The Comeback

by Marlene Perez

A novel about ruling high school, being exiled, and fighting your way back to your rightful throne.

Sophie Donnelly is one half of the most popular and powerful couple in school, until new girl Angie Vogel shows up and compromises everything. Angie steals Sophie's starring role in the school play, and, worse, her super-popular boyfriend. Sophie has been quickly dispatched to social Siberia, but not for long--she'll do anything it takes to make a triumphant comeback.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Chick Lit, High School, Teen, Realistic Fiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2009

About the author

Author of the paranormal teen mystery Dead Is series, the adult urban fantasy Nyx Fortuna series, and the new teen vampire trilogy, which starts with The Afterlife of the Party with Entangled Teen.
One of Ten Books to Pick Up After You've Sunk Your Teeth into "Midnight Sun"
https://www.buzzfeed.com/rachelstroll...

Trilogy order
The Afterlife of the Party, Afterlife #1
I'm with the Banned, Afterlife #2
A Sucker for You, Afterlife #3

Nyx Fortuna series
Strange Fates
Dark Descent
Fortune's Favor

DEAD IS series is as follows:

DEAD IS THE NEW BLACK
DEAD IS A STATE OF MIND
DEAD IS SO LAST YEAR
DEAD IS JUST A RUMOR
DEAD IS NOT AN OPTION
DEAD IS spin-off
DEAD IS A BATTLEFIELD
DEAD IS A KILLER TUNE
DEAD IS JUST A DREAM
ww.marleneperez.com.

Twitter:@MarPerez
Instagram:marperezauthor

Welcome to Nightshade FB page
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Welcome...

Reviews

[Briar's Reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Comeback by Marlene Perez is a Mean Girls styled novel aimed at the teenage demographic.

This book was not made for me, but I was determined to read this book since I was given an ARC copy of the book. That being said, I have no idea if the book has changed since this ARC was made!

I found The Comeback to be a book that I would have loved back in my pre-teen years. It was overly dramatic, full of mean girls and gossip, and showcases drama class (*insert teenage 'oooooohs' here*). The popular girl, Sophie, is suddenly not so popular anymore when a new girl comes to town. When her boyfriend breaks her heart, a not so new boy grabs her attention and the drama club spin her in a tornado like fashion, what will she do?! Well, she goes Regina George/Mean Girls on the high school, obviously.

I wish I would have read this years ago because I would have loved it back in my youth. These days, adult me found it a little bit kiddish. Luckily, it wasn't made with my demographic in mind so it's not a major negative for the novel. I think it would be grade for those Grade 6 girls to read a fun, goofy book like this that's full of the angst pre-teens have. It literally felt like a day in the life of 12 year old me (minus the high school shenanigans, but it is how I imagined high school would have been back in the day).

If you're looking for a teenage soap opera novel, this book is perfect for you! It is really well written, but it's full of high school drama so it won't sit well with every adult. Just know what you're getting into and make sure you research before you pick up this book (if you're an adult). Remember, it's YA! It's supposed to be fun and full of drama and insanity!

To point out the things I DID like:
1. Monet. What a gem! I wish I had a friend like that growing up! She's seriously the bomb and an awesome side character!
2. Dev. What a hottie! He has his flaws, but he's a fun romantic interest for the book!
3. Sophie's ending was well deserved - she tried her best and that's enough!

Two out of five stars - solely on the fact that it wasn't a book for ME. For pre-teen me, it probably would have been a solid 4.

[Megalion · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just flat out not good. The characters were all unlikeable to the degree that I really did not care if the story would see the redemption of any of them.

[Lala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marlene Perez keep getting better and better!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Wylisa]

Very interesting and active..Very much drama....

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems like Sophie Donnelly has everything. She’s one of the most popular girls at Kennedy High and has an equally popular not to mention super hot boyfriend, handfuls of cool friends, and a practically guaranteed lead in the school production of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. But then Kennedy High acquires a new student Angie Vogel, and before Sophie can say “break a leg” and literally mean it, this blonde intruder swoops in and steals everything Sophie considers precious—first her golden role, then her golden boyfriend and the golden glow of being most popular. But this drama queen is not going down without a catfight, and it’s about time everyone learned, particularly that Angie girl, who the spotlight rightfully belongs to.

The Comeback didn’t hold much promise for me at first but ended up charming me anyway. Sophie is your typical overdramatic teen, a little more catty and selfish than she realizes and a little too outspoken and honest for her own good. There’s something undeniably endearing about her character despite her all-consuming and sometimes desperate desire to be the top of the social food chain. It’s probably because all of us have felt some degree of Sophie’s jealousy before. I was a little put off by how Angie was portrayed at first as a devil in blonde’s clothing until I realized that Sophie was letting jealousy cloud her mind, and that made the story and Sophie’s character more realistic. I really enjoyed Sophie’s dramatic (pardon the pun) character growth as well as the somewhat predictable but still sweet romance that’s integral to Sophie’s progress. Most of the lesser characters were developed only enough to play their short role, and a couple of them were just a bit unrealistic, but Sophie’s surprising believability more than made up for that. The Comeback is a quick and cute book that will leave readers grinning.

The Comeback is a good pick for a weekend or sunny day. This book will be enjoyed by teen girls who also liked Love on Cue by Catherine Hapka, Shrinking Violet by Danielle Joseph, and My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters by Sydney Salter.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com

[Yan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Comeback is one of those novels that scream TEEN NOVEL! It’s the typical—girl is popular, new girl comes along, old girl is not popular anymore, old girl wants popularity back, insert: a crazy scene that degrades the old girl even more, old girl learns a lesson, and the let bygones be bygones.

This should all sound very familiar does it not? We’re jumping back years of what young adult novels have come from. The Comeback is a guilty pleasure. One of which leads the reader back to the good ol’ days where everything was simpler and a good pepper-down-the-dress can spoil anyone’s big day.

Sophie is an aspiring actress that demands the spotlight. But when Angie appears from nowhere Sophie is pushed aside even by her own boyfriend. Insert diabolical schemes that makes me pity the poor girl. You can compare it to when someone pulls someone else’s pants. It’s mortifying for the person and you know you shouldn’t be looking, but it’s like stopping gravity from being…gravity—impossible. I feel like I should turn my head the other way when Sophie’s schemes never turn out how she wants it to be but you just can’t help looking.

I loved some the characters in this book particularly Sophie’s best friend and the best friend’s brother. Witty and strong characters. I did not really enjoy Sophie’s ex-boyfriend though; a bit fickle for my taste and his reason for breaking up with Sophie was not really a good reason at all. In the end you kind of like they’re friends though so you can sigh happily to the hookup between the best friend’s brother and Sophie. I thought Angie was also a great character. The author provided substantial background information, some character build-up.

Overall: Cute. Nostalgic feeling of the good old days though I wished for a bit more pow in the book.

[Kait · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sophie Donnelly has everything she could possibly want. She has the perfect boyfriend, the perfect best friend, and she is pretty much guaranteed the lead role in the school play. Everything is going perfectly for her. That is, until Angie Vogel shows up.

Without a second thought to Sophie, her boyfriend leaves her for Angie who also stole the lead role from Sophie. Now she is stuck with practically no friends and no way to get them back. At least, that's what she first thinks.

Sophie knows that she can't be unpopular and she will do anything to get her popularity back. But will she be able to live with the person it makes her? And does she really want Connor back or has she moved on to bigger and better things?

I was pleasantly surprised with The Comeback. I really enjoyed it and I even managed to read the whole book in one sitting. While it was a very predictable book it was still really cute. Sophie was a pretty good character and I found myself rooting for her throughout the book.

The Comeback is basically just a cheesy romance book. I have no problem with that but I know some people who would like a little more substance to their books. I have to say that I didn't really see a message in this book. Sophie was always just trying to get her popularity back and in the end she sort of seemed to understand that popularity wasn't everything but I don't think it was a very clear message.

Overall, I liked The Comeback and I do plan on reading more of Marlene Perez's books. This one was just fun and easy and a good book to have on your shelf for a rainy day. I can't wait to read her other romance, Love In The Corner Pocket.

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was shelving some books over the weekend and came across Perez' The Comeback. What a pleasant surprise! I don't even remember having purchased it. (Welcome to middle age, Julie. First the mind begins to wander. Oh, was I writing a Goodreads review?) Anyhow, it provided a delightful little middle of the night respite after days of grading furiously to meet yet another silly, arbitrarily-imposed university deadline.

The story recounts the (mis)adventures of 11th-grader Sophie Donnelly who experiences a collosal fall from grace (i.e., her slot at the pinnacle of popularity and hotness heaven) at the hands of new girl, Angie Vogel. I must admit that Sophie is pretty darn shallow, thoughtless with other people's feelings, and doesn't appear to have grown too much over the course of the book. However, her best friend and conscience, Monet, and a host of entertaining (if somewhat two-dimensional) side characters make for some amusing "there but for the grace of God go I" reading.

The Comeback makes for a quite nice little read but, in my estimation, does not occupy the same pedestal-worthiness earned by the entrants in Perez' awesome "Dead is..." series. I particularly appreciate Perez' keen attention to detail and all things highschooler, and am happy to have made this pleasant little find. (Note to self: clear out base of nightstand more regularly. The Book Fairy leaves you goodies there.)

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Sophie Donnelly has been at the top of the social ladder for the past few years. She's half of the school's IT couple. The other half is her boyfriend, Connor. Things are going well the first day of the new school year. At least until the new girl, Angie Vogel, shows up.

