Clique Bait by Ann Valett
on April 28, 2020
ISBN: 0062918087
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads

Debut Wattpad author Valett has brought us a tale of  revenge without redemption.  High school senior Chloe is starting off her year with a plan for revenge against a group of 6 “level one” students who rule the school and harass the student body.  We find out that something happened to Chloe’s best friend Monica in the previous year and that Chloe  blames the level ones for it happening.  Chloe’s plan starts off by blackmailing her way into the group so that she can dig up their secrets and take them down.  Over the span of a few months, Chloe exhibits the very behavior she is supposedly standing against, from bullying to actually breaking several laws (breaking and entering, blackmail, and stealing emails).  While there’s no doubt that the rich are powerful, this school goes as far as to have the teachers walk away and pretend they don’t see the level ones bullying the fellow students, which is incredibly unrealistic.  The characters are finally humanized at the very end, but it’s too late to make the story any better.  Chloe predictably falls for Will, the level one she blackmailed, and at the end has absolutely no consequences for her horrid behavior.  This book has the building blocks of something good, but it doesn’t get there.  Best for ages 14+.

Reviewed by Kara Reiman, Maine State Library