2.75 stars

Based on the cover and the blurb I was expecting this to be a YA "Scream" type slasher whodunnit, and it really was not that. We're following Jessa, who strives to be the perfect girl but also feels immense pressure, the night of a sleepover when her power goes out and things start going terribly awry. There aren't any red herrings or mystery to who is behind everything, and it feels like the main characters are never really in as much danger as the flashback side characters who went missing before the book started, so I wasn't as invested in the outcomes as I hope to be in thriller/horror books. 

It read like young YA, and I think a young teen just getting into darker stories would have a great time with it, but the amount of Serious Topics TM that just got a very light inclusion in here without much depth will likely frustrate adult readers. Which, fair, because this is not for us. The villain and methods were pretty creepy, but I was disappointed at the lack of background information or explanation for their motives. All in all, this wasn't a bad book, it just wasn't for me. If you know a kid looking to read something creepy without worrying too much if everyone will make it to the school dance afterward, this is for them. Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Perfect Girl by Tracy Banghart has an intriguing premise, but it didn’t deliver for me. The characters felt underdeveloped, making it hard to connect with their journeys, and the pacing was uneven, with a rushed resolution. While there were glimpses of potential, the story lacked the emotional depth and impact I was hoping for.

Jessa is every parent's perfect kid. Responsible, polite, etc. She has friends over for the night, and all hell breaks loose. I don't want to say too much, as I would hate to ruin all the twists, but it was quite the adventure.

It was, I will admit, a little slow to begin with, and the jumping between time periods threw me a little, but once we got into the meat of it, I quite literally couldn't put it down. Like, read in one sitting, ignored minor responsibilities like cleaning for it.

I enjoyed the protag, I enjoyed her friends, the love interest was kinda meh but that wasn't super the point, at least not to my impression, so that's passable.

If you want a...not unconventional, but actually like super conventional protag that has to become unconventional to survive the night, this is a good option for you.

Good thriller read. Thought the story line was interesting and the author had me guessing on what was actually going on! Definitely had good tension and perfect creepy vibes! Also found myself wondering how I would react in the same situation!

The quote saying "cat and mouse game" is so spot on and that was what I read it for! I love a book with that 'trope', it's so much fun! This was so good and I'm buying it for a friend for Christmas!

This was so fun to read! Just when I thought I knew the answers, another twist would come. I loved the characters and I was never bored reading. Will definitely read more from Tracy!

Not bad. Good thriller for middle to high schoolers but wouldn't really recommend for older than that audience. The story wasn't bad and at times it was thrilling but there were so many side characters that it kind of took away from the mains story a little. Plus her big scene where she reveals why she can't be "perfect" fell a little flat because right after a side character makes fun of it and says she's needs to disappoint people. I think that scene should've happened a little earlier instead of where it did. Also I do believe maybe some more scenes with David or ashley while captured should've happened since while it's not bad that it was obviously meant to be him I feel like we knew nothing about it. And the ghost thing honestly was meh

The main character irritated me, but then I remembered that she obviously has anxiety, OCD, etc and that her mother and grandmother has created a lot of her internal problems (...I wanted contacts, but my mom said I look smarter in glasses). Once I started thinking about this, she became a better character to me. The story was a bit of a thriller and I think teens will appreciate it more that I did. I will probably purchase for my high school library.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the arc.

Jessa has always been the “perfect girl”, following all the rules, never shirking her responsibilities. But this perfect girl status now has her and her friends at the most horrifying sleepover of their lives.

First of all, the cover of this book is great. It got me interested right away. The book itself was definitely scary, and Jessa and her friends are characters to root for. While the story didn’t entirely grab me the way others in this genre have (maybe I called the twist too early?), the absolute creepiness of it all kept me reading and I’m glad I did.

If you are looking for a quick scary young adult read filled with compelling characters, I would recommend this book.

Sadly I had to DNF this book because it got too scary for me! I did really enjoy the writing style and suspense though out everything that I read!

The premise of this book intrigued me, and I was excited to give it a read! For me, the first part of the book was a bit slow, and it took me a moment to get into the story, but as the book continued, I found myself sucked in and unable to put it down. The story had a good setting, and the twists were carried out in ways that kept me guessing.

