Freddie and Stella Got Hot

Gr 9 Up–Horne’s sophomore YA novel has echoes of a queer Heathers, but with more social annihilation rather than actual murder. Despite their wealth and privilege, Stella and Freddie are so sick of being nobodies that they decide to “get hot” to rule the school. This conveniently includes getting revenge on the current queen, their former middle school bestie Levi, who no longer acknowledges their existence. But as Stella’s plan becomes increasingly ruthless, targeting innocent bystanders, Freddie realizes she’s out of her depth. She needs Levi’s help to stop Stella, but Freddie is not sure if she can spend time with Levi and ignore the enormous crush she’s had on her since day one. This book is compelling and funny. Freddie is an appealing narrator, and while readers may not agree with all her decisions, the social pressure Horne realistically depicts makes them understandable. The book sharply observes rich girl culture and parental neglect: “What we are is bored and unsupervised. That’s what leads to all the rest of it: The ability to do whatever we want without someone watching over our shoulder,” and acknowledges frankly that consequences are for others. It adeptly portrays the blurry line between obsessive friendships and romantic feelings, the tricky friendship dynamics that accompany the complications of crushes and shifting loyalties. There is a range of queer representation, while the characters’ race is not mentioned. Readers will want to see just how low Stella will stoop and if Freddie will stand up to her and get the girl.