The Four certainly hooked me in and didn't let me go until the end - it's hard to read at times because of the subject matter, but creates a world where it all makes sense in a twisted way. Rose tells the story from her point of view, one of the four 'normal' school students to start in the sixth form at a top private school, where things are done differently. I had trouble swallowing some of the way things were done at this school as the reader is plunged into the deep end as Rose, Marta, Sami and Lloyd are and it's a shock as you try and follow and understand what is going on at times as the school is fully formed and much more cruel than the Four or the reader expect, I think. I can see why there are parallels drawn with The Secret History, as there is the same sense of foreboding from the start and the same building of tension in the reader. Keel carries you along with her to a large extent, though I found something unbelievable about the setting at the start that continued for a while. It is probably because it isn't written for me as reader, it's more teen fiction, or young adult. Having said that, I read it voraciously and was very keen to find out what happened. It's a satisfying book and by the end you feel you know the characters very well - although there are a lot of them, they are clearly described and very individual. I can see it making a great series on tv!

Wow, what a page turner! I've always loved boarding school books, from the Enid Blytons of my youth, through Harry Potter, The Secret History and Prep, and this is another to add to my list. It has a feel of the claustrophobic menace from The Secret History and Prep, but never feels derivative.

Ro, the main character, is starting at an exclusive boarding school as a scholarship pupil in sixth form, there for her academic excellence. Those who pay for attendance look down on the scholarship pupils and the four of them stick together. Ro's roommate, Marta, is extremely vulnerable, the cleverest of them all but attending school for the first time after a lifetime of home schooling. Bullied the worst of all of them, an incident with one of those who picks on her spirals into tragedy.

I loved this book. The characters were so well drawn that they were entirely believable but there was still plenty of mystery about them and twists and turns throughout. The school environment was a great background and really added to the story, making it even more likely that the situation would grow ever more intense when there is no escape from the place, mentally as well as physically (the setting of the late 90s also means that the internet and mobile phones don't have to dictate the way the story goes). A great read - 4.5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

#TheFour #NetGalley

Rose, Sami, Marta and Lloyd are Scholarship students at the prestigious boarding school of High Realms in Devon. The four soon become friends because of the Scholarship statues and are shunned by the other pupils residing there. But when a serious event involving Marta and another girl in her year. Tests the friendship and loyalty of the four, that stays with them for the rest of their lives.
This debut novel from Ellie Keel has a solid start. This is an interesting and dark tale regarding the four characters residing in a boarding school far different to the lives that they have come from. The stigma they got from the other pupils and them trying hardest to fit in. and for the first half of this book I couldn’t put this down. But then I thought that the story, going over some unnecessary ground and I thought it was longer than it needed to be. I didn’t really relate to any of the characters either. So by the end I was skipping paragraphs. 3.5 stars from me.

Thanks to. Net galley and the publisher for approving me to read this book. Based on the blurb was really excited to get this one. However, it just fell completely flat for me. I only got 30% through it and had to give up., which is very rare for me as I rarely dnf a book.
I don’t know if it gets better, ,abbé more happens later on, but for me nothing much was happening in this first 30%. I didn’t particularly warm to ‘the four’. The other characters were horrible. It was just the same thing, mean kids being mean to the outsiders, several time over, which got boring. It was also very slow. I felt some areas were too descriptive and didn’t kneed to go into so much detail, for example the classroom discussion, we don’t need the full debate in the story, it didn’t feel like it added to the plot. Sorry, this one just want for me.

Beautifully written and utterly brutal. I found this a hard read at times but could not put it down. Completely gripped, I had to know what happened. The characters were well written though not always likeable. A story of friendship and survival. One that will stay with me I suspect.

A dark and melancholic, yet simultaneously captivating read. Set within the confines of an elite boarding school, this novel explores the grim underbelly of privileged education and how wealth and influence can override consequences.
A highly recommended read

Despite many books claiming to be so, it's not often I find a book that really is Unputdownable. This is it.
I still had it in my hand while I was cleaning my teeth this morning. And while I waited in a Zoom room for my online students to show. And in between classes.

The premise of this is both simple and chilling: Kids at boarding schools form cliques and bullying is rife. The titular four are all scholarship students who, according to their new classmates and teachers at the exclusive (and widely unpleasant) High Realms, have no right to be there and are bullied horrendously. They are far from the only students to be bullied, and the harm carried out from one student to the next is truly blood-curdling. However, it is one of the four, Marta, previously homeschooled and victim of parental abuse, who suffers most.

