Revenge of a Band Geek Gone Bad

by Naomi Rabinowitz

Shy, overweight Melinda Rhodes' sophomore year of high school isn't going so well. Her own mother mocks her weight. Her pants split in the middle of school, earning her the nickname, "Moolinda." She then loses first chair flute in band to Kathy Meadows, her pretty and popular nemesis.

Her luck changes when she catches the eye of Josh Kowalski, a rebellious trumpet prodigy and class clown. Josh has also been hurt by Kathy and asks Melinda to help take Kathy down. Mel figures that she has nothing to lose ... and Josh is adorable with gorgeous blue eyes and a winning smile. She agrees to team up with him and looks forward to finally getting back at her rival.

At first, the pair's pranks are silly, and as they work together, Mel comes out of her shell. Even better, she finds herself falling for Josh and it appears as if he might feel the same way about her.

However, their schemes become more and more dangerous and Mel is surprised to discover her dark side. Just how far will she go to get what she wants -- and is Josh really worth the risk?

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, High School, Romance, Young Adult Contemporary

278 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 8, 2012

About the author

Naomi Rabinowitz has always loved being creative. Raised in Nesconset, NY -- a suburb on Long Island -- she was introduced to the arts at an early age. Her mother, Joyce, is a pianist; her father, Melvin, plays piano and guitar; her grandmother, Esther, was a talented knitter; her late grandfather, Morris, was a violinist; her late great uncle, Sid Robin, was a well-known jazz musician, who penned the lyrics to the popular big band hit, "Undecided."

Naomi's parents, who were both teachers, frequently took her to museums and concerts. During their summers off, her family traveled. By the time she was 15, Naomi had been to several European countries, as well as China, Japan, Israel, Egypt, Russia and Mexico.

Naomi's love for writing emerged when she was in the second grade and her poem, "The Four Seasons," won first prize in a local literary competition. She became interested in journalism in junior high when her English class was selected to write for Newsday's "Kidsday" column.
She had as much passion for music. Though she began playing piano when she was three, she switched to her "true" instrument, the flute, when she was nine and eventually added tenor sax and clarinet to her list so that she could play in jazz band. She performed in almost every musical group from wind ensemble to orchestra (but never marching band!). In 2008, she released her jazz album FLUTE PATH.

Naomi received a B.A. in English from Binghamton University and an M.A. in magazine journalism from Syracuse University. From 1998-2012, she worked as a reporter/editor for national TV magazine Soap Opera Digest.

These days, Naomi writes, plays jazz flute and designs jewelry for her businesses Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations. She lives in Queens, NY with her husband, Jonathan, and their cat, Maya.

Reviews

[Abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt sorry for Melinda, as being bullied is bad enough, without having your mother making comments about your weight all the time as well. I didn't love her as a character though, and unfortunately, as the book progressed, I liked her less and less. She annoyed me quite a lot.

This started out alright, but I lost interest. I just didn't find any of the pranks very funny, and unfortunately, I found most of the rest quite boring.

Overall, Alright read, but lost interest.

[Jenny Levine · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, let me just say that I love the cover of this book.

The story is about band geek Melinda who finds herself caught up in plots and schemes of revenge that ultimately lead her into finding herself. Plus, there's also a bit of romance, which makes this book much more interesting ;)

Anyway, reading this was pure bliss. I have this smile plastered on my face the entire time. I think the story was unique and fresh. I love the pranks and tactics they've used to bring Kathy (the villain) down. I also love how the characters, Melinda and Josh ( especially JOSH ), are likeable and relatable :)

I think everyone would enjoy reading this.

4.5 STARS!

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Naomi Rabinowitz's Revenge of a Band Geek Gone Bad is a novel that I am quite sure young adults will enjoy. The moment I read the title, I was delighted because it promised a unique read. Band geeks are usually ridiculed in school, so one seeking revenge sounded like an interesting story, and that it was.

