The Academy marks a fascinating departure for bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand, who teams up with her daughter Shelby Cunningham to deliver a surprisingly sophisticated exploration of contemporary teenage life within the rarefied walls of a New England boarding school. This collaboration brings an authenticity to the adolescent voice that elevates what could have been a standard prep school drama into something far more nuanced and compelling.
Set at the fictional Tiffin Academy, the novel follows an ensemble cast through one tumultuous academic year that begins with unexpected good news—the school has jumped seventeen spots to become the number two boarding school in the country—and quickly descends into chaos when an anonymous app called ZipZap begins exposing everyone’s secrets.
Characters That Breathe With Authentic Complexity
The Unlikely Heroine’s Journey
The novel’s emotional center rests with Charley Hicks, a transfer student from Maryland whose fish-out-of-water perspective provides the perfect lens through which to examine Tiffin’s intricate social ecosystem. Charley emerges as a refreshingly complex protagonist—brilliant, bookish, and determinedly nonconformist, yet vulnerable beneath her intellectual armor. Her character development from isolated newcomer to someone who finds her tribe feels earned rather than forced, particularly in her evolving relationships with the enigmatic East and the seemingly untouchable Davi.
What makes Charley compelling is her resistance to typical makeover narratives. While she does eventually embrace certain aspects of boarding school life, she maintains her essential self—the girl who would rather discuss Coleman Hill’s Coleman Hill than attend yet another dance. This authenticity speaks to the collaborative nature of the writing; Cunningham’s lived experience as a boarding school student clearly informs these choices.
The Queen Bee’s Hidden Struggles
Davi Banerjee represents one of the novel’s most successful characterizations—a social media influencer and de facto queen of Tiffin who struggles with bulimia behind her carefully curated facade. The authors navigate this sensitive subject matter with remarkable delicacy, showing how eating disorders can hide behind privilege and apparent perfection. Davi’s journey from antagonist to complex human being parallels the novel’s larger themes about the masks we wear and the prices we pay for social acceptance.
Boarding School Politics and Modern Technology
The ZipZap Phenomenon
The mysterious ZipZap app serves as more than just a plot device—it becomes a character in its own right, embodying the ways social media can simultaneously connect and destroy communities. The authors demonstrate keen insight into how anonymous platforms can unleash the worst impulses in otherwise decent people, creating a modern-day Salem witch trial atmosphere that feels both timely and timeless.
The revelation that the app’s operators are Grady Tish and Levi Volpere—two virtually invisible students from the ‘Bred Bulletin newspaper staff—provides satisfying commentary on how power can emerge from unexpected sources. Their motivations, when finally revealed, feel psychologically sound rather than cartoonishly villainous.
The Adult World’s Complicated Dynamics
The novel doesn’t limit its sharp observations to teenage behavior. The faculty members, particularly the young history teacher Simone Bergeron and the admissions director Cordelia Spooner, navigate their own complex relationships and ethical dilemmas. Simone’s inappropriate attraction to student Andrew “East” Eastman creates genuine tension and moral complexity that elevates the stakes beyond typical teenage drama.
Head of School Audre Robinson emerges as a particularly well-drawn character—a woman trying to balance institutional pressures with genuine care for her students. Her perspective provides necessary adult grounding while never dismissing the very real dramas unfolding in teenage lives.
Writing Style and Narrative Technique
A Voice That Rings True
The collaboration between Hilderbrand and Cunningham produces a narrative voice that feels authentically teenage without patronizing adult readers. The novel employs a clever multi-perspective approach, occasionally shifting into a collective “we” voice that captures the hive-mind mentality of boarding school life. This technique particularly shines in chapters like “Tiffin Talks,” which feel like authentic glimpses into the school’s social media presence.
The authors demonstrate particular skill in balancing humor with genuine emotion. Moments of sharp wit—such as Charley’s observations about her peers’ social performances—never undercut the real stakes these characters face. The writing captures the heightened emotions of teenage life without mocking them.
