Rites of Spring (Break) by Diana Peterfreund

What Amy Haskel thought would be her best (and last) year at prestigious Eli University has been crazier than she could have ever imagined. After being tapped into the uber-secret Rose & Grave secret society she's dealt with:

1. disgruntled patriarchs who think adding girls to the society will be it's downfall

2. fellow society brothers who have no qualms about publishing society secrets; breaking several oaths in the process

So Amy hasn't exactly had much breathing room or time to work on her thesis for that matter. By the time Spring Break rolls around, Amy is more than ready for some R&R at the private Rose & Grave island, Cavador Key. Only she's not about to escape the ever-present R&G intrigue including threats of exposure even as she's eyeballing a particular patriarch who is looking less annoying and suddenly ever more appealing. *rubs hands together*

I don’t know why it took me so long to return to the Secret Society Girl series. Sure, I enjoyed reading about Amy’s escapades with her Rose & Grave brothers in Secret Society Girl and Under the Rose, but the previous two books just didn’t grab me in an unforgettable way. Don't get me wrong - both were lots of fun, just not...perfection. I could also attribute my reticence in continuing to the fact that the cover of Rites of Spring (Break) looks suspiciously like a fluffy gossip girl read and I was less than inclined to pick it up on that base alone. Shame on me for judging by the cover and all that nonsense.

And now? Well, after reading about 20 pages of Amy’s story, my backside was so sore from kicking myself that I don’t think I can sit down for a week. Natch. I had forgotten just how intelligent, how layered, and ultimately just how much fun Amy and the crew are. Not to mention the genius inclusion of numerous lists, charts, and footnotes (of all things) right in the middle of the book that, if anything, were enough to make my inner OCD organizer fall madly in love. Who else but Diana Peterfreund could break up one of the hottest scenes(!!) I've read in a long time with Amy's list on why she shouldn't be in said situation and not have me completely put out but actually loving every bit of it? No one else, that's who. So why has it taken me so long to return to Amy, the Diggers and the all-encompassing drama of Eli? I have no idea. But return I did and I couldn’t have been more pleased. And, I hereby confess it will not take me half as long to pick up Tap & Gown.

series reading order:
~ Secret Society Girl - my review
~ Under the Rose - my review
~ Rites of Spring (Break)
~ Tap & Gown

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
Angieville review
Darque review
Fresh Fiction review
Me and My Books review
Teen Book review

book source: purchased