
- White House Keeping Seal of Approval (Book 19)
- Assassination Vacation Tips (Book 20)
- Antisocial Media Tips (Book 21)
- Manners, Missiles & Mayhem (Book 22)
- Gambit (Book 23)
- Underwater Assets (Book 24)

The Candidate (Steamy Political Thriller)

Extracurricular - 3 episodic Novels (2020; Signal Press)

Totlandia - 8 episodic Novels (2014-2017; Signal Press)

The Baby Planner
[2011, Simon & Schuster]

The Housewife Assassin Gets Lucky (written with Deborah Coonts)

Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives
[2010, Simon & Schuster 2014 Signal Press]]

Hollywood Hunk (Book 1 - True Hollywood Lies)
[2005, HarperCollins; 2010 Signal Press]

Her novel, Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives (Simon & Schuster), is being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer as a dramatic series for NBC-TV.

She is also the author of three non-fiction books: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Finding Mr. Right [Penguin/Alpha]; Marriage Confidential: 102 Honest Answers to the Questions Every Husband Wants to Ask, and Every Wife Needs to Know [Signal Press]; and Last Night I Dreamt of Cosmopolitans: A Modern Girl's Dream Dictionary [St. Martin's Press]

Before becoming a full-time novelist, Josie also worked in advertising (JWT, DDB/Needham, BBM&B) and radio (WPLO-AM, Atlanta; WZGC-FM, Atlanta).

As a journalist, Josie has interviewed Maya Angelou, Brenda Blethyn, Julian Bond, Kenneth Branagh, Jackie Collins, Costa-Gavras, Craig Ferguson, John Gray, Derek Jacobi, Debbie Reynolds, and John Woo. Her celebrity interviews and relationships trends articles have been featured in Los Angeles Times Syndicate International, Redbook, and Complete Woman, as well as AOL, Yahoo, AskMen.com, Divorce360.com, and SingleMindedWomen.com, where she serves as the Relationships Channel editor.

Josie's interviews for her podcast, Author Provocateur, and for the International Thriller Writers magazine THE BIG THRILL include such notable authors as David Baldacci, Samantha M. Bailey, C.J. Box, Allison Brennan, Lee Child, Deborah Coonts, Robert Dugoni, Barry Eisler, JT Ellison, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, Tess Gerritsen, Andrew Gross, Kristan Higgins, Jon Land, John Lescroart, John Lutz, James Rollins, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Brad Thor, and Debra Webb.

Although born and raised (a Southern expression) in and around Atlanta, Georgia, Josie is proudly one-hundred percent Puerto Rican: her father was born in Ponce, and her mother was from Humacao. Does this make Josie a Georgiarican? She thinks so, and proudly claims that title.

She now lives in San Francisco with her husband and two children.

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extracurricular - Book 3 of 3: A Laugh-Out-Loud Series about Young Love, a College Admissions Cheating Scandal, and Parents Behaving Badly is equally enjoyable as the first two books in the series. The story went places I wasn't expecting. I enjoyed watching the events and misunderstandings unfold. I wish certain people in real life received consequences the way some characters in this series did.

The politics of the school board was confusing to follow, along with certain ways money was being handled. However, that did not take away from my enjoyment at all.

I love this series and wish it would continue, perhaps into a generation where Charly and Chuck are adults and we see what's happening in their lives down the road. All three novels are such easy and quick reads, as well as delightfully entertaining. This series is also a great distraction from everything going on right now.

Josie Brown is a pro at writing scandalous stories, which I knew ever since I started reading her novels. I look forward to reading whatever she comes up with next (hopefully another series)!

Binge-worthy TV series casting ideas:
Audrey (present): Rachael Leigh Cook
Egan (present): Henry Cavill (can be aged like on This Is Us)
Lavinia (present): Tina Fey (aging rule applies here too)
SallyAnne: Ginnifer Goodwin
Lionel: Matt Czuchry
Miranda: Emily Swallow
Charly: Mackenzie Foy
Chuck: Lino Facioli
Fawn: Belle Shouse
Daniel: Brandon Routh
Bliss: A.J. Cook
Tallulah: Lake Bell

Originally posted at Chick Lit Central. There's also a giveaway!

[Gail Chianese · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final installment of the Extracurricular series is an emotional rollercoaster that will leave you sitting on the edge of your seat, flipping pages until the sweet, satisfying end.

