The Gatekeepers
The Gatekeepers book cover

The Gatekeepers

Hardcover – October 10, 2017

by
Price
$16.00
Format
Hardcover
Pages
464
Publisher
Harlequin Teen
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0373212613
Dimensions
5.88 x 1.51 x 8.54 inches
Weight
1.1 pounds

Description

From School Library Journal Gr 10 Up—North Shore is a seemingly perfect Illinois town; its motto is "We breed excellence." But underneath the porcelain exterior, there are large cracks in the foundation. The suicide rate for teens is one of the highest in the nation, and each kid is under intense pressure to be the absolute best at academics, sports, and extracurricular activities. To ease the tension, many students turn to partying and opioid abuse, which are all too easy to support using their absent millionaire parents' bars and medicine cabinets. New girl Simone is unsettled by the compulsory perfection. She quickly finds solace in new friends. Her rival is Mallory, who is dating the most popular guy in school—until he breaks up with her for Simone. But tragedy rears its ugly head when a beloved student commits suicide, and that event is quickly followed by another. Simone and Mallory are too shattered to be rivals. They create the Gatekeepers Club with the intent to integrate a viable support system into the school to prevent these suicides. A diverse group of teens come together to try to create a positive future. The first half of this best-selling author's YA fiction debut is slow. There is a large cast of characters and alternating perspectives. But as the characters gravitate toward one another, cohesion in the narrative begins to form. This is an adequate read; however, it sometimes lacks the gravitas the subject matter deserves through overuse of inauthentic teen vernacular and underdeveloped characters. VERDICT Recommended as an additional purchase, especially for libraries looking to expand their mental health collections.—Melanie Leivers, Palm Beach Country Library System, FL JEN LANCASTER is a New York Times bestselling author who has sold well over a million books. From Bitter Is the New Black to The Tao of Martha , Jen has made a career out of documenting her attempts to shape up, grow up and have it all―sometimes with disastrous results. Her novel Here I Go Again received three starred reviews ( Kirkus Reviews , Booklist and Publishers Weekly ). Her memoir I Regret Nothing was named an Amazon Best Book of the Year, and she’s regularly a finalist in the Goodreads Choice Awards.Jen has appeared on The Today Show, as well as CBS This Morning , Fox News , NPR All Things Considered and The Joy Behar Show , among others. She lives in Chicago with her husband and her many dogs and cats. Visit her website, jenlancaster.com, and find her on Twitter, @altgeldshrugged.

Features & Highlights

  • “How could we know that forever could end at seventeen?”
  • Anyone passing through North Shore, Illinois, would think it was the most picture-perfect place ever, with all the lakefront mansions and manicured hedges and iron gates. No one talks about the fact that the brilliant, talented kids in town have a terrible history of throwing themselves in front of commuter trains. Meet Simone, the bohemian transfer student from London, who is thrust into the strange new reality of an American high school; Mallory, the hypercompetitive queen bee; and Stephen, the first-generation genius who struggles with crippling self-doubt. Each one is shocked when a popular classmate takes his own life…except not
  • too
  • shocked. It’s happened before. With so many students facing their own demons, can they find a way to save each other—as well as themselves?

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(173)
★★★★
25%
(72)
★★★
15%
(43)
★★
7%
(20)
★
-7%
(-20)

Most Helpful Reviews

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A Great Piece of Fiction from Jen Lancaster

I love Jen Lancaster's memoirs, but I was a tiny bit hesitant to buy fiction. Turns out, Gatekeepers is FANTASTIC!!! I couldn't stop reading it--and have already shared it with Friends! Totally worth having in "paper" form!
2 people found this helpful
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Serious topic for our serious times

Jen Lancaster's latest novel, her first YA book, wades into some pretty deep waters. The book is set in fictional North Shore, Illinois, a wealthy Chicago suburb where everything is perfect- or at least it would appear that way. The novel is divided into different chapters that follow the lives of several North Shore High School students, Simone, the free spirit transfer student from London; Mallory, the Princeton-bound girl who everyone wants to be like; Stephen, the smart "nerd" whose tiger mom pushes him to be perfect; Kent, Stephen's best friend who genuinely cares about him; Owen, the edgy "bad seed" who smokes pot to take the edge off his harsh reality; Braden, a disillusioned soul who is trying to find his way.

While cliches abound, Lancaster does address the very real topic of teen suicide in a place where perfection is the only perceived option. I appreciate her willingness to address this issue and to make young readers aware of suicide prevention methods. Lancaster was inspired to write the book after several teenagers in her own idyllic neighborhood took their own lives, and she admits that she initially felt powerless. I can respect both her honesty and her willingness to take action in the form of this novel. However, this book definitely needed some editing in places, as the narrators became more and more convoluted towards the end. The characters are interesting, but the plot is a bit cumbersome. Her references were definitely geared more for older readers, and unless young readers routinely watch John Hughes movies or are familiar with vintage hip-hop, I'm not sure that the examples will fly with them.

Lancaster's style definitely lends itself to YA genres. I look forward to reading her next attempt.
2 people found this helpful
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Very Good Young Adult read

The Gatekeepers is set in a wealthy suburb of Chicago. The families in the story are very aware of "keeping up with the Joneses" and making sure the children are the best and the brightest in all of their endeavors, no matter the cost to the children's mental health. The Gatekeepers is the name of a group formed after several teens in the community commit suicide for various reasons - the pressures of keeping up, school, love lives, etc. The subject matter is serious, but Jen Lancaster manages to infuse her humor and wit into the story. Some of the language and expressions used by the teens don't seem to be relatable to 2017. There are a lot of references to 1980's classics - such as The Breakfast Club and 16 Candles, which would seem more relatable to the author's generation. The Gatekeepers does stand out though, because Ms. Lancaster seems to be able to understand the problems suffered by teens through the generations - school, grades, family problems, friendship and parental pressure.
2 people found this helpful
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My favorite of Lancaster's fiction books

My favorite of Lancaster's fiction books. A timely topic addressed in a great way. The only thing that keeps me from giving it an additional star is the dialogue. The dialogue in all Lancaster's fiction books never feels "right" to me. The people's comments are too well thought, too erudite, too something.
1 people found this helpful
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You are not alone

While Jen constantly brings depth and humor (and her particular panache) to each writing project, few before have ever felt this truly raw and heartfelt. This is probably Jen's finest writing to date and a sadly under-appreciated novel - if the lack of folk talking about it in YA circles is any indicator.
The Gatekeepers is a superb, A-List worthy read that promises "you are not alone" and delivers on that promise with every tear-wrenching, thought-provoking moment or perfectly-timed jab.
1 people found this helpful
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Enjoyable story

I love Jen Lancaster's memoirs -- they're filled with a dry wit and biting observations. She uses that writing voice and turns it onto the high-pressure world of privileged teens while also shining a spotlight on teen suicide, which is a main plot point in this novel. While I really enjoyed the voice of this story, I rolled my eyes a bit at the over-use of 80's references. Sure, teens these days are familiar with The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles but they don't usually reference them in day-to-day life. Her portrayal of the north shore of Chicagoland is pretty spot-on, however.
1 people found this helpful
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The Gatekeepers: Lancaster Hits a Home Run With Her First YA Novel

I love Jen Lancasters books which are usually snarky and funny. This book has a little of that, but overall there is a seriousness to this YA novel that her others haven't had. I think Lancaster does a great job of conveying to readers the stress and pressure that many affluent high school students feel as they are expected to be successful and get into a prestigious university.

The obituaries of two students are shared at the beginning of the novel, and as the story progresses more of their stories are revealed. Each chapter is narrated by a different high school student, a writing style I enjoy reading. Simone is the one character new to North Shore High School, having moved in after the two students' deaths. Every narrator has their own way of coping - from excessive exercise and dieting to drinking and prescription pills, these teens are beyond stressed and coping in the only ways they can find.

There are some fantastic references to John Hughes films that may be lost on the YA reader, but I found quite enjoyable. And sadly, I feel like Lancaster has created a pretty realistic portrayal of the high school experience in wealthy communities. I applaud her for tackling an issue as heavy as teen suicide, and enjoyed her first YA novel.

Hopefully Jen Lancaster has added to her fan base with this newest novel.
1 people found this helpful
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It's a great book.

I have been a fan of Jen Lancasters from the beginning. I know that she considers this book a "young adult" novel, but I think it's important for all to read. It's a great book.
1 people found this helpful
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Recommend for adults and teens!

4.5 stars

I have been a long time fan of Jen Lancaster's but for me, her memoirs are where she shines and her fiction novels have been hit or miss for me.

The premise of the novel follows a set of teens who are dealing with a suicide epidemic and each character in turn tells their side of what happens through the course of a year (but predominantly a few months). While this isn't a true story, it's based on true events that have been taking place all over the country.

When I started The Gatekeepers the first couple chapters were almost a bit too much teen-speaky. I know this makes no sense but once you read the novel (and you should!) perhaps you'll understand what I'm trying to say. Either it gets better or I got used to the voice so-to-speak and once I was over that hurdle I flew through the book.

While I feel at times it's a bit too "after school special" (and as a kid I loved the hell out of those so it isn't necessarily a dig) it really does deal with the reality kids are facing now. The alternating viewpoints really show how various kinds of people deal with stress and loss. Some turn inward, some turn to others, some turn to drugs and some give up. It's one of those stories that I think teens need to read to not feel so alone. Heck, as an adult it reminded me how everyone is dealing with something and should be treated with kindness, even if they are outwardly being a jerk.

Overall it was a solid novel and may be one of my favorites of Lancaster's to date.
1 people found this helpful
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Heartbreaking novel with an important message

This is a tough novel to read given the content of teen suicide. Every time I put the book down I felt unsettled and sad about these characters and their lives, which I think shows very effective writing and character development on Lancaster's part. I think Lancaster really portrays that despite your circumstances, everyone can have struggles and difficulties and seeking help to cope with them is paramount.

I love Jen Lancaster's books for adults and I have read several of her YA novels (Here I Go Again is a favorite). This one is a departure from her usual style of snarky commentary of everyday activities that never fails to make me laugh. Several times while reading I had to remember that she wrote this because it is so different from her typical subject matter. I think the fact that she wrote such a gripping and poignant story speaks to her talents as a writer.

I think this is an excellent story that should be shared among teens and adolescents alike. It is probably not suitable for a younger audience given the profanity (and in my hoity-toity rich kid high school in California, we did talk like these kids so don't go saying that teens don't talk like this to each other). Any teen struggling with mental illness or just trying to deal with the pressures of college, homework, a social life and figuring out who you are in the world should read this book. Definitely a five star read.
1 people found this helpful

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