Teen thriller about the daughter of a serial killer. New murders start happening and she questioning whether her dad was guilty or not. Fun and quick scary read to keep you guessing.

Ten years after Bettina’s dad, dubbed the Smiley Face Killer, was locked up, a new body turns up bearing his signature mark. Now Bettina, who testified against her father, is starting to wonder if he really did it or if there’s a copycat killer in town.

This book is such a gripping YA slasher thriller! Bettina has dealt with the trauma of her dad brutally killing her mom, which has made it tough for her to connect with others. But she finds an unexpected friendship with the local mortician’s daughter, and they team up to dig into the recent murders.

The story is packed with suspense and has a super eerie vibe. I really loved how relatable Bettina is, she can be pretty harsh with people, but you can see she’s actually protective of her own space. Her struggles feel so genuine, and I totally respect that. The story also has some nice twists at the end!

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was incredible! They really nailed the emotions throughout the story. I’m buddy reading this with my daughter, but she hasn’t finished yet, and I can’t wait to chat about it with her!

This book got under my skin in the best way. It’s intense, emotional, and sometimes hard to read — but that’s exactly the point. It gives voice to girls who were silenced, and it doesn’t shy away from the hard stuff. Megan Cooley Peterson writes with honesty and care, and somehow makes something so heavy feel empowering too. It’s the kind of story that makes you stop and think long after the last page.

Dead Girls Talking is a thoughtful, atmospheric YA thriller with a strong emotional core. Megan Cooley Peterson explores the psychological aftermath of trauma and the complexities of family legacy. However, the prose can become too descriptive, with long passages of internal monologue and atmosphere that slow the story’s momentum making the pacing feel glacial. The protagonist is written as deeply traumatized and misunderstood, but her voice can come across as frustratingly passive.

i actually forgot to give a feedback about this book, but i quite enjoyed it! i wasn’t ready for this but i really enjoyed. a good thriller. i read it with my bestie cause she got the ARC for it too!

This book was a very fun read, however I did find myself getting bored with it at times. There would be really exciting fast paced parts, followed by chapters that felt boring and full of information about the characters that I just didn't care about. I did enjoy this as a palette cleanser between reads because it was quick, easy and fun with good twists!

1⭐️

DNF: 5%

Welp. Unfortunately, this is going to have to go down as a DNF for me. And ooh how I was looking forward to reading this!!!

After finished my previous read (a novel about women supporting women), I was in search for something similar. None of my library books contained that particular premise so I searched my ARCs. And when I stumbled upon the synopsis of Dead Girls Talking, I got really excited to give it a try. So, I downloaded the Audiobook to read alongside my ARC EBook version and quickly settled into reading both the Prologue and Chapter 1. Sadly, I knew, once I finished Chapter 1, that I was going to DNF this.

*Spoilers*

(1) Bettina Holland came off way too insufferable. She literally is all about making bad decisions while she complains about her father “killing” her mother.

(2) She literally has sex on the dirty train tracks (yes, in the first chapter) with a boy named Xavier. But, minutes before was willing to almost get hit by a train on those very tracks (insert eye rolling emoji here).

(3) All she did was complain about her life in Chapter 1. I know more about her Grandparents than I do Bettina. I never received a description of who Bettina was besides the fact that she is the daughter of “The Smiley Face” killer. Frustrating!!!

I am aware that I only read 5% of this book. But, I am a strong believer that when you know a book isn’t going to be for you then DNF it and find something more interesting.

I truly wish Megan Cooley Peterson best wishes on everything, especially her writing endeavors!!!

Thank you NetGalley and Holiday House for granting my request for an Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for my honest and personal opinion!!!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ooooh, honey—Dead Girls Talking?? You had me at the title. I mean, come on. That’s iconic. I saw that and knew I was about to be shook, and let me tell you, Megan Cooley Peterson does NOT disappoint. This book is dark, it’s mysterious, and it’s serving up realness with every page. It’s giving you that eerie vibe, with just the right amount of sass to keep you hooked.

Now, let’s get into it:

👻 Supernatural suspense—we’re talking ghostly vibes with an attitude, honey. It’s not just any old murder mystery—this is a whole new level of creepy-cool meets whodunnit meets girl power. Dead girls are talking, and you better listen.
💔 Haunting but relatable—you’re not just following spirits; you’re diving into their lives, their secrets, and the drama that led them to where they are. It’s got layers, like an onion, and each reveal just hits you harder.
🔥 Twists and turns—just when you think you’ve figured it out? BAM. Megan Cooley Peterson hits you with that plot twist and you’re like, “Did I just read that?!” Oh, you did.
✨ Badass ghost girls—because these girls aren’t just dead—they’re smart, they’re fierce, and they’ve got something to say. You’ll be rooting for them from the first chapter to the last.

I absolutely love how the book doesn’t just throw you into the supernatural. No, no. It builds, it creeps, and when it hits, you’re hooked. This isn’t just another ghost story, darling—it’s a bold, haunting, talking back kind of story.

And the title? Dead Girls Talking is like the catchphrase for everything these girls are about. You better believe they’ve got stories to tell, and they’re gonna make you listen.

📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖
Title: Dead Girls Talking
Author: Megan Cooley Preston
Page Count: 288
Format: Ebook
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book Number: 27
Dates Read: 2/9-10
Review: I was given this free advanced copy, and I leave this review voluntarily.

What a wild ride. This mysterious, thriller rocks me to my core. Throughout the whole story, the twists and turns keep you w0ndering just who did it and who is involved. The friendship built between the girls is one to remember. I would recommend this to thriller readers.

Dead Girls Talking by Megan Cooley Peterson is a chilling, fast-paced thriller that blends gripping suspense with sharp social commentary. Bettina Holland, haunted by the belief that her father was the notorious “Smiley Face Killer,” is forced to reconsider everything when a series of copycat murders points to a darker truth. Teaming up with Eugenia, a goth girl with a penchant for the dead, Bett embarks on a quest to uncover the real killer—and confront the terrifying possibility that her father may not be the culprit after all. Peterson crafts a taut narrative, full of dark humor, razor-sharp wit, and a fierce exploration of justice and anger. Dead Girls Talking is an unrelenting, thought-provoking ride for readers who love their thrillers with a bite.

Sometimes a book is saved by audiobook narration. When I first got to the advanced reader copy for this I couldn't get past the beginning - for some reason I simply didn't resonate with the writing style so I ended up dnfing. It wasn't until recently when I got the access to audiobook and thought that I might as well try to work on my Netgalley score that I ended up finishing it. And honestly, I had a blast. This book was so much fun, the narrator should get an award or something, seriously. They made for such a an immersive experience, that I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.

Usually, I can roughly predict who is the killer and while the final killer was one of my theories, their motive was completely different than what I imagined. I also like how the reveal tied back to the original case. I'm however little sceptical, how was the main character never for a moment questioned as a potential suspect: she had found both bodies, and she even had a motive for the second murder.

While I did like her as a protagonist overall there were parts where she got on my nerves. And again as much as I like who to find killer was I think it's a shame that after all that investigation, the main characters stumble upon them basically on an accident - they never even suspected them, so as far as the detective work, I can't really praise the girls on that.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

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

Dead Girls Talking was a fun, thrilling read that scratched the itch of a YA thriller. I liked the characters and loved the twists and turns it offered along the way.

First time reading from this author and will not be the last. The reason to begin with that i requested this was because of the cover! WOW

This book has you drawn in from page 1. it was a mix between a summer vibe and a spooky Halloween vibe.

I liked the book and the writing. Glad i was offered and advanced copy. I love YA and i will read more by the author.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for gifting me this advanced reader copy!!

I was so drawn to this cover and I was really hoping for Jennifer’s body type of vibes and it really wasn’t. This book would be really fun for some kind of summerween/ Halloween readathon but otherwise it’s a skip for me!

the writing was really bland, it felt like maybe the author was trying too hard with certain sentences and then it would go back to not being great.

There was some explicit content in this book that didn’t feel very YA and aside from the writing and the characters being in high school it felt like an adult book. There’s also a lot of plot holes and it feels like some things weren’t resolved within the story.

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.
1 like

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.