A set of content warnings is graciously provided in the front matter is Foul is Fair, noting that the book takes on rape (not depicted "on-screen" but remembered in broken fragments that could be triggering for readers), suicide, murder, and transphobic bullying.

A razor-sharp, #timesup rape revenge retelling of Macbeth that recasts Lady Macbeth as a teenage girl plotting destruction against the prep school "golden boys" who raped her at a house party and which is as unflinchingly dark, angry, and cathartic as such a novel should be. As a spin on Macbeth, I felt that this novel was very refreshing in its handling of its source text and did some much more sophisticated reimagining than your average YA retelling, crafting something so very unique and painfully timely that even passing knowledge of Macbeth is not required. It's so easy for a retelling to become clunky and on-the-nose, but Foul is Fair never falls into that trap, largely thanks to its witchy, lyrical prose style and its unabashed approach to its content, which is brutal but not gratuitous.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an e-copy of Foul is Fair in exchange for an honest review.

I received a complimentary copy of Foul is Fair from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Oh boy! This one was hard to put down. This coven of girls is vicious!! Jade has been terribly wronged and is out for revenge in the highest degree. Her friends are there for moral support, completing secret operations, and to simply egg her on. Though many of the events in the book were cringe-worthy and some were just hard to imagine playing out the way they were written, it was kind of like watching a train-wreck....I just could not turn away! I HAD to know how this story turned out. It ended as I expected, but I was not disappointed, and it was a pretty good read overall.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Elle Khanjara is a sixteen year old with everything going for her. She is popular, comes from a wealthy family and with her three friends are the untouchable ones at their private school. For her sweet sixteen celebration Elle decides to gatecrash the party of the lacrosse club at another elite school with her friends knowing she is invincible. Unfortunately for her no one told that to the golden boys of St Andrew's Prep and she becomes the latest female victim of their depraved idea of how to have a good time.

Elle however, has no intention of remaining a victim for long and sets in motion a plan to find and destroy all those, male and female, who had anything to to do with what happened. She knows she has the ambition and ability to make everyone involved regret the day they met her and with her friends, her coven, she begins a reign of terror no one will see coming.

Given that this book takes its plotline from 'the Scottish play' it is obvious it will be a bloodbath of epic proportions but it is also way more than that. I am not sure how realistic the everyday setting of St Andrew's Prep actually is as there seems very little control over the students who roam the hallways and park their expensive cars outside in a private lot. As for a responsible parent forget it, they would just get in the way of a good read!

That said I thoroughly enjoyed this romp through the murderous intentions of one wronged teenager who drags everyone else into her nightmare scenario and leaves very few of them alive to tell the tale. This book isn't 100% Macbeth and nor should it be as it works so much better this way because however well you know the original this version adds to and, in it's own setting, changes certain aspects to make things fit a little tighter.

This is a clever, original take on something so well known it is easy to think there is nothing left to say about it. The characters are necessarily stereotypical but none the worse for that and as it is set in a world I know very little about I was surprised and delighted that I both read and enjoyed this book as much as I did.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good old murderous tale full of blood, gore and retribution with a classic twist.

Elle, aka Jade, and her three friends Mads, Summer, and Jenny have the means to exact revenge when a situation calls for it. They aren't new to retribution and when Elle is raped at a St. Andrew's Prep party, she calls in her friends to make the golden boys pay. One call from her father and she's the newest St. Andrew's Prep attendee and the plan starts taking shape. She will make the boys pay and have a blast doing it.

Jade starts with Mack, the seemingly innocent guy. If she can take down his friends and have it pinned on him all the better. She doesn't think he was at the party but he definitely knew they did something, so that makes him guilty, even if she thinks she's starting to catch feelings for him.

