Perfect: Pretty Little Liars #3 (by Sara Shepard)
common sense media says
Mystery overshadowed by mean-girl vibe, shopping.
parents & educators say
- 50% say there are positive messages
- 50% say language is an issue
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this third installment in the Pretty Little Liars series stays on the "mean girl clique" gravy train. Sex, lies, murder, betrayal, cattiness, and shopping are recurring themes; teens drink and smoke. One high school student has an affair with her teacher; another is bulimic. The mystery is about the death of a seventh-grade girl found under a slab of concrete in her back yard.
Violence:
One girl pushes her sister down the steps as she remembers pushing another girl off a rock. A 7th grade girl is found underneath a slab of concrete in her own backyard. Another girl is hit by a car and left for dead. Police rough up a man during an arrest.
Sex:
Students are described as sexy in the 7th grade. A character comes to terms with being a lesbian. A high school student has an affair with her teacher. A character's father has an affair with his own student and leaves his wife for her.
Language:
Some swear words, but not overindulgent.
Consumerism:
Somewhere among all of the name brands -- Gucci, Van, Seven, Chanel, etc. -- there's a story about four girls.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
Characters are shown drinking and smoking.
More on Perfect: Pretty Little Liars #3
Review It
Based on 4 parent & educator reviews:
- 50% say there are positive messages
- 50% say language is an issue
- 50% say it's educational
- 50% say they noticed product placement
Most useful reviews by all members
copperboom
teen, 17 years old
teen, 17 years old
A Complete page turner! Very Intriguing!
I read this book in two days! I couldn't stop! You think it's a snotty girl, kind of trashy book, but it was really more of a mystery than anything! The whole second book is a mystery about what had really happened in the first book. It can get kind of confusing, though, so make sure you pay attention to the details!
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isaz1010
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
Love This Dirty Little Book
It's such a good book, but it has some really inappropriate stuff in it!
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lizzyjm16
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
good for 12 andup
love this book! it doesnt have many bad sceans in it.
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kennadara
kid, 13 years old
kid, 13 years old
A real eye-opener!
I know what you're thinking educational?! But, hear me out. There are many references to old english literature in this book. It also opened my eyes to teen gayness and just how far bullying can go,so parents my review is great for mature 12 year olds and anyone older than 12! I also REALLY enjoyed the series.
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BooKCritiC
teen, 16 years old
teen, 16 years old
Tweens can handle it
I am 14 and i read this book when i was 11. I absouloutly fell in love with the whole series. It is not just what some people would call gossipy and cliquy but it is also well writen, the characters come to life, and it is also mysterious, suspensful, and keeps you thinking. All in all i think if kids know not to do the things in this book it is ok.
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bestmomevar
parent of 5 , 8 , 14 , and 16 , 18 , 18 year old
parent of 5 , 8 , 14 , and 16 , 18 , 18 year old
13+
My daughter loves this book. We read it together. There some excpilt parts, however they are not graphic. This is a guilty pleasure novel that I think that if you are 12 and up and mature enough, you will enjoy this book.I love this website, but I do find that sometimes they exagerate all the bad things in a text, tv show, etc. I approve of this book.
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CheerChick24
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
Positive Messages Can Be Found
The positive message I recieved by reading this book is it shows how no teenager is perfect and they can't be the best all the time. Yes, sex, alcohal, and drugs are VERY bad, no disagreement there but when it comes to their normal teenager lives they show how not everyone is perfect and they are all going to learn from their mistakes. They also seem to get into a lot of trouble and they find out what they did ruined their lives. So I do think kids learn that you shouldn't do those things because they know the results of it and how badly it effects your life. Overall I liked it but I wouldn't reccomend it to kids under 14.
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Ems <3
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
Get over it!
Oh puh-lease! I am thirteen and I read this one when I was twelve. Yeah, some parts are kinda bad, and a bit awkward. Get over it! If you think it is too inappropriate than set the book down and go read The Little Engine That Could. These books are great! I can read one in a day. I am currently on the tenth book and I hope she keeps writing. Just get over it.
