The Revenge Club

The Revenge Club by Kathy Lette is a feminist comedy drama by Kathy Lette.

Heading for their 60's Matilda,Penny and Cressida ,friends since their University days when they were all in a band,are all successful and well-known women in various media. forms. Matilda is a well-known author,Penny a TV News reporter and Cressida an actress. Almost at the same time their worlds come crashing down ,seemingly purely because as middle-aged women society,and in particular their employers and agents,deem that they've gone beyond their sell-by date. Angry and bitter they're reunited with Jo,friend and former Band member who they havn't seen since their Uni days. Jo makes quite a spectacular entrance and reveals that she also found herself on the scrapheap and out elbowed out of her career in the movies for the heinous crime of being middle-aged and female,but has found a rather unusual method of being re-employed. The quietest of the group in Uni,Jo want justice meted out to the various ageists,misogynists, users and abusers who have wronged the 4 friends and The Revenge Club is formed.

This is a very funny book,I was laughing out loud from the first few pages and the laughs kept coming.it's also insightful and moving. Occasionally the dialogue veers into "speechifying" but the book has plenty to say on an important subject and amongst the jokes Kathy Lette says it. The characters are great, showing both their strengths and weaknesses, their moments of indecision and their determination.
A very funny book with a message that it puts across without hectoring. Confession time,I'm a bloke and I loved it.

Sensational: an entertaining, silly, yet deeply serious story about four over-fifty women who are degraded and ridiculed. Indeed, be encouraged to Go Forth and Be Fabulous – in your own way, whatever sparks joy :)

I am hoping the Revenge Club will be back in business in a second book in this series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

Witty and laugh out loud reflection on the real world for older women in today's society. Yes, regardless to improvement, it is still a man's club everywhere. Most women will be able to relate, sadly, to many of the circumstances and enjoy the thought of retribution! Gets a little mushy near the end, and defies logic a few times, but overall a funny and messaging read.

The Revenge Club by Kathy Latte is a dramedy that had me both laughing out loud, relating to the character's dilemmas, and cheering them on while they execute their plans..

When three friends for decades, Matilda, Penny, and Cressida who all have bad things happen to them at once reunite with their former college bandmate, Jo, hilarity and revenge ensue.

Tired of being treated badly mostly because the are "just women", they come with ways to get their own on the people who have done them wrong.

As a middle aged woman, it was all too easy to relate to some of their circumstances, unfortunately, and I cheered them all on throughout the whole book.

Can this please, PLEASE become a series?

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

This review is based on the uncorrected advanced reader copy.

I have to say I am very excited to go back and read the final version of this book. This is the first time I have read a novel by Kathy Lette and I have to say she has a new fan. I am slightly under the target audience for this book as feel it is aimed towards older woman however I still really enjoyed this story as it was funny and meaningful.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Better look out the Tenna because you will LAUGH!
Thank you NetGalley and Kathy Lette for making me pee myself, a lot.

Four fifty-something former best friends meet again after lots of years. All have been let down by men, be it a husband, colleague or boss. They plan on getting revenge and form the "Revenge Club"...
I really enjoyed reading this book. I especially liked that the main characters are woman over fifty but not retirees. The story was entertaining, funny, fast-paced and mostly believable. The ending is of course very optimistic but wouldn't it be nice if things were like that?
All in all a very enjoyable book.

really fun feminist drama with some interesting characters that worked very well! thanks so much for the ARc, would recommend

This was such a fun read. I adored the characters and it was such a good thing the four main characters (Matilda, Penny, Cressida and Jo) were in their 50s, as it made it more believable. The women all have their own lives, personalities and voices. I have been let down by men throughout my life and this story is so relatable. Gosh….I would have enjoyed a little revenge club lol. Not saying that I would take it as far as Jo. I finished this book in just a couple of hours as it was fast-paced and enough happening to keep me fully entertained. The direct and dry humour made me laugh out loud with tears in my eyes. Definitely recommend this book if you want a light and funny read with some serious messages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, NetGalley, and Aria or Aries Fiction for this ARC.

This was an east read which I devoured in a short time. Seemingly four successful women, who are not so young, have their lives upturned by selfish and misogynistic men. Revenge is sweet. At times I did feel a bit like I was being lectured to, but mostly it was humourous in places and delightful to see the bad guys get their comeuppance. Underneath, there are serious issues at play here, and Kathy Lette is astute enough to call out the women who deserted Jo in her time of need. A book to read for entertainment, but also a book that does show some gender issues warts and all.

