Sixteen-year-old Devon Mackintosh has always felt like an outsider at Keaton, the prestigious California boarding school perched above the Pacific. As long as she’s not fitting in, Devon figures she might as well pad her application to Stanford’s psych program. So junior year, she decides to become a peer counselor, a de facto therapist for students in crisis. At first, it seems like it will be an easy fly-on-the-wall gig, but her expectations are turned upside down when Jason Hutchins (a.k.a. “Hutch”), one of the Keaton’s most popular students, commits suicide.
Devon dives into her new role providing support for Hutch’s friends, but she’s haunted by her own attachment to him. The two shared an extraordinary night during their first week freshman year; it was the only time at Keaton when she felt like someone else really understood her. As the secrets and confessions pile up in her sessions, Devon comes to a startling conclusion: Hutch couldn't have taken his own life. Bound by her oath of confidentiality—and tortured by her unrequited love—Devon embarks on a solitary mission to get to the bottom of Hutch's death, and the stakes are higher than she ever could have imagined.
Read an excerpt of Escape Theory. http://bit.ly/Yi5DZf
From the Hardcover edition.
Amazon.com Review
One Sweet Pancake Recipe
By Margaux Froley
"Those Nutter Butters are going to need milk." That's the first sentence of my novel, Escape Theory, and for me it was the perfect place to meet freshman Devon Mackintosh. The cookies are the last remnant Devon has to remind her of living at home with her mother when she's newly stranded in this foreign boarding school world. She and her mom used to share the cookies while watching Grey's Anatomy, and her mom joked about "Save one for Derek" in case McDreamy ever happened upon their house one night.
For Devon, not having milk readily available to dunk her cookies like she always did with her mom is a harsh culture shock, but meeting Hutch and taking on this Nutter Butter mission with him is the kind of McDreamy moment her mom always prepared her for. As a legacy student at Keaton, Hutch is already comfortable enough with boarding school to ignore the rules and sneak into the school kitchen at night. What turns into a simple quest for a cold pitcher of milk quickly becomes an overnight adventure Devon will never forget.
For me, pancakes are one of the first things I learned to cook on my own. I used to like making them when I had slumber parties, or getting my mom to make them into fun shapes. Mickey Mouse-shaped pancakes were popular in our household. My brother showed me how to make chocolate-chip pancakes, which blew my mind as an eight year old. In the book, Devon is a girl somewhat stranded at sea. She's homesick, but would never admit it. There's something about Hutch that is so immediately comforting to her, and making pancakes together struck me as just enough of a quirky yet sweet adventure to have together. And of course, you have to add the now-integral Nutter Butters to said pancakes.
In writing the book I don't think I planned on Hutch and Devon making these pancakes. Originally they were just going to share a package of cookies. But, Hutch had other plans. I've never tried Nutter Butter pancakes until about a year ago, after Hutch turned me onto them. But I've played with the recipe ever since, and here's one to try at home:
Hutch's Nutter Butter Pancakes
Mix together:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4-8 Nutter Butter Cookies, crumbled by hand.
Pinch of cinnamon
1tablespoon of peanut butter
1/2 of chocolate chips
Stir until flour and ingredients all mixed, some lumps are okay. Pour into griddle. Cook each side for roughly a minute and a half. Serve with syrup and butter, and of course, a glass of milk. Enjoy.
