I don’t really know why I forced myself to read this book to the end. The characters, especially the main character, were despicable. I understood her desire for revenge, but she wasn’t good to begin with. This story was told in short, choppy sentences that I think were to mimic the frantic pace of the story, and it didn’t drag, it was just not a pleasant read at all.

This book was much darker than I expected. Please be aware of the trigger warnings including sexual assault and attempted suicide. There is also a lot of death and blood.

Elle went out with her coven, Jenny, Summer, and Mads, for her 16th birthday. At that party, she was drugged and raped. There were 4 boys in the room, but others involved. Elle decided to become Jade. Jade was a strong girl who would get revenge on everyone there. She knew these were private school boys, so she got her parents to enroll her as Jade. She changed her appearance and went with a plan. The girls picked a boy that looked innocent, Mack. Jade would make him fall in love with her, have him kill everyone, and then have him take the blame.

It doesn't take long for Jade to get Mack under her spell and to fit in with the rich kids. The ones that rule the school. The ones that everyone wants to be. Everyone at the school knows what these boys do at parties. Duncan, Duffy, Banks, Connor, and some other boys get away with everything. They don't care what they've done. They care about being popular, rich, powerful, and adored. None of these boys are prepared for Jade and her need for revenge. When I started this book, I thought that Jade meant kill as in kill their reputations. But no. She really does mean kill.

I don't want to get into the deaths or how people are pushed against each other. I do have to say that while Jade was pretty darn evil before the rape, I really loved the relationship she has with her friends. Those girls were sisters and nothing would tear them apart. They would fight and kill for each other. They loved each other and were completely loyal, no matter what.

I gave this book 4 stars. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.

i tried to read this book but YA is not my genre anymore. i think this book will be great for other fellow YA readers, just not me.

Foul is Fair is a modern Macbeth retelling with a bit of Kill Bill in a Cruel Intentions L.A. Prep school. It's a violent and cathartic revenge fantasy and I loved it. It centers around Jade as Lady Macbeth as she takes revenge on the boys that assaulted her as well as those who knew and let it happen. It's intense, while not being graphic, but I'd be hesitant to recommend Foul is Fair to anyone that isn't confident they can read about sexual assault because even though it happens off page it is very much the main focus of the plot.

A wonderfully written and powerful story, heart-wrenching at times and made of the stuff of a female dream of revenge.
I loved the the well thought plot, it made me root for Jade and I couldn't help being involved in her story and in her revenge.
It's a story that mixes feminism and thriller, gripping and engrossing. A book you cannot put down and makes you turn pages as fast as you can.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
A great read, strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Sometimes even when you don't particularly care for a book, you can at least recognize it wasn't necessarily a bad book, more it just wasn't for you. That is the case for Foul is Fair. I have read many positive reviews for it already and have seen it compared to various films and tv shows. And what is interesting to me is basically all of the comparisons are for things that aren't among my faves and therefore maybe I wasn't the best audience for this type of story.

The story is pretty wild and over the top and for the most part it just didn't work for me. The Swallows by Lisa Lutz is another book that has a revenge storyline and I just connected with the characters in that one more. I think early on you will be able to figure out if the writing style and plot is for you. Again, many readers thought this book was amazing so I highly recommend checking out their reviews. I can at least recognize it was a unique and well-written book and therefore have no regrets reading it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

Extremely dark and gritty, this book truly surprised me.

I came for the “Macbeth” comparison and stayed because I couldn’t fully place where this book belonged.

The writing is rich and enthralling, the plot dark and fascinating, but the characters are underdeveloped and it feels like this book would’ve succeeded more for me in a NA context.

Modern day retelling of Macbeth. However there's a twist: the location is within a prep school. The plotline for a CW show or Netflix, seriously.

Foul is Fair is the Macbeth retelling I've been longing for all these years—giving the women of the story agency and power in a way that draws on the original text but does much, more more. Hannah Capin's writing is sharp and bright like the blades her heroines carry.

I knew I was in for a wild ride when I saw the disclaimer concerning sensitive content at the beginning of the book. This book is a modern day retelling of Macbeth in a prep school setting, filled with golden boys and valley girls—all of whom are disturbingly into various forms of bad behavior.

When something unspeakable happens to Elle on the night of her 16th birthday, she vows to get revenge. With the help of her three best friends, Elle plots out her plan and for the next several days unimaginable tragedy befalls the students who were involved.

This book is extremely disturbing, but readers can take solace in the fact that it is also unbelievable most of the time. Adults in the story are pretty much invisible or insignificant.
It has all the makings for a great teen horror movie.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

When Elle and her coven decide to crash a local Prep party, she is unknowingly chosen as the "golden boys'" next victim.

They chose the wrong girl.

It's MacBeth, it's Heathers, it's AHS Coven. It's twisted and dark and brutal. It's the book that you have no idea what is going on but you can't turn away from.

Honestly, I have no idea what this is....but I need more of it!

I do wish there had been a bit more of backstory with Elle and the Coven but I did enjoy this without it

TW: rape, murder, abuse, suicide, bullying

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing this book to read and give my own, honest opinion

I tried but I just couldn't get into it. Not my thing at all. Mostly because I didn't really like the writing style, but also because I did not like any of the characters

What is this book about?
The premise is amazing. This is a story about a teenage girls enacting revenge on a group of prep boys after one of the girls was assaulted at a party. The book is a loose retelling of Macbeth, which happens to be one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, with a little bit of inspiration from Heathers.

