"The Four" is set in a private school which usually only the very wealthy and/or powerful families get to send their children to. However, four pupils from "ordinary" backgrounds get admitted on a scholarship to start there for their Sixth Form years i.e. from 16-18 years old. The four are all very different but are bonded together by the circumstances of their admittance and by the way they are ostracised by the majority of the other pupils and by many of the teachers too. Incredibly gifted, they do their best to survive their new and highly pressured environment. But the tension builds between them and some of the other pupils which leads to a devastating event. After this, the main characters have to decide how far they will go to protect each other.

Even though I come from a normal background and a normal school, I found memories of cliques and bullies flooding back while reading this. The author is really good at building the tension as the four of the title struggle to fit in. The story is told entirely from the perspective of Rose, one of the four, and I really felt for her and her friends. There are some gut wrenching moments in this that are not easy to read but the author deals with them sensitively. And while in other books, I sometimes struggle to understand why characters act in a certain way, I didn't feel that with this book. The way that it's told means that while the characters may not have acted in the best way, I absolutely understand why they did what they did.

I think that a few of the peripheral characters were a bit too stereotypical of private school children. I also felt that some of the second half of the book was a bit repetitive. But overall I thought it was really good and I found it very hard to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

When four teens get the chance to attend a prestigious boarding school as part of a scholarship program, they are excited and apprehensive. They are joining other students, some of whom have been boarding the school for many years. The four are, Rose, Sami, Marta and Lloyd, they are naturally drawn to each other as they begin this new phase of their lives.

This story has some stereotyping, and the author uses it to good effect. The contrast between how those who live at boarding schools and those who have won scholarships starts to become a little more obvious as the story unfolds. There is very much an us and them type of environment, yet academically the four are just as, if not more so the ones who top the tables with grades.

The story takes a dark turn when an accident occurs. From this point, the four are more alone than they have ever been, but it also means they bond more and then learn more about each other. While they are trying to do what they feel is the right thing, others are still hounding them, marking them out and making them look over their shoulders constantly, although some of this could be down to a feeling of guilt as well.

The author does a great job of explaining the main four and also those whom they are in more contact with, so other teachers and students. The story is told from the perspective of Rose as she reflects on what happened and why. The story does merge fully but the journey from the beginning to the end is twisted, full of deception, friendship and loyalty.

This story deals with some dark themes and while it is a book that deals with teens, this is not a book I would suggest is aimed at teens. At times the author takes the plot a little too far, and I did think it started to become a little too much as keeping within the feel of realism, but not so much that it was wildly over the top.

This is full of drama, tension, teen angst, mystery, thriller, psychological and crime genres all rolled in together. It took a while for me to get into it, but after a few chapters I found I needed to know what was going to happen and soon found myself addicted. A good story and one that I would happily recommend.

Well written debut but maybe better marketed as a YA read?
Some dark themes and awful characters make this a read you wont forget
Would definitely read the authors next book

This was a really hard read, it was very dark. There's a lot that maybe should come with a trigger warning, due to bullying, the way they bully, self harm, sexual assault and suicide. I am not normally squeamish, but this did make me a little bit.
It was an emotional read. Not my usual read, but I'm glad to have received this.

Thank you so much to the author, publisher and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

There are obviously many books in this genre, and, to stand out, there needs to be something really different in the plot and characters, which sadly I felt was lacking in this particular novel. I appreciated some of the twisty plot points, but think maybe Im the wrong demographic, and it should perhaps be aimed at more of a YA audience. As a debut novel it's well written, and once Ms Keel finds her readers I'm sure she'll do very well
Thank you to netgalley and HQ books for an advance copy of this book

WOW, WOW, WOW. I absolutely loved this debut novel by Ellie Keel. If you like Dark Academia then you will enjoy this. It tells the story of four students who are awarded a place each at the prestigious boarding school known as High Realms set in Devon. The Four are Rose, Marts, Lloyd and Sami. All four are very intelligent which is why they won their scholarships to the school. I would say Marta is the brightest of them all, initially her head isn’t out of a book, she is continuously studying. But she has a slight disadvantage in that she has never attended school, she’s never had friends, has never had to stick to the strict rules that are set at High Realms.

They are all excited to being given a chance to attend this school as it can open doors to any university in the country if they work hard. But what they hadn’t expected was to be faced with hostility, and contempt from some of the fee paying students who don’t believe the four should even be there. They are looked at as if they are freeloaders, which in a way is ironic as they aren’t paying their own fees it’s the fact they have wealthy parents who can pay for them to attend the school. Marta is the one who takes the brunt of the bullying especially by a pupil known as Genevieve. She is relentless.

The more you read of this the darker the story gets, some of the things the four have to face should not be faced by anyone. The tension continues to build as you turn each page, wondering what could possibly happen next. It becomes like an emotional rollercoaster. I was rooting for the four all the way through. They become good friends and are there for each other because they have no one else they can rely on, or trust except for each other.

What becomes harder is when one of the popular girls has an accident and Marta gets the blame, she immediately runs and hides, not because she is to blame but because she fears that if they do think she is guilty it would be the end of her time at the school, which would mean she would have to go home. She loves the school and the last place she wants to go is home, why? But in order to protect Marta the other three find somewhere to hide her, they visit, bring her food, but Marta is already the weakest not just physically but mentally as well. After a while hiding Marta starts to take its toll on the other three, but none of them will ever give up on her. How far would you go for a friend you have only known for a short time?

Throughout the story the characters explore their sexuality, along with dealing with punishments, chores, and keeping Marta hidden. Rose is the narrator of the story which she tells with such tenderness, but you do wonder how accurate her version is without any input from the other characters. As you delve further the tension continues to be ramped up, the dark atmosphere keeps you completely engrossed, as you have no idea what is going to happen next. Parts of this are Heartbreaking and devastating.

What happens at High Realms will define the lives of these students, taking away all innocence they had when they arrived at the school. This is a brilliantly plotted immersive, dark atmospheric read, gripping and engrossing throughout, a terrific debut novel. I look forward to see what Ellie Keel writes next.

I would like to thank #Netgalley and publishers @HQstories @HarperCollins for an advance copy of this book for me to read and give an honest and fair review, all thoughts and opinions are my own and have not been influenced in any way.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This felt like a very YA book despite the dark themes. I also found the very close friendship not so believable

The premise of this book definitely enticed me, along with an excellent marketing strategy.

The plot took a lot of unexpected turns which kept me reading, even if I was slightly confused. Some aspects of the book seemed unrealistic to me, in a sense that I didn’t really feel immersed in the story. I was, however, entertained !

I feel as though the characters could have had more dimension to them and I didn’t fully believe in their close friendship.

Overall, I don’t think this book was for me, however, I am interested in reading more of this author in the future !

A new author for me, but it kept me reading (finished in one sitting). Not the usual murder books I read, either. I liked the way the characters grew throughout the book as well as the loyalty they felt towards each other. At times it was a bit sad and I was hoping for a different ending, but a good read nonetheless

This was a tough one for me. I struggled to get into it as I couldn't relate to the characters and the book wasn't quite what I was expecting. It feels more like a YA novel which is probably where I struggled. I'm sure a younger audience would enjoy it.

This was a very enjoyable and well written book. All the characters felt very real and the storyline was interesting and kept my interest to the end. I particularly liked reflecting on how inaction sometimes has more profound effects than action as well as how easily we can be convinced sometimes (under extreme circumstances) to allow things to happen even though our logic is telling us that without a doubt we are allowing something that is wrong to continue happening. Actually, this aspect for me was taken to the extremes at some point and had me questioning how feasible this storyline can actually be.

Rose, the main character, I found to be very likable and i definitely related to the feeling of entering uncharted territory in life where decision making turns very quickly from black/white, right/wrong to a completely morally grey no man's land. That sinking feeling was so well portrayed in my opinion. Equally, convincing yourself of a completely skewed reality and just 'going with it,' letting go of your power and critical thinking and succumbing to the numbness, that also came through extremely well. Overall a good read, I definitely thought about the book for days after finishing it. If dark academia is something you enjoy, I think you will find The Four delivers.

Many thank to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy, all opinions are my own.

