Rites of Spring (Break) (An Ivy League Novel) [Paperback]

Diana Peterfreund (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 24, 2008

From “witty and endearing” to “impossible to put down,” the critics have given elite marks to Diana Peterfreund’s Secret Society Girl and Under the Rose. Now, in a wildly captivating new novel, Amy “Bugaboo” Haskel and her fellow Rose & Grave knights are trading cold, gray, hyperintellectual New Haven for an annual rite of spring (well, early March) in Florida.

For Amy, a week of R&R on her secret society’s private island should be all fun in the sun—and an escape from an on-campus feud with a rival society that’s turned disturbingly personal. But along with her SPF 30 and a bikini, Amy is bringing a suitcase full of issues to remote Cavador Key. Graduation from Eli University looms, not to mention buckets of unfinished business with a former flame and—most pressing of all—the sudden, startling transformation of a mysterious Rose & Grave patriarch from sheerly evil to utterly…appealing?

Just when Amy thinks Spring Break can’t get any less relaxing, a wacky “accident” puts everyone on edge. And that’s only the beginning, as Amy starts to suspect that someone has infiltrated the island. With some major Rose & Grave secrets to be exposed, and the potential fallout enough to take down one of America’s most loathsome figureheads, what she can’t know is that the party crasher is deadly serious about making sure “Bugaboo” doesn’t get back to Eli alive….

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The third installment to Peterfreund's Rose & Grave series follows the Diggers-members of Eli University's elite, secret society Rose & Grave-on a spring break trip fraught with intrigue. Amy "Bugaboo" Haskel can't wait for her first visit to the society's private Florida island, Cavador Key: a prank gone awry against a rival society has loaded Amy's spring semester with petty revenge plots. The pranking takes a sinister turn at Cavador, where Amy nearly drowns after her lifejacket appears to have been tampered with. And there's a small band of weirdos on the periphery, as well (a disgraced government official and his family are on the island, and a gaggle of Rose & Grave conspiracy theorists are camped out on the next island over). As tension escalates, Peterfreund adds an appealing romance subplot. While the stakes are uneven and the climax is predictably soggy, the novel moves fast, packs some laughs and does its job as a light diversion.
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From Booklist

Peterfreund (Under the Rose, 2007) returns to Eli University for the latest installment in her series about the Ivy League’s most prestigious secret society, Rose & Grave. This time, she covers another quintessential college experience: spring break. The Diggers are heading to the society’s private island, Cavador Key. For Amy, a week of respite is just what she needs after being the target of a rival society’s pranks, but her bad luck seems to come along. Amy falls overboard on the ferry trip and nearly drowns, someone breaks into the girls’ cabin, and the whole pledge class is stricken by a stomach ailment. Amid all the chaos, Amy and her onetime rival, Poe, have a secretive spring fling. Once again, Peterfreund mixes mystery, romance, and typical college high jinks for an enjoyable, if not deep, story. It’s an ideal summer read—whether island bound or not. --Aleksandra Walker

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Delta (June 24, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385341938
• ISBN-13: 978-0385341936
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,034,160 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Diana Peterfreund was raised in Florida, and graduated from Yale University in 2001 with dual degrees in Geology and Literature. She lives with her husband in Washington, D.C.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Angieville: RITES OF SPRING (BREAK), October 31, 2008

By 

Angela Thompson "Angiegirl" (Rocky Mountains) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rites of Spring (Break) (An Ivy League Novel) (Paperback)

So Real Life intervened in the form of the plague, and Villa Angie was torn asunder. In my plague-ridden state, I still had the presence of mind to send DH out for my copy of RITES OF SPRING (BREAK) the day it came out, and reading it got me through. That and the phenergan shot. Ouch! Unfortunately, it's taken till now to review it. So this comes after much grinning, applauding, and re-reading of the most favorite of parts (of which there were several).

In this third installment of the Ivy League Novels, Our Girl Amy finds herself sludging through the gloom that is New Haven in late winter/early spring, wondering who named her whipping girl in the latest intercollegiate secret society rumble. Meanwhile, her ex-friend-with-benefits makes a sudden reappearance in her life and the already nigh unto crippling confusion factor gets ratcheted up a dozen or so notches. Fortunately, the annual Rose & Grave spring break excursion to Cavador Key looms on the horizon and Amy is given a chance to escape and recoup. Her only problem now is avoiding getting in the water while living on an island for an entire week. Natch.

