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Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood

by Eileen Cook (Goodreads Author)

3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 · rating details · 1,219 ratings · 192 reviews

Popularity is the best revenge.

In the final weeks of eighth grade, Lauren Wood made a choice. She betrayed her best friend, Helen, in a manner so publicly humiliating that Helen had to move to a new town just to save face. Ditching Helen was worth it, though, because Lauren started high school as one of the It Girls--and now, at the start of her senior year, she's the che

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Hardcover, 261 pages

Published January 5th 2010 by Simon Pulse (first published December 26th 2009)

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Nov 29, 2010 Clare rated it 5 of 5 stars

Helen Worthington and Lauren Wood were the best of friends. They did everything thing together, and they shared each others secrets. They both had dreams, but they both shared the same dream: to be popular. Helen thinks Lauren is her best friend but when Lauren has to choose between popularity and Helen she chooses popularity and humiliates Helen so bad that she has to move to New York just to live it down. Now, Lauren is a senior and is the queen bee of her High School and has forgotten all ab...more

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May 12, 2011 ♥MRS. rated it 5 of 5 stars

i choose this book because i thought it would be really nice and good to read. i thought i wont like it at all because it didnt look that good in start. but at the end it was great.

this book was almostly about this two bestfriends. their names are Lauren wood and Helen. they have been friends for a really long time but, this was one problem b/w them. is that lauren always thought she was away more pretty/smart and all that and Helen was a type of girl that was fat and not as much as Lauren. so...more

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May 29, 2010 Lindsey rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this book in about two days. I would have finished sooner had I not had to work and clean my house. I just couldn't put it down.

Helen Worthington is a middle school student about to enter highschool in Michigan. At the high school orientation pep-rally, a trip to the bathroom takes a turn for the worst when she and her best friend stumble upon the senior prank in action. In an instant she finds herself suddenly and utterly betrayed by her closest friend, and stuck with the name "snitch bi...more

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Feb 14, 2010 Anastasia rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book ended up being so-so. Not to cut-throat like I assumed a revenge book would be, but not entirely passive like a YA book would be.

The main character Helen (later called Claire) was emotionally controlled by a prettier, manipulative friend she had since birth until 8th grade named Lauren. Lauren humiliated Helen quite extensively when they were younger. Helen moves away and schemes for years until she is granted the opportunity to move back to her home town during their senior year.

Now...more

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Aug 06, 2011 Justin added it

I thought that this was a terrific novel to read randomly from a online posting.

Helen Worthington is a typical best friend clinger who is constantly in the shadow of her social climbing best friend, Lauren Wood. After the senior prank snitching incident, Helen Worthington was framed and branded as a snitch when the truth was that Lauren framed her to get an upperhand for the next year at highschool. Helen's life became hell but when a stroke of luck forced the family to move...Helen siezed the o...more

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Mar 13, 2013 Lady Entropy rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 19, 2012 Sumando Libros rated it 3 of 5 stars

Veamos…

De todos los clásicos, habidos y por haber… que hay vaaarios, de todos ellos, El Conde de Montecristo es mi favorito, y es que el tema de la venganza… aunque me digan que arderé en el infierno por tales sentimientos, me llama mucho, y es que no creo que haya literalmente hablando estimulante negativo más fuerte que la venganza… muajajaja (si, si, recalcando para los niños y no tan niños que leen esto, que la venganza es mala, mata el alma y la envenena)

No suelo leer novelas Chick lit, y...more Veamos…

De todos los clásicos, habidos y por haber… que hay vaaarios, de todos ellos, El Conde de Montecristo es mi favorito, y es que el tema de la venganza… aunque me digan que arderé en el infierno por tales sentimientos, me llama mucho, y es que no creo que haya literalmente hablando estimulante negativo más fuerte que la venganza… muajajaja (si, si, recalcando para los niños y no tan niños que leen esto, que la venganza es mala, mata el alma y la envenena)

No suelo leer novelas Chick lit, y cuando lo hago es porque ando saturada de tanta distopía, YA, RA, CF… etc… porque estas novelas siempre –con el perdón de sus seguidoras y con la salvedad de que hay muchas excepciones también– resultan ser superficiales hasta la médula.

