Good premise, but fell very flat to me. Pretty predictable, and a little "icky" at times given the ages of the characters. While I'm aware that older teens often engage in sexual activity, the book was just a bit more graphic than I cared for.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, and Delacorte Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book just didn't do it for me. When I read the blurb, I was so excited to grab it up. But, our FMC is a boy-crazy, juvenile individual whose dialogue just makes me cringe. I mean, she really didn't see any of those red flags waving proudly? The scenes from Riggs' "disappearance" were good and made me want to keep reading, but the parts with Alyson, made me want to quit.

It's a decent read, but not for me.

3.5 stars
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were fun and the story line didn't feel overly predictable. The ending did kind of throw me off because it seemed to come out of nowhere to add another layer of diversity or something.

I loved the story premise of girls getting back at boys for a sexist game but it didn't quite live up to what I was expecting. I enjoyed the voice although it felt a little more juvenile than what I anticipated, especially considering the sexual subject matter. The revelation at the end about Riggs was predictable and I kept wondering if maybe I'd be wrong but I wasn't. The mystery of what happened to him was intriguing and the final reveal was satisfying. I was a little disappointed in the hint of a romance between her best friend as I felt that was contrived and unnecessary.

A hopeless romantic soon finds herself in the middle of a terrible game: King's Cup, in which boys track points of how far they can go with girls.... so she invents Queen's Cup to get revenge, the only problem is she's not sure whether or not her new boyfriend is participating in the game. Alyson is a hopeless romantic, some might call her desperate, for a boyfriend. When she is rescued at a party by her handsome new english partner, she think's its a sign that her luck is changing. Riggs is everything she could ever want, a hot lacrosse captain who is not only sweet but the perfect boyfriend. The only problem is that she's stumbled upon a sexist game that the boys in her school have been playing, a game called King's Cup, in which boys tally and track points to see who has the most sexual prowess. Alyson and some other girls come up with a game of their own, Queen's Cup in which the girls will reclaim their power. Yet the longer the game goes on the more Alyson begins to question her relationship with Riggs. Is he just playing her or is he actually a good boyfriend? This was a bit of a hard one to get into for me. It was a young adult feminist mystery but it just kind of fell flat for me. I wasn't that invested in Alyson as a protagonist and the mystery was meh at best. Honestly, it just didn't live up to the potential that I thought it could have had and it just felt a bit juvenile and one dimensional with the bad guys. Overall, it just wasn't for me unfortunately.

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

The Revenge Game follows main character, Jess and her group of friends as they navigate dating life at their boarding school which just merged with an all boys school. However, the boys are up to something nasty and the girls decide to take them down.

While I found some of the plot very juvenile, I did enjoy this story. So many horrible things happen at this high school that I do think readers should be aware of content warnings. Overall, this book kept my attention and was a quick, easy read. I definitely look forward to more from Jordyn Taylor!

Wow, Kids are cruel!!!! I thought I read it all when it comes to teens and their world, but this one book was just awesome. The genre is a very mixed, we have a boarding school, amazing young women, first love, heartbreak, and then some. Alyson wants to be a romance writer when she gets older, so she has this obsession with wanting to be in love and being chosen, she meets Riggs when they get paired up for a class, and they seemed like a perfect match. Then there is this Kings Cup thing going around between the boys in the school keeping score, and the girls are not about it, the way they come together to do their own version of Kings Cup for revenge?? I was all for it. I am all for girl power, and the support the girls give to eachother, even when Aly soon discovers that the boy of her dreams isn’t who he seems, and her best friend Jess is literally the best type of friend everyone should have.

There are topics as that can be triggering to some readers and at times was so sad to read, but I loved the suspense that the author does give us throughout the book. But the GIRL POWER representation is all over this book though!!!! UGH adored this book so much.

I honestly flew thru this book! Wow! It was so good! I absolutely loved the strong, female characters. They weren’t always “at their best”, but this made it realistic and showed their growth as teens. This is a YA book, but it didn’t feel “too young” at all! I absolutely loved it. This feels like an important story to get out there about the complications that can arise when teens do “teenage things” without fully thinking them out. I really enjoyed it and would gladly read additional books in a series like this if the author ended up doing that! Please make sure to check trigger warnings before reading this book. Big thanks to @netgalley , @randomhousechildrens , @delacortepress and especially author @jordynhtaylor for allowing me to read this book as an advanced copy! Make sure to add this to your TBR for November 7, 2023!!

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for my e-ARC of The Revenge Game!

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
💞 are a hardcore romantic
💋 hate people who kiss and tell
👑 consider yourself the queen of revenge
🏫 attended a private prep school

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

Alyson is a romantic, and sometimes it gets her into trouble. Like last summer, she thought her co-worker was into her, when in reality he found her flirting pathetic.

Then she meets Brenton Riggs Jr., and right away she knows that their connection isn’t just in her head. When he swoops in to save her one night from a less than savory party encounter, she falls head-over-heels. Finally, someone Alyson likes who likes her back!

But when she finds out about the King’s Cup—a competition the guys at their boarding school started to see who has the most sexual prowess—she’s put on edge. Does Brenton really want to be with her, or is he just trying to win? Then Alyson and the other girls at the school start a competition of their own: The Queen’s Cup. It’s all about reclaiming their power. But as the competition heats up, Alyson’s relationship begins to fall apart—and it isn’t long before the cracks in her perfect love story start to show through.

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

This was such a fantastic read, and while I guessed the main twist of the story, it still was a lot of fun. I really liked Alyson’s character because she felt relatable - drops everything for a guy, believes in love, thinks everything is fine and dandy and doesn’t see the red flags. Been there, done that, so maybe that’s why it was easier for me to see the problems in their relationship before Alyson could. I also enjoyed the overall plot of the story, with the girl’s finding out about the King’s Club and inventing the Queen’s Club in retaliation. I would have loved to be a part of that kind of girl group in high school! Overall, a fun mystery and a good YA with lots of representation.

The Revenge Game is one of those books that immediately pulls you in. It was fast paced, YA read, with thriller elements thrown in.

The FMC, Alyson was likeable enough. The story, overall, was well written and kept my attention -- making me fly through each page.

The ending, however, is where I was extremely disappointed. It didn't feel well planned out? Or maybe just not enough thrill, after all this build up.

I did enjoy the book and would recommend it. But I also hope to read an alternative ending someday!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this ARC!

This book was pretty good. I only had one small complaint, the ending was a bit obvious. But as someone stated before maybe all younger person might not have come to the conclusion as fast as an adult, so seen as how it's a YA book I wouldn't really knock it for that. The writing was great and the pace kept me reading straight for hours. I would definitely recommend this to a YA, and some adults might enjoy it. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for this book.

What to say. Here goes:
The book is set as higj school level, but with so much sex it should be more of a college leve book, In my opinion. That being said I think the book should not have made light hearted the issue of nonconsensual sex (rape).

It seems like whole cast of characters is just thinking about, trying to or performing sequel acts. The boys are obsessed, the girls are talking about it continuously and it just doesn't seem realistic to me. Maybe at age 62 I am out of the loop, but I hope this isn't what is going on today.

I would not want my high-school Grandchildren behaving this way or reading this book. Maybe I'm a prude.

Not for me. Can nor recommend.

Three stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Revenge Is Best Served From A Queen’s Cup 👑
Okay, I really enjoyed this one.
If you liked A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series, or The Cheerleaders, I’d think you’d like this one, too.
Set in the Adirondack Mountains at a prestigious preparatory school, it’s equal parts mystery, romance, revenge, and women’s liberation.
Alyson is desperate for a romance of her own, and when she’s finally caught the eye of senior lacrosse star, Brenton Riggs Jr., she’ll do anything not to mess it up. But, when a game the guys at school are playing called the King’s Cup comes to light she’s ringleader at the girl’s retribution, the Queens Cup. Knowing Rigg’s can’t find out her involvement or he’ll never trust her again, she’s playing two sides until it becomes crystal clear where the crown lies.
Thanks so much to @Netgalley for this early copy.
Be sure to grab this one out November 7th!

