This a quick and easy read. I love survive the night thrillers and this story had the perfect backdrop of a creepy, haunted house in the middle of nowhere all while a thunder storm is raging outside.

There isn’t a large cast of characters/suspects, so it was easy to figure out who the “bad guy” is, but I didn’t mind it. I still enjoyed settling in for the ride. I especially enjoyed the main characters internal arc as she went from feeling the pressure of having everything figured out and being “perfect” to allowing things to get a little messy and owning up to the fact “perfect” is an illusion.

One thing that did bother me. There’s a bisexual side character who was characterized as not “being honest” since she wasn’t out to her parents and was hesitant to tell them. Look, you’re not a liar/dishonest for not coming out. People aren’t owed your sexuality especially given how horribly unsafe some people can be. Parents disown their kids/kick them out. Some people are violent in their response. And the list goes on and on. So if and when a person comes out is completely their choice and they should never be considered as dishonest for not coming out.

High tempo and captivating thriller!
I had so many jump scares (I’ve never experienced that before) and had goosebumps. This thriller is easily on the top of my thriller reads!
Thank you netgalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Super cute. I know that sounds wrong to say about a thriller, but here I am. I loved the girl empowerment and the true teenage drama. A perfect YA version of the classic troupes. The two girls' POV to explain the plot was thoughtful and intriguing. The conclusion was fire!

This book was so good. While I did not like Jessa at the beginning of the book I loved how she had to adapt her personality throughout the book. There were time when side characters were annoying but overall the book had me hooked.

If you love jump-scare and keep them guessing books or Movies, then this is for you. I know I’m not the age group this is aimed at, but I Loved It. I was hooked after the first page. I finished it in one sitting. LOVE IT!!!

Jessa (our Perfect Girl) just wants a night with her friends. Their lives are changing, and the groups have been having some issues. Her Parents don't want her out running around because of some missing girls in a neighboring town, so they will let her have a sleepover while they are away. Things start out fine, but then the friends start arguing, the power goes out, and there's someone outside. It is the perfect mix for a horror movie or spine-tingling book.

If all of that didn’t hook you, did I mention the missing girls are all Perfect Girls?


Thank You to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about a group of friends having a sleepover during a thunderstorm. The power goes out and people start to go missing. This book had all the twist and completely shocked me. I feel like I was reading something new. I really enjoyed this book. Do not read home alone at night like I did, it’s that spooky! I did not enjoy the pop culture and pandemic references, which brought my rating down.

Happy Sunday Netgalley! We are so close to release day. Its around the corner and I am so excited for this author. Because this thriller was pretty good. I wasn't on the edge 0f my seat but it was good.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for an early release copy of Perfect Girl by Tracy Banghart.

Perfect Girl was a disappointing for me, I went into this kind of expecting sleepover slasher vibes but the direction the book went just didn’t give me the thriller/horror vibes that I was looking for. I didn’t mind these characters, while I wasn’t fond of them these teen characters were written in a enjoyable way that didn’t make them feel cringy (I’ve noticed a lot of young adult books have been using cringy teen/hip dialogue lately). I like the way they were written, I didn’t mind the friendships, and the writing itself was enjoyable.

The relationship felt rushed, I didn’t feel for Jessa or Ryan. I don’t understand why the two even likes each other to begin with, I think I would have liked the idea of their blooming relationship more if we would have gotten some flash backs to show the connection forming between them. There were also some scenes mentioning that the house they are living in is haunted, I would have loved to see more of the haunted house elements.

OMG! I didn't expect to fly through this book but I did.

It's very fast-paced and it kept me on my toes pretty much the entire book. I love the plot twists and we have some romance sprinkled in which gave the book a proper balance of romance and mystery/thriller.

There's def added elements in the story that kept me on my seat and I was glued to the book. I love my reading experience and there's some loose ends but I didn't mind it because I throughly enjoyed the book.

Perfect for spooky season but honestly, you can read this anytime!

This was a great little thriller! I was captivated from page one (could partly be due to watching Woman of the Hour right before starting this lol). The pace was perfect, the intense moments and moments of calm were perfectly distributed, and I honestly just enjoyed every bit of it. Was some of it predictable? Sure, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a book that isn’t a little bit these days.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book - I liked the friendship relationships and the siblings relationship. The pacing was great for YA, and the MC was relatable and accessible. I didn't think the minority characters' ethnicities were introduced soon enough, and the other characters' backstories were a bit light compared to Tiny's. The reveal was kind of predictable, but I think that works for the target audience. A scary, engrossing read right in time for spooky season.