YYY esta novela no ha sido una de esas excepciones… aún así ha tenido cosas buenas y sobre todo me he divertido mucho leyéndola.

La portada. No sé cómo explicarles, pero ver a barbie con un cuchillo enterrado en la espalda me resultó tan llamativo que cuando la vi, no pude resistirme y leer la sinopsis. Eso sin contar el amarillo del Sr. Carita Feliz, que me decía iba a pasar un buen rato leyendolo.

TODOS durante el cole tuvimos un némesis… pero no todos conseguimos darle su merecido… o vengarnos ;) Helen y Lauren son amigas de cole que comparten un mismo sueño adolescente: ser populares. Helen cree que Lauren es su mejor amiga, pero cuando Lauren tiene que elegir entre la popularidad de una u otra, ella elije humillar a Helen tanto que todo resulta con Helen mudándose a Nueva York sólo para olvidar. Pero para Hellen, la distancia no es el olvido… ella no concibe esa razón, se la pasa pensando mil formas de vengarse, algunas creativas de verdad, otras… bastante tontas peeeero muy graciosas eso sí.

Por cosas de la vida… está de regreso, y como nadie gasta su tiempo maquinando una venganza que algún día no usará… pone su plan en marcha, le quitará todo lo importante que tiene, lease el novio, la popularidad, el respeto de todos, la confianza blablablá… el resto y el final son previsibles.

Vieron la película Chicas pesadas? Bueno, el libro es ESE tipo de drama adolescente, eso sí en favor del libro tengo que decir que resulta más divertido y sin tanta onda rosa por el galán del cuento.

En fin, tengo que admitirles que este libro es más un placer culpable para mí que una joya de la literatura... ni mucho menos. Habiéndoles casi casi resumido la historia, la trama ni siquiera es original, es superficial a más no poder y previsible desde la primera página… PERO a veces esas frivolidades son más que bienvenidas, son un respiro y como siempre dice una amiga, un poco de "tontería" es necesaria en la vida. Así que si quieren leer algo súper ligero, divertido, sin pretensiones, que puede recordarte a tu peor enemiga de la secundaria y las tonteras que hacías/o haces. Este libro es para ti.

Yess.
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Jun 10, 2012 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. In this story, it is a about a girl named Helen who gets betrayed by her best friend or should we say ex-best friend. Lauren has always been that type of girl that wants all the boys attention, wants to be the best, to be popular. Helen,an average looking girl, on the other hand just wanted to be her best friend. As they were growing up Lauren always took advantage of Helen in many different ways. But when they hit their teen years, Lauren betrayed Helen, and left her alone. Because of Lauren, H...more In this story, it is a about a girl named Helen who gets betrayed by her best friend or should we say ex-best friend. Lauren has always been that type of girl that wants all the boys attention, wants to be the best, to be popular. Helen,an average looking girl, on the other hand just wanted to be her best friend. As they were growing up Lauren always took advantage of Helen in many different ways. But when they hit their teen years, Lauren betrayed Helen, and left her alone. Because of Lauren, Helen became an outcast, hated by everybody and with no friends. Luckily, by that time, Helen and her family moved away to New York. Now time to fast forward, it's been years since that time and Helen found out that was moving back. Helen over those three years had time to reinvent herself, and was then planning revenge on ruining Lauren's life. She wanted Lauren to feel the way she did. When she went back to school, she changed her name and began her plan. She started getting close to her friends, sabotaging her clothes and make-up, taking the boys,turning everyone against her and most of all ruining her popularity. It worked for a while, until Lauren started catching on. It took a while for Helen to realize what she was doing was wrong. But eventually she did and revealed herself to everyone, and moved on with her life. She made friends, and found a boy. And she tried to live with that little piece of happiness.

