All said and done, this wasn't a horrible book. The FMC (our "perfect" girl) was definitely annoying at times, as you would expect from a perfect, people pleasing main character. Of course she was set up that way so that she could grow and become her own person. While we definitely see development, it felt cringy at moments and forced at others. Additionally, the completely unhinged twist at the end wasn't set up quite right and the overall shock factor was diminished by the ongoing side story that opens that book. Recommend? Maybe. It was good to pass the time and I think as a YA mystery/thriller it is good, but it's not the mystery that's gonna change your life.

The book was good, fast paced which I liked to an extent. I wish that there was more building up to when they got into the house. It was obvious it was David from the start, but then again I usually do catch the twist in books early on. It reminds me a lot of the Criminal Minds doll episode, which I did enjoy. Jessa was a very well thought out character, it seemed like the other characters could have had more personality building but I will say they were all very likable. It played a lot into the “perfect girl” stereotype, which was fleshed out well. I do wish that he big “secret” was more profound but it made sense for her character. Overall a good read especially if you want something interesting and fast paced

I really really enjoyed the first 75% of the book. I liked the characters and the author managed to write everything multiple characters a little suspiciously so it wasn’t very obvious who was the bad guy (though it got obvious quite quickly) — or maybe I’m just naturally suspicious of characters.

But then when things got dicey and the girls were abducted. The pacing felt a little off for me. Multiple times I thought “oh this must be the climax” but then the suspense level went down again only to go back up and it didn’t feel… I don’t know I can’t explain it. When Jessa escapes you’d want the suspense to stay up because she must be panicking about her friends and yet she’s … well, she’s not calm but it’s like they have all the time in the world. And then she randomly sees her brother and best friend making out? (props to her for not screaming at them because if I was kidnapped by a serial killer while my brother made a move on my best friend I would not be able to laugh it off)

After that the actual climax feels so … anti-climactic. And while I enjoyed the povs we got from Bella, I feel like the ones from Ashley didn’t add much — especially the last one.

Overall though I liked the concept but it could’ve been executed a little differently in my opinion.

I don't know what I was really expecting going in, but it still exceeded whatever expectations I may have had. As a semi-former people pleaser myself, our MC Jessa was easy to emphasize with. She's perfect on the outside (perfect daughter, teacher's pet, future lawyer, etc.) but on the inside, she's just as messy as everyone else.

Girls a couple towns over are going missing. When the power goes out during a sleepover while her parents are out of town, Jessa and company do their best to get through it. Things quickly go from bad to worse and perfect Jessa must do what she can to make sure they all make it until morning when the power is supposed to come back online.

I'm one of those readers who tries to guess the twist the second I feel one coming. It makes me feel smart. 😅 I was absolutely sure I knew what was going to happen. I was so unprepared and all the clues were there. The ending was so satisfying.

If you like your characters smart and capable of so much more than they think they are, look no further. I absolutely recommend this one to anyone who likes the thriller genre. It's a breath of fresh air. 4 stars!

This book offered some fairly engaging characters that were a bit stereotypical at times. The overall mystery could have been better developed as it seemed to tip its hand earlier than most books. I like that it dealt with some larger themes of abusive relationships and expectations of perfection. Overall, it was a solid book, but nothing that ever elevated to a must read.

I had the honor of getting this ARC and I’m so sad it took me so long to get to it. Too many books too little time. I highly recommend reading it if you’re interested! I loved the story and how it was told! I did figure out the twist pretty early but even then reading it and getting lost in the story was so fun. It was the only thing I could read consistently during this little reading slump I’m in and I’m sad it’s over. It comes out in a few days and I can’t wait to grab the physical copy!

The Perfect Girl is a gripping thriller that delivers a heart-pumping, suspenseful tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Jessa, the quintessential "perfect girl," finds herself trapped in a desperate fight for survival when a freak storm plunges her sleepover into chaos. As tensions rise and unexpected guests arrive, Jessa must confront the dark side of her perfectionist upbringing. This book is perfect for fans of teen thrillers and horror!

