Review: Squad

Title: Squad
Author: Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Lisa Sterle
Genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novel, Contemporary, Fantasy
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Source: Purchased
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 5, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Pretty Little Liars meets Teen Wolf in this fast-paced, sharply funny, and patriarchy-smashing graphic novel from author Maggie Tokuda-Hall and artist Lisa Sterle. When the new girl is invited to join her high school’s most popular clique, she can’t believe her luck—and she can’t believe their secret, either: they’re werewolves. Fans of Mariko Tamaki and Elana K. Arnold will devour the snappy dialogue, vivid artwork, and timely social commentary.

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.

Lisa Sterle’s stylish illustrations paired with Maggie Tokuda-Hall’s sharp writing make Squad a fun, haunting, and fast-paced thriller that will resonate with fans of Riverdale, and with readers of This Savage Song, Lumberjanes, and Paper Girls.

Review:

When Becca and her mom move to an elite suburb in San Francisco, she’s surprised to be welcomed into the popular clique at school. Arianna, Marley, and Mandy are idolized at school and go to all the parties. However, one night Becca learns their secret: they’re werewolves. Every month the wolves target a guy from another school who takes advantage of girls. Then the werewolves take turns feeding off of him. Becca joins in their hunting, until things take a dark turn. Arianna’s boyfriend is murdered, which makes the police investigate a number of similar murders of young men in the area. This puts pressure on the pack, and they have to figure out how to hide their true lifestyle. 

This graphic novel immediately reminded me of Mean Girls. Arianna, Marley, and Mandy were a lot like the Plastics. Becca was an unsuspecting new girl, who they took under their wing, just like Kady in Mean Girls. That’s one of my favourite movies, so these similarities were so fun. 

I loved the social justice part of this story. The werewolf pack wanted to get justice for the girls who had been harmed by these horrible guys, so they chose them as their targets. Some of the names of these guys were similar to real life male predators, which was an insightful reference. Eventually, though, these attacks went too far and the trail appeared to lead back to the wolf pack.

Squad is a fun, feminist graphic novel!

What to read next:

Have you read Squad? What did you think of it?