"Difficult Girls" is the debut novel from Vanessa Bane. It was a solid YA thriller and a quick, fast-paced read. The story is full of tension, suspense, and teenage drama. The bulk of the plot takes place in an amusement park, which is such a fun and unique setting. It took awhile for the action to really get started, and some of the story was a bit predictable, but there were still plenty of twists to keep me interested. I loved that in addition to the present day mystery, the characters also try to figure out an unsolved murder from twenty years earlier. Overall, a fun murder mystery!

Thank you to NetGalley, TBR & Beyond Tours, and Delacorte Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Content warning: murder, assault, cursing, blood

Omg, omg this book hit the spot with the thriller and mystery part. Veronica did a fantastic job. I love the book; it kept me on edge. Who has done it?! I will be reading any of Veronica's books again. However, I wish the book gave more details about the rest of the members, like Gene and Silvia. Overall, this book kept me on my toes, and I finished reading it at 2 in the morning because I couldn't stop reading it.

This book had as many twists and turns as a roller coaster and was twice as fun! And you'll never see that ending coming.

I can't wait to purchase this book for my high school library! My students are going to absolutely love it!

This was a cute YA mystery thriller. It was interesting enough to keep me going without demanding all of my attention. However, it was very slow in parts. Greta’s inner monologue drove me crazy at times, but that could be a me problem. I kept trying to figure out who was behind what, and honestly, I didn’t figure it all out before the reveal, so that was nice. I really enjoyed the theme park setting, as well. Felt very summer time, ya know? Like I could picture myself walking around as a teen going through all of these things. So that was pretty interesting. But sometimes it just felt like too much time lapsed between developments.

Short Summary:

🩶 A teen girl hiding from her past must choose what’s more important to her when her coworker goes missing: keeping her past a secret or finding out what really happened.

Best Parts:
🩶 Liam
🩶 Ivy
🩶 The idea

Worst Parts:

🩶 Grey
🩶 Detective Jerkface

Difficult Girls follows Greta as she begins her new life after an incident at school last year. Her new job is at Hyper Kid Magic Land and she works hard to make new friends while ensuring her past stays buried. When she’s pulled into the most popular actress’s orbit, Mercy confides in Greta and has a secret she wants to share. However, Mercy doesn’t show to their meeting and keeps calling in “sick” to work. Greta is concerned and suspicious, especially with the park’s dark history. As she starts investigating, her past threatens to surface and destroy her new friendships as things turn deadly.

This was a fun, enjoyable mystery thriller. I really enjoyed that it was set at a theme park—it just makes everything so much fun and amusing. The author did a great job of weaving sinister vibes and suspicion. It was quite fast-paced and kept me interested the entire time. I did find it a bit predictable but still enjoyed the ending.

Greta is a very interesting character and complicated character. I didn’t love reading from her perspective, but I do think a lot of other people will. For me, it just didn’t work fully. I enjoyed the side characters and found everyone to be very distinct and had believable motivations. I quite liked Ivy and Liam and Gene. There was also a lot of humour that was amusing.

Overall, if you love ya mystery thrillers with a fun settings and interesting characters, I’d definitely recommend checking Difficult Girls out!

Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for the arc

Difficult Girls is a gripping YA thriller that delves into themes of identity, trauma, and the quest for belonging. Set against the backdrop of Hyper Kid Magic Land, an amusement park with a dark past, the novel follows 16-year-old Greta Riley Green as she attempts to reinvent herself after a traumatic incident the previous year.

What a debut! I really enjoyed how DIFFICULT GIRLS unfolded. Pacing was taut and the twists expertly rolled out. This is going to be the YA thriller of the summer!!!

𝙴𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠
🌟🌟🌟🌟
Difficult Girls is a YA (young adult) murder mystery with plenty of twists and turns. The book is set in an amusement park where plays are performed. Greta Riley Green is looking for reinvention—a fresh start—and a job at Hyper Kid Magic Land, the local amusement park. So when fate pulls Greta into Mercy Goodwin’s orbit, it feels like things are looking up. Until Mercy has a secret to share, if Greta will just meet her the next day. It’s a sign that Greta’s truly fitting in. Only, when the time comes, Mercy is a no-show—as she is every day after that—and Greta knows something’s wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time a talented young performer met a sinister end at Hyper Kid.

For a YA novel, it was easy to follow and understand, and it wasn't too predictable. I enjoyed it.

Thank you, NetGalley, and Random House Children's, for the e-book in exchange for my honest review.

