Secret Society Girl, by Diana Peterfreund

In a fabulous blend of the bestselling traditions of Prep and The Devil Wears Prada, Secret Society Girl takes us into the heart of the Ivy League’s ultra exclusive secret societies when a young woman is invited to join as one of their first female members.

Elite Eli University junior Amy Haskel never expected to be tapped into Rose & Grave, the country’s most powerful—and notorious—secret society. She isn’t rich, politically connected, or…well, male.

So when Amy receives the distinctive black-lined invitation with the Rose & Grave seal, she’s blown away. Could they really mean her?

Whisked off into an initiation rite that’s a blend of Harry Potter and Alfred Hitchcock, Amy awakens the next day to a new reality and a whole new set of “friends”—from the gorgeous son of a conservative governor to an Afrocentric lesbian activist whose society name is Thorndike. And that’s when Amy starts to discover the truth about getting what you wish for. Because Rose & Grave is quickly taking her away from her familiar world of classes and keggers, fueling a feud, and undermining a very promising friendship with benefits. And that’s before Amy finds out that her first duty as a member of Rose & Grave is to take on a conspiracy of money and power that could, quite possibly, ruin her whole life.

A smart, sexy introduction to the life and times of a young woman in way over her head, Secret Society Girl is a charming and witty debut from a writer who knows her turf—and isn’t afraid to tell all....

As a fan of Diana Peterfreund's Killer Unicorns books (KILLER UNICORNS!!!! HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE THEM????) I was looking forward to Secret Society Girl, despite the cover which predicts a petty shallow sorority novel. Instead of girls bouncing around and predicting the apocalypse because of a bad dye job, SSG was filled with unique characters and women that made me proud to be one. Amy is a junior at the fictional Ivy League Eli University and with all her extra-curriculars and internships is hoping she'll be tapped to a secret society, but when the time comes, it's not the one she would have expected. Rose and Grave is the most exclusive secret society on campus, and for the first time is inducting women. Through the process of becoming a Digger (a member of Rose and Grave) Amy has to deal with a jealous and secretive roommate/best friend, a friend with benefits who wants to be more than that, the stuck-up rich girl who is also one of the first female Diggers along with Amy, and the sexist alumni who will do anything to keep their all-guys' club from turning coed.

I am trying desperately to think of another comment, but the best I can come up with (besides that this would make an awesome TV show) is that when I finished the book, it didn't feel like the end so much as the end of the beginning. I know that it's supposed to be the end of the beginning, after all it's the first book in the series, but what I mean is that I wouldn't read it on its own. There are some books which don't need a sequel to be satisfying, but not SSG. So, maybe I'll have more to say after I read Book #2.

4.8 stars.