Ann Valett

CW: Dealing with grief, loss of loved one, guilt, bullying, drugging of a teenager, excessive drinking

A good high school revenge drama focused on the take-down of the school's elite students. Chloe wants to end the ‘Level Ones’ reign of terror because of the role they played in the loss of her friend Monica. She gains access to the inner sanctum by way of blackmail and forces one of the boys in the group to 'fake date' her. Slowly Chloe uncovers the truth of the dynamics within the group and has to decide how she can use these vulnerabilities to get revenge for her best friend and create more balance in the school's social system.

My main issue was that Monica didn’t seem as invested in the friendship as Chloe was, considering she ditched her on her rise to 'Level Onedom'. Also, I’m not sure what it says about me but I would have liked a bit more eye gouging and hair pulling to be honest. It was an incredibly tame revenge story in comparison to Foul is Fair by Hannah Capin, but still a satisfying read.… (meer)

The book is about a girl getting revenge on Level One (The most popular people in the school) because of her friend, who desperately wanted to join.

Pros:
Fast paced
The lives of the popular people were one of the more interesting ones to read
The characters were interesting
I'm a sucker for romance

Cons:
The ending is unrealistic
Everything was wrapped up in a bow, it seemed like Chloe didn't get any challenges. She just... got along easily with her plans.
It definitely reads like a Wattpad story.

So 3/5, meaning for me it was okay.… (meer)

damn, okay. Blow me away why don't you.

Put simply: Basic Girl Chloe plots to get revenge on her school's elite squad. She'll infiltrate, gather evidence, and slowly build their pyre in order to get revenge for what they did to her ex-bestie. Clique Bait (get a load of that great title) tugs you this way and that, playing with how Chloe's portrayed: is this right? Is she just as bad as them? Or is it what these bitches deserve (Love, A)?

It's perfectly made for Pretty Little Liars fans - specifically, fans who wished the girls were way more active in defending themselves, and who were fascinated by A and all their mysteries.

I'm gonna admit that yes, I got this ARC and was all starry-eyed looking at the title and summary, but my soul shriveled up at "Wattpad star." But if you're intrigued but as scared as I was (hey, there's only 2 reviews here right now! Wild! maybe this review will influence someone!), no worries. This was a fantastically nuanced exploration of revenge, guilt, grief, and being the bigger person. It constantly had me changing my mind on whether the Level Ones deserved what they were gonna get. I both cringed and applauded when they were targeted. Even when I finished it, I kept thinking about it - who were the real heroes here? Did I even want Chloe to win?

Overall, a fun, easily-read high school drama with some extra bite and some surprising complexity.… (meer)