This was the best book! I read it in one sitting and I just could not put it down! I would definitely recommend this book and look for more titles by this author.

I really enjoyed this book! The characters are certainly young (high school age) which reflects in both their maturity and their interactions, but the book was engaging throughout. I enjoyed the premise of the Queen's Cup and the more mature themes included in the novel such as sexism, feminism, and setting boundaries. Though the end was pretty predictable, I enjoyed reading this book and am glad I had a chance to take a break from my typical book choices with this one.

Love a good revenge story and that's what you get with The Revenge Game. Very much a high school YA feminist twist on it, so not a deep philosophical read but fast paced and entertaining one. Enjoyable! I'd recommend it!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

"The Revenge Game" by Jordyn Taylor is a mixed bag that delivers thought-provoking elements and frustrating dynamics. On the positive side, the book bravely tackles feminist themes, engaging in honest conversations about relationships, sex, and bodies while skillfully dismantling toxic masculinity. However, the characters Riggs and Alyson, flawed in their own ways, make it challenging to connect with or sympathize with them even as the narrative unfolds.

One significant drawback for me was the narrative structure. The foreshadowing of a future event from the beginning and intermittent updates weren’t engaging for me. Instead of building anticipation, it created a sense of detachment, making it difficult to immerse myself in the present story without constantly pondering the impending incident.

The predictability of the climax was disappointing, and despite my wishful thinking, the story unfolded as suspected. The "rescue" scene, while believable in terms of the rescuer and their actions, felt implausible in execution.

As a fan of YA fiction, this novel has left me hesitant about exploring more stories set in high school. While the book had its moments, character dynamics and narrative structure flaws impacted my overall enjoyment. "The Revenge Game" offers a unique blend of feminist exploration but falls short of delivering a genuinely satisfying and immersive reading experience.

The Revenge Game is a gripping mystery and thriller that seamlessly weaves a feminist twist into its narrative, adding depth and a unique perspective to the genre. From start to finish, the novel captivates with its fast-paced plot, keeping readers on the edge of their seats. The characters are well-developed, and the storyline is both engaging and thought-provoking. I found myself unable to put the book down, as each chapter unfolded with unexpected twists and turns. The blend of suspense and a feminist lens makes The Revenge Game not only super entertaining but also a compelling exploration of justice and retribution. Highly recommended for those who crave a thrilling read with a fresh perspective.

This was a great mystery/thriller with a feminist twist. Even though I know it was a big part of the story, the emphasis on "hooking up" or that term in general was a bit overused at times. That could also just be my non teen perspective and I think overall, teens will get a kick out of this book!

First, I want to express my thanks to both #NetGally and Random House/Delacorte Press for the ARC.

So I was sort of excited for this book just based on the plot, However, I HATED Alyson. I can't pinpoint why BUT I just couldn't relate to her on any level. While the book was entertaining, I didn't really appreciate the whole scorned woman turned lesbian side plot. It just played more into the stereo woman scorned stereotype.

However, it was fast pace and I was able to finish it within a day or two.

Again, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

This book makes me so glad I didn't go to private school, as hard as school could be I could always go home to a safe place, I can't imagine living in a situation like what Alyson and Chrissy and all of the other girls went through.

This book shows us how easy it can be to be tricked, how when you're in love or even think you're in love you can ignore red flags that are as big as some small countries and still defend the person waving those flags.

I will say I thought the ending was going to be something totally different, I had all of these theories about how Al or Prentiss were behind what happens to Riggs, but I was so wrong and I love it when a book surprises me with a twist I didn't see coming.

Thank you to Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for providing a copy of this E-Book, I have voluntarily read and reviewed it and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was so excited to get this book! I couldn’t put it down. I loved the twists in this story and the way it centered around girls, and Jessica, reclaiming their power.

Meh not for me. This plot felt super childish. Sounded like it was going to be good but I did not like it.

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!
The story follows Alyson Benowitz, a hopeless romantic high schooler with dreams of becoming a romance writer. She falls into her own seemingly perfect love story, but is it all too good to be true?
The girls soon find out about a game the guys at their co-Ed prep school participate in, the Kings Cup- a competition to see who has the most sexual prowess, and start to question everything & feel used. Resulting in the girls inventing their own version, the Queens Cup, and reclaiming their power.
I recommend reading to see how the girls get their revenge, it won’t disappoint!

This book took me a while to get into. I'm a little disappointed that it didn't hook me from the start. Alyson got on my nerves from the very start. This isn't a book that I enjoyed and it was painful for me to get through. I wanted to like it, but I just couldn't.

I was shocked by how quickly I got through this book. Super entertaining, fast paced, witty, everything you want in a book! Every girl needs to read this book! Truly a book I couldn’t put down till the very end!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I’m a sucker for a solid revenge-themed thriller, and The Revenge Game fits the bill perfectly. And the way it tackles serious topics, like the rape culture in elite academic settings and how the rich and powerful inevitably are protected, including an interrogation of the prevalence of the “promising young man” archetype in praise of alleged assailants (evoking creepy reminders of the coverage of the Brock Turner case, among others). Even before I fully knew the turn the story would take, I already loved the way the story set this up, opening with the first of several interstitial mixed-media interviews and news articles, discussing the missing rich white boy’s alleged perfection.
Alyson is a compelling heroine to follow, because she treads the line between being fiercely feminist and a hopeless romantic. She loves romance novels, and is very much susceptible to the romantic attentions of someone she’s also interested in. But while she does let that cloud her judgment, she also navigates the question of whether her boyfriend, Riggs, truly is “not like other guys” throughout the book. With critical distance from him as the reader, it’s somewhat easy to see that he’s a bit too good to be true, but I also couldn’t help but hold out hope that he was indeed genuine, and not pulling some long con.
In that regard, the story proceeded somewhat predictably, but it was no less gutting when the reveal happened, because of how invested I was in Alyson’s happiness, not to mention just the callous nature of the reveal. And while the “revenge” didn’t go as far as I initially thought it would, I feel the book was effective in showing that the point wasn’t to exact any real vengeance, especially if it would jeopardize the promising futures Alyson and the other girls could have. And in that respect, I appreciate that the ending wound up resolving the wider systemic issue at the school, creating a safer environment not just for them, but for future students.
One aspect I find myself confused about is the resolution for Alyson’s relationship with her friend Jess. They have a solid friendship throughout the book, and I didn’t think too much about them being anything more than that. But all of a sudden, when someone mistakes them as a couple at the end, suddenly they look at each other differently for the first time, and Alyson even says, “The thought just hit me.” I know it might be realistic for teens to fall in love fast, and given Alyson’s history, it does track, but given how long she’s know Jess, it just felt like it came out of nowhere, and I wanted a little more buildup, or just slight acknowledgment, from at least one of them!
Minor quibble aside, I really respect what this book is trying to do. I recommend this if you’re into feminist thrillers, especially those with a high school setting.

Alyson is a student at an elite prep school. She is a romantic at heart and loves reading romance novels. Her love life is essentially nonexistence until she catches the eye of Brenton Riggs Jr. Riggs as he is known as is the typical rich, popular, good looking jock on campus. Alyson finds herself quickly falling for Riggs. He says and does all the right things. The school merging from a girls only to a coed school might just make this the best year yet of Alyson's life.

While on a school camping trip the girls discover that the boys are playing Kings Cup. A game that goes back to the 1980s. In an attempt to get back at the boys they devise their own game and call if Queens Cup.

The story is told via newspaper clippings, interviews, flashbacks and the current time line. The story is seamless however it's quite easy to figure out the players and their games. Then ending seems rather abrupt and not exactly how I would have liked it to end but it's fitting.

