Ohhh how I LOVE a good YA mystery-thriller!

Difficult Girls follows Greta, a recent high school grad starting a new job at Hyper Kid, an amusement park with rides, theatrical shows and lore including a vicious murder of a beloved, aspiring actress! Like Hyper Kid, Greta has a mysterious, crime-adjacent backstory of her own, and she will do anything to stop her new co-workers (and friends) from finding out about why she had to switch to online school and why she deactivated all of her social media.

Early on in the book, Greta meets Mercy, and destined-for-Broadway actress starring in one of Hyper Kid's theater shows. Greta and Mercy make plans to meet the next day at work, but when Mercy fails to show up -- and starts missing entire days of work -- Greta can't help but find the parallels between her situation and the murder of Hailey, a talented actress at Hyper Kid who was found murdered on a ride 20 years prior.

I really enjoyed this read! It was fast-paced enough that, even while in a minor book slump, I found myself excited to get back to reading and finding out what happened to Mercy and Hailey. This was reminiscent of 'All We Lost Was Everything' by Sloan Harlow with the ~cold case reopened~ plot! I wish we had at least one more chapter to really give us a solid conclusion/explain the aftermath of some events that happened at the end of the book, but overall, the mystery in this really got me! I was suspicious of nearly every character at one point, and the final twist still shocked me.

Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!!

𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬 gave me 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈-𝒐𝒇-𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒅𝒂𝒔𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒄—like if 𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝐺𝑖𝑟𝑙𝑠 met a haunted Six Flags and whispered 𝑑𝑜𝑛’𝑡 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑦 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙𝑠. 💕💁🏼‍♀️

This one hit a little personal for me—✨𝒏𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒈𝒊𝒄 𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒕✨—I spent a couple of years working in theme park entertainment, and this book 𝑛𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑑 the weird magic and underlying eeriness of those backlot spaces and after-hours secrets. It felt like stepping back into a memory…but with more danger lurking behind the curtains 👀😱

We follow Greta Riley Green—fresh off 𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡 last year and desperate for reinvention. Enter: Hyper Kid Magic Land, a theme park that’s one neon sign away from being its own crime scene. And just when things start to feel hopeful, dazzling Mercy Goodwin steps into Greta’s orbit like a glittering, untouchable star…only to disappear just as fast. 😬😬🎢

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅:

🎡 That creepy, nostalgic amusement park setting (𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒…𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑙 𝑖𝑡’𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡)

👩‍🎤 Complex, messy girls trying to outrun their pasts
🌪️ That perfect spiral of secrets, danger, and 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒

🎭 Mercy’s character—𝑎 𝑏𝑖𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝑔ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠

𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆:

🌙 coming-of-age with a sinister twist

🎢 small town secrets hidden behind the glitter

🔮 the 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑠 energy

🩸 buried pasts & dark legacies

𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐑 ☀️:
If you’re looking for a summer read that’s 𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑠 𝑠𝑢𝑛𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑠, this is it. Perfect for those long, hazy afternoons when you want something a little dark, a little dangerous, and completely impossible to put down. It has that thrill of sneaking out after dark, the bittersweet ache of trying to outrun your past, and the magnetic pull of beautiful, complicated girls who feel like both a dream and a warning. 🎟️🎡

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲, 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰! 💕🫶🏼

3.5 ⭐️

This book is a Tilt-A-Whirl of teenage angst, murderous secrets, and a theme park so quirky it makes Six Flags look like a corporate snooze-fest. Sometimes it’s as chaotic as a toddler on a sugar high, but it’s got enough razzle-dazzle to keep you hooked.

First, meet Greta Riley Green, our unreliable narrator with a past so shady it could star in a noir film. After some mysterious “incident” (Bane keeps us guessing like a reality TV cliffhanger), Greta’s trying to reinvent herself at Hyper Kid Magic Land, a theme park that feels both whimsical and unhinged. Think roller coasters, sparkly costumes, and a vibe that screams, “We’re fun, but also maybe haunted.” Greta’s summer job is supposed to be her fresh start, but when Mercy Goodwin, the park’s dazzling star performer, vanishes after asking Greta to meet her, Greta’s plunged into a mystery stickier than a melted popsicle. Was she the last to see Mercy? And why does this park have more missing girls than a true-crime podcast?

