The Dollhouse Academy
- Judith D Collins
- Feb 8
- 5 min read
Updated: Feb 26
Narrators: Brittany Pressley; Xe Sands
ISBN: 9781250381453
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication Date: 02/11/2025
Duration: 10 Hrs, 38 min, 30 sec
Format: Audio
My Rating: 4 Stars (ALC)
From the NATIONAL BESTSELLING author of GMA Book Club Pick OONA OUT OF ORDER, a novel about two best friends and aspiring actresses who join the Dollhouse Academy, where stars are made and dangerous secrets are hidden
“Deliciously sensational…What could be more fun? As if the wives of Stepford went to the Valley of the Dolls.” —Kirkus
Ivy Gordon is living on borrowed time. For the past eighteen years, she has been the most famous star at the Dollhouse Academy, the elite boarding school and talent incubator that every aspiring performer dreams of attending. But now, at age thirty-four, she is tired of pretending everything is fine. In secret diary entries, Ivy begins to reveal the truth of her life at the Dollhouse: strange medical exams, mysterious supplements, and something unspeakable that’s left Ivy terrified and feeling like a prisoner.
Ramona Halloway and her best friend, Grace Ludlow, grew up idolizing Ivy. Now both twenty-two, neither has made much headway in showbiz until a lucky break grants them entry to the Dollhouse. They’re enchanted by the picturesque campus and the chance to perform alongside their idols. When Ramona begins to receive threatening anonymous messages, it’s easy to dismiss them as a prank from a rival. Her bigger concern is Grace’s skyrocketing success, while Ramona struggles to keep up with the fierce competition. As the messages grow more unsettling, so does life at the Dollhouse. Can Ramona overcome her jealousy and resentment to figure out what’s really going on? Will Ivy finally find her voice, before another young performer follows her catastrophic path?
With dark academia twists and enormous heart, The Dollhouse Academy is a novel about the complexities of friendship, our desire to be seen and understood, and the true cost of making our dreams a reality.
My Review
Margarita Montimore's latest novel, THE DOLLHOUSE ACADEMY, is utterly electrifying—brilliantly exploring the unsettling dark side of ambition and fame.
About...
It is a fascinating novel about two best friends and aspiring actresses who join the Dollhouse Academy, a prestigious performing arts school known for shaping the careers of stardom and the elite. A place where stars are made, and dangerous secrets are kept.
For the past eighteen years, Ivy has been the most famous star at the Dollhouse Academy, an elite, secretive boarding school.
Now, at the age of 34, she is tired of pretending. Through her secret diary entries, she unravels the truth of her life at the strange medical exams, mysterious supplements, and something unspeakable. She is terrified and feels like a prisoner, with something sinister lurking behind the Dollhouse's secrets.
Ramona and her best friend Grace grew up idolizing Ivy. They are both 22, and neither has made much headway until they get a lucky break and an entrance to The Dollhouse.
The competition is fierce, with threatening messages adding to the tension. Grace experiences success while Ramona falls behind. The messages grow more unsettling. Can Ivy and Ramona stand up and find a voice before another performance takes a dangerous turn?
My thoughts...
THE DOLLHOUSE ACADEMY is a riveting look at the dark side of academia, ambition, and fame. From complex friendships and a strong desire to excel, be understood, seen, and make dreams come true.
Psychologically rich, the author hooks readers from beginning to end, unraveling the twisted realities and facade of this prestigious performing arts academy. Behind the glamour and success lies a web of deceit and manipulation that the characters must navigate.
Told from alternating POVs: Ivy, Ramona, and Grace explore the emotions and moral dilemmas in the entertainment business, lost innocence, and the hidden sinister secrets beneath the surface of the academy and its toxicity.
It is a thought-provoking, compelling read and a moving story of exploitation, sacrifice, ambition, and self-discovery.
Audiobook...
I listened to the audiobook narrated by two of my favorite narrators, Brittany Pressley, and Xe Sands, for an engaging performance, making the characters come alive in this riveting psychological suspense.
Recs...
THE DOLLHOUSE ACADEMY is a must-read for fans of dark academia, psychological suspense, and the price of fame.
Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBppls
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Date: Feb 11, 2025
Praise
A Most Anticipated Book (Town & Country, Beyond the Bookends, BookBub, The Nerd Daily)
“Consider this twisty novel dark academia meets the dark side of entertainment―with plenty of references to Hollywood's Golden Age and the studio system.”
―Town & Country
“This book blew my mind.”
―CrimeReads
“If you enjoy dark twists of academia, slight edge of mystery, and lessons that characters learn, I highly recommend reading this…Kept me hooked until the very last page.”
―The Gloss
“Deliciously sensational…What could be more fun? As if the wives of Stepford went to the Valley of the Dolls.”
―Kirkus
“Exceptionally inventive…Hints of Valley of the Dolls, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and of course Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House linger as the twisted entrapment of enviable, must-have fame is chillingly revealed…Superstars and wannabes reveal the impossible price of fame in this wildly inventive, convincingly plausible takedown of the entertainment industry.”
―ShelfAwareness
“[A] frothy, 1990s-set thriller…Twisted fun…A darkly enjoyable takedown of the entertainment industry.”
―Publishers Weekly
“Blending elements of various familiar stories like Fame, The Stepford Wives, Valley of The Dolls, and Stranger Things, Montimore explores the tensions between celebrity and privacy, performance and reality, memory and inspiration. Fans…will appreciate this book's intrigue and ripped-from-the-headlines feel.”
―Booklist
“Montimore does it again! This time she sets her sights on female friendship, creating a protagonist we can’t help but feel for. Add in a shadowy entertainment school-slash-studio, a headmistress with a god complex, plus a star desperate to escape, and you have all the ingredients for an unputdownable novel. The Dollhouse Academy manages to be both dark and feel-good, a story that demands your attention.”
―Stephanie Wrobel, bestselling author of Darling Rose Gold and The Hitchcock Hotel
"Imagine the juiciest pop princess documentary crossed with the darkest David Lynch fever dream, and you’ll get some idea what Montimore’s smart, surreal new novel The Dollhouse Academy has in store. But as she masterfully shines a spotlight on everything from the costs of fame, to competitive female friendships, to the pleasures and perils of commodifying yourself, believe me: you have no idea where this wild ride is headed, and you’ll never look at your favorite celebs the same way again."
― Layne Fargo, author of They Never Learn and The Favorites
“The Dollhouse Academy will change the way you think about fame forever. Margarita Montimore’s wildly creative novel is a page-turner full of surprising twists, vivid details, and characters worth rooting for.”
―Laura Hankin, author of The Daydreams
About the Author
photo credit: David Swanson
Margarita Montimore is the author of The Dollhouse Academy, Asleep from Day, Acts of Violet, and Oona Out of Order, a USA Today bestseller and Good Morning America Book Club pick.
After receiving a BFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College, she worked for over a decade in publishing and social media before focusing on the writing dream full-time. Born in Soviet Ukraine and raised in Brooklyn, she currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and dog. WEBSITE