This was so good! I really loved the real life problems that were intertwined with the ones from the plot. The characters were great (minus the few that were made to be bad of course!). THE ROMANCE OMG. IT WAS SO CUTE!! It was very much a subplot but I enjoyed every bit I read. I would definitely recommend this!


Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Children’s for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Children’s for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“Perfect Girl” by Tracy Banghart is a YA thriller that blends the tension of a slasher movie with the psychological weight of familial pressure and the expectations of perfection. Set against the eerie backdrop of a creepy old house during a stormy night, this fast-paced novel keeps you on edge as Jessa, the "perfect girl," faces danger, secrets, and her own unraveling persona. This is a book I would recommend to younger YA readers as the plot is relatively simple, and some readers may be able to relate to Jessa, especially with all the expectations placed on her for being “perfect.” There is some cursing and depiction of an abusive relationship, however, for those (especially younger readers) considering reading this book.

Jessa has always lived up to her reputation as the perfect daughter—straight A's, a model student, and always playing by the rules. But when a storm knocks out the power during a sleepover with her friends, her seemingly flawless world begins to crumble. As tension rises among the group, unexpected visitors arrive, and a killer lurks nearby, targeting girls just like Jessa. She’s forced to confront her deepest fears and question her perfect image. To survive the night, Jessa must abandon the "good girl" act and tap into her inner strength.

Banghart expertly builds an atmosphere of claustrophobic dread with the isolated setting of the old house, which plays as much a role as the characters themselves. The storm and power outage intensify the sense of vulnerability, amplifying every creepy noise and dark corner. As the tension mounts, readers are kept guessing whether the danger is coming from the supernatural, a killer, or the very people inside the house. The parts where the story was taking place in the house were the best, creepiest parts of the book as they really helped set the mood. When the setting changed, the story became a little less atmospheric and a bit more unrealistic.

Jessa’s character is relatable to anyone who has ever struggled with the pressure to be perfect, whether imposed by parents, peers, or themselves. At times, she feels too idealized and almost artificial where she seems to have absolutely no flaws whatsoever, but as the story progresses, Jessa's growth becomes one of the book’s most satisfying elements. She transforms from a naive, rule-following girl into someone capable of fighting back—both literally and metaphorically. Her journey toward self-acceptance and allowing "mess" into her life resonates with readers who have faced similar struggles. Though, again, she is a bit unrealistic where her biggest secret is that she doesn’t want to be a lawyer. Her transformation, while enjoyable, was a bit cliché.

The thriller aspect of Perfect Girl is packed with twists and turns. There are plenty of edge-of-your-seat moments, with the action building to a suspenseful climax. I did feel like a lot of the the mystery aspects were pretty predictable, but the breakneck pace and constant tension made it hard to put the book down. The ending is satisfying, though the resolution feels a little rushed. There's a brief mention of therapy for Jessa, but not much exploration of how the characters process the traumatic events afterward, which could have added more depth to their arcs.
Overall, with its high stakes, eerie setting, and a heroine who learns to embrace imperfection, “Perfect Girl” offers a thrilling and emotionally satisfying ride.

Perfect Girl
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You know when you were younger (or let’s be honest still now as an adult lol) and you would be going back upstairs from your basement and you would sprint because you were convinced someone was down there? That’s what this whole book felt like. Every coat rack was a person, every clap of thunder was deafening, every creak was a footstep. This is a book for my jump scare babes. I was a little nervous it was going to be too YA for me because we’re following along a group of high school friends for the night, but I had a lot of fun with it, I binged 80% in one sitting lol Since we’re reading about high schoolers there were moments, specifically some of the arguments, that felt a little immature for me, but it didn’t mess with the whole book. I had a little hard with Jessa in the beginning, she’s the “perfect” daughter who does no wrong, has everything figured out, yada yada, the daughter no one has to worry about. She’s a ball of emotion - overthinking, making plans, rule follower, smiles on the outside kind of person even if she’s dying on the inside, she took a minute to grow on me. We only get her POV so maybe if there were others I wouldn’t have gotten annoyed by her lol Quick chapters, creepy setting, suspense, another good read! I would have given it a higher rating if it had some gore in it, that’s where the YA fell a little flat for me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Thank you NetGalley, Tracy Banghart, and Feiwel & Friends for this e-arc! Perfect Girl comes out November 19th!

Things I look for in a YA thriller:

Fast paced
Not-super-cringey characters (let’s face it, teenagers can be cringe)

That’s it.

This book mostly delivered on that front. Some of the characters were annoying but that’s to be expected. The story moved along quickly and was entertaining enough. It was predictable and the author really needs to lay off the Covid references, please. We were all there. We don’t want to keep reliving it. But all in all, would I recommend this? Yes. If you need a popcorn thriller that you don’t want to think much about.

Our main character Jessa finds herself creeped out at the idea of being home alone for an entire night, so her parents allow her to have a sleepover. Throw together a group of friends that have trouble getting along and a storm that knocks the power out, you get a book that was difficult for me to put down.

Perfect Girl is the perfect mix of YA thriller and horror, with a little bit of mystery and nostalgia added in. It's a well-written book, with good pacing. I just wish it was a bit longer because I certainly couldn't get enough.

3.75 stars.

Perfect Girl is written by Tracy Banghart and comes out on November 19th.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for the arc.

This book started with such a tense, grabbing prologue that I knew I was going to fly through this. The characters all felt realistic to how teenagers really think and behave, which I always really appreciate in YA. It was also super interesting to see the effects of the pandemic acknowledged/worked into a mystery thriller. Perfect Girl was high stakes with fascinating characters and plenty of twists, keeping it fast paced and one I genuinely struggled to put down.

Thank you to Tracy for allowing me to read this book before publication. I love Tracy Banghart! I first found her writing through one of her books that was originally written for e-book only and was a free book on a book app for sometime. I was traveling somewhere and I wanted to read something but I forgot my book. So, I I went searching and her book sounded amazing so I started reading it. I got really into it too, however, by the time I did my trip, flew home, read some more of it, I forgot about the book. Every once in a while I would think about it and search for it, but the problem was I didn't know the title or the author! I just knew the premise of what I read. I did everything search I could and found it once, and it was a ridiculous amount of money because it was technically not published yet only as an eBook. But then!! I was on Kickstarter to support one of my ARC authors and I went searching through books (especially when I noticed all the sprayed edges!) and I saw one book that stood out to me. I clicked on it and wouldn't you know it, it was THE book! I quickly supported that Kickstarted and ordered the Special Edition because I have been looking for this book for 10 years on and off. And then I went and found Tracy and Instagram and told her the story. A little while and a few chats later, she messaged me and asked me I wanted to ARC her new thriller novel and I jumped at the chance. I would never say no to Tracy when it comes to working with her.

This book is just as amazing. I already pre-ordered it (I pre-ordered it before I read it...) but it is so good. It is sit on the edge of your seat intense. There are so questionable people that you are not sure who the "bad guy" is and even when you possibly figure out who the bad guy is, she still has a way of making you question everything you know.. It was a great YA thriller book. I really can't wait to read more from Tracy. She keeps writing and she will have a fan for life. What was so great is that she wrote about herself in this book. If you actually read the acknowledgments she talks about her friends and how her house was like the house in the book and how the MFC was like her in ways. I love it.

I encourage everyone who loves thrillers, suspense books to read this book! Tracy is a great writer.

First I want to say that the cover of this book is super cute. The book reads extremely fast, I basically read it in one sitting. The chapters leave off on cliff hangers so I constantly wanted to keep reading to see what was coming next. Unfortunately I didn't really enjoy it and thought everything was pretty obvious, cheesy, or too on the nose. I do think that YA readers and students would/will enjoy this story though. It's a good read for spooky season as well.

Perfect Girl, by Traci Banghart
🌟🌟🌟
This is a fun and pretty exciting thriller story.
The story is based on a group of friends who are having a get together and because of a bad storm, the power goes out. The main character, Jessa, must abandon her perfect image in order to help herself and her friends.
There are a lot of thrills and suspense in the story. It wasn’t my favorite of stories, because I wanted a bit more character development and I wasn’t a big fan of the flashbacks. But overall, a decent thriller and it was enjoyable!

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc copy of this book. *It comes out November 19th!*