I really really wanted to like this one. The plot, the cover, the characters. I was ready for a new favorite thriller. However, I really struggled to get into the story and I found myself not like the MC that much which will usually help me if I’m not loving the pacing of a story. So it was hard to get through this one and I struggled at times not to DNF. The premise was interesting enough though so I would like to try the author again maybe for a different book.

As soon as I heard this was about the daughter of a serial killer I had to get it in my hands immediately. I couldn’t exactly get into it when I was trying to read it with my eyes, but I finished it so much faster when I was reading it with my ears. And it just so happened I finished this on Halloween which made it even better.

So the mystery in this was crazy lol It was all over the place. And the craziest part was the family? They were so weird yo lol Everytime we found out something else about one of her family members I felt my mom dropping further and further. All of them had something that they should have unpacked before the next I guess phase in their life, but they didn’t. And real people were harmed because of it.

The culprit tho?! If you’re one of the ones who tries to guess who did it before, you can definitely figure out who did it, because I did. HOWEVER, I didn’t figure it out until the chapter or two before it was revealed. It was But I did feel weird af when it was revealed. But only because of the reasoning. I didn’t think the other person was involved at all, but they were and I hated it. Can’t we get something like this without the event that took place between the two?

I’m pretty sure I loved this because I love true crime so much. And let me tell you, this was definitely like I was looking at a tv show. It had so many twists and turns and it was all over the place. And the way the drama all played out was hella crazy. I was like biting my nails off when shit started to hit the fan. It was a mess lol

This was good enough for me to look up all the other things that Megan wrote. So basically I added another book to my TBR. True Crime in a book is all I needed to know. Give me everything now lol

This was an okay YA murder mystery. There were definitely parts I liked, twists I didn't see coming and an open ending that fit the creepy vibe. I mostly struggled with the main character Bettina, who was mean even to the one person who wanted to be her friend. She had been through a lot and I can understand being defensive, but it was too much at times and it was hard to root for her.

The plot had some parts that were a bit too unbelievable or not well explained. The whole 'Smiley Face Killer' thing, why do we not know more about that??

I was entertained and the pacing is super quick, so not a bad read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Holiday House and NetGalley for the copy.
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I really enjoyed this book! It was a captivating read that held my attention from start to finish. The story was well-paced, and the characters felt real and engaging. I’m grateful to the publisher for providing an early copy—it was a pleasure to read!

Setting: North Carolina
Rep: n/a

This was a super basic ya thriller. I read it because someone mentioned the girls falling in love but that's not true, no queerness here, and also literally nothing about Bett's character felt like old money - she came off as poor and kind of deprived which was weird. Boring.

What a fun YA thriller to read! It gave me an older version of Nancy drew vibes. It serves just the right amount of thrill along with a sweet developing friendship. Hope to read another book with this pair solving crimes.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Holiday House for access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

what's it about? ⬇️

The Smiley Face Killer has been behind bars for a decade now. Bettina would know that better than most, considering he's her father. The media surrounding her convicted serial killer father has followed her every day of her life since he was finally caught after killing her mother ten years ago--podcasts, an upcoming documentary series even her estranged aunt is taking part in, and the worst of all, the walking tour her ex-best friend's mother set up as a way to make an extra buck at her family's expense. But all and all, Bett and her grandparents are doing all right. She does her best to behave and not cause any problems for them, and they all avoid looking too hard at the darkness of their collective pasts.

But when she's stuck traipsing home through the woods one night to avoid being caught breaking curfew, Bett finds a body. A body that looks just like her mother. A body out here in the same woods where another of her father's victims was found all those years ago. A body that turns out to bear the same wounds and markings as the other Smiley Face Killer victims. But how is that possible?

When it seems like everything in her world is about to be turned over on it's head, Bett decides that she's going to figure this out for herself the way the cops in town couldn't before. And despite their differences, she ends up teaming up with Eugenia Clark, the local Undertaker's daughter who has always been made fun of behind her back for being too bookish and pale and weird. Is this a copycat killer following in her dad's footsteps, or has her father potentially been innocent all along like her aunt claims? Can the girls solve the mystery of this new string of killings, or will they find themselves under the Smiley Face Killer's knife before they can crack the case?

my thoughts? ⬇️

Was this book perfect? No. But did I have an incredible time reading it? Absolutely yes. I flew through this one in like a day and a half and I enjoyed every second of it. The characters were all messy and flawed and selfish just like you'd expect a pack of teenagers to be, and even the adults in town came with their own messiness, and as I've said a million times before: there's almost nothing I love more than a messy, flawed character.

One of the biggest compliments I think I can give this book is on the pacing. The beginning gave us just enough time to understand how Bett had been handling things the last ten years and gave us just a glimpse of the person she has chosen to become and her little coping mechanisms--healthy and incredibly unhealthy--that help her get through the day. The action started up very early on and never really let up, and the way the mystery was slowly revealed piece by piece was such a fun time. Also, the plot twist!? It had me messed up for a few minutes there.

But the place where I think this book truly shines is in the relationship between Bett and Eugenia. They're both their own people with their own reasons to look into what's happening in town, they aren't friends at first, and they're both just teenage girls who make mistakes. But they learn first to work together, and then to get along, and finally to love one another, and even when they make the wrong choices or mess up along the way, they still take care of each other, still protect one another from the increasing dangers around them.

Dead Girls Talking was such a fun read, and I genuinely think it's one that I would happily revisit one day...especially for spooky season!

based on your likes? ⬇️

If you enjoyed any of these, I think Dead Girls Talking would be great for you (and vice versa!).

😱 Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey - horror, serial killer dad, small town mystery, a paranormal touch.
😱 The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson - thriller, long dead mother suddenly returns in the middle of filming a documentary on her case, female rage, small town mystery, *messy* characters.
😱 The Burned Photo by QCODE Media - horror podcast, dead mother trauma, paranormal mystery, female rage, messy characters.
😱 Sadie by Courtney Summers - thriller, messy teenage girl with trauma, revenge seeking, female rage, podcast/media inclusion, an impossible mystery.
😱Out of the Fire by Andrea Contos - thriller, messy teenage girls with trauma, revenge seeking, female rage, powerful female friendships.

trigger warnings ⬇️

death of a parent, child death, death of pregnant woman (mentioned), murder, violence, death, blood, gore, injury/injury detail, physical abuse, domestic abuse (mentioned multiple times), emotional abuse, gaslighting, grief, vomit, toxic relationship, toxic friendship, sexual harassment, sexual content, misogyny, sexism, panic attacks, infidelity, bullying, media abuse, alcohol.

DNF @10% - I don’t have much to say. The writing just completely put me off. That’s all I have to say. I can’t fully explain it. I just really didn’t mesh with it..

intense, ominous, dramatic, a worth it read to anyone and everyone who's up to read it. take a look!

Phewww the way I had to drag myself through this one 🥲. I’m actually really disappointed. I waited and saved this one to read during spooky season for optimal enjoyment factor and it truly just fell flat for me. I thought the main focus was going to be the serial killer (which is always fascinating) but no, I really focused on the very unlikeable MC who is mean because her mom was murdered. Her “sidekick” Eugenia was way more interesting and the story probably would have been more fun is it was from her pov but unfortunately it wasn’t and I found the story so boring.

The blurb from a fav author of mine also really sold this and now I’m wondering if we read the same book??

Anyway, I’m really sad I couldn’t get into this one but maybe you’ll enjoy it more than I did 🥲.

I want to get a positive out straight away. I really enjoyed this twist ending. I had a pretty good idea where the story was going, but Peterson managed to rug sweep me, and even leave a crack in the door for a potential follow up someday.

Do I want to read a follow up? No, I don't.

The premise here is pretty great. A teenage girl whose mother was murdered by her father when she was 6 years old, and she was the only witness, who testified against him and send him to prison. That's not a unique plot, but it's still a fun one.

He even gets a moniker, which is strange, because those are generally reserved for serial killers. Solo killers don't usually get a nickname.

10 years later, women who look a lot like her mother start turning up dead, in the same manner, and Bettina befriends the local undertaker's daughter to solve the crime that the police aren't even remotely interested in.

Doesn't that sound really cool?

Sigh.

The biggest issue for me is the writing style. I still enjoy YA, though I've gotten pretty far outside of the genre with my enormous reading slump. I've always said YA authors work harder than adult authors, to keep the attention of a reader of any age.

This author...I mean, I think no, wait, I'm wrong. I thought she was a fairly new writer, she has published quite a few books. Damn. Okay, my excuses are failing me.

We bounce from paper thin writing to suddenly a completely random pop of purple prose dropped in, followed by more paper thin writing. It's like drawing with crayons on printer paper then suddenly using a splash of water color. It doesn't fit.

Cover, concept and book all right up my alley. Just fab, loved it. Publishers, more like this please.

A bit of a jumbled & chaotic start, but the ending had me locked in. Bettina as a character really confused me, but I loved Eugenia.

Fairly standard "my dad killed someone" narrative. I understand the compulsion to explore this dynamic. But it invariably means investigating weird gruesome murders and often leads to rather ridiculous realities. This one doesn't do much for me. Fairly over the top and not especially believable with characters that aren't especially deep

Unfortunately this book is not for me. I was not grasped by the plot and didn’t really care. The characters seemed very unfinished.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!
Bett is definitely on the struggle bus in the parent department, as her potential serial killer father is in prison for killing her mother. Things continue to go haywire when more murders in the same style start happening. Everyone is a suspect, and they all seem guilty. A truly satisfying ending that I did not see coming makes this a great read!

When Bettina was 6 her father murdered her mother. She saw him coming out of their room after the murder, and testified against him. 10 years later, she's still hounded by true crime fans who insist her father was innocent, especially since 2 new bodies have shown up with the same facial carvings. Was her father the killer, or is this a copycat? Bettina teams up with the weird girl whose family runs the town funeral home to figure out once and for all what actually happened to her mother. This was a great YA mystery. It moved quick, and I was never bored. I was never quiet sure who was guilty and who was innocent, but I did wish for a little more at the ending. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Dead Girls Talking by Megan Cooleu Peterson is a riveting and original exploration of life, death, and the mysteries in between. Peterson’s inventive storytelling and strong character voices create an engaging narrative that blends suspense with emotional depth. The novel’s fresh perspective and gripping plot make it a standout read in the genre.

Your father is a serial killer, your mother his last victim and the small town it all took place in will never let you forget, but something has changed, there’s a copy cat murderer on the prowl and it forces bett to look closer into everything. After once again being thrown into the limelight for all the wrong reasons, neither the police or the news are interested in what a young teen girl has to say. Bett develops a odd friendship with the town morticians daughter, between them they dig deep and investigate the crimes, both past and present and search for the truth the adults in town are hiding.

Overall I really enjoyed the story, the plot twist was a bit predictable but it was a quick addictive read! This story reminded me a lot of the vibes of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and the Reappearance of Rachel Price! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book!