Never before have I started a book with tears in my eyes as I have with this book, only to have my heart ripped out again and again.

Just when I think there will be no hope for anyone in this story to find happiness again, or justice to be served…. Well, you’ll have to read the book to find out who gets their just desserts and who doesn’t.

Let me just say, Ms. Brown didn’t disappoint. This is a very timely story given today’s headlines with the subject of college admissions scandals. Watching the news play out, you can’t help but wonder what goes through those parents’ heads, why would they do such a thing. Ms. Brown gives a glimpse into the mentality of desperate parents, privileged parents and more. Now the question is, given she started this series before the scandals came to light, will the punishments of the real-life criminals’ match those of her fictional ones? Read the series and find out!

[Gigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a fan of Josie Brown’s Totlandia series & Housewife Assassin series. Imperfect people making imperfect decisions done with humor and some romance.

[Donna Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Josie Brown never disappoints

Every time I pick up a book by Josie Brown, I know that I am in for a great read. I am never disappointed. Extracurricular is a fantastic series. I found myself truly hating some of the characters and hoping they would get what they deserved; and felling like other characters were like family and wanting everything to turn out for them.

[Alexis N · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great end to a fun trilogy. I will miss the character and wonder what the twins, Audrey, and Eagan are doing with their lives. Things were wrapped up in a satisfying manner, but I still want more!

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much, I was up till 3am reading it. All three books in this series are so interesting and the characters so intriguing, they were hard to put down. Each book left you wanting to read more. I can definitely recommend this book for a really good read.

[Jessica Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

First review of 2020, and I'm happy it's of "Extracurricular".

Despite my best attempt to finish this book in 2019, I only finished it this morning. I now realize what a great tone this book has set for my 2020 reading adventures, so I have to acknowledge that everything happens for a reason. Truly, some mistakes pave the way for something even better, just like in "Extracurricular".

This installment wrapped up the series that told the tale of 3 generations: Lavinia, Audrey, and her children. We experienced the emotional highs and lows of high schoolers, parents, and teachers in each book, and we finally said goodbye to this story in the best way. Josie Brown bridged all the gaps with a golden gate (a little San Francisco humor there).

I loved Charly and Chuck so much that I feel cheated for not having my own twin brother. They fight, they compete, but when it matters, they trust each other implicitly. There's a particular scene in the book where Charly tells Chuck to shut up and follow her somewhere, and he blindly abides. I needed that in my life in high school.

That's the kind of sibling relationship all parents want their kids to have; in fact, it forms the basis for Audrey's motives throughout book 3. She cares so much about her family staying together, being close, that she sacrifices her own time with them (and possibly her credibility). Audrey is determined to not let the mistakes of her past unravel the good things in her family's current life. At first, I didn't understand her one bit, but as the book progresses, as we learn more about Chuck, Charly and Daniel, I saw her side of things more.

Miranda is written to have no redeeming qualities, so her character provided the escape read I love so much. Every time she did, well, anything, I just laughed at how detestable she was. How cunning. How ruthless. She's a great, and of course necessary, addition to this story of the academy.

Book 3 gives a lot more of the detective who opened up Book 1. Sally Anne and Lionel experience their own "extracurricular" affairs in this book, and it's very fun.

Being blunt, I felt there were too many ancillary characters at the actual school. I couldn't keep all the names straight. We have Audrey's friends from high school, plus their spouses and their kids, AND additional characters whose children now go to AA, in this book. I get that we needed all these people to form the basis of the admissions scandal, but personally, I couldn't keep up with their plot points. I'm a narrow-minded reader. I read with blinders, picking the storylines I love and focusing on them sometimes to the exclusions of others. I did, however, undertsand their usefulness in the story, especially as it concerned both Miranda and Egan, and I appreciated how it got us to the "where are they now and why" aspect of the book.

And Egan.... poor, tortured Lothario that he is, Egan was never able to really break from his self-imposed curse and actually become the man his father demanded he become. Instead, book 3 finds him broke and spiraling, forced to accept another job at AA because he needs a steady income. And teaching debate again! Hysterical. I love Egan's story, and I loved reading along as he attempted redemption. His storyline serves to remind you that you can't outrun your ghosts, but you CAN alter the way float around you.

Extracurricular is a great series. It's a fun satire of the college admissions scandal of 2019, and I am so glad I started off 2020 by finishing the series.