I loved how quick pace this was and it was super fun to read. The characters we so relatable especially Jessa. I found it to be a bit predictable and guessed the ending pretty early on but I wouldn't say it took away from the story as more thing unravel. There were some parts where I was like "wtf" or "Jessa, girl, get it together" but overall it was fun and had some humor in it. Definitely an enjoyable read.

Wow, this book was absolutely terrifying at times. Thrillers aren't always my thing but I really enjoyed this book. The pacing was fast, mixed with having flashbacks to another girl's story as well. There were a lot of surprise moments, and scary ones, that make you worried to be home alone in a thunderstorm ever again. Overall, I really enjoyed the plot, and the how the character's handled their situation.

I started this book at around 2am and closed it out at 5:37am. This was thrilling and thoroughly entertaining I didn’t take many notes with is always a good sign. It felt like the April Henry books I read when I was in 6th grade and I have no doubt I would have loved this book back then. I was so excited to see Henry praised this book because I already knew I wanted to bring her up in my review.
It’s a simple, fast paced, exciting read and the settings, I don’t know how to describe it was just everything I wanted. We didn’t stray far from the things I was excited about and wanted more of.
My biggest complaint was towards the beginning, I’m not the biggest fan of pop cultural messages that make a book feel dated but I also want there to be capsules of when they were written, instead of pretending things like COVID and specific but impactful social media trends never existed. Those complaints are totally absent once we get to the meat of the book.
We see development from the characters and the mystery unravels at a pace I love. I truly was so excited to keep reading. I want to purchase a copy for my niece once it comes out. Will she read it? Mm probably not, but it’s a good enough book that the gamble is worth it.
And the over arching message, especially the moments where it’s clear you should not be polite instead of concerned for your safety, is incredibly important for girls to hear especially today.

I have been loving YA thrillers recently, and “Perfect Girl” was another fun, fast-paced page-turner. I loved the spooky “haunted house” atmosphere combined with the stormy night and secluded setting. This book isn’t necessarily scary or gory, but I also don’t recommend reading it late into the night while home alone like I did! The story is full of tension, suspense, and teenage drama. It is definitely a book that you can (and will want to!) read in one-sitting. This is a great book to read this fall, especially on a stormy night!

Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours, Tracy Banghart, Feiwel & Friends, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The quick cut: A teen girl who was raised to be perfectly polite finds her life rocked when a freak storm knocks the power out and truths are revealed.

A real review:
Thank you to Feiwel & Friends for providing the arc for an honest review.

The pressure to reflect the correct image of yourself can be intense, especially as a teenager. Parents, teachers, and adults love pointing out how important it can be when you're deciding how you want to live your life. For Jessa, though, this pressure is an actual risk to her life.

Jessa has spent her life trying to be the perfect girl: always patient and kind, good grades, and a strict rule follower. So when her parents leave her home alone overnight, they allow her to have her closest friends stay over for a sleepover. Sounds innocuous enough right? But when a freak storm knocks out power and they're forced to venture out in the dark for help, unexpected dangers threaten their lives. Can Jessa shed her perfect image long enough to survive?

I adore the concept behind this book because I do think it's timely. We'd love to think that society today is more wise to how gender specific pressures can only create issues, but the reality is that it's still a problem. For whatever reason, the expectation for girls to be pretty and polite and perfectly imaged still happens far too often. Life is messy, so why tell someone they need to pretend that isn't true? It creates so much unnecessary emotional trauma.

That being said, this book did have some rough patches. I love the fast pace of the overall book. When the plot twist is revealed though, it switches into overdrive and doesn't take enough time to really play out. The result is that it feels like someone slapped the ending of a different book onto this one. A longer transition and reveal of details was needed here.

I am far from perfect and so is Jessa. I do relate to her struggle though. At her age, I felt like I had to be that way too and be the daughter my parents needed me to be. Seeing events force her to face who she really is and be that instead is an important one. It's a storyline a lot of readers can relate to: be yourself instead the person others expect you to be.

A fun horror story with an unevenly paced plotline.

