Privilege

Privilege #1

by Kate Brian

MOST GIRLS WOULD DIE FOR A LIFE OF PRIVILEGE....

SOME WOULD EVEN KILL FOR IT.

Ariana Osgood ruled exclusive Easton Academy -- until she was arrested for murdering Thomas Pearson. She's spent the past two years at the Brenda T. Trumbull Correctional Facility for Women plotting her escape and is determined to get a second chance at the glamorous life she left behind. And Ariana will do anything to get her way....

From the author of the bestselling Private novels comes a new series about the dark world of wealth, secrets, and Privilege.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Fiction, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Boarding School, Romance

291 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 23, 2008

About the author

Kate Brian is the author of the SHADOWLANDS TRILOGY (SHADOWLANDS, HEREAFTER & ENDLESS), as well as the New York Times bestselling PRIVATE and PRIVILEGE series, and the wildly popular MEGAN MEADE'S GUIDE TO THE MCGOWAN BOYS. She also writes teen fiction under the name Kieran Scott.

Reviews

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book that started the series! How I loved this series! read the whole thing..binge read it

I personally think the Privilege series is even better then Private.!

[Hikachi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ariana Osgood is living what most people wished for. She has the look, the brain (a wicked one at that), the attitude, she practically have everything.
Or well... used to have.

After spending two years in Brenda T. Trumbull, with regular sessions with Dr. Meloni, whom she hates so much. Ariana decided that it's time to be free. She befriend another inmate, Kaitlynn Nottingham, and after listening to numerous sob stories from Kaitlynn about how she's wrongly accused and framed by her "former" best friend, Briana Leigh Covington. Ariana knew what to do. Her mind formulated a plan to escape and teach this Briana Leigh some lessons, namely return to her former life and stripped Briana high and dry, then she'd escape with Kaitlynn to Australia or Europe.

However, her plan failed. Okay, not exactly failed that fast. Her plan actually worked at first. She managed to bust herself out from Brenda T, smooth talk some shop attendant at Neiman Marcus for some cosmetics, stole some clothes and some pair of shoes, and finally waltzed herself to enter Briana Leigh Covington's life.

"At first" is the keyword here. For a while, Ariana confided with her own intelligence and all those information she gathered from Kaitlynn. Then there's some complications. Briana Leigh turned out to be penniless and depend heavily on her grandma until she's twenty five. Oh, and there's also this cute hunk named Ashley Hudson who studied in Harvard Prep and totally into Ariana. When she found out that Briana has no money, Ariana's plan went to shambles. Luckily for her, at the same time, Briana's boyfriend, Teo, proposed her, and put her into a fight with her grandma. Ariana came up with this plan to switch, she's sort of admit to Briana that she's penniless and so forth and convinced Briana to fly to Ibiza with Teo while she'll attend the school Grandma C has chosen for Briana, under Briana's name.

Again, it's another "her plan works, at first". When Ariana finally found the truth, as in real truth, about Briana, Kaitlynn and obviously, herself, Ariana decided to stick with her plan B and didn't pursue or even try to formulate a plan C. Everything will come at its own time.

I've never read the prequel Private series. But I can say that I like this book. I like how Ariana is fleshed out. It's like... Gossip Girl with less romance and more crime. I might be biased because I haven't read much teen-YA novels. But there are things I don't like from this book.

I kind of like the twist, how Kaitlynn turned out to be the bitch, and Ariana has been a part of her plan to escape Brenda T. But I don't really like how it's all cramped into a few chapters. Okay, it's the climax. I know. But still, there should be more room for some extra stuffs, without dragging the storyline too much. :/

But maybe that's just me.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s not fair. Ever since Ariana Osgood was arrested for the murder of Thomas Pearson, her life has been nothing compared to the luxury of how it used to be. So what if the Brenda T. Trumball Correctional Facility for Women is one of the nicer places she could’ve been sent? Who cares if she’s still allowed to wear her precious fleur-de-lis necklace because of her father’s bribery? That doesn’t change the fact that Ariana is still locked up for at least twenty years. But Ariana knows she can’t stay at the Brenda T. much longer; she can’t stand knowing that her future has been lost. And so she waits and cleverly plots her escape, because Ariana is willing to do anything to get a second chance at a life of privilege.

