firstly, thank you to the publisher for an alc!

i’m only recently getting into the thriller/horror genre, and while this was a good read and had a good narrator, it was not particularly chilling or thrilling

This is the classic teen horror story. There’s a bad storm, the power goes out, cell phones don’t work, 6 teens are hanging out in a friends’ house sans adults in the middle of the woods in a creepy basement. To add to the scariness factor, there have been reports of girls going missing in the nearby community recently. Through a series of twists and turns, the night drags on (sometimes longer than you think possible) as the teens struggle to survive.
I really liked this book. It hooked me right from the beginning and I read/listened to it almost all in one day. That being said, there were a few things that didn’t sit well with me and some that had me saying, huh? (The dollhouse dungeon? The creepy mom? Why didn’t they leave to go someplace safe?)
Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook arc!

This had all the makings of being a great YA thriller: a girl’s night sleepover, a storm, unexpected boys showing up, and a killer on the loose. And in the end it just fell flat for me.

I loved the atmosphere, I loved the petty teenage drama going on between the girls, I loved the set up of the main character always being dubbed as “perfect” by everyone even though she doesn’t think she is. I thought it was a great setup.

But once we got into what being the “perfect girl” really means for the context of this book, and we changed locations, I just felt very uninterested. I wanted a teenage slasher book, and instead got something completely different. It wasn’t bad, just not what I expected.

The audiobook was great though; the narrator did a fantastic job with all the characters and really getting across the emotions of everyone. Highly recommend this narrator.

Overall, it’s a 3 out of 5 stars. I was going with 3, but there was a lot of diversity in this book and I really appreciated that.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!

This was surprisingly delightful. It has been on my radar, but I was thoroughly impressed by how it all came together. There were some twists I definitely did not see coming. Overall, really impressed with this YA horror.

This came across as very YA, nothing wrong with that but I went in thinking it was an adult thriller so I was a little bit letdown just because I thought it was going to be more “adult.” I listened to the audiobook of this book and I really enjoyed listening to it & also enjoy the narrator. This story started out very cutesy and like a typical teenagers life, but the farther into the night & into the story the crazier the night gets! There wasn’t anything really wrong with this story, it was a good story and was a perfect Young Adult Thriller. I just wish I knew that before jumping into the story. If you don’t mind the YA genre thrillers then you’ll definitely enjoy this book! But if you’re wanting a more adult thriller with gore, insane twists & and suspense or horror, then this is not the story for you.

Perfect Girl is a fast paced, quick read, YA thriller about Jessa and a sleep over gone wrong.

Jessa is the perfect child - always follows the rules, gets good grades, has high aspirations. With recent abductions in the area and her parents away for the night, Jessa’s parents let her have a sleepover so Jessa isn’t home alone. During the sleepover, there’s a massive storm that knocks out the power in the midst of a game of truth or dare. From there, the friend group splits up, people start to go missing, her friend’s boyfriend is possibly stalking them, no one has service.

The audiobook was really fun and a quick listen. The storyline was pretty outrageous, but It was never boring. I was always wondering what was going to happen next. There were a lot of Covid references, which didn’t totally fit the storyline. I definitely overall recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my opinion. My opinions are totally my own.

This one was interesting! The perfect girl, Jessa, convinces her parents to let her have a sleepover with her friends while her parents are out. A storm comes through and that's when all the weird things start happening.

I feel like everything I say will give away what happens in the story which is a little predictable but also so creepy! It kind of gave me Riverdale vibes with the old-fashioned neighbors but we soon learn why they are so old-fashioned.

I will say ALL the pandemic talk in this book was overkill!

I have attached my good reads below. My review for "Perfect Girl" is listed in my good reads. Thank you so much for providing me the ARC for this novel.

This is an enjoyable YA, but boy do you need to suspend disbelief with this one. When I think back on all the things that happened in this book, it’s almost comical.

I had to laugh at the Third Eye Blind reference. I loved them in the 90s and now I’m old enough for the MFC in a YA to be making fun of her mom for loving them!

Jessa is trying to spend her high school years being the perfect girl. She’s getting good grades, she’s polite, and she’s involved in extracurricular activities! I think a lot of young readers will be able to relate to her character and anxious inner monologues. Her strained friendships and complicated family dynamics.

I can’t go in to the plot too much because it’s hard not to give stuff away, but the crazy nurse made me laugh. Where are nurses in these types of books getting their drugs from?! I’ve been a nurse 18 years. You can’t just walk away with a bag full of meds whenever you want. But hey, it makes for a good story anyways.

If you’re in the mood for a quick, easy fast paced YA that’s a bit over the top, then this is the book for you! Plus, if you do decide to give this one a try, then I definitely recommend the audiobook! The narration is great!

Not gonna lie, I’ve been in a major reading slump before I picked up this audiobook and basically binged it in an afternoon. Generally speaking, audiobook narration can be hit or miss. Usually it’s either completely flat or over-the-top weird and animated, but the Perfect Girl nailed the tone. It was just unique and fun enough that it pulled me into the story right from the start.

