First published 2009
Skye Hamilton clutches her invitation to Alpha Academy, the most selective boarding school in the country. Here, average students don't get detention or embarrassment. They get expelled. The academy accepts only alphas, students who excel in every category that matters. Beta students earn the label LBR and face immediate removal. Skye finds herself surrounded by the nation's smartest, most attractive, and most ambitious teenagers. Each student arrived believing they were the best at everything. Now they must compete against equals for the first time. The school pits them against each other in academics, social status, and personal achievement. Students form alliances and break them just as quickly. They sabotage rivals and protect allies. Some thrive under the pressure while others crack. Skye must decide how far she will go to stay at Alpha Academy. The competition reveals who students really are when everything they want hangs in the balance.
Genres: fiction, contemporary, boarding-school, academia
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Alpha Academy
Period: 21st-century
261 pages · Paperback · Poppy