I have really enjoyed previous books by Anna Snoekstra and this one jumped out at me and I couldn't wait to read it. It did not let me down, although it wasn,t as good as her previous book Little Secrets. It was a fun, fast but at times disturbing read with some very nasty characters.

We all know the mean girls at school. These 3 girls were just hideous! But at school Ava wanted nothing more than to be friends with them, the popular girls. Time and time again she let them make fun of her and bully her. We learn about this time at school through flashbacks. Ava is unable to put the past behind her and sets out to get revenge.

Thanks to Harlequin - Mira and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

In high school Ava wants nothing more than to be part of the popular group of girls. Even though she sees how cruel they are, it doesn't diminish her desire to be best friends with Mel, Saanvi and Cass. Then one night at a party the torture goes too far and Ava can't recover from it. Years after they graduated she is still plotting revenge, determined to make each one of them pay.
This was one of those books that you can't put down, but at the same time leaves you feeling like you need a long hot shower to feel clean again. I kept wishing Ava would just let it all go and allow herself to be happy, but at the same time I had to keep reading to find out what lengths she would go to in order to exact her revenge. If you are a fan of thrillers, I would recommend you check this one out.

The Spite Game was a good story. I'm not going to lie, it took me a bit to get into it, but once I was, I couldn't put my tablet down. It was a good, fairly quick read.

I don't blame Ava for needing revenge - I probably would have too. This is why you never try to move up in the social hierarchy; eventually all the people who became your "friends" will knock you off your pedestal and throw you back in the dirt where you started. Popularity never pays off, people.

Four stars, due to the slow start. Be forewarned, though - you will, at some point, get sucked into this tale and then have to sleep. Or not. Either way, enjoy.

This was the first book I have read by Anna Snoekstra.
This book took place in the past and in the present. It was a very intense read. I at first felt sympathetic for Ava, but the more I read the more I felt disgusted by her.
She was bullied in her younger years, but still held that grudge into her adult years. She couldn’t have a normal relationship, because of her past. This book felt like a young adult book, instead of an adult read.
I’d still recommend it to others.

"The Spite Game" was kind of all over the place. The timeline was really confusing, especially when the chapter switched between present day and flashbacks. The characters weren't really developed and the character development felt somewhat superficial.

I liked the general premise of the novel and the ending was interesting, but the novel wasn't anything special

I LOVED THIS BOOK! The back and forth, the teen angst, it's just so, so good! And that vague ending is just the right touch, too. This book was satisfying.

This one is intense and dark and difficult to read. See review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2480676414

This was the first book I have read by Anna Snoekstra and I was definitely impressed. When I read the synopsis of this book I knew I just had to read it, as it sounds like the type of psychological thriller book that I would just love and devour. I was right!

This book takes you on a journey with a woman named Ava. Bullied relentlessly and embarrassed to no end in high school, Ava exacts revenge on all her "friends" she had in high school who did her wrong and bullied her. Those 3 so-called friends are Saanvi, Cass, and Mel. She has tried to live her life and move on, forgetting about the torment she has been through at the hands of such "friends" but there is just one problem.... She can't. Not until she pays each and everyone of them back for doing her wrong. Then, and maybe only then, can she move on and live her life.

High school is now over. Years later, one by one, she is on a mission to get them back for all they have done to her. And get them back she does! She watches them live their lives, their daily routines, watches them at work, at home, out in public. They have no idea she is there in the shadows watching their every move. Ava is waiting for the perfect moment to exact her revenge on them all.

Three words to describe this book - Lies, betrayal and revenge! This book pulled me in from the very first page. I was hooked! So much revenge, deceit, betrayal, lies, secrets, and games. I read this book is less than a day it was that good. I found the pages literally turning themselves as I wanted to know what would happen next.

Was Ava obsessed with revenge? Yes! Did she sometimes go too far? Heck Yes! But that's makes it all the more interesting to read and makes it such a gripping book. I loved it from cover to end. Well done! Wow! Fabulous book! Definitely a must read!

