But the problem is, a high IQ doesn't necessarily mean that you're clever enough to avoid being a massive teenage cliché. Which is what I was, or what I became. Before my descent into 'teen tragedy,' that is.Meet Zoe, she was bullied back at her expensive private school. She was the poor kid who got the scholarship to the school because she was a child genius piano player. Zoe ends up making a mistake and it ends up with three of her classmates dead. She was fourteen at the time of the accid...

4 Second chance stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟 The perfect daughter... The perfect mother... The perfect second chance family... but what is it that we say? if something seems too good to be true, it probably is...This book sucked me in from the very beginning.... it was a very fast-paced, page turning read, because I just needed to know what was going to happen with this family....The structure of this book was brilliant... told from alternating points of view... alternating between events before and after the mur...

Just fantastic!! The book moves quickly from the first page throughout the entire journey. Lots of surprises. I enjoyed the changing narrators, it added a great layer to the story. Highly recommend!

3.5 stars“When all the details fit in perfectly, something is probably wrong with the story.” Meet Zoe Maisey, a genius, a child piano prodigy, seventeen years old, and convicted of drinking and driving which resulted in the deaths of three classmates. Her life was going to be perfect, all planned out for her, but then fate stepped in and all that changed in the blink of an eye. Meet Maria, Zoe's mom determined to carve out a life for Zoe, after Zoe's dad leaves them bereft. Maria moves them, af...

The Perfect Girl was a perfect psychological thriller and it was perfect for this time of year. I think it started off a little slowly but gradually built up speed and it kept me turning the pages all the way through. This novel definitely had more of a somber and a macabre tone throughout but I think it fit the book to a "T."This book alternated between Sunday night after the concert and Monday morning. Personally, I found that a little confusing, but I stuck with it and I am glad I did. That i...

Four a half stars.After reading her earlier book Burnt Paper Sky, I was thrilled to bits to win an ARC from The Reading Room and the publisher. Originally titled Butterfly in the Dark it has undergone a change of name and is now The Perfect Girl. Perfect the book is not, but it is an absolutely compelling read about Zoe, a teenage musical prodigy and her family. In her other life, Zoe was convicted of having caused the death of their teenagers. Now she is back trying to resurrect the career that...

A Tale of Two Cities.......Perhaps it's me. I am torn by this dichotomy that has been presented. I read What She Knew by this talented author. It was filled with pure compassion, deeply carved characters, and the beautiful lilt of language. I just finished The Perfect Girl and felt like I was reading a newspaper rendition. No evidence of this masterful writer.The Perfect Girl begins with a seventeen year old genius of a musical prodigy, Zoe Maisey. A few years back, she was involved in an automo...

I found this book compelling. I needed to know what Zoe, a 14 year old musical prodigy, had done. What mistake had she made that completely changed her life and who she was. How did she get a "Second Chance Family," but then have that go awry as well?There is a limited number of characters, and the book is a study of these characters and their behavior. How does a teenager (we all know they are prone to poor judgment at times) recover from a disaster? How do sisters relate as adults? How does a

4 Stars..Zoe Maisey and her mother have built a new life for themselves. Even Zoe’s name is different. Everything changed within the blink of an eye. Zoe was involved in something horrific, something she paid a big price for and now, Zoe and her mother Maria have a second chance at life and a new family. The only thing that has remained a constant is Zoe’s piano playing. She and her new step brother Lucas have a concert tonight. At the end of it, tragedy strikes yet again and Zoe’s mother Maria

Young teenage Zoe makes one extremely bad decision and the repercussions haunt her family for years. Now she and her mom have ventured to a new town in hopes of a fresh start.Everyone deserves a second chance, right?When still another tragedy strikes, Zoe understandably believes her world is crashing around her yet again.This book started off fairly slow for me. It’s also told from several POV and timelines that occasionally I needed a program to follow. But once I fell into the rhythm, I breeze...

2.5 starsA good thriller is tough to find.This one centres around Zoe, a teenage piano prodigy, a victim of bullying at her expensive private school - and also a convicted killer. We are told early on that her mother Maria, is killed on the evening after a piano recital gone wrong.There's a lot of crap going on in the background. Blended families, affairs, secrets and lies. For me, this book had a distinct YA feel. Not only because the main character is a teenager, but also the simplicity of it

Zoe Guerin is a musical prodigy with a genius IQ. Her dreams of success were shattered the night she was involved in a tragic accident that resulted in the death of three classmates. Zoe was convicted in their deaths and spent eighteen months in jail. At seventeen she has served her time and her mother Maria plans the perfect comeback--a piano recital. They live in a new community now and no one knows about Zoe's past. The plans for redemption come to a halt when the father of one of Zoe's victi...

The Perfect Girl was an interesting read (3.5*). The story in itself was sad, more than I expected. Unfortunately, I didn't feel close to the characters, but the author still managed to make me feel strong emotions, particularly about the tragic accident involving Zoe. I can't bare to imagine what it could be like to live something that horrible...I consider this book a drama/mystery. I enjoyed reading it: the writing was nice and I liked the different narrators and short chapters. It was my fir...

RATING: 3 STARS2016; William Morrow Paperbacks/HarperCollinsHere we go again with another "Girl" book. The girl in this case is Zoe Maisey, a music prodigy, and she was perfect, once. One day Zoe is a good girl and the next she is serving time for causing the death of three fellow teens. She is now out and trying to get her life back. Her mother, in a new marriage with a stepson and a child with her new husband, puts Zoe back into music and tries to rebuild their life. At the end of a concert, h...

I really really wanted to love this book more than I did.Top marks for the writing, the intense feelings, the plot. For me I just couldn’t get excited enough to want to keep reading it, I did of course, and it was an ok book I just wanted more.I loved her debut.

4 close, but not quite so perfect stars to The Perfect Girl ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️It only took me a couple pages to get hooked on The Perfect Girl. The structure of the book added to the swift pacing where different points of view were told at two different times - both before and after a murder. The short chapters added to the quick tempo. Lots of surprises, interesting characters, and a bird’s eye view into this family, all added up to a great book on the whole.But you know there’s “but” in here somewher...

It is fair to say that this an "it" book. You only have to look at the front cover to see the dreaded (for me at least) line, "for anyone who loved The Girl on the Train, It's a must-read". While this is not uncommon being compared to big name books it does heighten my expectations. It also means the book lives or dies by what it delivers. Can it live up to those lofty pieces of praise.Originally titled Butterfly in the Dark, the story revolves around teenage musical prodigy Zoe Maisey. Years ea...

The Perfect Girl by Gilly Macmillan is a 2016 Little, Brown Book Group publication. After having read ‘What she Knew”, I have been on the lookout for more books by Gilly Macmillan. This one popped up on my digital library service a few weeks ago and without hesitation,I placed a hold on it. While this is a dark and twisted little tale, it is not on the same caliber as “What She Knew’. When something like that happens, disappointment can leave me feeling let down, however, after giving it some th...

This book, kindly sent to me by the publisher, is heavily marketed to those readers who enjoyed THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN and GONE GIRL. Full disclosure: I didn't much like either of those, and so it's not all that surprising that this one didn't grip me either. I wish it had: the basic premise is pretty good, and if you did enjoy GONE GIRL and the little flotilla of similarly-marketed novels that followed in its wake, you'll probably like this one, too. The reasons I didn't are probably more to do