Perfect for fans of:
- Teen Wolf but make it gay(er)
- Pretty Little Liars
- Heathers meets Mean Girls
- Hannah Capin’s Golden Boys Beware
Girls turning into werewolves and getting revenge on sexual predators? Sign me the f*** up! Sharpen your claws, readers, because this one’s not for the weak of heart. As a premise, Squad hooks you from the first sentence.
The inside of the graphic novel holds up the promise of the premise. It’s a fast-paced story following Becca, the new girl at school, who finds herself drawn into the popular girls clique at school who are, unbeknownst to her, actual werewolves. When an unfortunate encounter with a pushy guy leads to Becca learning the truth about her new friends and being invited into the pack, the fun begins. Full moon after full moon, the girls take revenge on sexual predators and toxic men. But when lines begin to blur between those who deserve their fatal fate and boys solely being in the wrong place at the wrong time, things take a complicated turn for Becca and her friends.
Squad is an incredibly fast-paced read. There isn’t ever a lull and you’re in Becca’s head right from the start. As she gets to know the girls and their secrets, Becca herself also changes. I liked that we got to see her choosing her friends and power over remaining voiceless and even the moral struggle she felt compelled to ignore in favour of doing what her friends told her to—it really spoke to the “pack mentality” of it all.
Fans of revenge stories will also get their pound of flesh (pun very much intended) while reading Squad. It’s definitely satisfying to see the bad guys getting what they deserve and in that aspect, it really reminded me of another sapphic read of this year, Trouble Girls by Julia Lynn Rubin. I think that this will make lovers of that genre howl like a wolf in support at least once while reading.
Really, the only thing I just didn’t mesh with was the dynamic of the ‘squad’. The ‘friendship’ between the four girls is reminiscent of the friendships in early Gossip Girl years. There are a lot of side comments and micro-aggressions that remain unchallenged throughout the story. Especially when it comes to commentary concerning food intake, unhealthy dieting and sizes as well as some racist remarks, I would have wished for them to either be at least addressed outright by the characters or simply acknowledged as wrong. Really, that reminded me of ‘older’ plots and friend groups in television and literature that were harmful rather than uplifting, and hardly ever challenged. It’s hard to be sympathetic of the very girls that tear each other down with seemingly off-hand comments. Still, I did enjoy flying through this graphic novel. If you’re in need of a fast-paced palate cleanser, then this definitely is the read for you this fall.
With stunning artwork, colour palettes reminiscent of Heathers and Mean Girls, and a fast-paced narrative that makes the pages fly by, Squad is the perfect read for fans of revenge stories, unapologetic girl power, and anyone who ever wanted to bite back!
Squad is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of October 5th 2021.
Will you be picking up Squad? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
When Becca transfers to a high school in an elite San Francisco suburb, she’s worried she’s not going to fit in. To her surprise, she’s immediately adopted by the most popular girls in school. At first glance, Marley, Arianna, and Mandy are perfect. But at a party under a full moon, Becca learns that they also have a big secret.
Becca’s new friends are werewolves. Their prey? Slimy boys who take advantage of unsuspecting girls. Eager to be accepted, Becca allows her friends to turn her into a werewolf, and finally, for the first time in her life, she feels like she truly belongs.
But things get complicated when Arianna’s predatory boyfriend is killed, and the cops begin searching for a serial killer. As their pack begins to buckle under the pressure—and their moral high ground gets muddier and muddier—Becca realizes that she might have feelings for one of her new best friends.
