31 Mar Book Review: The Cheerleader by Caroline B. Cooney

YA horror from the late 80s and 90s had a very specific charm—there was an addictive mix of high school drama, supernatural horror, and characters making increasingly questionable choices. The Cheerleader by Caroline B. Cooney is one of those books that sticks with you. It is eerie, unsettling, and plays on the fear of being desperate to fit in, only to find yourself in over your head. It is a cautionary tale about the cost of popularity, wrapped in a suspenseful and at times chilling story.

What’s it about?

Althea is just an ordinary high school student—smart, pretty, but not exactly one of the cool kids. She is not unpopular, but she longs to be part of the elite crowd, to be noticed, to be someone special. And in her world, there is no higher status than being a cheerleader. The cheerleaders rule the school with their perfect smiles, their effortless popularity, and their magnetic presence. Althea wants to be one of them more than anything.

Then she meets a mysterious stranger.

One night, she is walking past an abandoned house in her neighborhood when she senses something watching her. The house is rumored to be haunted, an eerie structure with a dark past, but she cannot shake the feeling that something inside it is aware of her presence. Then she hears a voice. It promises her everything she wants—popularity, beauty, attention. All she has to do is invite it into her life.

At first, she is skeptical. But soon, strange things start happening. The next time she tries out for cheerleading, she performs perfectly. The popular girls start noticing her. She begins to change in subtle ways, becoming more confident, more magnetic, more… powerful.

But with every gain comes a cost.

Althea soon realizes that the mysterious presence in the abandoned house is not simply granting her wishes—it is feeding off something. And in order to keep what she has been given, she must provide it with something in return. One by one, people around her start changing. They become weaker, drained, their once vibrant personalities dulling as if something is siphoning their energy away.

Then they start disappearing.

Althea is trapped. She knows she has made a deal with something she does not understand, something dark and ancient. But how can she turn back now? If she stops, she might lose everything—her new life, her new status, her very essence. The cheerleading squad has accepted her, but at what cost? And what will happen when the entity that gave her everything decides it wants more?

As the story unfolds, Althea must make a terrible choice. Does she keep feeding the darkness in exchange for her dreams? Or does she try to stop it, knowing that doing so might cost her everything?

What This Chick Thinks

A high school horror story with real stakes

Unlike some teen horror books that feel campy or predictable, The Cheerleader is genuinely unsettling. It plays on fears that are relatable—wanting to be liked, wanting to belong, wanting to be more than just average. The supernatural horror is woven seamlessly into the everyday world of high school, making it feel all the more real.

A protagonist who makes mistakes but feels real

Althea is not your typical horror heroine. She is not particularly brave or wise, and she makes choices that will frustrate you. But that is what makes her compelling. She is flawed, and her desire for popularity blinds her to the warning signs that something is very, very wrong. Watching her rationalize her actions, even as she realizes the consequences, makes her a more complex character than the usual final girl archetype.

A slow, creeping sense of dread

The novel does not rely on jump scares or excessive gore to create horror. Instead, it builds a slow, creeping sense of unease. At first, everything seems fine—Althea’s life is improving, her wishes are coming true. But little by little, things start to shift, and by the time she realizes what is happening, it is too late to turn back. The horror comes not from outright terror but from the realization that she has willingly let something evil into her life.

A unique take on supernatural horror

Many YA horror novels from this era focused on serial killers, ghosts, or psychological horror, but The Cheerleader feels different. The entity at the heart of the story is never fully explained, which makes it all the more terrifying. It is something old, something hungry, and something that thrives on human ambition and desire. The way it manipulates Althea, making her feel like she is in control when she is really just a pawn, adds to the unsettling atmosphere.

Final Thoughts

The Cheerleader is a chilling and surprisingly deep YA horror novel that goes beyond the usual scares. It is a story about temptation, the cost of ambition, and how far someone is willing to go to get what they want. It takes the familiar high school setting and turns it into something sinister, making the horror feel personal and real.

If you enjoy horror that is more psychological than gory, with an eerie supernatural twist, this is definitely worth reading. It is unsettling in all the right ways, and its themes of popularity and power make it just as relevant today as when it was first published.

Rating: 8.5/10

Try it if you like

• Say Her Name by Juno Dawson – Another YA horror novel that plays with urban legends and supernatural horror in a high school setting.
• The Forbidden Game by L.J. Smith – A mix of supernatural horror and psychological suspense, with a protagonist lured into a deadly game where the stakes are all too real.
• Nightmare Hall by Diane Hoh – Classic YA horror with eerie settings, creepy twists, and the slow realization that something is very, very wrong.