The books chronicle the rise of ambitious teenager Reed Brennan, the series' narrator, as she becomes a member of her new school's elite dorm—composed of a glamorous yet disparate group of teens known as the Billings Girls.

Extreme cases of loyalty and antagonism are personified in characters such as Noelle Lange and Ivy Slade—to degrees that are sometimes questioned or denounced by the narrator.

These novels include the Private prequel collection, which focuses on various figures, and the spin-off series Privilege, which follows the resourceful but disturbed Ariana Osgood.

To convey the story's tone, the series' art team was composed of select individuals with backgrounds in teenage popular culture and youth-oriented fashion.

As a recurring visual theme, each cover from the central story depicts three young women on front, with a fourth featured a slight distance apart on the opposite side.

The original series begins with the introduction of Reed Brennan, a savvy and ambitious honors student who enters the prestigious Easton Academy private school.

Unexpectedly, the center of her fascination soon becomes a famed dorm known as Billings House and the posh girls who reside there—Noelle, Ariana, Kiran, and Taylor.

Simon & Schuster backed Private with book displays in Barnes & Noble outlets and a promotional contest through CosmoGIRL!

[6] In addition, Mr. Moenks and co-photographer Laurent Alfieri had collaborated before working on Private, at some points taking photos of young businesswomen from around the world to illustrate a series of articles written by David Benaym for L'Officiel.

Reed Brennan Noelle Lange Ariana Osgood Josh Hollis Kiran Hayes Taylor Bell Ivy Slade Easton Academy is unofficially distinguished by a caste-like environment, socially divided by lower-, middle-, and upper-class dormitories.

[4] As Reed strives to become a Billings Girl, she enters a world of moral ambiguity that raises questions concerning how far the characters will go in matters of ambition and loyalty.

After covering the first book, a review for Publishers Weekly stated that readers would "no doubt eagerly await the next installment," but also cited issues with characterization in the series opening.

"[39] Children's Literature praised Brian's writing style for presenting "a very easy read, broken up into small chapters that allow the quick pace to carry the reader through.

Conversely, a more critical review from School Library Journal claimed that in the first book, several elements of her personality were left underdeveloped, including her apparent lack of ability to "empathize at all with her mother's pain-killer addiction.

Additionally, the eye color of certain characters, including Josh Hollis, Thomas Pearson, and Ivy Slade, changes throughout the series.

To promote the release of Inner Circle, Simon & Schuster teamed with the New York Film Academy in 2007 to produce an Internet-released live-action trailer for the novel.

On June 10, 2008, Kate Brian posted a link on her MySpace blog directing readers to a fan-organized petition regarding a proposed TV series or motion picture.