Teenage Dirtbags

Estranged friends reconnect to exact revenge in this unfiltered tale by Acker (The Long Run). Phil Reyno, a high school junior in Moorestown, N.J., has cultivated a reputation as a mean-spirited troublemaker ever since a dance in sophomore year, during which his then-secret boyfriend, Cameron Ellis, outed him in a speech that went viral. Eight months later, Cameron dumps Phil and posts a video claiming Phil dumped him. Enraged, Phil teams up with his former best friend and overachieving class president Jackson Pasternak, and angry wealthy classmate Ronny DiSario, to take down Cameron and his friend group. Even as Phil and Jackson reconcile their falling-out and Jackson realizes he might have romantic feelings for Phil, the trio’s plans come together without a hitch. But unexpected pushback from Cameron using secrets that Jackson has collected upends their schemes and poses a threat to the group’s blossoming friendships. Raw emotion and snappy pacing, as well as Acker’s clear-eyed understanding of how class differences shape relationships and knack for cultivating teenage angst, culminate in this compelling read. Main characters read as white; the secondary cast is racially diverse. Ages 14–up. Agent: Carlisle Webber, Fuse Literary. (Apr.)