Thank you to NetGalley, Hannah Capin and St. Martin’s Press for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I had no idea what to expect going into this book as I didn’t even read the synopsis and had just heard so many good things that I had to read it! I was thrilled by how shocking and amazing this novel really was. I flew right through this novel and kept my mind spinning the entire time. I was immersed right into the plot of this novel and I was turning the pages as fast as I could to see what happened in the end. I would definitely recommend this one if you love a surprisingly addicting dark novel! I can’t wait to see what comes next from this author!

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at https://www.NerdGirlLovesBooks.com.

Wow. What the heck did I just read?? Violent, dark, twisty and an utter guilty pleasure, this book is Mean Girls, Heathers and Kill Bill all rolled into one. Every girl that has been wronged by a boy has probably had a deep secret wish to exact revenge, nay vengeance, against that boy. The more violent the better. This book is every wronged girls fantasy imagined.

Elle and her friends Mads, Jenny, and Summer are at the top of their social circle. They've got it all and everyone wants to be them. To celebrate Elle's sixteenth birthday, the girls crash a party at St. Andrew’s Prep. That school has a group of golden boys at the top of their social circle, and they have a cruel tradition that they exact on unsuspecting girls. When the golden boys target Elle as their next victim, they picked the wrong girl.

Elle and her friends are determined to get vengeance. Elle transfers to St. Andrews Prep and insinuates herself into the golden boy's circle by cozying up to an ambitious boy named Mack. Once done, Elle and her coven get to work on destroying every boy responsible for Elle's pain. One.By.One.

This book is told in short chapters and is a quick and easy read. The story is fast-paced and keeps the reader's attention. Obviously the reader has to suspend belief when reading this book, but it's a fun fantasy ride. This book isn't for everyone. It's violent and twisty and glorifies exacting deadly vengeance on teenagers. But, if you're up for it, I recommend you reading this book.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the way this book was written, although it took me som time to get used to it at first but once I got the hang of it I couldn’t put it down. I really liked the meaning of the book and what it stood for.

While I was not as captivated by Foul is Fair as I was by Dead Queens Club, I did laugh out loud quite a few times! Hilarious hijinks ensue for sure.

“So I point at my hair, and I say, This color. Know what it’s called? She shakes her head: No. I say, REVENGE. She says, Good girl, Kill him.”

Oooohh buddy, this book just blew me away. I was already prepared to love it- revenge story, Shakespeare retelling, tight knit friends group? No need for more information because I’m already sold.

Our main character, Jade, is assaulted at a party thrown by the popular kids at another school. In the aftermath she reinvents herself, transfers to that same school, and intertwines herself in their group so she and her coven can take down (in the most final way possible) those who wronged her. And she did it using one of their own. Jade thinks everything will work out perfect, but emotions (Jade’s as well as others) come into play and information about her target comes to light that shakes her up a bit. You see things start to spiral out of Jade’s control, but she and her coven pull it back in to Jade’s manipulative, murderous hands. I loved it.

And THAT ENDING!! I’m not going to say anything else about it.

This was just a beautifully twisted book that had my attention from the very first page. I read the whole thing in one sitting. Hannah Capin had a wonderful grasp on the tension through the entire book and it kept me on the edge of my seat. Parts of it read sort of like a play which I enjoyed as it added to the Shakespearean feel. I saw the plot twist coming, but knowing what it was only had me more interested in seeing how it was going to affect the outcome.

Foul is Fair is a book written for every girl who has ever wanted revenge. It does get quite a bit dark at times. Hannah Capin has content warnings on her website so I recommend checking those out before you read the book if you need to

Scheduled to post 3/3/20.

FOUL IS FAIR is a deliciously complicated book that should make every woman roar, incite table-flipping, curtain shredding, and mayhem and destruction at the hands of everyone who's ever been wronged and who felt powerless to rectify it. This is a revenge fantasy that should boil everyone's blood, make everyone question their feelings, and come out of this book with their panties on fire and ready to fuck things up.

