Sneak Peek Book Review: The Perfectionists by Sara Shepard

Calling all Pretty Little Liars fans! Sara Shepard has a new series, to be released October 7th, and for anyone craving more PLL twists and turns, The Perfectionists will be your perfect satisfaction. Even though the book isn’t set to be sold for a few more months, I thought I’d share my review so you can get the inside scoop and get excited for it. So here we go!

The Perfectionists by Sara Shepard

My publisher’s copy!

Rating: 4/5 stars, 85%

So I love the Pretty Little Liars series, even though I will admit that I’m so ready to finally just learn who A is and be done with it. The Perfectionists, which is currently slated as a two-book series, though knowing Sara Shepard, I have a feeling it will expand immensely, is about a group of five girls who have all been burned by the same guy: Nolan Hotchkiss. The girls, all carrying on different lives, are grouped for a discussion in class one day and are talking about murder, when all of a sudden they plot a theoretical plan to kill Nolan. The girls laugh it off until a week later, when Nolan is found dead…in exactly the way that they planned. Except that they weren’t the ones who did it. With their futures on the line, the girls must discover the real killer to prove their own innocence. The series is so much like PLL; that’s both a good thing and a bad thing, and here’s why:

The good thing is that, like PLL, it’s so heavily driven by mystery, and it’s so innately intriguing that it will propel you through the novel quickly. And it’s a unique take on YA lit; the novel’s entire concept is so interesting and compelling.

The bad aspect of their similarities is just that: they’re too similar. And because of that, I found myself continually comparing it to PLL, and it’s just not as good. I didn’t like the girls or the plot as much, and I actually started getting all the characters mixed up because they were a little bland. And, since I’ve read PLL, I’m used to Shepard’s writing style, so it was easy for me to predict what was going to happen and who would be “revealed,” so to speak.

Overall, I did enjoy the novel. I’d love to go into more detail…but you’ll just have to wait until it’s released! Comment below and let me know what you thought of PLL and if you’re planning to read The Perfectionists! Happy reading!