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Natural Selection
Not yet published
Expected 1 Jul 26Three girls bond in unsettling ways when a grizzly starts picking off known abusers in their secluded mountain town in this darkly funny, deeply feminist novel for fans of books like The Honeys and Wilder Girls.
When it comes to boys and bears, always choose the bear.
The girls of Riverside are raised to grin and bear it. Until three
of them can’t anymore.
Megan Lawless (aka Outlaw): Riverside born and raised. Lettered in volleyball, basketball, and track. HATES Kevin Johnson, but tolerates him for her best friend, Megan.
Megan Deloria: Outlaw’s ride or die. Riverside royalty and soon to be valedictorian. Shoo-in for the homecoming crown alongside her boyfriend, Kevin.
Meghan Bach (aka Bee): Moved to Riverside last year. Still the “new girl.” Pulls tarot cards daily. Just wants to forget what happened last summer at that party with Kevin.
And then there’s Kevin Johnson: Riverside’s Golden Boy. Only scared of two things—the dark and bears. Soon, he’ll be scared of three more.
Because Megan, Megan, and Meghan are done with Kevin, and they’re about to teach everyone in their tiny rural town the new natural order: Predator, meet prey.
When it comes to boys and bears, always choose the bear.
The girls of Riverside are raised to grin and bear it. Until three
of them can’t anymore.
Megan Lawless (aka Outlaw): Riverside born and raised. Lettered in volleyball, basketball, and track. HATES Kevin Johnson, but tolerates him for her best friend, Megan.
Megan Deloria: Outlaw’s ride or die. Riverside royalty and soon to be valedictorian. Shoo-in for the homecoming crown alongside her boyfriend, Kevin.
Meghan Bach (aka Bee): Moved to Riverside last year. Still the “new girl.” Pulls tarot cards daily. Just wants to forget what happened last summer at that party with Kevin.
And then there’s Kevin Johnson: Riverside’s Golden Boy. Only scared of two things—the dark and bears. Soon, he’ll be scared of three more.
Because Megan, Megan, and Meghan are done with Kevin, and they’re about to teach everyone in their tiny rural town the new natural order: Predator, meet prey.
Hardcover
Expected publication August 25, 2026
6 people are currently reading
345 people want to read
About the author
Clare Edge
4 books147 followersClare Edge is an author (and witch) who was raised in the Rocky Mountains. Her cozy middle grade fantasy debut Accidental Demons was a NYPL Best Books for Kids and Cybil’s Award Finalist; it follows the misadventures of a young diabetic witch who can’t stop conjuring demons when she tests her blood sugar.
Her horror-tinged YA speculative thriller debut Natural Selection is forthcoming from Delacorte/PRH in summer 2026.
She hold masters degrees from the University of Limerick’s Irish World Academy of Music and Dance (MA) & the University of Montana (MFA). Her graduate research explored how we make and translate meaning through story. She has too many degrees, too few cats, and often too much or too little blood sugar.
She can be found on most socials as @clarewonders and online at clareedge.com
Her horror-tinged YA speculative thriller debut Natural Selection is forthcoming from Delacorte/PRH in summer 2026.
She hold masters degrees from the University of Limerick’s Irish World Academy of Music and Dance (MA) & the University of Montana (MFA). Her graduate research explored how we make and translate meaning through story. She has too many degrees, too few cats, and often too much or too little blood sugar.
She can be found on most socials as @clarewonders and online at clareedge.com
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
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October 16, 2025Anything Clare writes should be an instant add to your TBR from now until the end of time. A masterful YA debut and a skin-crawling, gory punch of truly unique feminist horror :) Cannot wait to see the cover this gets btw
December 11, 2025
Super weird but in a good way!
July 2, 2025
Yeah, this is the "I choose the bear" book I never knew I needed. A story about female objectification, small town culpability for continuing "boys will be boys," and standing up in the absolute most feral way possible. Definitely supporting women's rights and wrongs with this one.
Thank you to the author for the early copy!
Thank you to the author for the early copy!
