Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of The Revenge Game!

Two private high schools merge, one a boys' school and one a girls' school, bringing about plenty of relationship issues between them. The girls discover that the boys have been tracking their sexual interactions in a time-honored competition called the King's Cup. The girls strike back by creating the Queen's Cup, humiliating the boys instead of going along with their demands for intimacy. Alyson, however, seems to have found the one boy on campus who is not a part of the King's Cup; Riggs is popular, sweet, and respectful to her.

I'm not really sure what to think of this book. Important topics were brought to light and discussed by the girls, including sexual assault and rape. The girls supported one another unwaveringly. However, with so many sexual encounters, the characters really should have been college-aged young adults instead of high schoolers. Despite the importance of the topics being touched upon, I felt like the story was unbalanced, with few examples of respectful boys represented--almost every male character was just out to get sex. The book was a bit preachy at times, and the girls' conversations about sex didn't seem realistic. Also, Riggs' and Alyson's story was so predictable. However, the mystery of what happened to Riggs kept my interest until the end.

As a middle school reading teacher, I won't be purchasing this book for my classroom library due to its explicit content. It's better suited for more mature readers.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy of The Revenge Game. Jordyn Taylor's books usually reel me in with no problem, and this book was no exception. However, the most intense parts of the book felt crammed into just a few chapters after a TON of lead-up. I wish there would have been more about the aftermath of what happened after the reveal and how the different characters were dealing with it. I still liked The Revenge Game, and I think it'll sell itself in most libraries. But it's not one that I'm probably going to hand sell to my students unless they're specifically looking for something this book slots into. 3.5 rounded to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's/Delacorte Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

The Revenge Game, one of the most surprising reads of the year for me. I expected to like it, but I ended up loving it. The main character is my hero.

High school golden boy Brenton Riggs Jr. has disappeared after prom night. It's the first year at a newly established boarding school after a former all-girls school and an all-boys school near Lake Placid, New York merge.

Flash back to the start of the school year and the book follows high school senior Alyson, who's determined to be a romance author. The problem? She hasn't had much dating experience because she went to the former all-girls school. Now that her school has merged with a boys' school, she couldn't be happier. However, the summer before the merger, Alyson got burned pretty badly. She thought her co-worker at a bookstore was interested in her only to overhear him making fun of how desperate she is. While she's excited to be around boy students, she's also still feeling mortified and worries that the boys at her new school will see her the same way.

At the first party of the school year, a boy student acts creepy around her. In swoops golden boy Brenton Riggs Jr. to rescue her. The two hit it off and start dating. Alyson's thrilled, thinking it's finally happening for her. Only, she overhears other boy students talking about a game called the King's Cup, where boys add up points based on things they do physically with girls. Whoever has the most points at the end of the year is crowned king. Alyson and the girls conspire to get revenge on any boy participating in the King's Cup. Alyson swears Brenton isn't playing in the King's Cup, but as more and more boys are taken down, Brenton begins to panic that he's next and he's not happy about it.

Although it's labeled as a mystery revolving around what happened to Brenton, the mystery doesn't really heat up until the end. Most of the story reads like a contemporary revenge story with flash-forward news clips about Brenton's disappearance. I didn't really mind that there wasn't a strong mystery element though because I enjoyed following the characters. I love it when a mystery or thriller has a main character that goes on an emotional journey as opposed to mysteries that are purely plot-based. I found myself more interested in Alyson's journey and growth than in what happened to Brenton, which was pretty obvious. At times, it was hard to read about Alyson and Brenton's toxic relationship, but that's only because the author nailed it. I found myself relating to Alyson's best friend a lot because there have been so many times when I've watched friends in relationships like Alyson and Brenton's and I couldn't do anything, so it was really interesting to read it from Alyson's perspective. I had so many feelings throughout it and just wanted to protect Alyson and talk sense into her. As frustrating as it felt at times, caring about a character this much is definitely the mark of a great book.

Also, the twist at the end kinda came out of left field and was underdeveloped, but I liked it and was happy with how it ended.

Overall, if you like books by authors like Jessica Goodman and Kara Thomas, you should check out The Revenge Game!

CW for sexual assault and emotional abuse.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's/Delacorte Press for giving me an early copy in exchange for my thoughts

This book took me a long time to get into. Its not my typical book but it was still fairly interesting. Thank you for giving me the opertunity to read this book!

A quick YA thriller, this one of course takes place in a fancy boarding school, which seems to be a thing for the last few years in YA. How many teens do I know who go to boarding schools? Exactly zero.
The boys in this newly co-ed school seem to be playing a game, essentially using the girls for points. Some of those points are for groping the girls (which I guess they don't understand is sexual abuse). They get more points for whatever they're able to do with the girls.