Elle, Mads, Jenny, and Summer are not likable characters. In any other situation they would be the snotty, rich bitches who rule the school and play with people like paper dolls, throwing them away when they're done. And I like how Capin is not shy about this. It's repeated throughout the book that these were girls who were on top, who manipulated people to do whatever they wanted, who always got their way. They're not likable in life and then this happens to Elle and they funnel all of that nastiness about themselves into this revenge plot to bring justice where they knew no justice would come. They channeled their evil powers for good.

Although I'm sure some would question whether what they did was good. And that's the point. It certainly felt good reading it. It certainly felt good to read about these abhorrent little shits who would get away with whatever they felt like, and ruin whoever they felt like, who played not just with emotions but with bodies, who took whatever they wanted because they could, get their comeuppance. Some would say to let the law handle it. That would be the appropriate way. Those boys would get theirs eventually. Because that's worked so well for rape victims in the past, yeah? Because worthless little fuckers like this don't grow up to be the Brett Kavanaughs of the world, who will screech and cry and yell about what they are OWED in this world but have no regard for what they've taken.

FOUL IS FAIR is an uncomfortable read. For all of the synergistic rage I felt reading this, it's still not easy to read about teenagers unapologetically killing other teenagers. Like I said, this book is deliciously complicated. Like a warm blanket that's warm because it's on fire. Part of me didn't want to see these boys die because, for the most part, they're a product of their environment, raised poorly by uninvolved parents who think money can get them out of anything. And it can. The much larger part of me warmed my hands on the bonfire of their bodies. Because if it's fair for them to do whatever they think they deserve and want, then the foulness that they attract because of that is fair too.

It's not an easy book. It's not meant to be black and white and make you feel one way or another. It's meant to be complicated. It's meant to be difficult. It's meant to make you feel uneasy. It's meant to make you feel guilty for seeing children die and enjoying it. And I fucking loved it. I'm going to have to edit the swears out of this review in order to post it on Amazon, which I don't generally do, but FOUL IS FAIR is gold. It's what this world needs. And I'll do what I can to get it out there.

5

I was really, really into this - loved the characters, the callbacks to Macbeth, the story itself. Things got a little too fast paced at the end and I was a little confused by a few things, but definitely an excellent book about very justifiably angry women.

This story is a modern retelling of Macbeth. I only read the play once, years ago, but I was surprised at how much I remembered while reading this book.

This story has a modern twist, with Jade seeking revenge. She was assaulted by a popular group of boys at St. Andrew’s school. She reinvents herself and orchestrates a plot to take them down.

This story is told from the perspective of Jade, who is the Lady Macbeth character. It took me a while to catch on to who she was meant to play. She uses her friends, the witches, to influence Mack to murder his friends.

There were a lot of characters in this book, and I got them mixed up sometimes. A few boys had names starting with D, so I got them mixed up. They were sometimes called their first name, and other times their last name. It was confusing when there were scenes with many characters because they were all moving and doing things, like they would in a play, but it made the scene really drawn out in the book.

I enjoyed this story. I’m curious to see what will happen in the next book.

Thank you Wednesday Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Foul is Fair is a Macbeth retelling (but from the POV of Lady Macbeth) that I can only describe as “hyperreal.” I’ve seen some Quintin Tarantino comparisons, which seems very accurate based on the third of Pulp Fiction I’ve seen. The writing with its various euphemisms (like wings, claws, and fangs for body parts), the “coven” of girls who aren’t actually magical (but clearly the Witches from the source materials), and the intense violence create this unreal sheen on top of it all. The writing itself does so much to craft the tone and the world. This also makes it a pretty fast read. Just like Macbeth, I wouldn’t call this book realistic, and that’s intentional. (This might also mean it isn’t for you–I don’t think it was for me for that reason.)