What did I like?
I really loved the Macbeth retelling angle. The nods to original play are subtle, but so extremely well done. I also really liked that Jade and her friends were unapologetically the mean girls and owned it. There was no apologies for their behavior and they didn’t have a holier than thou attitude.

What didn’t I like?
The first major issue I had with the book was the writing. To put it plainly: I couldn’t stand it. The scenes were very abrupt and the way the dialogue was written felt so stilted and unnatural. My other problem with the book was that a lot of the things that happened felt very far-fetched and unbelievable. I’m supposed to be believe that a group of (barely) sixteen-year-old girls were the mastermind behind multiple murders within the span of a week? That the main character would be able to successfully manipulate a boy into doing whatever she asked of him after one meeting? If the time frame had been extended or the criminal acts less severe, I think the story would have been more impactful to me. Yes, it’s fiction, however as a reader I can only suspend my belief to a limit.

Overall thoughts: The plot is a very clever retelling of Macbeth, but considering I almost DNF’d this like three times because I couldn’t stand the way it was written, I definitely did not enjoy this as much as I had hoped.

This is the kind of story that is hard to put down. And if you are forced to put it down you keep thinking about it.
Our story begins with a party. One of those parties that you see in shows like Gossip Girl. Beautiful people. Dancing, Drugs. Our heroine and her friends crash the party. The most popular guy and his friends choose her. Unfortunately.
When these young men decide to drug her and rape her she warns them they have chosen the wrong girl. As the story progresses she makes them truly regret what they did or allowed to happen.

Excellent story. There are some disturbing parts. There might be some triggers so tread carefully.

I tried really hard to read this one, but unfortunately could not get into it. Marking it as a DNF. It sounded like a really good book just didn't fit my tastes. I will eventually return to try again.

Foul is Fair is the Macbeth retelling I didn’t know I wanted/needed. This book is brutal. After being sexually assaulted at a prep school party, Elle and her friends swear to exact vengeance on the group of boys by destroying their lives.

The writing is drop dead gorgeous. I loved the way Hannah writes and I will definitely be checking out any other book she writes going forward. It just oozes with badassness and pure magic. The story is ruthless and absurd. I loved how supportive Elle’s girlfriends (otherwise called coven) were in her endeavor for revenge. The plot was a little silly at times, with characters just buying into things that I feel like normal people would’ve been like “wait a second there…this seems weird.” Those silly moments; however, were overshadowed by the beautiful writing and satisfaction of the boys getting what was coming to them. Definitely check this book out.
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I buddy read this ARC with my favorite twinny, Alana @ The Bookish Chick.
I absolutely adored this story. It was dark and gritty, murderous and magical, fast-paced and captivating. I loved Elle (or Jade). She was vengeful and I freaking loved it. I don’t even know how to explain it. She’s clever and devious in all the best ways. But I liked even more that we still got to see her when she was vulnerable. She was drugged and raped, but won’t take anyone’s bullshit. She and her coven have a plan to get their revenge.
The coven. I adored them. They were magical and loyal. I loved the dynamic between these girls. They were some serious friend goals. I loved all the scenes with the coven doing their part to scare the boys of St. Andrews.
The writing in Foul is Fair was incredible. Even during the slow points of the story, it felt like I was flying through it because of the writing. The author sucked me into the story, chewed me up, and spit me out. The writing was beautiful and dark. Never quite clear about whether the coven was actually casting spells and flying with their wings. I adored it.
Overall, this book was incredible. I loved every single murderous page. I think this one will be a hit once it’s published and I know I will be shouting about it all year.

Three stars

The start of this novel is SO engaging. The initial scenes - rape, issues around consent, the representation of high school womyn who are not all white/cis/het, and especially the relationship between the m.c. and her coven - all make for a strong start. At first, I thought this was absolutely a work I'd recommend to my children's literature and YA students for further reading if not even consider assigning in class (where the real estate is especially precious in a 16-week semester).

All of this noted, I completely lost interest when the novel turned to the m.c.'s revenge killing spree. Rape is horrific and experienced by MANY people. I thought this was a truly strange way to represent handling the aftermath. The m.c. is also so privileged financially and socially. She has the means to switch to a private school at the drop of a hat, and mommy and daddy are willing to throw all of their money and power behind her to make sure everyone pays: not in a supportive/devastated parents way but in a "no one gets away with doing this to OUR daughter; we're above it!" kind of way.

The only character I loved throughout the work is Mads. A trans woman - who is in a piece of literature as a character just living her life - is unfortunately still anomalous. I loved that although she participated in some some untraditional activities with her friend group, her role was to be just another friend, not to be tokenized. To me, that is one of the greatest strengths of the work.

Though there is incredible potential here to build and highlight strong friendships between women-identifying characters and to handle a horrific issue WAY too many people of all ages experience, for me, this novel fell flat as soon as the m.c. transferred schools (which is very early on), and I could never regain interest or experience much else besides cringing at the ensuing dialogue and evolution of the plot.

This book is a retelling of Shakespeare in a young adult genre. It wasn't my cup of tea, I prefer to stick with William like he is and not mess with his tellings. I couldn't really relate to this book

Do you like your YA gleefully dark and violent, murderous even? Foul Is Fair is that and more. It's a dark and twisty girl power revenge story. It's a modern day Macbeth, narrated with sharp, biting metaphoric prose. It's wildly farfetched and grandiose, yet entirely readable to the last page. It's the mashup of Shakespeare and Heathers and Cruel Intentions you didn't know you needed. It's full of bad behavior and triggers galore. It would be awesome adapted for the screen. 3.5 stars.