Becca's new at school, and to her surprise, she immediately is taken in by the coolest girls in the school. But if she wants to be part of them, she's expected to transform herself to fit in. So when she's invited to officially become part of their squad by becoming a real, live werewolf, she can't say no. Her new life is great--super strength, heightened senses, immediate popularity--the only downside is the transformation every full moon, and the insatiable hunger she must feed.

This book was a super quick read for me, but I really enjoyed it. The artwork is super bright and vivid, and fits the story well. It wasn't necessarily a standout, and the author didn't do anything groundbreaking, but it was fun nonetheless.

Thanks to NetGalley for my free ARC, in return for my honest and unbiased opinion.

A kind of campy popular girl trope that includes werewolves. I liked that the victims were always guys who tried to take advantage of girls/women.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was absolutely amazing, not only did I love the artwork, but I love the way the story was told. The characters were completely different than what I thought they would be. I thought it would be a ‘Mean Girls’ type situation, but it was so much better, not only that, but I wasn’t expecting the ending whatsoever. I wish this could have been an entire series because I’m completely ready for werewolves to make a comback!

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!

I just started watching Teen Wolf for the first time (I know! I'm v late to the party!), and Squad definitely has the Teen Wolf feel to me, but without so much teenage boy angst. There's also some strong Heathers and Mean Girls vibes.

I loved this graphic novel. I think it is most teenage girls' dream to have a close-knit, popular group of friends, and to truly feel like you truly belong in that group. How far would you be willing to go to fulfill this dream? If your friends were werewolves, would you jump into being a werewolf, too?

And her friends make a great pitch to why it is great to be a werewolf-- they are powerful, have each others' backs, and they only kill boys who deserve it.

But when some of this pitch starts to crumble, the Squad is faced with some hard choices.

We get a ton of great moments in this novel, including a try-on montage (!), hilariously accurate conversations between Becca and her mom, a sapphic romance, and many exchanges that show just how hard it is to try and fit in. Plus, my favorite comeback: "Don't make it weird." "Don't make it rapey."

Overall, Squad has so many things to love, from the beautiful illustrations to the hilarious lines that also make you think.

I really enjoyed this spooky graphic novel! I liked the sapphic elements and the relatability of Becca transferring to a new school and trying to fit in with the popular crowd. It was almost a "Mean Girls" meets "Teen Wolf". I definitely recommend this one!

What do you get when you take Heathers, Valley Girl, and Clueless, throw them in a mixing bowl and add some supernatural elements? You get Squad. This was such a fun graphic novel. It takes place currently, but between the language elements, the dress and attitude, the other references perfectly fit. Squad takes a girl who is new, and feels left out and makes her into someone popular. But popularity comes with chains. And in this case those chains are bloody! This book is real when it needs to be, but a great creepy roller coaster the rest of the time. It’s female centric, a bit sapphic, and all feminist, both good and bad. I can't say much else without giving anything away, but if you want a howling good time this October, pick up this book.

Squad follows Becca, a young woman who has just transferred schools who is afraid she won’t fit in, until she is immediately swept up by the most popular group in school. Becca is surprised by how quickly the group embraced her, but is even more surprised when she finds out they are werewolves.

I have very mixed emotions about this graphic novel. To start I loved the art style, reminded me a lot of Archie and I loved that classic colorful look. I also loved the premise of the story, a group of girls killing guys who are willing to assault girls, BUT this was not some feminist story in any way other than that. The girls are the popular girls at school and they treat everyone around them, especially the other girls, horribly. They are rude and constantly putting down all the girls in their school and at the parties they go to. I’ve seen other readers describe them as morally gray characters and I 100% disagree. I love morally gray characters and these girls were not them, they were simply rude and mean through and through.

I was very excited for the romance and that was even a let down. It was insta-love at its finest, didn’t happen till the end of the story, and had zero impact on the plot.

I have to say I had very high hopes for this graphic novel and I was unfortunately very let down.

