Elyse Gibbons is out of her depth when, as an undergrad at Columbia, she's befriended by campus superstars Aubrey Adam-Drake and Marina Hunt. While Aubrey's grandfather is a former U.S. president and Marina's dad is a notorious mob lawyer, Elyse was raised in Pennsylvania by a single mother/language professor who made Elyse learn Chinese for allowance money. As her high-profile life evolves, Elyse must use the strength and perseverance she gained from her humble roots, even while joining ranks with the powerful and elite. Then, handsome and enigmatic Finn joins the three friends to form a tightly knit group of four, and life becomes even more complicated.
Years go by, Elyse is further drawn into Aubrey and Marina's world of influence and intrigue, and she will risk everything for her friends and for Finnâthe love of her life. When Elyse becomes embroiled in her own political career, it's clear that one misstep can lead to earth-shattering consequences, one lie can cause devastating ruin, and to survive unscathed, betrayal is the only option.
Elyse Gibbons is out of her depth when, as an undergrad at Columbia, she's befriended by campus superstars Aubrey Adam-Drake and Marina Hunt. While Aubrey's grandfather is a former U.S. president and Marina's dad is a notorious mob lawyer, Elyse was raised in Pennsylvania by a single mother/language professor who made Elyse learn Chinese for allowance money. As her high-profile life evolves, Elyse must use the strength and perseverance she gained from her humble roots, even while joining ranks with the powerful and elite. Then, handsome and enigmatic Finn joins the three friends to form a tightly knit group of four, and life becomes even more complicated.
Years go by, Elyse is further drawn into Aubrey and Marina's world of influence and intrigue, and she will risk everything for her friends and for Finnâthe love of her life. When Elyse becomes embroiled in her own political career, it's clear that one misstep can lead to earth-shattering consequences, one lie can cause devastating ruin, and to survive unscathed, betrayal is the only option.
Itâs quiet up in the stacks and the light is dim. I squint through my smudged glasses and read all about nineteenth century gender politics. Sometimes my Feminist Research Methodology class seems pointless, especially when I become aware of how little things have changed in the last hundred years. Not to dismiss the sacrifice and toil from trailblazers like Susan B Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, but letâs be honest; politics is still a boyâs club. This unoriginal realization leaves a sour taste in my mouth as I sit cross-legged on the floor, flipping through the bookâs yellowing pages that smell like a thrift store suitcase. The words blur in front of my eyes. Numerous nineteenth-century feminists protested the underlying rules and repercussions of our social welfare system and policiesâŚ
Heavy footsteps interrupt my lack of focus. Suddenly a pair of thick, black leather shoes are in my line of vision, and somehow, I know without knowing: those shoes belong to a Secret Service agent. More importantly, they belong to Aubrey Adam-Drakeâs Secret Service agent.
Iâm shocked, not at my potential celebrity sighting, but that a Secret Service agent would wear such shoes. I mean, they donât look very conducive for running. Donât Secret Service agents occasionally need to chase after bad guys? Sneakers would for sure be more practical, but maybe a pair of Nikes wouldnât give off the air of gravitas most agents seem to have. (Iâve only ever seen these agents on TV or in movies, but stillâŚ) Iâm so consumed with pondering this question that my stomach doesnât flip, and I hardly even register that the only girl who has the distinction of belonging to two royal families must be nearby. Her fame comes not just from her father, Anton Adam, Liechtensteinâs younger-sibling prince who will never inherit the crown, but from her grandfather, Howard Drake, the 42nd president of the United States and patriarch of the Drake political dynasty. The Drakes are the closest thing America has to royalty. Aubreyâs mother, Eleanor Adam-Drake, is currently running for the New York Senate, and people say that in a few years sheâll run for president and will most definitely win. After that, her younger brother, whoâs also a politician, will probably take office, and speculation has already begun that Aubrey will follow in her familyâs footsteps.
Wow. Aubrey Adam-Drake. This is the beginning of my junior year at Columbia and Iâve yet to lay eyes on her, but I guess thatâs about to change.
âStudent ID?â The Secret Service agent demands. I reach into my backpack, fish out my ID, and hand it to him. He checks the ID, looks at my face to make sure the image matches, and gives it back. âWhy are you up here?â
I cock my head. âUmm, to study?â I use just a touch of sarcasm, but he doesnât respond. Instead, he turns toward the female voices that are fast approaching. Then it hits me, this moment is a two for one. Just past the Secret Service agent, with Aubrey Adam-Drake, is Marina Hunt. She had her own reality show in the late 90s, where cameras followed her as she balanced her studies at an elite private high school, went on countless modeling gigs, and had love affairs with the hottest celebrities at the hottest parties. It was like a real-life version of Gossip Girl, except nobody ever actually thought Marinaâs existence was real-life. She first rose to fame because her dad, Oliver Hunt, worked as a lawyer for the countryâs most notorious mob bosses, and then he went on to become mayor of Atlantic City, where he owned several properties and soon expanded his luxury hotel chain nationwide. Now heâs everywhere, always spouting his outrageous opinions on some political commentary show and thus making himself a household name. And while Marina and Aubreyâs backgrounds are certainly different, their fame has made them allies. Everybody on campus knows theyâre best friends.
I tell myself not to look up from my reading, not to gawk, and definitely not to rubberneck.
âYou are so wrong!â Marina says with a laugh.
âNo, Iâm not. He said 8:30. I promise.â Aubreyâs answer comes out breathy yet strong, exactly like how she always sounds whenever sheâs answering a reporterâs question about either side of her family. Itâs funny that sheâs so familiar, when her parents tried hard to protect her from the limelight. She was only six when Howard Drake was elected, and the press were warned to tread lightly with the combo first-granddaughter/princess. The warnings mostly worked, but every now and then some mean-spirited commentary would pop up, criticizing Aubrey for her gawkiness. Because of how smooth and sophisticated both the Drakes and the Adams all are, sheâs been called an ugly duckling more than once.
âI donât care,â Marina replies. âYouâre the one dead set on meeting him.â
âRight.â Aubrey sounds exasperated. âBecause one of us needs to take this seriously.â
I look up. I canât help it. Aubrey is leaning against a shelf, her back to me, her waves of brown hair cascading down her back. She is by no means short, even when slouching in her flats, but nonetheless, itâs clear that Marina is still several inches taller. Marina faces Aubrey, and her auburn hair is slicked back into a flawless bun. Her makeup is also impeccable; her plum-shaded lips part and her perfectly arched eyebrows rise at Aubreyâs tone. Neither of them notices me, as Iâm crouched back and sitting in the shadows.
âI donât see why we need his help,â Marina says. âWe can handle this on our own.â
âHeâs the student body president! If you want to start a revolution, you begin at the top.â
Marina rolls her eyes. âWe are at the top.â
âI donât want to use our familiesâ influence for this, Marina. Itâs not right.â
âSo, weâre going to a student government geek instead? Thatâs just as twisted.â
The Secret Service agent gestures toward me and mumbles something that sounds like, âMaâam, you have company.â Aubrey shifts, making her face visible, and her wide mouth sets into a concerned frown. âIâm so sorry,â she says to me. âWe thought it would be empty up here, and yet we totally intruded.â She shakes her head and speaks to Marina. âSee, this is what I meant before. Weâll live up to our entitled reputation if we go around demanding that people bow down and leave every time we show up.â
Marina shrugs. âWhoâs demanding anything?â
âWe came up here to speak in private,â says Aubrey. âMaybe we could go up a floor?â
âBut you said weâd meet him on this floor.â Marina sighs.
I clear my throat. âHey, no worries. You can have your private conversation, and I wonât listen. I have way too much studying to do, anyway.â
Marina narrows her eyes. âWhatâs your name?â
âElyse Gibbons,â I reply.
âDo we have class together?â
âUm, no,â I say to Marina. I look to Aubrey. âThis is actually the first time Iâve ever seen either of youâin person, that is.â I cough. âYou know what I mean.â
âYou look familiar,â says Marina.
âCanât think why,â I respond, but thatâs not entirely true. There are lots of girls on campus who look like me: average height, athletic build, long brown hair. I suppose my most distinguishing feature is a set of rather large hazel eyes. Chances are Marina doesnât recognize me, she recognizes my type. You know, the type who tries to look smart but comes off as appropriately pretty in a non-threatening sort of way. On campus, girls like me are a dime a dozen.
We hear someone new approach. Aubreyâs Secret Service agent moves toward the entrance, obviously prepared to protect if necessary.
âSee,â Aubrey says to Marina. âThatâs him. I got the time and place right. But we should go somewhere else, so âŚâ she turns to me. âWhatâs your name again?â
âElyse.â I answer.
Aubrey talks to Marina. âWe should go somewhere else, so Elyse can return to studying.â
âHello ladies.â The guy who greets them is almost as famous around Columbia as Aubrey and Marina. Finneas Beck, student body president, is handsome in the way that young actors who star in movies about guys at New England boarding schools are handsome. His nose is charmingly crooked, and his light brown hair is longish in the front yet short in the back, but most of all, he has that air of wealth and privilege that only comes from birthright.
âHi, Finn,â says Aubrey.
âWe have to move our party somewhere else,â Marina says. âOur new friend Elyse is using the space to study.â
I try to think of something that wonât give away how desperately I want them to stay in my vicinity and blurt out, âDonât mind me, Iâm pondering Schrodingerâs cat.â Gosh, where did that come from?
Finn looks at me amused. âYou know thatâs a hypothetical situation. The whole point is the cat canât be both simultaneously alive and dead.â
âYeah, but hypothetically, what did he have against cats?â
Aubrey bursts out laughing, Marina looks annoyed, and Finn chuckles appreciatively as he glances down to the book Iâm actually reading. âRevolutionary Women and Gender Politics? Are you taking Dr. Kentâs course?â
âYeah. Howâd you know?â
âI took it last spring.â
Aubrey laughs some more. âSeriously, Finn? You took a womenâs studies course?â
He shrugs. âSure. I could check off a box for my poli-sci minor, so why not?â
âThis is all really fascinating, but I have to be somewhere in an hour.â Marina sounds borderline pissed, but the pinch in her voice is tempered by a silky lilt to her words. âCan we get down to business?â She stares at me pointedly.
I remain still, but I blink a couple times. âThe thing is, all the books I need are here.â I make a sweeping gesture to the library shelves and to the piles of books in front of me. âIâve got a lot of reading to do, but it wonât bother me if you stay.â
âAre you sure?â Aubrey asks.
âItâs totally fine,â I respond, the calmness in my voice belying my rapidly beating heart.
They exchange looks. Aubrey points to a spot a few feet away, and they move out of my line of vision, closer to the entrance, which is still guarded by the Secret Service agent. I continue reading, but of course I canât help but overhear their conversation.
âDo you know if thereâs been anyone else?â I hear Finn ask.
âIâve heard rumors,â Marina says.
Finn speaks again. âNothing confirmed?â
âWe can get proof,â Aubrey says. âBut even if itâs only Marina, that should be enough.â
âYeah, weâre talking a major sex scandal here,â says Finn. âWe canât just throw around allegations unless they can be backed up.â
âFine,â Marina retorts. âIâll give you all the details to back the allegations up.â Then she talks âŚand talks and talks.
I take furtive notes, which is basic instinct for me as Iâm a reporter for The Specâshort for The Spectator âColumbia Universityâs student paper. Its reputation is the reason Iâm here instead of at West Chester University where my mother teaches, and where I could have attended for almost nothing. But Iâd insisted on Ivy League, with a chance to work for and with the best and the brightest âpeople like Aubrey Anton-Drake, Marina Hunt, and Finneas Beck. How else will I ever become one of the best and brightest myself?
If the three of them had asked me if I was reporter, I would have instantly said yes but they didnât ask, so here we are. Tomorrow Iâll get to The Specâs office right when it opens. Iâve been a junior staff member for a while, but so far, the biggest story Iâve covered was about Parentsâ Weekend.
Nice to meet you, Big Break. My name is Elyse Gibbons.
Elyse Gibbons is a student and aspiring journalist when she meets Aubrey and Marina, daughters of two of the USâ wealthiest and most powerful dynasties. Taking up with them will open many doors for Elyse that would otherwise have remained closed but will also have her counting the cost. As Elyse builds her own political career, can the bonds of friendship withstand political rivalries? And were they real to begin with?
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Elyse is an engaging main character and the story of her attempts to find her place, between the privileged world of her friends and her boyfriend Finn, and her more working-class roots, is well told. While Elyse does face a number of crises, it did however feel a little too easy at times. I am not sure that many people, even people with friends in high places, fall into exciting career opportunities with quite such good timing as Elyse manages. Her stellar success ends up a little like wish fulfilment, which undermines the basic realism of the novel.
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I could also have wished for a little more character development for Aubrey and Marina, perhaps even some sections from their points of view. While they remain important throughout, we donât spend enough time with either character to get to know them well. In some ways, that reflects how both characters are used by their powerful families, but it would nevertheless help our appreciation of the denouement if we could understand them better.
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In general though, Elyse is a strong enough character to sustain our interest throughout and I did find myself rooting for her as she transformed from student journalist to AOC-like radical politician. It was certainly refreshing to have the central female character becoming a politician in her own right, rather than as an adjunct to a male political figure. I recommend it, not just as an entertaining take on the ever-changing landscape of US politics, but also as a reflection on female friendship.