This book...how I loved this book. I loved the increasingly mature way Amy deals with her friends. Her experiences with Jenny in the previous volume have made her more sensitive, I think, to the delicate emotions and motivations at work among her fellow Diggers. Despite their rank, wealth, brains, looks, or attitude. I loved how the class of D177 coalesces in this book. They stand up for each other. They notice things. They're not so quick to judge. And I loved that Poe takes it upon himself to give Amy swimming lessons. Because the swimming lessons? They are top notch. And the sneak peak at Tap & Gown: An Ivy League Novel--the first chapter of the fourth and final Ivy League Novel? It is tinglingly good. If only it wasn't a year till it comes out. Ah, well. Either way, Diana Peterfreund is now on my automatic buy list.

I hereby confess: I find myself with a sudden craving for Life Savers.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner in the series, can't wait for the final installment, July 11, 2008

By 

Gen of North Coast Gardening (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rites of Spring (Break) (An Ivy League Novel) (Paperback)

I really enjoyed the first two books in the series, so I was thrilled to get the latest and see how Spring Break went for our Digger friends.

Bugaboo starts things off perfectly by escaping from a Digger outing to steal back a Rose and Grave artifact, only to find that her banana yellow Chuck Taylors have been recognized (good one!). She's targeted for some really over the top nasty pranks, and everyone's wondering why things seem more heated than the usual society hijinks.

Then, Brandon's starting to wonder if he might still have feelings for her, but his girlfriend Felicity, of course, will do anything she can to keep them apart.

Amidst all this relationship and society drama, spring break arrives and the Diggers are off to Cavador Key, their private island (!). Unfortunately, it isn't quite as luxurious as D177 had hoped, and Kurt Gehry, an unfriendly patriarch, is escaping a political scandal there, so there is definite tension on the island and far too much barbarian attention.

Can the Diggers make the most of their private island retreat, or will society problems and relationship issues ruin what was supposed to be a relaxing time?

This book was one of my favorites so far because of the unexpected and realistic relationship that blossoms in this book, and the believability of the events on the island. If you've enjoyed the others, you'll definitely enjoy this one. There is a preview at the end of the final book in the series, so we know what we are waiting for in book 4!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting Review: Rites of Spring (Break), July 4, 2008

By 

Enchanting Reviews "Lisa" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rites of Spring (Break) (An Ivy League Novel) (Paperback)

RITES OF SPRING (BREAK)
DIANA PETERFREUND
Contemporary

Rating: 4.5 Enchantments

Amy Haskel and the rest of the Diggers return in RITES OF SPRING (BREAK), the third novel in the Secret Society series.

This time, after a society prank gone wrong, Amy finds herself targeted by rival society Dragon's Head, in a barrage of seemingly personal attacks that seem almost like more than simple retaliation from a rival society. Even months later when the group gets to the secret island hideaway of Cavador Key, Amy's the target of several bizarre mishaps that lead to speculation that maybe Dragon's Head wasn't done with her yet. Add in Amy's possible new attraction to Poe of all people and Spring Break could be far more memorable than anyone imagined.

RITES OF SPRING (BREAK) quickly became my favorite of the series as I read through the book. While it was a little slow moving towards the actual spring break, the action that took place on the Eli campus more than made up for it. Surprises with her relationship with Brandon, and especially Poe kept me turning the pages well into the wee hours of the morning.

One of my favorite scenes in the book actually takes place in the opening when Amy and her fellow diggers are breaking into Dragon's Head on New Year's Eve. Once inside, the group realizes what they're really after isn't a possible option and before they can really think of something else to take with them back to the Tomb, they risk discovery. Thanks to a quick-thinking Poe, the group is able to hide out unknown and find something else to `steal'.

Diana Peterfreund graduated from Yale University in 2001 with degrees in geology and literature. A former food critic, she now resides in Washington, D.C. Her previous two novels, SECRET SOCIETY GIRL and UNDER THE ROSE, are available now from Delta.

You can learn more about RITES OF SPRING (BREAK) and check out an excerpt at http://www.dianapeterfreund.com/books/secret-society-series/rites-of-spring-break/ and learn more about Ms. Peterfreund and the prior two books in the SECRET SOCIETY SERIES at her website, http://www.dianapeterfreund.com/

Lisa
Enchanting Reviews
June 2008