As a parent who sent her previously home-schooled daughter to a UK boarding school for three years between 16 and 19, on a scholarship, I was left horrified and chilled by this book. I've never read Lord of the Flies, but I imagine High Realms to be a hybrid of that book and the much-documented Summerhill school (where the students famously made up their own rules). The teachers in High Realms not only turn very blind eyes to what's going on but also appoint the worst of the bullies to positions of power within the school. The teachers are as unpleasant and cruel as the children. The saving grace is in the form of the school doctor, and glimpses of hope in one or two of the main culprits. Under the campaigns of terror are threads of hope and teenage romances. Beneath the cruel exteriors, a couple of characters show shreds of compassion and kindness. The very real turmoil and angst of being a teenager is ingrained in single every page of the book.
Meanwhile, the four scholarship students do their best to survive, mostly within their tight-knot foursome, but the cruelty imposed on them is, at times, hard to read.

Rose tells the story; she balances a thin line between what helping a friend really means - should she listen to her only friends, or seek help from an authoritative figure? There is a significant lack of trustworthy adults to turn to, even if speaking out wouldn't add greater risk to the four's fragile existence here. This theme of what it really means to be a loyal friend is tested again and again in the book, by many of the characters. Lloyd, another of the four scholarship students, is bullied a little less, as he befriends one of the 'cool kids'. This in itself leads to further problems, and soon the domino effect of the combined actions of some students leads to events that cause a terrible accident and make life increasingly unbearable for Marta.

My heart ached for these young people as they aced cruelty, loneliness, rejection, and more, but steadfastly tried to 'do the right thing' by each other against all adversity. I wanted to think this story was far-fetched and unbelievable, but I know this kind of bullying does exist, and events can spiral out of control as children (albeit 16-18 year olds) do their best to fit in, make friends, avoid confrontations, refuse to accept or ask for help, and struggle on alone making decisions they should never be forced to make. This book will haunt me for a long time, and I will read it again. It is by far one of the most compelling debuts I've read this year.

I will say that its forms of recurring abuse, including sexual, physical, mental, self-harm, suicide, and rape, are not for those easily triggered, but the author handles it well and without blinkers. I'm not sure if this book is aimed at YA, although the age of the characters and high-school setting suggest so, but I would imagine this will be a strong crossover and will leave its imprint on many.

Books set in boarding schools always seem to be simmering cauldrons of hatred and sexual tension and this book did not disappoint. The main characters, on a scholarship, Rose and Marta are immediately singled out by it girls Genevieve and Sylvia. I found the hierarchy and bullying deeply uncomfortable to read about, it is extremely well-written and the characters develop well.
I'm not sure I could say I enjoyed this book as I was so tense while I read it, but I would recommend if you like dark, uncomfortable reading!

This boarding school drama is certainly no Mallory Towers! It explores dark themes with a loyal group of friends thrown in the deep end at their first year of boarding school.

To be honest I found it rather dark and depressing, yet compelling at the same time. You keep reading because you get invested in the characters and want to know what happens to them. I did find myself frustrated at times at how the character acted, wanting to yell at them to do something different!

I'm not sure I can say I enjoyed it, but I did read to the end to find out what happened. Hence the 3 star rating.

I genuinely adored this book. It was at times a challenging read, lots of twists and hard hitting parts, but it moved swiftly and kept me gripped.

Very well structured, well written - I genuinely cared about the characters.

Will be looking out for more by this author.

Rose has started six form at High Realms school, she is a scholarship student and is treated with disdain.
Rose are her friends are subjected to cruelty and bullying.
A frightening tale of teenage behaviour and the importance of friendship.
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Secret History for a high school audience. This book was intense. After the first few chapters, I found it really hard to put down; it's like watching a natural disaster video: so awful and terrible but you just can't look away.

Set in an elite boarding school, this book delves into the darker side of elite education: the snobbery and kind of brutal targeting that happens when someone knows they have the wealth and influence to get away with just about anything, but set in the teenage environment where consequences don't really fully factor into decision-making. It also addresses the barriers young people have to cope with when they don't feel like they have an authority figure they can trust. As a teacher in secondary schools, this book was excruciating, partly because I could recognise people from my experience in all these characters.

The only major bugbear I have about this book is the name of the boarding school: High Realms. Seriously? It sounds like a twee fantasy school for magic or vampires or something. Every time the name was mentioned I rolled my eyes. It just doesn't sound realistic.

Other than that, the book is well written and I highly recommend - with the caveat that you check the trigger warnings, as there are a lot of intense issues dealt with here.

The Four is out in April 2024.

