Just Jennifer

Early Decision by Lucy Crawford (William Morrow, August 2014)

Anne, a Princeton and University of Chicago graduate, has found a niche for herself as an admissions coach for rich, privileged children whose parents can afford to offer them an edge over their peers.  Anne’s specialty is guiding the students through their personal essay---no, as she tells Gideon Blanchard, she does not write the essay, but will help Sadie frame what she wants to say and help her showcase her own voice to its best advantage.  As Anne begins working with her students who include a young man whose father isn’t ready to deal with the boy’s sexuality, a boy who might be happier in the wilds of Montana than in a classroom and a young woman who is very eager to attend Duke and has all the right stuff, but not the money nor the clout to even get her foot in the door.  As Anne works with these students and helps them to find not only their voice for their essay but maybe even a place in the world where they might be comfortable for a while, she realizes she has some unsettled things in her life, a nasty upstairs neighbor who hates Anne’s dog for seemingly no reason and Martin, her Hollywood boyfriend who is more wrapped up in his West Coast life than he is with Anne.  As Anne navigates another admission season and another round of parents, she works through her own issues (some of which she wasn’t even aware) and along with her students, sets herself on a new and exciting path.