Review: Squad

Title: Squad

Author: Maggie Tokuda-Hall

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication date: October 5, 2021

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Summary

After transferring to a new high school in San Francisco, Becca is worried that she won’t be able to fit in. Make new friends. However, she doesn’t have to worry: the first day, she befriends one of the most popular girls in school. At first, Marley, Arianna, and Mandy seem like the perfect girls. But they’re hiding one secret: they’re werewolves.

As werewolves, this means that they prey on the boys who are taking advantage of girls. In order to feel like she fits in, Becca allows her friends to turn her into a werewolf, too. However, things start to get complicated when Arianna’s boyfriend is accidentally killed. Now, their secret might be revealed to the entire world.

Review: Squad

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of this to review! Looking at the cover, I had a feeling that I would absolutely love the art in this. And I wasn’t wrong! Immersive art with some great storytelling.

We’re dropped right in the middle of the story, with Becca going back to show us how we got there. The way the whole story plays out almost feels like a teen movie. New girl in a new school, easily gets into the popular group. And they’re werewolves! I loved this twist on the classic high school story, which all comes with its own problems.

Right from the beginning, you know Becca is getting in over her head as she joins this pack of werewolves. Each of the characters have their own quirks and personalities; no one really fell flat. Honestly, you’re almost rooting for them to take out these terrible guys. Even if you know something is going to go wrong.

However, the ending maybe felt a little rushed to me. There’s a lot of buildup to what’s going to happen with Arianna’s boyfriend, and it maybe isn’t what you expect it’s going to be. In reality, I wish that some of this werewolf world was more fleshed out. There are clearly more packs out there, so I would love another volume maybe exploring that? It seems all so fascinating to me!

All in all, this is a great high school drama story that I think teens will love. The art and the characters will definitely have you hooked!

4/5 stars