Evil-ish by Kennedy Tarrell

Hawthorne has worshipped the Brigade of Shade for as long as they can remember, as a self-proclaimed evil doer who has never fit in, they are determined to be the next member at the Brigades audition. Unfortunately, they fail miserably and are laughed out of the audition, and with Maple the bubbly, flower crown wearing, singing to animals, annoying new girl from around town gets in well thats just insult to injury, however, when Maple shows up one night and tells Hawthorne she's got a sure fire way to get her in Hawthorne decides they've got nothing to lose. 

This was a hilarious and yup absolutely adorable read about finding yourself but also being honest with yourself. Hawthorne is truly the least evil person on the planet, and once they start putting forth their "evil initiatives," that becomes fairly obvious (even though it pretty much is from the get-go). Well, okay, a laundry is actually evil, so that's maybe their most evil initiative. But that's as far as it goes. Their "attacks" on the town are nothing more than harmless pranks that delight the townspeople more than anything, giving them a little bit of entertainment in an otherwise mundane life. What makes this head towards the serious side is how Hawthorne's mom always knew this about them and can't find the right way to express this to Hawthorne. It's a classic parent/child dilemma.

It takes Maple's incredibly painful backstory for Hawthorne to see what it truly means to have no one actually see *you* and I loved how Tarrell uses this to show that without a guiding hand it is so easy for trauma and pain to become anger and resentment. 

The art was wonderful as well. Hawthorne, especially, I find almost embodies the very idea of non-binary, Hawthorne was they/them before you even knew Hawthorne was they/them simply by the way they were drawn. 

Highly recommend this one for a quick and fun read about learning to be true to yourself. 

As always thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publish Group for the eArc!