The characterization is also good in Revenge of a Band Geek Gone Bad. Melinda, the flute-playing protagonist is realistically characterized. For instance, she is overweight and lacks confidence. I found Melinda to be quite the lovable character, because though she is whelmed with many insecurities, I am sure that many readers can connect with her. Melinda also has to withstand humiliation by the popular snob, Kathy Meadows. When I became acquainted with this complete "beyotch", all I could think was "Regina George, Regina George, Regina George." She makes a hobby of teasing and embarrassing Melinda, and when she is given the highest honor for a flute player in a school orchestra, I was upset, but such is life. Josh Kowalski was a character that grew on me. Josh is the epicenter of comedy in the novel, and Melinda soon "catches his eye". He persuades Melinda to seek vengeance for all of Kathy's wrongdoings, despite Melinda's shyness and initial hesitation.

The romance between the gregarious prankster and sheltered band geek are evidence that people can change each other for the best. There are other relatable characters such as Melinda's indifferent father, Josh's hardworking mom, and Lenny, Josh's clown of a friend who probably does not know what deodorant is. Rabinowitz really focused a lot on her character development which really accented her storyline.

With so much going on with the characters, one can only expect an engrossing plot. I saw on a site that this novel was classified as "realistic fiction". That to me is an apt genre for this book. However, this realistic read also has its virtually inevitable downfall - being predictable. There were points in the plot, where I felt so acquainted with the events, that I could foresee what would happen next. This, of course is because the title, though catchy, gave away most of the plot. Readers can immediately foresee that a demure band member gets sassy and seeks to destroy. I found the tactics used to thwart Kathy to be pretty creative, though the biggest scheme was totally outrageous yet comedic.

Rabinowitz was well-acquainted with the terminology and communication styles amongst young adults. It took me awhile to get used to the plain writing, but I guess that was for audience purposes. She also addresses a lot of problems that teenagers have to face, such as making bad choices when under the influence. It was nitty-gritty without having to add anything that required censorship - which is something that I find many YA novels beginning to neglect. The resolution of this book left me wanting more, and it is obvious that this book has potential for a sequel.

+ I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melinda is having a hard time at school, being teased and ridiculed for her weight. Her classmates call her Moolinda and this is definitely not done with subtlety or on the sly. One of the main offenders is fellow bandmate and flutist Kathy. When Melinda loses her first chair spot to Kathy she is devastated!!! But then out of the blue the class clown, gorgeous, popular trumpet playing Josh Kowalski approaches her with a plan to exact revenge on Kathy. At first Mel is hesitant but she goes along with Josh's plans and in the process gets to spend quality time with josh and a solid friendship is formed. The more time they spend together, the more Mel falls for Josh and she is surprised to find that he could feel the same way about her.

As Kathy's taunts escalate so does Mel's need for revenge. It doesn't help that her mum is on the ridicule wagon about Mel's weight as well. This sets in motion a chain of events which lead Mel to question her need for revenge but it also brings to light some secrets that Josh has been keeping!!

I have to say that this was just such a great book!! I loved every minute of it. I loved the growth of Mel. She went from a girl who has shy and timid and had major self worth issues to a girl who was much more confident and sure of herself.

And Josh... What can I say about Josh... I loved his passion for music and life in general. I loved his quirkiness and his ability to have fun. I loved that he saw such beauty in Mel. I loved their friendship. I loved his need to protect and care for her even if at times he went about it the wrong way.

And then we have Mel's mum. Oh, how I really didn't like her and the nasty things she said to Mel. She just made me cringe with her choice of words so many times!! Even when Mel lost weight it just wasn't enough and she just couldn't find it in herself to be supportive!!

All in all Revenge of a Band Geek Gone Bad, was a fantastic and enjoyable read. Naomi Rabinowitz, writes with such ease and creates characters who are extremely relatable. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author!!

4.5/5 Stars!!

