3.8 AVERAGE


Girl power. Best friends. Making things better. I flipping LOVED this book. Best contemporary I've read in awhile.

"Subversive fluff," as Dahlia calls this, is the perfect term. Feminist af, badass, sweet, and swoony.

Vier Mädchen rächen sich gegen die Arschlöcher des Football-Teams, die Mädchen einfach nur scheiße behandeln - echt geiles Buch!

3.5

A really fantastic look at r*pe culture and gross men. Massive content notes for sexual assault and r*pe culture, of course, but would absolutely recommend, this is a brilliant book, incredibly hard-hitting. Difficult to read, but important. Only big criticisms are that it got hard to follow the story, particularly with jumping between time and the four girls having very similar voices; also, some more diversity would have been nice (Ana aside). Absolutely adored the relationship that came together at the very end!
emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This book was really great. I'm super happy that I got to read it because it was one of the best books I've read. The characters were great, very dimensional and they truly felt like real people. The plot was very interesting and it kept me interested till the very end. What I loved the most about this book is that it is no way about romance (like most YA books) it's about female friendship. Girls coming together to get even with a bunch of misogynist assholes!! It was funny at some parts and serious in others which made it enjoyable (Hint: I like to read to have a good time not to suffer with characters who can't catch a break).
I only had 2 issues with this book:
-number 1: it wrongly referenced Game of Thrones (Daenerys is not a Princess!!)
-number2: it was too short! It could have been a lot longer! I want to know what happened next! Did Peyton and Rey date? Did Ana get justice? I loved it so much I didn't want it to end.
Overall, it's an awesome book and I recommend it 100%

What a gem! This book is everything I wanted and more. Sure, it was fun and hilarious at parts, but also dealt with serious issues. The Revenge Playbook is Important with a capital I, yet isn't yelling in your face. (Although at some parts you'll feel like yelling in anger... in a good way.) I urge you to pick up this read that I adored greatly!

Firstly, the friendship is on point. My heart was warmed and I LOVE seeing female friendship in books with different dynamics. Often, I feel as if the same friendship tropes are recycled and overused but Allen impressed me. It was sweet and empowering.

Each girl had her own story, but I didn’t feel as if the book was choppy as a result. In fact, knowing so much about each girl made their friendship all the more powerful and brought in so many more themes/discussion topics such as rape culture, stepping out of your comfort zone, teacher bias, religion, and divorce. Additionally, the author points out that girls shouldn't be ridiculed whether they wear very modest clothes or show skin... and points out other unfair double standards in which the girl can never win. (and there is dancing :D)

There is romance, although it isn't the focus of the novel. I loved all the the love interests. They were real, and some made mistakes, but all were good guys (unlike some specific football team members). I especially loved Trevor and Michael.

Sure, you are supposed to hate some horrible football players and some unfair teachers and counselors (Ugh. I'm still angry about Peyton's geometry class!). However, there are still great characters such as the protagonists (duh), the aforementioned love interests, guy and girl friends, and even awesome bikers. You also get a glimpse into some of the girl's families and see so many different parent dynamics. There is such a great variety of characters!

Of course, the scavenger hunt for the sacred football (or whatever) was so much fun and I had a blast reading about it! I felt as if something of mine was at stake while reading! (BEAT THAT HORRIBLE FOOTBALL TEAM GIRLS!) This leads me to the conclusion. I wanted to see MORE MORE MORE justice but I guess the book was trying to be realistic. *sigh* I still loved the ending though. It put me to tears and I felt a sense of rightness in the world finally.

Overall, read this book. There is so much awesomeness to discuss. (And it is a feminist's dream!)

this is more of a 3.6/5 rating. I won't say it was one of the best books I've ever read or even one of the best books I've read this fall. but I will say Allen addresses feminism and rape culture in such a natural way that makes complete sense without being too heavy. these girls don't apologize for who they are. the writing could have been better, but the themes and messages were spot on.

 This was a quick but cute read. Very reminiscent of John Tucker Must Die, but instead of being against just one guy, the girls are against the entire football team - and there are some pretty heavy topics.

This book focuses heavily on jock culture. The football team are the stars and they know it, they also get away with anything they want from grades to how they treat girls. It's something that is very prevalent in our society and has been the focus of much speculation.

I really enjoyed the coming together of the girls. Most of them didn't really know each other before this while two of them were ex-best friends. Allen did a great job of showcasing women supporting each other and also what it's like to really become a part of something. I also liked how each of the girls had their own distinct personalities but just came together so effortlessly.

There's Melanie Jane, the perfectionist who gets dumped by her jock boyfriend because she won't sleep with him or let him tell his team that they've had sex even though they hadn't.

There's Liv, the firecracker member of the dance team who gets dumped by her jock boyfriend because his team mates told him to.

Then there's Peyton, the quiet one who watches as the football team gets passes on homework and exams but yet she, who has a documented learning disability, gets ridiculed and picked on without anyone stepping in - meaning the teacher.

Finally there's Ana, who probably has the hardest story of them all. Ana was drugged at a party and sexually assaulted by a member of the football team. When she tried to tell someone about it, they turned the blame on her.

Each girl has their reason for revenge, but it's their strength and friendship that guide this book. Allen does also make it a point to mention that not all of the football players are assholes. It's definitely not a blanket generalization, and there are some really good guys from the football team in here. I thought that was important that she showed that.

This book was a quick read but it was funny, sad, and motivating all at once. Will definitely check out more from Allen.