Why get over your cheating ex when you can get even?

John Tucker Must Die meets One of Us Is Lying in a gripping, page-turning debut thriller.

His first mistake was underestimating them.Senior year is going to be perfect.

Meghan won't settle for anything less.

She's already crushing her classes and dating the star of the basketball team.

Nate's friends have been less than welcoming, but it's never easy being one of the only Black kids at a mostly white prep school.

Still, Meghan did not expect the scene at pep rally. Robin and Bria dated Nate too.

Correction: are dating him.

He never broke up with them.

Bria and Robin are furious. So is Meghan. But when Nate turns up bloodied and unconscious in the locker room after the big game, all three girls suddenly become suspects. Who knows more than they're letting on?

Now it's a race to figure out what really happened that night, while navigating a fragile alliance built on betrayal…and Megan's growing feelings for her former rival.

With the police, classmates, and their parents all watching their every move, Meghan, Bria, and Robin must figure out who to trust—and how far they're willing to go for the truth.

For readers who crave high—drama mysteries with fierce, flawed female leads and page—turning tension, The Payback Girls delivers a powerful punch of sisterhood amid betrayal and suspense.

About the Author 

Alex Travis worked in autism research for three years and is currently pursuing a PhD in School Psychology at the University of Maryland.

As a Black woman, she hopes to add to the growing canon of great YA work about Black teenagers. She lives in Virginia.