During their senior year of high school in a small Ontario town, five friends take turns on their birthdays choosing a group action that retaliates against behavior they find abusive or unjust: salting the ground around a Catholic church’s memorial to the unborn so nothing will grow there; planting a damaging rumor about a boy who framed his ex-girlfriend for steroid use, ending her student athlete career; setting up a group of boys who sexually harass girls in the school’s stairwell to be caught and punished; destroying the team’s uniforms after the basketball coach denies a transgender student a spot on the roster; and more. They successfully execute these covert missions with scrupulous planning, relying on their reputations as “good girls” to avoid suspicion. The girls’ (white) identities range across family structure, financial status, sexual identity, and rural/town residence. Their actions, sometimes cruel, offer the opportunity for thought and discussion of ethics and morality, as well as the pervasive role of gender and class privilege that shelter them from detection.

#1 NYT Bestseller E.K. Johnston returns to contemporary feminist YA. This story of a small town, fierce friendships, and revenge served cold is a perfect companion to Exit, Pursued by a Bear.

In the small town of Eganston, Ontario, five good girls have had enough. They’ve experienced the best of what their community has to offer, but they’ve seen the darker side too. Together, they’ve decided that it’s time for a reckoning and that justice is their privilege to give.