3.50 stars

This book reminded me of a good girls guide to murder series. I love how she makes a friend who becomes her sidekick, as they investigate the murder and disappearance.

The main female character is labeled at neurodivergent but I didnt really get that vibe. At times the pacing was off, and twists predictable. I did enjoy the book, and would read the author again.

I had such a fun time reading this!!! It was giving me major AGGGTM vibes. The author did such an amazing job setting up the characters. I was truly so invested in the characters' lives and cared about Greta––which made the action-packed ending even more tense and suspenseful (I was seriously holding my breath!) If you're looking for your next fav YA Thriller, I would 1000% pick this one up!!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

DIFFICULT GIRLS by Veronica Bane

Thank you Netgalley, RHC, Delacorte, and Veronica for the earc (July 8)

Greta is reeling from an incident in her past, so she takes a job at Hyper Kid Magic Land to reinvent herself. What she doesn't expect is to be dragged into the world of Mercy, promised a secret that Mercy's been keeping. When Mercy doesn't show, Greta knows something happened. Something is wrong. So...Greta investigates, unearthing more than she ever thought possible.
DIFFICULT GIRLS is a thrilling tale where past and present mysteries intwine into one large mystery that's full of twists that I didn't see coming. Especially that last one. Like, I called half of it, but the actual whodunit left me baffled and all out shocked. It didn't cross my mind, and honestly I don't know why.
Not only is DIFFICULT GIRLS action-packed and full of mystery, it's full of new friendships, new relationships. What I loved most about DIFFICULT GIRLS was Greta opening herself back up and learning not to revel in the past no matter how difficult. The characters were likeable, even ones who shouldn't have been (of course only in the beginning, once the book picked up pace, the likeability of those ones dwindled until...BOOM, we see their true colors.)
DIFFICULT GIRLS is a must read for mystery/thriller lovers. This book has everything that makes a thriller thrilling. There's past and present drama, a mystery begging to be solved, and of course a little bit of a slow burn romance.

Thank you Delacorte Press and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. Very Intriguing! Greta has a difficult past and she’s hoping to start over with her new job at Hyper Kid Magic Land. When the star of Hyper Kid’s entertainment show asks to meet up with her, Greta is really excited but then Mercy doesn’t show and she doesn’t show up for work either. Greta, along with some friends, will try to find out what happened to her. But doing so may just threaten all that she’s worked for. Can she escape from her past? Can she find Mercy? A thrilling mystery that picks up speed as it goes! I enjoyed Greta and her friends! A captivating story with a little bit of romance mixed in! Full of angst, tension, and twists!

🎡 Thank You Veronica Bane for letting me be a part of the street team and for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4 ★

I’m happy that this book kept me invested from the very beginning! Not only was I interested in the mystery, but also the subplot about what happened with Greta in the past. As far as the main mystery goes, nothing really happens in the first half of the book. Instead, the first half was used to set up the mystery and theme park setting. Despite it starting off slow, Greta’s past slowly unraveling kept me turning the page.

I liked how the story was set in a theme park. However, the story did lose me a bit at the theatre aspect with the jargon (I didn’t know what a gondola was until this book) and technical stuff. Definitely a me problem though, because I’ve never worked at a theme park before, so I had a hard time picturing some of the things that were being described. I was able to look past it in favor of keeping up with the mystery.

I loved how the mystery wasn’t too convoluted and was easy to follow. The events leading to the twists were believable and actually made sense to me. The mystery didn’t feel forced either, and I didn’t feel like the twists were there only for the shock value. I actually did end up guessing the killer correctly based on gut feeling. Something about the way [redacted] was introduced and their behaviour after just didn’t sit well with me. I did suspect other characters, but when that one character showed up, all bets were off.

I really loved the characters as well! My favourites have to be our main trio, Greta, Liam, and Ivy. While I feel like I know and understand Greta, the opposite could be said for Ivy and Liam. I wish I had gotten to know Ivy, Liam, and the other side characters’ backstories more, because although we got a few tidbits about Ivy and Liam, it wasn’t quite enough to satisfy me.

Lastly, I thought there was the perfect amount of romance. It didn’t overshadow the plot, and I loved the implications regarding Liam’s feelings towards Greta more than anything.

If you like mysteries/thrillers with a dash of romance or are fans of Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, you definitely have to check out Difficult Girls when it releases on July 8 of this year!

I love a twisty teen tragedy story. This one had its ups and downs and was a fun story to watch unfold. Would like to read more from this author.

I really wanted to love this! I really liked the concept of this book, and that a supposed disappearance or possible murder took place in a theme park. However, I felt like the pacing was off and the twists and reveals were somewhat disjointed and not as exciting or as suprising as I had hoped.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children’s for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Veronica Bane’s “Difficult Girls” is a compelling YA thriller that seamlessly blends mystery and personal growth against the backdrop of a quirky amusement park. The book follows Greta Riley Green, a girl with a troubled past who hopes to reinvent herself with a fresh start. But when a co-worker disappears, Greta is pulled into an unsettling mystery that threatens both her plans and her safety.

At its core, “Difficult Girls” is an exploration of identity and self-acceptance. Greta is an awkward, self-conscious, and often frustratingly naïve protagonist, but she is also relatable—especially for younger YA readers navigating their own insecurities. I thought it was possible that Greta is neurodivergent, though the book never explicitly confirms this. Her tendency to idolize people she finds attractive, her trusting nature, and her struggles with self-esteem make her feel realistic, even if she occasionally makes exasperating choices, just like any other teenager. Fortunately, she has a strong support system, including her co-worker Ivy, a true friend who isn’t afraid to call out her problematic behaviors, and Liam, a kind and patient love interest who helps her grow in confidence. Their romance is sweet and genuine, and the found-family aspect among the amusement park employees adds warmth to the story.

While the book starts off slowly, taking time to introduce its cast of characters and establish the atmosphere of the amusement park, the second half accelerates into a thrilling ride. I found the first half to be a bit slow and confusing as a lot of different characters were introduced, including the characters of the fictional amusement park. However, I really enjoyed the mystery in the second half. As Greta pieces together the mystery, the book transforms into a suspenseful page-turner, delivering unexpected twists and a satisfying conclusion that ties up all loose ends. Bane’s writing balances teenage angst and tension, making “Difficult Girls” an engaging read that captures both the innocence and anxieties of young adulthood. There were some aspects of the mystery that were genuinely surprising and unexpected to me.

Fans of YA thrillers, especially those who appreciate character-driven mysteries with a touch of summer nostalgia, will find much to love in “Difficult Girls.” I can’t wait to read more from Bane in the future.

Difficult Girls is a fantastically well written book! The twists and turns were wonderfully unpredictable and the characters are easy to invest in! The book was hard to put down!

This book had me laughing before I finished the first chapter. It quickly brought me back to those awkward teen years, when you have a crush and can't quite keep it together, inevitably making a fool of yourself instead of being suave.

The focus of the story seamlessly shifts to the main character, Greta, as she becomes entangled in a murder mystery while making new friends along the way. Greta is able to confront and escape the demons of her past - a struggle many of us can relate to during the tumultuous high school years.

At her new theme park job, Greta meets people who accept her for who she truly is, flaws and all, and love her because of them, not in spite of them. Bane offers a diverse cast of characters that many readers will relate to. The first half of the book provides insights into each character, allowing readers to truly get to know and care about them. In the second half, the pace picks up, taking readers on a thrilling ride (pun intended) as Greta pieces everything together. The ending is surprising, even for seasoned mystery readers.

Overall, this is a fantastic book for middle school and high school readers, as well as adults who enjoy YA thrillers.

I want to start by saying that I really did like the concept of this book. The idea of a main character who seems to be neurodivergent,although that’s never fully or clearly established, and has had some difficulty with things in the past and is now trying to get a fresh start working at a amusement park. The amusement park itself has kind of a dark backstory and when one of the main cast members goes missing, she gets pulled into investigating the situation.My main problem with it was that nothing really happened in the first 50% of the book. It took a really long time to get the book going, and there was some repetitiveness in the writing. That was a little frustrating. She describes the character’s “fluffy hair” way too many times and it just took a really long time for the story to get going.

