Publishers Weekly
09/02/2024
High schooler Jessa is the “perfect” girl, unlike her “chaos demon” older brother Josh. When her parents go out of town, they allow Jessa to invite friends over for a sleepover—a relief, since her family lives in a likely haunted house in the middle of nowhere. Worse, six girls from the neighboring town have recently gone missing. Jessa’s plans to watch movies and eat pizza are thwarted when Josh and Jessa’s crush Ryan crash the party. Then an electrical storm cuts the power. With dwindling phone batteries and no cell service, Jessa and her friends are disconnected from the outside world. Strangers on the doorstep and a game of truth or dare gone sideways heighten the tension. After Jessa’s friend Tiny goes out into the storm and doesn’t return, the gang searches for her in the rain-soaked night, not realizing that they’re being watched—and that they may be outside with a killer. Finely detailed ambient prose brings the eerie rural setting to life in this atmospheric and entertaining thriller by Banghart (A Season of Sinister Dreams) that plays on familiar horror tropes. Jessa cues as white; supporting characters are racially diverse. Ages 14–up. Agent: Pam Gruber, High Line Literary. (Nov.)
From the Publisher
"Finely detailed ambient prose brings the eerie rural setting to life in this atmospheric and entertaining thriller by Banghart that plays on familiar horror tropes."
-Publishers Weekly
"The fast pace and short timeframe... add to the horror movie feel...Cinematic, page-turning brain popcorn."
-Kirkus
"Unsettling and delightfully compelling, prepare to read this empowering slice of horror in a single sitting." —Natalie C. Parker, award winning author of the Seafire Series
“A page-turning, edge-of-your-seat thriller that feels indulgent in all the best ways. Once I started this, I could not stop. It gave me everything I wanted—mystery, excitement, twists and turns, and a lead I could see so much of myself in, it hurt. Tracy Banghart has absolutely crushed it!” —Kristen Simmons, author of the Article 5 series and Find Him Where You Left Him Dead
"Perfect Girl is perfectly paced, with unrelenting tension and just a touch of horror. I read it in a single sitting, rooting for Jessa as she struggled to stop striving to be perfect, but rather perfectly herself. The book is a chilling cat-and-mouse game." —April Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Girl, Stolen and Stay Dead
"Deliciously smart, suspenseful, and chilling. Perfect Girl is almost too good." —Anica Mrose Rissi, author of Nobody Knows But You
“PERFECT GIRL is like walking a tightrope made of razor wire. . . Banghart mischievously upends all the sleepover-and-pizza conventions to create a twisty tale of love and desire gone foul. A darkly jubilant, unbound, addictive read.” —Derek Milman, author of A Darker Mischief and Swipe Right for Murder
“A riveting thriller packed with so many chills and swoon-worthy moments, readers will be tearing through the pages. Banghart has crafted a heart-warming main character in Jessa, who is tired of playing nice and ready unlock her female rage. A propulsive read perfect for a stormy night!” Diana Rodriguez Wallach, author of Small Town Monsters and Hatchet Girls
