Meet the most relatable book of the year for high school seniors. Jon Hart, author of Man vs. Ball, dropped his first YA novel in early 2022.

Party School follows the quirky, Holden Caulfield-esq, Dylan Mills as he embarks on a slightly uncomfortable, but always humorous freshman year of college. 

Mills grapples with his inability to attend an elite “it” school like his girlfriend, Rosemary. As the young couple is forced to part ways, Mills begins to grow fond of his new (party) school, NorthSouth. It is there that he discovers new friends, and what it’s like to be a college student. 

Mills’s world is peculiar. His parents are divorced (but happier than ever), he doesn’t have a driver’s license (but the bus is his best friend), and his entire room is lavender (and he’ll defend that color choice). 

Throughout his freshman year, Mills goes back and forth between missing Rosemary and embracing his newfound independence. However, when Rosemary’s unfaithfulness (and her college admissions scandal) is unearthed, Dylan Mills is forced to make some difficult decisions. 

Hart’s fresh new book contains both witty humor and a sarcastic undertone but the two blend together well. Party School is full of stereotypical college experiences, unsettling realities, and, well, weed. 

All college bound students will relate to the pressures described in Party School. If you’re applying now, you’ll appreciate the realistic parental overreach, “it” school drama, and mixed emotions that come with leaving home behind.