Mean Girls meets Diana Urban in this fun twist on the YA murder mystery genre.

This was an intriguing read, beautifully balanced with a deep, honest portrayal of depression and suicide. Initially, the stereotypes of teen girls gave me pause and made me wonder if I already knew whodunnit and why--but I had the sneaking suspicion that Cindy He had a twist up her sleeve, and boy did she. Most of my theories were proved wrong a little over halfway, and she did a great job keeping me guessing in the last half of the book. The writing is also slick and perfect for the genre.

Highly recommend this fast-paced mystery with a thoughtful examination of mental health, and the things that drive us to our worst selves. Would recommend to lovers of YA mysteries.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for this arc.

4.5 stars out of 5!

Cindy R.X. He KILLS with her dark, twisty debut YA Thriller!

When Dawn and her parents move in with her aunt back in their hometown following unfortunate events in sunny California, Dawn is nervous to start over. She knows who she's been in the past, and she desperately wants to be a better version of herself. After joining the cheer squad, she's force into friendship with Ella, the queen bee, and her clique of cheerleaders. Dawn knows these girls. She's been around girls like these before, and she keeps her friendships at surface level, but with a desire to fit in, she hangs around them. Following a party at Ella's house, everything starts going wrong. Now, one of her new friends is dead, and everybody is a suspect.

Dawn meets Isaac, who's got a hidden past of his own, and finds herself drawn to him and his story, believing it's connected to her new, so-called, friends. As Dawn and her friend Raquel embark on an investigation of their own to figure out who killed the queen, she grows closer and closer to the dangers of being "in" with the popular girls. Someone is a killer, and everyone has secrets.

Told through two points of views, this story follows two girls who know the consequences of bullying, and takes a deep dive into heavy topics. This YA Thriller is dark, twisty and unpredictable. Truly, an impressive debut novel by Cindy. R.X. He.

Let me start my thoughts out with: WOW.

Seriously, WOW.

I love debut authors with a passion. YA Thrillers, in general, are my absolute favorites, so when going into any new book, I have high expectations for both the book and myself. I love trying to solve the mystery.

Within seconds, I believed I had this one figured out. I thought to myself, "if this is anything like what I've read in the past... this might just be a very predictable book."

BUT I WAS WRONG.

This book does give you that shock factor that will have you gasping towards the end once the truth is revealed, and I won't spoil it for you, but it was a damn good twist. I didn't see it coming at all.

This book is mean girls meets murder, and I'm HERE for it. Similarly to The Burning by Laura Bates, this book touches on very important, heavy topics that are faced by many. High school can be rough. This book has trigger warnings in the front of the book, which isn't something you always see in YA Thrillers, but I would definitely recommend that they are read before going into this book. With heavy topics like S*icide, this book is definitely one of the heavier YA novels I've read, but also one of most courageous pieces I've read in a long time.

Other topics include depression, mental illness, eating disorders, body image, and more. I highly recommend reading the author's note before reading.

I don't think there were many likable characters in this story, which may deter some of you, but it's one of my favorite styles when reading YA. The truth about teenagers is that they are, mostly, unlikable, even if they're good. Teenagers have unlikeable traits, and I find that it makes the book feel more authentic.

I loved Cindy's style of writing. Going back and forth between the two POVs heightened the experience, and thoroughly added into the fun of trying to figure out "who done it." Even though I was wrong. The whole time. Every time I changed my answer. Wrong. Wrong. and wrong again.

All in all, this book was extremely heavy, dark and twisted, and incredibly well written. Cindy R.X. He is going to SMASH this release and show all of YA Thriller readers HOW. IT's. DONE. Seriously, this is an impressive book that I know deserves and will receive lots of attention and phenomenal conversations. Well done.

I'm looking forward to reading more work by this author. Fans of Josephine Angelini, Laura Bates, and Holly Jackson are sure to love this outstanding debut by Cindy R.X. He.

Thanks to Cindy R.X. He and Sourcebook Fire for this advanced reader's copy of Perfect Little Monsters.

Perfect Mean Girls meets suspenseful thriller! Read like an adult book, or rather captured my attention unlike most YAs! Very well written, loved the characters & the plot so much. Would definitely read more by this author!

This was a book about mean being doing mean things.

I had fun and enjoyed myself, but it just has this air of misery to it.

Nevertheless, it is spectacularly written and and wild ride!

What a crazy, wild ride this book was! I was way off in what I thought was happening, and I love that! The twist was one of the better ones I have read in a long time. As it got close to reveal, I started guessing it and was still so shook when it came! I loved the awful, unrelatable high school “mean girls” and how it’s a story that highlights the effects these bullies have on others. High school can be a tough part of life for many and so fun and easy for others, this book gives you a sneak peek into both aspects. For a YA book, this one nailed it! There were also some thoroughly creepy parts that had me so scared! I also loved the acknowledgement section and reading about the authors own troubles with bullying and suicidal ideations. I would recommend reading trigger warnings before this one.

Dawn just moved her senior year with her family from California to live with her aunt in Wisconsin. Dawn and her family were in a car accident and her parent's have suffered some injuries. Dawn tries out for the cheer squad and is invited to a pool party at one of the cheerleader's homes. The next day, that cheerleader is found dead. Trying to clear her name, Dawn starts looking into the other people who were at the party to find who was responsible. In alternating chapters, we learn about Hannah who three years earlier tries out as freshman to be cheerleader along with the same girls who were at the pool party. Besides Dawn and Hannah, the current cheerleaders are a group of mean girls and it seems they all have something to hide.

Great Young Adult book. Well written, realistic characters. Fast paced snd easy to read. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

I read PERFECT LITTLE MONSTERS in a single sitting, which led to me gasping a whole lot and also having sore limbs because I forgot to move for so long. Truly, I was glued to my couch! Aside from being a total page-turner, though, this is also just such a smart YA thriller. The twists and foreshadowing were done incredibly, and the themes of bullying really resonated with me as someone who is still dealing with the aftermath of getting bullied—years later. You can't trust anything about this book except for this: Cindy R.X. He is an author to watch!

This is a truly dark version of Mean Girls, if Cady got her revenge instead of breaking apart her crown.

The POV chapters make the twist more twisty, not that it wasn't super predictable or unexpected, it just made it more enjoyable to read. The story wasn't overly complicated and made for a quick read.

fantastic thriller, thanks for the ARC. I'd say the weakest point is the twist, which isn't usually good for a thriller book to have as the weak point, but this one works well even with that. thanks for the arc.

I am recommending this book for purchase because I see so many positive reviews for it, whereas I thought it was a remake of a remake on the "mean girl" gets her due.

The writing was good and pacing was good, but it felt, to me, as though this book has been written in so many prior books. The subject matter did not feel original and the "take" on the subject matter did not feel original.

However, plenty of other reviewers seemed to like it - and I am going to go with them on this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC! When the high school “queen bee” is murdered at her own party, everyone around her - even her closest friends - are suspects. This was described as YA, but it definitely had some dark truths sprinkled throughout. Check out the trigger warnings before. I enjoyed it.

Shout out to NetGalley, Author: Cindy He, and Publisher: SOURCEBOOKS Fire for an eARC of Perfect Little Monsters in exchange for my honest review!

This was a fast-paced, dark and twisty thriller that centers on our MC's experience with being bullied in school. We all know those "mean girls" that make other girls lives' miserable in middle/high school.

The author did a good job at disclosing touchy subject matter, and that topic of suicide is discussed throughout.

Definitely recommend and can't wait to read more from this author!!

Never have I read a book about bullying that resonated so much. This book is a lot, I would consider reading the trigger warnings. Our story begins following Dawn Foster and her life after join the coveted cheer squad led by queen bee Ella. Ella winds up dead sending Dawn on a path of destruction. You will never guess who the killer is. I’m still shocked at the ending and the bad part is I was rooting for the villain the whole time. I would love a sequel to follow our killer.

This book kept me guessing until the very last minute. Yes, it’s a totally enjoyable YA mystery/thriller, but it also takes a hard look at some of the difficult aspects of the high school experience. The fact that none of these characters were the squeaky clean teenager, made this book into what it was, and ultimately more believable.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for providing me with an arc of this book!

*Light spoilers*
Perfect Little Monsters is a standalone YA novel about a group of cheerleaders in high school who discover that one of their friends was murdered and they are all suspects.

When I first started reading this book, it felt so overdone and stereotypically high school that I nearly dnf-ed it, but luckily I stayed until the end. While I was able to see the twist at the end coming, I did think it was really well done. One of my favorite elements was the unreliable narration---it added a lot of tension to the story when you find out in the end who Dawn really is. It was a super accessible read, and I breezed through it. After I finished it initially, I wanted to rate it something closer to 2/5 stars, but after sitting with it a few days, I realized that I was unable to stop thinking about it, so for that reason I give it 4/5 stars. It was a super enjoyable and quick murder mystery!

This book was exactly what I needed from a YA mystery. Sometimes YA mystery comes off a little too cookie cutter and this book really had me guessing until the end. I loved the alternate chapters and getting the fresh viewpoint back and forth. So much of this left me on the edge of my seat!

When I sat down to read Perfect Little Monsters by Cindy R.X. He, I had no idea it would put me in a chokehold like that. One day after starting it, I finished it. It was that good, that compelling, that I just *had* to know what was going to happen next. What an excellent book that I will be talking about for a long time!!
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From a craft perspective, this book is a freaking delight. It’s fast paced without sacrificing the thoroughness required of any thriller, there are fantastic breadcrumbs sprinkled throughout that peak your intrigue, and the dual POV work in this one is just great.
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The plot itself is also fantastic: the queen bee at the high school is found dead, but who did it? Lots of people at Sierton High wanted the meanest girl around gone, and our main character, Dawn, is determined to find out who’s behind the murder. It’s very hard to go deep into a thriller plot without spoiling it so I will say that this book is full of the best kind of twists and turns. Whew the way I was turning pages!! It is impossible to put down. What a stellar debut novel from Cindy - this YA thriller is a must have when it releases on May 7.

I’m becoming more addicted to YA thrillers and I’m not ashamed! This book shook me! I think because it’s more realistic and could happen that made it more scary honestly. This was so well written and enthralling. Looking forward to more by this author!!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital arc!

This was YA teen thriller done right in every way. There were some really heavy topics (I’ll make a brief list below for TW), but it was DAMN good.

TW: self harm, suicide, eating disorders, bullying