dare me by megan abbott

Dare Me has been dubbed The Fight Club of cheerleading stories, and for good reason: it is a dark, subversive, unique look at teen girl boredom, power, and misbehavior. Mean girl cheerleaders Addy and Beth are BFF; Beth is squad leader and Addy her bad lieutenant. When new beautiful bad-ass coach Colette French arrives on the scene, the squad willingly answers her jump with a how-high, and Queen Bee Beth is removed from the top of the totem pole with a dismissive shake of Coach French's perfectly-manicured hand. As the squad falls in love with captivating Coach French (Addy is completely twitterpated, "driving by her house like a boy might do"), Beth's resentment and need for revenge rises, culminating in a surprise ending that will leave you gritting your teeth. Teen readers will eat this up. Give it to fans of Chuck Palahniuk and Brett Easton Ellis. Click here for a full review. Grade 10+

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