Private and Privilege

Private and Privilege are two connected series by beloved teen and YA author, Kate Brian. They are based around the Billings Girls of Easton Academy, a popular clique with a sordid history. Private focuses on newcomer, Reed, and what she goes through to become one of the popular Billings Girls, plus what she faces after to stay part of the it-crowd.

Privilege is about former Billings Girl, Ariana, making her escape from her new home. She's been living in a women's correctional facility after committing a crime.

These series intertwine teenage drama with mystery, murder, and cover-ups. Then, they bring in a witchy aspect to it before it all concludes. It's a unique series with a lot going on, and you can't help but read the next one to see what crazy thing will happen to Reed, Ariana, and the other Billings Girls next.

The original series, Private, is about a scholarship student, Reed Brennan, who gets into a private school called Easton Academy. Some of the girls from Billings House (one of the dorm rooms on campus,) don't like that Reed is there and try to put her in her place. But Reed wants so badly to fit in, and she will do anything it takes! Reed and many of the other girls are just 15 when the series starts, yet each of them act much older than their age.

This series consists of 16 books. There is the traditional series of books 1 through 14 plus two additions. GoodReads gives the total series a rating of 3.99 stars. They were all published between 2006 and 2011.

Last Christmas is considered to be part of the Private series, but it's all about Ariana from Privilege. It talks about how she met and fell in love with Thomas Pearson. This was, of course, before she murdered him. The book is listed as #.06.

Privilege is about the most dangerous Billings Girl from the Private series - Ariana. Her stay and escape from the women's correctional mental facility is documented in the series. She was put there after murdering one of her classmates (who happened to be her ex-boyfriend.) After escaping, she takes over the identity of a girl from another private school and immediately befriends the most popular girls on campus, joining their group and trying to maintain this new persona while keeping her secrets hidden. Secrets don't stay secret forever, though.

This series had six books that were published between 2008 and 2011. GoodReads gives the books a total average rating of about 4.38 stars.

Many reviews compare this story to things like Pretty Little Liars, One of Us Is Lying, and similar stories. Read this if you're a fan of those. This teen mystery drama series is sure to have you hooked, and they're all fast reads, making the whole series quick to get through despite its 22-book span.

Kate Brian also has some other books if you want to check out more from her. Plus, this is only a pen name. Her real name is Kieran Scott, and she has titles published under that name as well. Check them out and see what you like best from her.