“The Payback Girls” by Alex Travis is a compelling and entertaining YA thriller that follows Meghan, Robin, and Bria, three high school seniors who discover they are all dating the same boy, Nate, a star basketball player. When Nate ends up in a coma after a violent attack, the girls become prime suspects and form an unlikely alliance to clear their names.

I enjoyed this novel; the characters felt authentic and relatable with conversations mirroring their ages. Travis skillfully develops their personalities and interactions, making it easy to become fully immersed in their world. The book also offers a captivating look into the American prep school system, shedding light on the social hierarchies, pressures, and challenges students face, especially those from diverse backgrounds.

The narrator, Tamika Katon-Donegal, did a great job of representing the different characters quite clearly. Her pacing and tone was immersive and made the flow easy to understand.

This book didn't quite do it for me. The premise intrigued me, but ultimately I found myself frustrated that these three seemingly accomplished girls were so hung up on a guy who was unfaithful. The fact that they teamed up felt like... girl power in reverse? The queer subplot felt forced as well. Overall, I kept listening because I wanted to find out what exactly happened, but this book felt too long and a bit all over the place with its values.

The narration was mostly good, though a little too tense at times, so the parts that were actually tense had nowhere to go.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Recorded Books for the opportunity to listen to this ALC and provide an unbiased review.

This was so so good it was like John tucker must die which I loved but more grown up series and dark I loved that it also focused on p.o.c that's amazing what wasn't amazing was the casual racism our main characters had to endure. And this book did not end the way I thought it would

3.25/3.5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed the premise of this book! I loved the creepy, almost confusing vibe of the book. It had a really interesting plot, but also a plot line that has been done before.

I enjoyed the characters as well and felt like they were definitely flawed but still enjoyable to read. I didn’t enjoy that they all felt super hung up on Nate after they found out he was a serial cheater BUT i think it’s easy to forget these girls are high schoolers and i think that at that age girls are quick to forgive their ‘dream guy’.

I had a good time. It was an enjoyable and fast read.

Narration on the audiobook were done well. It kept my attention from start to finish.

I loved the premise of multiple girlfriends being framed as getting back at their cheating bfs. However I felt I knew early on the mystery, and some of it was predictable. The middle dragged on a bit
Not a bad story just not my fave

As a millennial, I absolutely loved John Tucker Must Die, so when I saw that was a comparison in the blurb, I HAD to request this one. This is definitely a modernized version, but a good modernized version.

Meghan, Bria, and Robin are very strong leads. They all secretly shared a boyfriend and didn't know it until said boyfriend winds up attacked and in a coma. Automatically, all three are the prime suspects.

The story has themes of racism, bullying, and everyday issues that come up in high school. The story flowed very naturally and I thought it was really well written. The whodunnit was really good because I didn't have a clue until the end and even then there was still some guessing.

This caught my eye by the description hoping for like John Tucker vibes but actual murder. Too YA for me tho.

3.5/5 for me.
Wild story with some twists and turns.
Check trigger warnings - especially since this is a YA book.
Take a trip to thriller land with 3 strong & independent young women.
The characters are well-developed for the most part. The pace of the plot is good.
I definitely would recommend for a more mature YA audience!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I went back and forth a few times with this audiobook. There are definitely parts I liked and parts that I didn’t like.

Pros:
-the narrator
- the female friendships developed
- the twist (kinda) ending

Cons:
-the immature (even for high school) conversations
- Bria, Meghan, and Robin all did things and said things that just seemed so weird for a high schooler.
- a lot of situations were way too far fetched it.

I listened at 2x

All in all, decently entertaining. However, some of the cons I could not get passed and give this more than 3 stars.

I am so sorry but I did NOT like this book AT ALL.

This was so incredibly annoying (the story as well as the characters).

This reads extremely YA...in a bad way. It reads as very immature, and yeah, kids are immature. We all know that. Kids can be so dumb and naive and mean and immature, but this took it to a whole other level. Maybe because I was never like these characters at that age, but I would be insulted if I read this book at the age these characters are. And yes, I am aware that some of the characters in this book are supposed to be stereotypes of kids you'd find in high school, but it wasn't done in a way that sat well with me.

I also had a terrible time in high school with being bullied, so maybe that trauma is coming out a bit.

I don't know. This book just was not for me. I found myself skipping through the audiobook because I found these characters that unbearable. Sorry if this is extreme, it's just how I felt when reading it. I didn't enjoy it at all. I can see potential here, but this wasn't executed in a way that would've been tolerable for me. And that's disappointing because I thought I would really like this based on the blurb. I think the blurb was a bit misleading maybe? And that's why there's such a disconnect for me in terms of concept to execution?