Four fifty plus woman meet again and plot revenge on the men who done them wrong. Interesting characters that carried the drama of the book very well. This book made me laugh out loud in places. Would recommend that everyone should read it. Great book.

An totally fun read where four women come together to bring down some utter idiot men from their lives. Fun and with more than a passing nod to the 'Me-Too' movement. Light and quick to read with an especially entertaining last few chapters The main character, Matilda a comedian sometimes tries too hard to be funny but her autistic daughter and wayward son are a pure delight. Lighthearted but also giving us a reminder about cherishing one's friendships, maybe having overlooked their emotional needs whilst being involved in our own lives. Certainly highlights the invisibility of the older woman.

Absolutely brilliant, loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

I first read Kathy Lette’s books in the mid Nineties and laughed and laughed through them all. Nothing has changed. The Revenge Club is a fabulous romp with women who have had enough of being disregarded for their age and sex and exact the best revenge on the men who have made them feel that way.
It’s funny, clever, witty and frankly wonderful. I loved the characters and their back stories and how that they turn the tables.
There is a little poetic licence with regard to Jo and the way they can become ‘one of them’.
I would highly recommend this for a genuine laugh and it’s better than any self help manual to think the feminist way!

Classic Kathy Lette. Sparky and intelligent. Another bonkers (in all the right ways) but tightly plotted story from the Queen of irreverent humour. Kept me chuckling all the way through. Loved it!!

This tale of revenge is hilarious but after a while the constant one liners became too much. I would have liked more depth in the characters. I think it would make a great short story. Not for me, but other readers may well enjoy it.

Kathy Lette, The Revenge Club, Aria and Aries, May 2024.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

Kathy Lette has not let her joy in creating a comedy undermine her strong story line that promotes the abilities and strengths of women fast approaching their sixties, a continuing fight to break the glass ceiling, and the perfections and perils of friendship, partnerships and children. The Revenge Club is such a romp – but also such a marvellous insight into women’s friendships, partnering and dealing with children. It is Lette’s ability to combine joyous writing, graphic descriptions and serious content that makes this such a powerful and fun novel.

Matilda, Cressida, Penny and Jo meet, at Jo’s invitation, after an estrangement at the Oxford May Ball at the end of their university years. Matilda, Cressida and Penny are successful – two in paid careers, Cressida, one-time successful actress, now providing support for her executive husband and their two children. Matilda has two children also and is a single parent except for their father’s access to her bank accounts, their children’s hearts full time, and hers on foolish occasions. Matilda is a writer and expecting her latest novel to garner a lucrative contract. Penny is childless, an intelligent television presenter who appears with a younger, but less able, male presenter. Success and belief in women’s equal status in a now ideal world oozes out of the three in their meeting with Jo. She is far less confident that the glass ceiling has been broken and has ensured her success by adopting a male persona.

Matilda, Cressida and Penny are quietly buoyant about their futures, while remaining kindly towards, as they believe, errant Jo. They vaguely speculate on what went wrong with their friendship in the past but coming to a conclusion about that is not their priority. After all, they have important meetings in the offing which will seal their success and support their belief that all is well in women’s world. Of course, they are disillusioned in some well-drawn scenarios – a strength in this novel, where pathos and comedy mix freely. Meeting with Jo again they adopt plans for revenge.

Beautifully realised is Melody, Matilda’s daughter who is on the autism spectrum. Melody is a joy to meet, with her special needs outweighed by her contribution to her mother and her friends’ revenge plan. Charlie, her brother is also a character who adds to the interest in this novel – Lette does so well in her characterisations, and the children are worthy contributors to these. The men are also described with a range of emotions and behaviours that, while they are mostly deplorable, add to the comedy as well as the grim realities of the patriarchy. Matilda, Cressida, Penny and Jo are remarkable almost sixty-year-olds without being implausible.

With its well woven themes of revenge, sisterhood (and its shortcomings) dips into the television and writing worlds and the ugly all male world of the awards ceremony, Kathy Lette has written a novel well worth reading. I look forward to seeing more of her new work, and catching up with the old.

Another great book by Kathy Lette.
She is a great author & this book lives up to her usual high standards.

After previewing chapter one of The Revenge Clue a while back, I was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the full book. It was worth the wait.

