🎀Book Review🎀
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Summary- Jessa has been raised to be the “perfect girl.” She is unfailingly polite, never rocks the boat, and always follows the rules—no matter what. Her friends love to give her a hard time for being such a goody two-shoes, but Jessa likes it this way. She knows what's expected of her, and she's happy to be the person her parents (and society) want.

When a freak storm takes out the power during a sleepover at Jessa’s creepy, old house, things go south before the pizza gets cold. Her friends are at each other’s throats, unexpected guests keep showing up (some more welcome than others), and it’s not just her brother serving up jump scares. A killer looking for the perfect girl has targeted Jessa, and she’ll have to reject everything she’s been taught if she wants to keep herself—and her friends—alive until sunrise.

Who knew perfection could be so dangerous?
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Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
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My thoughts- Thank you @netgalley and @macmillianchildrenpublishinggroup for the advanced copy, this one releases next week. It was a perfectly fine YA thriller that was super predictable. My main issue with YA mysteries is that the main character is often naive and self righteous, this one is no different. I found Jessa to be just so annoying, I was siding with Tiny the antagonist most of the book. It was fun but the villain definitely needed a little more backstory, it was a bit ridiculous at the end. But I was engaged and wanted to finish this one!
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QOTD- do you read YA books ?! What is one that you definitely recommend ?
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<i>Perfect Girl</i> screams the call is coming from the neighborhood. If you loved an early 2000's horror movie and need a book to validate your female rage... this is it.

Jessa is your classic type A, people pleaser, "I have to be perfect" high schooler. She achieves all her goals and doesn't break any rules, because that is what is expected of her. She does things by the book and is always polite, no matter how angry she actually happens to feel. Breaking their own rules, her parents allow her to have friends stay over when they are out of town. What is supposed to be a fun night quickly turns into something out of a nightmare.

Filled with power outages, suspicious neighbors, locked doors, and what happens when women are treated as objects and not people. This horror story hits the mark.

The audiobook did an amazing job of creating a tension filled experience, leaving you on the edge of the seat waiting to see what happens. I know I screamed out loud at certain parts.

I absolutely recommend this read. Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for an ALC to review.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!!

What a great book!! It had me hooked from page one! I couldn’t put this down. I finished it in one sitting. I enjoyed the storyline and the characters. This was a first for me by this author but it will not be my last!!

While I really enjoyed the narration of this one, I have to say it was a little forgettable. Partly due to the characters and partly due to the heavy repetitive YA themes.

Jessa Morgan has always been the perfect girl, and she finds life easiest when she’s the girl her parents and society expect her to be, no matter how much her brother and her friends tease her for it. One night, Jessa has her friends over for a sleepover when a storm comes up and the power goes out; on top of it, her friends start to fight, guests show up and scary things start to happen.

This was such an entertaining read with such a specific, fun vibe. It somehow felt like a Pretty Little Liars episode at its best, and I mean that as the highest compliment. The pacing was great and it hooked me very easily, which says a lot considering I didn't really care for any of the characters. The writing was great, and it felt like I was there with the characters most of the times, especially in the most chilling parts of the story, which honestly made it that much more enjoyable to me.

I listened to the audiobook for this one, and I had the best time! The narrator did an incredible job with each character, making them easily distinguishable, and kept suspense up in the best way possible. It truly did a lot in making this even more enjoyable than it already was.

Many thanks to Dreamscape Media & NetGalley for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

It was a decent book and I loved the ending but overall it wasn’t for me. Wasn’t invested enough in the characters. I did enjoy the narrator though.

If you're in the mood for a teen or young adult thriller, Perfect Girl by Tracy Banghart is the book you need. It tells the story of a sleepover that takes a dark and unexpected turn. A storm knocks out the power at Jessa’s creepy, old house and things spiral quickly. Her friends start fighting, and unexpected guests arrive. A killer, hunting for the "perfect girl," has Jessa in his sights. She’ll have to break all the rules if she wants to keep herself and her friends alive until morning.

The audiobook was narrated by Angie Kane, and she did an absolutely phenomenal job bringing the story to life.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Tracy Banghart and Dreamscape media for advance access to the audiobook, in exchange for my honest review.

Publication date- Nov 19 2024
#PerfectGirl #NetGalley

Teenage girls sleepover gone wrong but with a twist. It's not a typical sleepover, this one is thrown by the studious girl of the class and her besties are invited. A storm comes and there isn't electricity and people start going missing.
I liked to see the FMC and why she seems to be a perfect girl and her thoughts, her relationship with her family and their expectations playing a big role in who she is.
The mystery was good, it was not obvious at first which I really liked and it was very eerie and creepy.
This book is perfect to read on a rainy, gloomy day.

This would have gotten a better rating from me if it hadn't been YA. I could not get past the twist (which I called as soon as it was foreshadowed), because it was just unbelievable. And how many times are you going to mention the COVID-19 pandemic in one short-ish story? That and school shootings. Maybe it was meant to be relatable for younger audiences? I'm not sure of the reasoning behind it being mentioned SO many times, but it was extremely annoying for me and took me out of the story every time it was mentioned.

Jessa seems to have it all—beauty, intelligence, a future planned out—an ideal life. Yet she finds herself trapped by others' expectations of her "perfect" image. And that perfection led her to have a psychotic stalker who wants to isolate her, leading to the overnight with her friends taking a wrong turn.

Banghart delves deeply into the protagonist's internal conflicts and vulnerabilities. As the readers get introduced to the familial and societal pressure, Jessa's journey unfolds as the struggle between fulfilling others' expectations and finding her own voice, which makes it one of the novel's strengths. The realistic portrayal of people often face in order to be "perfect" and the courage to forge a unique path is commendable.

"Perfect Girl" imparts the importance of being true to oneself. This is perfect for those who enjoy contemporary novels.

this is a good, quick read or listen if you're in the mood for an atmospheric YA thriller that has likable characters and suspense. i really enjoyed the story and thought the narrator and audio production were phenomenal. thank you to netgalley and dreamscape media for providing me with a free advance listening copy in exchange for my honest review!

A storm..a sleepover..a killer on the loose searching for his perfect girl.

"A liquid glint on the floor caught my eye. I grabbed the jagged piece of broken glass.
I tightened my grip on the shard of dad's fancy bourbon glass. Hissing as it cuts into my skin.
The pain, sharp and bright, wakes me up.
This whole day, this whole night, I've been fighting myself. Fighting the person everyone thinks I am . My perfection made me the object of a dangerous, delusional guy. Who thought I'd be quiet and obedient and just allow him to make me his secret child-bride or whatever sick fantasy he had. If I'm going to leave a messy and broken reputation behind, I might as well earn it."

Tropes:
Fast-paced and well-written YA popcorn thriller 🍿🔪🩸
Pretty little liar vibes
Abducted/missing girls
Dealing with Abusive relationship / PTSD
Dual storyline and POV
Creepy house / ghost
Suspense / self-discovery /Survival Story

I enjoyed listening to the audiobook and Angie Kane did a great job with the narration. Her voice sounded soothing and enticed me to keep on listening. Just like Jessa, Tiny and her other friends, I can't help but to also get flashbacks and reminisce of fun sleepovers during grade school/middle school (though I'm really lucky that I'm not a perfect girl and thankful for no crazy killer or stalker on the loose), also of petty fights and friends gone distant and estranged relationships with friends, classmates turned barkada over the years.
Perfect read if I just want something light and interesting to listen to after a tiring day or before going to bed. There were just a few topics discussed that I did find repetitive and some parts unnecessary. Some scenarios and situations were cringey and creepy but not too obscene or gory. Also, just the right amount of twists and the last part was action-packed.

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook arc. 🖤

4✨

I enjoyed this book as a YA "thriller". I did think parts of it were predictable but I absolutely loved Betty. I don't normally read YA but the cover of this book drew me in. Overall it had some parts I felt were unnecessary but I still enjoyed it!

I was given the opportunity to get a ALC & I really enjoyed this thriller!

This YA was done well! I feel like I could let my teenagers listen to this without having to worry about what was being put in their books!

I definitely enjoyed the narrator! They did a great job!

A fast paced YA thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat.

Jessa is a goodie-two-shoes that's parents, brother, and friends all think of as a "perfect girl". One weekend she has her friends over for a sleepover, and when a freak storm happens things get creepy, especially with multiple visits from unannounced guests.

The narrator did an excellent job capturing Jessa's voice. This was a great paced thriller that made me glad I didn't read it while home alone.

4.5 stars

The audio of this was really well executed. There was no flaws in the audio, and the narrator did a wonderful job.
The story, however, was not as good as I hoped that it would be. Which is always a let down because I was looking forward to this one.

I really enjoyed this book, I felt like it was the perfect blend of suspense and thrill. The character development was great, I wish there would have been a little bit more of a backstory but overall it was a good read for spooky season! I enjoyed the narrator for this book and definitely recommend it as an audiobook!

A neat and tidy thriller that felt like a satisfying, creepy snack! Loved the concept, which was smart but not overly complex--and that's a compliment! I loved that I didn't have to puzzle too much and that we knew who the baddies were right away. The story was not a matter of unraveling many threads but sitting on the edge of my seat as I followed these characters getting out of a locked room (iykyk). A realistic depiction of teenhood and friendship too. I received an ALC of this book and the narrator was PERFECT (haha) for this character. So emotive and played the internal and external dialogue SO well. Loved her. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early listen.

This is such a good YA thriller! I loved that while it was YA, it also has characters written to be relatable at any age and I really enjoyed how author Tracy (and narrator Angie Kane) brought them all to life. They did such a good job, I had goosebumps often throughout this read/listen. This gave me suspense, a romance, a ghost, and a twist all in one story and I highly recommend for those looking for a fast paced read. I also highly recommend reading this during a power outage like myself because wow does that enhance the experience. Lastly, I’d like to add, I really enjoyed how our female lead stood her ground and fought back when family and friends tried to take advantage of her. It provided some much needed empowerment right now. I ended up rating this one 4.75 stars and I hope y’all enjoy it as much as I did! Huge thank you Dreamscape Media, Tracy Banghart, and NetGalley for this advanced copy, it was such a fun ride!

This was a good popcorn thriller book. It wasn't super fantastic, but it did its job.
Our "perfect" main character Jessa has some friends sleep over while her parents go out overnight. Jessa loves order and following rules. She hates when her friends call her "perfect" or things like "Judge Jessa." Jessa doesn't think she's perfect, she just likes following rules. When that night there is a big storm that knocks the power out, the girls think someone might be creeping around outside, and Jessa realizes there might be someone out there who enjoys the fact that she is perfect.
Jessa has some pretty stressed friendships. She hasn't really spoken to her friend Tiny in a while because she has an older new boyfriend she would rather hang out with. Alexis and Kellan are both sleeping over as well who are closer with Jessa. The atmosphere is pretty tense, especially when Jessa's bother Josh shows up at home with his best friend and her crush Ryan. I feel like the issues everyone has kind of amped up the spooky atmosphere, especially due to the fact that girls had been disappearing recently around their area. Thinking back, I did really enjoy the night going from bad to worse instead of going from good to bad. It really added to the thriller-y aspect of the book.
While the plot was a little predictable, it was still good. I'm used to finding out whodunit close to the end, but we found out relatively early and then had to hope that *person or persons unknown* would get away. It was also a unique (to me). The reasoning, the culprit(s), the method, while they didn't wow me, I did say "huh, that's interesting. I like that."
The pacing was well done. It was fast paced throughout. I didn't find myself thinking anything was lagging, slow or unnecessary.
The audiobook narrator was great. She really used the dialogue to create the terrified atmosphere of the girls and was really able to keep me intrigued throughout.