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

I absolutely enjoyed this read! I was rooting for those girls, even during the times I questioned their innocence. Megan and her severe panic attacks I can relate to.
The narrator did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life!

Thanks to NetGalley and RBMedia for this arc.

This was a pretty decent YA thriller. I was able to finish it in basically one sitting while doing chores around the house. This kept my attention and I found myself engaged the whole way through. Solid four stars.

I’ve been so addicted to YA Mystery/Thrillers lately, like 👀🍿 I’m so nosey lmfao. I lowkey knew who it was, but the way Alex redirected everything was 🤌🏽 Like yessss, keep me guessing lmfaoo. I loved each character too, their personality really shined through Tamika’s narration. The whole being a girls girls narrative was so strong, even though they weren’t friends. I was fr rooting for them the whole time though & the way it ended just 🥰 I love when the girlies win lol. Moral of the mf story? DON’T CHEAT. The ones who can’t relate are the lucky few lol!! Also, Bria’s sister? That was foul. Good intentions at first, but wrong… I felt so bad for Bria. Meghan’s sisters on the other hand? RIDE ORRRR DIEEEES frfr 🫡
Overall, this was such a fun time. I hope Meghan & Robin are happy 🤍 And I hope their friend group of 3 overcomes all odds!! The dark humor at the end?
Same Bria, SAME lmfao. At the end… I just fr can’t believe he did it. I mean, I can ‘cause he was at the top of my list lmfao, but damn… Say it ain’t so 💔 He seemed like such a good kid, but that’s what they all say 🌚 lmfaoo.

“Nate may have been #9, but he will always be #1 in our hearts.” - Coach
Hardest line in this book fr ☠️

Thank you NetGalley and RBMedia for this ALC.
Tamika Katon-Donegal does a decent job narrating.
This story did nothing to capture or keep my attention. I kept waiting. I was left wanting.

A good thriller with a great underlying message. All the high school drama with a sprinkle of attempted murder and I didn’t see the culprit coming. The narration was good. 3.5 ⭐️ because the first half was definitely slower going and I wasn’t fully invested until about that point.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a whodunnit in high school with the victim being a high school sports star that was playing 3 girls.

The suspects are the 3 girlfriends.

They team up to try to figure out who did it but was it one of them.

This was a decent suspense thriller. I figured it out pretty early on or I should say I had my high suspicions.

The narrator was good. I just thought the story was basic. I did not like how the story wrapped up and how there was barely any backstory on her prior incident especially with how much it’s mentioned.

4⭐️ Second Read-ALC (audio)
3.75⭐️ First Read- ARC (ebook)
Update: I requested this as an ALC from RB Media so I could review the narrator and the production as I did enjoy reading it the first time.

Most of the time I enjoy the book equally or even more when I read it again as an audiobook and this is no exception. I find you get more of the nuances of the prose as well as being able to focus on the smaller details.

I really enjoyed the narrator Tamika Katon-Donegal. She really brought the book to life especially since the main characters are people of color and Ms. Katon-Donegals voice inflections celebrated said characters. She spoke at a good pace for 1x and the production was clean and well done. I was easily able to slowly speed it up and listen to the majority comfortably at 1.75x speed. I am so glad I listened to it as it increased my rating to a solid 4⭐️


Original review:
This drew me in from the start and kept my interest throughout albeit with a few bumps along the road.

I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary eARC from Sourcebooks Fire through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

I loved the queer and black female representation that also spoke to social issue of today but without sounding like the author was preaching. It came off for the most part like authentic high schoolers in an atypical situation that only YA thrillers can offer.

The book did get a bit repetitive at times and while it pays a nod to movies like John Tucker must die, it does take place in modern day. The issue is some of the language is not what a teen would say. The biggest stand out was calling a recording a “taping”. It took me right out of the story. I thought maybe the author was an older Gen Xer when I read things of that nature but that doesn’t seem to be the case. There are some other minor similar outdated terms but they didn’t bother me as much.

I liked the tension and suspense despite figuring out who the culprits were. The more surprising aspect was the “why”

I think teens will eat this book up and enjoy the ride. This book comes out April 1.2025.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

So much is happening so quickly, and it has really captured my interest! I ended up finishing it in one sitting. Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and RBmedia | Recorded Books for this ARC.

#ThePaybackGirls #NetGalley