Kathy Lette has created incredibly likeable characters in Jo, Matilda, Cressida and Penny. Four women headed for their 60s, feeling happy and content with how their lives have turned out until, well, men.

Each of the four find themselves suddenly facing lives that they hadn’t planned for and do not want at the hands of the men in their lives.

Not content to sit back and take it lying down, they decide to get revenge.

A deliciously devilish romp of a read, which gives you all the girl power feels.

Sweet Retribution..
Matilda, Jo, Penny and Cressy - intelligent, independent, bright, funny, sassy - all highly successful women. So why, suddenly, do they find themselves in a situation where they are being overlooked? The world, it seems, is still a man’s one - and age plays its part in a woman’s. These women scorned are most definitely not going down without a fight - and it will be the fight of their lives. Enter - The Revenge Club - getting mad and getting even. And, it will be so, so sweet. A fabulous romp through the struggles of women everywhere and how it feels to enjoy that delicious taste of sweet retribution. Funny and furious.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Aria & Aries for an ARC of this novel.

This is a very funny, very sad book about how women over 50 fare in contemporary society. Just when they think all their hard work has paid off and they are truly hitting their stride, the hardest years of childbearing behind them, in comfortable relationships or happily alone, careers established with more success imminent, someone says “No. You’re too old.” And they are expected to shrivel up and get out of the way. Because even in the 21st century, there is a unspoken consensus that youth reigns and women over 50 are old crows. Men over 50, on the other hand, get to live—and thrive—as though age merely enhances their every sign of aging.

That’s a harsh interpretation of ageism but the author hits the mark with this story of four female friends whose ‘best before’ dates are suddenly and randomly declared to have passed. This comes as a terrible blow to three of them. Jo is the only one who had already seen the reality and had actively chosen an unconventional approach to fight it. Fast friends in university, the four had gone their own ways, and Jo was the only one who had left the UK to work in the U.S. They are stunned to find that Jo had become Joe, looking like and living as a man. Never committed to being a woman, she finally made her choice when she was fed up with being overlooked, denigrated and dismissed in her career while lesser-skilled men rose. The other three are accepting of her choice, but refuse to surrender their view that life is currently much better for women—even those “of a certain age”— and that they are living proof of that.

On their second lunch date, all three have been through a serious and synchronous overturning of the very dreams they had thought were imminent only a week earlier. Joe was right. Tilly, the writer—who is actually writing this story—has been dropped and insulted by her life-long editor, because no one wants stories by and about women her age. The actress Cressida is offered a job by an indifferent millennial agent —doing either vaginal deodorant or adult diaper commercials. A respected actress and crowd stopping beauty who gave up her career on the request of her high flying lawyer husband, she was confident that, now that the youngest of her four daughters was leaving home, she would simply resume her film career. But she is too old. She returns home to her blessed consolation of a husband, with whom she is celebrating their 25th anniversary, to find him having sex with an actress one third his age. Penny, the intrepid war reporter and hard-nosed TV journalist, is informed at the very last minute that her longed-for move from a lunchtime to a prime time slot will happen only for the stupid male co-host she had carried for fifteen years. He is her age, but she’s the one who is too old.

Jo/Joe’s response to their plight is not smug or self-righteous, as it could be. She doesn’t feel vindicated, but counsels vindication. And so the Revenge Club forms. With Joe in the lead, each of them summons strengths old and new to fight a seemingly unwinnable battle against sexism reinforced by ageism. What they plot, and what they do, together and alone, is testimony to the bonds of friendship among women. In the wonderfully witty and often lewd Tilly’s voice, it is also hilarious and heartwarming. Of course they don’t win the war, but they have notable battle victories. I’ve never before read anything by Kathy Lette, but she has definitely won a place on my “must reads” list with this one.

Watch out all misogynists, the females of the species are taking no prisoners! They’re out for blood, well humiliation at the very least!!

Told entirely from Matilda’s perspective, an estranged group of four university friends is brought back together to enact revenge against the chauvinists in their lives. The lengths these women go to are brilliant and most definitely chuckle-worthy!

These women haven’t seen each other in years, their camaraderie is like an old friend. They slip into their parts of the fight with ease, their planning and execution is admirable especially as they pull in other wronged women to join the revenge.

The Revenge Club is a call to arms, a movement against misogynistic behaviour against female counterparts. Lette has created a comic take on a very serious and relevant subject. At the heart of this story is friendship and female solidarity. This is a highly entertaining topical read! Fabulous read!

