This novel was a quick and easy read. I definitely think I would’ve enjoyed it when I was younger. As I don’t feel I can really relate to the protagonist as I am now (an adult who’s graduated from college), I don’t think I can give this a rating higher than 3 stars. But really I don’t think the book was bad, by any means. I just don’t think I’m the target demographic for it anymore. Which is totally okay. I think for younger readers, maybe 13 - 16, this would be a great novel.

This is not my usual type of book - it is a thriller/ horror story with young protagonists. Nevertheless the story grabbed me and did not let me go until it was finished. I had to restrain myself from flicking to the end to see what happened. I received this as an advance copy from the author via Net Galley and am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a fun thriller.
It had a lot of horror flick vibes.
The characters sometimes made those crazy dumb decisions that makes you mad. lol

It’s an okay read for fall.
I didn’t feel it had much meat, but it wasn’t bad.
Characters are in highschool so it’s hard to relate at times.

It’s good.

WOW! I read a lot of thriller novels and this one might deserve a top spot on the list. It is full of twists and turns around every corner.
Jessa, a perfectionist, throws a sleepover for her friends in her old creepy and possibly haunted house. Also, it comes a big storm. This sets up the perfect setting for a classic YA thriller novel. Jessa and her friends encounter all sorts of unexpected things from unwanted guests to power outages. Also, a killer has been hunting girls in the area. Jessa is next on the killer's list. Jessa and her friends have to stick together and step up if they want to survive the night.
This book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I was constantly trying and failing to correctly guess what was going to happen next. In the end, the whole book made sense once I had the big picture. Also, I found somewhat of a kinship with Jessa in her need for perfection. This adds something to the novel that pulls out a deeper layer than just a mystery novel. Keep in mind that this is a YA horror novel so it has YA themes. However, I loved them. This book is the epitome of a classic sleepover movie with a thriller plot twist. I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of YA thrillers.
Thank you to NetGalley for my early copy. These are my own opinions.

Tracy Banghart's "Perfect Girl" offers a brisk, fast-paced read that feels surprisingly swift for its 300 pages. The narrative moves quickly, but unfortunately, it feels overstuffed with thriller tropes, which might overwhelm readers looking for a more focused plot.

The story throws a multitude of classic thriller elements into the mix: a murderer targeting teenage girls, a freak storm, isolation in the woods with no cell service, a stalker, an abusive boyfriend, and even a haunted house. While these components can create tension, their sheer number in this book felt excessive and diluted the impact of each element. The primary plot line of a murderer on the loose could have carried the story effectively without the additional layers.

Some plot points stretch believability, such as the protagonist's mother turning off her phone during a severe storm with her children home alone, and the lack of concern from other parents about their kids in such dangerous conditions. These choices pulled me out of the narrative, making it hard to stay fully engaged.

Additionally, the shift in narrative focus to a different group of abducted girls seemed unnecessary. Their story arc didn’t contribute significantly beyond a brief encounter with the protagonist, making it feel like an extraneous addition rather than an integral part of the plot.

Despite these issues, "Perfect Girl" does have its merits. The quick pace kept me turning the pages, and the tension was palpable, though the overall execution fell short for me. While the book ultimately didn’t hit the mark, readers who enjoy a fast-moving thriller with multiple layers of suspense might still find it engaging.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC of Perfect Girl by Tracy Banghart.

There was so many components of this books that I loved, the plot, the dual storyline that overlaps, and the imagery she weaves throughout. Although I'm not considered a YA, this book hit all the right notes and kept me interested. I loved that she used a girls sleepover to set the stage for a horror book. It gives me Pretty Little Liar vibes mixed with I Know What You Did Last Summer. It's a easy and quick read but entertaining.

I look forward to reading more from this author.

Great read! The cute, pink cover is what initially drew me in with picking this ARC. I’m glad I did! I didn’t realize it was YA, but I still very much enjoyed reading it!

What drew me in: the pink cover, the premise of a "perfect girl" (aka overachiever rule follower) and the idea of a YA horror/thriller. This book delivered on all of them, but in a sort of underwhelming way.

I'll start with the things I did like: the book was a very quick read, taking me less than 2 hours, so it's a very easy thing for someone to pick up and read in one sitting. I loved that the main character being an overachiever and rule-follower who really relied on her glasses (very relatable on all those fronts). I also found the inclusion of so many characters at this sleepover interesting, as we got fun sleepover vibes. Lastly, I love that this was a YA book as I feel like many horror/thriller books are for adults--this was slightly less scary and is a good fit for the teenage demographic.

My iPad formatting made this book 206 pages, and it took over 70 pages for all the characters to get to the house where the majority of the action takes place. The whole build-up of Jessa and all her friends making plans to meet and the side plot of flashbacks of another girl made the start feel really slow. Once the night started, it didn't feel very thrilling or adventure-y, people just kept getting lost and Jessa ran around trying to find them.

The side plot with the Bella flashbacks felt a bit irrelevant. It really set the tone for the story to be dark and creepy, but didn't have much to do with the main plot. I think it could have made for a great reveal if Bella identified some major characteristic of our antagonist that allowed to reader to figure out who the abductor was before Jessa did.

Otherwise, some of the points of the climax felt super stereotypical/cliche/random (the supernatural element especially!) and that took me out of the story. That being said, I was still very invested and read the whole book in one sitting. I recommend this for any YA thriller readers who want a quick and enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley + Macmillian for the ARC

This was a fast-paced YA thriller that I couldn’t put down once I started reading. There were some predictable parts and some “too convenient” parts, but I really enjoyed it overall because it was nothing I couldn’t overlook.