Review
Praise for *Escape Theory*
"Escape Theory is a riveting psychological journey--Margaux Froley truly nails it. The characters sing on the pages, the mystery leaves you breathless, and the world is spooky but recognizable--you feel like you're in the thick of things with Devon every step of the way. I will never think of Nutter Butters the same again, and I can't wait for the next Keaton School installment!" —Sara Shepard New York Times bestselling author of *Pretty Little Liars
“A sexy, smart, page turner, a must read!” —Octavia Spencer,Academy Award winning star of *The Help*
“Escape Theory kept me up way past curfew, with no regrets.” —Cecily von Ziegesar, #1 New York Times bestselling author of *Gossip Girl
“A suspenseful, psychologically complex drama of teenage angst and sexuality.” —*New York Journal of Books
“This is Froley's first novel and and I can't wait for her to bring another book out. I loved the strong lead characters and finally a teen girl who doesn't give everything up for the perfect guy - Devon's guy is far from it. If you like a mystery, a good teen story or a bunch of very different characters, this is for you.” —*The Guardian “Gossip Girl goes West Coast ...[Devon] opens a Veronica Mars-style investigation that uncovers a web of secrets and lies.” —Justine Magazine
*"A stellar debut.... With a heady mix of mystery and emotional turmoil, Froley gives readers compelling character development." —Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“Froley infuses this story with layered and interesting characters that keep the reader guessing [about].... the super-rich, complicated student body of Keaton School. If this debut novel is any indication of the quality of those to succeed it, the series should have a great following.” —*VOYA*
“Margaux Froley gives the boarding school novel a West Coast twist in this suspenseful and complex mystery.... Readers will be eager to follow Devon's progress.” —TeenReads.com
“Funny, mysterious and a little dangerous...[Escape Theory] is eminently readable and engaging...and has pop culture references that made me smile.” —The Reading Date
“What Froley does magnificently [in Escape Theory] is create a character who without even being present occupies so much space....That takes talent.” —Bibliophilic Monologues “Escape Theory is smart and well-written, with varied characters and an interesting setting.... A great hook for a story, the burning question of whether a connection you made with someone was as meaningful to them as it was to you.” —Reading Is My Superpower
“A modernized Nancy Drew.” —The Tattered Thread "[Escape Theory] presents the dark underbelly of what can happen on a campus filled with entitled, wealthy teens.... a really enjoyable crime novel." —Bibliosaurus Text
“Loved this book.... If you're looking for a fun boarding school book that actually packs a bit of an emotional punch, pick this one up. I really enjoyed it; it's just what I was looking for in a contemporary [read].” —Backstage Book Lover
Description:
Sixteen-year-old Devon Mackintosh has always felt like an outsider at Keaton, the prestigious California boarding school perched above the Pacific. As long as she’s not fitting in, Devon figures she might as well pad her application to Stanford’s psych program. So junior year, she decides to become a peer counselor, a de facto therapist for students in crisis. At first, it seems like it will be an easy fly-on-the-wall gig, but her expectations are turned upside down when Jason Hutchins (a.k.a. “Hutch”), one of the Keaton’s most popular students, commits suicide.
Devon dives into her new role providing support for Hutch’s friends, but she’s haunted by her own attachment to him. The two shared an extraordinary night during their first week freshman year; it was the only time at Keaton when she felt like someone else really understood her. As the secrets and confessions pile up in her sessions, Devon comes to a startling conclusion: Hutch couldn't have taken his own life. Bound by her oath of confidentiality—and tortured by her unrequited love—Devon embarks on a solitary mission to get to the bottom of Hutch's death, and the stakes are higher than she ever could have imagined.
Read an excerpt of Escape Theory. http://bit.ly/Yi5DZf
From the Hardcover edition.
Amazon.com Review
One Sweet Pancake Recipe
By Margaux Froley
"Those Nutter Butters are going to need milk." That's the first sentence of my novel, Escape Theory, and for me it was the perfect place to meet freshman Devon Mackintosh. The cookies are the last remnant Devon has to remind her of living at home with her mother when she's newly stranded in this foreign boarding school world. She and her mom used to share the cookies while watching Grey's Anatomy, and her mom joked about "Save one for Derek" in case McDreamy ever happened upon their house one night.
For Devon, not having milk readily available to dunk her cookies like she always did with her mom is a harsh culture shock, but meeting Hutch and taking on this Nutter Butter mission with him is the kind of McDreamy moment her mom always prepared her for. As a legacy student at Keaton, Hutch is already comfortable enough with boarding school to ignore the rules and sneak into the school kitchen at night. What turns into a simple quest for a cold pitcher of milk quickly becomes an overnight adventure Devon will never forget.
