The Marvelous

by Claire Kann

Overview

From the author of Let’s Talk About Love and If It Makes You Happy, this exuberant YA novel follows six teens locked together in a mansion, contending for a life-changing cash prize in a competition run by a reclusive heiress.

Everyone thinks they know Jewel Van Hanen. Heiress turned actress turned social media darling who created the massively popular video-sharing app, Golden Rule.

After mysteriously disappearing for a year, Jewel makes her dramatic return with an announcement: she has chosen a few lucky Golden Rule users to spend an unforgettable weekend at her private estate. But once they arrive, Jewel ingeniously flips the script: the guests are now players in an elaborate estate-wide game. And she’s tailored every challenge and obstacle to test whether they have what it takes to win—at any cost.

Told from the perspective of three dazzling players—Nicole: the new queen of Golden Rule; Luna: Jewel’s biggest fan; and Stella: a brilliant outsider—this novel will charm its way into your heart and keep you guessing how it all ends because money isn’t the only thing at stake.

Praise for Let's Talk About Love:

"This book is so charming and funny and bighearted. ... I recommend this one for fans of Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl and Sandhya Menon's When Dimple Met Rishi." —Becky Albertalli, author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

"Claire Kann makes an admirable debut with this milestone for ace visibility." —Entertainment Weekly

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250833136
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	06/07/2022
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	1,127,651
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Claire Kann is the author of Let’s Talk About Love and If It Makes You Happy, as well as an award-winning online storyteller. In her other life, she works for a nonprofit that you may have heard of where she daydreams like she’s paid to do it.

Editorial Reviews

05/10/2021

Kann (If It Makes You Happy) delivers a high-concept escape room drama featuring a variously inclusive cast. Light-skinned socialite turned app developer Jewel Van Hanen, who is biracial (Black and white), returns from a yearlong hiatus from her app, Golden Rule, to invite six app users on a mysterious all-expenses-paid getaway called Golden Weekend. Among them is Luna, a half-Black, half-white superfan, 15, who is obsessed with unlocking the meaning behind everything Jewel does; “Black and female and fat” aspiring actor and Golden Rule superstar Nicole, who attends under coercion; and brown-skinned, micro-locced Stella, a Golden Rule newbie whose invite carries much more enigmatic motives. Arriving at Jewel’s vast estate, they’re invited to play The Cruelest Jewel, in which they must complete a series of tasks for a chance at being one of two winners of $500,000. After a slow start, the high-stakes contest picks up speed, intertwining mystery with engaging character interactions. The resolution feels muddled, but usernames make the online aspect feel real, and a confounding 11th-hour mystery and plenty of found family goodness—paired with a vibrantly described setting and clever gameplay—will excite. Ages 13–up. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"Kann’s latest includes mystery, adventure, romance, and plenty of sarcasm, along with messages of acceptance, friendship, sisterhood, and growth among the diverse cast. Readers will be enthralled by both the characters and the competition in this funny and enticing mystery."
—Booklist

“A rollercoaster ride that I didn’t want to end! Claire Kann is a devious mastermind.”
—Brittney Morris, author of Slay

“A riveting page-turner . . . You can’t just read The Marvelous, you have to play the game. An unputdownable delight.”
—Dana Mele, author of People Like Us

“A fantastic read . . . Witty and full of heart!”
—Ashley Poston, author of the national best-selling Once Upon a Con series

“A twisty, smartly written adventure . . . The Westing Game meets Ready Player One.”
—Vicky Skinner, author of All Our Worst Ideas

“Kann gives readers characters who are full and alive, and a scavenger hunt you can’t wait for them to solve.
I was hooked from page one.”
—Samantha M. Clark, author of The Boy, the Boat, and the Beast

"A page turning romp that turns Willy Wonka into a cautionary tale full of witty banter, dark secrets and cryptic clues, The Marvelous will keep you guessing until the very end."
—Kelly deVos, author of Fat Girl on a Plane and Eat Your Heart Out

“A delightful adventure led by dynamic characters that leap off the page and into your heart.”
—Rachel Strolle, Teen Services Coordinator, Glenside Public Library District

From the Publisher

06/01/2021

Gr 8 Up—Jewel van Hanen, elusive creator of the popular Golden Rule app (think TikTok, but with longer, diary-style videos), has returned from a yearlong absence with an exciting announcement. She is inviting four lucky Golden Rule users to spend an exclusive weekend at her expansive estate. When the players arrive, instead of a weekend of luxury, they find themselves in a grueling competition that pits them against each other and leaves several on the brink of insanity. Readers will be on the edge of their seat to see who wins the $500,000 prize—and as the challenges grow ever more horrifying, if it's worth what it takes to win it. Though Kann builds anticipation throughout the novel, the ending is a bit of a letdown. This fast-paced story utilizes frequent perspective changes among three narrators, which may be confusing for some readers, especially when trying to reconcile characters with their oft-referenced Golden Rule personas. The three narrators and Jewel are Black and the story includes queer representation. VERDICT With a premise that's a mixture of Ernest Cline's Ready Player One and Jennifer Lynn Barnes's The Inheritance Games, this will be an easy sell to readers looking for a suspenseful story.—Mary Kamela, Kenmore West H.S., Buffalo, NY

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