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Parents' Guide to

Perfect: Pretty Little Liars #3

By Terreece Clarke, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Mystery overshadowed by mean-girl vibe, shopping.

Book Sara Shepard Contemporary Fiction 2007
Perfect: Pretty Little Liars #3 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 7 parent reviews

gossipgirl13
gossipgirl13 Parent of 11, 11 and 12-year-old
December 30, 2021
age 13+

Love this series!

Welcome to Rosewood, Pennsylvania, where there were 5 beautiful girls who ruled the private school's social status. This is the summary of the 1st book: Hanna, Spencer, Emily, Aria... and Allison. BFFs for life. Then, one night Allison mysteriously disappeared. And then she was declared dead, a few laters later. But they got a message at the funeral that read, "I'm still here, (B word), and I know everything." Stuff happens after that... and then we're at the sequel, which I absolutely loved. Aria's in love with her teacher, and their relationship is getting serious... Hanna's about to lose her best friend.... Spencer is stealing from her sister... and Emily is freaking out over a simple kiss. The plot sounds mature, but this is simply PLL for you. Like in the first, there's tons of swearing (from mild to the worse), drinking (underage girls throw parties), romance (which gets more and more as the books progress), violence( the occasional body, the occasional murder...), and consumerism (Volvo, Prada, Gucci, Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, Harry Winston, Armani, ect.) This is a great series, but it's not for younger kids.
James L.
James L. Adult
December 12, 2017
age 12+

I'm here it's good

I'm herd it was ok
See all 7 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Four ex-BFFs have typical privileged-girl problems and one more serious problem: the murder of the leader of their disbanded clique in the 7th grade is still unsolved. Ali was the meanest of them all and many admit they are happy she's gone. But did they have a hand in her death? It seems someone thinks so -- a mysterious \"A\" is stalking the girls that are left, exposing their deepest secrets to the world.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (7 ):
Kids say (29 ):

The book had potential, the cliffhanger ending was great, and the scary omnipotence of the mysterious character called "A" could have been unnerving. Instead, "A" comes off as annoying and the book is so full of name brands that it detracts from the rest of the story. Many teen girls will love the drama and fashion of the book, while parents will probably roll their eyes and worry about the bad behavior and materialism on display.

PERFECT is the third installment in the Pretty Little Liars series. Set against a backdrop of luxury and privilege, this novel has typical mean girls and their problems. Hanna's bulimic, Aria's having an affair with her teacher, Spencer's having flashbacks that make her look nuts, and Emily's having trouble coming to terms with being a lesbian.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about commercialism. Does material wealth make you happy? Why is there so much emphasis on branding in this book? Does it help or hurt the story?

  • What are the repercussions for behaving the way the characters do? What involvement do the characters' parents have?

Book Details

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