I don't know what I was expecting, but this book exceeded whatever that was. It was fun and I can really see my teenager daughter enjoying this one. It gave me PLL vibes (and I devoured that series back in the day). The writing style was better though. ;)

Thank you NetGalley! This was a twisty Young Adult novel by a new author. I have not read anything similar to it before. I definitely could not predict what would happen next.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ DIFFICULT GIRLS by Veronica Bane

Difficult Girls by Veronica Bane is a dark, twisty YA thriller that blends coming-of-age themes with a theme park mystery. Set against the backdrop of Hyper Kid Magic Land, a quirky and slightly unsettling amusement park, the story follows Greta, a girl trying to escape her past by starting fresh at her summer job. But when the park’s star performer, Mercy, goes missing, Greta is drawn into a tangled web of secrets, lies, and long-buried trauma, forcing her to confront both the mysteries of the park and her own haunted past.

This is a fun, fast-paced read packed with twists that will keep readers guessing - some predictable, others genuinely shocking. The characters, especially Greta and her friends, are messy and flawed in ways that feel authentic for teens figuring out who they are. The amusement park setting adds a layer of nostalgia and eeriness, making it a unique backdrop for a thriller. The book also touches on important themes like the power dynamics between men and vulnerable women, self-reinvention, and the complexities of female friendship. However, the pacing can feel uneven, especially in the second half, where the plot tries to do a lot in a limited space, leaving some subplots (like the romance) feeling rushed or underdeveloped.

For educators, Difficult Girls is best suited for high school readers due to mature themes like trauma, murder, and brief mentions of violence and power dynamics in relationships. Some characters’ ages and relationships may raise questions, so it’s worth previewing to ensure it aligns with your classroom goals. That said, it’s an engaging mystery with a strong feminist lens, perfect for students who enjoy thrillers like A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder or books with messy, complicated heroines trying to find their way.

Veronica Bane nails the voice of Greta—awkward, smart, and just angry enough to be interesting. I found myself rooting for her from page one. The mystery around Mercy’s disappearance builds steadily, and the creepy amusement park setting adds a deliciously weird vibe that keeps things tense.

What I liked most was how the story didn’t try too hard to be flashy—it leaned into emotional honesty and raw edges, especially in how it portrayed friendship and identity. Some of the twists were predictable, but I didn’t mind because the characters felt real, messy, and complicated in the best way.

Difficult Girls. Oh, where do I even start? This is a FANTASTIC debut from Veronica Bane, and I cannot wait to read more books that are explicitly from her (Recognising that she’s a ghostwriter, but I want more published with her name on them)!

First of all, Greta feels entirely unique as a character, from her name (I have never read a book where the main character is called Greta) to her past. I stand by the comment that she’s a badass (and that she deserved BETTER!!!!).

I like how twisty this book is, how I GENUINELY couldn’t predict the ending (I had an inkling about one part but the other bit? Ooooooo). I haven’t highlighted a book so much in a while. I genuinely, really, truly, love this book.

Another awesome YA thriller! Theme park setting. Main character with a secret in her past. I had so much fun with this!

It's been a while since I read a YA, so when given the chance to read this YA thrillers, I jumped on it.
Bane sets the story in a quirky amusement park with Greta, the teenage main character, who starts as annoying but grows throughout the book.
Greta has a troubled past, which is mentioned a few times and is finally revealed. She starts working at the theme park to create a new start for herself and is suddenly in the midst of a mystery involving murder and missing people.
It was a quick read. I loved the characters. The setting was great. Good read!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Veronica Bane for an advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.
ARC copy, ebook
Book: 4 stars

Difficult Girls is a fast-paced YA thriller that blends dark humor with the twisted underbelly of a seemingly innocent summer job. Veronica Bane sets the stage in Hyper Kid Magic Land—a kitschy amusement park hiding more secrets than smiles—where teen protagonist Greta seeks a fresh start after a mysterious past incident.

The book hooks you early with its eerie atmosphere and snappy prose, and Bane does a solid job of keeping the stakes high as Greta gets tangled in the mystery of her co-worker Mercy’s sudden disappearance. There’s an undercurrent of tension throughout, bolstered by themes of identity, reinvention, and the danger of secrets—both old and new.

That said, I’m giving this one 3.5 stars largely due to two factors: predictability and character likability. While the plot is sharp and moves briskly, some of the major twists felt telegraphed well in advance. As for Greta, she’s a complicated character, but I found her difficult to connect with emotionally. And Mercy—while integral to the story—never quite won me over, which made it harder to invest in the urgency of her disappearance.

Still, Difficult Girls is a compelling debut with plenty of style, a sinister setting, and a biting edge. Fans of teen noir and thrillers set in strange small-town corners will likely enjoy the ride—even if some of the turns are visible from a distance.

Big thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read Difficult Girls by Veronica Bane ahead of its July release. This was my first time reading anything by Bane, and while this one didn’t totally click with me, I can see the potential in her writing.

The setting was fun and original, and the premise had me intrigued, but the pacing was a bit slow and I didn’t quite connect with the characters the way I hoped. Still, I think Bane has a strong voice, and I’d definitely be open to checking out more of her work in the future.

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! 💕🫶🏼