annekawithane 's review for:

Difficult Girls by Veronica Bane

4.0

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

Thank you Veronica Bane, NetGalley , and Delacorte Press for the eARC! 

Difficult girls is a promising YA thriller debut for Veronica Bane! Set in a campy theme park, Greta’s hopes to restart her life with a new job get sidetracked when fellow employee and actress Macy goes missing. 

Bane does well in building the cast of characters, specifically Greta. You can see her work ethic, anxiety, and teenage-prone responses and interactions. I liked learning park lore from her. Greta presented neurodiverse to me, wasn’t sure if that was intended. My one wish for this novel was for it slow down a bit. Some situations, I felt like we were thrown into the middle without explanation (her lust for the popular lead actor at the park) and others I wanted to several more scenes to fully flesh out. Liam and Greta’s relationship, is one such area. I liked their dynamic and personalities. Maybe a few more scenes between Macy and Greta before the disappearance too. I think this is a fun read for younger readers that love A Good Girls Guide to Murder and Nancy Drew. I look forward to Bane’s future releases!