Read
June 15, 2025feralness belongs to the girls!!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Clare Edge’s “Natural Selection” is feral, furious, and darkly funny. It’s a sharp-toothed YA thriller that takes female rage seriously and lets it run wild. Set in a small Montana town steeped in generational misogyny and willful blindness, this story is both a cathartic revenge fantasy and a sobering indictment of the systems that protect predators. I highly recommend looking into the content warnings for this book before diving in as there is SA mentioned throughout the book.
From the opening chapters, Edge makes one thing painfully clear: Kevin is dangerous. His behavior, like peeping on underage girls, driving drunk, spewing homophobia, and pushing boundaries, isn’t subtle, and the discomfort of reading about him feels intentional. Kevin isn’t a caricature; he’s recognizable, the kind of guy a town shrugs off with “boys will be boys.” The adults and authority figures around him, including law enforcement, are just as culpable, reinforcing a culture where girls are expected to stay quiet, forgiving, and compliant.
At the center of the story are three girls (Outlaw, Megan, and Bee) each carrying her own anger, fear, and reckoning. Megan, Kevin’s girlfriend, is frustratingly naive at first, desperate to hold onto the idea of a perfect life even as she ignores red flags she’s been warned about for months. Her growth comes slowly and imperfectly, but that realism makes it hit harder. Outlaw sees Kevin for exactly what he is from the start, while Bee, who is awkward, observant, and deeply relatable, begins to find both her voice and her feelings, including a tender queer romance that unfolds naturally amid the chaos.
What begins as a vow to humiliate and ruin Kevin spirals into something much bigger when a bear enters the story; this actual bear seems to be hunting the town’s worst men. As predators begin to fall, the story flirts with the supernatural. Is the bear an embodiment of the girls’ collective rage? A manifestation of long-silenced trauma? Or something even closer to them—a transformation, a reckoning, a natural response? Edge keeps the answer deliberately murky, allowing metaphor and horror to blur in unsettling, effective ways.
The message is bold, sometimes heavy-handed, but undeniably powerful: this town has been failing its girls for generations, and the violence inflicted on them doesn’t disappear; it mutates. The book leans hard into the idea of women’s rights and women’s wrongs, offering a brutal kind of justice that feels both thrilling and disturbing. There’s gore, there are difficult moments (including sexual assault), and Edge wisely provides clear content warnings.
Despite the darkness, “Natural Selection” crackles with humor, camaraderie, and fierce energy. The girls’ bond, which is messy, imperfect, and hard-won, is the emotional core of the story, and their reliance on one another offers a sense of solidarity that’s as empowering as it is cathartic. The ending lands with teeth: satisfying, enraging, and impossible to forget.
Overall, “Natural Selection” is a razor-sharp exploration of power, predation, and what happens when girls stop being prey. This is the “I choose the bear” book, and it absolutely earns that crown.
Clare Edge’s “Natural Selection” is feral, furious, and darkly funny. It’s a sharp-toothed YA thriller that takes female rage seriously and lets it run wild. Set in a small Montana town steeped in generational misogyny and willful blindness, this story is both a cathartic revenge fantasy and a sobering indictment of the systems that protect predators. I highly recommend looking into the content warnings for this book before diving in as there is SA mentioned throughout the book.
From the opening chapters, Edge makes one thing painfully clear: Kevin is dangerous. His behavior, like peeping on underage girls, driving drunk, spewing homophobia, and pushing boundaries, isn’t subtle, and the discomfort of reading about him feels intentional. Kevin isn’t a caricature; he’s recognizable, the kind of guy a town shrugs off with “boys will be boys.” The adults and authority figures around him, including law enforcement, are just as culpable, reinforcing a culture where girls are expected to stay quiet, forgiving, and compliant.
At the center of the story are three girls (Outlaw, Megan, and Bee) each carrying her own anger, fear, and reckoning. Megan, Kevin’s girlfriend, is frustratingly naive at first, desperate to hold onto the idea of a perfect life even as she ignores red flags she’s been warned about for months. Her growth comes slowly and imperfectly, but that realism makes it hit harder. Outlaw sees Kevin for exactly what he is from the start, while Bee, who is awkward, observant, and deeply relatable, begins to find both her voice and her feelings, including a tender queer romance that unfolds naturally amid the chaos.
What begins as a vow to humiliate and ruin Kevin spirals into something much bigger when a bear enters the story; this actual bear seems to be hunting the town’s worst men. As predators begin to fall, the story flirts with the supernatural. Is the bear an embodiment of the girls’ collective rage? A manifestation of long-silenced trauma? Or something even closer to them—a transformation, a reckoning, a natural response? Edge keeps the answer deliberately murky, allowing metaphor and horror to blur in unsettling, effective ways.
The message is bold, sometimes heavy-handed, but undeniably powerful: this town has been failing its girls for generations, and the violence inflicted on them doesn’t disappear; it mutates. The book leans hard into the idea of women’s rights and women’s wrongs, offering a brutal kind of justice that feels both thrilling and disturbing. There’s gore, there are difficult moments (including sexual assault), and Edge wisely provides clear content warnings.
Despite the darkness, “Natural Selection” crackles with humor, camaraderie, and fierce energy. The girls’ bond, which is messy, imperfect, and hard-won, is the emotional core of the story, and their reliance on one another offers a sense of solidarity that’s as empowering as it is cathartic. The ending lands with teeth: satisfying, enraging, and impossible to forget.
Overall, “Natural Selection” is a razor-sharp exploration of power, predation, and what happens when girls stop being prey. This is the “I choose the bear” book, and it absolutely earns that crown.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.5 rounding up to 5
A darkly humorous take on the power of girls' pain and camaraderie.
The three Meg(h)ans, known as Outlaw, Megan, and Bee each have a different reason for hating Megan's boyfriend, Kevin, but all of them boil down to the same thing - Kevin is a predator. Just like lots of men and boys in the tiny Montana town of Riverside. When the three girls meet up, they make a vow to destroy Kevin and plan a prank to humiliate him. But then the bear gets involved, and somehow the girls seem to have unleased something wild that has turned human predators into prey.
Each girl's journey through pain and retribution is distinct. They grapple with the shifting nature of their relationships to each other, boys, and themselves. The messaging in the book is strong and powerful, if at times heavy handed. Things got a little didactic towards the end, but the author recovers for a strong finish. I appreciated the way the queer representation in this book was handled. I also appreciated that the author includes a note at the beginning that there is a content/trigger warning list at the end (so one can avoid spoilers if one chooses).
A note on the bears: As someone who grew up in black bear country, I was confused by the what to do in case of a bear list on the book's first page since it is the polar opposite of what we were taught about how to behave around bears, but the author did grow up in grizzly country so I trust that it is accurate for grizzlies :)
Overall, a powerful and enjoyable read about girls finding their strength, each other, and themselves. Plus bears!
Thank you NetGalley for advance access to a copy in exchange for an honest review.
A darkly humorous take on the power of girls' pain and camaraderie.
The three Meg(h)ans, known as Outlaw, Megan, and Bee each have a different reason for hating Megan's boyfriend, Kevin, but all of them boil down to the same thing - Kevin is a predator. Just like lots of men and boys in the tiny Montana town of Riverside. When the three girls meet up, they make a vow to destroy Kevin and plan a prank to humiliate him. But then the bear gets involved, and somehow the girls seem to have unleased something wild that has turned human predators into prey.
Each girl's journey through pain and retribution is distinct. They grapple with the shifting nature of their relationships to each other, boys, and themselves. The messaging in the book is strong and powerful, if at times heavy handed. Things got a little didactic towards the end, but the author recovers for a strong finish. I appreciated the way the queer representation in this book was handled. I also appreciated that the author includes a note at the beginning that there is a content/trigger warning list at the end (so one can avoid spoilers if one chooses).
A note on the bears: As someone who grew up in black bear country, I was confused by the what to do in case of a bear list on the book's first page since it is the polar opposite of what we were taught about how to behave around bears, but the author did grow up in grizzly country so I trust that it is accurate for grizzlies :)
Overall, a powerful and enjoyable read about girls finding their strength, each other, and themselves. Plus bears!
Thank you NetGalley for advance access to a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children’s Books and Delacorte Press for providing this book, with my honest review below.
Natural Selection focuses on three high school women, all Meg(h)ans and all connected by one very problematic boy in their secluded town. Make no mistake I chose my words carefully in saying boy, and this book explores the age old idea that can happen with boys and what they carry on as they get older, with women would choose to run into a bear over a guy at night. In fact this book explores the why’s and literal how’s behind that quite literally.
The dynamics here are fascinating given one Meghan is dating Kevin, the boy who needs to find himself in a dark corner with a bear, while her friend is harassed by him and another Megan hides a secret trauma at his hands. What happens to him opens up a mystery and a chain of events that are definitely not predicted. I love that this book, geared towards young and new adults, addresses those things young women have to face and are still vulnerable to at a young age but that isn’t addressed as often as it should be for that age group. By delivering the experiences of these women (and, granted, a not to be recommended but amazing to see solution) Natural Selection finds a way to deliver a warning in a way that will appeal to this group. Of note is that the story has elements of magical realism, but even if that’s typically not your thing it works and without it this book would not pack the same punch.
Natural Selection focuses on three high school women, all Meg(h)ans and all connected by one very problematic boy in their secluded town. Make no mistake I chose my words carefully in saying boy, and this book explores the age old idea that can happen with boys and what they carry on as they get older, with women would choose to run into a bear over a guy at night. In fact this book explores the why’s and literal how’s behind that quite literally.
The dynamics here are fascinating given one Meghan is dating Kevin, the boy who needs to find himself in a dark corner with a bear, while her friend is harassed by him and another Megan hides a secret trauma at his hands. What happens to him opens up a mystery and a chain of events that are definitely not predicted. I love that this book, geared towards young and new adults, addresses those things young women have to face and are still vulnerable to at a young age but that isn’t addressed as often as it should be for that age group. By delivering the experiences of these women (and, granted, a not to be recommended but amazing to see solution) Natural Selection finds a way to deliver a warning in a way that will appeal to this group. Of note is that the story has elements of magical realism, but even if that’s typically not your thing it works and without it this book would not pack the same punch.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is an interesting take on the man or bear phenomenon that took the world by storm. Small town Riverside is a good old boys' club, where women can expect to be belittled or marginalized for not playing their part and the golden boys can do no wrong. This is especially evident when told by Bee's perspective, as she moved there from the more cosmopolitan Seattle and is occasionally frustrated by her status as an outsider. Three girls named Megan (or Meghan), although two go by Outlaw and Bee, are drawn together by assaults at the hand of Megan Deloria's boyfriend, Kevin. They vow to make him pay, as vengeance for his actions. Imagine their surprise when he's eaten by a real bear, who leaves the girls alone. Vicious bear attacks continue to plague the men of the town who abuse women, while Megan, Outlaw, and Bee are suffering from odd lapses in memory. More concerning, those lapses coincide with the attacks, and it's not looking good for three prime suspects who can't adequately explain their whereabouts. Things come to a head at the Halloween party, but you'll have to read to find out how it ends! This was a great story about the plight of women in a small town and men receiving an appropriate comeuppance for their actions.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Being a woman isn’t always easy. We live in a world, maybe even especially more now with the climate of the politics of this world, where women are seen and treated as objects and men often disregard their feelings and their experiences. The town in this book is certainly a fictional town, but one that I’m sure lots of people can relate to, it’s small, it’s God-fearing, it loves its guns, and most importantly the men rule. The boys and men in this town are allowed to get away with terrible things, but not things that many women reading this book will find uncommon. As the girls decide to extract their revenge the Meghan‘s of the town, yes, there are three, need to find a way to be bigger and batter than the men in this book, than the men in the world. This is definitely a different book and not everybody will like it or get it but wow, did I think it was fantastic. It reminds us that women are bad asses and sometimes we need other women to remind us of that and to be our own champions. I look forward to bringing this book into my classroom.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A delightful, smart, riot of a book! Edge uses each of her three Megans to explore different facets of what it means to be a girl, in a body, in the world — particularly in the dangerous world of men in their mountain town. I particularly appreciated Megan's messiness and complexity — she's not always like-able, but she is very, very real — and her conflicted feelings about the men in her life add nuance and empathy to what, in a less talented author's hands, could have been a caricature. I laughed, and got angry, I felt deeply satisfied by the ending. Teens — particularly teen girls — will find this story real, empowering, and vindicating.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is a review of an ARC from NetGalley.
