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The Tournament by Rebecca Barrow

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The Tournament

Rebecca Barrow

Margaret K. McElderry Books · Hardcover · June 17, 2025

Reading lane: Boarding School YA

Three girls with entangled pasts compete for glory in their elite all-girls private school’s annual tournament, putting their survival skills and their relationships to the test, in this young adult thriller that’s “Shakespearean…stunning…dark academia at its finest” ( Publishers Weekly , starred review).

At a Glance

Who It's For

Good for readers who enjoy Boarding School YAGood for readers interested in girlsGood for fans of Young Adult

Book Details

Authors
Rebecca Barrow
Publisher
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published
June 17, 2025
Format
Hardcover
Theme
Boarding School YA · Class & Inequality for Teens
Reading lane
Boarding School YA

Affinity

Publisher Categories

  • YA LGBTQ+

  • Boarding School YA

  • Thrillers & Suspense

About This Book

Three girls with entangled pasts compete for glory in their elite all-girls private school’s annual tournament, putting their survival skills and their relationships to the test, in this young adult thriller that’s “Shakespearean…stunning…dark academia at its finest” ( Publishers Weekly , starred review). Gardner isn’t like other boarding schools. They take in those who’ve been rejected everywhere else, they offer a survival skills class that has students killing and gutting...

Read full description

Three girls with entangled pasts compete for glory in their elite all-girls private school’s annual tournament, putting their survival skills and their relationships to the test, in this young adult thriller that’s “Shakespearean…stunning…dark academia at its finest” ( Publishers Weekly , starred review). Gardner isn’t like other boarding schools. They take in those who’ve been rejected everywhere else, they offer a survival skills class that has students killing and gutting animals, and then there’s the Tournament. A competition available only to seven elite seniors, the Tournament is revered by the entire student body. They’d do almost anything—including completing a series of grueling physical challenges—to win the champion’s cup. And this year, three seniors make the Tournament more cutthroat than ever. Max, the ruthless scholarship student who can’t afford any distractions, not even her ex best friend Nora’s stupid confession of love at the end of last year that ruined everything between them. Nora, who always put herself on the sidelines so Max could have everything she wanted, but might just be ready for center stage now that Max has brutally excised herself from Nora’s life. And Teddy, the transfer who’s on her last chance and will chase any high that can pull her back from the gaping, dark void inside herself that’s always threatening to pull her in. If one of them wants to win, then they can’t let anything—or anybody—get in their way.

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