Dark Academia Meets ‘Gilmore Girls’ In Elin Hilderbrand’s ‘The Academy’ TV Series: What We Know So Far
Plus, the bestselling author details what it was like co-writing this novel with her daughter
Elin Hilderbrand is the undisputed ‘Queen of Beach Reads.’ But her latest novel steps away from the sunshine-soaked shores of Nantucket and into the elite world of a boarding school in idyllic western Massachusetts. Another departure for the bestselling author: She co-wrote the novel with her daughter, Shelby Cunningham, and now it’s getting a TV adaptation.
This news comes on the heels of a slew of other Hilderbrand adaptations, from Netflix’s The Perfect Couple to the upcoming Five-Star Weekend starring Jennifer Garner. If you’re patiently awaiting more info on The Academy TV show or just want to know more about this novel, you’re in the right place! Here, we gathered up everything to know about the in-the-works adaptation, the plot, Elin’s writing process and more!
What is ‘The Academy’ about?
In Hilderbrand’s latest dishy, page-turning book, the plot centers on the lives of students and faculty at an elite high school called Tiffin Academy, located in western Massachusetts. One day, scandalous blind items appear via a gossip-fueled app on phones across campus and chaos ensues. From popular queen bee Simone Bergeron to the young new history teacher Charley Hicks, it appears no one is safe from scandal. As the year continues, friendships begin and end, earth-shattering secrets are told and the lives of Tiffin’s staff and students will never again be the same.
Hilderbrand on pivoting away from beach reads
“Pivoting is always interesting,” she said about The Academy in a post on Instagram. “If you’ve enjoyed my other books, you will like this. I know my people! It features multiple points of view, food, fashion, etc. It’s probably most like The Hotel Nantucket,” Hilderbrand continued. “And it’s not Young Adult. If anything, it might be more adult than my summer novels. There are adult themes and language.” Hilderbrand also answered the question readers are asking: Will there be a sequel? “It is book one of two. Book two, The Thoroughbreds, will be out next September. It will cover senior year…and graduation.”
A couple of months ago, Woman’s World attended Jenna Bush Hager’s Read With Jenna Festival in Nashville, where Hilderbrand was a special guest. When fans asked whether she was “done” with beach reads—which some outlets recently reported—Hilderbrand answered honestly: “I’m not saying I’ll never write another Nantucket book. I have at least two more ideas for books,” she told the audience.
What it was like working with her daughter
“We created all the characters together. We went to dinner on Nantucket, she brought a notepad and we planned everything out,” Hilderbrand said in an interview with Boston.com. “Then I focused more on the student [characters], she did more of the faculty. She edited what I wrote. And I edited everything that she wrote a lot.”
Hilderbrand lives and writes on Nantucket, but she doesn’t use a laptop when penning her stories—at least not at first. “I write everything long-hand, then I type it into my computer and I print it out,” she told the audience at the Read With Jenna festival. “I write on the beach. I’m always writing.”
Everything we know about ‘The Academy’ TV adaptation
Fans of The Academy describe the book as Gossip Girl meets Gilmore Girls in a dark academia setting. Seems like the perfect book-to-screen dream—and Hilderbrand recently confirmed it’s in the works. “This is in development with a major streamer,” Hilderbrand said in an interview with Boston.com. “They’re going to announce it soon. It has a showrunner of a very popular show. So it’s in the works, and we’re very excited.”
The showrunner has not officially been announced, nor has the major streamer, but we’re certainly on the edge of our seats!
Want to read the book before the adaptation? Pick up your copy of The Academy here.
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