It's like Mean Girls...but with werewolves. I loved this graphic novel! The art style, the characters, everything was so great. I had so much fun reading this one and I think it is a perfect read going into the spooky season.

Thank you to Maggie Tokuda-Hall, NetGalley, and Greenwillow Books for the E-ARC!

Like most teens, Becca is worried about fitting in at her new school. Surprisingly, on her first day she manages to find an in with the prettiest, most popular, coolest group of girls on the campus. Marley, Arianna, and Mandy are perfect. More surprisingly, when the full moon rises, Becca finds out they're werewolves that feed on jerks and creeps. Will Becca join them in their murderous yet righteous crusade? And what happens when a body is discovered and it can be linked back to them?

I ate through this book in less than hour, it was so good! Again, give me queer characters and any kind of sci-fi or fantasy and I am IN!

Pros: The art: striking, stunning, and so dynamic. The story was short but intricate and full of twists and turns. I loved our main characters and even as teens they were dealing with things that women have to handle much of the time. I adored the feministic aspect of only killing jerks and predatory creeps, still always get concerned with taking life and death into your own hands, but I can suspend belief for this.

Cons: A little short, would have loved a little more detail on why they were wolves and how they came about, but beggars can't be choosers.

9/10 would recommend for those who love werewolves, predators getting what's coming to them, queer characters, and understanding your limits and what you want.

This teen wolf meets pretty little liars story was good. I loved the retro art style which reminded me of Archie Comics and was super enjoyable to read. The story was pretty predictable but I enjoyed it nevertheless. I liked the sapphic representation but I think the feminist aspect could’ve used a bit more work because the main characters were obsessed with being skinny and most of them were pretty racist.
Overall this was a good graphic novel.

Wow did this graphic novel slay….literally.
Becca starts a new school and quickly finds herself in with the popular girls. After falling in with them one full moon she finds out their secret….they’re werewolves.

Honestly think Teen Wolf but sapphic and slightly scary. I flew through this story, I loved every second of it. I only have 2 complaints:
1. Sometimes the drawings were done in a way that I didn’t realize which character was who in action scenes because two of the girls looked extremely similar.
2. Some of the “lore” did not make sense, it was not major to the story just something I found confusing.

Overall I loved it though.
4.5/5 Stars

4.5 ⭐️

I'm doing this new thing with netgalley ARCs where I write down buzz words, and things the ARC reminds me of while I'm reading it, so here is what I wrote down for Squad:
- Drake's song: Girls Want Girls
- Jennifer's Body, Mean Girls
- 80's horror, slasher flicks

Absolutely LOVED the art style in this one. The story was simple, but I enjoyed it. Definitely high school mean girl vibes which I haven't read anything like that in a while! Overall I think I wanted a little more from the ending, but it was still so good. I'm also wondering if another volume will come out or if it will just be a standalone? I think either could work, and if theres a second volume, I'd love to read it!

xx
-Christine

A fantastic graphic novel from an author to keep an eye on. I love the characters and the slightly heightened view of wealthy socialite high school kids. Rightly compared to Mean Girls, I found the book to be funny, fast paced, and difficult to put down. I highly recommend this for high school aged readers, especially those interested in fantasy/horror and LGBTQI stories.

This is a juicy teen drama with a supernatural (and queer!) twist. Think Pretty Little Liars meets Mean Girls meets Teen Wolf and you'd get Squad. I ate up every second of it.

Becca is new to Piedmont. She assumes she'll just keep her head down and try to survive high school, but instead Becca finds herself surrounded by the most popular girls in school. Arianna, Mandy, and Marley show Becca how to dress, how to act, and, as it turns out, how to eat Bad Men who prey on girls. Because the mean girls of Piedmont are actually werewolves who need to eat humans to survive, and they want Becca to join their pack. And Becca does! To be fair, who wouldn't want to get super strength, instantly become beautiful and ripped, and be at the top of the social (and literal) food chain in high school? Everything seems perfect for Becca and her new friends until Becca accidentally kills Arianna's boyfriend Thatcher when he comes onto her at a party. With the possibility of their secret coming to light, new strains are placed on the pack, testing both their bonds and morals.

The art in this graphic novel is stunning. Lisa Sterle puts such love and detail into her characters (the OUTFITS!! Oh god I love the outfits) that they seem like real, relatable teenagers. Tokuda-Hall is also able to perfectly capture the sharp, backhanded nature of the mean girls of the squad mixed with the very real need for belonging felt by Becca. These girls sound like teenage girls, something that is sometimes hard to accomplish but allows readers (especially with a graphic novel) to be swept into the story and believe it at every turn, despite its supernatural nature.

One thing that I wish was explored more was the morality of what these girls are doing. The Squad has rules in place so that they only eat teenage boys who are "bad"—mostly this means those who seem likely to r*pe or otherwise assault the girl they're talking to in a dark corner of the forest or party, but it also extends to assholes in general and boys who complain about the "friend zone." And other than a throwaway comment from Becca's mother about how not even assholes deserve the death penalty, the morality of what these girls are actually doing isn't really explored. The morality of their situation only becomes a problem after Thatcher's death, when Arianna starts telling the pack to kill other perfectly harmless humans because they're hungry. But like y'all... I get that friend zone dudes are annoying but like Becca's mom said: surely they don't deserve to die for it?? At the same time, this is a small complaint that didn't stop my enjoyment of the graphic novel in any way. Sometimes when you've got a story to tell, you have to ignore certain smaller details and just focus on that story.

And honestly, what a story that is! I was pleased by the ending and smiled like a goof during the epilogue. Becca gets her queer happily ever after despite all of the drama (and trauma?) the pack went through. I'm excited to recommend this title to the teens at my library, especially those who might be reluctant readers—I think this title is a perfect entryway into other graphic novels and books in general.

As soon as I saw the cover for this graphic novel, I knew I had to read it. The artwork and colors were incredible, and I knew right off the bat it would have paranormal elements, which are my absolute favorite. I had very high hopes going into this one, and friends, it did NOT disappoint!

If you took the movie Mean Girls, added in some werewolves, murder, queer characters, and beautiful artwork, you get this story. It will make you rethink what it means to be hungry, how important it is to stick by your pack of friends, and will make you claw your way through the pages, wanting to find out how it all ends.

Thank you so much to Literary Bound Tours, Harper Collins Canada, and HCC Frenzy for letting me participate in the blog tour for Squad, written by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and illustrated by Lisa Sterle.

A satisfying read about a clique of teenage girls, who use their looks to target bad boys on a full moon 🐺. This was my first graphic novel and I couldn't put it down down, I had to see it play out, and the illustrations were on point. Definitely recommend!

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!

“We were something better than we were before. Better than popular. Better than perfect. We were free.”

Squad is a sapphic, werewolf, graphic novel that everyone will want to read!!

The art and imagery is top notch! I love the bright and bold coloring. The old school art and comic book feel.

The story has Mean Girl vibes but the popular girls are werewolves who go after predators.
The dynamic of the group is realistic and the character arc Becca goes through is one that many will be able to relate to. I highly recommend!

Becca moves to a new school and coincidentally makes friends with a popular girl and everything moves fast for her to become a part of the "squad". Turns out the girls are part of a werewolf pack that adhere by rules that were set in place by their predecessors. They go to parties and prey on a single "jerk" guy to feed for the month. If they don't feed they get extremely hangry. As time goes on they get messier when feeding and the remains are found. There's unrest between them and it gets dramatic trying to make everything "normal" again. This title has a lot of cursing and nondescript nudity. It says 14 plus but I'm not sure if that's right. It definitely in general would appeal to teens but because of the content of cursing, nondescript nudity, blood and gore I would recommend it with caution.