Game of fear by Glede Browne Kabonga.
Sometimes good girls do very bad things...
Academic overachiever and popular good girl Abbie Cooper will do anything to get into the Ivy League. But even good girls have dark secrets. One morning, Abbie discovers a cryptic note in her locker: I know what you did, hypocrite! Justice will be served, The Avenger. Then a photo arrives in the mail. It captures in great detail the explosive secret she’s kept hidden from everyone—the shocking blunder that could get her expelled from St. Matthew’s Academy, and keep her out of the Ivy League for good.
Determined to protect her future and the people she loves, Abbie is drawn into a diabolical game she will break every rule to win. For a price, The Avenger assures her that her secret will remain safe. There’s only one problem: The Avenger may not exist at all. So who’s been stalking Abbie with anonymous text messages that disappear after they’ve been read? Who’s out to ruin her and why? To uncover the horrifying truth, Abbie must play the game all the way to its stunning conclusion.
This was a good read with likeable characters.  I just took my time. Didn't enjoy it.  4*.

** spoiler alert ** I really enjoyed this book. High School Senior who made a mistake a couple years ago is confronted with that secret getting to and ruining her college dreams. She decides that she can handle the situation herself and instead continues to make things worse for herself. In the end, her secret is safe and she gets a free ride to Yale.

I must admit this book exceeded my expectations. It was well paced, exceedingly well written, and absolutely heart-pounding at times. Who knew high school could be so scary?

Couldn't get through 5% of this book. I've been wanting to read it for so long too, even before I was approved (thanks for that) but UGH. So bad just starting out, couldn't stomach a minute more.

This book kept me engaged from chapter one. Abbie, a teen who attends a prestigious private school, has a few skeletons in her closet. Although, she has put her mistakes in the past, someone out there wants to make sure she pays for each and every one. Someone is stalking her and leaving creepy messages with the intentions of blackmail. Abbie faces the usual teen challenges: problems at home, jealousy among peers, and a few bad choices making this story and its characters relatable. The in-depth characters have distinct personalities making you feel as though you want to get to know them better.

Although “Game of Fear” is the second book in a series, it can easily be read as a standalone novel. The storyline keeps the reader hooked, not wanting to put it down until you know who “The Avenger” is. An exciting, edgy read full of suspense!

What an intensively satisfying read! The suspense built from the very beginning all through till its climax. Looking forward to exploring more writing from this talented author in future!

It was an average book, kind of like pretty little liars. The characters are likeable but I dont feel like there was enough suspense. When I found out who it actually was it was kind of like I didnt care. I did get to read what the sequel will be about and I think It will be even better, I am excited to read it.

I really liked this book. I really connected to the characters. There were some spelling/grammar mistakes, I wish I could tell you which page however a kindle does not tell the page number. I really liked how connected I could feel with some of the characters. The ending was so surprising, I loved it.

I’ve read “Game of Fear” as a standalone novel, not knowing that it was book 2 in a series. It wasn’t a problem, but now I want to read the first book to find out more about Abbie and her family. I liked Abbie, she was smart and strong, but had her flaws like every high school student. I read the book in one sitting, it was that good. And even when I was (almost) sure that the one person Abbie thought being responsible for what happen to her is not the one, I couldn’t figure out the who and why 'til the very end. This is a book I gladly recommend. I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Glede Browne Kabongo!

Loved loved loved this book go ahead give it a try you wont regret it.

What an amazing book! There is everything in here! Mystery, Blackmail, Crime, Passion! I loved this book! Can't wait to read the next book in the series or another of the authors books

Okay so typically, I don’t read a lot of YA novels anymore. Every so often, I’ll run across one that really catches my eye and I’ll sit down and read it. This was one of them. I stumbled on a website called NetGalley.com where you basically read books and give reviews on them, which is right up my alley. This was my first book from there and a good first choice! I finished in a day and I was wrapped up in the story to the point where I couldn’t wait to read what was next.

The story follows Abbie Cooper as she moves through her senior year at an exclusive private school. Her main goal is to get into an Ivy League college and start her journey to becoming a surgeon. She has two best friends, Callie and Frances, a picture-perfect family recovering from a scandal that almost ruined them, the hottest boy at school, Christian, pining for her attention, and of course a sworn enemy, Sidney. Seems like everything in her life is perfect, right?

Abbie has a secret in her past that no one knows about, something she is ashamed of and has kept hidden. One day, before class, while Christian is at her locker like every other morning, she notices a note in one of her books. “I know what you did. Hypocrite! Justice will be served, The Avenger.” Abbie panics, someone knows her secret. Soon after, she gets a package in the mail with an incriminating picture in it. This person knows her darkest secret and could ruin her life. All the plans she had carefully planned and laid out for the future would be gone in the blink of an eye. Abbie is drawn into a game of cat and mouse, where she is the mouse and she must do whatever the mysterious blackmailer says. If she steps one toe out of line, the blackmailer will release the photo and ruin any chance Abbie has at a future.

Follow Abbie through all the twists and turns this story has to offer. The story sets everything up perfectly, and once you find out who the Avenger is, everything makes sense. Subtle details are placed throughout the story that lead to who the mysterious person blackmailing Abbie is, but I promise you won’t see it coming. The story itself is pretty good, the secret Abbie is keeping isn’t as big of a deal as I was expecting from the synopsis, but still something that could ruin a high-schoolers life. It is definitely nothing to be taken lightly. The writing style used by Kabongo was similar to how a teenage girl would think, which I think is what she was going for so very well done. Reading the story, I didn’t realize that this was in some forms a sequel to one of her other books, and you didn’t miss anything by not reading that one first. Luckily for us, Abbie’s story isn’t ending here either. We will continue on with her journey with a follow-up story.

Let’s talk about Abbie. In some ways, she reminded me of myself. She takes nothing from no one, she’s fearless. She says what she thinks, even though sometimes she shouldn’t, and never holds back what she truly feels. She is driven, hard on herself, what some consider a “goodie-goodie”, but she knows what she wants and will do whatever it takes to get it. Her friends, Callie and Frances, are great supporters and do what they can to help Abbie during the traumatizing period with the Avenger. Christian, the pretty, popular, womanizer turns out to be one of the best characters in the book. Sidney was the most complex written character. She seems like your typical mean girl at the surface, but she’s hiding so much under the layers. She isn’t as bad as she seems.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It took me back to my high school days, although I was never blackmailed or really had any detrimental secrets that I was hiding. It was a nice book, and kudos to the author! I can’t wait to read the follow-up and continue to follow Abbie Cooper.

**This was originally posted on my blog: https://lifeofanavidmoviegoer.wordpress.com**