Clique Bait

by Ann Valett Narrated by Em Eldridge

Overview

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's traded in her jeans and T-shirts for the latest designer clothes, erased anything on social media that would tie her to Monica (and blow her cover), and carefully figured out how she will befriend the members of the clique, find out their deepest and darkest secrets, and reveal them to the world.

Chloe has the perfect plan . . . but there's one thing she didn't prepare for. And that's falling for someone she's determined to destroy. The closer she gets to uncovering the secrets the in-crowd is determined to cover up, the more she realizes that she is going to have to choose between betraying her oldest friend or the boy who's captured her heart

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This is a delicious piece of young adult candy... it is a fun page-turner sure to delight fans of teen drama.  For lovers of Cecily von Ziegesar’s “Gossip Girl,” Sara Shepard’s “Pretty Little Liars,” Susan McBride’s Very Bad Things, and Megan Abbott’s Dare Me. — School Library Journal

School Library Journal

03/01/2020

Gr 9 Up—Arlington Preparatory school can be found snuggled in a canyon just north of Beverly Hills. The beautiful school houses the children of the West Coast's most influential people—the ultra-wealthy, media moguls, politicians, and celebrities. Like most high schools, Arlington Prep has a social ladder and there are winners and losers among those who dare to climb it. However, the games of rich children with little supervision have higher stakes and more dire consequences. Chloe Whittaker was loath to be part of the brutal social hierarchy at Arlington Prep until her best friend became tragically caught in the crossfire of the contest. Bent on revenge, Chloe devised a plan to infiltrate the "Level One" social clique so she could take them down. Through lies, manipulation, and blackmail, Chloe is able to gain access to the elite group. However, once she is there, she starts to question what makes her morally superior to these people if, in her efforts to get into their exclusive club, she has participated in the same cruel antics. Her internal conflict is heightened when she finds herself falling for the handsome and charming so-called Level One Boy, William Bishop, who was only supposed to be a pawn in her game. VERDICT This is a delicious piece of young adult candy. While readers won't find any deep sustenance from the plot, it is a fun page-turner sure to delight fans of teen drama. For lovers of Cecily von Ziegesar's "Gossip Girl," Sara Shepard's "Pretty Little Liars," Susan McBride's Very Bad Things, and Megan Abbott's Dare Me.—Ellen Fitzgerald, Naperville Public Library, IL

Kirkus Reviews

2020-02-05
An elaborate revenge plot to take down the manipulative, bullying popular crowd consumes Chloe Whittaker’s senior year in Australian author Valett’s debut.

The exclusive Arlington Prep near Beverly Hills isn’t for the faint of heart. In fact, popular kids (dubbed Level Ones in the hierarchy cooked up by narrator Chloe, who considers herself an invisible Level Three, and her best friend, Monica) rule the school with an iron fist. Last year Monica became obsessed with the Level Ones, leading to her downfall and the fracturing of their friendship. Now Chloe will make them pay. To infiltrate the in-crowd, Chloe blackmails handsome, green-eyed lacrosse team captain Will Bishop, who tells her that posing as his girlfriend will yield the quickest access to his social circle. Soon, Chloe is perpetuating the very behavior she claims to loathe. Predictably, Chloe falls for Will, who is also on her hit list, while struggling with guilt over her actions. A suspension of disbelief is a must. Teachers blatantly ignore truly awful behavior by Level Ones, and the author waits until the very end to humanize them and reveal the truth about what happened to Monica. Overwrought dialogue and underdeveloped characters further hamper what might have been an affecting exploration of bullying and the corrupting nature of power. Most characters appear white; there is minor diversity in some secondary characters.

A missed opportunity. (Fiction. 14-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172895821
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	04/28/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	1,118,868

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