Review by Booklist Review
Featuring a classic case of sleepover gone wrong, this thriller explores identity, self-esteem, and consent across one adrenaline-fueled night. When her parents go out for the evening, Jessa, the bright-eyed, polite, titular "perfect girl," invites some friends over for a nostalgia-filled evening of candy, popcorn, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer reruns. After a gnarly storm knocks the power out and leaves the farmhouse in total darkness, the resident ghost, Betty, is the least of the group's worries. There's someone--perhaps more than one someone--outside the house. Interspersed with the alternate POV of the antagonist's past victim, this first-person narrative emphasizes reckoning with growing up and growing apart as Jessa's friend group nearly disintegrates under the pressure of fear. While Jessa's naivety can be grating, there is a certain charm to her character that younger teens or tweens may connect with. When the action finally picks up, leading to a snappier structure and a twist readers won't expect, witnessing Jessa's character development puts her people-pleasing in perspective. Pass to a tween looking for something scary without the aggressive bloodshed of a typical slasher.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
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.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 10 Up--Jessa is determined to be the best possible version of herself, up to and including denying the giant crush she has on her brother's off-limits best friend. Even her friends pick on her for being so uptight, with perfect grades and behavior. What should be a simple sleepover with friends starts off on a complicated foot when Tiny, Jessa's ex-best friend who's been acting strange lately, arrives and is clearly struggling with something but refuses to discuss it. As the unresolved feelings between the girls begin to boil over, Jessa's annoying brother is working hard to get them with a jump scare and everyone's fear becomes a little more real when Tiny's abusive and threatening boyfriend arrives. Flashbacks to another recent disappearance in the area, linked to a string of them, twist together with the friends' terrifying stormy night as readers are catapulted to a satisfying conclusion. There is a lot of 1990s nostalgia to be found here; this quick, tightly plotted thriller incorporates familiar YA tropes in a fresh new way. VERDICT An exhilarating thriller; fans of Karen M. McManus and Holly Jackson will devour it.--Allie Stevens
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
An unchaperoned slumber party, a stormy night, and a crime in want of a perfect victim. Good girl Jessa is the "rules police, teacher's pet, parent whisperer" type of people-pleasing perfectionist. When her parents plan a night away, she doesn't want to be left home alone in her isolated, creepy, old, and possibly haunted house, especially when girls have been going missing in a nearby town. She begs for an exception to her parents' rules and receives permission to invite some friends over: best friends Kellan and Alexis and the recently estranged member of their quartet, Tiny. It's a classic horror movie setup, right down to the unexpected arrivals at the slumber party. Interlude "Before" chapters follow another girl who caught the wrong person's eye, but Banghart is careful not to reveal too much before Jessa and her friends make their own discoveries the hard way. While Jessa's behaviors and choices are sometimes frustrating, the novel directly addresses this element: She must consciously make war with her social conditioning and toxic gender norms if they are to survive the night. The fast pace and short timeframe (the bulk of the story unfolds over the course of one night) add to the horror movie feel and will help readers move along instead of dwelling on the plausibility of certain plot elements. Most characters read white. Alexis is bisexual and coded Vietnamese American; Jessa's love interest, Ryan, is Black. The ending conclusively wraps up the story. Cinematic, page-turning brain popcorn.(Horror. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