I loved this one! It is "Mean Girls" on steroids! The author does such a good job of keeping you enganged as the tension slowly builds. The bullying is brutal but then you think it's over. It's not. This story has many twists and turns and the ending is amazing. It's a page turner for sure!

This book's description spoke to me since I was tormented & tortured all through my school years. There were times I wanted to do exactly what Ava does in this book, but like Ava you learn how useless & how it just brings you down to the bullies level. Personally, this book just showed Ava to be the bigger bully & it was disappointing to me. The story just didn't flow like I thought it should. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book. I understand the depths of bullies & the traumatic feelings they cause. This books could have done a lot better on how to overcome and be above the bullies then it did. I was very unhappy with how the author decided to handle the bully issue.

This book was decent but not a fave of mine. A psychological thriller novel where a now-adult-bullied-teen decides to seek revenge on her former tormentors. The main character, Ava, does not seem like the brightest bulb to start out with, so it was hard for me to like her. I found it difficult to follow the story as the chapters skip around from present to past and I wasn't always sure which time period I was reading about. It was kind of like a mean girls story but the girls were way meaner in this book! I feel like Ava just really needed to move on with her life rather than seek revenge, but that was what the whole story was based on. Not terrible but not the best. Kept reading until the end to find out what happened to the final mean girl.

4-5 stars! Starts off in a way that keeps you engaged and doesn't let you go until you finish. What has happened is all you will think during the reading of this book. You will love it though, if you are like me and love thrilling and chilling books, which have some disturbing scenes!
Will be using in a challenge and highly recommending to the members of Chapter Chatter Pub'

Not my favorite read - Ava was really just not a likable character, and "getting even" was not what she was looking for. I think she needs help!!

Ava is a normal high school girl, who wants to fit in with the popular girls. Her break comes when Melissa, asks her to be a look out for them, as they target another girl in gym class. Ava is torn between doing the right thing, and finally being noticed by the popular girls. In the end, Ava chooses to ignore what happened.

After Ava accidentally witnesses Melissa being put in an uncomfortable position, Ava hatches a plan to help and is elected to carry the plan out. This earns Ava points. Melissa (Mel), Cass, and Saanvi start to include Ava into their tight knit group.

Over time, Ava pulls away from her other friends, and is willing to do anything to be accepted by her new group of friends. Ava is put into positions where she feels her loyalty is being tested and she has to prove herself. After a sleepover, which involved an incident between Mel and Ava, begins an endless charade. One particularly nasty incident, broke Ava's spirit. Ava wants retribution, which becomes an obsession.

This was an interesting, quick read. I received an ARC from NetGalley via Harlequin-MIRA in exchange for an honest review.

I was given in advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Believe the reviews – this one is a serious cluster fuck and not in a good way. And I normally love a good cluster fuck. Skip it.

The Spite Game is a crime novel with an interesting construction; it's not a whodunit so much as a whatgotdone. Ava is a young woman sitting in a police interview room waiting for a detective to come in. She mentally rehearses what she is going to say and, in the process, unfolds a plot of schoolyard bullying and its aftermath. As Ava recounts her schooldays she gives more insight into herself and unpeels the onion revealing why she is there.

The book is not particularly original in plot and character, but this artful construction gives it more interest. I also liked the way that Snoekstra captured Melbourne. Her descriptions of the CBD are spot-on, and she also captures the widely disparate cultures that adhere to the different suburbs that appear in her plot.

Ava grew up with her mum( a double-shifting nurse) and sister, Bea, (who had epilepsy). After a home break-in, they moved to Lakeside. There, they had few neighbors - their home was in an unfinished complex. Eventually Bea and Ava met their neighbors; Evan and his dad, Aiden.

In her senior year in high school Ava was constantly bullied by the trio of Cass, Mel and Saanvi. Also, by a boy who also bullied Ava - Theo. The problem was that Ava wanted into the tight-knit trio. She craved acceptance. The girls pulled pranks on Ava that were not so nice; yet in the meantime, Evan was there for her. However, Ava was so blinded by wanting acceptance to the "in crowd"( and hatred when she wasn't) - that she didn't pay all that much attention to Evan. Bea and Aiden fell in love with each other and began living together. Ava worked for a neighbor, Nancy, as caretaker for her cantankerous elderly great aunt, Celia.

