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Con Academy
Con Academy
Con Academy
Audiobook6 hours

Con Academy

Written by Joe Schreiber

Narrated by Michael Hinton

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this audiobook

It's his senior year, and Will Shea has conned his way into one of the country's most elite prep schools. But he soon runs into Andrea, a fellow con artist. With the school not big enough for the both of them, they make a bet that whoever can con Brandt Rush, the richest, most privileged student in the school, out of $50,000 gets to stay at the school. Will starts setting up his con (an online poker scam) with his uncle, who's one of the best grifters in the business, and with the unwanted help of his father. The plot thickens as Will starts falling for fellow student Gatsby, and some of Will's lies start to catch up with him.

In this twisty tale of scams, secrets, lies, and deception, it's hard to figure out who's conning who.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateAug 4, 2015
ISBN9781494584696
Author

Joe Schreiber

JOE SCHREIBER is the New York Times bestselling author of adult novels Death Troopers, Chasing the Dead, and Eat the Dark. His other novels for young people include, the critically acclaimed Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick, Perry's Killer Playlist, and Lenny Cyrus, School Virus. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and children.

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Reviews for Con Academy

Rating: 3.357142875 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

28 ratings6 reviews

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Thanks to goodreads and the publisher for a free copy of this book!

    I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading Con Academy, but this was such a fun read. The book grabbed me from the first chapter (as in, I started to roll my eyes at the main character... and then abruptly stopped, did a double take, and got really into it).

    The pace of the story was fantastic. I loved watching the plot unfold, seeing the various cons play out, and trying to guess when different characters and pieces of information would come into play.

    The book almost reminded me of the Curseworkers series by Holly Black... only in a more realistic setting, obviously. All in all, this was a really well-done, well-thought-out book about a teenage con artist.

    Oh, and Gatsby? Is my favourite secondary character I've come across in a long time. If Joe Schreiber ever decides to give her a book of her own, I will be first in line to buy it.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Apparently this author's prior YA novels have been highly praised by no less than the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; one of the jacket blurbs described the reading experience as akin to diving headfirst into an ocean of Red Bull. With accolades like that, how could I go wrong?

    Well, I should have remembered that I don't particularly like Red Bull, even in its recommended dosage.

    There were a LOT of plot holes and bits that required more suspension of disbelief than I could muster. And even if I bought into the story, the text was overrun with overwrought metaphors and similes.

    Two examples from the very first chapter: Steam from his Connaughton Academy coffee cup floats above his head like an empty thought bubble.I shift my food around on my plate, forming complex algebraic equations with my asparagus and potatoes.
    Mostly, this book just tried way too hard in some ways and not nearly enough in others. I can imagine it as a reasonably successful teenage caper film (maybe an ersatz Matchstick Men), but as a book, it just didn't satisfy me--in fact, it left me feeling a little disgusted with myself. But maybe that's how one should feel after diving into an ocean of Red Bull, anyway.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Con Academy isn’t a great book but it is a fun, quick mindless read perfect for summer or for when you just want to read something entertaining but not really deep.In this novel, Will Shea is a con artist. He has scammed his way into one of the most prestigious prep schools in the country. At first, he enters Connaughton Academy with the best intentions: receive a diploma from a well-respected school and use that to enter into an Ivy League school and leave behind a life of crime. However, all that changes when he meets fellow student Andrea Dufrense. Andrea is also a scam artist and can spot Will’s con. Once she confronts him the fun begins. In order to stay at the school, Will decides on a contest using their skills as con artist. If he wins, he stays and if she wins he has to go. What follows is an exciting book with bluffs, cons, more cons, revealing secrets and more! I would recommend this book for ages 11 and up for anyone who just wants to relax with a purely fun book.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I picked up a copy of this book because it sounded intriguing. When the book arrived and I read a reference to Ocean's Eleven I got really excited. The Ocean's movies were great. With each movie I would try to figure out the con and how it was pulled off before the reveal at the end of the movie. This book had none of the same cool moments or intrigue as the Ocean's movies. Will and Andrea were fine but neither one made me really cheer for one over the other. Their target was not anyone that I cared for at all. This was supposed to be the point so that as Will and Andrea each were trying to top the other one, me the reader would say that the target got what he deserved. Which by the way I did say this and meant it as well. The con was nothing too elaborate which I was looking forward too. Overall, this book was alright.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I was very interested in this book - thinking that based on the cover it would be about playing cards or some type of that con, but when I read the synopsis I realized that it was much more than that. The book follows a high school boy who happens to con people - he gets into a situation that means that he has to con a big-wig at the fancy school he is attending in order to play out the rest of his life the way he wants it. It was a pretty great book too. The main character is believable as a kid who is trying to escape his real life and obtain another, and a lot of the high school drama is fairly realistic too, although blown out of proportion for this wealthy high school population. The characters were easy to follow and the plot was very good and I expected a twist of an ending but nothing like what happened and it was great and I could think back to bit where the new ending made SO much more sense.There were only a few points that I was like '...ehhhh...' about but I don't want to go into detail because it would spoil some huge plot points. Overall this was a fun read and I am so happy to have experienced it. I am passing this one along to my husband to read, I think he will enjoy it too.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Con Academy by Joe SchreiberThis writer also wrote Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick and its sequel. This novel has more depth but still is just fun.Will Shea grew up learning how to con people. Both of his parents were cons as are his extended family. Will decides he wants to go to school, so he cons the school into accepting him. He comes up with a sad story of his dead missionary parents from an obscure island. Everyone believes him except Andrea. Andrea conned the school into admitting her as well with a sad story. Will and Andrea decide that they have dirt on each other and can rat each other out, so one needs to leave. They decide that whoever can con one student of $10,000 wins. The loser must leave.The problem is that the student Will chooses is Brandt Rush. The Rush family is ridiculously wealthy. Brandt has millions of dollars he’s given to trade on the stock market to learn how it works. Not only is he incredibly intelligent, but he is also horribly mean. Andrea and Will have their work cut out for them.You’ll find this novel a page-turner and fun as each con artist gets his/her crew together and tries to win the con. There is a lesson showing that conning people is cruel and wrong, so the cons are not glamorized. Joe Schreiber writes fun novels that could easily be movies. If you need some entertainment, here it is!