Elin Hilderbrand and her daughter Shelby craft their first book together.

When bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand’s daughter, Shelby, enrolled at St. George’s School in Middletown, Rhode Island in the fall of 2021, the last thing either of them expected was to end up writing a novel about the experience. But what started as a daily stream of phone calls filled with tales of high school, quickly became clear that it could easily be the foundation for a new project for both of them. 

Shelby’s original plan to attend freshman year at the prestigious and picturesque school had been derailed by COVID, so she opted to remain close to home at Nantucket High School and settled into her new surroundings in September of 2021. Elin shares, “Shelby would call home several times a day to fill me in on all the drama, and at some point I said to her, ‘We should write a book about all of this.’” Nantucket’s own, Hilderbrand, who has authored over 30 books, and whose novel The Perfect Couple became a Netflix blockbuster series, said her publisher was completely on board and inked them a two-book deal.

While Elin contributes her signature storytelling chops, Shelby provides the heartbeat of the story and lends authenticity, insight, and a fresh point of view that can only come from someone who has lived inside the culture of a modern-day boarding school. Shelby says it wasn’t difficult to fall into an easy routine working alongside her mother, a veteran writer, “We came up with the characters and the overall premise together. I was responsible for writing from the students’ point of view and also provided any cultural references—fashion, music, etc.” From classroom tensions to the overall complicated social web of boarding school life, the stories flowed easily for the pair. 

But let’s be clear—The Academy is not a young adult book.

“I think when people hear ‘boarding school,’ they think it’s for teenagers only. It’s very much an adult novel, in the vein of all of my other novels,” Elin says. The themes are mature, the characters range in age and perspective, and the emotional terrain is layered.

The story takes place at the fictional Tiffin Academy with the main character Charlotte (Charley) Hicks entering as a new student in her junior year. Her outsider status allows her—and the reader—to see the school’s social fabric with fresh eyes. “We also have chapters entitled ‘Tiffin Talks’ where the school as a whole speaks, which allows us an omniscient peek into different people’s minds,” Shelby adds. 

For fans of Hilderbrand’s style of writing, Elin says, “This novel is very similar to The Hotel Nantucket in that it’s universe-building, told from multiple points of view—everyone from Head of School Audre Robinson to the teachers to the chef to the kids and parents.”

Shelby adds: “Our goal is to create an immersive world that the reader can escape to. If you end the book and want more time at Tiffin Academy, then we’ve done our job.” Thankfully for readers, book two is in the works—fueled in part by Elin’s family group text which is a hotbed of shared ideas. “It’s been so fun to have a project outside of our family life to focus on,” Elin points out. 

The positive and collaborative spirit between the two women is one of the reasons the novel feels so real—and likely bound for the similar success of Hilderbrand’s other novels. From the social hierarchies and classroom pressures to the emotional roller coasters that accompany  adolescence as well as adulthood, readers won’t just observe Tiffin Academy—they’ll fit right in. 

Though penning a novel is often a solitary endeavor, the mother-daughter team is doing something refreshing and rare: turning a family bond into creative fuel. Taking the common, yet special act of “calling your Mom,” they are turning it into a whole new literary opportunity—and they’re just getting started. 

The Academy is set for release on September 16, 2025, and autographed and personalized copies, as well as a special “I’d Rather Be Reading Elin Hilderbrand” pouch (perfectly sized for a license, credit card and lip balm) as well as an Academy bookmark can be pre-ordered at nantucketbookpartners.com. Quantities are limited.

Leslie Hatton is the editor of Cape Cod LIFE.