Review: The Revenge Playbook by Rachael Allen

Title: The Revenge Playbook

Author: Rachael Allen

Publisher: Harper Teen

Publication Date: 6.16.2015

Pages: 368

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Friendship

Series: N/A

Source: ARC from publisher

Amazon

Rating: 4 ½ Stars

Summary (from Goodreads):

Don’t get mad, get even! In this poignant and hilarious novel, Rachael Allen brilliantly explores the nuances of high school hierarchies, the traumas sustained on the path to finding true love, and the joy of discovering a friend where you least expect.

In the small town of Ranburne, high school football rules and the players are treated like kings. How they treat the girls they go to school with? That’s a completely different story. Liv, Peyton, Melanie Jane, and Ana each have their own reason for wanting to teach the team a lesson—but it’s only when circumstances bring them together that they come up with the plan to steal the one thing the boys hold sacred. All they have to do is beat them at their own game.

Review:

You know, revenge books aren't really my thing, but I will admit the football on the cover hooked me. Especially after I showed the cover to a coworker and she asked me, "They wrote a book about the Patriots already?" (We're Ravens fans and this was right after Deflate-Gate broke.) This has nothing to do with that, but it is about 4 girls trying to knock the town gods (aka the football players) down a notch or two.

THE REVENGE PLAYBOOK has four main characters and four points of view to tell the story, which may sound confusing, but Rachael Allen does a fantastic job separating the girls and their voices, making each memorable and unique unto herself. I had no problem keeping the girls (Melanie Jane, Liv, Ana, and Peyton) straight in my head because they are so different and each have their own motivation to bring the team down.

At the end of the day, this book is about standing up for yourself and your friends and what you believe in. It's less about revenge and games (although this book has many hilarious parts) and more about equality and fairness. The book does take a sobering turn towards the end that puts things in perspective, but as a whole this is a great summer read. It's fun and poignant without being overly emotional and angsty.

I loved every second of this book and I especially loved the values Allen was sure to instill in her characters. It's a great read and I definitely recommend it to readers of all ages!