After reading the short excerpt, I was thrilled to bits when the publisher and NetGalley gave me access to the ARC for The Revenge Club. I'd absolutely LOVED chapter one and was eager to see if the rest of the book was just as good.

It was better! Absolutely fabulous!

The laugh out loud moments continued as well as poignant moments. I will definitely recommend this book and we on the look out for future titles by this author.

First time reader of Kathy Lette and I’m now a fan!

Friendship, betrayal, love, family drama and of course revenge is all in this book. If I had known how funny Kathy was, I would have been a fan a long time ago. I was hooked from the beginning and couldn’t wait to read the ending.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC for my honest opinion.

This was a very entertaining read in true Kathy Lette style. A good book to read if you’re after something lighthearted (although it does contain some serious issues)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A genuinely laugh-out-loud book featuring four 50-something women combining forces to get their own back on the appallingly misogynistic men who've done them wrong. Although it's humorous, it covers issues such as invisibility that, sadly, many women, including me, will identify with, told from the perspective of the hilarious Tilly.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC.

Good book with a cute story inside. I really liked the main characters in this one as they played well off each other.

This book does make slightly depressive reading as you know that being overlooked when you are a women of a certain age is a thing. However, it is amusing following their story as they try and right the wrongs and show various people up for their treatment of it. There were times when it felt slightly uncomfortable but was a great read.

I really enjoyed this book told from Matilda's POV. A group of friends are reunited in their need for revenge!
It was a very comical and witty read. I loved all the characters and could feel their connection through the pages,
I think it's a really inspiring and powerful book for women of all ages - as well as simply very entertaining and funny!

A Hilarious Rollercoaster of Revenge and Redemption

Kathy Lette’s “The Revenge Club” is a delightfully entertaining novel that takes readers on a wild ride of revenge, friendship, and self-discovery.

The story revolves around three women who come together to form a club dedicated to seeking revenge on those who have wronged them. As the plot unfolds, readers are taken on a hilarious and unpredictable journey as the trio navigates the ups and downs of their mission for justice.

The author effortlessly weaves together lighthearted moments with deeper themes of empowerment, self-discovery, and overcoming obstacles. Through the characters’ experiences, Lette explores the complexities of relationships, the power of forgiveness, and the importance of standing up for oneself. It is a hilarious and empowering read that will leave readers laughing, cheering, and reflecting on the power of friendship and self-discovery.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️

'When the odds are against you, it's time to get even' - we follow four women in their 50-somethings who are set to take revenge against the men who wronged them.

Matilda, Jo, Penny and Cressy are overlooked and pushed aside by men in their respective industries, so they create The Revenge Club - a club to take down the misogynistic men and their behaviour. We follow them as they come up with some hilarious ideas to take them down and put their plans into action.

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
Well, I definitely had quite a fair few laughs throughout with the dry humour. One of my favourites was the analysis of a woman wondering why her husband seemed off with her - does he not love me anymore? Is he having an affair? Have I done something wrong? No, Ireland just lost the rugby.

I've never read anything by Kathy Lette before, but this book has made me want to pick up more with the humour that was involved!

Overall, it was a really entertaining, lighthearted read with important topics weaved throughout. Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for this copy. This review is voluntary.

I was most pleased to be given access to this book by Kathy Lette. Although I haven't read many books by her, I did thoroughly enjoy this one. Matilda, Jo, Penny and Cressida are all women at the top of their game and careers. However things are about to turn for them all thanks to men and the patriarchy. However, Jo comes up with a plan to get revenge on all the men who have created havoc for them. What ensues is a great fun read that I couldn't put down.

Four friends from Uni days reunite, Matilda a writer, Cressida and actor, Penny a news anchor and Jo who arrives at the lunch, disguised as a man.

They all agree that it is a mans world, as Jo has discovered, and start plotting to take revenge on the men who has discarded them because of their ages.

A laugh a minute and also some cringing moments, makes the book one you will not put down!

