They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman is one of many YA novels set in a high school. But while most stories tend to be narrated by the underdogs, this one takes the reader to the world of the “cool kids”. Those girls and boys everyone openly envies and who everyone dreams of being. But popularity has its price.

The other side of the medal

And that price is rather steep. Main character Jill Newman is very much aware of that. She has a scholarship which means she has to perform flawlessly and continuously: she needs fantastic grades, she has to win science projects, she has to do it all. It’s the only way for her to make her parent’s dreams come true. Luckily, she has the golden ticket to have the world at her feet: she’s a senior Player.

The Players are a – not very – secret group of students who rule the school and who have access to various perks: the best parties, being served by the other students and, most importantly, the app with all the study guides, test results, and contact persons guaranteeing that each Player’s life will be nothing short of a success story.

Almost every Player’s life, that is. Shaila Arnold, Jill’s best friend, was less fortunate. She paid for her initiation with her life. Mercifully, it was clear as day that her murder was a passion crime committed by her own boyfriend, Graham. No reason whatsoever, therefore, for the adults to pay closer attention to what everyone already knows: being a Player is a two-edged sword. But the silence before the storm cannot last. Right before the start of her final year of high school – at last she’ll be at the top of the food chain as a Senior Player! – Jill receives a message of Graham’s sister: her brother is innocent.

“It has always been that way”

They Wish They Were Us deals with an issue that has been getting more and more attention in the media: dangerous student initiations, peer pressure, and constantly going over your own limits in order to gain some popularity. The story is very recognisable, even to those who’ve never been the prom queen. Jill’s narrative of dreams and doubts has echoed in most of us.

The writing is fast-paced and young, and the story manages to hold the attention of the reader by only giving one piece of the puzzle at a time. Personally, I wasn’t convinced by the way the flashbacks were handled. They were not clearly enough distinguishable from the present. Different verb tenses are used within the same paragraph to set the timelines apart, but that’s simply not enough when the reader is not yet familiar with all the characters.

Even though it’s meant as a teenage whodunnit, the storyline doesn’t create a lot of suspense. You want to continue reading, it’s true, but it doesn’t keep you on the edge of your seat. And it really doesn’t help that the character descriptions give away all the eventual suspects as of the start of the story. But in general, this is a good book to relax with: no big emotions for the reader, but entertaining enough. Because of that, I give it 2 out of 5 gemstones:

Age Category: Young Adult, suitable for 14+.

Trigger Warnings (click here, may contain spoilers)

Mild. Warnings for peer pressure, bullying and alcohol abuse.

Do you want to discover more?

If my review inspired you to pick up the book, don’t hesitate to check it out at Goodreads or at the below online stores. If you decide to buy it via one of the following links, I will receive a small percentage at no extra charge for you!

Amazon.nl: Paperback English Edition

Amazon.nl: Hardback English Edition

Still not enough? Then I have good news for you: HBO is currently working on a screen version with Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria & The Handmaid’s Tale) as Jill and singer-songwriter Halsey as Graham’s sister. It’s not yet known when The Player’s Table will be released.

Similar to this

On July 27th, Jessica Goodman’s second book, They’ll Never Catch Us will be released. Sisters Stella and Ellie are both great runners and hope to be noticed by one of the college scouts that attend their school’s competitions. But then Mila, a new student, joins their team and their lives are upended. Until one day, Mila doesn’t return from a training run…Update: I’ve started this book in the meanwhile, but didn’t finish it. For me, it has much the same issues as They Wish They Were Us did: not really engaging and flashbacks that are not at all distinguishable from the present. I’m afraid this author’s style is simply not my cup of tea.

Do you like high school intrigues? Then you might also want to pick up Clique Bait by Ann Valett. This novel tells Chloe’s story, an average schoolgirl who plans revenge on the popular kids who ruined her best friend’s life. How? By completely transforming herself so that she can infiltrate the clique and destroy them from within.

The book also reminded me of a combination of two other stories, so as a final recommendation: two book-TV duos: Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard & Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar.