The Rumor Game

by Dhonielle Clayton, Sona Charaipotra

Overview

“A juicy, elegant, absolutely flawless thriller with a twist. It's the diverse Gossip Girl we’ve been waiting for!” —Tiffany D. Jackson, New York Times best-selling author of Grown and White Smoke

“Explosive.” —Entertainment Weekly

All it takes is one spark to start a blaze.

At Foxham Prep, a posh private school for the children of DC’s elite, a single rumor has the power to ruin a life.

Nobody knows that better than Bryn. She used to have it all—the perfect boyfriend, a bright future in politics, and even popularity thanks to her best friend, cheer captain Cora. Then one mistake sparked a scandal that burned it all to the ground.

Now it's the start of a new school year and the spotlight has shifted: It’s geeky Georgie, newly hot after a summer makeover, whose name is on everyone's lips. When a rumor ignites, Georgie rockets up the school's social hierarchy, pitting her and Cora against each other. It grants her Foxham stardom . . . but it also makes her a target.

As the rumors grow and morph, blazing like wildfire through the school’s social media, all three girls’ lives begin to unravel. But one person close to the drama has the power to stop the gossip in its tracks. The question is—do they even want to?

From Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra, authors of the Tiny Pretty Things duology (now a Netflix series), comes another edge-of-your-seat social thriller perfect for fans of We Were Liars and Cruel Summer.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781368014144
Publisher:	Disney Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/01/2022
Pages:	480
Sales rank:	179,274
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 5.60(h) x 1.60(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Dhonielle Clayton is the New York Times best-selling author of the Belles series, The Mirror: Shattered Midnight, and the coauthor of Blackout and the Tiny Pretty Things duology, now a Netflix original series. She hails from the Washington, DC, suburbs on the Maryland side. She taught secondary school for several years, and is a former elementary and middle school librarian. She is COO of the non-profit We Need Diverse Books, and president of Cake Creative, an IP story kitchen dedicated to diverse representation. She’s an avid traveler, and always on the hunt for magic and mischief. Up next: The Marvellers, her middle grade fantasy debut. You can find her on social media @brownbookworm.

Sona Charaipotra is the author of Symptoms of a Heartbreak and How Maya Got Fierce, and coauthor of the Tiny Pretty Things duology, now a Netflix original series. She earned her master’s in screenwriting from NYU and an MFA in creative writing from the New School. A working journalist, Sona has held editorial roles at People, TeenPeople, ABCNews.com, MSN, and most recently, the Barnes & Noble Teen Blog (RIP), and contributed to publications from the New York Times to TeenVogue. She is a former We Need Diverse Books board member, and co-founder of CAKE Literary, a boutique book packager focused on high-concept diverse titles. Find her on the web talking about books, Bollywood movies, and chai.

Editorial Reviews

01/31/2022

Once-popular Bryn Colburn’s start to her senior year of high school has been the opposite of stellar after a bad breakup over the summer led to a car accident. Now viewed as a “trashy white girl,” she stands to lose her student body president status at Washington, D.C.’s Foxham Preparatory Academy as well as her Black best friend, vice president and cheer captain Cora Davidson, whose boyfriend was injured in the accident. Bryn’s Desi neighbor Jashan “Georgie” Khalra’s start isn’t any less difficult: after being forced to spend the summer at a weight loss camp, Georgie is determined to start over as a new person. When Bryn suggests that she and Georgie attend Cora’s first party, Georgie is excited—a feeling that’s shattered when someone later circulates an image of Georgie and Cora’s boyfriend heading upstairs at the party, and a series of vicious rumors begins to snowball way past anyone’s control. Trickery and pettiness abound in this gripping, Gossip Girl–leaning novel told in the three teens’ alternating voices. Evaluating the role social media can play in conflict, this page-turner by previous collaborators Clayton and Charaipotra (the Tiny Pretty Things series) keenly addresses the ways that damaging information can affect individuals based on intersections of beauty, gender, race, and other factors of privilege. Ages 14–up. Agent (for Clayton and Charaipotra): Victoria Marini, Irene Goodman. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

06/01/2022

Gr 10 Up—Rumors, lies, games, and the truth all culminate in a rich story of teenage drama at an elite Washington, D.C., prep school. Told in alternating narratives, the story provides readers a glimpse into the social hierarchy as the characters attempt to rise in their status and figure out where they belong. Bryn, once the most popular girl in school, is now a pariah after running a red light and injuring her ex-boyfriend and his friends. Georgie, after attending weight loss camp over the summer is working through her self-perception and her sudden rise in popularity. Cora is dealing with the aftermath of a rumor that her boyfriend is cheating on her with Georgie and is trying to be as perfect as her twin sister appears to be. As the rumors about George and Cora's boyfriend build, it eventually reaches a tipping point where all characters must decide how to deal with the consequences of their choices. Sexual assault, online bullying, and body dysmorphia are all prevalent and not shied away from, making this book best suited to older teen readers. VERDICT Clayton and Charaipotra deliver another great young adult read full of drama and intrigue. Give this one to fans of Tiny Pretty Things, Pretty Little Liars, and other high drama realistic fiction reads.—Ashley Leffel

School Library Journal

2021-12-24
Rumors spiral out of control and create chaos with serious consequences at an elite prep school.

Clayton and Charaipotra team up again to expose the truth behind the privilege, this time with a story set at Foxham Preparatory Academy, where the children of Washington, D.C.’s most prestigious and powerful attend school. Bryn, the once-popular student body president, is now seen as “a trashy white girl” after running her ex-boyfriend’s car off the road in a jealous rage. When Cora’s boyfriend, Baez, son of a Nigerian diplomat, is injured in the crash, Cora—who is the epitome of Black excellence—cuts her former best friend off and becomes the school’s new queen bee. Indian immigrant Georgie is forced to attend weight loss camp by her parents over the summer and, after losing a lot of weight, is determined to reinvent herself—or at least figure out who she really is. Georgie’s new look puts a target on her back, and she becomes the first in a long line of victims of toxic rumors and lies. Told in four parts—“The Rumor,” “The Lies,” “The Game,” and “The Truth”—the book follows the three protagonists who alternate in narrating chapters. Perfectionism, parental pressure, and the desire for popularity are issues at the heart of this story featuring a diverse cast of characters. Despite the gossipy tone and fast pace, serious issues are explored.

An emotional and engaging drama full of twists and turns. (content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews

"A juicy, elegant, absolutely flawless thriller with a twist. It's the diverse Gossip Girl we've been waiting for!"—Tiffany D. Jackson, New York Times best-selling author of Grown and White Smoke

PRAISE FOR BELLES, THE

"The Belles is full of political drama, palace intrigue, complex and corrupt characters, and deadly betrayals—what better tale for our modern day? Get wrapped up and swept away in this wild and unpredictable new world of fashion, magic, and murder."
—Daniel Jose Older, New York Times best-selling author of The Shadowshaper Cypher

PRAISE FOR BELLES, THE

"The Belles is a voluptuous, dazzling fairy tale of desire, ambition, and unrelenting beauty."—Holly Black, cocreator of New York Times best-selling series The Spiderwick Chronicles and author o

PRAISE FOR BELLES, THE

"The Belles is absolutely enthralling. Rich with detail and fascinating characters, this book shows us a masterfully crafted world that is both desirable and frightening. I flew through the pages and loved everything they had to offer: an intelligent and talented heroine, mysterious romance, and enduring friendships."—Marie Rutkoski, New York Times best-selling author of The Winner's Trilogy

PRAISE FOR BELLES, THE

"A lush and intoxicating world where beauty equals power and darkness lurks in every glittering shadow."—Kami Garcia, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Creatures and author of The Lovely Re

PRAISE FOR BELLES, THE

"Clayton conjures a world both breathtakingly beautiful and deeply unsettling, populated by characters full of strengths and complexities. This is a thought-provoking story that lingers."
—Marie Lu, #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Young Elites

PRAISE FOR BELLES, THE

"Clayton dances between the fine lines of glittering, glamorous, and gruesome. The Belles is a dazzling exploration of body power and identity, and a must-read for anyone looking for a lot more bite when it comes to beauty."
—Roshani Chokshi, New York Times best-selling author of The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes

PRAISE FOR BELLES, THE

"From the first page, this book completely mesmerized me. Dhonielle Clayton has written a lush, immersive tale about a world where nothing is as it seems. Where beauty and the magic behind it are painted in sinisterly sexy tones. Her characters are complex, yet relatable. This is a book where you will savor every word."—Renée Ahdieh, New York Times best-selling author of The Wrath and the Dawn, The Rose and the Dagger,

PRAISE FOR BELLES, THE

"I fell head-over-heels with the darkly lush world of The Belles. A book to read when you want to be transported somewhere dangerous and beautiful, where nothing is as it seems, and secrets abound."
—Megan Shepherd, New York Times bestselling author of The Madman's Daughter series, The Cage series,

PRAISE FOR BELLES, THE

*"A refreshingly original concept, this substantial fantasy, the first in a duology, is an undeniable page-turner."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

PRAISE FOR BELLES, THE

*"Clayton impressively offers up a series starter that, despite its broad commercial appeal, doesn't shy away from facing uncomfortable truths in our own society.... The action never slows, and the rich, rotting world never wavers."—Booklist, starred review

PRAISE FOR BELLES, THE

Accolades

YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults List
2018 Goodreads Choice Awards: Young Adult, Nominee
2019 Carnegie Medal, Nominee
The Boston Globe: The Best Children's Books of 2018, selection
Teenreads: Teen Choice Book Award 2019, Nominee

PRAISE FOR BELLES, THE

"The Belles is a powerful discussion about the cost of beauty and what we are willing to do for it. Dhonielle Clayton creates a world both lush and dark, with prose so delectable you will savor every word."—Zoraida Cordova, author of Labyrinth Lost, The Circle Unbroken, and The Vicious Deep series

PRAISE FOR THE EVERLASTING ROSE

*"Freezes blood and steals breath... Narrative craft that can hold the tension of the implicit (and sorely lacking) value of black and brown features as beautiful as it intertwines with incisive commentary on the overall commodification of beauty is no small feat, and Clayton manages thrills of action, magic, romance, and revolution as well."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

PRAISE FOR THE EVERLASTING ROSE

*"Staggering... A world that is breathtaking and crushing, beautiful and vile, and whimsical and terrifying. [Clayton] poignantly uses a harrowing, fantastical tale to illuminate the very real horrors of unattainable beauty standards and the enslavement of marginalized bodies. As relevant as it is exquisite."—Booklist, starred review

From the Publisher