I really enjoyed this story was amazing and relatable and was such a great read.I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

The Revenge Game by Jordyn Taylor is described as wickedly funny. It is set in a newly coed boarding school in the Adirondacks. Brenton Riggs is the stereotypical hero, tall, handsome, star lacrosse player. Alison Benowitz is a romance novel loving smart girl. Riggs asks her out, and she is thrilled.

The beginning of each chapter is a news report about Riggs' disappearance after prom. The book then goes back to the start of the school year and forward as the story unfolds.

Several of her friends in the school learn about the "Kings Club" that is a competition for which boy earns the most points for sexual activities with the girls. In disgust, they create "Queens Club" to figure out how best to publicly humiliate the boys involved. To say the least, they are creative.

I laughed, and sympathized with the queens as they dealt with their embarrassment. This book is feminist, and includes a lesbian couple. There is no explicit sex, but various acts are stated as part of the Kings Club tally.

I received a free copy of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily.

3.5 ⭐️

Alyson is a hopeless romantic who attends a newly coed boarding school. The story flips back and forth between two timelines: recounting Alyson’s courtship with the handsome, athletic, and popular “Riggs” and the news coverage of his mystery disappearance on prom night.

This book is a true YA - there’s some physical intimacy and sex discussed but nothing graphic. No graphic on page violence or anything either. It has a nice feminist vibe to it. I don’t think I’m the target demographic for this book (being a 40-something woman) so take my lower rating with a grain of salt. Fantastic cover though - it was a huge reason I requested an ARC of this from NetGalley (thanks NetGalley, Penguin Random House and Jordyn Taylor!)

**SPOILERS**

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The outcome was predictable. We knew Riggs was a POS and we knew he was dead and we knew Alyson had something to do with it. But again, if you’re a younger teen girl, maybe you haven’t come across this trope yet (in which case I hope you’re not reading spoilers before reading the book!).

I also really disliked that Alyson and Jess’s relationship turned romantic at the end. I was really loving how the author validated an intimate physical platonic relationship between best friends and there was good queer representation in the book with side characters that it didn’t feel necessary and sort of implied that if you have that kind of relationship with a friend of the same gender, you must be gay/bi.

Overall, I’d recommend this for the 14-17 crowd but it’s not a YA book for adults.

The Revenge Game had its moments of intrigue and suspense, particularly within the confines of a boarding school setting. However, the storyline can feel somewhat formulaic, and the character development could have been more robust. It's an enjoyable enough YA thriller, but it doesn't quite stand out in a crowded genre.

I read two chapters and then decided to pass on The Revenge Game. I did not like how boy and love infatuated Alyson was and despite how interesting the summary was (especially the competition to get back at the boys), I just could not read any further if Alyson was going to be lovestruck the whole story. If her infatuations had been dialed back I would have read further. Thank you for giving me the chance to read this.

I wanted so badly for this book to live up to its potential. It came so close. I loved the feminist angles. I loved the concept. I just felt like it wasn't quite there despite its best efforts. It didn't leave me dying to find out what happened next because it just seemed like it would be pretty clear all throughout. If you want one that really keeps you guessing, that's more Ace of Spades or Thieves' Gambit. This was a perfectly enjoyable read, but it didn't blow me away and I so badly wanted it to.

I never expect to be blown away by YA thrillers/mysteries, and this book was no different. I had a hard time cheering for Alyson as she seemed a little TOO naive, even for a teenager. I wish that she had been given more confidence as a character. As far as suspense goes, most people with half a brain could figure out the twist in the first several chapters. However, what bothered me the most about the book was how much talk of sex there was between TEENS. I get it. Teens have sex. But the amount shown here would have been more appropriate for college aged women. I would not recommend this to young teenagers.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this digital ARC!