Pretty Kendall's popularity plummets after getting caught hooking up with her best friend's boyfriend by the entire senior class. Kendall doesn't feel worthy of shame, but a local drug dealer uses her reputation to blackmail and recruit her. What begins as a vaguely feminist social drama gives way to a somewhat implausible crime thriller; it's a compelling but not entirely cohesive combination.

A once-popular prep school girl, blackmailed into working for a drug dealer, sleuths out the true criminals.Kendall was once a member of the popular clique of mean girls, until she was caught having sex with her best friend's ex at the end of junior year. Nobody blames Grant for the semi-public sex, but Kendall starts senior year ostracized: Her friends have shut her out, she's being slut-shamed, and she's even physically attacked at school. Someone's hacked her Facebook account, making it look like she's been spending time with a drug dealer. Mason, the young white man who provides Ecstasy to local teens, improbably blackmails Kendall into delivering his drugs. As the wealthy white girl encounters careless malevolence throughout her community, she rages against gender-biased social standards. The boys—college bros, dealers, nerds—all share a sense of entitlement when it comes to the girls' bodies and behavior. Kendall begins by looking out for No. 1, but as she discovers her part in something far more vile than delivering Ecstasy, she considers putting herself on the line to do what's right. Ultimately, the girls, while never holding hands and singing "Kumbaya," do come together to fight against rape culture.Genuine high school drama, painfully inspiring for the #MeToo age. (Fiction. 14-18)

After getting caught with her best friend-s ex-boyfriend, Grant Powers, 17-year-old Kendall Evans starts her senior year at Brooklyn-s private Howell Preparatory School branded as a -slut.- Her best friend, Audrey Khalil, won-t speak to her, while Grant is unscathed by the scandal. Kendall plans to keep her head down until she can escape to Rice University-s accelerated astrophysics senior semester program, but she-s wrongly accused of stealing -doses- from drug dealer Mason Frye. With help from fellow outcast Simone Moody and theater geek Michael -Gilly- Gilbert, Kendall sets out to clear her name and discovers that her inner -bad girl- may not be so bad after all. Kaplan-s sharply written, twisty thriller, narrated by the savvy Kendall, deftly explores the shades of gray between -good- and -bad- and the freedom of self-acceptance and shines a light on issues such as rape culture, bullying, and enduring sexual double standards. This love letter to any girl who-s ever been labeled -bad- will enthrall readers. Ages 14-up. Agent: Ali McDonald, the Rights Factory. (May)