For me, pancakes are one of the first things I learned to cook on my own. I used to like making them when I had slumber parties, or getting my mom to make them into fun shapes. Mickey Mouse-shaped pancakes were popular in our household. My brother showed me how to make chocolate-chip pancakes, which blew my mind as an eight year old. In the book, Devon is a girl somewhat stranded at sea. She's homesick, but would never admit it. There's something about Hutch that is so immediately comforting to her, and making pancakes together struck me as just enough of a quirky yet sweet adventure to have together. And of course, you have to add the now-integral Nutter Butters to said pancakes.
In writing the book I don't think I planned on Hutch and Devon making these pancakes. Originally they were just going to share a package of cookies. But, Hutch had other plans. I've never tried Nutter Butter pancakes until about a year ago, after Hutch turned me onto them. But I've played with the recipe ever since, and here's one to try at home:
Hutch's Nutter Butter Pancakes
Mix together:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4-8 Nutter Butter Cookies, crumbled by hand.
Pinch of cinnamon
1tablespoon of peanut butter
1/2 of chocolate chips
Stir until flour and ingredients all mixed, some lumps are okay. Pour into griddle. Cook each side for roughly a minute and a half. Serve with syrup and butter, and of course, a glass of milk. Enjoy.
Review
Praise for *Escape Theory*
"Escape Theory is a riveting psychological journey--Margaux Froley truly nails it. The characters sing on the pages, the mystery leaves you breathless, and the world is spooky but recognizable--you feel like you're in the thick of things with Devon every step of the way. I will never think of Nutter Butters the same again, and I can't wait for the next Keaton School installment!"
—Sara Shepard New York Times bestselling author of *Pretty Little Liars
“A sexy, smart, page turner, a must read!”
—Octavia Spencer, Academy Award winning star of *The Help*
“Escape Theory kept me up way past curfew, with no regrets.”
—Cecily von Ziegesar, #1 New York Times bestselling author of *Gossip Girl
“A suspenseful, psychologically complex drama of teenage angst and sexuality.”
—*New York Journal of Books
“This is Froley's first novel and and I can't wait for her to bring another book out. I loved the strong lead characters and finally a teen girl who doesn't give everything up for the perfect guy - Devon's guy is far from it. If you like a mystery, a good teen story or a bunch of very different characters, this is for you.”
—*The Guardian
“Gossip Girl goes West Coast ...[Devon] opens a Veronica Mars-style investigation that uncovers a web of secrets and lies.”
—Justine Magazine
*"A stellar debut.... With a heady mix of mystery and emotional turmoil, Froley gives readers compelling character development."
—Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“Froley infuses this story with layered and interesting characters that keep the reader guessing [about].... the super-rich, complicated student body of Keaton School. If this debut novel is any indication of the quality of those to succeed it, the series should have a great following.”
—*VOYA*
“Margaux Froley gives the boarding school novel a West Coast twist in this suspenseful and complex mystery.... Readers will be eager to follow Devon's progress.”
—TeenReads.com
“Funny, mysterious and a little dangerous...[Escape Theory] is eminently readable and engaging...and has pop culture references that made me smile.”
—The Reading Date
“What Froley does magnificently [in Escape Theory] is create a character who without even being present occupies so much space....That takes talent.”
—Bibliophilic Monologues
“Escape Theory is smart and well-written, with varied characters and an interesting setting.... A great hook for a story, the burning question of whether a connection you made with someone was as meaningful to them as it was to you.”
—Reading Is My Superpower
“A modernized Nancy Drew.”
—The Tattered Thread
"[Escape Theory] presents the dark underbelly of what can happen on a campus filled with entitled, wealthy teens.... a really enjoyable crime novel."
—Bibliosaurus Text
“Loved this book.... If you're looking for a fun boarding school book that actually packs a bit of an emotional punch, pick this one up. I really enjoyed it; it's just what I was looking for in a contemporary [read].”
—Backstage Book Lover
From the Hardcover edition.