What do you think?
Rate this book
Freddie and Stella Got Hot
Jenny Han meets Mean Girls in Freddie and Stella Got Hot, Maggie Horne's YA rom-com about getting revenge and falling in love.
By the time the Beaumont-Gardiner Award is announced, everyone's going to hate Levi Preston. And they're going to love us.
Freddie and Stella are on a mission: take down their former best friend turned queen bee Levi Preston by depriving her of the one thing she wants more than anything: The Beaumont-Gardiner Award. Only the coolest, smartest, and - let’s face it - hottest girls win . . . so Freddie and Stella are going to have to get a whole lot cooler, smarter, and hotter.
At first, it seems to work – Freddie and Stella slowly manage to worm their way in with the cool girls. With every shopping date, agonizing salon appointment, and hot yoga class, the girls get closer to the in-crowd and Levi fades more and more into the background. The higher they rise, though, the more uneasy Freddie starts to feel. Stella’s gone from her lovable, goofy best friend to someone she barely recognizes, using her newfound power for evil at every opportunity. Soon, Freddie realizes she’s created a monster – and she needs Levi’s help to put a stop to it.
By the time the Beaumont-Gardiner Award is announced, everyone's going to hate Levi Preston. And they're going to love us.
Freddie and Stella are on a mission: take down their former best friend turned queen bee Levi Preston by depriving her of the one thing she wants more than anything: The Beaumont-Gardiner Award. Only the coolest, smartest, and - let’s face it - hottest girls win . . . so Freddie and Stella are going to have to get a whole lot cooler, smarter, and hotter.
At first, it seems to work – Freddie and Stella slowly manage to worm their way in with the cool girls. With every shopping date, agonizing salon appointment, and hot yoga class, the girls get closer to the in-crowd and Levi fades more and more into the background. The higher they rise, though, the more uneasy Freddie starts to feel. Stella’s gone from her lovable, goofy best friend to someone she barely recognizes, using her newfound power for evil at every opportunity. Soon, Freddie realizes she’s created a monster – and she needs Levi’s help to put a stop to it.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 27, 2026
8 people are currently reading
707 people want to read
About the author
Maggie Horne
4 books93 followersMaggie Horne grew up near Toronto, Canada. She now lives in the UK with her wife, where they keep a selection of dogs and children.
Maggie is the author of HAZEL HILL IS GONNA WIN THIS ONE (an Indies Introduce Summer/Fall 2022 Selection, Indie Next pick, and Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection) and NOAH FRYE GETS CRUSHED from HarperKids, as well as DON'T LET IT BREAK YOUR HEART and FREDDIE AND STELLA GOT HOT from Feiwel & Friends. She’s always trying to write the queer stories she wishes she could have read growing up.
Maggie is the author of HAZEL HILL IS GONNA WIN THIS ONE (an Indies Introduce Summer/Fall 2022 Selection, Indie Next pick, and Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection) and NOAH FRYE GETS CRUSHED from HarperKids, as well as DON'T LET IT BREAK YOUR HEART and FREDDIE AND STELLA GOT HOT from Feiwel & Friends. She’s always trying to write the queer stories she wishes she could have read growing up.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
January 27, 2026
sad girls are the new mean girls?
pretentious prep school teens are RUTHLESS. i know this was inspired by mean girls but holy shit i don’t know how a single person recovers from anything that went down??
the sapphic romance was cutesy and all but if my “best friend” pulled ANY of that shit with me and someone i cared about i would kindly ask them to jump off a cliff (trying to stay non spoilery is impossible)
thank you to netgalley for the arc
pretentious prep school teens are RUTHLESS. i know this was inspired by mean girls but holy shit i don’t know how a single person recovers from anything that went down??
the sapphic romance was cutesy and all but if my “best friend” pulled ANY of that shit with me and someone i cared about i would kindly ask them to jump off a cliff (trying to stay non spoilery is impossible)
thank you to netgalley for the arc
August 17, 2025
Surely the ending did not resolve so neatly. Surely. (They are all more generous than I could ever be). The ending was a little unbelievable, but maybe I am just not seeing this as a younger teenager would.
I wish I had this book years ago! The sapphic romance and representation were done really well and I was a big fan of the main romance.
The comparison to Mean Girls feels very appropriate.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I wish I had this book years ago! The sapphic romance and representation were done really well and I was a big fan of the main romance.
The comparison to Mean Girls feels very appropriate.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
July 16, 2025
"if you think for one fucking second that i would have chosen to leave you behind, then you can't be that smart."
— four stars
would i recommend this book? definitely!
trigger warnings: n/a
first off, thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc! what follows will be a reflection of my honest thoughts about the book!
the thing that immediately drew me in about freddie and stella got hot was the sales pitch, which was "jenny han meets mean girls". jenny han is one of my favorite authors and mean girls is one of my favorite movies, so i already knew going into this book that i was going to enjoy it. and i did, actually!
freddie and stella got hot reads to me as a love letter to the messy teen drama movies of the early 2000s, complete with characters that are hard to love but easy to root for, schemes that seem absolutely ridiculous but somehow just... work, and cute, cheesy sapphic romance that makes you giggle and kick your feet. i think this book perfectly hits the nail on the head, and it really does make me happy that the new generation of teenagers (just hit me as i was writing that sentence that i'm turning twenty soon... woah?) have a fun, messy book to read. so many bonus points that its sapphic. i could not tell you how many times i told myself i had a little crush on regina while watching mean girls, so... book hits all the marks for that too.
as for the writing itself, i think it did what it needed to do. it was the perfect mix, in my opinion, of a teenagers messy brain while holding up enough literary merit that it didn't just sound a mess, which is also a plus. there were a few editorial errors in the latter half of the book (like in chapter 28 for example, when stella is speaking when levi isn't around, the dialogue tag says levi and it confused me so bad LOL) but nothing that impacted the story overall (this is mainly a note for my netgalley review, but i don't want to remove it here because i know i will forget to rewrite it.)
as i briefly mentioned above, the characters were not, in the slightest, lovable. they were all selfish, rich assholes, but i think that's why i actually liked them. every character having flaws, being able to turn on each other with the snap of some fingers, being messy and vulnerable... it made them more relatable. none of the girls in this book are good people, and that's what makes it a good story. i love flawed characters, and the book delivered on that end 110%. if i had to pick one thing to truly, truly praise, it would be the characters of the book. freddie, though the most sympathetic character, wasn't as innocent as she tried to be. though we rooted for her romance with levi, it was also hard to really excuse her actions because of how they impacted everyone else. stella... i did not like her, but i also came around to her by the end. so on, and so forth. they were all messy and dramatic, which was perfect for what the book was trying to do.
the only glaring "negatives" that i really have are few and far between. for instance, i think some background information at the beginning of the book might've helped with hooking me into the book. i felt, when we started off, that we were just thrown right into the scheme that takes up most of the book, and it made it hard for me to get into it at first because i didn't entirely know why we were supposed to hate levi and side with stella. however, people might disagree with me here and i can understand why: intentionally omitting the reasoning behind the plan hooks readers in (typically) and keeps them reading so they can find out. and i definitely enjoyed how everything was revealed, it was just hard for me to get immersed at first.
i also wish we could have gotten more out of the academic setting. the book takes place in an all girls school, but the academic setting is lost and we don't get more than a handful of actual interactions with teachers or adults (and the adults don't do much for most of the book anyway. you'd really think they'd have caught on sooner to everything going on. they were useless, literally.) for what it was, i enjoyed it, but i do just wish it leaned a little heavier into the academia side of the setting.
but overall, definitely a very enjoyable book that i think a lot of people could likely digest in one sitting if they wanted to. it was messy, dramatic, silly, serious, swoon-worthy at times, and everything in between, and i really did love it.
if mean girls is one of your staple movies, or you just love a messy romcom, i cannot recommend this book enough. i hope to see lots of you reading it on pub day! ♡
— four stars
would i recommend this book? definitely!
trigger warnings: n/a
first off, thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc! what follows will be a reflection of my honest thoughts about the book!
the thing that immediately drew me in about freddie and stella got hot was the sales pitch, which was "jenny han meets mean girls". jenny han is one of my favorite authors and mean girls is one of my favorite movies, so i already knew going into this book that i was going to enjoy it. and i did, actually!
freddie and stella got hot reads to me as a love letter to the messy teen drama movies of the early 2000s, complete with characters that are hard to love but easy to root for, schemes that seem absolutely ridiculous but somehow just... work, and cute, cheesy sapphic romance that makes you giggle and kick your feet. i think this book perfectly hits the nail on the head, and it really does make me happy that the new generation of teenagers (just hit me as i was writing that sentence that i'm turning twenty soon... woah?) have a fun, messy book to read. so many bonus points that its sapphic. i could not tell you how many times i told myself i had a little crush on regina while watching mean girls, so... book hits all the marks for that too.
as for the writing itself, i think it did what it needed to do. it was the perfect mix, in my opinion, of a teenagers messy brain while holding up enough literary merit that it didn't just sound a mess, which is also a plus. there were a few editorial errors in the latter half of the book (like in chapter 28 for example, when stella is speaking when levi isn't around, the dialogue tag says levi and it confused me so bad LOL) but nothing that impacted the story overall (this is mainly a note for my netgalley review, but i don't want to remove it here because i know i will forget to rewrite it.)
as i briefly mentioned above, the characters were not, in the slightest, lovable. they were all selfish, rich assholes, but i think that's why i actually liked them. every character having flaws, being able to turn on each other with the snap of some fingers, being messy and vulnerable... it made them more relatable. none of the girls in this book are good people, and that's what makes it a good story. i love flawed characters, and the book delivered on that end 110%. if i had to pick one thing to truly, truly praise, it would be the characters of the book. freddie, though the most sympathetic character, wasn't as innocent as she tried to be. though we rooted for her romance with levi, it was also hard to really excuse her actions because of how they impacted everyone else. stella... i did not like her, but i also came around to her by the end. so on, and so forth. they were all messy and dramatic, which was perfect for what the book was trying to do.
the only glaring "negatives" that i really have are few and far between. for instance, i think some background information at the beginning of the book might've helped with hooking me into the book. i felt, when we started off, that we were just thrown right into the scheme that takes up most of the book, and it made it hard for me to get into it at first because i didn't entirely know why we were supposed to hate levi and side with stella. however, people might disagree with me here and i can understand why: intentionally omitting the reasoning behind the plan hooks readers in (typically) and keeps them reading so they can find out. and i definitely enjoyed how everything was revealed, it was just hard for me to get immersed at first.
i also wish we could have gotten more out of the academic setting. the book takes place in an all girls school, but the academic setting is lost and we don't get more than a handful of actual interactions with teachers or adults (and the adults don't do much for most of the book anyway. you'd really think they'd have caught on sooner to everything going on. they were useless, literally.) for what it was, i enjoyed it, but i do just wish it leaned a little heavier into the academia side of the setting.
but overall, definitely a very enjoyable book that i think a lot of people could likely digest in one sitting if they wanted to. it was messy, dramatic, silly, serious, swoon-worthy at times, and everything in between, and i really did love it.
if mean girls is one of your staple movies, or you just love a messy romcom, i cannot recommend this book enough. i hope to see lots of you reading it on pub day! ♡
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Freddie and Stella Got Hot by Maggie Horne is a teen sapphic romcom filled with angst, rich mean girls, and popularity contests. I was anxious for them and fully invested. There were laughs, cringy moments, unhinged acts, dirty dealings, and revelations.
I was all about the high school drama and couldn't put this book down. I read most of it in one sitting.
I don't know what it's like at a rich all-girls school, so I can't speak to the accuracy of the portrayal, but I did appreciate the believability of the characters and their development. They showed some solid growth.
There is a portion of the ending that requires quite the suspension of disbelief for me, and honestly, that is the reason for my lack of a 5-star rating.
Overall, though, I left this book with the warm fuzzies and a smile. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and recommend it.
#highschool #meangirls #richgirls #allgirlsschool #privateschool #bestfriends #enemiestolovers #HEA #epilogue #popularity #teenagers #highangst #revengeplot
I received an ARC from NetGalley. This is my honest opinion.
I was all about the high school drama and couldn't put this book down. I read most of it in one sitting.
I don't know what it's like at a rich all-girls school, so I can't speak to the accuracy of the portrayal, but I did appreciate the believability of the characters and their development. They showed some solid growth.
There is a portion of the ending that requires quite the suspension of disbelief for me, and honestly, that is the reason for my lack of a 5-star rating.
Overall, though, I left this book with the warm fuzzies and a smile. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and recommend it.
#highschool #meangirls #richgirls #allgirlsschool #privateschool #bestfriends #enemiestolovers #HEA #epilogue #popularity #teenagers #highangst #revengeplot
I received an ARC from NetGalley. This is my honest opinion.
July 2, 2025
this was actually so good I'm so happy I got the arc for this!! i dont think this often but, i was left thinking I wanted more of this book! I lovee levi
January 27, 2026
Give me allllll the drama.
Stella is the kind of manipulative mastermind villain that I could root for... to a point. Once Freddie started to get concerned about how plans had taken a turn, I began to feel that this went far beyond just high school drama.
I also really enjoyed how Levi Preston was put on this pedestal at the start and how we got to see why she was so admired, even with everything falling apart around her. Getting to the root of their problems in snippets was definitely satisfying, too, because as much as I thought we hit the core of the issue, I was surprised that there was just one more layer hiding beneath all that.
Where I wish we had seen more: the friendships between Levi and her crew, and Stella's reasoning behind her final speech. We got to see who the other girls were in relation to Stella and Freddie, and I loved how they felt like their own people with their own motivations. However, it was hard to imagine how they were such a tight group with Levi, when we only got that in small throw-away comments that made it clear what Levi was really preoccupied with over the last few years. Stella also kind of explains her actions at the end, but I feel like it would've been just a little bit more impactful to really see how she came around to that decision, especially considering how things had escalated up until then.
More than anything, though, I LOVED the varying experiences all these girls had with their sexualities, and, most of all, that epilogue. Seeing the character growth for Stella and Freddie, and a little bit of Levi's, really solidified the story for me.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
Stella is the kind of manipulative mastermind villain that I could root for... to a point. Once Freddie started to get concerned about how plans had taken a turn, I began to feel that this went far beyond just high school drama.
I also really enjoyed how Levi Preston was put on this pedestal at the start and how we got to see why she was so admired, even with everything falling apart around her. Getting to the root of their problems in snippets was definitely satisfying, too, because as much as I thought we hit the core of the issue, I was surprised that there was just one more layer hiding beneath all that.
Where I wish we had seen more: the friendships between Levi and her crew, and Stella's reasoning behind her final speech. We got to see who the other girls were in relation to Stella and Freddie, and I loved how they felt like their own people with their own motivations. However, it was hard to imagine how they were such a tight group with Levi, when we only got that in small throw-away comments that made it clear what Levi was really preoccupied with over the last few years. Stella also kind of explains her actions at the end, but I feel like it would've been just a little bit more impactful to really see how she came around to that decision, especially considering how things had escalated up until then.
More than anything, though, I LOVED the varying experiences all these girls had with their sexualities, and, most of all, that epilogue. Seeing the character growth for Stella and Freddie, and a little bit of Levi's, really solidified the story for me.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
November 9, 2025
Do you ever think back on some of the unhinged thoughts you had as a teenager, and take a deep breath cause you are glad you never acted on those thoughts? This book was the exact opposite of that, it's acting on all your unhinged thoughts and doing it successfully, and realizing that what is driving you is maybe some deeper emotions we should talk about it.
I enjoyed this so much! It was messy, and cringy in the best ways. We watch our characters explore friend break ups, making new friends, sabotage, and learning to grow.
Levi, Freddie, and Stella were best friends throughout middle school, but when they got to high school Levi seemed too cool for school and ditched them, leaving Stella and Freddie hurt, sad, and angry. Two years later Levi is set to win the schools biggest award and Stella and Freddie come up with a plan to prevent that.
This book captures how sometimes a mean girl is actually a sad or hurt girl with no way to really work through that (it doesn't excuse their behavior, but allows us some empathy). I would recommend if you want a messy fun read! Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this so much! It was messy, and cringy in the best ways. We watch our characters explore friend break ups, making new friends, sabotage, and learning to grow.
Levi, Freddie, and Stella were best friends throughout middle school, but when they got to high school Levi seemed too cool for school and ditched them, leaving Stella and Freddie hurt, sad, and angry. Two years later Levi is set to win the schools biggest award and Stella and Freddie come up with a plan to prevent that.
This book captures how sometimes a mean girl is actually a sad or hurt girl with no way to really work through that (it doesn't excuse their behavior, but allows us some empathy). I would recommend if you want a messy fun read! Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 25, 2025
I LOVED THIS!!! full review to come!!!
October 10, 2025
3.5 stars
If I want to read the messiest and the most exquisitely fun queer YA books, I pick up a Maggie Horne book.
Freddie and Stella Got Hot follows Freddie, who gets hot with her best friend, Stella, to take revenge on a former best friend of theirs, Levi. In the process of taking revenge, Freddie realises some brutal things about her friendship with Stella and her feelings for Levi starts becoming more and more apparent.
Stella’s plan was quite fun to follow through and I really liked how Freddie started realising some terribly important things about her and her friendship with Stella. I thoroughly enjoyed Stella being the antagonist, what can I say I love evil girls in my books.
