A Review of Revenge by Emily Josephine

This is the first contemporary short story I’ve read by Emily Josephine and I found her writing style engaging. The storyline revolves around Rachel and her two kids who are staying at her cousin Joe’s house for the past month while waiting on her husband to return and pick them up.

She’s enjoying Marilyn’s (Joe’s wife) mid-summer pool party when she’s approached by some snooty and condescending country club woman who immediately start judging her appearance—her sloppy ponytail, lack of makeup, no nail polish, and unshaved armpits. They even question whether her kids are adopted based on their skin tone and their names (Natalia and Diego).

Their mean-girl vibes are enough for Rachel to want to roll her eyes, but she squeezes them instead during the awkward conversations. However, when a song by pop star Julio Estrella plays on the radio and the women start swooning over how hot he is, she can’t help but smile inwardly—because she knows something they don’t. She patiently waits for the perfect moment to deliver her revenge when her husband arrives.

Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable read that scores one for women who are judged for their looks rather than who they truly are. I loved the ending, and without giving anything away–the revenge was absolutely perfect! Two thumbs up!

Rating: 4 stars

Some of my favorite lines:

Feigning ignorance of Danielle’s insinuations, I ask, “So, describe your perfect man.”

Danielle turns to lean back against the lounge chair back, nearly pressing her feet against Melanie’s backside. “Drop-dead gorgeous, for one.” She looks at her fake red fingernails and flicks an imaginary piece of dirt out of one of them. “Muscular. Commands respect wherever he goes. Has a stable career that pays him good money.” She lifts her head and meets my gaze. “Has eyes only for me.”

Her own eyes fill with pain, communicating in a couple of seconds a lot more than she would ever voice to me, then she breaks eye contact. A pang of sympathy twinges in my gut. Hurting people hurt people, I once heard.

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