My rating: 4 out of 5

This book was incredible; I loved its fast pace. Jessa, portrayed as the perfect girl, can't always maintain that facade. She must relinquish her 'good girl' image, especially when she's trapped in a creepy, powerless house, and everything spirals out of control. The presence of ghosts adds to the intrigue, although I would have loved to see them featured more prominently throughout the story. This horror novel for young adults is captivating, despite the excessive COVID-19 references. The writing is enjoyable, making it a wonderfully cozy and spooky read. Definitely worth picking up!

2.5 ✨

what the actual fuck happened to the last 30% of this book

she was a cutie lil ya thriller and then she just got weird idk

the doll-house thing and the multiple druggings got a lil confusing and freaky and not in a cutie thriller way

Jessa, the "perfect" daughter, sister, and friend is preparing for college and has a sleepover while her parents are off at the ballet. They make an exception to her having a sleepover, as a mysterious serial killer has been lurking around and has taken six girls in the neighborhood lately.
Jessa invited one of her friends who has seemed distant lately, Tiny. During a 'fight', the power goes out and Jessa must navigate the night to survive with her friends, while no longer being "the perfect girl". That's what ends up making Jessa the perfect target, because she is the "perfect girl" after all.
With time not being on her side, a thunderstorm raging outside, through the darkness, she has to learn to fight with all she has to be "rude" in order to stay alive.
I definitely suggest NOT reading it when you're alone, especially in the middle of the night, so you don't get rattled by noises/voices in the house or just plan to stay up all night and read the entire thing in one sitting, like I did!!
I love survive the night stories and felt like the author hit the nail on the head with this one. I enjoyed the before POV, since we mostly see everything from Jessa's POV.
I think it lacked somewhat in the before parts and also the fact that Jessa was more worried about kissing a boy in the middle of the woods ALONE while her friends are missing, because #priorities.

"Life of a chaos demon is tough."

"Fine by me. I'd rather be a b**** than your perfect girl."

"You are safe. You are strong. You are beautiful, inside and out."

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for a digital copy of this wonderful thriller! I thoroughly enjoyed it so much and look forward to reading more by this author.

You boil with feminine rage, and then feminine pride, as our main character Jessa defies the constraints of her life to bust out and save herself and her friends.

Jessa is the good girl. She never breaks rules, and the adults in her life have trapped her inside expectations as being the one with the plan, the clean one, the polite one, and even when she's unhappy or uncomfortable. Her brother, Josh, the boy, gets away with being lazy, rude, and messy, and every time he does something wrong they BOTH get a new rule even if Jessa hasn't earned the restriction. She loves her brother but it definitely builds tension between the two of them...also because she has a crush on his best friend.

Her parents bend the "no friends when we aren't home" rule (Josh's fault) to let her have a sleepover when she would've been home alone. Especially because girls in a town not far from them have been going missing. At her house in the middle of nowhere. With faulty internet. And neighbors she doesn't know well if at all. Obviously, things are going to go badly...stalkers, power outages and a massive storm, stress, drama, and Jessa obeying when she should be questioning.

Once this really gets going the tension ratchets up until I was barely breathing I was waiting to figure out what the heck was going on. It's got a decent mystery, a haunted house, a great monologue when things finally snap, and true blue girl's girls friendship.

Note: Josh is oblivious, not overtly a butthead, and he very much loves and respects his sister. He's just a teenage boy who doesn't get it, or know how to express it yet. He learns better.

This is a fast-paced, easy to read YA thriller that took me just under 3hr to read. The stormy night and secluded house is a good backdrop for the mystery, and there were several other elements that added a little depth to the story.

It's not particularly scary (or even graphic), but I think it hits the mark for the target audience.

Overall: 3.5 stars (I liked it)

**Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends for the free ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

My Top 5 Reasons to Read Perfect Girl:
1. Exploring the ebbs and flows of friendships.
2. Lots of jump scares and thrills, including a ghost named Betty!
3. Truth or dare…
4. When a storm knocks the power out, all bets are off for the sleepover.
5. A super fun, engaging book with the right amount of horror that will delight readers of all ages!

This is a YA thriller about a sleepover that goes very wrong.
I was enjoying it in the beginning, although you are halfway through the book before anything scary happens. When that part hit I just thought it was okay.

🎀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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