Review: The Revenge by Hannah Jayne

Title: The Revenge by Hannah Jayne
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Mystery/Suspense
Length: 288 pages
Book Rating: C

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

From the author of Truly, Madly, DeadlyThe Escape, and Twisted, comes another edge of your seat thriller sure to keep you guessing until the last page.

After a bad breakup, Tony’s ex-girlfriend Hope embarrasses him in front of the whole school and spreads vicious rumors. Tony is devastated and in a moment of revenge, he makes the location on her phone public. But a week later, when Hope calls Tony and begs him to stop the prank, he hears a shriek and a car door slamming. Then the call is dropped.

Too late, Tony realizes that he may have put Hope’s life in danger. Can he trace Hope’s movements and save her before times runs out?

Review:

In The Revenge by Hannah Jayne, an acrimonious break up between two teenagers puts one of the pair in danger after a retribution prank goes wrong.

Not so popular Tony Gardner cared deeply for  his now ex-girlfriend, popular Hope Jensen, but after growing weary of her mean streak, he ended their relationship.  She quickly retaliates despite their seemingly amicable split by embarrassing him in front of their classmates.  In an attempt  to get even with her, Tony signs her up for free samples and on line dating sites.  He also makes an ill-fated decision to include Hope’s address which he quickly regrets after she is abducted. However, Hope is well-known for  her need to one up everyone which makes Tony believe she faked her kidnapping in order to teach him a lesson. The police and the media take Hope’s disappearance very seriously and Tony immediately falls under a cloud of suspicion.

Tony’s decision to put Hope’s personal information on line is just the first of many ill-advised choices he makes.  Despite his conviction that Hope has been kidnapped, a tiny seed of doubt sends him rushing headlong into stupidity where he then makes one mistake after mistake. Tony  thrusts himself in the middle of the investigation even though he is WELL aware of the fact the police suspect he is behind her kidnapping.  His judgment is severely lacking as Tony continues to act impulsively without giving any thought to how his negatively his actions will appear to the police and the media.

Hope’s parents host a local television morning show and she is mostly ignored by them until they need her to help boost their ratings. She is quite popular despite being a mean girl who is quick to enact revenge on anyone who dares to cross her. Despite her reputation for vindictive behavior, would Hope really go so far as to fake her own kidnapping to get even with Tony for his latest salvo in the revenge wars?

Despite the unlikable characters and the somewhat over the top escalation of events, The Revenge is initially quite suspenseful.  However, it does not take long for the tension surrounding Hope’s disappearance to dissipate and although Hannah Jayne does throw in a completely unexpected plot twist, an eyebrow raising revelation late in the story is a little too ridiculous to believe.  While all of the loose ends about Hope’s disappearance are completely wrapped up, the novel’s abrupt conclusion is a somewhat unsatisfying.

1 Comment

Filed under Contemporary, Hannah Jayne, Mystery, Rated C, Review, Sourcebooks Fire, Suspense, The Revenge

One Response to Review: The Revenge by Hannah Jayne

  1. Timitra

    I’m not a fan of abrupt endings, they can ruin an otherwise good book. Thanks for sharing your thoughts Kathy