Greta herself is a delightfully flawed heroine. She’s persistent, vulnerable, and just broken enough to root for. Her struggle to piece together her fractured past is raw and relatable. I saw a bit of my younger self in her—the girl who thought reinventing herself meant a new haircut and a fake-it-till-you-make-it attitude. (Newsflash: It doesn’t.)

Mercy is a glamorous enigma, all confidence and secrets, and I was invested. There’s also Ivy, a side character who’s so fierce and funny she deserves her own spin-off. The dialogue pops like bubblegum, and Bane’s take on toxic masculinity (“men are assholes because they choose to be”) had me clapping like I was at a feminist poetry slam. This book is a love letter to girls who are messy, difficult, and unapologetic, and I’m here for it.

Just like a with a Rollercoaster: when you go high, you gotta go low. The pacing can be as wobbly as a bumper car driven by a hungover teen. The first half builds delicious tension, but the second half feels like Bane tried to cram a season of Pretty Little Liars into 100 pages. Some twists are jaw-dropping, but others feel like they were thrown in for shock value, like a haunted house jump-scare that’s more annoying than scary. The romance subplot is cute but thinner than a carnival prize teddy bear—it’s there, but you’re not sure why. Liam is adorable, though. And while I love an unreliable narrator, Greta’s gaps sometimes left me frustrated, like trying to solve a puzzle with half the pieces missing.

Difficult Girls is perfect for fans of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder or anyone who loves their thrillers with an amusement park. Bane’s debut proves she’s a voice to watch, and I’m already counting down to her next book. If you’re ready for a summer job that’s dreamy and deadly, grab this book, buckle up, and prepare for a wild ride.

3.5-4 stars !!

Oh my goodness what a wild ride this was I loved every second of it!! I didn’t see the twist coming or the double twist which is always a good thing with a mystery!
Greta and Liam were absolutely ADORABLE i loved their sweet, if a little awkward and goofy dynamic so so much my lil babies 🥺
The whole gang has my heart, Silvia and Ivy especially, they were the best supporting characters and I actually loved how the group had a bunch of diff ages in it, there’s nothing like working your first job and being besties w someone 20 years your senior 😭

My only qualms are that the romance although very sweet, had Liam saying some buzz words “I’ve got you” etc. very early on like they just met and I know the vibe was intentional but it being spelled out like that wasn’t my fave. I also get why Greta was super intense about solving the mystery I do, but sometimes the whole destiny thing felt a lil dramatic and kinda gave away that certain things would work out.

That being said,, I think it was a solid murder mystery and I’m so so so excited to read everything Veronica has upcoming!! I’m SAT!!! I read this so fast I kinda want to go back bc I’m sure i missed things,, but it was so fun and there were moments that were truly horrific like the dream she has the first time she passes out??? The GLASS?? My god,, and she got the creepy killer thing DOWN TO A T!!! [redacted] was so creepy it gave me chills, what a feat!

I can’t wait for my HB to come so i can transfer all my annotations, absolutely loved it! Maybe if it was a little longer certain things could’ve taken more time to be fleshed out but still,, a BLAST!! 🩷

Anything that reminds me of Pretty Little Liars is a hit in my book! Fantastic debut. I can see this being a hit with many people.

Meh. I didn't like being in the main character's head. I found her annoying and juvenile. I know she's like 16, but her obsession with Grey right out of the gate put me on edge from go, and I never lost it. And her idolization of Ivy. She's a try hard and I don't like being in that headspace. I don't get it, so it frustrates me. But that's all a me issue

This was a strong thriller novel, it had that suspenseful atmosphere that I was looking for and enjoyed in the genre. I thought the idea of being last seen with the missing girl worked well overall and was invested in what was happening. It was wonderfully written and the characters felt like they belonged in this storyline and I was invested in what was was happening to them. Veronica Bane has a great writing style and am excited for more.

I liked the theme park setting and the dual mysteries, past and present. The first half felt a little slow, and the mystery/investigation aspect felt a little light, but the love interest was cute and it was a fun, quick read.

