Secret Society

by Tom Dolby

Book Overview

Secrets, secrets are no fun. Secrets, secrets hurt someone. . . . An eccentric new girl. A brooding socialite. The scion of one of New York's wealthiest families. A promising filmmaker. As students at the exclusive Chadwick School, Phoebe, Lauren, Nick, and Patch already live in a world most teenagers only dream about. They didn't ask to be Society members. But when three of them receive a mysterious text message promising success and fame beyond...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 006172162X
• ISBN13: 9780061721625
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.5" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 and higher

Customer Reviews

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

In SECRET SOCIETY, we follow the lives of four students from Chadwick Prep, one of the most elite prep schools in New York City. Phoebe is the eccentric new girl in town, Nick is the up-and-coming member of one of the wealthiest families in New York, Lauren is the budding socialite, and Patch is an amateur filmmaker. There is something else about these students that make them special - three of them have gained the interest of The Society. The Society is a secret group of people whose mission is to "preserve a way of life." I, for one, have always had a major interest in secret societies and so I was already excited about this book, and Tom Dolby has definitely done his research with this. The imagery is so vivid that I actually found myself waking up from dreams about this book and about these characters, which is a major thing for me since most books don't get in my head like that. Some people are probably thinking "Oh no, not something else about a secret society," but this is majorly different. Think Gossip Girl (the show) meets The Skulls (Paul Walker/Joshua Jackson movie from 2000). After receiving text messages that tell them to go to a gritty downtown warehouse, the three students begin the initiation into The Society. This initiation concludes with each of them receiving an ankh shaped tattoo on the nape of their necks. Once they are entered into The Society, they start gaining everything they were promised: fame, fortune, friends in high places, parties, private town cars that deliver them to and from events. But what's the price they must pay in order to have these rewards? Things start changing when the body of a young male is found in Central Park with no distinguishing marks, aside from the ankh tattoo on this neck. Then they start to wonder - is all of this worth the risk? But questioning The Society in that way can be very dangerous to not only their careers, but also to their lives and the lives of the people they care about. I loved this book! I mean totally loved it! Some of the characters are a bit clichéd, but I think in order to really relate to them at all, they needed to be. I also love the whole secret society thing. I find it so interesting and I have read all kinds of stuff about them, fiction and nonfiction alike. There are so many legends and depictions of these societies and I can't help but to be fascinated. SECRET SOCIETY is a book I will read again. There are so many twists and turns that I didn't see coming and I can't wait to see how they pan out in the next book in the series. Definitely a must-read. Reviewed by: Samantha Clanton, aka "Harlequin Twilight"

Dying for the sequel!

In Secret Society we follow the lives of four students from Chadwick Prep, one of the most elite prep schools in New York City. Phoebe is the eccentric new girl in town, Nick is the up and coming member of one of the wealthiest families in New York, Lauren is the budding socialite, and Patch is an amateur filmmaker. There is something else about these students that make them special, three of these students have gained the interest of The Society. The Society is a secret group of people that's mission is to "preserve a way of life." I for one, have always had a major interest in secret societies and so I was already excited about this book; and Tom Dolby has definitely done his research with this. The imagery is so vivid that I actually found myself waking up from dreams about this book and about these characters, which is a major thing for me since most books don't get in my head like that. Some people are probably thinking "Oh no, not something else about a secret society," but this is majorly different. Think Gossip Girl (the show) meets The Skulls (Paul Walker/Joshua Jackson movie from 2000). After receiving text messages that tell them to go to a gritty downtown warehouse, the three students begin the initiation into The Society. This initiation concludes with each of them receiving an ankh shaped tattoo on the nape of their necks. Once they are entered into The Society, they start gaining everything they were promised: fame, fortune, friends in high places, parties, private town cars that deliver them to and from events. But what's the price they must pay in order to have these rewards? Things start changing when the body of a young male is found in Central Park with no distinguishing marks, aside from the ankh tattoo on the nape of his neck. Then they start to wonder, is all of this worth the risk? But questioning The Society in that way can lead to be very dangerous to not only their careers, but also to their lives and the lives of the people they care about. I loved this book! I mean totally loved it, some of the characters are a bit cliché but I think in order to really relate to these characters at all, they needed to be. I also love the whole secret society thing. I find it so interesting and I have read all kinds of stuff about them. Fiction and nonfiction alike; The Life and Death Brigade (I love love love! Gilmore Girls), The Skulls, Skull and Bones, the Illuminati, the Freemasons, Fight Club, etc. are all secret societies either in popular culture or in reality. There are so many legends and depictions of these societies and I can't help but to be fascinated. I so highly recommend this book, if you can't tell already. I am so excited for the sequel, which according to Tom himself (via Twitter @TomDolby) "I am writing THE DENDUR CONSPIRACY* right now, so...fall 2010. I know, too long to wait!" I think that is too long to wait and this is the issue I have with reading the first book in a series while it's still an ARC, because