[Shari · Rating 4 out of 5]

From start to finish Revenge Of A Band Geek Gone Bad is charming, adorable and reminds you of just how hard high school can be. Days when nothing goes right and it feels like the whole world is against you.

Mel is a great character. I think we can all see a little bit of ourselves in her. She stresses over clothes, diets, school, boys... you know all the normal high school stuff. Plus, she has her very own group of tormentors. When fellow band member Josh approaches Mel about putting Kathy, one of those tormentors in her "place" she loves the idea but also has reservations. Mel is basically a really sweet girl that feels like she has been pushed too far and is ready to push back.

Josh's personality is big, no really it's huge! He is one of those guys that seems really self assured. He's super talented and he knows it. He's a clown and he really enjoys rebelling. He feels like he also has a score to settle with Kathy and he wants Mel's help to settle it.

Watching these two get to know each other and seeing how they bring out the good and bad in each other is really fun. Naomi Rabinowitz does an incredible job of writing believable character interactions. The conversations they have flow beautifully and never felt contrived. I really enjoyed reading Revenge Of A Band Geek Gone Bad and highly recommend it to readers that enjoy YA Contemporary novels. As far as language or adult themes this book is pretty tame. There is a scene that includes underage drinking and there is some making out but nothing overly graphic.

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Melinda is 15 and an only child. Her father is chief of staff at a hospital. Her mother is a musician who is spending a lot of time with her dying father. Needless to say, they don't have a lot of time to spend with Melinda. Though her mother means well, she is always picking on Melinda about her weight, lack of social life, etc. To make things worse, Melinda is picked on by the popular kids at school. A couple highlights of her life are playing the flute and painting.

When she and Josh, a popular boy at school, become friends, Melinda gains some coolness. Together they scheme to get revenge on the kids who had picked on Melinda.

This is a YA book that doesn't just focus on Melinda and Josh and their budding relationship. We get to know their parents and friends. I liked the characters and found them to be real.

I enjoyed the writing style. I found it fast paced. Most of the characters are waaaay younger than me but I didn't feel old while reading it. The language is mature a few times.

I'd recommend this book!

My blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2012/11...

[happily_reader_after · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book a lot. It was a quick read, and it wasn't just like every other YA romance. I really enjoyed the characters. The author did a good job of making me like and hate Kathy at the same time. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes YA!

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

So here's my take on the novel- it was a really cute contemporary YA romance. Mel is having a hard time with her peers and her mother. She's having a really hard time with mean girl Kathy who is vying for first chair in the band, Mel's spot. She has only one friend, Lana who has been her best friend since first grade. But for some reason, class clown and very cute and popular, Josh is trying to catch her eye in band. What does he want? Why would he be looking at her? I mean she split her pants on the first day of school and everyone saw her granny panties and made her a laughing stock. But Josh, who's never talked to her before becomes her knight in shining armor. And she doesn't know for sure, but when they team up together to get revenge on Kathy, she thinks he might like her.

I liked Mel. At first she was so unsure of herself and full of hate, self hatred really, but bitterness, too. Things are bad. Her parents are never home and when her mom is home she does nothing but criticize Mel about her weight. Honestly, Mel wears a size 12 and even goes down to a 10 and her mother still is very critical. I see this as a bit dangerous for high school girls. It never says how tall Mel is but the mother's criticism of a girl that wears a size 10 seems like it's sending the wrong message about weight and teenage girls and body image. The issue was eventually dropped but body image did come up again. It was one issue that I think probably wasn't completely wrapped up suitably. But moving on, Mel goes from this bitter, self loathing, quiet person to an out going, self assured person who knows how to take on the bullies and mean girls all by herself. She is strong enough and confident enough to make tough decisions even though they may break her heart.

Josh is the class clown, but he lives a charmed life. He seems to, just by the skin of his teeth, get away with everything. And he's interested in Mel. Not just Mel, but in helping her get her first chair back, get revenge on the girl who took it, and show Mel how to live. He teaches her all about how to live her music, not just to play it in band. He teaches her to play in clubs, freestyle, just making it up as she goes along. He has constant surprises for her always, but always keeps her, and us, guessing as to whether he likes her or not. When Mel is ready to grow up, Josh is still in the cycle of playing pranks on the mean girl.

There are a lot of ups and downs in friendships, love lives, parent child relationships and even student teacher relationships. It's about growing up, and life lessons and love. It's a fun book to read. I did have a problem with the way the mom picked on the daughter's weight when she didn't sound that overweight. It seemed more like the mom's problem. I think it could have been just as effective if the mom picked on her grades, her hair, her clothes, anything else to show that it was more the mom's problem than the daughter's. But, this didn't permeate through my mind as I read the novel. It really was a funny and touching book to read. I wouldn't have minded a boyfriend like Josh who cared so much about me! I recommend it to lovers of YA contemporary novels that are mainly romance and coming of age.

Heather

[CaroleHeidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not going to lie, I purchased this book purely on the artistic merit of the cover. I LOVE it and had high hopes for the story itself. I should have listened to the old 'don't judge' chestnut in this case though.

I didn't come away from Revenge Of A Band Geek Gone Bad feeling inspired or overwhelmed and I'm fairly sure that in three weeks time the only thing I'm going to remember about it is the pretty cover. In fact, I felt like I had read it (and seen it) all before because it contained every element required for a YA High School Romance novel/Teen Romance Movie and not a lot else.

There was the insecure female lead, Melinda, who had issues with her weight and self-confidence, the bouncy popular best friend, Lana, the drop-dead gorgeous but slightly bad love interest, Josh, and the beautiful arch-enemy, Kathy. She fancies him, they have a mutual enemy, they team up to get revenge, it turns into something more, there's a teenage drama, they break up, they make up. The End.

For a beach read or an easy read, it is perfect, and if I were fifteen it would probably have been even better because I wouldn't have read it 400 times before and I'd have still been in that High School world myself which would have made it a thing of daydreams.

There were a few issues though. First, there were the chapter headings - all was going well until chapter ten and then they went all pear-shaped. There were two chapter tens and then the titles suddenly stopped being numbers for a couple of chapters and turned into Roman numerals - this didn't remove from the reading experience particularly, but seemed very unprofessional, even for a self-published eBook.

Then there were the typos. All the typos. There were speech marks missing all over the place (she'd open them and not close them again, or not open them but close them - that kind of thing), frequent cases of 'I' instead of 'if' or 'it' and the odd 'urn' instead of 'um'. One or two could be forgiven but they were all over the place and all the way through - it was like it had never been proof read by anything other than Word. I know it's expensive to get someone professional to look through your work, but most people can find five friends or randoms on-line to read it through and spot things that you miss on all your own read-throughs.

The writing was mostly good, typos aside, although there were a few examples of things that made it read like something written by a fifteen year old instead of something about a fifteen year old. Such as when the characters were drinking - instead of implying that their speech was slurred and they were stuttering and so on, it was all written out phonetically throughout the entire scene. This made it a bit hard to read and pulled you out of the scene a bit because it was, quite frankly, irritating.

Overall, Revenge Of A Band Geek Gone Bad wasn't a bad book, it was a stereotypically charming YA novel about coming of age and finding your first High School love. There wasn't much wrong with it but nor was there anything particularly new and exciting about it. I enjoyed it but would have been disappointed if I had spent more than 77p on it.

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted at: http://www.longandshortreviews.com/bo...

Revenge of a Band Geek Gone Bad reminds me a lot of the movie, Mean Girls. Think about it: high school snobs being mean and rude to those they think are below them. Then said picked-on girl comes back and plots and plots against them until they can’t see what’s right or wrong any longer. Meanwhile, there’s lots of underlying issues that are also working to be resolved. I loved Mean Girls, and I also enjoyed Revenge of a Band Geek Gone Bad.