So fun. A Thriller/mystery set at a theme park? Sign me up! Greta and the many female characters had so many layers to them that made them dark, but also so human in their actions. Books about the power men have over vulnerable women have been done before, but this one offered a new layer of showing the reader that it never goes away until those men are gone for good, because otherwise they will keep hurting women.

I always lose a star in my ratings when I feel the book is inconsistent with its pacing, like this one. But I still enjoyed it a lot.

This was one of my first foray's into new adult thrillers, and I was not dissapointed.

Veronica Bane created an engrossing world full of a mystery that kept me reading page after page.

I will definitely be keeping up with this author as time goes on!

A killer mystery well in line with Karen McManus and Pretty Little Liars. Difficult Girls was well=paced and the characters added an emotional dimension that was much needed.

Greta Riley Green needs a fresh start, and her new job at Hyper Kid Amusement Park seems like a great opportunity- especially when Mercy, a beautiful and talented park performer, takes Greta into her confidence. But when Mercy goes missing, Greta finds herself in the spotlight and unsure of who to trust.

Overall, this was a fun and twisty read. I didn’t fully understand the setting (a theme park for kids with Broadway-level entertainers) and it moved a bit slowly in a few places, but overall there were some great surprises and interesting characters. It’s an enjoyable YA read!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC!

Mercy is missing and Greta seems to be the only person who cares. Greta is trying to put her past behind her, make new friends and have a fun summer at Hyper Kid Magic Land, but Mercy's disappearance becomes a distraction from her plan. Is Mercy's disappearance related to the unsolved murder from the park's grand opening? Can Greta solve the mysteries without everyone finding out about her past?

I absolutely loved this book. It keeps your attention throughout the whole book and really reminds me of GGGTM, but at a theme park.

Everything was laid out perfectly and went at the perfect pace. There was never too much information or too little. I did kinda guess the twist, but I read so many of things books that it’s too easy now. I also enjoyed the little romance we got to experience. It tied the book together.

I also enjoyed all the characters and there wasn’t really anyone extra or just didn’t make sense. I think Ivy will be my favorite of them all.

🎡✨BOOK REVIEW✨🎡
Difficult Girls by Veronica Bane
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🩸 Dark secrets
🎭 Theater kids with teeth
🔪 Murderous summer jobs
🌀 Unreliable narrators and twisty turns

Hyper Kid Magic Land is supposed to be Greta Riley Green’s chance to start over. New job. New friends. New identity. But when the park’s star performer, Mercy, confides in her—and then disappears—Greta can’t ignore the cracks forming in her fresh start… or in herself.

Was Greta the last person to see Mercy alive?
Can she trust her own memories?
And just how many girls have gone missing in this theme park?

This thriller is: 💫 Razor-sharp and unhinged in the best way
🎢 Fast-paced with just enough dread and dark humor
🎭 A perfect mix of showbiz sparkle and spine-chilling suspense
🧠 Ideal for fans of unreliable narrators and morally gray girls

Veronica Bane’s debut delivers mystery, memory, and mania in a pastel-colored nightmare. It’s funny, sinister, and absolutely gripping. Think Sadie meets White Smoke with an amusement park twist. I could not put it down.

📌 Read if you love:
🎠 Theme park horror
📓 Mean girls & misfits
🧨 Girls who bite back
⏳ Past trauma coming to light
🩸 Twisty mysteries that keep you guessing

Greta Riley Green is NOT your average Final Girl. She might just be the scariest thing at Hyper Kid Magic Land… 🎪

#DifficultGirls #VeronicaBane #YAThriller #DarkYA #MysteryReads #SummerThriller #BooksWithBite #MorallyGrayGirls #ThemeParkThriller #BookstagramRecs #PsychologicalThriller #BloodySummer #DelacortePress

This was FUN! It feels very true to teenage experience, and the awkward and earnest narration was delightfully relatable. Excited to see what Bane writes next!

There are a few things about this book that make it unique in my eyes.
1. the setting: It’s set in Hyper Kid. Hyper Kid is a theme park but it’s primarily centered around performances. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a mystery set in a theme park even though it seems like the prime place for drama.
2. the narrator: Greta is a complicated character and it makes her a complicated narrator. She has a fair amount going on as the book opens so she views everything with a lens that is not entirely relatable or trustworthy. Honestly she is not a great detective. (But if she was there would be no book, right?)
One of my gripes though is that it’s not super clear with a lot of their ages. This makes one relationship in particular seem really uncomfortable to me. It also just kept nagging in my brain because I was having trouble imagining these characters.
Thank you to Delacorte Press for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

the chars were effective. the theme park feel was effective and the general themes were pretty good. twist was good. 5 stars. tysm forthe arc.