Freddie and Levi were the hottest and the cutest couple, trust Maggie Horne to write brilliant sapphic fluff. I loved the hug scene when they were trying to be normal about each other but were miserably failing at the particular task.
The only part I wasn’t fond of was the ending. The ending was tied together with a happy bow but I don’t get how? Stella crossed some major lines throughout the book but Freddie and Levi forgave her pretty easily which didn’t make any sense to me. Even the summer program part felt a stretch, we saw Stella going oh Freddie doesn’t want to go to London only for her to accept her admission??
If you love drama, you’ll probably like this.
If I want to read the messiest and the most exquisitely fun queer YA books, I pick up a Maggie Horne book.
Freddie and Stella Got Hot follows Freddie, who gets hot with her best friend, Stella, to take revenge on a former best friend of theirs, Levi. In the process of taking revenge, Freddie realises some brutal things about her friendship with Stella and her feelings for Levi starts becoming more and more apparent.
Stella’s plan was quite fun to follow through and I really liked how Freddie started realising some terribly important things about her and her friendship with Stella. I thoroughly enjoyed Stella being the antagonist, what can I say I love evil girls in my books.
Freddie and Levi were the hottest and the cutest couple, trust Maggie Horne to write brilliant sapphic fluff. I loved the hug scene when they were trying to be normal about each other but were miserably failing at the particular task.
The only part I wasn’t fond of was the ending. The ending was tied together with a happy bow but I don’t get how? Stella crossed some major lines throughout the book but Freddie and Levi forgave her pretty easily which didn’t make any sense to me. Even the summer program part felt a stretch, we saw Stella going oh Freddie doesn’t want to go to London only for her to accept her admission??
If you love drama, you’ll probably like this.
December 17, 2025
diabolical
Want to read
June 11, 2024"Pitched as a sapphic Mean Girls meets She Gets the Girl"
February 1, 2026
“If I had a nickel for every time this year I’ve read a book inspired by Mean Girls, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it’s happened twice.” No complaints there though, I adore Mean Girls.
The book caught my attention early on and sucked me in, I didn’t want to put it down. I needed to know what happened in that next chapter.
Seeing the entirety of the situation from an adult point of view, it all seems unrealistic, especially the end. I personally wouldn’t have forgiven anybody and would not expect anyone to forgive me but from a teenager standpoint, it could be possible. Teenagers are just starting to live and they can mess up a lot, more so when they’re not in touch with their feelings and the adults around them aren’t either.
I think this book feels nostalgic for those messy teen movies of the late 90’s and early 2000’s. I really recommend you read it, if you were a teenager then.
Thank you to Maggie Horne, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC.
The book caught my attention early on and sucked me in, I didn’t want to put it down. I needed to know what happened in that next chapter.
Seeing the entirety of the situation from an adult point of view, it all seems unrealistic, especially the end. I personally wouldn’t have forgiven anybody and would not expect anyone to forgive me but from a teenager standpoint, it could be possible. Teenagers are just starting to live and they can mess up a lot, more so when they’re not in touch with their feelings and the adults around them aren’t either.
I think this book feels nostalgic for those messy teen movies of the late 90’s and early 2000’s. I really recommend you read it, if you were a teenager then.
Thank you to Maggie Horne, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 2, 2026
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'm a little torn about this one to be honest. I really enjoyed it at first, I thought the premise was interesting and I liked how it started but I just think it went way too far and it took me out of the story. I didn't believe in it anymore and after a bit, I just wanted it to be over. But it kept grabbing me back too. So I'm mostly quite torn. It felt very vivid and real at first but then it didn't. I did enjoy seeing the characters change and grow, and see the main character grow a spine. I also enjoyed most of the twists and turns. So, yeah, this wasn't my favorite book of Maggie Horne but I also didn't not like it. I still don't really know what I think. But I'll definitely read whatever she writes next.
I'm a little torn about this one to be honest. I really enjoyed it at first, I thought the premise was interesting and I liked how it started but I just think it went way too far and it took me out of the story. I didn't believe in it anymore and after a bit, I just wanted it to be over. But it kept grabbing me back too. So I'm mostly quite torn. It felt very vivid and real at first but then it didn't. I did enjoy seeing the characters change and grow, and see the main character grow a spine. I also enjoyed most of the twists and turns. So, yeah, this wasn't my favorite book of Maggie Horne but I also didn't not like it. I still don't really know what I think. But I'll definitely read whatever she writes next.
January 22, 2026
I ATE THIS UP!! And ok normally I kinda hate it when book marketing is like, “if you’re a fan of XYZ, you’ll LOVE this” but I’m about to be that person right now so sorry in advance. If you are a Do Revenge, Booksmart, Heathers girlie (gender neutral obviously) you will ALSO eat this up. At least I hope!! If someone doesn’t turn this into a movie starring three quirky queer girls I will riot. Honestly PEAK high school mean girls who are actually just trying to survive and also are gay vibes at a fancy private all-girls school. OK I NEED THIS BOOK TO GO VIRAL it’s now deeply personal to me.
TYSM to NetGalley & Feiwel & Friends for the copy xo
TYSM to NetGalley & Feiwel & Friends for the copy xo
January 12, 2026
A sapphic Mean Girls-esque look into the complexities of female friendships, Freddie and Stella Got Hot was such a fun read. I loved getting Freddie’s POV and watching her realize that she needs to start being her own person outside of her friendship with Stella. I definitely would have liked a little of Stella’s POV because I found her so interesting, but the book certainly holds up without it. I thought the story could have explored a little more of the privilege these girls had in contrast to Levi since it’s mentioned pretty often. I did enjoy the romance aspect of it a whole lot. There were a few times a certain character did some pretty awful things and they were forgiven pretty quickly at the end which I thought was a little unrealistic. Overall if you’re looking for a fun, Mean Girls/John Tucker Must Die kind of revenge story, this one might be for you!
Thank you to Feiwel & Friends for the advanced digital reader’s copy!
Thank you to Feiwel & Friends for the advanced digital reader’s copy!
January 22, 2026
I could read Freddie’s inner monologue for my entire life. This book was hilarious and emotional and full of betrayal. Truly everything I wanted it to be. But seriously, this book had me constantly laughing at both how relatable some of Freddie’s thought were or just how she described them.
“He’s sitting at his desk, leaning on his hand while he reads something on a paper in front of him. He looks like the will to live drained from him about ten years ago. My brain goes, Same, and then I remember that he’s old, so if I go for I’ve-lost-the-will-to-live humor, he won’t get it and I’ll have to have a meeting with someone.”
The amount of drama and backstabbing and pure teenage girl rage in this book made it impossible to put down. I hated and loved every character at one point or another and kept flipping back and forth depending on what happened next. The Mean Girls comparison did not disappoint in the slightest.
‘“Mom, are you home?” I call. My voice bounces off the marble, filling the whole house. No response. Perfect. “What the fuck?” I scream as loudly as I can.”
It’s giving Regina George screaming all the way to the burn book.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC to review!
“He’s sitting at his desk, leaning on his hand while he reads something on a paper in front of him. He looks like the will to live drained from him about ten years ago. My brain goes, Same, and then I remember that he’s old, so if I go for I’ve-lost-the-will-to-live humor, he won’t get it and I’ll have to have a meeting with someone.”
The amount of drama and backstabbing and pure teenage girl rage in this book made it impossible to put down. I hated and loved every character at one point or another and kept flipping back and forth depending on what happened next. The Mean Girls comparison did not disappoint in the slightest.
‘“Mom, are you home?” I call. My voice bounces off the marble, filling the whole house. No response. Perfect. “What the fuck?” I scream as loudly as I can.”
It’s giving Regina George screaming all the way to the burn book.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC to review!
November 18, 2025
Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the arc!
Minor spoilers ahead.
This was a fun, fast-paced novel about girlhood, mean girls, and what we're willing to do for revenge.
16-year-old Freddie and Stella have lived in the shadow of their ex-best friend, Levi, since she ditched them at the start of high school. When nominations for their school's prestigious Beaumont-Gardiner Award roll around, Stella and Freddie hatch a plan to take down Levi once and for all, and take away her chance at the award.
Levi is popular - beloved by the school body and a shoo-in for the award. Stella and Freddie are decidely un-cool, so the plan involves reinventing themselves, getting inside Levi's friend group, and taking them down one by one until they get to the center.
Things are never that simple, though, and unresolved feelings from years prior pop up to make things even more complicated. As Freddie gets pulled in deeper and deeper by Stella, who can't seem to tell when too far is too far, she begins to question everything she's thought about Levi for years.
So, the good: The queer representation! So many openly queer female characters, who are proud of their sexuality. There's no hard coming-out storylines, or homophobia, just characters who know who they are and aren't afraid to say it. I love the on-page labeling of lesbian and bisexual, and I love that it isn't just the two main characters who are queer, but side characters as well.