This is a really gripping book, which revolves around four scholarship students who have won a place at a prestigious public school. They discover a hierarchical and inhospitable environment, which excludes those who do not conform, or who are perceived to be undeserving of their place at the school. As they struggle to find their place, academically and socially, their lives are rocked by a shocking and tragic event whose consequences then come to dominate their every waking hour.
I enjoyed this book, but I wouldn’t rank it alongside classics of the genre such as The Secret History. While the animosity of the school community towards four new students whom they see as interlopers makes sense, the culture of extreme cruelty at the school doesn’t quite, and it feels gratuitous and uncomfortable to read at times. I also felt that some of the characters were not fully developed, making shifts in their relationships with the four slightly unrealistic and hard to buy into. Having said that, it was a really enjoyable and addictive read and I look forward to seeing what the author does next.

The Four delves into the complexities and cruelties of adolescence. Rose, Marta, Lloyd and Sami are scholarship students starting at the exclusive High Realms boarding school. Their Friendship is formed from their scholarship status and cemented by their status as outsiders. The hierarchy of students at High Realms almost has a Lord of the Flies vibe as the Student prefects dish out cruel and often violent punishment at the slightest whim. Marta quickly becomes the target of Genevieve for relentless punishment. This finally comes to a head which turns all their lives upside down and pushes the four's friendship to the limit.
This is an extremely dark academia story that doesn't shy away from delving into the cruel and hierarchal nature of teenagers it doesn't shy away from themes such as mental illness, sexual and physical abuse but tackles it head on. There are times when reading this that you are absolutely furious with the main characters and their actions but it is a swift reminder of the naivety of adolescence in some respects as their loyalty to their friendship blinds them to the consequences.
The four is a gripping, tense read for sure but I just didn't love it and at times found it overly dramatic that it pulled you out of the story a bit

Read The Four f you loved these books:
1. One of Us is Lying, Karen M. McManus
2. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, E. Lockhart

Set in an English boarding school following 4 new scholarship students who enter the school at 16. This book follows the students as they become good friends and try to navigate the new, toxic, social climate they find themselves in.

The plot was fast paced and exciting, with a lot of shocking moments I wasn't expecting. The found friendship was heartwarming and I felt for all of the 4 main characters, although some parts were slightly unrealistic.

Check the TWs.

ARC review, publish date 11 April 2024

it would have made our lives far easier if marta had simply pushed Genevieve out of our bedroom window “

When a book starts on this tone I know it’s going to me good , drawing me in instantly , and it did not dissapoint!

Set in High Elms at the end of the 90’s , High Elms being a prestigious boarding school it follows the lives of four friends and their time there .

Their story is told by Rose , the narration by her could be confusing however she told a story of morality , loyalty , abuse , love and friendships and how all of these moulded their friendships and lives .

Not for the faint hearted a brilliant debut novel .

Thank you @netgalley for the opportunity to ARC read this book .

I was really excited to read this and I really enjoyed it. The aspects of mystery kept me drawn to the book.

Sep 1999. Four exceptional and gifted students were granted millenium scholarships offering each of them a place to study at prestigious High Realms. Their enthusiasm was short lived, it didn't take long for Marta, Rose, Sami and Lloyd to discover that the world of wealth and privilege neither accepts or tolerates those that dare to breach its boundaries.

Darkly disturbing and very sad this debut novel by Ellie Keel is more about survival that schooling and whilst the narrative told from the perspective of Rose feels YA in its telling, the disturbing scenes are anything but.

A character driven novel that focuses on friendship and the difficulty of fitting in, this wasn't an easy or a pleasant read but I loved the writing style and the emotional pull this novel had over me, its one I'll definitely remember reading.

My thanks to HQ and NetGalley for the advance copy, I was under no obligation and all opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgallery for the free copy in return for an independent review.

This book is dark academia incarnate. I enjoyed the twists and turns the story took from beginning to end. It was a very easy and intriguing read - the writer made me interested about who the characters were and their motives. I stayed up late last night to read the last three quarters of this book because I wanted to know what happens. The author effectively introduces a sense of foreboding at the start of the novel and over the course of the story it builds to a crescendo. I would definitely read more from this author and hope this becomes a good film/tv series in the right hands.

I loved the descriptions of the school and the landscape in which the story is set. It helped to make it real.

When I started this book I thought it was a grown up version of Enid Blyton's Mallory Towers but it was so much more.
High Realms is the top public school in the UK. Unfortunately their results are slipping so 4 scholarships are awarded to two boys, Sam and Lloyd, and.
two girls Rose and Marta. The story is narrated by Rose. All are highly intelligent but from very different backgrounds. The four all have their own psychological problems which are exacerbated by the other students attitude to them. This then forms a close bond between the four which is their support. I really enjoyed this psychological thriller very much.