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CommonSenseParent
parent
parent
Excellent, well-written read for 6th grade and up
Perfect is a well-written guilty pleasure novel that is an enjoyable and entertaining read for 6th grade and up. Kids will enjoy the fun details of the wealthy and privileged. Your children should be smart enough to realize that this is guilty pleasure fiction and should not be taken seriously. A+
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PunkRocker19
teen, 18 years old
teen, 18 years old
Beautifully written teen mystery
You know, most people say that this is a rip off of The CLique novels buy Lisi Harrison, but Pretty Little Liars was written before The Clique. And this is a better, more mysterious, amazing novel. It has some sex, drugs, and bad behavior(not to mention the irritating label dropping addiction), but it's over all a very good mystery. My GF started reading them. I got bored at her house, picked the first one up, oculdn't put it down, finished all of em. Sooo good. The message is a pretty little good one: Don't go with what you hear, go with what you know. The lying is a prevelant issue, but not so much that I wouldn't let my 13 year old sis read em. If you think I'm being ridiculous, look up Metallica's song 'Holier Than Thou', and you'll see yourslef. Thanks for reading my review, and holler at me if you love you some Pretty Little Liars! :-))
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lilytooth
parent of 12 year old
parent of 12 year old
Piece of trash-- not worth anyone's time
This review is about "Killer" in the Pretty Little Liars series:
Bad words, worse values, sex, lying, girls fighting over boys, drugs, alcohol, and brand names permeating nearly every sentence. Not only does the book "Killer" convey countless bad messages, it is horribly written! The titles of the series and this book gave me sufficient warning about the quality, but I had to find out for myself, so I read the whole thing (a painful process).
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JosieGrl
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
For mature girls
I love these books! But do not watch the show, it will ruin it for you! I think that if kids r mature, then sure, let them read this. Some things r inappropriate for some girls though.
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bubblygum
kid, 13 years old
kid, 13 years old
Amazing book
The books are amazing. The language could be better but its not horrible for the most part. The F- word is used a few time but I think mature girls can handle it. The sexual parts are not graphic and very quick. Over all it was very good.
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sevenstarburst
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
BEST BOOK EVER!
VERY good book! I highly recommend. If the girl is mature enough, let her read this book. It covers so many teen issues, and there are consequences. None of the girls in this book get away with things unscathed, and that is the point of the series. Don't lie, and if you do something bad, admit it and face the consequences.
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RhythmofLove1997
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
deffinetly one of my favorite books
i love this book, hey, im 13 and i read it, i survived. it can be funny but its mysterious, well written and fun to read :)
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smmrunicorn6
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
awesome book, awful review
best book ever! what ever you guys said about it is ridculous, you make it sound awful, like it is a crime against humanity! i agree with Ems <3 if you cant handle it, read something else, it is ment to be a mature book! sugest to the people that can handle the "mature content"...lol. but i think the best series ever!
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del18
teen, 42 years old
teen, 42 years old
good read
I'm 14 and I just finished the series. There's a lot of bad language, especially b*tch which is said at least once every couple of pages. The book describes teens at parties, drinking, and all the girls at one point or another in the story hook up with someone. That said, I'm 14 and everything in this book I had known about for a while now. This book didn't mention anything inappropriate that I didn't already know and I feel like all teenagers already have learned about drinking, parties, etc. etc. so this book will be nothing knew.
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kaylee rulez
teen, 13 years old
teen, 13 years old
its a great book
i thinks a very good book its a lot different from the tv shows but the best books ive ever read
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Poodge12
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
just read the review for a reality check :)
i think this book is great! let your kids read it! it is not good for your child to be hidden from books like these. i will help her understand life better!! and too much product placement? come on! its showing how wealthy the girls are, not promoting products. okay, truthfully, these books seriously lack in educational value besides, what goes around comes around. i read these for fun. let your daughter read this to escape all the other boring books parents try to shove down their kids' throats. the pretty little liars series are almost like a trend. it's i guess, cool to have that cover with the doll and fancy script writing stacked on top your binder. this series is great! so lay off over protective parents! let your girl have some fun!
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