While the story itself doesn’t employ any new or groundbreaking plot points, it is an interesting, fast-paced YA thriller that kept me at the edge of my seat the entire time. So, if you’re looking for something relatively light to fill a foggy, stormy fall afternoon - Perfect Girl is it.

If I could, I’d give it extra points just for Betty the ghost.

3 stars⭐️✨

I liked the narration for this book. However, there were a lot of covid-19 references in this book. Also, the main character of this book was not very clever for some of her decisions, but the characters overall were not bad.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced audiobook copy.

Thank you to Netgally for letting me get a sneak peak into this Audiobook,
I thought this was such a good listen, I think I finished the book in two days!
More of a young adult book but I still enjoyed it.
Jessa is the perfect teenage girl with a brother who gets most of the attention at home because he is just not as well behaved as Jessa.
One night mom and dad leave them home alone, when suddenly a murderer on the loose, maybe the next victims.
Jessa ends up being kidnapped and you will never guess by who?

The storyline is set up well enough to keep you guessing about who is abducting and murdering the girls until about half way. Then it's not the mystery but the tension and suspense of will the girls survive that keeps the listener hooked. The narrator does a wonderful job of expressing the teen girl angst that comes with new love, stress over school work, deciding your future, and being in the throws of an attempted abduction / murder. I really enjoyed it.

thank you netgalley. i really enjoyed this narration and at times forgot this was just one person. i liked basically hanging out with these teens for a bit before the twists happened. but when they did! i was here for it. a little annoyed with the decisions but that’s how teenagers in thrillers do.

TW: Abduction and medical/psychological abuse.

I felt very called out by the main character. Seriously though, this was a fun little psychological thriller. Ir was well-written and all of the characters were people I wanted to get to know better. Every twist was filled with tension about what would come next, and I had a hard time putting it down.

I would recommend this book to fans of Cabin in the Woods (movie), and The Honeys.

Thank you for this ARC!

Perfect Girl had everything you could want from YA thriller: a dark and stormy night, a group of friends alone at a sleepover and a VERY creepy stalker/murderer that no one was expecting.

The story was super fast paced and stressed me out (in a good way of course!) The pacing of the story was perfect!

I also really loved some of the small details added to help stress the reader out a little more. Jessa lost her glasses at one point and as a glasses wearer myself, that worried me! I can't imagine running from a murderer practically blind!

There were a few moments that I had to remind myself that I was reading YA. The characters sometimes got distracted with a little romance while their friends were being held captive in the stalker's basement. But they are teens so, I guess hormones sometimes get in the way!

I do wish we had a little more background about all of the other murders. But, it wasn't totally necessary to Jessa and her friend's story so I understand not having it!

Overall, really great YA thriller and I would definitely recommend!

Okay, this book gave me SCREAM vibes in the best way possible.

The story was predictable, you can figure out there is misdirection in the beginning. But, what I think make this book so perfectly creepy is the fact that the pain the main characters go through is at the result of the patriarchy and the idea of a "perfect girl". The main character is always described as "perfect", but no one considers how she is feeling or what she wants. As long as she doesn't cause problems, is quiet, doesn't argue, doesn't fight back, then she must be alright? But, what if those traits are exactly why she is a target?

Okay, this book hit too close to home.

I recently got into YA thrillers and I think “perfect girl” was a pretty fun one! It was fast paced and engaging, I managed to finish it in two sittings. This is definitely catered towards a younger audience and it’s not as gory as it could’ve been but I personally liked that.
I really liked the story and the foreshadowing, combined with the spooky haunted house setting and the two intersecting stories.
I also loved that it wasn’t as predictable as some other books I’ve read before.

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 Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the kind of story that starts off as a fun sleepover with mild jump scares and ends up, well… off the rails.

Let’s start with our main character, Jessa, who’s got that “perfect girl” vibe drilled into her by society and helicopter parenting. She’s unfailingly polite, always listens, and never rocks the boat—except, of course, when things inevitably go sideways, and she’s forced to get her hands a little dirty. Her friends? Pretty much every personality trope in the book (and not in a good way). There’s the snarky one, the skeptic, the drama queen—all standard fare, each more frustrating than the last as they start making questionable decisions one after another.

But hey, that’s nothing compared to the story’s grand finale. No spoilers, but let’s just say, things get extra supernatural. At first, this little paranormal bit shows up as a cute joke—a wink from the author like, "Haha, wouldn’t it be wild if that little thing actually did something useful?" But then it goes from quirky sidekick to a full-on deus ex machina, swooping in to save the day. The twist here? This supernatural bit somehow has ties to the antagonists, and, out of nowhere, it’s got a grudge to settle. Seriously? I mean, sure, fiction requires suspension of disbelief, but this ending felt like I’d suddenly switched to watching a Scooby Doo cartoon.

In the end, Perfect Girl had potential, but it ultimately felt like a mismatched jigsaw puzzle, with characters and plotlines forced to fit into a story that tried to be too many things at once. If you’re in the mood for a twisty thriller with some mild scares, maybe skip this one unless you’re okay with scratching your head in disbelief by the end.