The Perfect Girl - Review

The Perfect Girl by Gilly Macmillan
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Publication date: March 3, 2016
Source: Publisher for an honest review

Description:

To everyone who knows her now, Zoe Maisey - child genius, musical sensation - is perfect. Yet several years ago, Zoe caused the death of three teenagers. She served her time. And now she's free.

Her story begins with her giving the performance of her life.

By midnight, her mother is dead.

The Perfect Girl is an intricate exploration into the mind of a teenager burdened by brilliance. It's a story about the wrongs in our past not letting go and how hard we must fight for second chances.

My Take:

I found The Perfect Girl to be a definite page-turner. I couldn't put the book down until I reached the final page. It is clear from the start that there are things going on that are unclear to both the reader and to Zoe. However, Zoe also has information about her own past that the reader and Zoe's family are unaware of as well. 

I feel that too much information prior to reading The Perfect Girl will actually make the novel less enjoyable, so I will try to refrain from revealing much. Zoe and her mother have gotten a second chance at a "normal" life - her mother has remarried and Zoe has a step-brother. Things look perfect from the outside. As is often the case, nothing is really perfect. 

I found Zoe to be an intriguing and troubling character. It is much later in the book that readers find out what actually happened that caused Zoe to serve time and to be the subject of much speculation, but the episode has had a profound influence on Zoe and her perspective on people. 

I found the story to be compelling and upsetting in many ways. Zoe has been in the system and now must deal with the reality of what that means. She has also learned that people are not always what they seem and she must do what is necessary to protect herself.