Thank you Net Galley!
This story is fine. I didn't hate it, but I also didn't love it. The main character made me think Teeny Bopper.
It read much like "it was a dark and stormy night and your home alone..." With some twisty pieces added in.
I will say there were a few times that I caught myself playing detective in trying to figure out who the true "bad guy (or girl)" was.
All of the main characters decisions felt comparable to when in a scary movie the person runs up the stairs instead of out the front door!

This felt almost like a scream tv show and I really enjoyed it. It tackled some harder subjects well and was just a fun read.

I thought this was like watching a 90’s slasher flick. I loved the haunted house aspect along with the teenage girl friendship dynamics.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

Overall, this was an enjoyable story and definitely kept me entertained. Some things just irked me in this novel, like Jessa's mother who had this weird 1950s attitude of her brother "just being a boy" and then having this mega stressful, overarching opinion that Jessa did need to be a perfect little female. As much as it seems abhorrent with the neighbor and his mom's weird point of view of 'women are made to take care of their husband and children,' was it really that off of what her own mother was touting? Obviously, the neighbor was far more extreme....

The book had a good creep and mystery factor to it, however, I don't think any of the characters were really likable and Jessa just drove me crazy the entire time. Yes, her mother definitely caused a lot of her mental anxiety, but she perpetuated her OWN anxiety by choosing to act like some docile 1950s daughter. While EVERYONE around her was trying to be supportive and tell her to have a voice, yet she was putting on all of them that they were making her "be perfect." There was just a lot that drove me a bit crazy about this novel. Overall, good read but a VERY rushed ending. I do love the splash of ghost factors throughout the book and definitely leaves you wondering at the end of the novel. This also makes me remember why I never want to live in some far away in the country house that has minimal neighbors and no cell reception!

This could have been great, however it really wasn't. I had trouble connecting to the characters and the plot was predictable and just meh.
The main character was quite bland and I found her quite annoying most of the time.
I've actually read this a little over a month ago and I barely remember anything from it, the little I do remember, I'd rather not...
It was pretty short at least but I still had to make myself finish it.
So yeah, this was definitely a miss for me...

Perfect Girl by Tracey Banghart


This book gave me the epic creeps!!


Jessa has been raised to be a good girl. Polite… never argue… rule follower. Her friends are always giving her a hard time. During a sleepover at her home the storm takes out the power and when one of her friends goes outside and doesn’t come back.. Jessa knows something isn’t right and someone is there to make sure this is their last night together…
UGHHHHH I didn’t know how good this book was until the action starts. Jessa is a bit whiny but it really was a minor inconvenience for the craziness that kicks off once that power goes out. Jessa has caught the eye of the creepy kid from school who is also her neighbor and her friends boyfriend is very very dangerous… both of them are creeping around the house…
The stuff that happened had my pulse going a mile a minute. I was panicking for them and I wasn’t even there! The author built a wonderfully dark atmospheric read to an earth shattering conclusion and I was blown away. I did not expect any of the things to happen that did happen and holy heck was it well paced. Don’t let the cover and title lull you into thinking you know how dark this book gets because you have no idea.
Brilliant. Well written and expertly executed.
4 stars

This was a really weird one. Although I was really into it, it wasn’t actually thrilling. Like it told this weird ass story in such a laid back way. And it confused the hell out of me. When i explain this to my YA librarians I have no idea what I’m going to say lol It was a thriller, but not till like half of it was gone? Idk lol

I think the reason it was so weird was because of the characters. The main character was so prim and proper and a parent’s girlie. And her friend and her brother were both asshats. I’m not gonna lie, I thought everyone in this book was terrible. Literally none of them should have been by themselves because they were all childish af.

The plot was ok, but it was like an episode of Criminal Minds. I will say it took forever for something to happen. I was getting bored with them sitting in their basement. And I was disappointed that the ghost really had nothing to do with anything lol But when things finally got started, I gotta say, that shit was weird lol It did get predictable. If you’ve read enough thrillers or you watch Criminal Minds, one event will happen and you will know exactly whodunit.

I don’t want to say anything else about this so I don’t cause any spoilers, but Lordt. Just know that I liked it but I also hated it? I went through so many emotions reading this. But I was never scared, which was unfortunate. The writing style and the characters were terrible, but this wasn’t all bad. Definitely worth a read if you can ignore some of these things.


Real Rating 3.5

This is the perfect scary book if you aren't looking to be too scared. I was a little nervous going in that this book would make me scared to be alone at night, but it had the perfect amount of suspense.

I did feel like the book could have been about half as long as it is. It felt like it dragged on a bit, but that may have been because it took me a while to finish.

I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator did an awesome job!

