Spindrift by V.C. Andrews

Book Four of the Girls of Spindrift. From the New York Times bestselling author of the Flowers in the Attic and My Sweet Audrina series (now Lifetime movies) continues a haunting new series featuring highly intelligent teenage girls who struggle to survive a specialized high school and find their place in a world that doesn’t understand them.

Such is the burden of being brilliant.

The ivied walls of Spindrift corral the brightest young minds in the country. Through these ancient halls walk geniuses too intelligent to truly fit in amongst their peers back home. For many, these stone walls are an island of sanity in a distrusting world.

Among these students stride a clique of three beautiful girls known as the Supremes—Corliss, Donna, and Mayfair. They rule the school with a well-manicured fist. For Donna and Corliss, this is the only place they’ve felt at home. But Mayfair… Mayfair is different.

One day, Mayfair disappears, after having met a mysterious older man in town only the day before. The three girls snuck into town together, so Donna and Corliss feel responsible. They know that they have to help find her.

But more strongly than their feeling of guilt, one question drives them. They wonder, how could one of the Spindrift geniuses, defined by the logical prowess of their brain, make a decision based purely on the whims of the heart?

The four Girls of Spindrift novellas together form a prequel for Bittersweet Dreams—available now!

Book 4
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆
Spindrift, the fourth installment of the Girls of Spindrift series, as well as the prequel to Bittersweet Dreams (which I have not read yet). The novella cannot be read as a standalone.

In this installment, the novella is shared by our previous narrators: Corliss, Donna, and Mayfair, featuring the aftermath of the events that took place during Mayfair.

Spindrift is a school for those beyond what we would see as geniuses. While they are smarter than most people on the planet, the girls are still subject to the human condition – mistakes, hormones, puberty, emotion, and human nature. The girls have a difficulty rationalizing something that isn't rational – emotions and emotional needs, no matter how highly intuitive they may be.

Mayfair is AWOL, with Corliss and Donna figuring out where she may be, then taking the responsibility for their irresponsible actions.

The novella had a finite feeling – as if it was to be left open-ended.

Just an observation: the prologue and the first chapter are only seconds apart in a linear timeline, so I was unsure why there was a prologue at all. This had me thinking there was a time jump, when it took place the same night and the day after the events taking place in Mayfair, the earlier portions of the novella parallel in time with the ending of Mayfair. While the epilogue is an indeterminate time in the future, there being a prologue made zero sense and gave me confusion on determining the timeline.

Recommended to fans of the author – yes, the earliest novels were written by Virginia Andrews, but her name has become a brand, not a singular identity. While I don't have the info on whether or not it has always been the same author(s) since, I will state the continuity of the writing across this series most certainly feels as if written by a singular author who respects the brand and the voice.

Young Adult age-rating: 12+

Also Available in the Girls of Spindrift Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our Corliss post.

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our Donna post.

Book 3
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our Mayfair post.

One of the most popular authors of all time, V.C. Andrews has been a bestselling phenomenon since the publication of the spellbinding classic Flowers in the Attic. That blockbuster novel began the renowned Dollanganger family saga, which includes Petals on the Wind, If There Be Thorns, Seeds of Yesterday, and Garden of Shadows. Since then, readers have been captivated by more than sixty novels in nearly twenty bestselling series. V.C. Andrews’s novels have sold more than 106 million copies and have been translated into twenty-two foreign languages.

Sadly, V.C. passed away in 1986. She left several unfinished manuscripts and outlines that were completed by Andrew Neiderman.

Connect with V.C.

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Spindrift (Girls of Spindrift #4) by V.C. Andrews to read and review.

Mayfair by V.C. Andrews

Book Three of the Girls of Spindrift. From the New York Times bestselling author of the Flowers in the Attic and My Sweet Audrina series (now Lifetime movies) continues a haunting new series featuring highly intelligent teenage girls who struggle to survive a specialized high school and find their place in a world that doesn’t understand them.

Such is the burden of being brilliant.

