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taishacasimir's review
5.0
The Revenge Playbook was a amazing read. I could not put the book down. I was so horrified at the school's treatment of the football team. They treated them like they were Gods. It was just sick. When Ana tried to tell the counselor that Chad sexually harass her at a party, the counselor just shut her down by asking if Ana would risk Chad losing his scholarship. The List is just horrible. The boys who let the guys dictate their life don't deserve the girls back. I would definitely recommend this book to a friend. :) 5 stars :)
bookmarklit's review
5.0
4.5 stars. I loved it! This book is feminist as fuck and really important. It was hard to follow at times with the changing points of view and timelines, but the overall message is super clear. I hate that stuff like this actually happens in a lot of places. The ending was realistic too. Highly recommend!
islandgeekgirl's review
4.0
In one way or another, Liv, Ana, Peyton, and Melanie Jane have all been hurt by the football team. The girls suffer and the guys walk around school like the kings they're treated like by the whole town. This year the girls come together and decide to get revenge. They're going to beat the boys at their own game and cause total humiliation.
This book was so much fun to read. It had me laughing so hard I was nearly in tears. It also made me furious at what the football players were doing to those girls and the stuff they would get away with. It had me wanting to join in on the revenge with the four main girls.
The girls couldn't have been more different and I really liked that we got to see how they all became involved with the revenge scheme. There was Liv, whose boyfriend was forced to break up with her because the team declared her a slut for the way she dressed. Melanie Jane who was dumped because she wouldn't have sex with her boyfriend. Peyton struggled in class with no help while the football players goofed off and got away with it. Ana became invisible after an incident with a player that was blamed on her. They all had very understandable reasons for wanting to get revenge.
The author did a wonderful job at making each girl's voice unique to the other girls. It was always easy to tell whose POV I was reading at the time and each voice was one that I enjoyed reading. I had a hard time choosing between Ana and Peyton as a favourite but there were times when Liv and Melanie Jane snuck their way in there too. I just can't pick one.
I really liked the way the whole revenge scheme was played out. It wasn't easy for the girls and it wasn't just a lot of planning with one big event. They had a list of dares, same as the boys, and they had to complete it first for their revenge to work. The dares were a lot of fun to read, as was the competitiveness of the girls each time they knew the boys were close or ahead. It also worked really well to show the girls beginning to bond as friends instead of just revenge partners.
The book was mostly light with great developing friendships but it did hit some deeper issues. I thought they were all handled well and it left an impression after I was finished. It was one of those situations in books where, as the reader, I wanted to be able to say the football players' special treatment was far-fetched but it sadly wasn't and it's all too common.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This book was so much fun to read. It had me laughing so hard I was nearly in tears. It also made me furious at what the football players were doing to those girls and the stuff they would get away with. It had me wanting to join in on the revenge with the four main girls.
The girls couldn't have been more different and I really liked that we got to see how they all became involved with the revenge scheme. There was Liv, whose boyfriend was forced to break up with her because the team declared her a slut for the way she dressed. Melanie Jane who was dumped because she wouldn't have sex with her boyfriend. Peyton struggled in class with no help while the football players goofed off and got away with it. Ana became invisible after an incident with a player that was blamed on her. They all had very understandable reasons for wanting to get revenge.
The author did a wonderful job at making each girl's voice unique to the other girls. It was always easy to tell whose POV I was reading at the time and each voice was one that I enjoyed reading. I had a hard time choosing between Ana and Peyton as a favourite but there were times when Liv and Melanie Jane snuck their way in there too. I just can't pick one.
I really liked the way the whole revenge scheme was played out. It wasn't easy for the girls and it wasn't just a lot of planning with one big event. They had a list of dares, same as the boys, and they had to complete it first for their revenge to work. The dares were a lot of fun to read, as was the competitiveness of the girls each time they knew the boys were close or ahead. It also worked really well to show the girls beginning to bond as friends instead of just revenge partners.
The book was mostly light with great developing friendships but it did hit some deeper issues. I thought they were all handled well and it left an impression after I was finished. It was one of those situations in books where, as the reader, I wanted to be able to say the football players' special treatment was far-fetched but it sadly wasn't and it's all too common.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
ziyuelan's review
2.0
In no way was this book a phenomenal one, and there’s probably a lot of much better books out there that discuss in much more depth and in more impactful ways the topics of this book, but this was nonetheless entertaining, fast-paced and still impactful in its own way.
I will say though that I probably started reading this book back in 2017 (?) or something and then never continued cause I just wasn’t feeling it. I wasn’t particularly feeling it more this time around but I had put it on my TBR and I was like why not. It’s the weekend and I just want something and fun and quick. And this is it.