Freddie, I want to give you a hug. Levi too. Maybe everyone I guess. I really connected with all the side characters too, especially Ramona and Seema, so it's always nice when they are fleshed out as well.
The romance was worth rooting for -- a nice blend of miscommunication, friends-to-enemies-to-lovers, with a dash of second-chance romance. Things started happening somewhat quickly with them at the end, but it was still enjoyable.
The plot was interesting too and it moved quickly, keeping me engaged.
What I didn't love, unfortunately, was our second titular character -- Stella.
Oh, Stella. She probably also needs a hug.
But wow. I think where a struggled was that she has really... no? redeemable characteristics? From the very beginning, even. I couldn't root for her at all, even at the start of the book when she's supposed to be more rational. I didn't understand why Freddie was friends with her at all, to be honest. I wish they showed more of what it was that kept them together, the good, because most of the time it was Freddie resenting her. Girl was straight up commiting crimes at one point. She just was not a good person! Which is the point, I understand, but if you're going to redeem her in the end, I need something-- anything-- to work with.
Speaking of her redemption. It was a little too insta-redemption-y for me. Of course she gets her big, public moment where she apologizes for everything and somehow has changed in the span of like 2 days. A litte unrealistic but I'm okay with a reconciliation ending, especially in YA, so I'll take it.
The parents were also kind of funny characters to me. They don't really exist or have any impact on the story, other than to flit by occasionally so the main characters can complain about how rich and un-caring they are. Which, again, fine! But it was very caricature of the stereotypical rich mom trope.
Other than that, though, I really did enjoy this book! I've been in a major reading slump and this is the only book I've managed to finish in months. It was fun and I could see myself re-reading!
3.5 stars
Minor spoilers ahead.
This was a fun, fast-paced novel about girlhood, mean girls, and what we're willing to do for revenge.
16-year-old Freddie and Stella have lived in the shadow of their ex-best friend, Levi, since she ditched them at the start of high school. When nominations for their school's prestigious Beaumont-Gardiner Award roll around, Stella and Freddie hatch a plan to take down Levi once and for all, and take away her chance at the award.
Levi is popular - beloved by the school body and a shoo-in for the award. Stella and Freddie are decidely un-cool, so the plan involves reinventing themselves, getting inside Levi's friend group, and taking them down one by one until they get to the center.
Things are never that simple, though, and unresolved feelings from years prior pop up to make things even more complicated. As Freddie gets pulled in deeper and deeper by Stella, who can't seem to tell when too far is too far, she begins to question everything she's thought about Levi for years.
So, the good: The queer representation! So many openly queer female characters, who are proud of their sexuality. There's no hard coming-out storylines, or homophobia, just characters who know who they are and aren't afraid to say it. I love the on-page labeling of lesbian and bisexual, and I love that it isn't just the two main characters who are queer, but side characters as well.
Freddie, I want to give you a hug. Levi too. Maybe everyone I guess. I really connected with all the side characters too, especially Ramona and Seema, so it's always nice when they are fleshed out as well.
The romance was worth rooting for -- a nice blend of miscommunication, friends-to-enemies-to-lovers, with a dash of second-chance romance. Things started happening somewhat quickly with them at the end, but it was still enjoyable.
The plot was interesting too and it moved quickly, keeping me engaged.
What I didn't love, unfortunately, was our second titular character -- Stella.
Oh, Stella. She probably also needs a hug.
But wow. I think where a struggled was that she has really... no? redeemable characteristics? From the very beginning, even. I couldn't root for her at all, even at the start of the book when she's supposed to be more rational. I didn't understand why Freddie was friends with her at all, to be honest. I wish they showed more of what it was that kept them together, the good, because most of the time it was Freddie resenting her. Girl was straight up commiting crimes at one point. She just was not a good person! Which is the point, I understand, but if you're going to redeem her in the end, I need something-- anything-- to work with.
Speaking of her redemption. It was a little too insta-redemption-y for me. Of course she gets her big, public moment where she apologizes for everything and somehow has changed in the span of like 2 days. A litte unrealistic but I'm okay with a reconciliation ending, especially in YA, so I'll take it.
The parents were also kind of funny characters to me. They don't really exist or have any impact on the story, other than to flit by occasionally so the main characters can complain about how rich and un-caring they are. Which, again, fine! But it was very caricature of the stereotypical rich mom trope.
Other than that, though, I really did enjoy this book! I've been in a major reading slump and this is the only book I've managed to finish in months. It was fun and I could see myself re-reading!
3.5 stars
February 3, 2026
Oh gworlaaaaa. 🤏🏾🤏🏾🤏🏾🤏🏾🤏🏾🤏🏾⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was deliciously messy and I wish my lesbian disaster self had this when I was in junior year of High School. Just 10/10 diabolical behavior. This is COLD RIVALRY!! And honestly can’t a gay girl catch an evil vibe?
-not really spoilers but still don’t read further if you don’t wanna get ‘vibe spoiled’-
As I was turning the pages I was getting so confused like ‘how the fuck is this a revenge story, or even a story where I’m supposed to be rooting for the protagonists????’ because none of the popular girls were truly mean in this story and the best friend of the protag felt outlandishly melodramatic and evil. And the main protag was still a spoiled rich girl with nothing to lose so her personal grievances felt so overblown. And then I realized maybe 20% into the story like ‘OH that is the fawking point!’ I agree that this story is very ‘mean girls’ inspired but the confines of what makes you a stereotypical ‘popular girl’ or a ‘girl failure’ are subverted in this story in a way that is refreshing to see.
The loser is already rich, blonde, beautiful, and WANTS to be like the other girls. While the popular girl is less privileged financially, non-conforming, and is socially rewarded while being outwardly gay – a well done Regina / Janice archetypal flip.
homophobia is touched on minimally and there’s definitely a pretty vicious thing that made me raise a meaaaan eyebrow (and that I personally wouldn’t have forgiven as easily as the narrative did) but overall bigotry doesn’t actively affect the community/acceptance of the characters which is such a BREATH of fresh air for a queer story. And it’s just such a fun escape from Hollywood’s rigid understanding of what Highschool status quo could look like in our more progressive age where gnc queer girls are finally skipping their ‘not like other girls’ phase and are instead u-haul promposing and breaking hearts. Fuck yeah. collecting fans in an all girl’s school through sheer futch realness one flash tattoo at a time. And Girl . You know what. That is so fucking fun. I recommend it for teen sapphics and young adult sapphics looking for something that’s nostalgic fun while still being new and fresh.
Only thing that could knock this down to a 4.5, the resolution was too fast. As I said, a gay girl catching an evil vibe in fiction is everything, but from a realistic end? Girl absolutely not. Maybe at the Highschool REUNION we can chat. But there’s also a sweetness to the ending that made me sigh of relief. So while I heavily understand this criticism, it’s still a 5 star for me personally because of how I emotionally attached to the book. Do what you will with that.
Alsoooo the airport scene … girl pls stop stressing out my fellow autistic good sis.
This was deliciously messy and I wish my lesbian disaster self had this when I was in junior year of High School. Just 10/10 diabolical behavior. This is COLD RIVALRY!! And honestly can’t a gay girl catch an evil vibe?
-not really spoilers but still don’t read further if you don’t wanna get ‘vibe spoiled’-
As I was turning the pages I was getting so confused like ‘how the fuck is this a revenge story, or even a story where I’m supposed to be rooting for the protagonists????’ because none of the popular girls were truly mean in this story and the best friend of the protag felt outlandishly melodramatic and evil. And the main protag was still a spoiled rich girl with nothing to lose so her personal grievances felt so overblown. And then I realized maybe 20% into the story like ‘OH that is the fawking point!’ I agree that this story is very ‘mean girls’ inspired but the confines of what makes you a stereotypical ‘popular girl’ or a ‘girl failure’ are subverted in this story in a way that is refreshing to see.
The loser is already rich, blonde, beautiful, and WANTS to be like the other girls. While the popular girl is less privileged financially, non-conforming, and is socially rewarded while being outwardly gay – a well done Regina / Janice archetypal flip.
homophobia is touched on minimally and there’s definitely a pretty vicious thing that made me raise a meaaaan eyebrow (and that I personally wouldn’t have forgiven as easily as the narrative did) but overall bigotry doesn’t actively affect the community/acceptance of the characters which is such a BREATH of fresh air for a queer story. And it’s just such a fun escape from Hollywood’s rigid understanding of what Highschool status quo could look like in our more progressive age where gnc queer girls are finally skipping their ‘not like other girls’ phase and are instead u-haul promposing and breaking hearts. Fuck yeah. collecting fans in an all girl’s school through sheer futch realness one flash tattoo at a time. And Girl . You know what. That is so fucking fun. I recommend it for teen sapphics and young adult sapphics looking for something that’s nostalgic fun while still being new and fresh.
