The Dean’s List by Rachel Van Dyken-review tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 23, 2026

She spent seven years mourning him.
He spent seven years hating her.
Neither of them knows they’re hunting the same secret.
They call it the Dean’s List.
Not because of grades.
Because of sins.
At Brighton University, someone keeps a ledger of the powerful. Professors. Legacy families. Future politicians. Every affair, bribe, betrayal, and crime is carefully collected, waiting for the perfect moment to destroy the people responsible.
Delilah Quinn wants nothing to do with it. She changed her name, rebuilt her life, and has one year left before she can finally leave her past behind.
Then Jude Mercer walks back into her life.
The boy she loved.
The boy she buried.
The boy who knows exactly who she is.
Jude spent years paying for a crime he didn’t commit, convinced Delilah betrayed him. Now he’s back, determined to uncover the truth and make everyone responsible suffer.Especially her.
But revenge gets complicated when old feelings refuse to stay dead, and the deeper they dig into the Dean’s List, the more they realize the ledger isn’t exposing strangers.It’s exposing their families.
Someone has been waiting for them to come home.Someone knows what really happened seven years ago.And if the Dean’s List finally comes to light it won’t just ruin lives. It could end them.
And this time, losing each other might be the one thing Jude and Lilah can’t survive.

•••••

REVIEW:THE DEAN’S LIST is the first instalment in Rachel Van Dyken’s contemporary, new adult, dark, academia romance series. This is twenty -three year olds Delilah ‘Lilah’ Quinn, and Jude Hale’s story line.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Jude and Lilah) using present day and memories from the past, THE DEAN’S LIST focuses on the acrimonious relationship between our story line couple. Jude and Lilah were high school sweethearts but Jude was sent to prison for a crime he did not commit, and Delilah believed the boy that she loved had died before she was able to say goodbye. Fast forward seven years, Delilah is heading into her last semester in college but a scandal is about set into motion a series of events that brings Lilah up close and personal with her past. Jude Mercer is alive and well, and determined to destroy our heroine in the process but as Lilah begins to fall down the proverbial rabbit hole, secrets revealed take on a whole new meaning to what was and what will never be.

The world building is complex and detailed as years of betrayals begin to unfold. The notorious ‘Dean’s List’ becomes the topic of gossip and fodder but the contents enclosed are not what anyone suspected. As the campus begins to spiral, Jude and Lilah are determined to expose the people involved.

The relationship between Delilah and Jude is a second chance romance; a rekindling friendship that barely survives the secrets from the past. Jude is determined to destroy the woman he once loved, as Delilah struggles with perceived betrayal and lies that broke her heart. There are no $ex scenes.

The secondary and supporting characters are questionable, controversial, and intimidating. We are introduced to Jude’s cousin Axel, Delilah’s friend Charlie, as well as Jude’s father Edmond Hale, and Delilah’s father, and professor Evans.

THE DEAN’S LIST is a thought provoking story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, power and control; dysfunctional family values, redemption and forgiveness. The premise is haunting, edgy and dramatic; the characters are broken, tragic and impassioned. THE DEAN’S LIST ends on a bit of a cliff-hanger, you have been warned.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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To learn more about Rachel & her books, visit here!

Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.

She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!