by Clare Edge
First published 2026
Megan Lawless has lived in Riverside her whole life, excelling at sports while watching her best friend Megan date Kevin Johnson, the town's golden boy who terrifies only bears and darkness. Meghan Bach arrived last year as the new girl, reading tarot cards and trying to forget what Kevin did to her at a party. All three girls have learned to smile through the pain in their isolated mountain community. Then a grizzly bear begins hunting down known abusers around town. The three Megans realize they share more than just their name. They're tired of Kevin and men like him. As the bear continues its deadly work, the girls form an unsettling alliance. They decide to teach their small rural town a lesson about the food chain. In Riverside, the rules of survival are changing. The girls discover that when you're done being prey, becoming the predator feels natural.
Genres: fiction, feminist-theory, contemporary, thriller, young-adult, dark
Vibes: dark, gritty, intense, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, found-family, shared-trauma-bond, vigilante-justice
Setting: Riverside
Period: 21st-century
Paperback
Content warnings: abuse, sexual-assault, violence