The Perfectionists
By Kate Pavao,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Murder mystery is formulaic fluff but rather addictive.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this book.
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What's the Story?
If you're familiar with the Pretty Little Liars franchise, you know the drill. In THE PERFECTIONISTS, there's a group of girls hiding big secrets: One is the daughter of a hoarder; one is falling in love with her boyfriend's younger brother; and another is cheating with her best friend's boyfriend. The biggest secret of all? What they did to the bully who tortured them all on the night he was murdered. But really, Nolan's death is only the beginning for the girls in this scandalicious series.
Is It Any Good?
Author Sara Shepard has a gift for spinning an endless string of secrets and scandals. Among this material, she does manage to raise some contemporary issues that will make readers think. There are many instances of bullying and cyberbullying, including one character killing himself because he can no longer handle how a bully is treating him at school. Readers also will enjoy thinking about the question of vigilantism that the girls discuss in their film class: "It was weirdly satisfying to watch each person get what he or she deserved. Could you even call it murder?" Readers who liked the Pretty Little Liars book series and TV show are likely to get hooked on this series, too -- even before the planned TV show comes out.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about murder mysteries. What is appealing about these kind of stories?
Also, what do you think of the girls' behavior? They make some bad choices, including drugging a classmate. Are you rooting for them anyway?
What's fun about reading a series? Do you plan to read the sequels? What do you think will happen next?
Book Details
- Author: Sara Shepard
- Genre: Mystery
- Topics: Adventures, Friendship, High School
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
- Publication date: October 7, 2014
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 14 - 18
- Number of pages: 336
- Available on: Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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