Binge able but not super memorable…

The end of each chapter left like teeny cliffhangers so you feel like you need to keep going but the story itself was pretty mid.

Jessa, known for her perfection which she comes by through trauma but it’s just kinda glanced over… She is scared to stay home by herself because she thinks the house is haunted so she convinces her mom to let her have her three besties come for a sleepover when her parents leave for the weekend. Power goes out and things get eerie and dangerous.

I guess I just wanted more twists and for the main character to not be so annoying lol

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an alc

Book 107 of 2024.
[YA Thriller ARC]
Read this book if you grew up the oldest daughter & good girl, if you had an “alternative friend” your parents didn’t trust, or a stalker.

3 torturous stars
This was filled with characters that would absolutely die in a scary movie. The bickering between the girls was so juvenile and repetitive. I could see this being turned into a Netflix original and filled with bad acting.

The story revolves around Jessa, the quintessential “perfect girl,” whose seemingly put-together life unravels during a stormy night filled with love interests and friend drama. However, the stakes rise dramatically when a killer targets her.

This book was quite engaging, with a well-crafted main storyline that kept everything cohesive. It was a quick read that easily pulled me into its narrative whirlwind. The character dynamics were well-balanced, exploring the intriguing premise of the imperfections hidden behind a facade of perfection. Overall, “Perfect Girl” provided a captivating blend of suspense and character-driven drama.

[RATE: 4.5/5] I loved it and I really wasn't expecting that kind of serial killer, so it was a very good (but disturbing) surprise! It's not a full five stars as it's a bit slow to start, we take a certain time (40%) to get to the freak storm that starts all the bad stuff.

Jessa is really good but pretty gullible and naive sometimes. But I did enjoyed her character growth and the strength she gets once she started going all in and letting lose and fighting for herself and her friends.

The ongoing story once the storm came in was extremely catching. It was disturbing, disgusting (it wasn't due to gore! no gore here) and I only wanted to move her out and press her to fight and get out of here. I really liked the ending and resolution. The little Betty moment were a really nice touch!

PS : really loved the narrator and the acting!!

I loved the ebook and had the chance to read it over the summer. But deep down I love audiobooks, so when I saw it available on Audio, I requested again! This is a book I would definitely read and reread!

The narration was spot on and made the story even better. I highly recommend both editions!

Jessa is the “perfect girl” in everyone’s eyes. She wants to do well and please others in almost every interaction. She quick to people-please, avoid confrontation, and give in to others just to keep the peace. Her teachers praise her for this, her brother and friends poke fun at her, and her mom holds her to high standards. So when she asks to have a sleepover while her parents are away, her parents have little worry that things will get out of hand. But that’s just what happens when a nasty storm and unexpected guests turn the sleepover into battle of life or death.

This is told mostly from Jessa’s POV (besides a side plot). While she comes off as Little Miss Perfect, her inner monologue is more blunt, sarcastic, and honest.

The narration was amazing! Great voice acting. My only dislike with the narration was that it was sometimes difficult to tell if Jessa was speaking or thinking. There were times I thought “oh wow! I can’t believe her character said that!” And then realized it was actually her spunky thoughts only the reader could hear. This would have been obvious if reading, but listening to the audiobook caused some confusion at times. I don’t think it’s a narration issue or writing issue, just something that didn’t translate clearly from written word to audio.

The story subplot didn’t flow the way I’d like. I wish it was given more/equal story time to build those other characters or was just removed entirely. It all came together by the end, but I just didn’t really care about what was going on with that part because it was so intermittent and short.

I recommend this for anyone looking for an eerie suspenseful reading vibe without too much gore (mild descriptions). This was a quick listen. I listened start to finish in the same day.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this audio ARC. This review will be shared on NetGalley, Goodreads, and Barnes and Noble.

Audio Pub Date Pub Date Nov 19 2024

I really loved this! The way real-life challenges mixed with the plot was so engaging. The characters were well developed, and the thriller side of Perfect Girl is loaded with unexpected twists. There were tons of heart-pounding moments, leading up to a suspenseful finale. While some of the mystery was a bit predictable, the rapid pace and constant suspense made it tough to put the book down. The ending is pretty satisfying, though it does feel a bit rushed. I really liked the narrator's voice and how they switched it up for different characters. The singing part was a nice touch too!

That being said, this book is definitely aimed at young adults, and I really believe they’d have a great time reading it.
Thank You NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to review this audio-book.

I really enjoyed this book. The storyline was fast paced and the characters were misleading me so well. 😂 The big reveal was scarily good as well. I absolutely love the cover 😍💕 and the narration was great.

3.5 stars rounded up!

As YA thrillers go, this was a pretty good time! I really liked the character development (especially with Jessa) and how the story flowed. This was a more unique plot compared to other YAs so that was very fresh and kept me interested. My only complaint was that the conflict/twist was just hard to buy into - like I could see this happening in a twisted real life scenario but something about it in this story just didn’t quite settle in for me.

Overall, I think YA thriller fans will enjoy this!
Perfect Girl drops November 19 so get this on your tbr!

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC.

Story: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Narration: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Perfect Girl is a dark, chilling thriller about a sleepover gone wrong. Jessa is an overachiever obsessed with perfection. When her parents go out of town, she has her friends come over for a sleepover and things go horribly wrong. Will Jessa and her friends see sunrise?

This took such a dark turn and I loved every second of it. It was perfect for Spooky Season. I could not stop listening. Angie Kane was an excellent narrator for this story and her performance brought the book to life. Highly recommend.