I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this clicky, high school, drama mashup of classics, but I got sucked into the drama, the strength of the girl's convictions, the support of Jade's parents. It made it so hard to put down the book when it was time to go to bed. The level of dark in the girls is fantastic. You feel a bit on the outskirts of their conversations, sometimes stilted and short, you sense the evil in what they are planning without being completely privy to that plan.

I found myself cheering on the girls as things fell into place, I wanted them to get the revenge Jade needed to move on, and I highly praise Capin for putting me in such a position. I see other people comparing this to Macbeth, Kill Bill, and the Heathers, and I would say that is completely apt. It's a wild ride that you won't' want to get off.

This is a fun read with a theme of everything being over-the-top in a good way! It is violent and perfectly captures the fantasy of any girl that has had enough of being walked over!

I really really liked this book. I was expecting to like it, just based on the premise of girls getting revenge- I am a fan of vengeance. However, I was not expecting the actuality of this book being a re-imagining of Shakespeare. The title is not just a nod because of the witches- the whole book is a very creative and modern retelling of Macbeth that focuses more on the women (Lady Macbeth and the three witches). My Lit major self really enjoyed picking things out like character and place names (Duncan, Malcolm, Inverness, etc). I also appreciated that the publisher and author included a trigger warning at the beginning of the book concerning the themes/events of the book that may be problematic for some readers. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed this book, both for the twist on a familiar tale, and the writing style itself. I look forward to seeing more books from Hannah Capin.

Brilliant retelling of MacBeth. Well written novel of revenge. This book drives home the power of women and sisterhood.
My only issue with the novel was the revenge angle was sometimes to easy and not believable.

I recommend this book for anyone with a love for Shakespeares darker concepts!

This is hands-down my favourite YA novel I've read this year. It's unapologetically DEVIOUS and downright DELICIOUS - and we all need a bit of that sometimes, don't we?!

This book wasn’t for me. There was nothing wrong with the writing I just couldn’t get into it. There’s definitely people that will really enjoy this.

This MacBeth retelling blew my mind. It’s clearly not a tale for everyone - but I loved it!

Such a well written tale of revenge - although a bit far fetched to say the least.

I recommend this read for anyone with an open mind - imagination and love for the original Shakespeare concept!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ From me. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this gem in return for an honest review!

I actually had a friend send me a physical copy of this arc because as much as I appreciate Publishers and Netgalley providing earcs, I prefer physical books.
I unfortunately couldn't get into Foul is Fair despite the important subject matter or what platform I tried to read. I'm also confused about the cover. It looks cartoonish but it also looks like it's trying to be spooky? I don't know.
Meh.
I do think others will enjoy this book.

Dark chilling so well written.Jane a rape victim is strong takes revenge in her own hands.A book that shocks keeps you turning the pages.Jane is a unique heroine. #netgalley#st.martins books.

I didn’t jive with this authors writing style. The plot was great, the characters were great, but I found myself confused and frustrated with the writing.

Hard to put this down,I enjoyed every minute of it. It actually ruined my weekend because I ended up taking this fine book everywhere I went including to the race track.

Foul is Fair is the story of a girl who wants revenge for a terrible experience. She and her best friends will stop at nothing to get it. Elle went to a party as herself, and came out of the party as Jade, the girl who wants payback for all that she suffered. To do this, she must infiltrate the circle of privileged private school kids who will stop at nothing to remain at the top of the food chain.

The best part about this book is its lyrical quality. Throughout much of it, it almost seems more poetic than a typical novel would be. The turns of phrase make it mystical in a way. While there is no explicit descriptions of what she suffered through, the poetic nature of it makes it clear.

The worst part is the believability. While this is clearly written as the main character's revenge fantasy, it reads too fantastic. Who is able to infiltrate and carry out plans to permanently put an end to all of those who wronged her in a mere week or two? And beyond that, who is able to crawl her way to the top of the food chain at a school where she's a stranger? The other part that's a little too out there is that all she really does is change her hair and wear colored contacts, yet all of these people are supposed to not recognize her? It's kind of hard to buy, and it made me want to stop reading at many points, because Elle/Jade had it relatively easy to carry out her plans. Still, it is an important read.

