Jordyn Monroe is relieved and nervous in equal measure. Finally a freshman at college, she is keen to fit in, make friends and not be the exception in her classes.

She’s glad to finally be away from home and her over-bearing parents, but sad at the way things have played out. It was supposed to be a time full of fun, mother/daughter bonding with decorating her dorm room, and shopping for clothes for her new life at college.

Frazier College however, is not the college her parents have raised her to attend. The expectations for her education have always been Yale and nothing else. The fact that she turned down her Yale admission to attend an HBCU (Historically Black College or University) has driven a wedge between her and home. But even away from her parent’s gaze and relentless pressure, she’s still keen to get top marks. But first – making her first true friends.

With the help of Dale Carnegie’s famous book ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People‘ this seems to be the easy part, as her roommates accept her instantly. Jordyn can’t believe this new part of her life as she attends parties and meets guys – not that they are in her near-future plan at all.

When her room mate’s brother is released from prison, he comes to stay with them. This is permitted on campus, so at first there are no alarm bells. He is a great cook, cleans their dorm rooms, and is fun to be around…. at first.

He’s older than them, and seems wise with all he has been through. The fact he has worked with famous rappers, adds to his appeal. But this appeal begins to turn into something else, and even Jordyn is drawn into his orbit. And the orbit is getting smaller and smaller. The fight to resist him and its results consumes her and her new life. Can she resist him and make her college choice all that she planned?

I snapped up a copy of this as soon as I laid eyes on it, as I’ve loved every Tiffany D Jackson title I’ve read. Although The Scammer is a little different, it still brought the eerie, insidious factor that I love about her books. What was even more affecting is the fact that The Scammer is based on a true story, and also includes mentions of real life events that readers can use to solidify the narrative even further.

Although The Scammer begins with a common ‘new freshman at college’ idea, it swiftly becomes so much more, with layers of character tragedy to discover. These character back stories are gradually revealed, along with a twist I never saw coming.

This twist will explain so much of character behaviour throughout The Scammer, making me want to read it all over again.

Author – Tiffany D Jackson

Age – 14+

(2025, Quill Tree Books, Harper Collins, College, Friendships, Relationships, Parental Expectation, Loss, Grief, Influence, Plans, Prejudice, Racism, Uprising, Fitting in, Race, Secret, Based on truth)