A new book by Kathy Lette: I'm there 😊. I loved Ms Lette in the 90s and with her first books I practiced and polished my everyday English and, above all, my colloquial repartee. Her wit is simply legendary. Feminist par excellence and queen of irony. Sometimes the language is almost too crazy, I always notice that one book at a time is enough, but then I can inhale and enjoy this book. So much for the preface. The author wrote with a sharp tongue in her latest work and made me smile a lot, but of course it's always about the content. So, in short, not only Ms Lette is now over 50, her protagonists are, too. And the four friends Matilda, Jo, Penny and Cressida notice it one after the other: the zenith has been passed and menopausal women are being strangled. All 4 of them are very successful in their respective professions, but all 4 of them are mercilessly discarded and replaced by younger ladies. Or deleted without replacement for semi-successful men. Best-selling author Matilda no longer gets any new book deals, award-winning reporter Penny is kicked off the show in favor of her rather simple-minded co-host, Jo is a filmmaker in Hollywood and has also just been allowed to step down, and Cressie, a former film star, catches her husband having a rendezvous with a much younger young actress. You cultivate anger and disappointment, but Ms. Lette's protagonists are fighters and found the Revenge Club. Revenge should be enjoyed coldly, and with a lot of advance notice, the ladies manage to show one adversary after the other where to go... and at the same time they also learn a lot about themselves, about their friendship, which actually lay dormant for decades (why actually ? The resolution will be exciting and extremely emotional.), and what really matters in life. So much for the content in short form. The long version lasts over 400 pages, and not a single one is boring 😊. As already mentioned, this is due to Lette's incomparable narrative style, but also to the fact that she analyzes social criticism in detail and presents it with humor. I'm the same age as the four women and can agree with almost everything that's being criticized here. I mean, the quartet offers potential for identification. Actually also for younger women, because at some point we'll all get older, right 😉? And the author never becomes anti-male (hey, on the contrary!), but she likes to hold up a polished mirror to society. And finally I have to say, it was super funny and it was fun to march with the ladies through their quest for revenge.
You have to read Kathie Lette in the original. I once read a German translation of a book by her, which was okay, but stylistically too much gets lost in translations when authors have their own unique style. So people, grab the original!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy!

The true meanings of friendship, reconnecting and being triumphant.
Best friends at university then going their separate ways, until Jo calls them back together.
Life implodes for the quartet of friends but revenge is sweet
Plotting the exposure of the males who kicked them down.
Enjoy the twists and turns,fun and laughter.
Keep your friends close as you never know when you will need them.

This book is serious ...ly side-splitting fun.

I am still clutching my sides. I have always enjoyed Lette's wonderful humour and this book was no exception. Admittedly, I am probably her target audience.

Penny, Cressida and Tilly haven't seen their friend Jo in many years. Since their band broker up at uni they all drifted apart, their lives have been busy with careers, partners and children. But when Jo gets the four of them together for a lunch she lets them in on a secret and their friendship picks up again.

And just in time, because their seemingly perfect worlds are about to implode.

It's important not take this book too seriously - the characters are satirical, they are not real people. The men are THE WORST. The women are not always the best version of themselves. There's a lot of exaggerated dialogue and behaviour.

But there is an emphasis on sisterhood, on leaving no woman behind, of calling out injustices and bringing people along with us. I took that message seriously.

Also, if I had friends who could riff like these, I would never leave their company.

Female friendships are important to celebrate at any age, but this book argues, especially when you are older. And I whole-heartedly agree.

Plus, it's just so funny. There were so many lines I want to quote.

My favourite is when one of the characters calls 'mansplaining' 'correctile disfunction'. Hi-lari-ous.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The main character in the book is Matilda – who is an Australian born writer now living in London, with 2 children (one of whom is autistic) and is separated from their father (now, this does sound vaguely familiar when compared to the writer’s own life – but ‘write what you know’ is often said!)

Tilly reunites – after 30+ years – with 3 friends she was in a band with at University (Louche Women is a most excellent band name!) but has lost touch with since. Jo has been in the US working on movies, Penny is a news anchor and Cressy is an actress married to a high flying lawyer with 4 daughters. All 4 women – as they approach their late 50s – have experienced issues with being a woman of a certain age – and so come together – as The Revenge Club – to, as the name suggests, take their revenge!

Whilst the book is silly and funny and frequently made me laugh out loud – it also covers important topics facing women of a certain age, but in a very entertaining way.

The ‘Revenge’ plans twist and turn during the plot of the book and keep you guessing right to the end – but the development of the main characters is great and the relationships between them all. I also really enjoyed how Tilly’s kids came into their own in the book – with kids a similar age I could very much empathise with Tilly’s initial frustrations!

Overall this was a fantastic, escapist and hilarious read – and perfect for those of us 50+

A huge thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for my ARC.