Blog Tour: The Revenge Playbook by Rachael Allen | Guest Post | Giveaway

Welcome to our stop on The Revenge Playbook tour for Rachael Allen. This tour is hosted by The Fantastic Flying Book Club Tours.

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The Revenge Playbook
Author: Rachael Allen
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Released: June 16th 2015
Review Source: HarperTeen

Don’t get mad, get even! In this poignant and hilarious novel, Rachael Allen brilliantly explores the nuances of high school hierarchies, the traumas sustained on the path to finding true love, and the joy of discovering a friend where you least expect.

In the small town of Ranburne, high school football rules and the players are treated like kings. How they treat the girls they go to school with? That’s a completely different story. Liv, Peyton, Melanie Jane, and Ana each have their own reason for wanting to teach the team a lesson—but it’s only when circumstances bring them together that they come up with the plan to steal the one thing the boys hold sacred. All they have to do is beat them at their own game.

Brimming with sharp observations and pitch-perfect teen voices, fans of Jenny Han and Sarah Mlynowski are sure to fall head-over-heels for this sharp tale—by the author of 17 First Kisses—about the unexpected roads that can lead you to finding yourself

Top 5 favorite football players 

I really love football. A lot. Like, a lot a lot. The Revenge Playbook may be a book about girls getting revenge on the terrible guys on the football team, but there are really great guys who play football too. Those are the guys I’m going to talk about here, and they’re the ones who inspired the good guys in my book.

1. Peyton Manning (quarterback, Denver Broncos). I’ve been a huge fan of his since he was with the Colts, and now that he has gone to Denver, he has even convinced me to *gasp* like the Broncos. I think he’s one of the most amazing quarterbacks of our time, and I also think he’s an amazing person and humanitarian who sets a really great example for his fans.

2. Calvin Johnson (AKA Megatron) (wide receiver, Detroit Lions). Calvin and I went to Georgia Tech together, and I watched him play every Saturday in college. He wasn’t one of those athletes that just skated by, though. While he was at Tech, Calvin worked on a project building solar latrines to improve sanitation in Bolivia. He’s also part of a weekly Bible study with the Lions. It’s really exciting to watch such a great guy be an unstoppable receiver.

3. Troy Polamalu (former strong safety, Pittsburg Steelers). I love that he’s totally ferocious on the field, but off the field, he’s a soft-spoken family man. He and Rey Mauluga were the inspiration for the character Rey in TRP.

4. Deion Sanders (former cornerback, Atlanta Falcons). I like his swagger. And the fact that he played for the best team in the entire world (the Atlanta Falcons). And the fact that he’s the best cornerback in the entire world (cornerbacks don’t get nearly enough credit).

5. Tony Gonzalez (former tight end, Atlanta Falcons). Yes, I know he spent more time with the Chiefs, but FALCONS RISE UP, okay? TG is the best tight end in the history of football, and I’ve read all kinds of articles about how he busted his butt to get that way.

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Rachael Allen lives in Atlanta, GA where she's working furiously on her PhD in neuroscience. When she's not doing science or writing YA, you can find her chasing after her toddler and her two sled dogs. Her debut YA novel 17 FIRST KISSES, is forthcoming from Harper Teen. Rachael may or may not have had 17 first kisses...luckily she doesn't kiss and tell.

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Book Review: 17 First Kisses by Rachael Allen

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17 First Kisses
Author: Rachael Allen
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Released: June 17th 2014
Review Source: Edelweiss | HarperTeen

o matter how many boys Claire kisses, she can’t seem to find a decent boyfriend. Someone who wouldn’t rather date her gorgeous best friend, Megan. Someone who won’t freak out when he learns about the tragedy her family still hasn’t recovered from. Someone whose kisses can carry her away from her backwoods town for one fleeting moment.

Until Claire meets Luke.

But Megan is falling for Luke, too, and if there’s one thing Claire knows for sure, it’s that Megan’s pretty much irresistible.

With true love and best friendship on the line, Claire suddenly has everything to lose. And what she learns—about her crush, her friends, and most of all herself—makes the choices even harder.

In her moving debut, Rachael Allen brilliantly captures the complexities of friendship, the struggles of self-discovery, and the difficulties of trying to find love in high school. Fans of Sarah Ockler, Susane Colasanti, and Stephanie Perkins will fall head over heels for this addictive, heartfelt, and often hilarious modern love story.

You know the saying, “In life, there are no mistakes, only lessons"? In 17 First Kisses, Claire must learn that sometimes friendship is not worth losing over a boy. And even though she finally stood up to her friend, Megan, sometimes it is okay to drift apart.

When I first started 17 First Kisses, I liked how Megan included Claire to her group. It is nice to have someone include you when you are alone. But as we proceed into the story, we come to learn Megan loves to be in the spotlight. Which personally, I think this is okay until that person doesn’t allow her/his friends to outshine them at times. Megan thought otherwise. She wanted all the boys and always wanted to be the “IT” girl. Odd to be consider a best friend, right? Always letting that friend get what you want is kind of greedy of the best friend part. When Claire meets Luke, she and Megan do not see eye to eye because they both want him. The battle begins and this is when Claire decides to do the unthinkable.

I liked Claire at times but for the most part I was annoyed at her. Sure she finally stood up to her best friend, Megan, when the others wouldn’t. But we all know a boy is not worth losing your friend. Even if you want to prove her wrong. This is what Claire comes to learn as her wonderful Luke is nothing but a jerk. 

To be honest, I wouldn’t recommend this book to younger YA readers since this book contains profanity on average than other books. This 'Mean Girl' type of book is odd, you may either enjoy it or dislike it. With the many drama and the misuse of a word it wasn't for me.