Also, some of the ways that the author described the girls affection for boys was cringey and I wasn’t sure if that was supposed to represent the fact that she was neurodivergent so she looked at the world a little bit differently or whether this was supposed to be how the author perceived teenage brains to work. I know that the author is a teacher and so I’m assuming spends as much time as teenagers as I do as a teacher and I’m not Convinced that that was the most accurate depiction of the way that they see the opposite sex. I did love their connection and their love story and the sense that he really understood her and accepted her despite her past and her awkwardness, it just seemed a little strange and its delivery.

A fun YA thriller with lots of twists and a compelling theme park setting! Kept me guesstimated right up until the end. Great addition to a MS or HS library.

I did not finish this. It was so slow I lost interest around page 50 or so. I skimmed through the rest and just really disliked the pace.

Disturbed Girl by Veronica Bane is a YA thriller set against the backdrop of mystery and a young girl attempting to reinvent herself, only to find herself and those she knows plunged into a life-changing mystery. Filled with razor-sharp, tongue-in-the-cheek humor, and hints of young love, the book is a perfect summer-time read for those who are into YA thrillers.

The main character is Greta Riley Green. Greta finds herself and those she is beginning to care for, threatened by a co-worker's disappearance, the angst of trying to escape the past, and a mystery entangling Greta every moment.

https://i.postimg.cc/J4FfFkrp/Difficult-Girls-CVR.jpg
Difficult Girls can be found at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop.org

Each chapter opens up with a journal-like entry and with a mix of first-person and third-person perspectives, Disturbed Girl reads like a roller coaster ride leaving the reader going through a whirlwind of emotions while caught up in both the innocence and angst of being a young adult trying to grapple with starting over. The plot makes the book a great summer read and has the balance of thrilling mystery and turns, while also capturing the emotions of a summer romance. 

In some places, the pacing may feel slow, but then it quickly picks up, almost capturing the feel of a thrilling roller coaster ride where every turn and drop surprises the reader. As a result, readers will find themselves in some areas of the story, holding their breathe as they experience the world through Greta’s eyes, as she tries to make sense of what is going on, and dealing with the realization not only is this interfering with her plans to try and start over, but finding her time caught up in suspense and concern. 

Veronica Bane captures the awkwardness and angst of being a young adult and both the good and bad memories of working a summer job. Add a mystery and the disappearance of a co-worker, and Greta’s summer job becomes more than about grappling with her past but also about her safety. 

The character's conversational style captures the nuances of the intended age group. Reading through Disturbed Girl, the setting is distinct as everyone has memories of being a young adult and teenager working in a theme park of some setting or attending one. Add a thriller, and it is easy to see how a theme park is the perfect setting for intrigue and friendship.

The cover for the book is eye-catching and makes it difficult (use of word intended), to forget about while staying up late to see if all will end well for Greta, her attempt to move on from what happened to her while solving a mystery, as well as the unique chapter divisions. The book as a whole read both as a personal memoir of Greta and at the same time as revisiting a case breaking down the events that occur in Greta’s life.

Disturbed Girl is a unique YA thriller and is recommended for teenagers, young adults, and those who still remember how life seems to always happen at an amusement park or theme park. 

Currently, I am using the same rating system as NetGalley, and I would have to rate this book as a 4. The basis is taking in characters, plot, and setting, I felt for Greta and found myself feeling for the frustration, the curiosity, and the hope she exhibited throughout the book as she struggled to make sense of the situation she was dealing with, and hoping to use the summer to move beyond her past.

 Normally, I don’t read YA thrillers, yet with Disturbed Girl, I found myself going back to previous chapters with a sense of having missed something or wanting to re-read before moving forward, which speaks to the book drawing in the readers, versus simply reading through the chapters. The use of the first-person is appealing to those who enjoy becoming a part of the character and lends itself to a feeling of sneaking a peek into someone's diary journaling a substantial event in their life. The b