Book:
THE PAYBACK GIRLS by Alex Travis
Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the Earc (
Review:
4⭐
Meghan is dating Nate, but...so are Robin and Bria. When Nate is found after an attack, Meghan, Robin, and Bria are the suspects---he was dating each of them afterall. Meghan doesn't think she did it, she can't remember that night. But the clues point to her---the clues point to all of them.
THE PAYBACK GIRLS started off with drama that never seized to exist. Bullying, racism, cheating, fights, and an attack---all in the first few chapters. The drama hooked me, but as the mystery unfold, I was kept on my toes, thumbing through the pages trying to gather the evidence to push me in the direction of the whodunit.
The questions that arose were ones that I didn't have the answers too, ones that the answers to were shocking to say the least. (Who attacked Nate? Who's behind that account? Etc.?) This book delivered the plot twists and kept delivering them. From the halfway point and onward it was twist after twist, revelation after revelation. Let me tell you, I gasped at the whodunit it. Blindsided, never would have seen that coming. It was crazy and, wow, that explanation made it crazier.
THE PAYBACK GIRLS was a thrilling mystery that delves into racism, cheating, and scandals. It shows empowerment and not backing done as accusations surge. It offer some semblance as Meghan, Robin, and Bria learn to stand with each other even though they don't know if one of them hurt Nate. Definitely a must read

Figured out the villain pretty quickly. No “aha” moment for me.

Blurb makes comparison to the incomparable “One of Us is Lying”. It’s close. But it’s not the same.

If you will, imagine there’s an awards ceremony. There’s a difference winning 1st place and just being in the top ten. The author’s book is in the running but it didn’t attain first or second place for me.

She features all female black teen protagonists. That’s a plus as well as dissecting the stereotypes that are perpetuated in society. But once I figured it out (more the identity rather than motivation) it became an ok read.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

"The Payback Girls" is a YA thriller/mystery novel by Alex Travis. Meghan is a senior at a new school and seems to have everything together (though a violent incident with a student at her former school is alluded to). She's dating high school basketball star Nate Walker and everything seems to be going well when Nate's cheating is exposed (with two other girls at the school. Coincidentally the two other Black girls in the grade). At first we think this book is going to be about the drama of the cheating and getting back at Nate, but when he's left in a coma after a party due to a blow to the head, Meghan and the other girls, Bria and Robin, now need to find out who did it before they get arrested.
The book has a lot of good representation about what Black girls go through as well as bisexual representation (and mentions about bisexual stereotypes that prove that the author knows her stuff). A must-buy for YA fiction collections, especially where mystery/thrillers are popular.

You tell me something is like John Tucker must die, and I am IN! That movie was part of my childhood, and I had high expectations for this book, and it did not disappoint. I got much more than I thought with this book: an excellent thriller, great/dynamic female characters, healthy relationships between teen girls, and racism. That sounds like a lot but the author handles these issues with such care and write this book so well that I could not put it down, I read it in one sitting. It's an excellent thriller but a great book for people new to the thriller world because it touches on so many other topics!

I won't lie - when I picked this one up, I wasn't sure what to expect. John Tucker Must Die meets One of Us is Lying...how?! Would this be a romance, or a thriller? Not only did I love every character, but the plot brought everything to the table and then some! It certainly made for a quick, enjoyable read, but it touched on much deeper themes such as gender roles, race, and identity in tactful ways that make them relatable and accessible for audiences of a wide range of ages. Thanks so much for this ARC - I'll definitely be recommending this at the top of my list upon publication time!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing this book, with my honest review below.

I confess the reference to John Tucker Must Die in the blurb had me eager to read The Payback Girls, since I always felt that movie had a great concept it didn’t fully deliver on. My hope was that this book would be my chance to see that happen, and rest assured that it was, in a style befitting the idea.

The plot focuses on three very different teen girls:
Meghan who is new to school, an ace scholar, and had to leave her last public school for a private one where she recognizes she is not as well heeled for the others. Meghan finds her chance at fitting in with Nate, the star basketball player of the team, but his friends and teammates are not welcoming. Thanks to the mystery of why she left her other school, Meghan is a wildcard in the story.

Robin, who is a star athlete in her own right and had previously been the long term girlfriend of Nate. She’s sharp but also suspicious as a result of everything she seemingly lies about.

Bria, who is president of her class, and like the other girls sharp as a Japanese knife. Bria had dated Nate for a few months, inviting a scandal when it was thought that she was the ‘other woman’ to Nate and Robin.

These ladies all still have a current thing with Nate and when it comes out the dominos fall rather quickly, with Nate suddenly in a coma and all three in the spotlight as suspects, at least by their schoolmates.

While the driver for the mystery is who hurt Nate, the book is especially good as a story about female dynamics (especially amongst younger woman), being black amongst a privileged set of white people (these girls are the only black woman at their school), racism and ignorance, and sisterhood. Everything was done phenomenally with the pacing and plot turns, and I loved seeing the relationships between these young women as much as I did trying to figure out the mystery.

Appropriate for young adults but as appealing for general readers, The Payback Girls is everything I wish John Tucker Must Die was and more.