When thr girls figure our what is going on, rhey vow revenge. This story focuses on one girl, Alyson and her lax captain boyfriend, Riggs

I don't think anyone will be surprised by the ending. Or by anything that happens. But it's a fun book.

I gave up on this book. It was going nowhere and not fast. It was like reading through sludge; I was reading words and then had no idea what I was reading. The plot was so..; what was the story? See, I can't even remember. Sorry that I asked for this one. The synopsis read excellent, kind of like a person who gives a great interview turns out to be the worst employee ever.

I enjoyed previous books from Jordyn Taylor and this was one of my favorites. I loved the plot of the Revenge Game and thought it worked well overall. I enjoyed the mystery going on and enjoyed how the story weaves itself together. I enjoyed every part of the journey and thought the characters were perfect.

i really really enjoyed this (which i thought i would yay for my judgment!) like i don't have any lasting thoughts besides this was an incredibly engaging mystery with sort of a dual timeline and wonderful characters to root for. i was worried this would fall flat but it surpassed my expectations ! very happy abt that <3

Jordyn Taylor' s "Revenge Game" in question offers an absolutely fast-paced, entertaining, and engaging reading experience that keeps you hooked from start to finish, ensuring you never feel bored and maintaining your unwavering interest throughout. While it leans towards a lighter and somewhat predictable side as a YA thriller, its incorporation of romantic vibes paints a realistic portrayal of the predicaments faced by young adults. Moreover, it fearlessly delves into important and sensitive subjects, including LGBTQ themes, sex positivity, feminism, mutual consent, and harassment.

Centered around Allyson, a protagonist seeking true love despite her past heartbreaks, the story takes an intriguing turn when she encounters her ideal match made in heaven, Brenton Riggs Jr. However, Allyson soon discovers that there's a high-stakes competition at her boarding school, known as the King's Cup, where guys compete to seduce girls and score points. Suspicion arises as she realizes she might be just another pawn in her so-called lover's game.

Not to be outdone, the girls at her boarding school devise their own version of the game, titled the "Queen's Cup," proving that power dynamics and rising sexual tension are not confined to one gender. As the power game escalates, the characters are propelled into an unexpected and dangerous world they never knew existed.

Without revealing too much, it can be said with confidence that this book is riveting, highly enjoyable, and perfect for a night of quality escapism. While the final twist may be somewhat foreseeable, it still earns a solid 4 stars for its well-paced narrative and its daring exploration of sensitive issues that sets it apart from other books in the same genre.

A heartfelt thank you goes to NetGalley and Random House Children's/Delacorte Press for providing me with a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I think I’m in between 3 and 4 stars on this one. It’s a great for representation and brings to light so many important things about consent and harassment. My biggest problem, however, is that the content felt a bit too “old” to be set in a high school. Maybe it’s just that I was a home-schooled kid who had 0 experience with these issues (thank God). I get that this stuff definitely does happen in most high schools and should be talked about more though. To me personally, I would have liked it more if it was in like a college setting instead of a high school one. Definitely just my personal preference though. It’s so important to get more awareness out there.

“The Revenge Game” makes for an entertaining one-day read. This YA thriller set at a boarding school goes heavy on feminism, sex positivity, and taking down the patriarchy. You want to scream at the naivete of the main character, and the twists and turns are not too surprising, but the ending is a satisfactory conclusion.

Finished in one sitting! A very fun YA. The characters were amazing and well written. I had alot of fun reading this!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children’s for the arc of this book!

Really fun, readable YA romp. I liked the characters, they were well-written and original. Recommended, especially to younger readers.

The Revenge Game follows Alyson over the course of her junior year at her newly coed boarding school as she tries to navigate her new relationship with It-Guy Brenton Riggs Jr while simultaneously working with her friends to get to the bottom of the King's Cup. I liked the premise but it was poorly done. The writing made me feel like the author has never been around teens because the dialogue felt so forced and the "twist" at the end was obvious. The whole thing felt like a rip off of The Swallows by Lisa Lutz.

When to elite single-sex boarding schools merge into one there is bound to be necessary moments of education around interacting with the opposite sex. This book examines what happens if there isn’t any of that education, where misogyny runs rampant, and where privilege allows boys to get away with things That destroy lives. The kings cup in the queens, cup act as diametrically opposite things, one meant to embarrass the other meant to empower. As the young women in in this book fight to take back their power, and to make their voices heard. It is impossible not to cheer along with them!