The Thoroughbreds by Hilderbrand, Elin

Class is back in session! New York Times bestselling authors of The Academy Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham return with The Thoroughbreds: what has more high-stakes drama, tension, and intrigue than senior year at a New England boarding school?

September at Tiffin Academy is always a heady time, especially for the senior class--"sixth formers," in Tiffin-speak--a season of college applications and intense pressure, of partying hard and last hurrahs. As the chapel bells ring in students and staff, everyone has something to look forward to--but in the midst of the anticipation and excitement, nagging questions and dark secrets lurk beneath the surface...

Are Tiffin's It Couple, Charley and East, on the rocks? What sparked the rift between football star Dub and his best friend Hakeem? Will Pippa Sacks, posh day student, topple the delicate social hierarchy--or wreak even worse havoc? Can Head of School Audre Robinson save her job--and the school--after a disastrous financial mistake? And what was in that email attachment Cinnamon Peters sent to Dub before she died?

Elin Hilderbrand and her daughter Shelby Cunningham answer these questions and more in The Thoroughbreds, a page-turning story about friendship, treachery, ambition, and growing up, at any age.

Author: Elin Hilderbrand,Shelby Cunningham
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Published: 09/15/2026
Pages: 464
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.41lbs
Size: 9.59h x 6.37w x 1.42d
ISBN: 9780316567916

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 07/27/2026
Library Journal 08/01/2026 pg. 67
Kirkus Reviews 08/15/2026
Booklist 09/01/2026

About the Author
Elin Hilderbrand is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University and the University of Iowa Writers Workshop. The Thoroughbreds is her thirty-second novel, and the second co-written with her daughter, Shelby Cunningham. Hilderbrand is the co-host of the podcast "Books, Beach and Beyond" along with @TimTalksBooks creator, Tim Ehrenberg. She is raising four young adult children and likes to spend her free time at the beach and on her Peloton. She is also a grateful breast cancer survivor.

Shelby Cunningham was born and raised on Nantucket Island. She's a 2024 graduate of St. George's School in Middletown, Rhode Island. She is presently a student at the University of Miami in Coral Gables.