Only thing that could knock this down to a 4.5, the resolution was too fast. As I said, a gay girl catching an evil vibe in fiction is everything, but from a realistic end? Girl absolutely not. Maybe at the Highschool REUNION we can chat. But there’s also a sweetness to the ending that made me sigh of relief. So while I heavily understand this criticism, it’s still a 5 star for me personally because of how I emotionally attached to the book. Do what you will with that.
Alsoooo the airport scene … girl pls stop stressing out my fellow autistic good sis.
January 26, 2026
4 ⭐️Review:
5 Reasons to read Freddie and Stella Got Hot!
1. Mean girl vibes - Lovers of Mean Girls will love this book! Friend group drama at a prestigious girls academy ensues as they fight for the ultimate recognition. Only the most popular and hottest girls get nominated, but they must tear each other down to win.
2. YA book done right - This is a YA book that feels like a YA book. These girls are doing age appropriate activities and it feels like an authentic high school experience.
3. LGBTQ+ rep - This is a friend group of girls that are queer and they are confident in themselves and their sexuality. They are proud to be LGBTQ+ and they are not afraid to voice their wants and needs.
4. Friendship - At the core, this story highlights how friendships can change, breakdown, and evolve over time. We witness the highs and lows of their friendships with each other. Loyalty is tested, but ultimately these girls love each other no matter what.
5. Quick and engaging read - This book is just over 300 pages and reads quickly. There are short chapters and the book is segmented into quirky sections that let the reader know what to expect during each section. The story flows well and keeps us as readers engaged and turning the pages.
5 Reasons to read Freddie and Stella Got Hot!
1. Mean girl vibes - Lovers of Mean Girls will love this book! Friend group drama at a prestigious girls academy ensues as they fight for the ultimate recognition. Only the most popular and hottest girls get nominated, but they must tear each other down to win.
2. YA book done right - This is a YA book that feels like a YA book. These girls are doing age appropriate activities and it feels like an authentic high school experience.
3. LGBTQ+ rep - This is a friend group of girls that are queer and they are confident in themselves and their sexuality. They are proud to be LGBTQ+ and they are not afraid to voice their wants and needs.
4. Friendship - At the core, this story highlights how friendships can change, breakdown, and evolve over time. We witness the highs and lows of their friendships with each other. Loyalty is tested, but ultimately these girls love each other no matter what.
5. Quick and engaging read - This book is just over 300 pages and reads quickly. There are short chapters and the book is segmented into quirky sections that let the reader know what to expect during each section. The story flows well and keeps us as readers engaged and turning the pages.
January 30, 2026
Thank you @feiwelandfriends for the advanced copy to review!
This book was unhinged in the best way possible and I truly loved it. Was low key obsessed by the time I got to 20% and finished in a very short amount of time because I didn’t want to put the book down!
Freddie and Stella’s relationship was *so* interesting to me and I loved watching their takedown of Levi and friends, especially as we learn more about the history of these friendships. The vibes were wild and I was SO here for it.
The tension!!! The friendships! The backstabbing! The power moves! Amazing. The supporting cast was fantastic. @maggiehashornes is a must read author for me moving forward - I loved it.
I was very happy with the end though I can’t say I would have been nearly as forgiving after all they were put through.
Out now!!
This book was unhinged in the best way possible and I truly loved it. Was low key obsessed by the time I got to 20% and finished in a very short amount of time because I didn’t want to put the book down!
Freddie and Stella’s relationship was *so* interesting to me and I loved watching their takedown of Levi and friends, especially as we learn more about the history of these friendships. The vibes were wild and I was SO here for it.
The tension!!! The friendships! The backstabbing! The power moves! Amazing. The supporting cast was fantastic. @maggiehashornes is a must read author for me moving forward - I loved it.
I was very happy with the end though I can’t say I would have been nearly as forgiving after all they were put through.
Out now!!
Read
January 29, 20263.8
*Review to come*
*Review to come*
Read
January 31, 2026I'd actually read everything Maggie Horne writes
February 14, 2026
LOVEE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK!!! so brilliant! amazing! it's so so good!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Freddie and Stella Got Hot is definitely a messy YA novel, filled with high school (queer) girl drama. I enjoyed it all the way up until the end. The ending is what bumped this one down to a 3 star read, because what?? It's literally a happy ending, and after all the girls went through, so unbelievable. It's a fun read though, if you can get past the unsatisfactory ending.
Thank you NetGalley, MacMillan Children's Publishing Group, and Maggie Horne for this read.
Thank you NetGalley, MacMillan Children's Publishing Group, and Maggie Horne for this read.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
*Possible Spoilers*
Wow, Freddie and Stella Got Hot is a wild ride. Maggie Horne has written a fun, redeemable, romcom-y, shamelessly queer book. I have a problem with publishers marketing books as Mean Girls-esque, but this one is legitimately a gay Mean Girls, except that the popular clique has likable traits. Perspective is such a funny (not ) little thing, and this novel does a good job highlighting and playing with it.
I feel so blessed that I’m not a part of Freddie, Stella, and Levi’s three way best friend/love triangle. They’re so messy; yikes. I actually found Freddie to be a fairly likeable narrator. I didn’t come out of the book knowing more about her than I did in the beginning, but I didn’t mind because the plot fascinated me. Even if she isn’t always honest, her inner monologue is straight to the point and chronicles the plot without sugar-coating it. I liked that she wasn’t enamoured by popularity, she was enamored by the two people in her life who the popularity affects most: her best friend Stella and her (former) best friend/crush Levi. Freddie was mild enough and detached enough from the school fame game that I was able to focus on the story without feeling directly poisoned by the toxicity.
Stella is a wild card. She’s mad at Levi for rejecting her, and uses Freddie’s anger at Levi for ditching them to her advantage. In her quest for emotional satisfaction, she cooks up scheme after scheme to yank Levi down from her popular-girl pedestal. For most of the book, I didn’t see any redeeming qualities in Stella’s character. Freddie always talks about how amazing of a friend she usually is. Near the end, when she realizes that maybe her need for control shouldn’t trump her emotional insecurity, is the first time I saw why her friends like her. I liked how she ends up helping Freddie achieve her goals and being a shipper of her best friends. While being hurt that Levi rejected her in the past is a pathetic reason to go all Cady Haron “fake-it-til-you-make-it,” I also could see that the unrequited crush wasn’t the actual problem. She knew that Levi liked Freddie, and was afraid that the two most important people in her life would leave her behind. It’s not excusable, but something about the love she has for her friends makes her feel a little more approachable. Obviously lying about how straight your gay friend is to your other gay friend who likes the former is a no-no, especially when neither of them are in the closet, but it sets up a cute little second chance romance between Freddie and Levi.
I felt like Levi was more of the plot catalyst and less an actual person. I found it refreshing how drama-free she is, but given how anti-heroic her friends are, I also found it a little boring. I don’t actually know much about her. I know that she’s gay, lowkey poor compared to her schoolmates, and wants the school scholarship that has everyone riled up. I did love her other friends Hannah, Seema, and Ramona. They were an interesting spin on the mean girl clique caricature. They’re all genuinely nice, well-meaning humans. While fear and manipulation can generate power, consideration and being aware gets you further. All three of them are still spoiled and treat their metaphorical table as exclusive. Them being so sure of themselves individually, but so insecure about other people’s opinions adds to the theme of perspective. It showed that everyone, no matter where you are in the school hierarchy, can be gullible enough to jump head first into trendy lies. I actually wanted the popular girls to avenge their fallen reputations and metaphorically slap some sense into Stella’s head.
The general plot is literally what the synopsis says it’ll be. I was never surprised when Stella one-upped her best friends and foiled their plans. Given how complicated and different the three main characters are, I’m a little confused as to why the story was only told from Freddie’s perspective. I wanted to read Stella’s inner monologue as she increasingly becomes more power hungry. I wanted to read Levi’s thoughts as she watched the betrayal and loyalties of her two friend groups flip-flop back and forth. So much happens outside of Freddie that I wanted first-person chapters from her friends. Those three are so weird, and obviously have the potential to be toxic, but I genuinely believe that they fully understand each other. Freddie and Levi are cute together; I don’t have that much to say about them. I’m not sure how long their relationship is going to last, but right now they complement each other well. If you are interested in a Mean Girls style exploration of hallway power and ignorant avoidance, with actually likable (and queer) popular girls, this one is worth checking out.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. I will be posting this review in late December on Goodreads and/or Tiktok and Instagram.
