The Academy by Elin Hildebrand, Shelby Cunningham Narrator: Erin Bennett
Series: The Academy #1
Published by Little Brown on September 16, 2025
Genres: Life Fiction
Length: 13 hours, 22 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble, Apple
It’s move-in day at Tiffin Academy and amidst the happy chaos of friends reuniting, selfies uploading, and cars unloading, shocking news: America Today just ranked Tiffin the number two boarding school in the country. It’s a seventeen-spot jump – was there a typo? The dorms need to be renovated, their sports teams always come in last place, and let’s just say Tiffin students are known for being more social than academic. On the other hand, the campus is exquisite, class sizes are small, and the dining hall is run by an acclaimed New York chef. And they do have fun—lots of parties and school dances, and a piano man plays in the student lounge every Monday night.
But just as the rarefied air of Tiffin is suffused with self-congratulation, the wheels begin to turn – and then they fall off the bus. One by one, scandalous blind items begin to appear on phones across Tiffin’s campus, thanks to a new app called ZipZap, and nobody is safe. From Davi Banerjee, international influencer and resident queen bee, to Simone Bergeron, the new and surprisingly young history teacher, to Charley Hicks, a transfer student who seems determined not to fit in, to Cordelia Spooner, Admissions Director with a somewhat idiosyncratic methodology – everyone has something to hide.
As if high school wasn’t dramatic enough...As the year unfolds, bonds are forged and broken, secrets are shared and exposed, and the lives of Tiffin’s students and staff are changed forever. The Academy is Elin Hilderbrand’s fresh, buzzy take on boarding school life, and a thrilling new direction from one of America’s most satisfying and popular storytellers.
In central North Carolina, there doesn’t seem to be a spring, we go from cold to hot without the benefit of shoulder seasons. Naturally, as the days start topping 80 degrees, my reading choices tend to lighten as I search out the latest beach reads. What I’ve found is that each beach region in the country appears to have a go to author. Elin Hilderbrand has long been crowned the Queen of the Nantucket Beach Read, but with The Academy, she proves she can rule the ivy-covered halls of a prestigious boarding school just as effortlessly as the windswept shores of Nantucket.  It’s a departure that feels both daring and natural, swapping sea salt for the scent of old books, and the result is a narrative that is as sophisticated as it is addictive.
The Academy is the first book in The Academy Series written by Elin Hilderbrand and her daughter, Shelby Cunningham, whose experience at boarding school were the inspiration for this novel. Â The story peels back the polished, centuries-old veneer of fictional Tiffin Academy, an elite New England prep school, to reveal a messy, high-stakes world of faculty secrets, student scandals, and the crushing weight of legacy. Â Â I was skeptical when I started that this subject would be interesting to me, but found myself completely absorbed by the second chapter.
There doesn’t seem to be a main character in the story, but rather several co-characters. The authors masterfully weave together multiple perspectives of faculty, staff, and students using alternating points-of-view. The students were a little bit like a modern-day Breakfast Club; The Brain (transfer student, Charley Hicks), The Athlete (scholarship student, Dub Austin), The Princess (Influencer Davi Banerjee), and The Criminal (the rebellious son of the school’s largest donor, Andrew Eastman). There were maybe too many Basket Cases for a single one to stand out.
While this might appear to be a story about high school students, it was also very much about the faculty and staff. Head of School Audre Robinson, the first woman of color in that role, is under immense pressure to maintain (if not improve) the school’s ranking. Chef Haz Flanders is a talented chef battling gambling addiction and crippling debt. The young history teacher, Simone Bergeron, is closer to the students’ age than her fellow faculty members’, and struggles to define and maintain personal and professional boundaries.
The Academy is breezy enough to devour in a single day, yet layered enough to leave you pondering the true price of “belonging.” The authors explore the nuances of privilege and the lengths people will go to protect a reputation, whether it’s their own or that of a centuries-old institution.  The dialogue is sharp and the social hierarchies are drawn with such precision that you can feel the chill of the faculty lounge and the hushed tension in the dormitories. As the various plot threads tighten into a knot of inevitable conflict, the tension becomes palpable, leading to a climax that is both shocking and deeply earned.
The Academy is a masterful pivot for Hilderbrand and an insightful debut from Cunningham.  It is like a high-stakes, intellectual soap opera where the wagers are nothing less than a character’s future.  However, not everything was resolved at the end, and there are just enough unresolved plot points that I am waiting with eager anticipation for the sequel and even used a precious audiobook credit on a preorder!
Narration:
Erin Bennett is a star narrator, and flawlessly performed The Academy. I enjoyed her even, well-paced narration; and applaud her ability to make each character sound unique and distinct, without a lot of theatrics.
Listen to a clip: HERE
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I've developed a preference for audiobooks over the last few years, which allow me to complete chores, run carpool, or work on my many building and craft projects while 'reading.
My all time favorite selections include Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, Karen Marie Moning's Fever series, and all of Robin Hobb's books set in the Farseer world. Â Honorable mentions to Elle Kennedy, Penny Reid, Meljean Brook, Ann Aguirre, Krista and Becca Ritchie, Jeaniene Frost, and Kristen Callihan.
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I hope book 2 comes soon for you!!