Contemporary Themes With Timeless Resonance
Social Media and Identity
The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham succeeds as both entertainment and social commentary, examining how social media platforms can amplify the natural hierarchies and cruelties of adolescent life. The novel’s exploration of performed identity versus authentic self feels particularly relevant in our current cultural moment, yet the underlying themes of belonging and acceptance remain timeless.
The book’s treatment of mental health issues—from Davi’s eating disorder to various characters’ anxiety and depression—feels thoughtful and realistic. The authors avoid easy solutions while maintaining hope for growth and healing.
Minor Critiques and Considerations
Pacing and Plot Resolution
While the novel generally maintains strong momentum, certain plot threads feel slightly rushed in their resolution. The romance between Charley and East, while sweet, occasionally feels more told than shown, particularly in its early stages. Some readers might find the coincidences surrounding the ZipZap revelations a bit too convenient, though the emotional truths behind these plot mechanics ring authentic.
The novel’s length sometimes works against its ensemble approach—certain characters who seem important early on, like Royce Stringfellow and several of the faculty members, fade into the background as the story progresses. This isn’t necessarily a flaw, but readers invested in these secondary characters might feel somewhat disappointed.
Cultural Context and Literary Connections
The Campus Novel Tradition
The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham positions itself firmly within the campus novel tradition, drawing clear inspiration from classics like Curtis Sittenfeld’s Prep and John Knowles’s A Separate Peace. However, the novel updates this genre for the social media age, examining how technology both connects and isolates contemporary students.
The book’s examination of privilege and power dynamics recalls the best elements of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, though with a lighter touch and more optimistic worldview. The authors never let their characters completely off the hook for their privilege, but they also avoid the nihilistic tone that sometimes characterizes elite school fiction.
Hilderbrand’s Evolution as a Writer
Beyond Beach Read Expectations
For readers familiar with Elin Hilderbrand’s previous work—primarily set in Nantucket and focused on adult relationships—The Academy represents a significant evolution. While it maintains Hilderbrand’s signature ability to juggle multiple storylines and complex character relationships, the boarding school setting allows for deeper exploration of themes around identity formation and social justice.
The mother-daughter collaboration brings fresh energy to Hilderbrand’s established strengths while introducing new perspectives on contemporary teenage life. Cunningham’s influence is evident in the novel’s authentic portrayal of social media culture and the genuine adolescent voice that permeates the narrative.
Recommendation and Final Thoughts
Who Should Read This Book
The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham will particularly appeal to readers who enjoyed Prep, The Secret History, or more recent works like I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai. Parents of teenagers, particularly those considering boarding school, will find much to contemplate in its portrayal of adolescent development away from home.
Young adult readers will appreciate the novel’s refusal to talk down to its audience, while adult readers will connect with the complex faculty perspectives and the broader social commentary. The book succeeds as both a nostalgic look at boarding school life and a contemporary examination of how social media shapes teenage experience.
Similar Books Worth Exploring
For readers who enjoyed The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham, consider these compelling alternatives:
- Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld – The gold standard of boarding school fiction
- The Secret History by Donna Tartt – Dark academia at its finest
- A Separate Peace by John Knowles – The classic coming-of-age boarding school novel
- I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai – A mystery set at a boarding school
- The Admissions by Meg Mitchell Moore – Contemporary exploration of college pressure
- My Education by Susan Choi – A more literary take on academic settings
- The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer – Coming-of-age with feminist themes
The Academy ultimately succeeds as both an entertaining page-turner and a thoughtful examination of contemporary teenage life. While it may not reach the literary heights of The Secret History or achieve the perfect pitch of Prep, it carves out its own valuable space in the campus novel genre. The mother-daughter collaboration produces something genuinely fresh—a boarding school novel that feels both timeless and completely of our moment.
The book’s greatest strength lies in its authentic portrayal of how young people navigate identity, friendship, and belonging in an age of social media scrutiny. Despite its privileged setting, the emotional truths it explores are universal, making it a worthy addition to both Hilderbrand’s bibliography and the broader tradition of campus fiction.