Fifteen year old Melinda is the star of this book. She’s kind of a nobody, gets picked on, but is smart, good at what she does, and has a passion for music and art. If only the snobs would just leave her alone for awhile! Melinda’s family has their own issues, which is what causes some of Melinda’s problems. I can easily relate to Melinda. I’m glad that throughout this story, she really learns and grows as a character, and though a time too many she gets caught up in the glory of getting back at the girls, she comes to her senses and does the right thing. She also get a chance at being a great guy’s girlfriend.

Josh is the hero of the book. This guy who appears as if he’s just a jokester and doesn’t take school seriously needs to be given a second look. There’s so much more to Josh than he lets on. He’s one of those boys that has to allow someone to get really close to him before he shows his true form. He’s taken a liking to Melinda, and finds a way to get to know her. Josh is also a character who has plenty of growth, and much of it is thanks to Melinda.

I liked the plot of this story. It focuses on Melinda, on Josh, on high school life, and on family drama. The one pitfall I found was that the story in many points lacked a good editor. When I read the story on my e-reader device, I found many sentences out of place and totally jarred me out of the book. While frustrating, I wanted to finish the story because I really became invested in Melinda and Josh, and just had to see where things were going.

The author takes on some real life every day issues in the book. Though some didn’t have as much development, they were well done and made this book very realistic. So many things that happen, I can see happening in real life, some of those aren’t very good things, but regardless, they are a part of this world.

Overall, I enjoyed the story! I laughed, I wanted to cry, I wanted to yell and scream, but most of all, I wanted Josh and Melinda to come together not just over a plan of revenge, but for the sake of enjoying the other’s company.

While is has a few swear words, I think anyone of the age 14 and over can enjoy this story. I’m a full grown adult and couldn’t put it down. It’s a plot very well done!

If you’re a fan of contemporary YA with a bit of romance, I suggest Revenge of A Band Geek Gone Bad.

[Carrie Ardoin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 STARS

Melinda Rhodes sophomore year isn't getting off to a great start. She ripped the jeans her mom told her were too tight for her and showed her granny panties to the whole school. She lost first chair flute to school princess, Kathy. Her home life isn't ideal either, with her mother down her back about her weight gain, and her grandfather's health fading fast.

So it seems somewhat like a dream when hot, party-loving Josh Kowalski singles her out to talk after band one day. See, he has a plan...a plan to take Kathy down a notch or two. And at first, that's what Josh and Melinda work on, but they soon become closer. But even though Josh and Melinda's schemes are successful, she doesn't really feel a sense of revenge. Is it possible to be a better person, while suffering the drama of high school?

I think most bookworks can relate to that feeling of being left out in high school ( I certainly can), so it was no problem for me to get into this book and relate to Melinda. Even though she's an only child with successful parents and they live in a nice house, nothing in Mel's life ever seems to go her way.

Mel is a wallflower, a girl with only one close friend and who only feels at home while she's playing her flute. At 15, she's never been kissed or even gone on a date. Everyone in school knows Josh, and Mel is about the most opposite from him you can get. To be honest, I was a little skeptical of their friendship at first, as well. But things progressed nicely between them, and I was happy with the though of them being together.


There are a couple of central themes that run throughout this novel. The first is, revenge doesn't really make the person who was wronged feel any better about themselves, or change what happened to them. Even though this is a YA book, I believe this is a lesson that society today DEFINITELY needs to stop and think about. Secondly, we realize that even though a person's life may look perfect from the outside, we never really know the truth about what is going on underneath the surface. Again, something everyone should keep in mind as you interact daily with other people--you don't know how their day has been so far, so do your best to be a good person.

Ms. Rabinowitz has a very nice, authentic style of writing that I found easy to read. I never felt like the prose was trying too hard, and I had no trouble believing that I was reading from the point of view of a teenager. I found a couple of things predictable, which led to my rating. But overall, this was a well written novel that I enjoyed.