This book could be triggering for some when it come sexual explicit material and rape.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Jordyn Taylor, and Delacorte Press for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Would I have enjoyed this at 16? Probably. Did I enjoy this at 25? No lol. Normally, I don't let that affect my ratings or opinions, but I do think that in this case, it is linked to the actual book itself. I liked the overall idea of girls getting revenge on their horrible boyfriends, and I enjoyed the boarding school setting. I also liked the sex-positivity for teenage girls written throughout! However, that was about it for my enjoyment. I couldn't get over Alyson as a character. I got so tired of reading about how she was this "revenge leader" who had it out for all of her friends being treated badly but had SUCH a blind spot for her own boyfriend. She ignored many red flags, but the worst part was that she would start fights with her friends if they tried to point them out to her and would also be super judgmental about them. I didn't think this was a healthy portrayal at all, and I got tired of the repetition. I also HATED the ending, as *spoiler alert*, it made NO sense for Jess and Alyson to KISS??? The stereotype of women becoming lesbians after bad experiences with men is already horrible and prevalent enough that it doesn't need to be perpetuated as the ending of a modern, supposedly "feminist" book for teenage girls. It wasn't believable and felt super out of place and odd. I also didn't like that there was one comment on Alyson being Jewish at the very beginning and then it was never mentioned again. It felt like the author was just adding that to be more "diverse" instead of genuinely writing about diverse things. All these issues add up, and ultimately, I can't recommend this book.

I really liked this book. I basically read it in one day because I needed to know what happened. Sure, the MC is sorta naive and extra but I liked how they came up with a way to get the guys back instead of just being helpless. Sort of could tell the way things would go but I didn’t see the connection that came at the end. That sort of felt like it came out of nowhere. Not sure if there was any deeper bond shown through out the story (Trying to avoid spoilers) This was a good book that I would definitely tell others to check out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the arc.

Alyson is a romantic at heart and head over heels when she connects with Brenton Riggs Jr. Everything seems great, until Alyson uncovers the King’s Cup competition that the boys at their boarding school are secretly holding. The winner will be the guy who racks up the most points by hooking up with the unsuspecting female population of the school. Alyson is rightfully offended for her sex and the Queen’s Cup is born.

The Revenge Game is a YA mystery with a strong feminist message. I enjoyed most of the characters in this book and found this super easy to read, but there was something missing for me. Something about the whole revenge plot and the King’s/Queen’s Cups came off as childish to me. Maybe I am too far past my high school days now that I don’t connect with this type of audience anymore. I really liked the idea behind the revenge ideas, but I also wasn’t a fan of how they were executed sometimes. Just because one person is bad, doesn’t mean they all are, whether it be male or female, but I feel like that’s what this book was saying. Anyway, with all of that aside, this was an enjoyable, quick read that will probably be perfect for a lot of people. There wasn’t all that much mystery, but there were good message intertwined in the story. If you are a YA fan and this seems interesting to you, it’s definitely worth a read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

Fun and exciting read! Great for more mature readers. Unique storytelling with flashbacks, current events, and news inserts. The characters are realistic and unique, definitely a surprise ending, even though the "who dun it" part is quickly solvable.

This fast-paced feminist thriller centers around romance enthusiast Alyson amidst the merging of her all-girl's private school with an all-boy's private school. After a summer of trying (and failing) to win the affections of a coworker, Alyson sees this merge as a desperate opportunity (emphasis on desperate) to live out the romance novels she loves to read.

I appreciated how Taylor addresses subjects like feminism, LGBTQIA+ inclusivity, sex positivity and consent while also driving forward the plot. There is a lot of time-hopping between each chapter; while Taylor addresses the fast-forward by dropping details, I found it a little hard to follow/the time jumps resulting in a choppy plot.

TRG was a fast-paced read, and definitely one I would recommend to my students as this is right up many of their alleys (romance, mystery), but as an adult I found myself becoming very frustrated with the nativity of the protagonist.