The Cheerleaders

How it reads

The Cheerleaders is young adult (young-adult mystery thriller, specifically), and its dominant mood is eerie. It's atmospheric and uncanny, with a sense that something is wrong. It moves fast: plot-driven and hard to put down, the kind of book that carries you along even when you're tired.

It's set in a suburban setting, in the present day, told in the first person by a single narrator. Its central concerns are loss and grief, secrets and family. In weight it's light and escapist — easy to fall into.

It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending resolves happily. At 384 pages it's an ordinary novel's length. It's moderately known: read by plenty of people, but not a household name.