Mayfair arrives at Spindrift School, and quickly begins to feel its walls are a prison, its teachers her wardens. Having become best friends with Corliss and Donna, the three of them become the de facto It Girls of Spindrift; the other students call them the Supremes—and not for their singing talents.

Jogging the grounds of Spindrift one day, the girls notices a hole in the fence leading to the nearby town that the students are never permitted to visit. Gathering up their nerve for an off-campus excursion, they venture to a local bar, and into the presence of a man Mayfair becomes enchanted by. Thrilling and new, this affair of the heart is the opposite of the rigorous study Spindrift demands of its pupils. And so for this ultra-smart girl, the question becomes: which is smarter, which brings more self-satisfaction, the path of the brain, or the wilds of the heart?

The four Girls of Spindrift novellas together form a prequel for Bittersweet Dreams—available now!

Book 3
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆
Mayfair is the third installment in the Girls of Spindrift series, as well as the sequel to the full-length novel Bittersweet Dreams. I recommend against reading as a standalone. Corliss, Donna, then Mayfair.

I rated the first two much higher, and I do believe that is in part due to the fact that Corliss and Donna began before the girls arrived at Spindrift, allowing the reader to forge an emotional connection with the characters, as well as weaving an air of mystery to Spindrift. Mayfair begins while at Spindrift, with a major event 'told' not shown, and this created an emotional disconnect between me and the narrator.

The residents of Spindrift take being geniuses to a whole new level, beyond the range of what an average, everyday person could even contemplate. This almost detached emotional state is difficult to connect to for the reader, at least it was for me.

I enjoyed watching the struggle unfold for the girls as they tried to assimilate back into the population – however, I felt it rather vapid, as if there is no in between. You're either beyond genius or only enjoy shopping and the mall, with no in between.

Overall, I just felt for someone so intelligent, every thought and action was emotionally and mentally stunted at the age of 10 or 12, which made for a difficult read for me.

While this was a quick read, and did fit into the series as a whole, I never connected, didn't truly feel entertained, and never connected to the story or the narrator. With such an original premise surrounding Spindrift, I'm unsure why Mayfair and what she told within her story was a focal point in the first place. With a beginning told (not shown), a dry middle, and it ended before I felt it began, what was or was to come would have been a more interesting focal point to read about instead of what was on the pages.

Recommended to fans of VC Andrews and this series.


Sarah – ☆☆☆
Finally! The girls get to Spindrift! Mayfair’s book starts once all three girls have settled in to Spindrift and formed a friendship of sorts. In a school full of socially awkward geniuses, the three beautiful young women are called the Supremes.

After wading through the first two novellas, I think I was hoping for something more once the girls got to Spindrift. And while we do get a sense of the physicality of the secure school facility, the secrets behind Spindrift are still merely hinted at.

Mayfair’s book somehow manages to spiral into something that almost resembles a romance. She might be a genius, but Mayfair’s decisions seem fairly stupid and her reactions are those of a defiant and somewhat spoiled rich kid. Mayfair isn’t a terribly likeable character. She is as smug as Corliss and Donna, but she also comes across as vain and shallow.

I really haven’t enjoyed the style of the writing in these three prequels. I don’t need my characters to be likeable – I quite enjoy a good antihero or an unreliable narrator – but I really couldn’t engage with any of the three girls and I found the painfully slow build of the story arc incredibly frustrating.

Also Available in the Girls of Spindrift Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our Corliss post.

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our Donna post.

One of the most popular authors of all time, V.C. Andrews has been a bestselling phenomenon since the publication of the spellbinding classic Flowers in the Attic. That blockbuster novel began the renowned Dollanganger family saga, which includes Petals on the Wind, If There Be Thorns, Seeds of Yesterday, and Garden of Shadows. Since then, readers have been captivated by more than sixty novels in nearly twenty bestselling series. V.C. Andrews’s novels have sold more than 106 million copies and have been translated into twenty-two foreign languages.

Sadly, V.C. passed away in 1986. She left several unfinished manuscripts and outlines that were completed by Andrew Neiderman.

Connect with V.C.

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Mayfair (Girls of Spindrift #3) by V.C. Andrews to read and review.

Donna by V.C. Andrews

Book Two of the Girls of Spindrift. From the New York Times bestselling author of the Flowers in the Attic and My Sweet Audrina series, now Lifetime movies, continues a haunting new series featuring highly intelligent teenage girls who struggle to survive a specialized high school and find their place in a world that doesn’t understand them.

Such is the burden of being brilliant.

Being gifted is not something Donna ever wanted. It’s difficult enough to have a Latino father and Irish mother, and her genius only separates her even more from the other girls. They don’t say it, but they blame her for everything that goes wrong, just because she’s different.

And on the precise day she tries her hardest to fit in, everything turns out a disaster. A fight breaks out, and somehow Donna ends up in the middle. It’s not her fault, but it’s her word against theirs, and this time, the other girls aren’t going to stay quiet. The only solution might be to escape to the mysterious school her counselor is telling her about: Spindrift.

The four Girls of Spindrift novellas together form a prequel for Bittersweet Dreams—available now!

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆☆
5 Gimme More stars

Reading Donna on the heels of Corliss added to the overall experience. Donna's introduction flowed more smoothly with the added information from the first serial in the prequels.

Donna is other. That's the only way to describe it. Her mind works so differently than what society calls the norm, that there is no gauge of understanding. Legally obligated to go to school, Donna does independent study all day in a private room in the library, in what used to be the in-school suspension room (from what I gathered). She is more removed from her peers than Corliss was in this regard, as she goes all day without interacting with anyone.

Added to her otherness is the fact that she is mixed heritage – a Latina with an Irish mother. Not only is she fighting the fact that she doesn't have the foundation most teenagers do with their peer group – friends and classmates – she's not enough of either heritage to fit in, and is bullied because of it. Donna's classmates think she feels above them, but she doesn't. Her intelligence is a cross she bears – a curse.

Donna has a friend/savior/guy who wants to date her. He's sweet and genuine, and I felt the emotions Donna portrayed realistic and not at all forced in so few pages. But, for Donna, there is a war waging between her mind and her heart. With an intellect so powerful, emotions confuse the teenage girl. Emotions aren't rational. Love can't be measured. In this prequel, that was a powerful message.

Life changes quickly in the blink of an eye, and this is no different for Donna. I was pleased that the reader was able to visit Spindrift for a few pages, as well as see Corliss there.

At the end, the overall emotion I am feeling is gimme more. But the other two serials aren't available, and it's going to take all of my self-restraint not to purchase Bittersweet Dreams, which is the full-length novel these four prequels are based upon. I will be patient. I will wait. I will read the prequels first for optimum reading fulfillment. Maybe.

Young Adult Age-Range: 12+ Kissing and violence.

Also Available in the Girls of Spindrift Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our Corliss post.

One of the most popular authors of all time, V.C. Andrews has been a bestselling phenomenon since the publication of the spellbinding classic Flowers in the Attic. That blockbuster novel began the renowned Dollanganger family saga, which includes Petals on the Wind, If There Be Thorns, Seeds of Yesterday, and Garden of Shadows. Since then, readers have been captivated by more than sixty novels in nearly twenty bestselling series. V.C. Andrews’s novels have sold more than 106 million copies and have been translated into twenty-two foreign languages.

Sadly, V.C. passed away in 1986. She left several unfinished manuscripts and outlines that were completed by Andrew Neiderman.

Connect with V.C.

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Additional Details & Rules

The winner will be contacted by the Reply feature via their comment on the blog. So make sure that you click the Notify Me box BEFORE you publish your comment. This will insure that you are sent an email when a reply is left on your comment.

The winner MUST contact Wicked Reads by August 22nd.

Because the winner's name must be submitted to the publisher by August 25th, failure by the winner to submit their requested info by August 22nd will result in an alternate winner being chosen on August 23rd.

This giveaway is sponsored by the publisher, so once the winner's info is submitted, Wicked Reads is no longer responsible for the giveaway.

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Donna (Girls of Spindrift #2) by V.C. Andrews to read and review.

Corliss by V.C. Andrews

Book One of the Girls of Spindrift. From the New York Times bestselling author of the Flowers in the Attic and My Sweet Audrina series, now Lifetime movies, here begins a haunting new series featuring highly intelligent teenage girls who struggle to survive a specialized high school and find their place in a world that doesn’t understand them.

Such is the burden of being brilliant.

Corliss is not like the other girls at her Los Angeles high school. Incredibly intelligent, shy, and a loner, she has difficultly in fitting in. What’s worse, a clique of girls is out to get her because she’s not down with their games.

On the night of a school party, her refusal to take drugs with the girls leads them to take matters into their own hands—spiking her drink. Quickly, Corliss’s entire life is turned upside down and no one—not even the handsome valedictorian who had agreed to go out with her—looks at her the same way. Just when she’s wondering if she’ll be able to return to her high school, someone mentions a new place: Spindrift. Could that be her way out?

Note: The four Girls of Spindrift e-novellas together form a prequel for Bittersweet Dreams—available now!

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆
4.5 Intrigued stars.

Instead of a short-story, I'd call this a serial.

To be honest, as an old-school V.C. Andrews fan, I wasn't sure what to expect, as I stopped reading the ghost-written books about a decade or so ago. I began reading V.C. Andrews in the late 80s, early 90s when I was about 10 years old. When the opportunity arose to read this series, as well as after checking out the blurb, I honestly went into reading thinking I would be disappointed. I know that sounds odd, but I think that actually was a help, not a detriment, as I thoroughly enjoyed Corliss.

Corliss was a very short introduction to Corliss, our narrator. Four character introductions, showing events leading up to their admittance into Spindrift, tying into the full-length novel, Bittersweet Dreams.

Corliss is a genius, a teenage Temperance Brennan (Bones). She's highly intelligent, cerebral to the point she has a difficult time interacting with her peers, making friends, or dealing with her family. Her mind works on a different wavelength than normal folks. Her narration made it difficult to connect at first, but after I realized her characterization, it made it much easier.

Corliss doesn't have any girl friends – she's too smart, risk-assessment, and she is also beautiful. A self-admitted Beyoncé. Since she and her family are poor, she's at a public school that is barely teaching its students as it is, let alone the brightest of the bright. Corliss isn't 'smart,, like how we mean when we say genius – it has another meaning entirely.

She's struggling, because in order to get a college acceptance, where they want well-rounded academics, she has to take care of her younger siblings instead of engaging in extracurricular activities, which also puts a divide between her and her peers.

After something horrific (the event gave me gut-twisting feels), Corliss is set adrift farther than before, so when the opportunity arises for a different life, she takes it with both hands, even with the guilt of leaving a family who doesn't understand her behind.

Corliss' introduction left me wanting more, eager to read Donna to see how the next narrator ends up at Spindrift, and is making me feel anticipatory for when the girls finally make it to the school. No doubt, in true V.C. Andrews fashion, nothing good will come from where they will end up.

I cannot wait to read more. I'm seriously surprised.

Recommended to fans of V.C. Andrews, readers who enjoy young-adult-aged characters, and those who love twisty, gut-twisting thrills.

Gorgeous cover.

Young Adult age-range: 14+ due to drug-use, bullying, and sexual situations.

One of the most popular authors of all time, V.C. Andrews has been a bestselling phenomenon since the publication of the spellbinding classic Flowers in the Attic. That blockbuster novel began the renowned Dollanganger family saga, which includes Petals on the Wind, If There Be Thorns, Seeds of Yesterday, and Garden of Shadows. Since then, readers have been captivated by more than sixty novels in nearly twenty bestselling series. V.C. Andrews’s novels have sold more than 106 million copies and have been translated into twenty-two foreign languages.

Sadly, V.C. passed away in 1986. She left several unfinished manuscripts and outlines that were completed by Andrew Neiderman.

Connect with V.C.

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Corliss (Girls of Spindrift #1) by V.C. Andrews to read and review.