In just a few short days, Angie manages to snag the lead in The Taming of the Shrew, gain instant popularity, and the icing on the cake...steal Sophie's boyfriend! Sophie trusted Connor, so when he announces quite publicly that they're over, it's all the humiliation Sophie can handle.

She is determined not to let Angie keep her down, though. She's planeed to stage her own comeback. With the assistance of her best friend, Imogene (I mean Monet...), Sophie hatches one scheme after another. But every attempt to make Angie look bad rebounds on Sophie.

Through all her turmoil, Sophie has to deal with Monet's irritating older brother, Dev. Little does Sophie realize that what she was looking for was right in front of her all along.

A quick, quirky read, THE COMEBACK calls to mind such darkly comedic movies as Mean Girls, Election, and Heathers. No matter what Sophie attempts, it always backfires and leaves her worse off than before. For all those teens who are only B-listers or In-crowd hopefuls, THE COMEBACK will make you feel like you're finally getting even.

[Shalonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Comeback was a very cute novel and packed a pretty heavy punch. This book was full of drama, fun characters, hilarious charades, and romance!

From the first page, Marlene Perez had me hooked. Even though Sophie seemed to be a drama queen and a brat, I found something sincere about her. She was funny and a bit of a perfectionist. Her desire to become a better person showed that she was not just a pretty face who felt a need to be popular.

The other main characters, like Monet (Sophie's best friend) and Dev (Monet's brother) were also very believable. And because of the authenticity of the characters, the plot was well developed and held my interest. Even though the entire novel was quite predictable, the story flowed and all the loose ends were tied in the conclusion.

The only issue I had with The Comeback was the name-dropping of irrelevant characters. There were too many unimportant characters who made quick appearances and were never discussed again. It would have been easier to follow if the characters had not been acknowledged or were just mentioned as "a boy from my biology class", rather than given a whole name. This was just a minor setback and did not take away from my enjoyment of the novel.

While this book won't wow you, it is worth a read. And since it is less than 200 pages long, The Comeback makes for a quick, pleasurable read.

[Alea · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Comeback was a lot of fun for me. A popular girl tries to regain her status by any means necessary and take down the girl that stole her boyfriend... I liked that it stayed fun and no one really got hurt, almost but not really. It was exciting to see Sophie try to navigate high school after dropping down the popularity ladder several rungs after losing her boyfriend. Would she learn something new about herself? Stay the same? Become really mean?

Sophie does get a little bit mean but not so much so that I disliked her. She gets herself into some funny situations thought for sure! By far my favorite part of the book was Sophie's flirtation with her best friend's brother, Dev who was like an annoying older brother to her. It was totally cute to watch, that made the book for me. Do they like each other do they not, do they?

One thing that distracted me a bit was how many secondary characters there were without established personalities. There were so many I was often times confused what I already knew about that person from before in the story etc. So I could have used about half as many secondary characters.

Fun drama-filled (in more ways than one) book with a very sweet romance as well!

[Princess Bookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Thoughts: Sophie was.... at first I thought she seemed like a spoiled brat. She thinks she has to be popular. She really believes she has to be! I did not like her at the beginning of the book. I almost gave up because she started to annoy me, but I hate not finishing books so I read on. She wanted to be lead in the play and her life starts to crumble downwards a little at a time. I liked how she did change a little bit even though putting up pictures of Angie during fat camp was pretty mean. But I can definitely remember high school and some people are that mean. I did like that she changed a little bit but I really liked who she ended up with at the end of the book. That was my favorite part. I won't go into names so I don't spoil it for everyone else. It was a quick read for me and I'm glad I read it, just don't give up when you start. It does get better.

Overall: It was interesting to say the least. I've heard mixed reviews about this one and didn't know what to think. I'm happy the way things played out. Its also on the 4 for 3 ($8.99) deal on amazon right now!

Cover: I like the cover. I think its artistic and its actually pretty up close. The pink kind of has a shine to it.
(Reviewed by Princess Bookie)

[Chrissy♥Dev · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Comeback is your basic teenage book about rumors, breaksups, love, backstabbing , revenge and friendship. It surrounds Sophie Donnelly who si our average junior highschool student, whi is also the most popular girl in school along side her boyfriend Conner. Then things change when a new girl named Angie Vogel enters the picture and not onlly takes her boyfrined but her popularity as well. Now she must fingure out how to get back to the top of the standings and take down Angie. Through her quest to take back her popularity she turns the whole school againest her and even her bestfriend Monet Lucero. She beomes even more out raged when Angie gets the lead part in the play and she doesn’t now she has to win no matter what! Through practising for the play she starts to develop feelings for MONETS BROTHER . She soon realises that maybe she is over Conner and is ready to move on, only her pride ws hurt during the breakup.


