Review by Daniella Diogo
Dutton Books for Young Readers, April 16, 2024
207 pages, hardcover, 24.99 CAD
ISBN: 9781984816146
Young Adult, ages 14 and up
Fiction, Contemporary, Teen and Young Adult Social Issues
“I needed to do something, and Trevor Harrow had pissed me off. Was it nice? No. Was it ethical? Absolutely not. Was it good? Not even in the same ballpark.
But it was justice[…]
No one suspected a thing. No one even thought to suspect a thing. It seemed like it had just happened, an organic result of the awfulness of teenagers.
The good girls were going to get away with it.
Again.”
It’s always the ones you least expect.
Pretty Furious by E.K. Johnston is a story about quiet rebellion and what happens when the good girls stop playing by the rules and start taking justice into their own hands. Set in the small, conservative town of Eganston, Ontario, the novel follows Maddie, Jenny, Mags, Louise, and Jen, self-proclaimed 17-year-old vigilantes who are tired of sitting by and watching the injustices in their community go unpunished. Pegged as good girls for their high grades, involvement in student council, school clubs, community volunteer work and their squeaky clean reputations, these girls are the last to be suspected. Underestimating them is their superpower.
As each teen’s birthday arrives, the plot unfolds, with every girl making a wish to fix an injustice she’s seen and is determined to correct. The rest of the girls team up to grant these wishes. One wish involves calling out a church for shaming a girl for having an abortion and another means fighting for a non-binary classmate’s right to play volleyball despite gendered changing rooms. This book is not about a revolt with a megaphone—it’s about the kind of change that happens behind the scenes and goes without notice or credit.
This novel, and the girls, blur the line between good and bad, asking the age-old question: do two wrongs make a right? It’s a thoughtful take on the ethics of doing bad for good, with content warnings for abortion, transphobia, and religious judgment.
The book begins with quiet intensity and a compelling sense of purpose. The rotating POV structure brings dimension to each girl’s perspective, offering insight into how their experiences intersect and diverge. This draws the reader into the emotional and moral weight of their rebellion early on. However, for a story spent building up our investment in the girls’ lives and motivations for revenge, the ending feels subdued—emotionally restrained and inconclusive. The girls carry out their final act of protest, but then the story stops abruptly. There’s little visible consequence, positive or negative, which mutes the emotional payoff. For a novel about rebellion, the absence of meaningful change left me wishing for a more defined resolution.
That being said, the book’s grounded tone and thoughtful characterizations offer a refreshing departure from melodramatic YA tropes. It takes a step away from clichés and predictable plot points. The author clearly crafted this with care, and the themes it raises about girlhood, power, and quiet resistance, are important ones. With a bit more narrative follow-through, it may have delivered an ending just as powerful as its premise.
Pretty Furious is similar to Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu, which too explores teen girl activism and collective action. Together these books show that no voice is too small to make a change and only gets louder when combined. These books on female empowerment show that you stand tallest when you stand together. But while Moxie grabs attention with bold, in-your-face dramatic moments and public confrontations, Pretty Furious takes a softer approach that causes readers to think long after it is over.
Pretty Furious is a clever, pleasant read that follows what happens when the good girls finally say “enough.” If you prefer stories that have you at the edge of your seat, it may leave you wanting more, however, if you prefer to stay seated and choose a book with subtlety and nuance, this book delivers.
Daniella Diogo is an undergraduate at UBC majoring in Psychology and wishing she was in Creative Writing. Since she can remember, she’s been an avid reader and writer, her favourite genre being YA Fantasy and Romance.
YOUNG ADULTING 