In this story, a big theme is Revenge. Of course, the title already has that word in it. But it is the main point in the story. Lauren had ruined Helen's middle school left. She had always taken advantage of her, and making herself look better at the cost of Helen. Helen, when she was away, always wanted to get revenge on her. So she did. In the story it was Helen putting her plan in action and ruining Lauren. Revenge, in the beginning was the only way Helen would find peace within herself. Revenge was what made Lauren fall from her thrown, and it was also what changed Helen. She became another Lauren, using people to her advantage. Helen's motto was "An eye for an eye" because she wanted to ruin Lauren like she ruined her.(less)

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Jan 30, 2012 che sasoy rated it 3 of 5 stars

(Spoilers) The book was predictable, unrealistic (see: the whole 'changing identity by losing a few pounds, styling your hair differently, and getting a nose job after an "accident"') and chock full of mean girls cliche...but surprisingly... it worked for me. Maybe because it was a very light read, i wasnt too invested in the characters yet and wasnt given the chance to realize how one dimensional they are. I was kind of waiting for Brenda to be the one to snitch Lauren to the principal, but, al...more

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Dec 20, 2011 Kelly Hager rated it 4 of 5 stars

Helen and Lauren were best friends since birth. Sure, Lauren was a high-maintenance friend, but Helen thinks it's worth it. Until Lauren sells her out for popularity. (And when I say "sells her out," I mean "betrays her and ruins her life.") It's so bad that Helen's family moves to another state. Flash forward several years. Helen's lost a ton of weight and is now pretty and semi-popular at her New York school. And then her parents drop the bombshell: they have a great job opportunity which mean...more Helen and Lauren were best friends since birth. Sure, Lauren was a high-maintenance friend, but Helen thinks it's worth it. Until Lauren sells her out for popularity. (And when I say "sells her out," I mean "betrays her and ruins her life.") It's so bad that Helen's family moves to another state. Flash forward several years. Helen's lost a ton of weight and is now pretty and semi-popular at her New York school. And then her parents drop the bombshell: they have a great job opportunity which means that Helen's heading back to her old school. And Lauren.

Helen's like, "What? NO!" but then she gets a wonderful/awful idea. She is going to take down Lauren Wood. She writes a list of everything that's important to Lauren (popularity, boyfriend, drama club lead) and sets out to take away all the things. She goes by Claire (her middle name) and all goes according to plan...until she meets this guy, Christopher and makes a real friend (Brenda). Is her plan really worth risking the good things in her life?

This book is an updated version of The Count of Monte Cristo (which I still haven't read) but it also works as a retelling of Mean Girls. It's not exactly a secret that girls are completely awful to each other in middle and high school, and this book is a perfect example of the way that girls are cruel. I think it's probably so much easier to be a guy. You have a problem with someone, you punch them in the face and it's done. With girls, you're nice to each other on the surface, but you make little joking comments that are just a little bit too cutting to be legitimately teasing, or you bash someone whenever they aren't around.

But this book isn't a sociological story of the way that teenage girls deal with their problems. It's incredibly fun (and funny) and it's hard not to root for Helen-as-Claire, even as you know that she's getting farther and farther away from the person she should be.

I'm hoping to read her other novels (What Would Emma Do, Unraveling Isobel and Unpredictable) next year. The two I've read so far are completely delightful.

Recommended.
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Jul 04, 2011 Shanan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-on-blog

In A Nutshell:
It is hard to say that I enjoyed this book because I do not feel like it is a book that is meant to be enjoyed. It was meant to make the reader think, and I finished the book with a lot to think about. This book would be an excellent book club selection because it is definitely a book you will want to discuss.