As a fan of Kate Brian’s Private series, I knew I had to check out its new spinoff series, Privilege. What I got was unexpected, to say the least. Privilege details the life of Ariana—once she’s too far gone down sociopath lane. And I don’t hesitate to use such a cruel word, because that is what Ariana has become. I could hardly feel as much sympathy for Ariana’s plight, as I did in the Private prequel Last Christmas, because the way she has become was so scary. But despite the psychotic characters, I found the plot to be cleverly executed with many twists and turns. Privilege isn’t a bad book overall; in fact, it’s a rather solid start to Private’s spinoff series. However, I would say that Privilege is as good as Private either.

Devotees to the Private series will probably want to check out this mere dangerous spinoff, as will fans of other guilty pleasure series. I recommend reading the first four installments in the Private series and Last Christmas, in that order, before reading Privilege, to better understand its background.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com

[άτнέηά · Rating 1 out of 5]

[warning: rant]

Okay, I should've known a book that marketed a "chance for a free makeover from ELF!1!1!" on the front cover wouldn't exactly be quality reading. no offence to people who want free makeovers, there's nothing wrong with that, but that just shows that the people marketing the book obviously don't believe it good enough to sell on its own merit. there has to be the temptation of "free makeover" in order to get the potential customer to bite.

Still, it sounded really interesting. I mean, women's prisons?



Getting sent to a women's prison for murdering your boyfriend? I was kind of intrigued by the whole concept and then the fact that it was in the young adult section, because honestly, there aren't a lot of YA books where the MC gets send to prison. (mostly just girls and their faerie/vampire boyfriends.)

Anyways.

It sounded cool, but it was pretty bad.

It was addicting, but the characters were horrible, and I don't mean horrible like 1-dimensional and boring, I mean horrible like vindictive disgusting people that nobody in their right mind would ever root for. I mean, Arianna for one. Arianna was the most unlikeable, unsympathetic character I've ever read in a book. Were we supposed to like her? Were we supposed to be rooting for her and her completely fucked-up plight?

God.

So anyways, Arianna is completely psychotic. She murdered her boyfriend Thomas, but then she was also talking about drowning some other guy called Sergei, so she killed at least 2 different guys and maybe even more. She never showed remorse, never redeemed herself in the slightest, and in fact, barely thought about her victims. She was mostly hell-bent on escaping from the prison, and then after that, hellbent on finding someone to kill and steal money from.

And that's where it gets confusing.

So this girl who was in prison with her (Kaitlynn) had this friend (Briana Lee) who was super rich. (Supposedly,) Brianna Lee killed her own father and then framed Kaitlynn for the murder. Ignoring the fact that some simple fingerprint tests and/or forensic testing could sort that out, Kaitlynn was sent to prison in Briana's place. Ariana decides it's perfectly legit to hunt down Briana Lee, steal her money, and kill her. By Ariana's reasoning, this is perfectly legit because Brianna is a bitch and has "bad fashion sense". BUT THEN, she discovers that Kaitlynn was lying all along, Briana is innocent, and Kaitlynn had an affair with the father and then murdered him. She immediately believes Briana. BUT THEN, Briana has drunken mumblings about how "she killed her father", and Ariana immediately murders her and defaults to thinking Kaitlynn was innocent all along. EXCEPT, Kaitlynn wasn't innocent, and Ariana just murdered the innocent girl and also helped smuggle murderous Kaitlynn out.

Basically, a train wreck. A very confusing train wreck.

Also, I hate Ariana and I want her to die and I'm pissed that she got a happy ending.

