Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book.

As a fan of campy y2k teen movies, the premise of The Payback Girls was super enticing. However, the actual execution for me fell short of my expectations. In particular, I wanted more whodunnit tension, and I also found the narration a bit too on-the-nose. For example, instead of showing how the issues of class affect the narrator vs. her peers, she just straight up tells us, reminding us that Robin has a big house or that Meghan is a scholarship student what feels like a few times each chapter.

I feel it could be great with another round of edits with an eye towards adding subtlety to the narration and characters.

Even still, there’s a lot to like here, including Black girl representation (which I think we need more of, particularly in fun, lighthearted stories), themes of race and class, and of course an entertaining premise. If it ever gets adapted into a movie, I’d totally watch it!

Buckle in because there's a lot to unpack about this book: good and meh. I'll start with the good:

- Who doesn't want to murder a cheating jock?
- I appreciated that each of the women had their own personalities and that their stories felt solid.
- Chicks before... well... you know
- The author clearly cares about the characters and wanted to make sure none of them were "evil" except maybe the racist preppies and honestly screw them anyways... yes no motive strong enough to excuse racism.

Now the not- so-great

- Is fairly long for this type of book. Which would be fine but I felt like there was a good amount of repetition throughout. It could have been a bit more streamlined.
- There's A LOT going on and at times I had trouble keeping the side characters straight. I understand the need to present multiple suspects and introduce some red hearings, but at times it just felt messy.
- I guessed who the culprit was very early on which made enjoying the book difficult.

I'm definitely interested in what the author puts out next even if this one wasn't my absolute favorite!

I really loved the premise of this one and was highly intrigued. Unfortunately, the execution was very convoluted. It felt like some things just didn't make sense and just didn't have their place in the novel. It was also very predictable, just wasn't a standout for me.

Sharp. Fierce. And oh-so-satisfying. The Payback Girls is a revenge romp with bite, sass, and a whole lot of heart. Think: sisterhood meets scheming—with just enough chaos to keep you grinning while gripping the edge of your seat.

Alex Travis gives us a crew of girls you do not want to mess with. They're clever, gutsy, and gloriously imperfect—each with her own reasons to want payback, and each with a plan that'll make you want to high-five your past self for picking this book. The twists come at just the right pace, and the audiobook narration only amplifies the fun—adding voice, emotion, and edge to every scene.

It’s the kind of story that makes you laugh one minute and cheer the next. Think karma, but with better outfits and sharper one-liners.

This book immediately drew me in. Curious as to where it was going. It kept me enthralled and wondering what next and how.

John Tucker Must Die is one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies, so having that comparison pulled me right in with intrigue over The Payback Girls. This book is a lot more than that movie comp, though--being more mystery and little comedy. The comparison did lead me to believe that Nate would be more hated by them than he was. I really enjoyed the characters of Meghan, Robin, and Bria and getting to see the struggles they experienced with being Black girls in a mostly white school. I enjoyed seeing their relationships flourish and all of them grow closer and work together despite their differences.

I am a little put-off by the fact that the description for this book (at least on NetGalley) tells us that Nate dies. By the time he woke up, I thought I was wrong. Then he actually did die in the last two or three chapters of the book, which made the climax/wrap up of the entire book go very, very quickly. With as much build up as there was, I feel like we could have had this moment last a little longer. And with the spoiler of him dying, I expected it to happen in the middle of the book. (I did go onto Goodreads and it isn't on that book description.)

I do have a bit of an issue as to who the killer was. I recently read another YA mystery that did almost the same thing, and I think choosing characters who are so close to the victim is strictly for the shock factor. There weren't enough clues as to who killed him and what their motives are, in my opinion. We get it all at the very end. The motive and lack of guilt wasn't convincing for me, so I'm a bit disappointed at the big reveal when there was little set up for it and so many other characters that it could have been.

Absolutely enthralling!

Even though I clocked the whole who dun it very early on Alex did have me doubting myself a couple of times. Sped through to get to the truth though and it did not disappoint! It was addictive.

The criticism on racism, sexism and classism among other things was very powerful (I was raging with Meghan during a lot of scenes). And our gal was a fantastic main character - she was equal parts strength & vulnerability and was just as baffled as the reader as to how she’d ended up in this kind of predicament again. Bad luck certainly followed her!

Did not understand the hype around Nate, felt sorry for him but he made some pretty stupid decisions. Meghan’s friendships that developed with Robin & Bria ended up pretty wholesome despite the less than ideal circumstances that brought them closer. And I loved how Meghan’s sisters (and eventually her mum) rallied for her.

Loved the John Tucker Must Die/Pretty Little Liars inspo and I want to read more from Alex now!

Narration from Tamika was 10/10, pacing was on point and she embodied multiple characters whilst sticking to Meghan main POV well.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to listen to this ARC.

I really wanted to like The Payback Girls. The description was so appealing, but it just never delivered for me. I just never got into the characters or their stories. The narration was good.

“The Payback Girls” by Alex Travis is a compelling and entertaining YA thriller that follows Meghan, Robin, and Bria, three high school seniors who discover they are all dating the same boy, Nate, a star basketball player. When Nate ends up in a coma after a violent attack, the girls become prime suspects and form an unlikely alliance to clear their names.

I enjoyed this novel; the characters felt authentic and relatable with conversations mirroring their ages. Travis skillfully develops their personalities and interactions, making it easy to become fully immersed in their world. The book also offers a captivating look into the American prep school system, shedding light on the social hierarchies, pressures, and challenges students face, especially those from diverse backgrounds.

The narrator, Tamika Katon-Donegal, did a great job of representing the different characters quite clearly. Her pacing and tone was immersive and made the flow easy to understand.

This book didn't quite do it for me. The premise intrigued me, but ultimately I found myself frustrated that these three seemingly accomplished girls were so hung up on a guy who was unfaithful. The fact that they teamed up felt like... girl power in reverse? The queer subplot felt forced as well. Overall, I kept listening because I wanted to find out what exactly happened, but this book felt too long and a bit all over the place with its values.

The narration was mostly good, though a little too tense at times, so the parts that were actually tense had nowhere to go.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Recorded Books for the opportunity to listen to this ALC and provide an unbiased review.

This was so so good it was like John tucker must die which I loved but more grown up series and dark I loved that it also focused on p.o.c that's amazing what wasn't amazing was the casual racism our main characters had to endure. And this book did not end the way I thought it would

3.25/3.5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed the premise of this book! I loved the creepy, almost confusing vibe of the book. It had a really interesting plot, but also a plot line that has been done before.

I enjoyed the characters as well and felt like they were definitely flawed but still enjoyable to read. I didn’t enjoy that they all felt super hung up on Nate after they found out he was a serial cheater BUT i think it’s easy to forget these girls are high schoolers and i think that at that age girls are quick to forgive their ‘dream guy’.

I had a good time. It was an enjoyable and fast read.

Narration on the audiobook were done well. It kept my attention from start to finish.

I loved the premise of multiple girlfriends being framed as getting back at their cheating bfs. However I felt I knew early on the mystery, and some of it was predictable. The middle dragged on a bit
Not a bad story just not my fave

As a millennial, I absolutely loved John Tucker Must Die, so when I saw that was a comparison in the blurb, I HAD to request this one. This is definitely a modernized version, but a good modernized version.

Meghan, Bria, and Robin are very strong leads. They all secretly shared a boyfriend and didn't know it until said boyfriend winds up attacked and in a coma. Automatically, all three are the prime suspects.

The story has themes of racism, bullying, and everyday issues that come up in high school. The story flowed very naturally and I thought it was really well written. The whodunnit was really good because I didn't have a clue until the end and even then there was still some guessing.

This caught my eye by the description hoping for like John Tucker vibes but actual murder. Too YA for me tho.

3.5/5 for me.
Wild story with some twists and turns.
Check trigger warnings - especially since this is a YA book.
Take a trip to thriller land with 3 strong & independent young women.
The characters are well-developed for the most part. The pace of the plot is good.
I definitely would recommend for a more mature YA audience!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I went back and forth a few times with this audiobook. There are definitely parts I liked and parts that I didn’t like.

Pros:
-the narrator
- the female friendships developed
- the twist (kinda) ending

Cons:
-the immature (even for high school) conversations
- Bria, Meghan, and Robin all did things and said things that just seemed so weird for a high schooler.
- a lot of situations were way too far fetched it.

I listened at 2x

All in all, decently entertaining. However, some of the cons I could not get passed and give this more than 3 stars.

I am so sorry but I did NOT like this book AT ALL.

This was so incredibly annoying (the story as well as the characters).

This reads extremely YA...in a bad way. It reads as very immature, and yeah, kids are immature. We all know that. Kids can be so dumb and naive and mean and immature, but this took it to a whole other level. Maybe because I was never like these characters at that age, but I would be insulted if I read this book at the age these characters are. And yes, I am aware that some of the characters in this book are supposed to be stereotypes of kids you'd find in high school, but it wasn't done in a way that sat well with me.

I also had a terrible time in high school with being bullied, so maybe that trauma is coming out a bit.

I don't know. This book just was not for me. I found myself skipping through the audiobook because I found these characters that unbearable. Sorry if this is extreme, it's just how I felt when reading it. I didn't enjoy it at all. I can see potential here, but this wasn't executed in a way that would've been tolerable for me. And that's disappointing because I thought I would really like this based on the blurb. I think the blurb was a bit misleading maybe? And that's why there's such a disconnect for me in terms of concept to execution?

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

I absolutely enjoyed this read! I was rooting for those girls, even during the times I questioned their innocence. Megan and her severe panic attacks I can relate to.
The narrator did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life!

Thanks to NetGalley and RBMedia for this arc.

This was a pretty decent YA thriller. I was able to finish it in basically one sitting while doing chores around the house. This kept my attention and I found myself engaged the whole way through. Solid four stars.