Clique Bait by Ann Valett

e-ARC, 368 pages           

Release Date: April 28, 2020

Published by: HarperTeen
Read from: April 20-29, 2020

Stand-alone

Source: Edelweiss (I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss and the Publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.) 

TW: Bullying

For fans of: Pretty Little Liars, Mysteries, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary

     Pretty Little Liars meets Burn for Burn in this thrilling debut from Wattpad star Ann Valett.
     Chloe Whittaker is out for revenge. Last year her best friend Monica’s life was unceremoniously ruined by the most popular students at their high school, so this year Chloe plans to take each and every one of them down. She traded her jeans and T-shirts for the latest designer clothes, deleted everything on social media that would tie her to Monica (and blow her cover), and carefully devised a way to befriend the members of the popular clique. Now all that’s left to do is uncover their deepest, darkest secrets and reveal them to the world.
     Chloe has the perfect plan…that is, until she begins to fall for one of the people she’s determined to destroy.

*MY THOUGHTS*

     I have been going back and forth all night on what I wanted to give this. On one hand it was good. I liked the mystery behind it. But on the other side, it was very repetitive. There's only so much you can do with a story solely focused on revenge. But overall, it was ok.

"If the whole school was a television series, the people on Level One were the main characters. The stars. They were the beautiful, the rich, and the mean."

2%

     Chloe Whittaker has been left all alone without her best friend. Now she's hell bent on getting revenge from the people who took Monica from her. So she's traded in her old life to become one of the popular kids. She's hidden everything that would tie her to her best friend, and befriended the people she despised most.... One of them. Now all she has to do is reveal their secrets and tell the world.  

"His lips found a half smile. 'And now you're playing games with me. Drop it pretty. You won't like it when I win."

5%

     Ok, when I say there's only so much you can do in a story about revenge, they basically were just going to parties and just being awful to each other. It wasn't something that I could stomach all at once, that's why it took me a little while to read it. I just hated seeing these teens basically destroy each other. I know it's realistic and all, but it just didn't feel great to see them spiking each other's drinks, constantly partying and drinking, and recording a girl with 2 guys when she's underage. I get it, they needed something that was really mean, but it was still hard for me to read. And that's what I meant about the repetitiveness. It was just basically them partying the whole time. It got a bit boring. 

"Stay out of trouble, you're already causing enough."

7%

     As for the characters, I wasn't really a fan of anyone... Except the love interest. He was weirdly the only voice of reason. And that's not normal for me lol Normally I like the main character and not their love interest, so this is new to me lol But for the most part, I really liked him. 

"So Chloe. What interests you? Apart from revenge that is."

16%

     I wasn't super sold on this one, but overall it was good. I wasn't in a great mystery, but it was a great revenge story. Definitely something I would shout from the rooftops, BUT if someone asks, I would still recommend it to them. 

Overall, I give this