This is the story of three high-school girls living in Riverside, Montana, deep in bear country who are linked by a connection to Kevin Johnson: Riverside’s Golden Boy. Kevin is scared of two things - the dark, and bears. But maybe he should be scared of the girls he hurt.
Told in multiple points of view, this is a well-done portrayal of teenage girls reclaiming their power, with a mix of magic realism and witchcraft to strengthen the suspense. There's an obvious riff on the "bear or man?" meme, but the author turns it on its head for a twist ending that I sort of saw coming, but enjoyed nonetheless.
This is the story of three high-school girls living in Riverside, Montana, deep in bear country who are linked by a connection to Kevin Johnson: Riverside’s Golden Boy. Kevin is scared of two things - the dark, and bears. But maybe he should be scared of the girls he hurt.
Told in multiple points of view, this is a well-done portrayal of teenage girls reclaiming their power, with a mix of magic realism and witchcraft to strengthen the suspense. There's an obvious riff on the "bear or man?" meme, but the author turns it on its head for a twist ending that I sort of saw coming, but enjoyed nonetheless.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Book Delacorte Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
5 stars
This was my first book by Clare Edge and I am now a huge fan. I got teen vibes of The Change by Kirsten Miller (one of my favorite books). Megan, Megan (Outlaw) and Meghan (Bee) are three teen girls living in rural Montana. The town is a hot bed of misogyny and sexual assault where the men are protected. The three young women come up with a plan to teach the homecoming king a lesson and things spiral out of control. The book was fantastic and I highly recommend it. I might make a shirt with the last line on it. Do yourself a favor and read this book.
5 stars
This was my first book by Clare Edge and I am now a huge fan. I got teen vibes of The Change by Kirsten Miller (one of my favorite books). Megan, Megan (Outlaw) and Meghan (Bee) are three teen girls living in rural Montana. The town is a hot bed of misogyny and sexual assault where the men are protected. The three young women come up with a plan to teach the homecoming king a lesson and things spiral out of control. The book was fantastic and I highly recommend it. I might make a shirt with the last line on it. Do yourself a favor and read this book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This was so good!
Megan, Megan, and Meghan (but don't worry, two of them have nicknames so you can tell them apart) are three girls who have all suffered in different but sadly familiar ways at the hands of the overbearing patriarchy in their small town. When a grizzly bear starts attacking the abusers, they have to band together to figure out what's going on. The twist is PERFECT. 5 stars.
Oh, and obviously I choose the bear.
Megan, Megan, and Meghan (but don't worry, two of them have nicknames so you can tell them apart) are three girls who have all suffered in different but sadly familiar ways at the hands of the overbearing patriarchy in their small town. When a grizzly bear starts attacking the abusers, they have to band together to figure out what's going on. The twist is PERFECT. 5 stars.
Oh, and obviously I choose the bear.
March 11, 2025
THIS BOOK!!!! I don't want to spoil too much (and my god is there stuff to spoil) but this is exactly the book the world deserves right now. I'm calling it right now: The most cathartic read of 2026.
IT WAS THE BEAR.
IT WAS THE BEAR.
March 29, 2025
An absolute bear of a book—this story is fierce and clawed and had me tearing through the pages. I was laughing out loud one moment and raging the next, every scene sharp with emotion—and an ending that absolutely satisfies.
October 17, 2025
Natural Selection by Clare Edge is a stunning and cathartic thriller. The way this book made my feminist heart soar. You all are not ready for the claws-out vengeance headed your way.
Devour this book folks... before it devours you!
Devour this book folks... before it devours you!
September 13, 2025
ALWAYS CHOOSE THE BEAR
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
ARC read - A ferocious and complex literary response to "boys will be boys" in a sports-worshipping small town where women are treated as currency. I think YA readers will really connect with the brilliant, voicey writing here that is set in motion when a friend group decides to take down a predator by making him think there is a bear coming after him in the woods until...an actual bear eats him. Check out the content notes on the author's website (I believe they were in the galley too). Highly recommend!
July 18, 2025
I could not put this novel down. Edge writes with unflinching honesty, never turning away from asking big questions and offering big consequences to her characters. Deeply atmospheric, beautifully told, and funny in all the right moments.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews