Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
When Lauren Wood turns Helen Worthington in as the snitch for the senior prank, the last few weeks of Helen's 8th-grade year are torturous. When her parents announce that they are going to be moving from Michigan to New York, Helen couldn't be happier. She thought Lauren was her best friend, but when she confronts Lauren, she finds out that Lauren intends to make it to the top of the popularity ladder. And Helen has no interest in the journey.
So imagine Helen's horror when her parents announce that they are going on a year-long meditation retreat and Helen is going back to Michigan to live with her grandmother. Her parents convince her that karma will catch up with Lauren and can't imagine that anyone remembers Helen's outing in 8th grade.
Thankfully, her grandmother is cool and helps convince her parents to let her enroll under a different name - Claire Dantes. It's only a little lie, as Claire is her middle name and Dantes is her mom's maiden name. And as the new school year approaches, Helen creates an intricate plan to get her revenge on Lauren, whom she's determined to dethrone.
Helen's plan seems to go off without a hitch. Break up Lauren and her boyfriend, done. Cause dissension among her friends, done. It's when she comes to beating out Lauren in the school play and getting her kicked off the cheerleading squad that Helen's conscience starts to get in the way. Innocent people are becoming involved, and Helen doesn't feel as good about her revenge as she thought she would.
GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD started out slowly. But Ms. Cook develops the story at just the right pace for the reader to decide if they are rooting for Helen or feel sorry for Lauren. It was refreshing to see the popular girl get her comeuppance without that "all's perfect in the end" wrap-up. But to be honest, it was the secondary characters that I found the most appealing with this story. Lauren's sidekicks, Bailey and Kyla, weren't just two-dimensional characters taking up space. Helen's friend, Brenda, also develops her own backbone as the story progresses. And Christopher sounds simply delicious.
I'd almost like to see a follow-up book with these characters - getting revenge has never been so much fun!
When Lauren Wood turns Helen Worthington in as the snitch for the senior prank, the last few weeks of Helen's 8th-grade year are torturous. When her parents announce that they are going to be moving from Michigan to New York, Helen couldn't be happier. She thought Lauren was her best friend, but when she confronts Lauren, she finds out that Lauren intends to make it to the top of the popularity ladder. And Helen has no interest in the journey.
So imagine Helen's horror when her parents announce that they are going on a year-long meditation retreat and Helen is going back to Michigan to live with her grandmother. Her parents convince her that karma will catch up with Lauren and can't imagine that anyone remembers Helen's outing in 8th grade.
Thankfully, her grandmother is cool and helps convince her parents to let her enroll under a different name - Claire Dantes. It's only a little lie, as Claire is her middle name and Dantes is her mom's maiden name. And as the new school year approaches, Helen creates an intricate plan to get her revenge on Lauren, whom she's determined to dethrone.
Helen's plan seems to go off without a hitch. Break up Lauren and her boyfriend, done. Cause dissension among her friends, done. It's when she comes to beating out Lauren in the school play and getting her kicked off the cheerleading squad that Helen's conscience starts to get in the way. Innocent people are becoming involved, and Helen doesn't feel as good about her revenge as she thought she would.
GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD started out slowly. But Ms. Cook develops the story at just the right pace for the reader to decide if they are rooting for Helen or feel sorry for Lauren. It was refreshing to see the popular girl get her comeuppance without that "all's perfect in the end" wrap-up. But to be honest, it was the secondary characters that I found the most appealing with this story. Lauren's sidekicks, Bailey and Kyla, weren't just two-dimensional characters taking up space. Helen's friend, Brenda, also develops her own backbone as the story progresses. And Christopher sounds simply delicious.
I'd almost like to see a follow-up book with these characters - getting revenge has never been so much fun!
GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD is a surprisingly engaging read, the classic tale of revenge translated perfectly into the modern high school setting of popularity and backstabbing. With swift, smart writing and a plot that's never boring, this book is perfect for anyone who loves the movie Mean Girls and/or was floored by the way that Alexandre Dumas set up the intricate and unbeatable revenge plan in The Count of Monte Cristo.
Helen's perfection (and hilariously accurate analysis) of popularity hits all the right notes, from the stinging one-liners to carefully sown seeds of destruction. We all know the character of Lauren Wood, that nasty bee-yotch who deserves to be brought low by the hands of an avenging destroyer. Helen is scarily perfect for that job, the everygirl who's resourceful and determined to the death, and yet I loved that she also learns a few things about herself along the way.
If your preconceptions about this book are that it is a fluffy chick lit read or a typical addictive-like-candy mean-girl story, well, I hate to break it to you, but you're wrong. GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD is a bitingly entertaining novel with bold characters and an even bolder plot. Indeed, if you love smart teen silver-screen classics such as 10 Things I Hate About You and Mean Girls, you will get a kick out of reading this book. Vive le revenge!
Helen's perfection (and hilariously accurate analysis) of popularity hits all the right notes, from the stinging one-liners to carefully sown seeds of destruction. We all know the character of Lauren Wood, that nasty bee-yotch who deserves to be brought low by the hands of an avenging destroyer. Helen is scarily perfect for that job, the everygirl who's resourceful and determined to the death, and yet I loved that she also learns a few things about herself along the way.
If your preconceptions about this book are that it is a fluffy chick lit read or a typical addictive-like-candy mean-girl story, well, I hate to break it to you, but you're wrong. GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD is a bitingly entertaining novel with bold characters and an even bolder plot. Indeed, if you love smart teen silver-screen classics such as 10 Things I Hate About You and Mean Girls, you will get a kick out of reading this book. Vive le revenge!