--I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.--

This was a really enjoyful YA thriller with loads of twists and turns that kept me engaged. I enjoyed the audio narration of this book. It had a great flow while some twists were predicatable they were still engaging. The writing was so descriptive so the story played like a movie as I listened. Overall, a really nice at times scary YA mystery.

I loved the mystery and thriller part of the story along with real life issues that a lot of teens and people go through. Plus the romance was cute. This was a fast quick read and I listened to the audio narration and really enjoyed it. But like all thrillers/Mystery's don't want to give anything away. Go into in blind and have fun on the ride of what's going on.


thank you NetGalley for this Audio Arc in exchange for my honest review.

I tried to get swept into this narrative, but unfortunately it didn't stick out to me. I DNF'd at 20%.

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

I wanted to like this book, but it took me a long time to pick it up several times to finish it. The pace was slow, especially in the first half. And I felt the plot was nothing special.
I liked the narrator.

Always the 'good girl,' perpetual people pleaser Jessa becomes the object of obsession to the unhinged boy next door with life or death consequences. Does she have what it takes to do what she must in order to save herself and her friends when they get kidnapped one frightful night? Good on audio, this was a face-paced entertaining read. Solid 3 stars for me for this latest by a new to me author. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Perfect Girl is your standard YA thriller. It was a fun, keep your attention popcorn thriller. Love the sleepover setting with friendship tensions while fighting for survival. The pacing was good, there were some good scary moments and the twists while predictable was engaging. Angie Kane was a smooth narrator that kept you captivated throughout the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC of this audiobook for my honest review

A nice thriller / mystery, it was interesting and I wanted to know what was happening. The writing seemed a bit jumpy at times, I was confused for a bit when it switched to the other girls POV but I got it, and the narrators words sometimes cut off before it felt like she finished the word. The characters were fun though, and the storm gave it a nice vibe, it was also a unique plot but I was hoping there was more to it. It was entertaining, not too special but if you want to pick up a thriller it’s a nice easy read.

I'll be publishing my review on Goodreads and StoryGraph 19th December and on Tik tok most likely will add to a monthly wrap up post with review the beginning of January

I got this as an audio arc on Netgalley and it has since come out. Yeah this was a solid interesting mystery with a fitting narrator that properly captured the flow of the book. I've read Banghart before and didn't disappoint again. Some twists I didn't see coming.

First I would say the narrator did so good bringing the story to life with her narration.

2.75⭐️
Jessa is a perfect girl. When a freak storm takes out the power during a sleepover with her group of friends at her creepy, old house, things starts to go south.
I found it quite difficult to get into the story. It's one of those books I went in just because of the cover. . Generally, I'm not a fan of YAs, though there are just a few I've liked over the year.
The story was very slow paced. It was kinda interesting at some parts and keep your interest, and there were a few parts that felt like two different stories cram together which was confusing. But i still finished.
I think this will be a nice movie. It gives that kinda vibe.

Thank you, NetGalley and DreamscapeMedia, for this audiobook.

Perfect Girl is just the book to read to get you out of a slump. Just when you think you have all of the twists straightened out another snag comes out of nowhere.
Perfect for fans of AGGGTM, this book sets straight just what it means to be perfect in the most imperfect ways.

This review has been posted to Goodreads and Storygraph on November 25th, 2024. Links provided.

Jessa has always prided herself on being the “perfect” girl - polite, obedient, and eager to meet everyone’s expectations. Though her friends tease her for being so strait-laced, she’s content with her role. But during a sleepover at her old, creepy (potentially haunted) house, a storm knocks out the power and chaos erupts. As tensions rise and unexpected guests arrive, Jessa discovers that a killer who is obsessed with perfection is targeting her. To survive the night and protect her friends, she’ll have to break free from the persona she’s always embraced - but can she?

Overall, I enjoyed this audiobook and it was a quick and easy listen. The narrator did an excellent job delivering an engaging and suspenseful experience, though the story has its flaws. The central plot, with the storm, Jessa’s friends, and Jessa not knowing who the real enemy could be, is full of tension and eerie moments that kept me hooked. The pacing is quick, and the story builds well, especially as the night unfolds with the teenagers alone in the house without power. However, there were times when the plot felt a bit predictable, and some of the character development could have been deeper. Still, the tension between Jessa’s need to survive and her struggle to break free from her perfect image kept things interesting. As someone who grew up (and sometimes still is) a protectionist and people-pleaser, I could understand Jessa’s point of view, even if there were times that I wanted to yell at her for some of her decisions. In the end, this young adult novel is a fast-paced, mildly unsettling read, perfect for anyone who enjoys a suspense thriller centered around high school students without too much gore (think Pretty Little Liars).

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an audio ARC of Perfect Girl in return for my honest review.

This was a quick fun read! I could totally see this being a movie! This book felt like a pretty little liars season, it had it all, missing girls, creepy stalker, cute boys, complicated teenage girls, and no parental involvement!