I have mixed feelings about the flashes with Bella. On the one hand, they took me out of the story, but then it made sense when it came together in the end.

Perfect Girl was such a fun read. The story line was filled with action, mystery and a little bit of flashback. I loved that it took place on a stormy night, no power or phone lines, and during a sleepover with 4 friends. Jessa was a fun mc and I loved how we were privy to her inner dialogue and always struggling to live up to everyone's perfection standards. The story had a little bit of romance, but not so much to distract from the main storyline.

It was perfectly geared towards a YA reader, but still enjoyable for adults. Definitely recommending this one to my HS nieces.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Review was shared 8/4/24 on Goodreads.

3.5⭐️

ARC kindly provided by publisher via NetGally in exchange for an honest review.

this was a fast paced and well written YA Thriller. i’m a bit of a scaredy cat, so this was this perfect level of intensity for me and had me on the edge of my seat!

Book:
PERFECT GIRL by Tracy Banghart
Thank you Netgalley, the publisher, and Tracy for the ARC (Nov 19)

Review:
5⭐
Talk about an edge-of-your-seat thriller. What a book. Tracy killed it with this. Mystery, thrills, psychos, it was all top-notch.
PERFECT GIRL follows Jessa, known as a perfect girl One night, while her parents are away, Jessa has a sleepover with her friends. With missing girls from a town a half an hour away, it's better to stay together. And then the unthinkable happens, unknown visitors, creepy people,etc.
To me, this book is the epitome of a great mystery---though this could be described as more thrilling. I really liked the before chapters that were interwoven with what was happening in the present Also, I totally called the whodunnit before the whodunnits did more.
The added pov really added to the story.I loved how the characters were portrayed in the beginning, and how the characters were newly portrayed at the end---how everything rounded on itself around people not being who you expected. Definitely a must read.

Well that was certainly interesting! A super fast paced YA book, Perfect Girl focuses on Jessa overcoming her internal struggle with being perfect as her and her friends find themselves in a struggle to survive.

This was a bit up and down for me. I’m not a big fan of books that make too much of a point to talk about the time period they’re set, and by the 3rd chapter or so I was very sick of the way covid was mentioned so much. It got better over time, but I didn’t love it.

The mystery of the missing girls and the situation with Jessa’s friends was honestly pretty interesting if not super surprising once things started to unfold. I think a lot of budding horror/thriller fans would enjoy this.

4.5 stars rounded up. This isn’t my normal genre to read, but I really enjoyed it. I was kept on the edge of my seat, even if some of the twists were somewhat predictable.

I’d say the writing and dialogue sounded cheesy and immature, but that’s kind of on brand as the main character is 16.

Despite that the book DID entertain me and if I was like 13-15, I would have REALLY enjoyed this book.
I would say this book would do very well targeting a middle school - early high school level of reading.

This book was reminiscent of early 2000s sleepover/horror movie plots and was a fun little throw back. Reminded me of a mixture of the movies Scream and Sleepover.


Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review 🫶🏼

2.8/5⭐️

I had no idea what to expect going in when I got approved for this ARC, but what I ended up getting was a fast-paced thriller with an enthralling plot. Yes, it does have heavier themes, but this very much reads as a YA novel. The teens acted like teens, not adults in their early twenties, and it didn’t go too far over the top with the action. I thought this was such a great, fast read. It was easy to follow, and I loved the thrilling elements that kept me on the edge of my seat. I found myself wanting to keep reaching back for the book every time I had to put it down, which is always a good sign that I'm loving it. Overall, I absolutely loved this read and will definitely check out more of Tracy's books in the future!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book!

This books was great! The characters and the plot are well written and interesting. The story is interesting and I would definitely read it again.

I enjoyed The Perfect Girl. To be honest, when I first requested it I wasn't aware it was a YA novel. It surprised me though in the best way! I could see it on the big screen. It reads faced paced and is entertaining! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

Jessa Morgan is known as the polite, organized, ultimate yes-girl. Perfect Jessa, never does anything wrong, and that’s how she likes it. The keeper of peace.

Jessa invites her friends over for a sleepover when her parents are attending a party in town. It starts to storm really bad and the power goes out. Jessa is doing all she can to keep the peace with her friends, but some things they just need to get off their chest. Unwanted guests start showing up, and when Jessa finds herself in a situation where she has to decide if she should be herself or put the good girl aside and stand up for herself in the name of life or death.

I love YA, and even though I didn’t hate this book, I did find myself forcing myself to reach for it. Every time I’d start reading it, I’d start to get more into it, but then I’d break and it’d take me forever to pick it back up.m. I gave it 3 stars. I just felt like it was extremely slow in the beginning. With Thriller/Horror, I always expect there to be a WOW within the first couple of chapters. It took some time, but I’m glad I stuck it out. I enjoyed seeing how everyone came together in the end after such a time they went through. Their bonds were unbreakable by then and it was nice for redemption!

Thank you Feiwel & Friends, as well as NetGalley for the ARC of Perfect Girl by Tracy Banghart. All words and reviews are my honest thoughts.

Teens sleepover goes seriously wrong. If you love classic horror movies you'll really loved this. The characters were all interesting and well written. I liked the focus of Jessa and how being “perfect” affects her friends as well as herself. The writing is very good. This was a quick and easy read that I recommend.