[Rachel MacNaught · Rating 2 out of 5]

passed the time, as a book that overuses the word 'Beyotch' can.

it was not offensive in any way, but just young for someone my age to be reading it. it felt as though a young preteen wrote it at times, just for how overdramatic things were. there's a point where they plan to write a letter, pretending it's from the school, to make a girl stand up and talk in front of a class and thus embarrass her (somehow). but in doing so, they were terrified of the police finding out (wut?), of being expelled (..wut?) or leaving fingerprints on the note (come on now). it was just laced with really young thoughts and reactions to things. so young it was kind of hard to reconcile with this terribly named character, Melinda, that i otherwise actually rather liked because had a rather good head on her shoulders.

i think it gets points for just being ..nonawful. it's a story about a girl who enjoys art and music deeply, who has a conscience, who isn't thin but ends up comfortable in her average frame, who doesn't wallow, who deals with embarrassment like a champ.
Melinda is a girl isn't blinded enough by affection to think that abuse of anyone towards anyone, even in her interest, is love. and that last bit is a rather good message, methinks, for a genre saturated with irratic hormones.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know those embarrassing moments that make you cringe when you were in high school, well as soon as I began this book it resurfaced. In fact, I could totally relate to a few of them which endeared quiet and plus size Melinda Rhodes who is a sophomore just trying to find her place. The problem is as soon as she makes strides little things happen that derail her process. Enter Josh Kowalski, whose rebellious nature and talent at the trumpet makes him a target by first chair Kathy Meadows.

Kathy is everything Melinda is not, but when Josh and Melinda collaborate to get revenge on the popular Kathy everything changes. Silly pranks get more and more outrageous and all of the sudden the Melinda of the past has come out of her shell, the problem is the things they are doing are making her wrestle with her conscious.

I thought this completely was believable, the emotions swirling were so spot on from the uncertainty you feel when trying to find yourself. Excellent story and entertaining to boot.

[Agreenhouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Band geek Melinda falls for the zany, popular trumpet player Josh. Every girl in junior high or high school who longs for a boy to see past her exterior appearance and fall in love with the real wonderful person inside (a.k.a. most girls) will relate to Melinda and fall for Josh. He sees beauty and creativity in Melinda and leads her on adventures that help her see herself in a new light. What starts off as a simple love story evolves into an examination of the morality of revenge. Is revenge ever justified? How much is too much? The stakes increased as the novel progressed leading to an exciting and satisfying ending.

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Revenge of a Band Geek Gone Bad is a fun and fast-pace romantic novel for teens. Fifteen year old Melinda, main character of this book, is insecure about her weight. She has a difficult relationship with her parents and finds herself bullied at school. But when she meets Josh, everything changes..

I was looking for something fun and easy to read, and that's definitely what this book is. The plot is very predictable, the characters are kind of flat and there is a big part for the popular, mean girls. All the ingredients for a chicklit when you're having a bad day ;) Nothing too special, but a fun and enjoyable read!

[Chanelle Solomons · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well... I just have to say this novel wasn't my cup of tea. At about half way through the novel I gave up and skipped to the end, which was surprisingly easy to follow!

I do think if I did have more patience I would of read the rest of the novel but still wouldn't of loved it.

The characters are really very interesting and the plot was too, just wasn't my taste. But young teens should give this novel a try, since it seems more targeted at a waaaaaay younger reader( and that's coming from a 19 yrs old chick). :/

[Chanelle Solomons · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was interesting, except the overuse of teen jargon. Which is why I would characterise this book more "teen", rather than "young adults". It took me a while getting through the book as I found it really boring. Especially how I could tell how the story was going, although there was one surprise which I did like, although other than that it wasn't my kind of book.

[Alicia Huxtable · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually a really well written story with relatable characters. The 'populars' bullying the 'music geek'. But this time she fights back......with the encouragement of her new boyfriend.....and even though she wins more often than not her conscience won't let her off the hook.
Well written with some feel good moments