This was a really weird one. Although I was really into it, it wasn’t actually thrilling. Like it told this weird ass story in such a laid back way. And it confused the hell out of me. When i explain this to my YA librarians I have no idea what I’m going to say lol It was a thriller, but not till like half of it was gone? Idk lol

I think the reason it was so weird was because of the characters. The main character was so prim and proper and a parent’s girlie. And her friend and her brother were both asshats. I’m not gonna lie, I thought everyone in this book was terrible. Literally none of them should have been by themselves because they were all childish af.

The plot was ok, but it was like an episode of Criminal Minds. I will say it took forever for something to happen. I was getting bored with them sitting in their basement. And I was disappointed that the ghost really had nothing to do with anything lol But when things finally got started, I gotta say, that shit was weird lol It did get predictable. If you’ve read enough thrillers or you watch Criminal Minds, one event will happen and you will know exactly whodunit.

I don’t want to say anything else about this so I don’t cause any spoilers, but Lordt. Just know that I liked it but I also hated it? I went through so many emotions reading this. But I was never scared, which was unfortunate. The writing style and the characters were terrible, but this wasn’t all bad. Definitely worth a read if you can ignore some of these things.


Real Rating 3.5

I enjoyed this book, especially as someone who loves Halloween but doesn’t like scary horror. The author gave enough clues to piece together good guesses and also wove in the personal character growth that went along well with the story. There were a couple points where the pacing was a little difficult - the kiss with the love interest and the beginning - but otherwise the plot moved well. I enjoyed the mini chapters that followed the disappearance of the last girl who got kidnapped. Gave me goosebumps!

Definitely a great thriller with tons of suspense and build up. I love the little romance thrown in there. It very relatable to a lot of people, it was pretty face paced. This was a great YA horror/thriller. Choices weren’t the greatest at time but that’s what makes the story interesting for us. Plus i love this cover!

Wow, great book Ms. Banghart. Definitely some thriller, mystery, suspense, vibes mixed in with a little romance. Definitely had some twists in there, and good thing I read this one during the day. Do not recommend reading on a stormy night, as it will definitely give you the willies. Jessa has always been the perfect girl. She never did anything wrong. When Jessa decides a sleepover is a good idea when mom is away, it ended up not being the perfect idea. An ex-best friend with an abusive boyfriend, some friends, and a creepy neighbor down the street, make up the mix. The storm topped off the night, as well as a little haunting from a murdered girl. Thanks to Ms. Banghart, Feiwel & Friends, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this book. I will be buying a copy for our classroom library.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Always the perfect girl and abiding by the rules, Jessa is finally allowed to have a sleepover when her parents aren't home.

But when extra guests arrive, and a storm knocks the power out, strange things begin to happen in the neighborhood.

Quite a few twists and turns that made for a fun read.

Perfect Girl starts off more like a YA romance novel rather than the promised thriller, making the first third of the book quite slow and unengaging. While the pacing picks up significantly in the later chapters, particularly around the 80% mark, much of the middle section drags. The book does benefit from a quick, easy-to-read writing style, but the numerous flashback chapters feel unnecessary and don't add meaningful value to the main storyline. Overall, the book fails to deliver on its thriller premise until very late in the story, making it a somewhat disappointing read for those expecting suspense from the beginning.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I was so surprised by every chapter and was always wondering what would happen next. This was my first book by the author and I’ll definitely be reading more.

Solid 3.5 star book. It had the creepy factor that everyone wants during spooky season coupled with an unhinged mother and son duo. It was scary, relatable, and it definitely had that true crime feel. Honestly, reading the book kind of felt like an episode of criminal minds, without Spencer of course. But really, it was a quick & easy read. I did enjoy it from beginning to end.

Moral of the story, don’t take rides from strangers! Oh, and it’s okay to also color outside the lines! Perfection is not attainable & clearly not very fun.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Perfect Girl is your standard YA thriller. It was a fun, keep your attention popcorn thriller. Love the sleepover setting with friendship tensions while fighting for survival. The pacing was good, there were some good scary moments and the twists while predictable was engaging.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.