Review of ‘Admission’

Synopsis

From the New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me Three Things comes an of-the-moment novel that peeks inside the private lives of the hypercompetitive and the hyperprivileged and takes on the college admissions bribery scandal that rocked the country.

It's good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer. She's headed off to the college of her dreams. She's going to prom with the boy she's had a crush on since middle school. Her best friend always has her back, and her mom, a B-list Hollywood celebrity, may finally be on her way to the B+ list. It's good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer--at least, it was, until the FBI came knocking on her front door, guns at the ready, and her future went up in smoke. Now her mother is under arrest in a massive college admissions bribery scandal. Chloe, too, might be facing charges, and even time behind bars. The public is furious, the press is rabid, and the US attorney is out for blood.

As she loses everything she's long taken for granted, Chloe must reckon not only with the truth of what happened, but also with the examination of her own guilt. Why did her parents think the only way for her to succeed was to cheat for her? What did she know, and when did she know it? And perhaps most importantly, what does it mean to be complicit?

Review

Admission by Julie Buxbaum is not a bad book, but it is unrelatable.

Admission follows Chloe, a high school senior with a rich and famous mother, a great dad, and a great life. She has finally been accepted into the college of her dreams, or so she thought. Chloe soon discovers she did not get in on her own merit but that her mother bribed her way in.

On the one hand, the reader has some sympathy for Chloe because she does try to do things the right way. She studies for hours for the SAT, works hard on her college essay, and tries her hardest. That is true, but she is still a mediocre student and does not fight her parents when they try to label her with ADHD, something she knows is untrue.

Quite simply, her parents love her, but they do not believe in her, hiding behind the facade that their actions were because they wanted to protect her.

Ripped From the Headlines

Admission is a story ripped from the headlines which is part of what draws the reader in. However, in the end, the reader does not have much empathy for the characters, primarily when a majority of the readers probably worked hard to get into college. This reader sure did.

While not poorly written, the topic simply is not captivating. It sucks for Chloe, who was unaware of what was going on, but on some level, she knew something was wrong. Chloe simply chose to ignore the obvious. Her choice to be ignorant makes this another reason the reader cannot connect to her.

It does have extensive character growth as it goes back and forth from the past to the present. Chloe’s eyes begin to widen as she sees everything her parents did to help her get into college, and it opens her eyes to all the privileges she has.

Final Thoughts

Admission is an eye-opening story about white privilege and how money and power should be used responsibly. Buxbaum deserves credit for highlighting the unfairness of the system. Furthermore, while it is well-written, it just does not have a relatable plot to capture the reader’s empathy.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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About the Author

Cynthia Bujnicki graduated from Emerson College with a BA in Writing, Literature and Publishing. She has always loved to read since she was a child. A contributing writer for YA Fantasy Addicts, she is also the Editor-in-Chief for Cyn's Workshop. She lives in sunny South Florida with her husband and son and their two cats, Mr. J the Kitten and Nyx.