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A review by shay23
The Revenge Playbook by Rachael Allen
5.0
Actual rating: 4.5 Stars
So in this book, you have four very different, very strong, very angry and hurt girls and one plan for revenge against the whole football team. I've really grown to love books like this one, where there's a lot of focus on how some people get treated differently than others and how small town life can completely revolve, start and end, around the high school football team. Now, I never went to a real high school so I don't know if these things really happen, to this degree, but I love reading about it and Rachael Allen did such a good job capturing this whole horrible thing in a book.
This book kind of has it all, great characters who are very different from each other so that when you're switching back and forth before their different points of view you aren't confused. A whole big enemy, the football team. Great writing and a revenge plot. I love revenge plots, if they're done right. Some kind come off as way too petty but The Revenge Playbook stays far away from that. It's about four girls who have been wronged by the football and are tired of the players getting whatever the f*** they want and getting away with everything. So they decide to get revenge.
How? Simple. Every year the football team goes on a scavenger hunt, if they complete it in time they get their old superstition filled football, if they lose, they walk on the field for the homecoming game in their birthday suits. After a few failed attempts at stealing this football the girls decide to compete, even though no one's ever tried to before.
A few of my favorite things:
- Characters. You know me, I'm big on characters and this book is filled with many great characters. First you have the girls: Peyton, Ana, Melanie Jane, and Liv. I'm hard pressed to pick a favorite because I loved them all so much. Peyton is kind of shy and reserved but, even though she's the only one to have never been directly hurt by the football team, she's more than willing to jump in on this plan because she knows it's what's right. Ana is hurt and slightly broken but strong as hell and won't put up with anyone's shit. Melanie Jane is the cheerleader, the alpha girl, but she's so much more than that too. In fact, she probably has the most personality out of all of them. And Liv, Liv is fiery as hell and oh so much fun, she's the one that rallies them. You also have some good side characters including parents, almost maybe boyfriends and even an ex-boyfriend, but all of this is secondary to the girls and their newly formed friendship, which is always a plus for me.
- The Scavenger Hunt. So the book goes back and forth, they'll be a little dare chapter, then a few chapters that come before the night of the scavenger hunt, and though this made me feel like a was missing a few parts, I loved the way it was set up. Still, the dares were my favorite parts. It made the characters feel so...liberated and as I reader you felt that too.
Overall: I really loved this one. There were a few things I wanted time to develop a little more, but it was nothing major, just a few loose ends I wanted tied. This book is really just the perfect balance between fun and deep. There are some serious issues addressed in this one and I loved that the author didn't shy away from it while she still managed to make it feel like a fun book.
Would I Recommend This? Yup.
Who To? People who love contemporary books that perfectly mesh fun and tough.
Will I read more from this author(or series)? Yes, definitely.
This review first appeared @ The Story Goes...
So in this book, you have four very different, very strong, very angry and hurt girls and one plan for revenge against the whole football team. I've really grown to love books like this one, where there's a lot of focus on how some people get treated differently than others and how small town life can completely revolve, start and end, around the high school football team. Now, I never went to a real high school so I don't know if these things really happen, to this degree, but I love reading about it and Rachael Allen did such a good job capturing this whole horrible thing in a book.
This book kind of has it all, great characters who are very different from each other so that when you're switching back and forth before their different points of view you aren't confused. A whole big enemy, the football team. Great writing and a revenge plot. I love revenge plots, if they're done right. Some kind come off as way too petty but The Revenge Playbook stays far away from that. It's about four girls who have been wronged by the football and are tired of the players getting whatever the f*** they want and getting away with everything. So they decide to get revenge.
How? Simple. Every year the football team goes on a scavenger hunt, if they complete it in time they get their old superstition filled football, if they lose, they walk on the field for the homecoming game in their birthday suits. After a few failed attempts at stealing this football the girls decide to compete, even though no one's ever tried to before.
A few of my favorite things:
- Characters. You know me, I'm big on characters and this book is filled with many great characters. First you have the girls: Peyton, Ana, Melanie Jane, and Liv. I'm hard pressed to pick a favorite because I loved them all so much. Peyton is kind of shy and reserved but, even though she's the only one to have never been directly hurt by the football team, she's more than willing to jump in on this plan because she knows it's what's right. Ana is hurt and slightly broken but strong as hell and won't put up with anyone's shit. Melanie Jane is the cheerleader, the alpha girl, but she's so much more than that too. In fact, she probably has the most personality out of all of them. And Liv, Liv is fiery as hell and oh so much fun, she's the one that rallies them. You also have some good side characters including parents, almost maybe boyfriends and even an ex-boyfriend, but all of this is secondary to the girls and their newly formed friendship, which is always a plus for me.
- The Scavenger Hunt. So the book goes back and forth, they'll be a little dare chapter, then a few chapters that come before the night of the scavenger hunt, and though this made me feel like a was missing a few parts, I loved the way it was set up. Still, the dares were my favorite parts. It made the characters feel so...liberated and as I reader you felt that too.
Overall: I really loved this one. There were a few things I wanted time to develop a little more, but it was nothing major, just a few loose ends I wanted tied. This book is really just the perfect balance between fun and deep. There are some serious issues addressed in this one and I loved that the author didn't shy away from it while she still managed to make it feel like a fun book.
Would I Recommend This? Yup.
Who To? People who love contemporary books that perfectly mesh fun and tough.
Will I read more from this author(or series)? Yes, definitely.
This review first appeared @ The Story Goes...