“Revenge fantasy,” as the blurb says, is entirely accurate. Jade plots out revenge against the gang of boys who rape her which all works out almost entirely well. I think it’s definitely valid that those who are assaulted/raped experience a need to redefine themselves, rage, and are distanced from their emotions and reality–and as the story goes on, her PTSD creeps through. But if you want a realistic story about trauma and the aftermath of sexual assault, this isn’t it. And so, I think there can be various responses to this. Some might find it an empowering fantasy. But for me, revenge isn’t justice. It’s kind of a superficial, and unfortunately, rape revenge storylines are a trope that feels falsely empowering to me. The way Jade talks about how they “picked the wrong girl” also gave off this “not like other girls” vibes, like she was the strong one to put an end to it. At the same time, I can see it being like one of those fun, over-the-top social commentary movies (preferably not directly by Tarantino).

Sometimes it could feel like it was going through the motions of a Macbeth retelling, but I appreciated the twists near the end. I also had a good laugh how the boy guarding the door was “Porter.” I also appreciated how one of Jade’s friends in her “coven” is a trans girl, although I wish more time was spent with her support systems of her family and her friends than at St. Andrew’s. I was hoping it would cut just a little deeper (no pun intended!) into the humanity of it all and be a little more grounded in reality.

Foul is Fair is for you if you like violent thrillers with social commentary, Macbeth, and the satisfaction of a revenge fantasy toppling privileged rapists. But if you want something a little more grounded in reality, this might not be the book for you.

Sure, revenge can be sweet, but this book felt incredibly toxic to me. I wasn't able to suspend my reality enough to get into the story. In theory, I can get behind a feminist retelling of Macbeth where a girl gang seeks revenge, but in reality, it turns out I can't.

All I could think about was how much I would hate living in this world with these superficial, horrid teens. I was reminded of the movie Spring Breakers with all the Instagram-filtered parties, hallucinogenics, and debauchery, but without the welcome bizarre-ness of James Franco and even more murder.

I couldn't finish this.

Before I write my thoughts, I wanted to touch on the trigger and content warnings that include sexual assault, rape, rape culture, gender-based violence, abusive relationship, physical violence, gore, murder, bullying, transphobia, suicide, underage drinking, drug use, vigilantism, revenge. If you click the link you will be taken to Hannah's website where she writes out detailed content warnings with detail (however, it may contain spoilers for the book). Regardless of these warnings, this book is well written and shows how we need to deal with rape, rape culture and bulling so that these types of situations do not keep happening to anyone. 


First thoughts that hit me with a gut punch was how this was a hopped up version of Sadie by Courtney Summers, for the revenge plot story line, mixed with a side of Dexterby Jeff Lindsay or something of similar feel, for how easily Jade transitions from being a sweet sixteen girl to a remorseless queen of murderous vengeance. IT'S PERFECT! 


The entire time I was reading this book, I kept thinking this is out of control and so insane, but so very understood. I'm sure Elle/Jade is not the first girl to want a boy dead for the terrible things they've done, but this time she and her friends actually act on it. Completely plotted out, researched and refined down to every detail, they begin their plan to take down each golden boy that was involved that night at the party.


They think they have the perfect plan and the perfect scapegoat, but emotions start to cloud judgement and things spiral out of Jade's control. Only with the help of her true friends can she grab the reigns and attempt to finish the job they started - taking down the prep school's hierarchy - one by one!


This was a fast paced read and had me flipping pages faster than I have in a long time. The story is so compelling and I just had to know what was happening next or who would be next. I didn't realize how dark this story was going to get, but I absolutely enjoyed it. I had a few thoughts on how I thought things would play out, but I was totally wrong AND there was a little surprise that I hadn't realized was coming. 


Jade's character is such a psychopath. I did not realize how much she could pull off. She was so manipulative. Perhaps it's the combination of her coven or just herself as their leader, but I definitely would not want to cross these girls. I would have loved to see a lot more about her fellow coven members, but I understand that this story was about Jade and what happened to her. I think Mads is the character that I'd most like to read more about and learn her story. 

If after reading the trigger and content warnings, you feel that you wouldn't be bothered by the situations, I strongly suggest you give this book a try. Fantastic narrative on such an important topic that is always in the media of late given the "me too" movement.

I posted the following review on my blog:
From the very first page, Foul is Fair grabbed me in and I could not let go until the end, seriously, I finished this book in one sitting. It’s charged with anger, revenge, and violence. This book is not for the faint of heart and I suggest that you read the content warning on Hannah’s website (hannahcapin.com/foulisfair) before diving in. I loved how gripping this tale is, Capin has crafted this story in a way that you feel immersed in it like you are a bystander to the twisted acts. Jade and her coven will enchant you and make you wish that you had them by your side. They are my favorite part of this story and show the complexities of female friendship and love during high school. Each member has their own story and I guarantee you will feel for all four of these dynamic girls. I don’t want to say much more because I believe this book is best without knowing much about it, all I will say is you must read this fantastic book. It is a power trip and a rollercoaster that you will not want to get off of.

The privileged boys of St. Andrew's Prep picked the wrong girl to f*ck with. Jade is fierce. She and her girls will not rest until vengeance is theirs.

The writing here is amazing, but the trigger warnings include almost everything you can think of. Be ready to handle just about anything.

Modern day retelling of Macbeth. Dark and crafty, page flipping thriller! The boys of St. Andrews Prep choose Elle to be the girl they drug and sexually assault. Elle and her friends, with careful and skillfully crafted plans to make each of the boys turn on and kill each other. The girls, known to each other as The Coven, seek revenge on their own terms. Fast paced, great read.

I loved this book so much. The writing is poetic and beautiful and I couldn’t get enough of it-I usually don’t read books on the trolley and train but I read this one back in October, (I just kept forgetting to type up my review which is why I’m posting it now.) on my way to Disneyland and by the time I was back from my trip I was almost done.

If I were to describe this book in one word it would be fierce.

For her 16th birthday Elle and her friend’s decided to crash a high school party, not their high school but another one a St. Andrews prep one. It’s here that Elle’s drink is spiked by the golden boys of St. Andrews and she is raped. It’s after when she changes her name to Jade, dyes her hair revenge black and forms a plan to take down all four boys who have wronged her. First she transfers schools, than she befriends the guys girlfriends and seduces Mack the only boy who wasn’t at the party. One by one the boys start to fall with the help of her coven of girlfriends.

I loved everything about this book it’s dark and twisted, it’s a retelling of Macbeth- I’m a big Shakespeare fan which is why I agreed to do the blog tour. This book is exactly what a revenge fantasy should look like, over the top, beautiful, full of brilliant characters who take what they want and more and have no regrets doing it.

I adore jade and her coven of girlfriends they have her back and she has there’s and while I might be a little scared of them, especially jade. There loyal to each other, there smart and there ruthless and that might be why I love them so much.

I don’t know what else to say except if you can handle it go read it!

Would I would 100% recommend this book to someone and I can’t wait to read more books from this authors.

Content warning
sexual assault (not depicted), rape culture, and violence, an abusive relationship, a suicide attempt, and a brief scene with transphobic bullying.

i had a bit of a hard time writing this review because it's been awhile since i read it and also because i loved it so much i really don't know what to say about it.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

 “Fair is foul and foul is fair”

I know I’m late on this review. This book was released on February 18th, and I finished it a few days before that. But I couldn’t write this review. Don’t get me wrong – I sat down more times than I can count to start it, and ended up staring at a blank page. I’m struggling now, and it’s been well over a week since I’ve finished it. But that’s the way this story left me: speechless.