Review:
For anyone who has been hurt by a friend (or more precisely a former friend), it sometimes seems like Karma is taking too long to balance out or make that person pay fo...more In A Nutshell:
It is hard to say that I enjoyed this book because I do not feel like it is a book that is meant to be enjoyed. It was meant to make the reader think, and I finished the book with a lot to think about. This book would be an excellent book club selection because it is definitely a book you will want to discuss.

Review:
For anyone who has been hurt by a friend (or more precisely a former friend), it sometimes seems like Karma is taking too long to balance out or make that person pay for the wrong. Helen Worthington has spent three years obsessing over the wrong done to her by her ex-best friend. So when circumstances give her a chance to go back and face her ex-best friend, she takes it as an opportunity to give karma a push in the right direction. But Karma really does not need the help. It balances things out naturally and in its own time. And Helen (AKA Claire Dantes) learns that revenge can have its own consequences.

After reading Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood, I had a lot to think about:
1) The desire for revenge is very seductive, but the quest for revenge can be all-consuming. At first, the reader really feels as though Helen (Claire) deserves to see Lauren fall from grace. It seems like that would be poetic justice, but poetic justice at what cost? Helen's whole life centers on ruining Lauren's life. What Helen eats, how she dresses, and who she hangs out with are all related to this goal of getting revenge. Helen cannot even answer any question about what she wants for herself or what she wants to do after high school. She has spent no time thinking about that. She has to get revenge, but what will she do after?
2) Not everything is as it appears from the outside looking in. Lauren seems to have everything she wants or at least everything she wanted when she betrayed her best friend. But is that really the case? Is Lauren really happy with the life she has? What about the future? Will Lauren be happy after high school when the school play and cheerleading are over? Or is there more to Lauren's story than meets the eye?
3) What are friends for? The book centers on the end of a long-standing friendship. Lauren is painted from the very beginning as a less-than honorable friend. But many of the friendships in the book seem less than ideal. Claire (Helen) is using her friendship with Brenda as part of her revenge plan. Kyla is friends with Lauren because it's expected by would easily move on if that expectation changed.

I would love to read a sequel to this book because the final chapter really brought out some of the better qualities of each of the characters. I would love to see those qualities in action.(less)

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Jan 27, 2011 Nicole rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood by Eileen Cook was a surprisingly entertaining read. Sure, it’s a bit cliché, with a touch of Mean Girls, but it was witty and clever. The plot was definitely not something you would be amazed by because it was very predictable, but Helen’s revenge plan definitely made up for it. The book basically talks about Helen, getting revenge on Lauren for all the things she put her through when they were younger.

Helen changed everything about herself, from identity to favo...more

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Jan 07, 2011 Jacqueline Crawford rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have to admit, this book is more of a guilty pleasure for me than an award-winner. If I think about it, the plot wasn't even super great, so it was more of a fluff piece, but let me explain. Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood is about Helen and Lauren, ex-best-friends after Lauren ruined Helen's 8th grade life with a false rumor. Helen's dad gets a job in another state, thankfully, so Helen can escape. But years later when Helen has no other choice but to return to her old school as a junior in hi...more

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Aug 08, 2010 Karen Keyte rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-girls-realistic

"Before the incident there hadn't been a single moment of my life without Lauren in it." Until the end of junior high, Lauren Wood was Helen Worthington's best friend, always had been. It didn't seem possible to Helen that they wouldn't always be best friends. Then, at the end of eighth grade, Lauren used Helen - sacrificed her friendship and publicly humiliated her in an unbelievably cruel way - to bolster her own popularity. As she explained it to Helen after the incident, she saw a chance to...more "Before the incident there hadn't been a single moment of my life without Lauren in it." Until the end of junior high, Lauren Wood was Helen Worthington's best friend, always had been. It didn't seem possible to Helen that they wouldn't always be best friends. Then, at the end of eighth grade, Lauren used Helen - sacrificed her friendship and publicly humiliated her in an unbelievably cruel way - to bolster her own popularity. As she explained it to Helen after the incident, she saw a chance to make sure she would be one of the popular girls in high school and she took it. Luckily for Helen, her father got a new job in New York just before the ninth grade began. She could start over somewhere new, but she never forgot what Lauren Wood had done.

For three years, Helen has used Facebook (that wonderful modern stalking tool) to follow Lauren Wood's triumphant march through high school. Despite what Helen's parents have always taught her it seems Lauren has not suffered a single karmic setback as a result of her horrible betrayal. Helen, on the other hand, has never managed to move on. When her parents inform her that she will be spending her senior year back in Terrace, Michigan, she initially rebels. She NEVER wants to see Lauren Wood again. After a little contemplation though, Helen has a radical idea. Maybe karma just needs a little help dealing with Lauren Wood. Armed with a new identity and a meticulous plan, Helen returns to Terrace and sets out to bring her former best friend low by taking away everything that matters to Lauren.

Mean girls, the horrible things they do and the way others overcome their cruelty are not new subjects in Young Adult fiction, but Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood is lifted high above run-of-the-mill mean girl fiction by the wit and charm of Eileen Cook's prose. This subject may have been done before, but it has rarely if ever been done so well. The author successfully maintains the delicate balance of humor and drama and ends up giving the reader a very satisfying picture of the painful process of growing up without ever slipping into angsty melodrama. I thoroughly enjoyed Getting Revenge and I look forward to reading a whole lot more by this talented author.(less)

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Jul 23, 2010 BOOK BUTTERFLY rated it 3 of 5 stars

“Revenge is a tricky thing. I wanted Lauren to pay, but pay in a very particular way. For example, it might be momentarily satisfying to do one of the following:

1. Push Lauren out in front of a speeding dump truck
2. Slather her with BBQ sauce and set a herd of hungry pit bulls on her.
3. Pour honey in her hair and then tie her down on an anthill.
4. Dress her in a bathing suit made out of herring and then push her into shark-infested water.”- page 38

Confession time. I put off reading this for...more “Revenge is a tricky thing. I wanted Lauren to pay, but pay in a very particular way. For example, it might be momentarily satisfying to do one of the following:

1. Push Lauren out in front of a speeding dump truck
2. Slather her with BBQ sauce and set a herd of hungry pit bulls on her.
3. Pour honey in her hair and then tie her down on an anthill.
4. Dress her in a bathing suit made out of herring and then push her into shark-infested water.”- page 38

Confession time. I put off reading this for quite some time. I thought it would be fluffy chick lit with a predictable revenge theme. Sure, there were similarities to teen movies like 10 Things I Hate About You and Mean Girls. But this particular book was unique in that Helen, the revenge seeker, already knew the ins and outs of popularity way ahead of the game, and was able to use that knowledge to play her cards flawlessly from day one. Her imagination and resourcefulness had me laughing out loud – this girl took revenge tactics to a whole new and slightly scary level.

The writing of Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood was fast-paced and always suspenseful. It was obvious that Helen would end up being dissatisfied with her choices in the end, but it was fun to watch her get there nevertheless. I loved the characterization of Helen’s super hip grandmother as well as Brenda, the nerdy ugly duckling Helen worked to remake into a swan. Helen's relationship with the elusive film buff Christopher was enjoyable and added an extra layer of intrigue to the whole deception aspect of the novel as well. When would everyone find out? Would Helen tell Christopher and Brenda herself? What would they do? What would Lauren do? These things were what kept me reading, I just had to know!

So, what about Lauren Wood, you ask? Well, Lauren was definitely one of those characters you just love to hate. Initially, I assumed that Lauren would have a few redeeming qualities which would become apparent and make things less black and white. But nope- Lauren was just a downright nasty person, as many people in this world most definitely are. There’s no rhyme or reason, they only see things there way and stomp all over good people in the process. I thought it was smart for Eileen Cook to write her that way. I did not want to like Lauren. I wanted to see her fall of her pedestal. But with that being said, I also wanted Helen to realize that life was not worth living with so much hate either. I thought Eileen Cook struck the perfect balance between revenge, self-awareness and vindication. It never went too far in any one direction and that impressed me the most about the book.

Bottom Line: Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood was a bitingly humorous novel with a bold plot and one heck of an unforgiving protagonist dedicated in her pursuit against evil. Honestly, when all is said and done, a little chili powder in some mascara and tuna fish in the AC vent never really hurt anyone, right? Vive la Helen!
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Mar 19, 2010 Stormi (Lightning Book Promotions) rated it 4 of 5 stars

I started reading this book and I thought to myself, I don't think I am really going to like this book. I was reading it for a review so I kept at it and then I started to like it. It's not a great book by my standards but I thought it was a really good book.

Revenge books are tricky, I have a motto for these books. "Revenge only gets you dead" (Hamlet, Moby Dick are my top revenge books and the main character dies) In this case it almost makes Helen's life worse off than if she would have just...more

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Jan 02, 2012 Nikki rated it 4 of 5 stars

Wow. This book was a great pick to start off the new year.

I went into this book thinking about how awesome it will be to see the popular girl go down. But by the end of it I just want Helen to mbe herself and forget Lauren. I loved she was able to find herself in the mean time, and really enjoy the life she has made without Lauren.

I really, really loved Eileen Cook's writing. It flowed beautiuflly and I could not put this book down! It was amazingly well written and just an overall, great read....more

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Feb 01, 2010 Morgan F rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, pulse-it, goodreads-author, 2010, its-a-girl, read-2010, realistic, small-sized, e-book

I most likely wouldn't have read this book if it wasn't offered to me free. But the title was so blunt and the cover so funny that I couldn't turn it down. I went into this book expecting nothing more than your typical shallow chick-lit.

The title and cover pretty much explains the plot. Helen and Lauren have been best friends their entire lives. That all changes at the end of eighth grade when Lauren betrays her best friend for the sake of popularity. Helen moves away and returns three years la...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Candice N rated it 5 of 5 stars

Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood by Eileen Cook was a book that I greatly enjoyed reading. The overall lesson Cook wants readers to take from this book is no matter if a best friend betrays you or not, you still should do the right thing, do not stoop down to their level. If you were to, in the end you will be feeling guilty, the real person you are and eventually the truth will come out.

Getting revenge on Lauren Wood begins at the end of Helen Worthington and Lauren Wood’s eighth grade year. Fre...more

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Feb 24, 2011 Nina rated it 5 of 5 stars

OMG, Getting Revenge On Lauren Wood is the best light hearted book I read so far this year.

Helen is a great character that just needed to learn that revenge isn’t everything.
She really believed that what she was doing was the right thing and that she was helping other girls who got hurt by Lauren too. I didn’t like Lauren at all. She is spiteful, rude and inconsiderate. And therefore I really wanted to see how she would fall of her pedestal. One thing about being on top of the world is that it g...more

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Jun 18, 2010 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars

GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD, by Eileen Cook, was high school revenge at its worst (and best). With healthy doses of bitchy-ness and secret identites, this book is the ultimate rule-book for female payback.

This book took girl-revenge to a whole other level. Lauren Wood, former best friend of Helen, made a complete mess of Helen's last few weeks of eighth grade, and Helen never forgot it. When Helen moved back to town, her detailed plan to take down all that Lauren cared about was in full swing...more GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD, by Eileen Cook, was high school revenge at its worst (and best). With healthy doses of bitchy-ness and secret identites, this book is the ultimate rule-book for female payback.

This book took girl-revenge to a whole other level. Lauren Wood, former best friend of Helen, made a complete mess of Helen's last few weeks of eighth grade, and Helen never forgot it. When Helen moved back to town, her detailed plan to take down all that Lauren cared about was in full swing. Helen, as Claire, targeted all the things that she thought Lauren couldn't live without, and took them out hard. Helen was such a great character. She was a little obsessed with Lauren, but I think middle school and high school years can really make or break someone, and Helen wanted her vengeance. And Lauren was the epitome of high school royalty. She was the most liked and feared girl, and a worthy opponent for Helen.

While reading, I had a flashback of the movie, Mean Girls, and the striking similarities both this book and the movie possessed. In both instances, a girl wanted revenge on a popular girl and chose to *take out* her prized objects. But along with the similarities, there were unique differences that made this book its own. For instance, Helen already knowing the high school popularity rules and playing them like a violin. I enjoyed the ride that Cook took me on in the quest for Helen to exact her revenge, and I liked the lessons that Helen learned in the process. The presence of karma was always in Helen's mind but most of the time she persuaded herself that she was performing a service to those affected by Lauren. Helen really learned through this process who she was and who she wanted to be, but to actually create that life for herself was quite difficult.

Each chapter furthered the suspense in the final act of how Helen was going to take down Lauren. I laughed and cringed while reading, hoping that Helen would make it through unscathed since her budding friendship with Brenda and relationship with Christopher was hanging in the balance. This was a fun and unforgiving book that did not hold back anything in the pursuit of creating "balance" against evil.(less)

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Jun 09, 2010 Nian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010

Three years after Lauren humiliated Helen and left her for popularity, Helen comes back with a new identity and a clear goal: take down Lauren Wood.

I usually don't like reading revenge type of books. Mostly because I already know what's going to come, and will cringe when the protagonist finally realizes that the whole revenge thing doesn't make her life any better, so she has to try to make things better. But despite the predicabilty, I really liked Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood. Much more th...more

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Mar 02, 2010 Crystal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, read-feb-2010, tour-around-the-world, what-are-you-reading-monday-read

If you are a young adult or you like young adult fiction that takes an outsider who moves to a new school and becomes a new person then I believe you will like this book.

I was never in the in-crowd in high school, althought I wasn't completely on the outs like Helen. However I think all girls at one time or another have been betrayed by a friend. If you haven't consider yourself blessed. Helen is seriously betrayed by her best friend, Lauren Wood in Lauren's attempt to become popular when she st...more

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Mar 26, 2011 Sarah H rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had expectations for this book that were not met at all. The cover, for example. I thought Lauren was going to die...that wasn't the case. But let's go back...3 years back. Lauren and Helen were best friends since birth, but Lauren always came first. When Lauren and Helen go to the high school orientation,they discover the senior prank going on...and Lauren turns in the seniors, and to make sure she gets popular in high school, blames it on Helen. Helen gets bullied constantly, and becomes the...more

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Sep 10, 2010 Emmy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-fiction, ya, young-adult-fiction

Helen and Lauren have been friends since the day they were born. So it comes as quite a shock that in the last days of eighth grade, Lauren publicly betrays her best friend for a chance at popularity. The humiliation is so intense that Helen moves away before high school even begins. But although she had a chance to start over and has become a skilled artist, she remains fixated on sweet revenge. Senior year, Helen returns to her home town with a plan to destroy Lauren’s perfect life: create an...more

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May 19, 2010 Amanda-Lee (StoryWings) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010

Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood is like Mean Girls, in book form.

Lauren Wood was Helen’s best friend, until she betrayed and humiliated her in front of the entire school forcing Helen to leave the state and start life fresh. Helen was a quiet girl when she left content with her old black and white movies and not really realising that she was being used by her best friend. But when she returns to her small home town and the high school that hated her before she left, she is a completely different...more

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Jun 02, 2010 Brandi rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, teen, random-reads-column

Helen and Lauren have always been best friends. Now Helen and Lauren are at the end of 8th grade. Helen is a bit frightened of what’s to come whereas Lauren is ready to grab popularity by the horns, no matter what the cost. When Lauren and Helen witness an extreme senior prank while at the school for freshman orientation and the news leaks out who was responsible, all fingers point to Helen as the snitch. In reality, Helen said nothing about what she saw but no one will believe her, except Laure...more Helen and Lauren have always been best friends. Now Helen and Lauren are at the end of 8th grade. Helen is a bit frightened of what’s to come whereas Lauren is ready to grab popularity by the horns, no matter what the cost. When Lauren and Helen witness an extreme senior prank while at the school for freshman orientation and the news leaks out who was responsible, all fingers point to Helen as the snitch. In reality, Helen said nothing about what she saw but no one will believe her, except Lauren who actually tattled to the principle and started the rumors of Helen’s apparent confession. Fortunately, Helen doesn’t have to deal with the abuse for long. Helen’s parents inform her they are all moving to New York. Now Helen gets her shot of a fresh start in high school.

Three years later, things are fairly uneventful at Helen’s New York high school. She’s finally a senior, which is fabulous. Then her parents tell her the worst news they could ever come up with. Helen has to move back to her old town to live with her grandmother and finish school while her parents move upstate to conduct research. At first Helen refuses to go. After a bit of thinking, she decides she really wouldn’t mind going back because then she could finally get even with Lauren. Helen decides to change her name and get in close with Lauren and her friends and do anything she can to ruin Lauren’s life, including causing Lauren and her boy-friend to break-up, ruin her clothes, and turn her friends against her. At first, Helen thinks she is feeling vindicated. Soon, with the help of two outcasts, Helen learns that maybe revenge is not the answer after all.

Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood is what The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas would be if it took place in the present day with high school girls. The girls prove to be just as spiteful and cruel as the characters in Dumas’ classic tale. There are few redeeming qualities found in the main characters, but the lesson is hammered home by the end of the story. High school proves to be a dangerous game.

I gave it such a low rating because a was mostly disturbed by Helen's actions when she moves back. She did so many terrible things, but I don't think that her self-realization at the end is enough to make her a likable character. I don't mind reading books without likable characters, but Helen just kind of rubbed me the wrong way.
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Jan 10, 2010 Libro Joven rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved "The Count of Monte Cristo", by Alexandre Dumas, so I was bound to enjoy very much this cute little tribute to it. If the Count, Edmond Dantés, were a teenage American girl, if he had been humiliated in junior high instead of being suspect of treason, and if his plans of vengeance involved such shallow things as messing with another girl's mascara, then yes, he would very much be like Helen.

In the overall it was funny, delightfully shallow and occasionally silly. It's a pity that the bes...more

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Dec 10, 2009 Joanne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Helen Worthington has been wronged. Very wronged. So wronged that after three years away, living on the other side of the country, she’s still looking for revenge on her former best friend.
But even when Helen’s vengeful plan is going well and Lauren’s life starts swirling the drain, Helen knows there’s still something’s missing. But what? And why, after three years of reliving her humiliation at Lauren’s hand, isn’t Helen feeling great about getting back at her former friend?
GETTING REVENG ON LA...more

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Nov 09, 2012 Claire rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012, ya-stand-alone

Am I a bad person if I say that Lauren kinda deserved what she got? If Helen/Claire didn't administer some kind of punsihment, I'm sure someone else would have! Lauren was an absolute bitch screwing over her friend and really if Helen/Claire didn't teach her a lesson - she would have just kept stepping on people on her way to the top (a fairly hollow and pointless top but the top none-the-less, cause really, who cares how other people see you?) Of coruse, I am not condoning Helen/Claire's behavi...more

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About Eileen Cook

Eileen Cook spent most of her teen years wishing she were someone else or somewhere else, which is great training for a writer.

You can read more about Eileen, her books, and the things that strike her as funny at www.eileencook.com. Eileen lives in Vancouver with her husband and two dogs and no longer wishes to be anyone or anywhere else.

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“Old movies are black-and-white; they’ve got good guys and bad guys. The thing was, I didn’t want to live in the past anymore. It was time for my life to go full color.” — 6 people liked it

“Karma is a bitch, bitch.” — 5 people liked it

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