SOME GIRLS ARE

The familiar plot of a girl facing social exile after a near-rape at a party takes on a brutal twist. Popular Regina is ostracized by her clique after her best friend’s boyfriend attacks her; Anna, the best friend, would rather believe that Regina led him on. The one truly enjoying Regina’s fall from popularity is Kara, a member of Regina’s circle who never quite fit in. Kara and Anna’s attacks escalate, and Regina fights back with physical violence. Regina’s suffering at her former friends’ hands makes her regret the peer abuse she’s committed at Anna’s behest, but those she’s harmed in the past aren’t so willing to forgive her. Her one source of support is Michael, a fellow outcast whose life she and Anna made miserable. Summers is meticulous in her descriptions of vengeful acts. These mean girls can and do extend their fight to proportions that will make readers cringe. Blackmail, fighting and retaliation all come center stage, and Regina sees that despite her best efforts, a truly mean girl is not easily knocked down. Powerful and compelling. (Fiction. YA)