I liked the book, I found it and easy read but it was TOO preditable. It was like every single typical teen book and movie. I give this book a 1.5/5. There is a lot of drama in this book. There are 196 pages.

[Kim Baccellia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sophie Donnelly is used to having it all. Gorgeous boyfriend, popularity, cool friends, and a big shot at being the lead in her school play. Everything changes though when Angie Vogel shows up. But Sophie refuses to stay on the sidelines. Now the real drama will begin.

I really loved this story with spunky Sophie who has a tendency to speak before she thinks. Her attics were very believable including the whole scene where she comes back at her ex. Perez's dialogue is snappy with some great one liners. I really liked Sophie even when she came up with some ways to get back at Angie.

THE COMEBACK is a fun read and will appeal to those who love stories that give readers a glimpse of the drama behind the curtain.

[Carolina Colleene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Language PG-13 (27 swears, 0 "f"), Sexual Content PG-13; Violence PG
Sophie is Miss Popularity with the school musical leads and a hot boyfriend. But this all changes when Angie transfers schools, gets the lead in the new play, snags Sophie's boyfriend, and, thus, takes Sophie's spot in school. Now Sophie is all but ignored at school with only a couple loyal friends and is desperate to be back on top. What will Sophie do to back where she was? Or, better yet, what will Sophie not do to get back up?
I really liked the storyline for this book and the enjoyed every up and down the book took. I got swept up by every word and the powerful personality that defines Sophie. I also liked the story's fitting ending.
Reviewed for https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very fun, quick read. Sophie Donnelly is a junior who is at the top of her game. She has a hot boyfriend, cool friends, and is about to land the lead in the school play, Taming of the Shrew. All is going according to plan until a new girl, Angie, shows up and steals the spot light from Sophie. Now Sophie will stop at nothing until she is back on top.

This is a wonderful story of a high school drama queen figuring out who and what truly matters in high school and life. Sophie's character is wonderfully flawed and the story is fast paced and fun. I would actually give it a 4.5 if it was an option.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another disappointing book by Marlene Perez. At least with this one the main character tries to not be quite so shallow at the end. Otherwise, pretty girl gets dumped by hunk but there is another hunk waiting in the wings to take his place. That pretty much sums up the book.

Due to language and mentioning of STDs, I would not put this on my school shelf or recommend it to anyone.

[Beebs · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a YA book this was cute. Cute is about all I can say. Part of it was hard to read because I am way beyond being able to connect to such a immature selfishly oblivious character... But Perez is such a great author that I found myself identifying with the main character- vapid and idiotic as she might seem...

[Elizabeth Aguilar · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quirky kind of book. Sophie is one of those spoiled, catty characters so I can't say I love her. She redeems herself enough, though. Some of the things she does to maintain her social status are obvious, though entertaining. Though it was predictable, it was definitely funny and the type of book to read if you're looking for a quick or humorous read.

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm having a hard time rating this book. It was a fun little frolic which definitely held my interest, but I never truly liked the main character. I'm not convinced she actually evolved from a spoiled diva into a more enlightened creature by the end.

[April Suter · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute high school romance full of high school "drama". It has a couple giggles. A good love story for a high school student to read, especially if you enjoy being involved in play productions. The lead character's best friend has an older brother.....wonder where that will go.....
194 pages

[Maria Duran · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it was a amazing book it was so interesting when Monet found out that her best friend was going out with her brother Dev and the most romantic part was when Dev kisses Sophie in every scene it was so beautiful I love this book and is one of my favorites.

[Leticia (I'm amazing) · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sometimes I found Sophie really annoying but I put up with her because she had some really good moments that being said
FORGET TEAM VOGEL OR TEAM DONNELLY!!! I SAY TEAM DEV LUCERO FOR THE WIN!!! <3

[Amber Herrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Comeback was the book that I got on RIF day in 8th grade. Before that I never really read a whole book before. The Comeback was the first book I ever got glued to and read every word! It has an fun love story and for young girls I think it's the perfect book!

[Rinasaur · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a light hearted read for me. Really cliche but overall it was an okay book. The characters seem like your typical highschool characters. Mean girl, douchebag bf, handsome friend's brother and all.

[Allyka · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for this book! This book is definitely for teenagers! School always got in my way nearly every time I read so I finished this book in 1 day and a few hours. I enjoyed reading this book so much, it was very lovely and beautiful!

[Ernieca · Rating 5 out of 5]

HAHAHAHAHHAHA... i read this like more than 5 times already... over and over again... simple but good... All of my friends bought this book too.. ofc it is a typical love story, but thats what i like about it...lol

[Keyona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute little story. This was short and sweet!

[LouAnne · Rating 2 out of 5]

High school drama (an actual Shakespeare play) mixed with mean girls, revenge, and an unexpected romance!

[Sophie C · Rating 5 out of 5]

TOTAL TWIST