This is certainly dark academia. The tale had some shocking twists and traumatic storylines. Overall I did enjoy it but found some parts difficult to read.

Firstly thank you to hq for my early access in exchange for a honest review .
I’ve seen and heard a lot of noise for this debut .

Set in the prestigious grounds of a boarding school this is atmospheric and evocative . You are transported into this world though excellent writing .

Rivals, class divides, unrequited desires and of course all the camaraderie you would except in this setting .
A fantastic debut that will no doubt be flying off the shelves.

Secrets and lies lay at the root of this book and what happens when something Terrible happens .

Do you have what it takes to survive ? And how far would you go to fit in.

I definitely look forward to reading more from this author .

I had high expectations for this book when I saw this was perfect for fans of The Secret History. It didn't quite hit the mark for me, I'm afraid. Character motivations not well developed and overall it felt more like a YA novel. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

The Four is set at an exclusive High Realms boarding school and follows four students Rose, Marta, Sami, and Lloyd. All four are being treated as outsiders because they are different and because they are only there because they were awarded a scholarship. They soon form a friendship, but how far will they go to protect each other?

The plot/story is well written, but I did find the start a little slow to get into but once the story got going I felt my interest peak and just wanted to know what would happen next. There were occasions when some parts felt unbelievable, but the dark revelations kept me reading.

I really enjoyed the eerie setting and descriptions, but I did feel something was missing, but I can't quite put my finger on what.

The characters are an interesting bunch, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about them. I didn't particularly like them, and at times found them confusing. It's a little difficult to explain exactly what I found confusing about them.

I was a little disappointed with the ending, especially after the build-up.

All in all, it has been a very good debut novel, and while it has its issues (for me), I still couldn't stop reading, and I will be looking out for more books from this author in the future.

I would like to thank HQ for granting my wish on NetGalley. These are my honest and unbiased thoughts, and I am sharing them voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book.
An intense, emotional, dark, academia debut novel with shades of a modern day 'Secret History'.
Set in High Realms, an elite boarding school, four scolarship students join the 6th form, Rose, Lloyd, Sami and Marta.
This is a toxic, deep, page turner, narrated by Rose, about 'The Four' who support each other against all that is thrown at them.
Uncomfortable and tragic in places this is well told and envelops the reader into the school and the storyline.

Four scholarship students. Different from the rest of the students in many ways.
But they have a secret. A secret which could destroy them or save them.

This was such a highly anticipated release for me so I was very excited to get access to an early earc.

The premise and the blurb for this had me hooked - the setting of High Realms and the demographic of the four had a great deal of potential in creating tension in their privileged world. The opening of the story was compelling and it set the main plot up for something action packed and exciting.

The main body of the story however fell short for me - on the whole it headed in a direction that I wasn’t really expecting and it became a bit stagnant with the repetition of visiting Marta. I felt the dark academia side of things could have been much more - whilst I see why this is compared with The Secret History and If We Were Villains, I didn’t think that the academia was executed as effectively - knowledge wasn’t really a driver in the plot in the same was as its predecessors, for me the dark academia aspect was mainly the setting.

Whilst the dark themes of the book were at times cleverly explored and the character development of Marta was deeply heartbreaking and tragic, I just felt that the direction of the plot in these revelations was slow and by the time things picked up in the final section I’d lost my investment.

Overall an alright read - I can see it appealing to many, but just fell short for me.

It took me a wee while to take to this book even though the writing is first-rate. The tension is ramped up on almost every page, the descriptions of the bullying and cruelty more than somewhat alarming and the indifference of the masters and headmaster more than alarming! I enjoyed the character development and the ‘real life’ aspects of what scholarship students can endure. I confess I struggled towards the end with the way in which the ‘mission’ to protect and save one of the four friends got out of hand but, overall, it was a good read – commanded attention and offered numerous insights into friendships and differing forms of love, being non-judgemental, and challenges that would stall many teenagers.
I enjoyed an ARC in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed this a lot! Very unrelatable to me - both the story and the characters but I still found it a compelling read. I found the main middle part went on slightly too long and it almost felt a little repetitive and like it dragged on but it wouldn't put me off recommending it.