I usually don’t read books that are quite focused on friendships for some reason, and this one just appealed a bit more to me because of the revenge aspect. I will say this book would definitely make a much more entertaining movie than book.
But yeah I really did enjoy the whole making the football boys pay. Personally, football isn’t such a big thing here in Canada and the whole high school thing is also not as big as it is marketed in the states, but we’ve all seen the million movies about it and have some weird attachment to it
I will say though that I probably started reading this book back in 2017 (?) or something and then never continued cause I just wasn’t feeling it. I wasn’t particularly feeling it more this time around but I had put it on my TBR and I was like why not. It’s the weekend and I just want something and fun and quick. And this is it.
I usually don’t read books that are quite focused on friendships for some reason, and this one just appealed a bit more to me because of the revenge aspect. I will say this book would definitely make a much more entertaining movie than book.
But yeah I really did enjoy the whole making the football boys pay. Personally, football isn’t such a big thing here in Canada and the whole high school thing is also not as big as it is marketed in the states, but we’ve all seen the million movies about it and have some weird attachment to it
jltaggart's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
stories's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A fun ride. Excellent palate cleanser after the pains of Adult ™ books, and with a more moving and inspiring message, too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual assault, Body shaming, Bullying, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Car accident, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship
Bad things are presented as bad.mariotm's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
ravencrantz's review
4.0
This is why I continue to impulse read books without knowing anything about them. Most of the time, those books are let down after let down, but this one? This is what I'm looking for. A book that I otherwise wouldn't have read, but picked up because I have nearly no impulse control, and being blown away by what I read.
The writing is a bit simplistic, even for YA. I think had the topics not been so graphic, it could easily pass for middle grade. And while I could have done without the constant running around pining over boys, I understand it's point in the story and it was integrated well. Overall, this book is decently diverse in terms of ethnicity and religion, and there is a queer character (who lives! and who has a happy ending!!) though he's pretty minor. No one seemed to be there as the Token Diverse Character, and there were hardships for everyone. One of our main characters even has ADHD like I do! I saw a lot of myself in her and it's the first time that's happened and it felt great.
There should be a content warning for homophobia, sexual assault/attempted date rape, and antisemitism. I think had I known beforehand how heavy those topics presented in the story, I would have been better prepared to deal with it. They did handle the topics really well, it was the backbone of the plot, really. It was clear that these things were wrong and our main characters did everything to make people pay for what they'd done. I didn't know that would be their motivation, I thought it was going to be something smaller like a break up and while that was what got them motivated in the first place, everything became more than that. Their reasons started small and personal, and grew larger as they learned how corrupt the school really was.
I really loved watching the girls work together and help each other grow and heal. I got to watch them learn to stand up for themselves and each other and it was great! More books like that please! So often in media we see girls pitted against each other and I love it when we see them working together instead. Especially for something like this.
I went into this book expected something light and fluffy, something funny and cheesy. While it certainly was cheesy, and had some funny scenes, what I got was important and real challenges girls have and them overcoming everything in their path. These girls forgave people who deserved it, and cut out people who were toxic without looking back. This is an important book and I'm glad it exists. I hope it empowers someone somewhere.
The writing is a bit simplistic, even for YA. I think had the topics not been so graphic, it could easily pass for middle grade. And while I could have done without the constant running around pining over boys, I understand it's point in the story and it was integrated well. Overall, this book is decently diverse in terms of ethnicity and religion, and there is a queer character (who lives! and who has a happy ending!!) though he's pretty minor. No one seemed to be there as the Token Diverse Character, and there were hardships for everyone. One of our main characters even has ADHD like I do! I saw a lot of myself in her and it's the first time that's happened and it felt great.
There should be a content warning for homophobia, sexual assault/attempted date rape, and antisemitism. I think had I known beforehand how heavy those topics presented in the story, I would have been better prepared to deal with it. They did handle the topics really well, it was the backbone of the plot, really. It was clear that these things were wrong and our main characters did everything to make people pay for what they'd done. I didn't know that would be their motivation, I thought it was going to be something smaller like a break up and while that was what got them motivated in the first place, everything became more than that. Their reasons started small and personal, and grew larger as they learned how corrupt the school really was.
I really loved watching the girls work together and help each other grow and heal. I got to watch them learn to stand up for themselves and each other and it was great! More books like that please! So often in media we see girls pitted against each other and I love it when we see them working together instead. Especially for something like this.
I went into this book expected something light and fluffy, something funny and cheesy. While it certainly was cheesy, and had some funny scenes, what I got was important and real challenges girls have and them overcoming everything in their path. These girls forgave people who deserved it, and cut out people who were toxic without looking back. This is an important book and I'm glad it exists. I hope it empowers someone somewhere.