Wow, Freddie and Stella Got Hot is a wild ride. Maggie Horne has written a fun, redeemable, romcom-y, shamelessly queer book. I have a problem with publishers marketing books as Mean Girls-esque, but this one is legitimately a gay Mean Girls, except that the popular clique has likable traits. Perspective is such a funny (not ) little thing, and this novel does a good job highlighting and playing with it.
I feel so blessed that I’m not a part of Freddie, Stella, and Levi’s three way best friend/love triangle. They’re so messy; yikes. I actually found Freddie to be a fairly likeable narrator. I didn’t come out of the book knowing more about her than I did in the beginning, but I didn’t mind because the plot fascinated me. Even if she isn’t always honest, her inner monologue is straight to the point and chronicles the plot without sugar-coating it. I liked that she wasn’t enamoured by popularity, she was enamored by the two people in her life who the popularity affects most: her best friend Stella and her (former) best friend/crush Levi. Freddie was mild enough and detached enough from the school fame game that I was able to focus on the story without feeling directly poisoned by the toxicity.
Stella is a wild card. She’s mad at Levi for rejecting her, and uses Freddie’s anger at Levi for ditching them to her advantage. In her quest for emotional satisfaction, she cooks up scheme after scheme to yank Levi down from her popular-girl pedestal. For most of the book, I didn’t see any redeeming qualities in Stella’s character. Freddie always talks about how amazing of a friend she usually is. Near the end, when she realizes that maybe her need for control shouldn’t trump her emotional insecurity, is the first time I saw why her friends like her. I liked how she ends up helping Freddie achieve her goals and being a shipper of her best friends. While being hurt that Levi rejected her in the past is a pathetic reason to go all Cady Haron “fake-it-til-you-make-it,” I also could see that the unrequited crush wasn’t the actual problem. She knew that Levi liked Freddie, and was afraid that the two most important people in her life would leave her behind. It’s not excusable, but something about the love she has for her friends makes her feel a little more approachable. Obviously lying about how straight your gay friend is to your other gay friend who likes the former is a no-no, especially when neither of them are in the closet, but it sets up a cute little second chance romance between Freddie and Levi.
I felt like Levi was more of the plot catalyst and less an actual person. I found it refreshing how drama-free she is, but given how anti-heroic her friends are, I also found it a little boring. I don’t actually know much about her. I know that she’s gay, lowkey poor compared to her schoolmates, and wants the school scholarship that has everyone riled up. I did love her other friends Hannah, Seema, and Ramona. They were an interesting spin on the mean girl clique caricature. They’re all genuinely nice, well-meaning humans. While fear and manipulation can generate power, consideration and being aware gets you further. All three of them are still spoiled and treat their metaphorical table as exclusive. Them being so sure of themselves individually, but so insecure about other people’s opinions adds to the theme of perspective. It showed that everyone, no matter where you are in the school hierarchy, can be gullible enough to jump head first into trendy lies. I actually wanted the popular girls to avenge their fallen reputations and metaphorically slap some sense into Stella’s head.
The general plot is literally what the synopsis says it’ll be. I was never surprised when Stella one-upped her best friends and foiled their plans. Given how complicated and different the three main characters are, I’m a little confused as to why the story was only told from Freddie’s perspective. I wanted to read Stella’s inner monologue as she increasingly becomes more power hungry. I wanted to read Levi’s thoughts as she watched the betrayal and loyalties of her two friend groups flip-flop back and forth. So much happens outside of Freddie that I wanted first-person chapters from her friends. Those three are so weird, and obviously have the potential to be toxic, but I genuinely believe that they fully understand each other. Freddie and Levi are cute together; I don’t have that much to say about them. I’m not sure how long their relationship is going to last, but right now they complement each other well. If you are interested in a Mean Girls style exploration of hallway power and ignorant avoidance, with actually likable (and queer) popular girls, this one is worth checking out.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. I will be posting this review in late December on Goodreads and/or Tiktok and Instagram.
July 9, 2025
Thank you Netgalley and Feiwel & Friends for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Maggie Horne’s “Freddie and Stella Got Hot” is a sharp, funny, and emotionally charged YA story set against the cutthroat backdrop of Coral Cove Prep, where loyalty, love, and ambition collide in spectacular fashion.
Freddie and her best friend Stella start off on a mission to dethrone their former friend Levi Preston, the reigning queen bee of their elite prep school. Their plan centers on stealing Levi’s shot at the coveted Beaumont-Gardiner Award, an honor reserved for the school’s coolest, smartest, and hottest girls. At first, it seems to be working, as Freddie and Stella slip deeper into the glamorous world of shopping trips, salon sessions, and hot yoga classes.
But the more popular they become, the more Freddie sees how much Stella has changed. Once goofy and loyal, Stella morphs into someone manipulative and ruthless, determined to get her way no matter who gets hurt. As Stella’s schemes grow darker, Freddie finds herself trapped in a toxic friendship built on control, secrecy, and emotional manipulation.
Horne writes this unraveling with a blend of biting humor and genuine vulnerability. The story is both hilarious and unflinching, capturing how mean girls operate beneath their glossy exteriors. The scenes drip with tension and cattiness, yet the book also finds moments of tenderness and hope, particularly in Freddie’s journey of self-discovery.
Freddie is a fantastic protagonist, relatable in her insecurities and deeply human flaws. She begins the story completely wrapped up in Stella’s orbit, unwilling to see how damaging their friendship has become because she fears being alone. Watching her come into her own and choose healthier connections is incredibly satisfying.
At the same time, Stella is a fascinating character. Her desire for power and popularity makes her cruel, yet she also carries vulnerability and jealousy that hint at deeper struggles. I do wish she faced more consequences for her manipulations, but there’s no denying she’s a compelling and complex figure. However, I can’t get over how she just went back to how she was in the beginning without facing any real consequences as her parents could pay off any of her wrongdoings, and she is immediately forgiven for her extremely problematic behavior. More of a discussion needed to be had, maybe some time apart. If I were Freddie, I probably would never have forgiven Stella because she had been manipulating and isolating Freddie for years.
The sapphic romance between Freddie and Levi adds another engaging layer. Their chemistry crackles throughout the story, offering a sweet, sometimes messy counterpoint to the bitter schemes around them. While the romance brings plenty of swoon-worthy moments, it never overshadows the central themes of friendship, identity, and personal growth.
Horne’s writing sparkles with wit and energy. The dialogue is sharp, frequently laugh-out-loud funny, and the ensemble cast is vibrant, each side character possessing distinct quirks and voices. Even the meanest characters feel believable rather than cartoonish, revealing glimpses of humanity beneath the surface.
Overall, “Freddie and Stella Got Hot” is a wildly entertaining blend of humor, drama, and heartfelt emotion. It examines how toxic friendships can masquerade as loyalty, how power can corrupt even the closest bonds, and how discovering your self-worth can be the hottest glow-up of all. It’s a perfect pick for fans of “Mean Girls” with a sapphic twist and for anyone who loves YA stories full of sharp edges, genuine warmth, and characters you can’t stop thinking about.
Maggie Horne’s “Freddie and Stella Got Hot” is a sharp, funny, and emotionally charged YA story set against the cutthroat backdrop of Coral Cove Prep, where loyalty, love, and ambition collide in spectacular fashion.
Freddie and her best friend Stella start off on a mission to dethrone their former friend Levi Preston, the reigning queen bee of their elite prep school. Their plan centers on stealing Levi’s shot at the coveted Beaumont-Gardiner Award, an honor reserved for the school’s coolest, smartest, and hottest girls. At first, it seems to be working, as Freddie and Stella slip deeper into the glamorous world of shopping trips, salon sessions, and hot yoga classes.
But the more popular they become, the more Freddie sees how much Stella has changed. Once goofy and loyal, Stella morphs into someone manipulative and ruthless, determined to get her way no matter who gets hurt. As Stella’s schemes grow darker, Freddie finds herself trapped in a toxic friendship built on control, secrecy, and emotional manipulation.
Horne writes this unraveling with a blend of biting humor and genuine vulnerability. The story is both hilarious and unflinching, capturing how mean girls operate beneath their glossy exteriors. The scenes drip with tension and cattiness, yet the book also finds moments of tenderness and hope, particularly in Freddie’s journey of self-discovery.
Freddie is a fantastic protagonist, relatable in her insecurities and deeply human flaws. She begins the story completely wrapped up in Stella’s orbit, unwilling to see how damaging their friendship has become because she fears being alone. Watching her come into her own and choose healthier connections is incredibly satisfying.
At the same time, Stella is a fascinating character. Her desire for power and popularity makes her cruel, yet she also carries vulnerability and jealousy that hint at deeper struggles. I do wish she faced more consequences for her manipulations, but there’s no denying she’s a compelling and complex figure. However, I can’t get over how she just went back to how she was in the beginning without facing any real consequences as her parents could pay off any of her wrongdoings, and she is immediately forgiven for her extremely problematic behavior. More of a discussion needed to be had, maybe some time apart. If I were Freddie, I probably would never have forgiven Stella because she had been manipulating and isolating Freddie for years.