In quest for her revenge, it seemed as if whatever Ava tried to do, her target was unharmed or was better! More bitterness welled up in Ava. She had followed Mel to Paris, she went to Cass' place of work and tried to thwart Saanvi.

Ava attended Cass' wedding; Evan was there with Saanvi. Ava realized that she was jealous. Later that evening, Evan told Ava that he was in love with her...

Now, just a "happily ever-after?" Wrong. Read on...……...

Great read!!!!!! Enjoyable throughout the entire book; and just wait until the conclusion. I absolutely did not see that coming! A MUST READ! Many thanks to Harlequin-MIRA and NetGalley for an awesome read !

tw: extreme bullying, pedophilia, unwanted sexual contact, drug use

Okay, so I didn't love this book. The synopsis made it sound so much creepier and terrifying then what it really was. It was just about a women that need a lot of therapy. Like a lot.

I have been where Ava has been. I had two incredibly toxic and horrible friends in high school. It took me leaving high school to realize how crappy they were. I spent years angry at the way they treated me. To this day, I still struggle with the side effects of their toxicity. But as for the anger? I realized that I needed to move past it. Holding anger like that is not healthy. Ava, the MC of this book, should have taken what I did and applied it to her life.

As the synopsis says, Ava's life is ruined by three girls. She ruins one of the girls, nearly ruins another and is working on the third. I get it, okay? Bullying and toxic friends are god awful but the way Ava went about her life after the events was just not something I could get behind. If that makes me a bad person, then so be it. I felt she truly enjoyed wallowing in misery instead of growing and learning.

There was a positive to this and that was some epilepsy rep. Ava's sister, Bea, has epilepsy. Seizures do happen on the page and it's discussed how it affects Bea and Ava's life. I did like seeing that.

But honestly, this book wasn't that great. The pacing was weird. It hopped from past to present with no page breaks. Now, I have no idea if this is because I read an eARC or what. I hope at least that gets fixed in the final version. It was incredibly confusing. The timeline was just so dang wonky. Had it been more linear, I might and that's a strong might, have enjoyed it.

Overall, if you are into revenge books then perhaps you might like this book. But honestly, this wasn't the book for me. It's onto the next one.

The Spite Game was a rather interesting read and I found myself loving the way it was written. Bouncing between the past and the present, I found Ava's story to be rather compelling. This book begins with Ava planning to confess which immediately caught my attention. Although, initially I was unsure of just what she had to confess to. Shortly after, the book would move back to her growing up in high school and then from just out of high school up until she found herself in the interview room. It cycled through like this consistently.

As a main character, Ava was just alright. I only say just alright because she was so caught up in her past and she was so unable to move forward. Which I honestly believe was the point of the book. Anyway, Ava was fixated on the "mean girls" that she was wanting so badly as friends. She could not move past wanting them to suffer as much, or more, than she did. Her stalker tendencies were extremely unhealthy and a little scary at times. I found myself enjoying the supporting characters as well as the settings. The supporting characters really helped encourage the story along.

All in all, I did find The Spite Game to be a good read. I would be very interested in reading another book by Anna Snoekstra.

The Spite Game by Anna Snoekstra is a psychological thriller where revenge is served to bullies who deserved it. Ava wants to be part of the 'popular crowd', Mel , Saanvi & Cass are the mean girls. They are brutal, they bully Ava, and others often using her, but she keeps going back for more, this is why I'm not a fan of Ava. Years after graduating from high school, Ava decides to seek revenge on each girl. Mel ends up missing.

I found the book to be very confusing at times. It jumps all over the place, past to present, in a police station, home, Paris. I was often lost. The concept of the story was good, but it could have been more organized. Overall, it was a good storyline, just could have been put together better.

I was given this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.