Customer Reviews

Rites of Spring (Break) (An Ivy League Novel)

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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.

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!

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

Even a thousand miles away from the cold and hallowed grounds of Eli University, Diana Peterfreund's IVY LEAGUE novels are still just as good. There's still romance, mystery, danger, and intelligent bantering to satisfy readers.

I very much enjoyed the romance that was developed in RITES OF SPRING (BREAK), especially as I thought from the first book that it was coming sooner or later. Indeed, Diana Peterfreund skillfully drops hints about future events throughout this book. While occasionally it gets to the point where I think it's overkill, the hints will not bother a less discerning reader, nor does it take away from my overall enjoyment of this novel.

I haven't said much that I haven't already said about previous books in the IVY LEAGUE series, but the third book in this series is still as strong as ever. This series is one that I wish will never end.

Amy Haskel is having a tough winter. After a fall filled with conspiracies, betrayals, and some society incest, Amy and her fellow Diggers return to campus to pull off their traditional prank. The prank doesn't go exactly as planned, however, and Amy ends up the victim of a rival's society's vendetta. Spring break brings a much-needed trip to the Digger's private island, but the presence of many of the patriarchs could mean trouble for D177. Can this year's club survive a week with their worst enemy and Poe?

Contrary to the cover and the title, this book really has two main storylines: the events on campus in the winter, and the trip to Cavador Key for spring break. Several characters from previous books reappear, including Amy's ex-boyfriend Brandon and her big brother Malcolm. The romance also really kicks into high gear on the island as Amy struggles not to repeat the mistakes of her past. This book is a little lighter than book two as it focuses more on relationships than on the society's struggle to include women, but by this point in the series, it's as much about the characters as it is about the plot. And the romance is seriously swoon-worthy.

What Amy Haskel thought would be her best (and last) year at prestigious Eli University has been crazier than she could have ever imagined. After being tapped into the uber-secret Rose & Grave secret society she's dealt with:

1. disgruntled patriarchs who think adding girls to the society will be it's downfall

2. fellow society brothers who have no qualms about publishing society secrets; breaking several oaths in the process

So Amy hasn't exactly had much breathing room or time to work on her thesis for that matter. By the time Spring Break rolls around, Amy is more than ready for some R&R at the private Rose & Grave island, Cavador Key. Only she's not about to escape the ever-present R&G intrigue including threats of exposure even as she's eyeballing a particular patriarch who is looking less annoying and suddenly ever more appealing. *rubs hands together*

I don't know why it took me so long to return to the Secret Society Girl series. Sure, I enjoyed reading about Amy's escapades with her Rose & Grave brothers in Secret Society Girl and Under the Rose, but the previous two books just didn't grab me in an unforgettable way. I could also attribute my reticence for continuing on the fact that the cover of Rites of Spring (Break) looks suspiciously like a fluffy gossip girl read and I was less than inclined to pick it up on that base alone. Shame on me for judging by the cover and all that nonsense.

And now? Well, after reading about 20 pages of Amy's story, my backside was so sore from kicking myself that I don't think I can sit down for a week. Natch. I had forgotten just how intelligent, how layered, and ultimately just how much fun Amy and the crew are. Not to mention the genius inclusion of numerous lists, charts, and footnotes (of all things) right in the middle of the book that, if anything, were enough to make my inner OCD organizer fall madly in love. Who else but Diana Peterfreund could break up one of the hottest scenes(!!) I've read in a long time with Amy's list on why she shouldn't be in said situation and not have me completely put out but actually loving every bit of it? No one else, that's who. So why has it taken me so long to return to Amy, the Diggers and the all-encompassing drama of Eli? I have no idea. But return I did and I couldn't have been more pleased. And, I hereby confess it will not take me half as long to pick up Tap & Gown.

This the tird installment of the series, but unlike the first two its focus is more about her relationships and friends. I'm seriously counting the day untill Tap and Gown. Also i fell in love with POE! and i have a friend who fell in love with george. Total must read for any person who loves teen lit

I was a random reader of the first two Ivy League books, which I liked well enough, but I had high hopes for the third one to really bring the series' potential up to what I had originally anticipated it could be. Surprise! Diane Peterfreund delivered with the most fun and interesting book to date.

This time around, Bugaboo aka Amy Haskel is caught in the middle of a pretty serious society war - one that turns fiercely personal when it comes to an ex-love of hers. To escape the winter blues, Amy and her fellow Diggers head down to their own private island for a little R & R - and in Amy's case, perhaps a third 'R' in the form of Romance with an unexpected Digger. Things of course, aren't quite so rosy for the Digger clan as they share the island with a currently exiled member and his mysterious family. After a few threatening instances, Amy and her friends are beginning to wonder just how much danger they're in on the island.

I think this book was better than the rest because it finally found a good balance between society drama and character drama - in fact I was more interested in the developments in Amy's life (particularly with her aforementioned romance) than I was in the society stuff, to me, the secret society mostly just played a good backdrop to setting up the rest of the story. Basically this book is an easy recommendation to anyone that enjoyed the first two, as I said, it was definitely my fave of the series and I'm look forward to the fourth and final one coming out next summer.

I was so excited when the newest book came out. I was disappointed that my library took so very long to get it in, but eventually I was able to get it. I read it in less than one day because it was so much fun. It started a little slow in the beginning, but it definitely picked up once the spring break romances began. Having just recently been a college spring breaker, I know all about the "spring break luvah" as mentioned in the book. I thought that was a great and true plot development.

*****SPOILER ALERT*****I was always rooting for Poe, ever since he admitted to being poor and broke in the end of book 2, so I was extremely delighted that Amy finally came around to see that he is a good guy. And that shower scene...HOT - I think it was way sexier than any scene in book 2 with George. It was just so unexpected!!

I can't wait for the next book. The little teaser at the end of this one has definitely got me ready for book 4. Go Amy & Jamie!!

Eli University senior Amy Haskel belongs to the Rose and Grave secret society where her moniker is Bugaboo. The R&G diggers try to break into the building hosting their rival secret society the Dragon's Head. However, the Dragonheads identify one person in the break-in, Amy. They assault her with a vengeance using childish pranks while destroying her property without any regard to the harm they cause her.

Amy's former boyfriend Brandon asks her to help him with fellowship packages, which shocks her as he is the math whiz and she avoided numbers at all cost. Even more surprising he begins to hang out again with her when she knows his girlfriend belongs to DH. During spring break, Amy joins the diggers on an R& G owned island, but on the boat trip, she as a non-swimmer falls overboard and her life jacket fails her falling off instead. If she makes it to the island, more danger awaits her and the other Diggers.

With a cast of quadrillion, young adult readers will need an access database to keep track of who is doing what and why to whom; yet somehow author Diana Peterfreund insures her myriad of secondary players, including a family and another group not mentioned above, have differing traits. Still this is Amy's tale as she finds her senior year RITES OF SPRING (BREAK) initially prank-filled but soon dangerously deadly. Over the top absolutely, but fun as Amy and the teen audience will wonder what's going on.

Harriet Klausner