A dark and twisty YA novel centered around Allyson, who is looking for a relationship but often misreads signs from the boys in her life. She thinks she has found the perfect guy in Brenton Riggs, Jr. until she learns of something called "The KIng's Cup" and all bets are off.

Positives:
Fast paced
Entertaining
Deals with some heavier issues good for teens
Murder mystery
Stong female relationships are explored


Negatives:
A bit predictable
Some parts were cringy

This book did not meet any of the standards I thought it would. I would not recommend it to my best friend. I just wasn't the target audience for this.

"The Revenge Game" is a delightfully darkly comic feminist mystery that explores the hidden perils behind a hopeless romantic’s seemingly flawless love story. Tailored for fans of Jessica Goodman and Kara Thomas, Jordyn Taylor crafts a YA thriller that blends romance with intrigue, making it the perfect read for a cozy night in. The novel's brisk pacing, entertaining twists, and richly developed characters ensure a gripping experience. In this story, romance and trouble are inseparable, adding layers of excitement and complexity to the plot.

This was a good quick YA thriller/mystery read!
The author had me constantly questioning the characters and what was going to happen next!
The twist that concluded the mystery and the ending of book was very surprising and I enjoyed it!

This story is an incredible and funny story that delves into the world of women and female relationships in a way that is actually quite feminist. I really enjoyed this book and think there is a lot of commmentary here.

I believe I had already given this book feedback, but it seemingly shows that I didn’t. I am always trying to get more diverse reads for the library, including ones with strong female leads and feminist tropes, however, this book did not fall into that category. I found that the book seemed cliche and an example of the nuanced side of feminism , which is fine if done right, but it felt like the book was saying it was okay to be doing these bad things under the so called term of feminism. I am nothing if not a feminist , but the situations here just felt like revenge ploys. Which I guess fits in with the name The Revenge Game, but it still just felt like they were excusing bad behavior and calling it feminism. The book would follow different paths but then fail to connect them, which didn’t help the fact that the plot lacked a substantial basis. I could see how this book could be enjoyable to some, but unfortunately it wasn’t for me.

3.5

The Revenge Game is a YA thriller that has very strong themes of feminism, justice, and revenge. The plot follows a young romantic high school girl named Alyson who suddenly finds herself in a budding romance with the school’s most popular jock, Brenton. Her carefree and fun new relationship soon turns sour when she and her friends learn of a misogynistic game that the boys on campus play called the “King’s Cup”, where boys get points every time they have a sexual encounter with a girl at the school. In an act of defiance, the girls begin their own little game of “Queen’s Cup” to seek justice and revenge. The problem is, Alyson doesn’t know if Brenton’s feelings are real or if she’s just another pawn in the boy’s twisted games.

I’ve read a lot of YA thriller novels, and this one fits really well with the rest of the popular books in this genre. The fact that there are very strong themes of feminism is one of the things that I think sets it apart from some of the others. That being said, there were several points while reading this book that I felt like I had read it before. While the writing is clearly set up to lead the reader on a thrilling path of questions and answers, I found that my thoughts on what was going to happen were almost completely aligned with the actual plot that followed. There was no “twist” that I didn’t see coming from miles away.

I do, however, think that people who aren’t as familiar with YA thrillers/mysteries will enjoy reading this book a lot. The writing style switches between first person narration and things like newspaper articles and press releases, which is a style that I personally think works really well with these types of stories. There is a dual timeline as well (something very standard in YA thriller/mystery novels) so you’ll jump back and forth between present and past events as the story unfolds.

If you’re looking for a YA thriller to pick up next, definitely give this one a try. Just be prepared for it to feel familiar if you’ve read a lot of them.

The Revenge Game is a fun, twisty read about revenge and reclaiming power from the boys who wronged us. Alyson's journey from hopeless romantic to empowered teen is engaging, though the story takes a while to introduce the central conflict of the King's Cup. The characters can feel a bit flat, and the romance lacks depth, but the book's feminist message is strong and relatable. It's an easy read, perfect for teens navigating similar issues, even if it didn't fully hit the mark for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I am not sure how I missed writing a review for this title. I thought this was wickedly clever and even though a bit dark, was sooooo good! I loved the characters. I even loved some of the awful ones!