The sapphic romance between Freddie and Levi adds another engaging layer. Their chemistry crackles throughout the story, offering a sweet, sometimes messy counterpoint to the bitter schemes around them. While the romance brings plenty of swoon-worthy moments, it never overshadows the central themes of friendship, identity, and personal growth.
Horne’s writing sparkles with wit and energy. The dialogue is sharp, frequently laugh-out-loud funny, and the ensemble cast is vibrant, each side character possessing distinct quirks and voices. Even the meanest characters feel believable rather than cartoonish, revealing glimpses of humanity beneath the surface.
Overall, “Freddie and Stella Got Hot” is a wildly entertaining blend of humor, drama, and heartfelt emotion. It examines how toxic friendships can masquerade as loyalty, how power can corrupt even the closest bonds, and how discovering your self-worth can be the hottest glow-up of all. It’s a perfect pick for fans of “Mean Girls” with a sapphic twist and for anyone who loves YA stories full of sharp edges, genuine warmth, and characters you can’t stop thinking about.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The yearning, the angst, the tension... this book has it all and I was obsessed with it from start to finish! Freddie, Stella and Levi were all best friends in middle school until Levi leaves them in the dust at the start of high school and becomes the insanely popular queen bee. As their final year comes around and the Beaumont-Gardiner Award is just within Levi’s reach, Stella devises a plan to destroy Levi and hurt her the way she hurt them for leaving two years ago. It is going to be really hard to talk about this book without spoilers because there is so much I want to scream about but I will try my best!
I loved the premise of this book and it did not disappoint! The revenge plot all revolves around Levi, their ex best friend and at first the reader thinks both Freddie and Stella were hurt by her for the same reasons but it soon becomes clear that Stella is hiding something about what really happened. At first, Stella’s plan seems mostly harmless but Freddie soon realises she has unleashed a monster and needs Levi’s help to stop her from causing too much damage in their lives.
The novel is told completely from Freddie’s POV and I love how realistic Freddie’s obsession with Levi is shown throughout, even after all this time even one glance at Levi leaves her in a mess. You’d think she would have gotten over her by now but there is still so much yearning and as they slowly get closer again, it is obvious that Levi has always felt the same! I love that even though there are never any chapters from Levi’s POV which makes you think that you won’t know how she feels, you can actually always tell how she feels, whether through her facial expressions or her actions. The angst and then the growing tension between Freddie and Levi is delicious throughout but sometimes you just want to scream at them to communicate properly!
The main theme running through this novel is that teen girls are messy and dangerous, especially when they are on a mission to destroy someone’s life! Stella turns into an evil mean girl monster as she comes up with various nefarious plans to take down Levi’s friends one by one and leave her all alone whilst dragging Freddie along with her. Stella actually plays a popular girl a little too well and she soon transforms into this fake, unlikable character as her plans get more and more unhinged in this quest to destroy Levi. I started to really dislike the change in Stella as she turned evil to get what she wanted and the worst part is she never seemed to feel bad about the damage she was creating.
There is so much rich, teen girl drama in this book that I never really knew what Stella was going to do next as each part of the plan gets progressively more hurtful to people. I love how the book was split into sections with headlines such as ‘hot girls work out’ and ‘hot girls throw good parties’ which gives the reader an idea of what is coming up in the plan. The plan and Stella eventually reaches its limit as secrets are revealed and shit hits the fan for all involved which leads to a surprisingly nice ending, perhaps even too nice if I'm honest after all the madness that has occurred!
Overall, this is a brilliant YA sapphic novel that involves the classic childhood best friends to strangers to lovers trope and an evil mean girl who wants revenge. Stella and Freddie are braver than me because I would have never gone near the popular girls at my school, never mind try to infiltrate and destroy them!
I loved the premise of this book and it did not disappoint! The revenge plot all revolves around Levi, their ex best friend and at first the reader thinks both Freddie and Stella were hurt by her for the same reasons but it soon becomes clear that Stella is hiding something about what really happened. At first, Stella’s plan seems mostly harmless but Freddie soon realises she has unleashed a monster and needs Levi’s help to stop her from causing too much damage in their lives.
The novel is told completely from Freddie’s POV and I love how realistic Freddie’s obsession with Levi is shown throughout, even after all this time even one glance at Levi leaves her in a mess. You’d think she would have gotten over her by now but there is still so much yearning and as they slowly get closer again, it is obvious that Levi has always felt the same! I love that even though there are never any chapters from Levi’s POV which makes you think that you won’t know how she feels, you can actually always tell how she feels, whether through her facial expressions or her actions. The angst and then the growing tension between Freddie and Levi is delicious throughout but sometimes you just want to scream at them to communicate properly!
The main theme running through this novel is that teen girls are messy and dangerous, especially when they are on a mission to destroy someone’s life! Stella turns into an evil mean girl monster as she comes up with various nefarious plans to take down Levi’s friends one by one and leave her all alone whilst dragging Freddie along with her. Stella actually plays a popular girl a little too well and she soon transforms into this fake, unlikable character as her plans get more and more unhinged in this quest to destroy Levi. I started to really dislike the change in Stella as she turned evil to get what she wanted and the worst part is she never seemed to feel bad about the damage she was creating.
There is so much rich, teen girl drama in this book that I never really knew what Stella was going to do next as each part of the plan gets progressively more hurtful to people. I love how the book was split into sections with headlines such as ‘hot girls work out’ and ‘hot girls throw good parties’ which gives the reader an idea of what is coming up in the plan. The plan and Stella eventually reaches its limit as secrets are revealed and shit hits the fan for all involved which leads to a surprisingly nice ending, perhaps even too nice if I'm honest after all the madness that has occurred!
Overall, this is a brilliant YA sapphic novel that involves the classic childhood best friends to strangers to lovers trope and an evil mean girl who wants revenge. Stella and Freddie are braver than me because I would have never gone near the popular girls at my school, never mind try to infiltrate and destroy them!
July 20, 2025
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC copy!
This is exactly the kind of YA novel I love, with teenage characters who feel oh so real and messy, and all the chaos and earnest moments that go with it. You get to see the full closeness, toxicity, dependence, conflict and beauty of teenage girl friendship on display here, and I very much appreciated that friendship and romance are all deemed of equal weighty importance here.
So let's get into the main characters: Freddie, Stella, and Levi. Freddie is our viewpoint character, and while she agrees at first to join in on her best friend Stella's revenge scheme against Levi who apparently abandoned them for popular-girldom in high school, she quickly realizes that Stella is willing to go to some pretty awful lengths to obtain said revenge and that there's a lot about Levi and Stella that she doesn't know either. I really enjoyed Freddie as a main character; she does start as extremely passive, very much the side-kick to Stella's schemes, but it's lovely to see her grow and push back against that role, and it makes it all the more meaningful when she finally grows past it. Even when Stella is awful, the banter between her and Freddie is absolutely top-notch and made me laugh (I knew at the start of the book when I read Freddie asking Stella, "Wait, sorry. You're upset because you weren't made fun of for bleeding like a Civil War amputee in the middle of homecoming?" that I was in for an excellent time.), and Stella is awfully brilliant in her own right, running a scheme to rise to the top of Coral Cove, the all-girl's elite high school they go to.
Which at last brings us to Levi Preston, the seemingly perfect girl who abandoned Stella and Freddie. At first she just seems a caricature of the perfect prep school girl who is of course the front runner for the BG Awards and automatic acceptance into the Ivy Leagues, but as Freddie unravels the mystery of why Levi left them, she comes into focus as a much more normal girl. It's a beautiful sometimes bitter push-and-pull between Levi and Freddie, with Levi saying lines like "I know you--I know you don't think I do anymore, but I never unlearned you," while Freddie's POV is "You don't fucking know me, Levi. You remember me. That's what happens to people you leave behind. You remember them." No spoilers, but their relationship is the highlight of the book for me, and I appreciate the complicated dynamics of a bestie group of three, especially when everyone is kind of in love with everyone.
Speaking of bestie groups, Levi's current hot popular girl squad are also stellar side-characters. They seem to just initially slot into their assigned roles: Seema the sunny, cheerful one, Ramona the sporty one, and Hannah, the maybe girlfriend, but as Freddie gets sucked into Stella's schemes and trying to ingratiate herself in the group, she gets to know them better as well, and they all are their own full characters. I liked Seema especially with how complicated she is underneath all that sunny charm.
If you want to read a book with scheming sapphic high school girls, you HAVE to read this. Even if you don't like YA, I would say you should definitely give this one a try just for it's witty banter, fast paced story, fully developed complicated characters, and great story.
This is exactly the kind of YA novel I love, with teenage characters who feel oh so real and messy, and all the chaos and earnest moments that go with it. You get to see the full closeness, toxicity, dependence, conflict and beauty of teenage girl friendship on display here, and I very much appreciated that friendship and romance are all deemed of equal weighty importance here.
So let's get into the main characters: Freddie, Stella, and Levi. Freddie is our viewpoint character, and while she agrees at first to join in on her best friend Stella's revenge scheme against Levi who apparently abandoned them for popular-girldom in high school, she quickly realizes that Stella is willing to go to some pretty awful lengths to obtain said revenge and that there's a lot about Levi and Stella that she doesn't know either. I really enjoyed Freddie as a main character; she does start as extremely passive, very much the side-kick to Stella's schemes, but it's lovely to see her grow and push back against that role, and it makes it all the more meaningful when she finally grows past it. Even when Stella is awful, the banter between her and Freddie is absolutely top-notch and made me laugh (I knew at the start of the book when I read Freddie asking Stella, "Wait, sorry. You're upset because you weren't made fun of for bleeding like a Civil War amputee in the middle of homecoming?" that I was in for an excellent time.), and Stella is awfully brilliant in her own right, running a scheme to rise to the top of Coral Cove, the all-girl's elite high school they go to.
Which at last brings us to Levi Preston, the seemingly perfect girl who abandoned Stella and Freddie. At first she just seems a caricature of the perfect prep school girl who is of course the front runner for the BG Awards and automatic acceptance into the Ivy Leagues, but as Freddie unravels the mystery of why Levi left them, she comes into focus as a much more normal girl. It's a beautiful sometimes bitter push-and-pull between Levi and Freddie, with Levi saying lines like "I know you--I know you don't think I do anymore, but I never unlearned you," while Freddie's POV is "You don't fucking know me, Levi. You remember me. That's what happens to people you leave behind. You remember them." No spoilers, but their relationship is the highlight of the book for me, and I appreciate the complicated dynamics of a bestie group of three, especially when everyone is kind of in love with everyone.
Speaking of bestie groups, Levi's current hot popular girl squad are also stellar side-characters. They seem to just initially slot into their assigned roles: Seema the sunny, cheerful one, Ramona the sporty one, and Hannah, the maybe girlfriend, but as Freddie gets sucked into Stella's schemes and trying to ingratiate herself in the group, she gets to know them better as well, and they all are their own full characters. I liked Seema especially with how complicated she is underneath all that sunny charm.
If you want to read a book with scheming sapphic high school girls, you HAVE to read this. Even if you don't like YA, I would say you should definitely give this one a try just for it's witty banter, fast paced story, fully developed complicated characters, and great story.
January 30, 2026
“From then on, Levi belonged to Stella. Not in any real way, not in any way we’d ever acknowledge, but it was there. But I saw her first.”
After an uneventful homecoming dance, Freddie and Stella devise a plan to take down their former best-friend-turned-queen bee, Levi Preston. It's been two years since Levi ditched them and climbed the social ranks of their private school, and Freddie and Stella decide to make it their mission to steal the one thing Levi wants more than anything: the Beaumont-Gardiner Award. Only the coolest, smartest, and hottest girls win, so the two make it their goal to become better than Levi by surrounding themselves with the “it” crowd. As the girls slowly worm their way through the ranks of high school popularity, Levi’s popularity plunges and Freddie begins to notice a stark change in Stella. She isn’t the same lovable friend she remembers, and as Freddie begins to spend more time around Levi, she learns that there was more to their friendship breakup than she realized. If Levi wants to help bring Stella back from the dark side, she will need Levi’s help.
Before reading, I was already aware the book was similar to the premise of Mean Girls, but I wasn’t expecting the drama and comedy that this book delivered. The execution was extremely entertaining and kept me on my toes with every chapter. I especially liked the characters—Levi, who is always true to herself, Freddie, who finally navigates her own desires, and even Stella, who had complex motivations but deep down cared for her friends. Though I'm not used to reading about rich white characters, at times I did feel like they lacked a sense of reality, and POC identities were saved for minor side characters, which stuck out to me. Also, while I ended the story as a Stella apologist, I did feel that some of her actions were completely unforgivable. Upon finding out what went down between Stella and Levi, I was very upset, and even felt sickened, and didn’t feel like it was something I personally could forgive or move on from so quickly. So, while in the end the mistakes are somewhat fixed, I still felt like Stella lacked a good character redemption arc and thought her ending should have resulted in intense therapy. I will say, the drama was very exciting, though it’s mostly gay-on-gay-crime, which can be a sensitive topic. I enjoyed the romance between Levi and Freddie and found it to be so satisfying knowing they shared the childhood friends-to-lovers trope. If you’re a fan of Mean Girls, Gossip Girl, and Bottoms, then you will love this drama-filled sapphic romance!
Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and Feiwel and Friends for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook @pinereadsreview, and check out our website at www.pinereadsreview.com for reviews, author interviews, blogs, podcast episodes, and more!
After an uneventful homecoming dance, Freddie and Stella devise a plan to take down their former best-friend-turned-queen bee, Levi Preston. It's been two years since Levi ditched them and climbed the social ranks of their private school, and Freddie and Stella decide to make it their mission to steal the one thing Levi wants more than anything: the Beaumont-Gardiner Award. Only the coolest, smartest, and hottest girls win, so the two make it their goal to become better than Levi by surrounding themselves with the “it” crowd. As the girls slowly worm their way through the ranks of high school popularity, Levi’s popularity plunges and Freddie begins to notice a stark change in Stella. She isn’t the same lovable friend she remembers, and as Freddie begins to spend more time around Levi, she learns that there was more to their friendship breakup than she realized. If Levi wants to help bring Stella back from the dark side, she will need Levi’s help.
Before reading, I was already aware the book was similar to the premise of Mean Girls, but I wasn’t expecting the drama and comedy that this book delivered. The execution was extremely entertaining and kept me on my toes with every chapter. I especially liked the characters—Levi, who is always true to herself, Freddie, who finally navigates her own desires, and even Stella, who had complex motivations but deep down cared for her friends. Though I'm not used to reading about rich white characters, at times I did feel like they lacked a sense of reality, and POC identities were saved for minor side characters, which stuck out to me. Also, while I ended the story as a Stella apologist, I did feel that some of her actions were completely unforgivable. Upon finding out what went down between Stella and Levi, I was very upset, and even felt sickened, and didn’t feel like it was something I personally could forgive or move on from so quickly. So, while in the end the mistakes are somewhat fixed, I still felt like Stella lacked a good character redemption arc and thought her ending should have resulted in intense therapy. I will say, the drama was very exciting, though it’s mostly gay-on-gay-crime, which can be a sensitive topic. I enjoyed the romance between Levi and Freddie and found it to be so satisfying knowing they shared the childhood friends-to-lovers trope. If you’re a fan of Mean Girls, Gossip Girl, and Bottoms, then you will love this drama-filled sapphic romance!
Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and Feiwel and Friends for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook @pinereadsreview, and check out our website at www.pinereadsreview.com for reviews, author interviews, blogs, podcast episodes, and more!
January 29, 2026
Thank you to Toppling Stacks Tours for the digital ARC of Freddie and Stella Got Hot by Maggie Horne. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is a rare time where the comp titles are actually dead-on accurate.
Freddie and Stella Got Hot absolutely earns the “Jenny Han meets Mean Girls” comparisons, and as an elder millennial, I’m going to add one more: it is just unhinged enough to also deserve some Heathers energy. It’s chaotic, over-the-top, and deliciously messy in that very specific “teen girls behaving badly” way… while still being genuinely well written.
The premise is immediately fun: two ex-best friends on a mission to take down their former best friend turned queen bee by beating her at the thing she wants most. What starts as revenge quickly becomes a slippery slope of glow-ups, power plays, and moral compromises. And watching that shift happen is where the book really shines. It captures the absurdity and intensity of teen social hierarchies without ever feeling like it’s punching down at the characters.
Every character is flawed, and I mean that as a compliment. Nobody here is a perfect victim or a perfect villain. They all make choices that are petty, impulsive, and sometimes downright awful, but there are also moments where something softer peeks through and gives them depth. That balance kept me invested even when I wanted to grab these girls by the shoulders and be like, “Please. Make one calm decision.”
It’s also a genuinely easy read. I flew through it in one sitting, and it was a fun time from start to finish. The pacing keeps things moving, and the tone nails that chaotic teen drama vibe without losing clarity or emotional beats.
The ending is great, especially the epilogue. I will say, though: these girls are better than me. After everything that happens, I would not have been so kind.
If you want a YA rom-com that is messy, sharp, and compulsively readable, with Mean Girls-style social warfare and a dash of Heathers-level chaos, this is a solid pick.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews