Love, Heather by Laurie Petrou

Stevie knows her school has its cliques, but she doesn't think they were too bad until she falls foul of the popular girls. Alone both in school and at home, she finds friendship with other outsiders. Together they start to get their revenge on the bullies, until things start going too far and the line between bully and victim blurs.

This seemed like it would be a really good read. However, it's extremely slow paced. The whole first half of it is setting things up - it could easily have been done much faster, but no one even mentions revenge until 48%, it's all just set up until then. The revenge itself is mostly done offscreen and just discussed afterwards. Stevie was occasionally childish and self absorbed, but as a teenager that's justified. And I'm not sure I understand the revelation about Dee.

I don't want it to seem like this is a terrible novel. It was interesting and I liked all the shout outs to classic movies. I am a bit confused about how old the characters are; it says fourteen at one point and they're in ninth grade, but they're described as drinking and having sex and they certainly act older. I hope they are older, to be honest.

Not an awful read, but not a great one either.

Stevie never meant for things to go this far. When she and Dee--defiant, bold, indestructible Dee--started all this, there was a purpose to their acts of vengeance: to put the bullies of Woepine High School back in their place. And three months ago, Stevie believed they deserved it. Once her best friend turned on her, the rest of the school followed. Stevie was alone and unprotected with a target on her back. Online, it was worse.

It was Dee's idea to get them all back with a few clever pranks, signing each act Love, Heather--an homage to her favorite 80's revenge flick. Despite herself, Stevie can't help getting caught up in the payback, reveling in every minute of suffering. And for a while, it works: it seems the meek have inherited the school.

But when anonymous students begin joining in, punishing perceived slights with increasingly violent ferocity, the line between villain and vigilante begins to blur. As friends turn on each other and the administration scrambles to regain control, it becomes clear: whatever Dee and Stevie started has gained a mind--and teeth--of its own. And when it finally swallows them whole, one will reemerge changed, with a plan for one final, terrifying act of revenge.