Honestly.

Alyson is the worst. Choose a side! And really? You didn’t see this coming? Not at all?

This one was predictable and with an obnoxious mc. Wasn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

Allyson Benowitz loves romance novels and desperately wants to live out the perfect story book romance. When the star of the lacrosse team, Brenton Riggs Jr., asks Allyson to be his girlfriend, it all seems too good to be true. Especially with the King’s Cup going on—a game where boys count their hook ups to see who the ultimate winner is. Allyson and her friends create the Queen’s Cup to get revenge on the boys by publicly humiliating them. Allyson doesn’t think Riggs is part of the games, but her friends aren’t so sure.

This is a fairly predictable YA thriller, but I really enjoyed it. It’s fast paced and mostly light hearted, though it does talk about heavy and important topics like consent and sexual assault. Nothing is graphic, but those are some triggers to be aware of. I thought the author did a great job of fleshing out Allyson and Riggs’ characters so we’re invested in their relationship while also sprinkling in enough hints to keep us skeptical about Riggs’ involvement in the King’s Cup. I only knocked it a star because the last chapter seemed random and unnecessary to me. Thanks to NetGalley, Delacorte Press, and Jordyn Taylor for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Alyson is a romantic at heart; she hopes to write romance novels someday. So of course, she's ecstatic when she meets her own prince charming, Riggs. Then she and her friends discover that the boys at their school are playing a disgusting game, using girls to accrue "points", and they decide to get their revenge. But her perfect Riggs couldn't be involved, right?

This was an enjoyable little read. I always enjoy feminist revenge plots, though I feel like I wish Alyson could have gotten a bit more involved in getting her own revenge. I easily related to her as the main character. She's just a teen girl who wants love, and it's pretty easy to see why she misses some red flags. The friendships were nice, but I'm iffy on the little twist at the very end. It just wasn't built up enough in my opinion. I enjoyed the news clips throughout. They built up some tension as to how the story would end.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

📖My Thoughts📖

What would you do if you found out that some of the boys at school were having a contest that involved earning points based on how far they could get with a girl? Obviously, you would seek revenge, right? But just how far would you go to make them pay? On the other side of the coin, just remember this. Karma’s a b*tch.
I have to say, there were some pretty good twists that came up in this book. And the ending? Holy smokes, I didn’t see that one coming! The premise was a pretty good one, but also hard to read at some times. There are some triggers scattered throughout the book, so be sure to check them out before picking this up. Overall it was a fast paced, entertaining book that I could and would have easily torn through in one day, but adulting got in the way.
Thank you Netgalley, Random House Children’s and Jordyn Taylor for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

God I love the entitled prep school boys getting their comeuppance subgenre! This book was very predictable and kind of formulaic but I tore through it in one night so props for beating my pathetic attention span! Also, what in the hell kind of a name is Brenton

#TheRevengeGame #NetGalley
Teens will enjoy the drama and twisted ending! It is definitely an interesting read! Don't skip til the end, definitely worth the "what" moment!!

So good! Probably one of the better YA novels I have read in a while. I do always love a good prep school setting, like this one, since they are always rife with drama, and this one delivered. I didn’t love that Alyson was as naive as she was, but honestly, when I was a junior in high school I was probably worse. But the ending, let’s talk about that ending; did not see it coming. Did I see something akin to that? Maybe, but the twists weren’t done and definitely something I enjoyed reading. I recommend this to any YA fan!

This book just didn’t land for me. I’m normally a sucker for feminist revenge themed novels of any kind. But from the beginning the main character was not a girls girl. She was boy obsessed and then gets a boyfriend and is constantly like
“Omg thank god Riggs is amazing”. Idk it just rubbed me the wrong way

I love young adult mystery thrillers. This one had a lot of twists and turns I didn’t see coming, and I loved the mysterious aspect.

I added this excellent book to my classroom library. The vibrant colors of the cover and theme of revenge are exactly what high school students are reading. Another excellent addition to my classroom library.