A great read

Phoebe Dowling and her mother have just moved to Manhattan. She came from LA. Phoebe is used to being around privileged, rich kids but nothing like the ones at her new school, Chadwick. Nicholas "Nick" Bell comes from money. His parents are always reminding him that there is a certain image he has to maintain. Nick doesn't care about that. He is actually bored of hanging with the rich kids. In fact he throws parties just so he has something to do, which in turns makes everything thing he is the ultimate party boy. His best friend is Patch. Unlike Nick, Patch doesn't come from money. Lauren Mortimer is known at Chadwick's as the meanest girl in school. So when Lauren shows a true interest in being friends with Phoebe, she is shocked. While attending one of Nick's parties, Phoebe, Lauren and Nick all receive text messages. All the messages have is a location. The message says enough. Lauren and Nick know exactly what the message meanings...They have all been selected to join an exclusive, ultra secret club, known as ...The Society. I have to admit that the first thing that made me interested in this book was the book cover. It is very eye catching. Then when I read the summary, I knew I had to check this book out. So glad I did. I read this book in one sitting. I couldn't put this book down. This book did remind me of the movie, The Skulls. Where a bunch of rich kids get initiated into a secret society and have everything given to them but for a price. The only difference between The Skulls and this book is that I thought this book was better. Nick, Lauren and Phoebe may be rich but this are not stuck up. This made them likable. I would gladly read another book by Tom Dolby.

A Sinister Romp Through the Dark Side of Rich Kid NYC Life

In Tom Dolby's Secret Society, the elite high school students we've seen in such YA fare as Gossip Girl get treated to a twist: murder. Dolby works in modern technology, including vlogging, and much more sinister things, like branding and blackmail. The Society sends mysterious text messages to high school students, and then they attend events where they don't quite know what's going on, but feel compelled to obey. And then, like magic, things happen, like one girl receives a free designer handbag, then a job working for a beloved designer, another gets a big club night booked, and another gets an art gallery showing. Other things happen too, like death and disappearance, that leave them troubled and uncertain about how far they'll go to be part of a society they know little about. But all is not smooth sailing, and Dolby works the spooky factor in perfectly. As Nick starts to wonder about his family's involvement, his friend Patch also discovers his family's secret history with the Society as he spies on them and gets in almost over his head. I liked Secret Society because it took the rich kid YA novel and made it more than about just materialism and debauchery. This is a page-turner, and a mystery that I can't quite say was solved in the traditional whodunit way, because while we do find out a little, there are still many more questions left unanswered. All along, Dolby forces the reader to answer the underlying question of what they would do when faced with an invitation from The Society, one that is less about the invite and more about the command. These teenagers do live a glam life, but Dolby shows the darker side of it with a promising, entertaining and fast-paced romp. I think Patch was my favorite character because he had to go far out of his way to investigate what's going on (and Dolby has fun riffing on the current reality show trend, perhaps presaging the show NYC Prep).

Sumptuous, Cinematic, Friggin' Awesome

Finished a copy of Secret Society awhile back and have loved the book ever since. This book is amazing--first rate YA. Normally, I don't read the genre. So many YA books/authors "talk down" to their readers, but this book is sophisticated, with undertones of New York City lore and Upper East Side life. The novel has this cinematic quality that unfolds like a Hollywood thriller/movie. You don't know where the actions and the four main characters are going to take you. Really refreshing! I loved every minute of reading Secret Society. Totally identified with Patch. Very cool cat! And the characters aren't snobby New York types, they're pretty chill and--dare I say it--kind, moral, and likeable. So, for now, full of action, a bit of a thriller, throw in a dash of romance, and wrap it in mystery bacon and you get Secret Society. Go Secret Society!