Well FUCK.

This book is amazing. It's brutal and beautiful at the same time.The characters really bring all of this home. I honestly need time to digest this, because phew is it a lot.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for the ARC of this emotionally devastating and beautifully written novel! When I read the premise, I thought I knew exactly what I was in for. I was looking forward to a cast of badass women who were done sitting back and letting men take what they wanted from them. I definitely received that story, but what I had no idea was to come was the fangs and the claws that would grow from these women, and the absolute carnage that they were going to inflict with them. This book is exciting from start to finish, bringing life to each character and every scene with the most intricate and haunting language I have had the pleasure to read.

We are dropped into Elle's life as she is destroyed by a group of private school boys. They take what they can from her, but what they don't get is her spirit. She is reborn as Jade, who has one mission and one mission only; to bring down the wolves that thought they had lured a sheep into their midst. Little did they know that she was one of them as well. She enlists the help of her three best friends, whom she calls her coven. It's mindblowingly fitting as these girls are magic together. It brought to mind my group of friends, and how I know they would do anything for me, and I for them. It's an indescribable bond, and when they hear what has happened to their beloved, they go feral. They are sworn to their sister until the deed is done and forever.

Jade comes clean about her rape, at least bits of it, to her parents, who are devastated for her. She says it was someone from the school she currently attends, and so requests to transfer to St. Andrews, where the real group of boys go. They are willing to agree to her demands; her father being well connected enough to make the switch flawlessly. Jade joins the school and immediately seeks out her prey. She spends her days making an in with these people, and plotting how to tear them apart from the inside. She sets her sights on their golden boy, Mack, as he is the softest of all of them and will be the easiest one to corrupt.

What she doesn't expect, however, is to fall for the boy. She fights to stay true to her mission while dealing with these feelings that she doesn't want to have. She is rage, she is fire, she is an avenging angel. She has no time for this weakness. So she uses it to fuel the flames, both in her and in Mack, and it only takes a matter of weeks for the house of cards to fall. It is a brilliant descent into madness, and Jade is our smiling guide. The plot that she carefully crafts, even when there are hiccups, is masterful and is aided by her loved ones. It truly is a story of the power of women, and a cautionary tale to remind the world that actions have consequences, no matter if it takes days, or weeks, or months, or years. Your sins are never as buried as you think. They lurk under the surface, waiting to rise anew.

I can't speak enough of the characters in this book. There is so much great representation, and all of the women have their own battles that they're fighting, but they rally around Jade in her time of need, just as she has for them over the years. I also appreciate that this book started out with a trigger warning, as the content is very dark and heavy, so for someone who has dealt with rape, suicide, or transphobia, it could take an even darker turn. Even for the subject matter to be what it was, underneath it all was a strong message to all women everywhere; not just those born physically into it, but mentally and emotionally as well. We will not be silenced. We will not be torn asunder. We will unfurl our wings and fly. We will be seen for the magnificent and malicious creatures that we are.

This book is one of the best I have read all year. A crazy retelling of MacBeth with the girls getting their wicked revenge. If you like girl power high school type books with some seriously mouth dropping actions than I recommend this book for you . The drama and the length one will go for revenge is stunning.

Omigahhhhhhhhh!

This book is too much in all of the best ways. Vengeful, violent, over the top, and fabulous!!

I can TOTALLY imagine Quentin Tarantino rolling around in this book and sighing with pleasure.

Suspend disbelief and just get in there, this one is so much fun!!

Thank you to Hannah Capin, St Martin's Press and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

When I first read the description for this book, I was hooked, but it proved to be so much more than just what the premise suggests. FOUL IS FAIR is a raw, deep look into what it takes to revenge and how far one person is willing to go. I will add the caveat that there's some dark content, but I absolutely loved this book.