I received the novel, Difficult Girls, from netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

Victoria Bane’s new YA novel, Difficult Girls is set in a theme park, an unusual setting for any novel. The setting immediately makes you take notice, even before you’re introduced to the main character, Greta Green.

Greta has something in her past that has caused her to want to reinvent herself socially and unlike most teenagers, she is not glued to her social apps.

Ms. Bane draws you into the story from the very beginning, offering just enough tidbits to keep you interested and reading. Both mysteries are woven together well, keeping you interested. I spent a lot of the time I was reading trying to add up the clues and solve the problems.

The book is engaging from the first sentence, keeping the reader engaged. The first person narrator style allows you inside Greta’s head, making it more urgent as she races towards the answer. The setting gives a touch of whimsy and makes the reader wonder what is going on behind the scenes at other amusement parks.

Overall, I absolutely recommend this book and look forward to reading more from Ms. Bane.

➵ 3.75 ⭐️

I expected this to be something similar to The Thrashers but this was... not that. I've heard people compare Difficult Girls to AGGGTM and maybe it's similar to it but since I haven't read it I really can't tell, all I know is it wasn't what I hoped it'd be.

The FMC Greta annoyed me more often than not. I know she's young (16-17yo) but her naivete and idiocy made her feel like she was even younger. There were a few scenes where the cringe-ness and awkwardness made me question if she was actually 12 yo because the way she thought and acted often read younger than her supposed age. For example for a big chunk of the book she wanted to stay away from Liam convincing herself he is a red flag because some of his coworkers jokingly call him "Dealer". She has no context nor does she ask what it means she just assumes he deals drugs and clings to that religiously convincing herself he is "dangerous" even when all of his actions point to the opposite. But the guy who is the actual red flag and she doesn't know him at all nor does she spend any time with him, she just assume he is good because she is attracted to him. There's like no critical thinking from this girl who is supposed to be smart and is convinced that it's her destiny to solve the disappearance of her coworker.

Speaking of that coworker, the way that Greta is put on this path is a little ridiculous. She doesn't know Mercy (said coworker), Mercy isn't her friend, she has met her once during orientation at work and yet when she runs into Mercy at a party after work on her very first day mind you, during their one and only interaction it takes Mercy 10 seconds to start acting weird and to beg Greta to meet her the next day "so she can show her something" like they became besties out of nowhere and Mercy has any reason to confide in or trust Greta. I thought maybe by the end of the book we'll find out that there was a reason for that interaction or something to make it make more sense but that wasn't the case. It'd have been better of either Greta and Mercy were actual friends before she disappeared (but considering the whole plot takes place in the span of 5 days I guess there was no time for that) or if they didn't have that interaction at all and Greta just starts poking because she notices that Mercy isn't showing to work and given that she is already more or less fascinated with her that would've been enough.

The mystery itself was interesting enough, even if in the beginning I was actually more interested with what Greta was hiding than with Mercy's disappearance. Once secrets started to come out, I like the way the past murder tied up with what was happening in the present.

The romance was probably my fav part even if it wasn't the main focus simply because Liam was my fav character. He was an absolute cinnamon roll that must be protected at all cost and there were a few times where I asked myself what he even saw in Greta. She wasn't a bad character, hell I even agree with Liam that what she did to the boys locker room was badass even if she didn't do it exactly on purpose lmao but my gods, I wanted to shake her so many times. She had a lot of trauma and she was betrayed by the majority of her closest people so her judgement was definitely messed up which in turn was messing her up and that's why I tried to give her a lot of grace but for the majority of the book she was very frustrating.


All in all, this was a decent debut (even though this isn't technically the author's first book, she's ghostwriter who's written over 10 books) and if you don't read thrillers or murder mysteries often this may surprise and even shock you. It's a good summer "who dunnit" read with a splash of messy relationships and past secrets.

eternal gratitude to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC