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Published Feb 2021
400 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
The perfect book club read with a suspenseful bite - when it comes to their daughters' future, three women are about to discover if there are any lines not worth crossing...
College admissions season at Seattle's Elliott Bay Academy is marked by glowing acceptances from top-tier institutions and students as impressive as their parents are ambitious. But when Stanford alerts the school it's allotting only one spot to EBA for their incoming class, three mothers discover the competition is more cutthroat than they could have imagined.
Tech giant Alicia turns to her fortune and status to fight for her reluctant daughter's place at the top. Kelly, a Stanford alum, leverages her PTA influence and insider knowledge to bulldoze the path for her high-strung daughter. And Maren makes three: single, broke, and ill-equipped to battle the elite school community aligning to bring her superstar down.
That's when, days before applications are due, one of the girls suffers a near-fatal accident, one that doesn't appear to be an accident at all.
As the community spirals out of control, three women will have to decide what lines they're willing to cross to secure their daughters' futures...and keep buried the secrets that threaten to destroy far more than just college dreams.
For readers of The Gifted School, Girls with Bright Futures combines the college admissions scandal with the edge of Big Little Lies, the snark of Class Mom, and the schadenfreude of watching the elite implode.
"[A] shrewd comedy of manners...The exhilarating narrative speeds along to a satisfying conclusion. This is an unputdownable morality tale for our times." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Whether or not it was inspired by a 2019 scandal involving prominent business figures and celebrity parents, it's similarly compelling. Fans of mother/daughter relationship novels won't want to miss this fast-paced take on mama bears and the cubs they will do anything to protect." - Library Journal (starred review)
"Dobmeier and Katzman deftly capture the madness of college admissions season...Operation Varsity Blues lurks behind this bracingly vicious portrait of entitlement." - Kirkus Reviews
"Dobmeier and Katzman's timely debut piles twist upon twist and illuminates the many ways young people serve as stand-ins for their parents' dreams of success (and their fear of failure). Fans of domestic suspense about rich people behaving badly-and readers who couldn't look away from the Varsity Blues college-admissions scandal-will devour this one." - Booklist
"Elegantly plotted and quick-paced...Girls with Bright Futures expertly contends with the nuances of meritocracy through its sharp comedic voice, creating a deeply poignant and pleasurable reading experience." - The Columbia Review
"A scintillating deep dive into a college admissions scandal and the terrifying lengths parents will go to in securing their children's futures. Propulsive and shocking." - Robyn Harding, international bestselling author of The Party
"Girls With Bright Futures is a dark and wild trip into the cutthroat world of college admissions, placing vicious, out-of-control parents under a harsh and unforgiving light. Dobmeier and Katzman have cranked up the volume on Varsity Blues-type scandals in this gripping novel packed full of escalating surprises." - Amy Poeppel, author of Small Admissions and Musical Chairs
"Wickedly paced and devilishly clever, Girls with Bright Futures is a serious case of moms behaving badly, perfectly showcasing the dark side of ambition in the cut-throat world of elite college admissions. For those who enjoy mischief and mayhem in an urban, ultra-competitive private school setting, this smart and riveting debut is a wildly entertaining read." - Christina McDonald, USA Today bestselling author of Behind Every Lie and The Night Olivia Fell
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After supporting each other through two decades of motherhood, Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman thought: "Let's write a book and really test the friendship." Several years later their friendship is not only still intact, but they would even go so far as to grade it an A+. With such a perfect GPA, maybe they should apply to Stanford? Just kidding! They would never leave Seattle where they live (not together, though it often feels that way) with their husbands, pets, and last remaining school-age kiddo.
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