Notre Dame Academy’s Ksenia Nenacheva Reviews ‘Gripped Part 3: The Fallout’

Ksenia Nenacheva is a student at Notre Dame Academy, graduating in 2027. She is a dedicated student-athlete who competes in swimming year-round while balancing her academic interests in history, English, business, and global affairs. She enjoys learning about different cultures, communication, and the ways businesses and organizations connect with people around the world.

Outside of school, Ksenia is passionate about mental health advocacy, community involvement, and personal growth. Over the past several summers, she has participated in educational programs in Italy, where she studied business and communication while helping younger students develop language skills. She enjoys traveling, exploring new opportunities, working on passion projects, and spending time with friends and family. In the future, Ksenia hopes to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, combining her interests in business, communication, and creativity.

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Q&A with Ksenia

1. This book touches upon the use of Adderall, acid, marijuana, alcohol, and Xanax. For that reason, parents may not want their children to read the novel. However, the author feels there is much to be learned. What do you think tweens and teens could learn from reading Gripped Part 3 that would be beneficial for them?

Teens could learn that drug and alcohol use can affect much more of a person’s health than they think,  it can change friendships, relationships, decision-making, and the way people see themselves. The book shows that people can make choices that seem small at first but eventually create much bigger consequences. It also teaches the importance of recognizing when someone is struggling and understanding that addiction is complicated rather than simply a matter of “making bad choices.” Overall, the novel can encourage teens to think more carefully about peer pressure, coping mechanisms, and the consequences of their decisions.

2. Why could adults benefit from reading Gripped Part 3?

Adults could benefit because the book gives them insight into the pressures and struggles that teenagers may experience but not always communicate openly. It shows how substance use can develop for different reasons, including stress, relationships, insecurity, or wanting to escape difficult emotions. Reading the characters’ experiences could help parents and other adults become more understanding instead of immediately judging teenagers who make mistakes. It can also encourage adults to have more honest conversations with young people about drugs, mental health, and peer pressure.

3. What storylines were most intriguing in Gripped Part 3? What kept you wanting to turn the page?

The most intriguing storylines were the ones involving Chris’s ongoing struggle with substance use and the complicated relationships between the characters. I especially wanted to see whether Chris would be able to make better choices or continue getting pulled back into the same destructive patterns. Jordan’s growing importance also made the story more interesting because there is clearly tension surrounding his relationship with the other characters. The combination of relationship drama, secrets, conflict, and uncertainty about what the characters would do next kept me wanting to turn the page.

4. As drug use abounds in the series, some characters are trying their best to sober up, while others are getting deeper and deeper into substance abuse. How do you think readers can benefit from reading about Chris’s journey from the beginning of the series until now?

Readers can benefit from Chris’s journey because they get to see how substance abuse can develop and affect someone over a long period of time rather than seeing it as one isolated decision. His experiences show that changing destructive habits is difficult and that progress is not always straightforward. At the same time, his journey demonstrates why having support and recognizing a problem can be important steps toward making better choices. Following Chris from the beginning of the series also makes the consequences feel more realistic because readers have watched his character change over time.

5. At this point in the series, what character intrigues you the most and why?

At this point, Jordan intrigues me the most because there is still so much uncertainty surrounding him and his relationships with the other characters. Chris clearly has strong feelings toward him, while Marc has a completely different and much more negative opinion of him, which makes me wonder what happened between them. Jordan feels like a character who has been intentionally kept somewhat mysterious, making me pay closer attention whenever he becomes involved in the story. I am especially interested in learning more about his personality, motivations, and the reasons behind Marc’s strong reaction to him.

6. What does this book teach readers about why people begin using drugs?

The book shows that people do not always begin using drugs for the same reason, and it is often connected to what they are experiencing emotionally or socially. Some characters may use substances because they want to fit in, experiment, escape problems, deal with stress, or temporarily change how they feel. What begins as something that seems manageable can become much harder to control as the behavior continues. This teaches readers that understanding the reasons behind substance use is important when trying to understand addiction and the choices people make.

7. Chris loves Jordan, but Marc hates Jordan. He has slowly been introduced to the reader in the first three books and will play a more significant role later in the series. At this point in the series what are your honest thoughts on Jordan?

My honest thoughts on Jordan are mixed because there is still a lot about him that I do not completely understand. Chris’s feelings toward him make me want to see what Chris sees in him, while Marc’s hatred of him makes me suspicious that there is another side to Jordan that readers have not fully discovered yet. I think that contrast makes Jordan one of the more interesting characters because different people clearly have very different experiences with him. At this point, I would not completely trust or judge him because I want to learn more about his actions and motivations before forming a final opinion.

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Book Review

Gripped Part 3 was another addictive addition to the series. What I enjoyed most was how the story continued developing the characters instead of focusing only on the drama surrounding drugs and relationships. Chris’s journey was especially interesting because readers get to see how his choices and struggles have developed throughout the series, making his storyline feel connected and meaningful. I also found the relationships between the characters incredibly intriguing, especially the tension surrounding Jordan. There were so many unanswered questions and complicated relationships that I constantly wanted to know what would happen next.

I also think this book does a good job showing readers that substance abuse is complicated and that people can have very different reasons for making the choices they do. The characters feel imperfect and realistic, which makes it easier to become invested in what happens to them. Even when I thought I understood a character, something would make me question my opinion and look at the situation differently. The combination of emotional storylines, character development, conflict, and unanswered questions made Gripped Part 3 difficult to put down. Five stars because it kept me invested in the characters and left me wanting to continue the series immediately.