Foul Is Fair follows Elle and her three best friends Mads, Jenny, and Summer beginning with the night of Elle’s sweet sixteen. Elle and her coven are glittering, powerful, and ruthless – the rule their LA world with an iron fist and no regrets. Boys hate to love them and girls want to be them. Until. Until the night of Elle’s birthday, and they crash a St. Andrew’s Prep party. And the golden boys choose the wrong girl for a night of “fun”.

Determined to wreck her own vengeance, Elle forms a plan with her coven: she’ll transfer to St Andrews and destroy them from within, taking them down one by one. And the girls will spare no mercy while they do it.

Before I go any further, I would like to applaud the author for providing an entire list of content warnings HERE and honestly, if there was ever a book that’s needed a list, THIS IS IT. I mean this with my whole heart: if any of these triggers are challenging for you, read this book with caution. It does not pull any punches.

This book gripped me from the very first page. Elle and her coven have such a feeling of magic about them, for a world that isn’t in a fantasy book. They create their own power, and control their own fate. They are there for each other through thick and thin, no matter the cost. Their loyalty flirts with insanity, and I was absolutely living for it.

“They are mine and I am theirs.”

Beyond the characters, the writing was gorgeous. This story was full of so many emotions, and they came through so perfectly on the page. I felt what Elle was feeling, and I rooted for her, no matter how brutal her plans were. The writing is gripping and dark and twisted, but so full of power.

"We’re magic. I can feel it right now in the dark. We’re invisible when we need to be and then so firework-bright no one can look away. We’re patience and brilliance. We never forget. We never forgive."

I don’t know what I expected going into this book, but whatever it was, that isn’t what I got. What I got was a novel so full of vengeance and rage and power and destruction that I could feel it inside my chest. This is not a novel of forgiveness or redemption or healing and moving on. This is a book about revenge, and taking back what’s yours by whatever means necessary. This is a story of brutality, of ruthlessness, of getting even, even if that means burning it all down in your wake. And I loved every single second of it.

Foul Is Fair released on February 18, 2020.

*All quotations are taken from an ARC and are subject to change prior to publication.

Interesting premise for a novel - teenage girls who go through all kinds of bad stuff and seek revenge on those who they feel are guilty. It got its points across and the writing has an interesting style. However, overall, revenge tropes aren't for me.
Thanks for the early copy to review.
#Netgalley #StMartinsPress #WednesdayBooks #FoulIsFair

"So I say it, stupid and bold in one quick breath: 'Promise me you love me.'
He says, 'I promise.'
He says, 'I've never loved anyone more.'"

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

I was supposed to review this book for a blog tour, but didn't want my negative feelings (few, but significant) to detract from the purpose of the promotion. However, today's the last day of the tour, so here's what I thought about Foul Is Fair.

Initially, I thought a Macbeth retelling (of sorts) would make a brilliant book, but there were too many unbelievable aspects for me to fully immerse myself in the story. The entire thing takes place over a two week period, and that just wasn't enough time for Jade to do everything she did. Yes, the author managed to squeeze it into her story, but realistically, I don't think it would have been possible. The police, people's parents, the school... someone would have said or done something. Surely people weren't that clueless.

There's actually very little adult involvement throughout the book, which was also very surprising. I understand that the girl's parents were a little shady and a lot crooked, but their lack of participation in what was happening felt off. They verbally claimed to be there, but were rarely physically present. The same can be said about the teachers, detectives, and anyone else with the authority to actually do something - - they simply weren't around.

I'm happy that there's a book out there that shows girls fighting for themselves, and righting the wrongs done to them, but murder is an extreme reaction. Regardless of whether or not the girls thought the boys would get away with it, killing people shouldn't have been an immediate response to a problem. It was an odd perspective, that's for sure. We see mean girls being ruthless and cunning, so you dislike how awful they can be, but you also feel sorry for what happened to them. It was a weird paradox, but one that I found to be very interesting. You don't have to like someone to understand their motives, and you don't have to agree with their motives to understand their reasoning.

Mack. Nothing about Mack made sense. He fell hard and fast for a girl he barely knew (seriously, like 5 minutes), and he was professing his love within a matter of days. Why was he so quick to love a girl that had no past and a million secrets? What about Jade made him feel like he couldn't live without her? He did some pretty extreme things for a girl he new nothing about. Why? Did I miss something about his past? Should the author have developed his character more? All of the other characters I understood. I might not have liked who they were or what they did, but I understood their motives and rationalizations. Mack was a huge question mark.

- Foul Is Fair was incredibly suspenseful, but also somewhat predictable.
- Jade, Jenny, Summer, and Mads were fascinating and brutal characters that I wanted to know more about.
- I love how the author described people - - especially the coven - - and her writing was both melodic and sinful. Capin conveyed her story in a way that felt inevitable.
- Everything was tainted by that night, and even going forward it will be a bruise that never fades from their memories. Jade may have proven she wasn't broken, but she couldn't hide all of the cracks her attackers left behind.

If you like retellings, Foul Is Fair is an original take on an old story. I like that the author chose to show girl's fighting back, and refusing to stay silent about what about happened to them. They raged, they destroyed, and they got even. It was extreme, but that's what will make this book stand out from others like it. It wasn't realistic, but I'm sure it's a secret wish more than a few people carry in their hearts. This book gives you justice for rape victims, for those who have been silenced by fear, and for the people who have been wronged by a justice system that's supposed to be fair and honorable. This book is Revenge. (★★★⋆☆)

Hannah Capin’s novel, Foul is Fair was an unexpected surprise for my TBR. I’m a fantasy/romcom reader so teen contemporaries aren’t usually on my radar but I gave this one a try for this blog tour and I was not disappointed. It was dark, twisted and revenge filled. Be warned that this story centers around a gang rape, violence and death. There are very vivid flashes of the rape throughout and it’s written with a strong poetic prose that delivers a multitude of emotions. This is a novel that should not be read frivolously or without a second thought because it has tons of hard truths that many seem to have forgotten. This modern take on Macbeth was executed with brilliant precision.

“Dangerous eyes for a dangerous girl.”

The main character, Jade is methodical, clever and fights for her justice when others have failed her. For the longest time I was confused as to where the timeline fell in regards to her rape and then her subsequent revenge until I read this, “Thirteen days past sweet sixteen my claws are sharper than they ever were before,” that’s when I realized that this plot takes place just days after her brutal attack and I was baffled. The whole assault was gruesome and for a sixteen-year-old girl and her friends to come up with and execute a plan to get justice for those who will never be held responsible for their actions was interesting to see. Nothing really deviated from their plans and when it did, it was nothing more than a hiccup.

“I say, ‘We’ll be the witches they don’t believe in until it’s too late.”

You see how strong and resilient these girls are and the amount of times their feminine wiles have allowed them to pass unnoticed. The whole concept was incredibly clever and I was impressed by their tenacity. I was relieved that Jade didn’t close herself off from everyone after the assault. She told her parents, albeit they acted very strangely when they heard what happened (allowing their daughter who was just brutally hurt to handle it seems odd, the father although angry waited for her command on how to proceed and that got me a little) But she also confided in her friends and that way she had a support system in place while she went after those her hurt her. As I write this I see connections to DC’s Green Arrow and that only makes me love this book more.

I highly recommend this book especially if you think it’s not one you would usually read because I think that difference made this book better. It was strangely addictive and I certainly couldn’t put it down until I saw Jade get her justice. I want to thank St. Martin’s Press for including me in this tour and for providing me with an e-ARC through Netgalley.

This book was CRAZY! To be honest I haven't read Macbeth, and I do not think I have read any other retellings. This book was chaotic in such a good way! Mean Girls on freaking steroids! I had such a fun time with this one, and found myself cheering on Jade! Loving this revenge book.