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A review by bookishvicky
Perfect Girl by Tracy Banghart
2.5
Thank you to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for an advanced digital copy of PERFECT GIRL in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I really liked the concept of this book, but I had too many problems with it to really get into it. First, it all feels very “how do you do, fellow teens?” In terms of dialogue, characterization, etc. And at the same time, Jessa was such a stereotypical protagonist I feel like her strong moment at the end wasn’t deserved. I knew nothing about her, I didn’t care about her struggles because they were barely mentioned, and she doesn’t really DO anything too wild like I thought she would based on the cover and description.
Also, the twist wasn’t twisting. There was hardly a lead up to it, and it all felt super rushed. I wasn’t scared once, and I didn’t care enough about any of the characters (except maybe Tiny?). I also feel like a lot was mentioned that just got brushed off, like Alexis being bi, Ryan being what I assume the only black kid in a predominantly white neighborhood, etc. I wanted to learn more, but with so many characters and action sequences, we got the barest bones.
There were some good lines and moments, and the pacing was done really well with so much going on. I also thought the setup was just cheesy enough for me to be excited to see how the slumber party derailed. Also- finally, a realistic sister-brother dynamic! Josh and Jessa hated/ cared for each other the perfect amount, and some of their scenes were funny.
This book had such potential, but just didn’t hit the mark for me.
I really liked the concept of this book, but I had too many problems with it to really get into it. First, it all feels very “how do you do, fellow teens?” In terms of dialogue, characterization, etc. And at the same time, Jessa was such a stereotypical protagonist I feel like her strong moment at the end wasn’t deserved. I knew nothing about her, I didn’t care about her struggles because they were barely mentioned, and she doesn’t really DO anything too wild like I thought she would based on the cover and description.
Also, the twist wasn’t twisting. There was hardly a lead up to it, and it all felt super rushed. I wasn’t scared once, and I didn’t care enough about any of the characters (except maybe Tiny?). I also feel like a lot was mentioned that just got brushed off, like Alexis being bi, Ryan being what I assume the only black kid in a predominantly white neighborhood, etc. I wanted to learn more, but with so many characters and action sequences, we got the barest bones.
There were some good lines and moments, and the pacing was done really well with so much going on. I also thought the setup was just cheesy enough for me to be excited to see how the slumber party derailed. Also- finally, a realistic sister-brother dynamic! Josh and Jessa hated/ cared for each other the perfect amount, and some of their scenes were funny.
This book had such potential, but just didn’t hit the mark for me.