This is another example of my reading a book strictly because I'm anxious to read something newer by the same author -- I'm dying to read Megan Abbott's The Fever, so I'm forcing myself to read her earlier novel in preparation. I also recently found out she's from Grosse Pointe and went to the same high school as my husband, so that really adds to her appeal.

I've always been kinda ambivalent about the teen girl novels -- maybe it's because I was one and couldn't wait to grow out of it -- but I just don't share the general titillation people get from it. I mean, I "get" it, but I find it uninteresting. They're young and virginal but also quite manipulative and generally evil, so to me, it seems like low-handing fruit. That said, I'm not going to pretend like I'm not engrossed by this very pulpy, macabre story about high school cheerleaders. It's a fun little noir that is just disturbing enough to be unique. Also, 'Bring It On' is celebrating its tenth anniversary, so obviously I'm going be watching it, and this has been a nice coincidence to read alongside MTV's oral history of the film.