ALC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really wish there was a 3.5 star option because it was better than just 3. A nice little spooky read in time for Halloween! I really enjoyed this book. It's giving me Final Girl/ Teen Creep movie vibes. The only thing I can't get over is how often the author mentions the Covid Pandemic. I don't want to read about it every few pages for hours. The whole book came together nicely and the ending had me a lot more surprised than I thought! A nice easy read that kept me hooked the whole time. All in all a great book I will definitely be recommending to my friends and followers.

Thank you NetGalley for this audiobook ARC.

This is perfect for the spooky season!

This gave me scream vibes with a 90's nostalgic horror film.

This follows Jessa and her group of friends who after a really bad thunderstorm are stuck in her old haunted house , in the dark with no power and no signal or phones. WIth lots of unexpected vistiors and a serial killer on the loose this had a lot of jumpscare and had you at the edge of your seat.

The story opens with Bella, a teenager at a party, having been separated by her friends and trying to get home. She meets a boy and he offers to drive her open. Is it a good idea? Then we jump to the main story, Jessa is the "perfect girl", she always follows the rules, does what she's supposed to. Her parents are going away for the night and she's been given permission to have her 3 friends over for a sleepover. But then there's a horrible storm and visitors start showing up, and things start going downhill really fast. The power goes out, her brother shows up with his friend (her crush) even though he was supposed to be gone for the night, one of the girls' scary boyfriend pops in with a knife, and oh yeah, there's someone abducting girls not that far away.

It's definitely a YA book, there's the typical high school "drama" between friends and the siblings, along with the fun of having a crush that could turn into something more. But it's not a bad drama, it's all very relatable and takes me back to that time in my own life. However the thriller aspect is mostly jump scares and feels a little lame, but still holds your attention and makes you want to know more.

I did DNF this book at 40%, not because of the story, I'm curious to how the two stories fit together because it can't go well for Jessa and her friends. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator so horrible. It was hard to follow with her overdramatizing and tone changes. I wouldn't recommend the audio version, but definitely would recommend reading this book. I'll be picking it up myself to finish the story because now I NEED to know what happens.

This started kind of slow and I was a tad confused on the “before” parts but as the story progressed, I started to get the inkling that it was a kidnapping. So jessa being “so perfect” made sense for why she’d have caught the attention of a stalker. Thinking she’d be willing and submissive but that’s just delusional thinking on their part.

I do think there could have been some more fleshing out of the story as the before parts felt so awkward at times. While they do explain some of what was happening in an early timeline, I think some of it felt out of place.

TY to publisher/NetGalley/author for the Audiobook ARC!

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⅕

Format: Audiobook ARC Review 🎧
Plot/world building: ✔️
Well rounded characters: ✔️
Romance: does a crush count?
Tropes:
Forbidden romance ✖️
Final girl vibes ✨
#57 📚

Ty to NetGalley/publisher/author for the Audiobook ARC!

BEWARE OF YOUR NEIGHBORS 😈 You never know what they're capable of. 🖤📚

"You better stay my perfect little girl. Okay? Forever."

Overview:

Want a quick Halloween read with haunted houses and creepy neighbors?

Jessa, the "perfect" daughter, sister, and friend is preparing for college and has a sleepover while her parents are off at the ballet, opting to invite an estranged friend: Tiny. During a 'fight', the power goes out and Jessa must navigate the night to survive while no longer being "the perfect girl".


The good:

- Jessa, the FMC, was relatable and likable.

- I'm definitely more like Josh. 😂

- All of the narrator's different voices were absolute perfection. 🤌🏻

- A truly gripping edge-of-your seat thriller the last half of the book.

- It's so weird and honestly kinda cool listening to a book where you know the towns/live in the same state!

- David is honestly so manipulative and it's impressive! He was a greatly written character, along with all the others.


The bad:

- I know this is Teen/YA but the first 40% was Jessa obsessing over her brother's best friend: Ryan.

- The before bits were kinda confusing at first, until the later before bits when they begin to make sense and tie into the story.

- My girl Jessa was worried about kissing a boy alone in the middle of the woods in the rain while her friends are mostly missing. Like, girl, wtffff. 😭


Overall, it was a truly riveting and a great/quick listen. I would definitely recommend it.


"Life of a chaos demon is tough."

Excellent book, loved the narrator for the audiobook as well. This is a YA, the author did a great job and it fits the genre and doesn’t sound too mature or too babyish. The characters could be a little annoying but they are teenagers and very true to life. Exciting scenarios and twists with cute side storylines. Highly recommend this one!

This was so good! I devoured this in one sitting I love the narrator and this author has a way of writing and I’m hooked

First off, I was so into this book I was so sad I had to put it down to sleep because I had to be a responsible adult. Secondly this book was kind of predictable but in a good way the cheesy horror movie that you can tell what's going to happen, but you are still invested in the story and loving every second of it. One minor thing I didn't like was the references to covid, but it did fit in the storyline.
Jessa invites her friends over to a sleep over because she didn't to be home alone with her home ghost "betty". Her brother and his best friend end up coming over unexpectedly and that causes some problems when Tiny her friends crazy boyfriend shows up causing trouble. All while that is happening there is a storm going on eventually the power goes out and she lives in a terrible spot, so she leaves and tries to get into contact with the power company and her parents when they arrive back home everyone is missing and that will lead to an interesting rest of the evening.

This was the perfect mix of thriller, YA friendships, light romance, and jump scares. I may be a grown ass adult but the high school sleepover turned nightmare really worked for me! Also the "bad guy" might not have been the most shocking reveal ever, but the depth of crazy made up for that for sure. Thanks Netgalley for the ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review!