Also, this book was very suicide-positive. Ariana tries to commit suicide, and is rewarded with some days of R&R in the solitary confinement room. And she acts like it's a reward. "I should've tried this earlier." "I should commit suicide more often!" Fuck you.

Also, I feel bad for Briana.

Through the entire book, Briana was constantly picked on for her bad fashion sense and called a "bitch" every few pages. Sure, she had her obnoxious moments, but granted, I think she was entitled. Her mother died, father had an affair with her best friend, and then father was murdered by said best friend, all before she was 15. And on top of that, she lived with a horrendous grandmother who seemed to be involved in some kind of weird conspiracy with the father's murderer. Despite that, Briana was giving (allowing freeloader Ariana to live with her for months), friendly (inviting Ariana into her social circle) and easily the most sympathetic character in the book. And the minute she had a chance at happiness (her engagement with Teo) Ariana had to go and kill her.



Anyways:
Final verdict: This book was awful and had awful messagesSeveral Shit-Tastic Morals of this book: You can murder your boyfriends and there's nothing wrong with it because it's just a "crime of passion" and that somehow makes it excusable. You can murder people if you don't like them. You can murder people for just about any reason, and it's not your fault if someone else told you to do it. Fake suicide attempts are a great way to get out of facing reality. Suicide is, essentially, a good thing. It's ok to steal from people as long as they're obnoxious. It's ok to hate people for their clothing choice. Oh, and as long as your MC believes in God and prays randomly in the book, that makes them a "redeemed" character. Ariana wins the Worst Book Heroine Of The Year Award. Most of the supporting characters are obnoxious. But somehow, it was annoyingly addictive. I couldn't stop reading it. I hated Ariana's guts, but yet I somehow still wanted to know what would happen to her.

--

Also, I'm going to go ahead and assume that this book takes place in some sort of AU where forensic science was never invented, because, REALLY. Faking your death is not as easy as "killing someone that looks like you, throwing them in a lake, and then waiting 2 weeks for the body to rot beyond recognition". NO. That's not how it works. There's fingerprinting, and if the fingers are rotted off, then there's DNA testing, and if that doesn't work, then there are dental records which can be compared to the corpse's teeth. Supposedly the father didn't want the daughter's corpse "defiled", but I think that's bullshit. If the father was willing to have the lake dredged out 100 times to find the daughter, isn't he going to find a reliable way to verify that it's actually the right person after all that work? And taking the word of that psychotic corrupted doctor isn't a reliable verification. That doctor encouraged Ariana's suicide attempts, and that's a publicly known fact, and the dad's going to go ahead and take his word anyways? No. And even then, the police/FBI would probably want to double-check that the body is the right one anyways, because Ariana is a wanted murderer.
Idiots.
The book is full of idiots.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am seriously starting to think Kate Brian can't write anything but an awesome book.

Privilege was a mysterious and addicting read that I finished in less than a day. In Privilege you really get to see who Ariana is behind the smart and nice girl she presents herself as and it sure isn't nice most of the time. Kate Brian also introduces new characters into Privilege such as Kaitlyn, the suspected killer of her ex-best friend's dad, who Ariana befriends behind bars, Briana Leigh, Kaitlyn's ex best friend who Ariana became friends with after she escapes from prison, and the sweet boy Hudson who Ariana begins to like. Each character is presented in a three dimensional way that allows you to get to know them well even though it's mostly in Ariana's put of view.

Kate Brian's writing is the thing that just makes her books an all around excellent novels. It's to the point but still has a mysterious and scary feeling to it. Plus, it always makes her books fly by which is a characteristic that I look for in a good young adult book.

Also, the plot in this book was cleaver. I always thought I had the whole story figured out: who did what, who was going to die, ex. Though, as the book went on, many twists and turns were thrown in that just threw me right off path.

Overall, Privilege was an great book that I suggest to anyone especially people who love the original Private series. I can't wait to see what happens next in Ariana's life when Beautiful Disaster comes out on June 2nd.

Grade: A+

[Tiny Pants · Rating 5 out of 5]

In spite of my rather tepid review of "Last Christmas," I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the first in the Private spin-off series featuring Ariana Osgood as narrator. While it remains somewhat uncomfortable being placed in the position of identifying with an obvious sociopath, this book is too fun to get completely freaked out by -- it's more of an extended caper than anything else, though obviously darker than the books in the Private series.

I kept thinking I'd figured out what was going on, but there are more twists in this book than in a poodle's coat (a horrible metaphor, I know, but I needed something that would convey "a lot" more than just saying "a lot"). No one is who they seem, most of all Ariana. In addition to reading for the most part as a self-contained novel, the last few chapters will leave you itching to read the next one. Though there's a romantic plot that's a bit irksome, most of the focus is on the main plot, which is an absolute page-turner.

On a related note: Definitely read these books in the order they come out in order for them to make sense. There's just enough reference to the other books to spoil them if you haven't read them first, but at the same time not enough for an unfamiliar reader to actually know what's going on or who the different people within this world are. Though it's unclear where this book falls in the timeline of the Private series (i.e., there are events within it that are unmentioned in that series but do involve characters from it), you'll definitely want to have Private 1-4 and the prequel Last Christmas under your belt before you start this series.

On a slightly less related note: I do wish there were a little more continuity between the two series, and not just with time. In these books Ariana runs into trouble coming up with things she knows about Chicago, but one of her Easton BFF's in the Private series, Taylor Bell, is from Chicago. Really, she has no anecdotes from Taylor to draw on? Also I wish these were edited more carefully on a line-by-line level -- the occasional verbless sentence, as well as added words (e.g. "was she was crying") are annoyances. Still though, not enough to stop me from salivating at the thought of the next book in this series.

[nαомι αndιno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ariana Osgood is a character from the Private series, so if you haven’t read at least the first four books in that series you shouldn’t read this book (or review) just yet.










I was very curious what our murderess would be up to and this book did not disappoint. There are some parts of this book that felt a little unnecessary at first, but Kate Brian managed to make everything come together in the end. Ariana is such a horrible person, and I hate what she did to Thomas, but I also love her character so much. I love how Kate Brian has made Ariana’s decisions seem somewhat reasonable even though they are obviously not. I’m super excited to see what Ari or shall I say Briana gets up to next.

[Shonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ariana Osgood is first introduced in the Privates series by Kate Brian. I strongly recommend you read the first four books (Private, Invitation Only, Untouchable and Confessions) prior to reading this book.

In the Private series, Ms. Brian hints that Ariana is a bit, well. . .unstable. In Privilege, she shows the reader how true this really is. (I find it hard to write this review without giving anything away!) When the reader is allowed to see Ariana for who she really is, well it’s a bit scary.

Ariana wants to return to her life of privilege. The problem? She’s locked up in a correctional facility. So, naturally, there’s only one way for her to get what she wants. In order to do so, she must give up the life she knows in order to create the life that she thinks she’s entitled to.

My only regret was that I didn’t read Last Christmas, the prequel to the Private series, prior to reading Privilege. I believe certain characters and events are mentioned in this book that I was confused about while reading Privilege. Nevertheless, I was still able to follow the book. The ending had a shocking twist that left me wanting to immediately start reading Beautiful Disaster, book two. However, I will refrain until I read Last Christmas.

[Hanna]

Even though Privilege is a spin-off of the Private series I started out reading the Privilege series first (Why? They didn't have Private in the book store and I was in desperate need of something). One should probably do the opposite, but anyways!

First of all, Kate Brian is an amazing author. Ariana Osgood is a sick, twisted teenage girl who should be locked up. That much is obvious. But because of the way Brian writes I still find myself sympathizing with this horrible girl. I want her to succeed even though she does not deserve it. The writing is beautiful. Her words are captivating and I didn't stop reading until I had finished the whole book. Brian knows what she's doing and not only does she have an original plot down but she's also got wonderfully well written characters.

In my opinion the rich and fabulous story gets boring quickly. But the way Brian has done it is so fresh and new that I couldn't stop reading. I love that she's got the Gucci and the Prada but psychotic murderers in there too. Its such a fun mixture! All those guilty pleasures without lacking an actual plot.

There's surprising plot twists and gasp worthy moments all throughout the book. The characters are amazingly well written and just so real. This book is a must read!

[Jayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Privilege is an addicting, roller coaster ride of a book that I couldn't get enough of. I could barely put my book down. Privilege is about a girl named Ariana Osgood who was locked up for murdering her lover, Thomas Pearce. She lives in a cell with her "best friend" Kaitlynn, and is constantly having to visit a crazy therapist who never stops reminding Ariana that she will never be able to leave.
But of course, Ariana knows something her therapist does not- she will not be staying in Brenda T prison any longer. So Ariana hatches a mater plan to break out of Brenda T- and it works! Ariana is back in the real world of designer clothes and delicious food. And the first thing she plans on doing is get back at Brianna Lee Covington, the girl who framed Kaitlynn for the murder of Brianna Lee's father. Ariana easily slips into Brianna Lee's life, but for some reason, Kaitlynn's horrible stories aren't adding up with the sweet girl in front of Ariana. But Ariana makes the same mistake she made with Thomas, and Brianna Lee pays the price. This book gets an 11/10 on my scale, and I definitely would recommend.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great guilty pleasure and a quick read

[Aruba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Des années après avoir acheté ce livre et lu la saga campus (que je n’ai jamais terminé d’ailleurs), je lis enfin le spin off sur Ariana Osgood.

C’était une bonne lecture que j’aurais sûrement plus apprécié à l’époque où j’ai lu Campus. J’ai toutefois passé un bon moment. On passe de rebondissement en rebondissement, je n’ai rien vu venir.

J’ai apprécié le fait de suivre une psychopathe, on rentre dans sa tête et on pourrait presque comprendre pourquoi elle agit comme elle le fait.

[Ally · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect example of don't judge a book by its cover. I quite enjoyed this read, it was a page turner and felt easy to read, no effort to remember who is who etc.
I would happily read more of Kate's writing after finishing this one

[Jane]

So much better than the other series. Much more PLL vibes

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

That Ariana is one crazy chick. Every time I read this book, I keep hoping for a different outcome. Poor Briana Leigh!

[Julie Lectures D'Une Nuit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Privilège est le spin-off de la série Campus (série extrêmement divertissante et qui ressemble à It Girl ou Night School mais que je ne chroniquerais pas l’ayant lu il y a plus de trois ans) et met en scène Ariana. En sa qualité de spin-off, il se peut que vous soyez spoilés ce qui est dommage vu que les premiers tomes de Campus tournent autour d’un meurtre à élucider. Pour ceux qui sont étrangers à la série mais qui souhaitent tout de même lire ce spin-off avant la série, Ariana c’est la psychopathe du livre. Voilà c’est dit sans exagération. Son crime ? Elle a roué de coups jusqu’à ce que mort s’ensuive son ex parce qu’il sortait avec une autre. Mais si elle était seulement violente le spin off n’aurait pas eu lieu. Non, Ariana est intelligente et froide et le pire est qu’elle ne sent pas coupable. Pour elle, elle n’est pas coupable de la mort de Thomas, c’est la faute de sa copine : si elle n’était pas sortie avec lui, elle ne l’aurait pas tuée. Et en plus, c’est à cause d’elle si elle se retrouve en prison, elle, la fille de millionnaires si brillante et belle promise à un avenir radieux. Or, au lieu de l’avenir radieux, elle se retrouve dans une prison morbide et que faire d’autre dans un tel endroit si ce n’est réfléchir ? Car oui, Ariana ne veut pas se repentir, elle réclame vengeance ; mais cette vengeance passe par une seule et unique condition, la liberté. On suit donc, dans ce tome 1, son évasion de près et son nouveau plan diabolique. En effet, elle a rencontré des filles de son âge et de sa caste en prison et ce sont elles qui vont lui permettre de récupérer ses privilèges. Grâce à sa froideur et son raisonnement impeccablement logique, elle va fomenter un plan qui consiste à se faire passer pour quelqu’un d’autre afin de pouvoir récupérer son train de vie habituel. Mais Ariana ne peut pas tout prévoir, et elle n’est peut-être pas aussi calculatrice qu’elle le prétend.


J’ai à mon grand étonnement, beaucoup apprécié ce livre, même si j’étais réticente à l’idée de quitter l’univers de la série originale. Et, ironie du sort, je pense pouvoir affirmer que si la série originale est très plaisante, ce spin-off l’est encore plus ! Pourtant, ce n’était pas mon personnage préféré, loin de là, elle me paraissait tellement fade mais ce tome la rehausse dans mon estime. Pourquoi ? Je pense que c’est le modèle de l’anti-héro qui me plait : elle est belle, riche mais elle tue pour avoir ce qu’elle désire. Tempérament que je rejette dans la vie quotidienne, soyons clair, mais ici ce n’est qu’un livre et je dois avouer que se retrouver du point de vue du meurtrier c’est étrange mais en même temps très plaisant. Et puis, contrairement à l’image donnée dans la série d’origine, Ariana n’est pas l’exemple type de la folle. Non, elle est calculatrice et froide même si on perçoit des failles dans sa carapace qui lui donnent une humanité. Ce que j’ai le plus aimé chez elle, c’est sa force de caractère : elle ne pleure jamais sur son sort, et si par malheur, elle a un moment de faiblesse, alors elle le chasse immédiatement. Attention, je ne cautionne, pas ce qu’elle fait mais je dois avouer qu’elle me fascine. Je préfère un anti-héro bien méchant à un héro exemplaire et mortellement ennuyeux. En conclusion, si vous voulez un récit girly (car oui, c’est de la cavale de luxe : elle va retrouver une riche héritière du Texas) ms extrêmement divertissant, achetez-le !

http://lecturesdunenuit.blogspot.fr/2...

[Jennifer Wardrip]

Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com

Most of us know all too well why Ariana Osgood landed herself in the Brenda T. Trumball Correctional Facility for Women. And for those who don't, it's simply because she murdered Thomas Pearce, the one she loved but who turned on her.

Ariana fully understands what she did was wrong, but she believes that spending the rest of her life in this correctional facility is a bit too much. Even though the Brenda T. is the best place to be put in, having a sadistic therapist there to remind her that she won't ever be leaving just pushes Ariana over the edge.

Of course, she knows something he does not - she will not be staying at the Brenda T. for long.

Already with a plan hatched in her mind, Ariana knows exactly what she will do first when she's back into the world flushed with designer goodies: find Briana Leigh Covington, the girl who framed her best friend, Kaitlynn, in the facility. A quick entrance into Briana's lifestyle and Ariana knows that she will once again have the good life, not only for her but also for Kaitlynn.

Ariana is used to getting what she wants, and getting her old lifestyle back is no exception. Enter the world of PRIVILEGE, where anything and everything is a game.

A gripping and intense beginning to the spin-off of the bestselling PRIVATE series, PRIVILEGE takes readers into a whole new world that we knew existed, but never in such great detail. Kate Brian once again works her charm and creates twisted and eccentric characters.

Fans of PRIVATE will want to get their hands on this first installment of the new series - but beware that it will become your next addiction!

[PurplyCookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ariana Osgood ruled exclusive Easton Academy -- until she was arrested for murdering Thomas Pearson. She has spent the past two years at the Brenda T. Trumbull Correctional Facility for Women plotting her escape and is determined to get a second chance at the glamorous life she left behind.

They say that most girls would die for a life of utmost privilege, but some, like Ariana, would be willing to kill for it. If you've ever rooted for the villain or sympathized with their motivations then you'll love Ariana. She's almost a little too smart for her age and that plays to her advantage as she attempts to manipulate Briana Leigh. It may be argued that she's lost the ability to read people but I think that's more because she's trying to read a whole new type of people -- that of her own ilk -- this time around.

This is a new spin-off series from the original "Private" book series about the dark world of wealth, secrets, and of course, of privilege; the focus being Ariana and the life she'll lead after leaving Easton Academy behind. Is Ariana a good person at heart, or is she the psycho so many people think she is? This book took me through so many twists and turns that I didn't know who to trust - the third person narrator, the other characters, or my own reactions. You will appreciate the simplicity and simultaneous complexities of Kate Brian's plots.


Book Details:

Title Privilege
Author Kate Brian
Reviewed By Purplycookie

[Roxy Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Privilege is the first book in Brian’s spin-off series which is based on the original series, “Private.” In Privilege you get to go inside the head of Arianna Osgood, the merciless killer from Private. Brian shows us the way that Arianna’s deceitful and conniving mind works that is, the mind of a sociopath. Brian writes Arianna’s thoughts in such a way that you find yourself thinking of things that Arianna will do next and each chapter leaves you on a cliff hanger wanting more. Even though Arianna is a killer you can’t help but love her because she is sarcastic and full of crazy ideas that make her character unique. From the very beginning you can see that Arianna is mentally distraught, but you want to follow her story anyway, Brian makes you love Arianna as much as you hate her. In the following quote you can get a glimpse of Arianna’s character, ““Yes. I do realize I killed someone,” Arianna said, in a tone she reserved for idiots.” I hope that in my own writing I will be able to create compelling characters that my audience will both love and hate at the same time and that is how I feel towards Arianna, she is psychotic yet I can’t wait to see what she is going to do next.

[Marian · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's got to be a little difficult to write about a murderer and still aim for sympathy. Even more impressive is the way you actually do feel badly for Ariana throughout Privilege. For as well as she can read most people, poor Ariana's talent leaves her when presented with someone just as psychotic as she is. And while she realizes her little skill is failing her just when she needs it most, she never seems to realize that the people most likely to trip her up are just like she is.

Anyway, the entire book spins around Ariana escaping from her correctional facility and extracting revenge on the girl who framed her roommate for murder.

Which is where things get really good, or really bad depending on how you look at it. Did Briana Leigh kill her father and pin the murder on her best friend? Did Kaitlyn lie to Ariana and actually commit the murder herself? The story twists and turns and half the time you're not entirely sure which way you want it to turn out.

[Karilyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Privilege was better than the Private series.

Ariana who was once a privileged girl has now escaped from prison and is living in secret. Miraculously Ariana's appearance fits the girl she murdered so stealing her identity was no biggie. Also Ariana seems to have talent for forgery, voice mimicking, and exceptional acting skills... Great to hide herself with ;D

I simply love Ariana because the author's way of writing doesn't make her sound like a murderer at all! Just a young girl pressured into doing rash things. The thought and precision put into her character payed off well!

4 Stars

-0.5 Retarded logic how a pitiful weakling (Ariana) was able to murder so much people
-0.5 How did she win that tennis match?!!! She hasn't fucking played since... ever. No extensive physical activities too... O.O

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this series. This is a spinoff series---you need to read the series "Private" by Kate Brian BEFORE starting this one. You don't need to read the whole series but you need to read it up to the point of our "Privilege" character Arianna's, exit from that series. Also need to read the Prequel, as it is all about Arianna.

***Spoiler alert here--but only if you haven't read the "Private" series.***

Arianna is a loveable teen murderer. You root for her, this crazy teen sociopath who maintains a level of humanity. This first book is all about Arianna's prison break and her finding her new identity in life. It is a terrific, fun read and you'll find yourself getting very into her story and wanting more.

[yaakov · Rating 3 out of 5]

got this book for free from my library’s free cubby.

the book held my interest throughout, but like other readers have said, the twists being shoved into a few chapters was waaaay too cramped.

also, could we get a little more exposition please? i want to know the full backstory of how she ended up in a posh women’s prison, not bits and pieces there when she’s having thoughts about the past. also she’s unlikeable but i feel like we’re still supposed to root for her? i don’t know. what i *do* know is that i’ll probably read the rest of the series because sometimes you just need some low stakes trashy 2000s ya books to read.

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, fuck. I read the first chapter and immediately hated it. I just knew that there's no way in hell that I'd read the rest of it. The girl was downright annoying--and her explanation in the first chapter, about how she didn't mean to kill the guy pissed me off. You killed someone. You should suffer the consequence, especially if your reason is as pathetic as that. If she'd given something else, like hey, it was self defense, or some other shit, I might have understood, but hell.

Stupid brat.

[Virginia Mae · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say about a new series so psychotically delightful, so insanely messed up and glorious? Ariana's adventures are akin to the good old days of Sweet Valley High's Margo, mixed with a bit of a Talented Mr. Ripley vibe. It's like Private on crack and you have to love it. Kate Brian is the best! Can't wait for the next book to see what the Talented Ms. Osgood will scheme up next!

[Jay-wa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is full of palm-slicking, heart pounding adventures. Ariana is refreshing, and compelling while she lives out and insane and cascading life. Full of unexpected twists and turns, in leaves a dent in your mind, making you constantly wonder about her new life and what she left behind..

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book.. A lot. In the beginning, it was kinda boring but, I got into it. Ariana was very brave, funny, sweet compared to the two brats, Kaitlyn and Briana Leigh. (What kind of name is that?) I hated Ariana in the Private series, but now I understand her rough past. Good book!

[Shilo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so I called the ending in the first few chapters, but I don't even care. I didn't know all the details, just the big picture. I absolutely LOVED this book. Read it in a day, couldn't put it down, got annoyed at myself for even leaving to pee loved it.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great, easy book to read! It leaves you hanging at every chapter and I was always surprised at all the drama that happened, especially the plot twist at the end! I definitely recommend to anyone looking for a quick read!

[Vincent Novak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than Private

Privilege is the first book of the spin-off of the Private series, which focuses on the initial antagonist of that series: Ariana Osgood. The character of Ariana was first introduced in the protagonist role in the Private prequel book, Last Christmas, which I recommend reading before reading Privilege.

Privilege retains the strong characterization, dialogue, and imagery of the Private series; however, it also outclasses the original series in several key ways:
Better protagonist: For all its good qualities, the weakest part of the Private series was the protagonist, Reed Brennan. Reed was uninteresting; as far as main characters go, she was akin to the Wal-Mart brand of white bread in terms of blandness. Ariana, however, is interesting because she is deeply unhinged. Her character also has a more interesting backstory, with insight into her trauma. Is it an accurate or realistic portrayal of a killer? No; but if that’s what you’re looking for, you’re probably not reading the even more obscure spin-off of an obscure 2000’s private school novel series.
Third-Person POV: I generally don’t like the use of first-person POV outside of autobiographies. Privilege is written in the third-person, unlike Private which uses the first-person.
Embraces the ridiculous: Right off the bat, Privilege embraces the ridiculousness of the characters, plot, and setting all while still maintaining a sense of realism. Although Private’s later entries would become ridiculous to the point of becoming unreadable, the early entries tried too hard to make Reed relatable to the point of being a caricature of blandness.

I also enjoyed the character of Briana Leigh Covington; If you’ve ever been friends with someone with too much inherited money and not enough social skills, you’ll definitely enjoy this character.

The plot itself is enjoyable with plenty of twists and hilarious moments. I’m glad I picked it up again many years after my initial reading. I see myself picking it up again from time to time whenever I’m in need of some light reading.