Perfect (Pretty Little Liars, #3)

by Sara Shepard

Spencer, Aria, Emily, Hanna and their best friend Alison were the most popular girls at Rosewood Day School. Alison was the group's ringleader, the one who knew all their darkest secrets. So when Alison vanished one night, Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna's grief was tinged with relief. But when Ali's body was later discovered in her own backyard, the girls were forced to unearth some ugly memories of their old friend, too. Is there more to Alison's death than anyone realises? Now someone named A, someone who seems to know everything, is pointing the finger for Ali's murder at one of them. And A is poised to ruin their perfect little lives ...for ever.

• ISBN10: 0606122699
• ISBN13: 9780606122696
• Publish Date: 27 May 2008 (first published 1 September 2007)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 20 July 2022
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Turtleback Books
• Edition: School & Library ed.
• Format: Hardcover (Library Binding)
• Pages: 298
• Language: English

Reviews

[bonchcronch]

so i think they added supernatural time travel to the book. i dont like time travel so im hesitant to continue with the series. but i absolutely love what happened to the teacher. i was cackling while making dinner (audiobooks4thewin)

Also wow. graphicish depiction of getting run over. one of the girls in a coma was surprising and i wasn't sure if the author was gonna kill her off. honestly, i was thinking A would cut her life support or something. Until i realized that A has only helped the girls. now being outed and in an embarassign way is not okay and i'm very worried about Emily being a queer in an early 2000's drama. BUT all the girls lives are taking a turn for the better. its a small turn. i expect shit to hit the fan next book.

Blackmailer Prediction
Mona that bitch

Ali's Killer Prediction
im still reeling from the end of the book. i can't even start speculation on this.

[kalventure]

"It’s amazing what you don’t see, though. Even when it’s right in front of your eyes."

I actually enjoyed Perfect a lot more than the first two books in the series. I feel like while action was happening, a lot of groundwork was being made to develop the four main characters - both who they were in relation to Alison and who they have become in her absence. This definitely paid off for me big time.

I mentioned in my prior reviews that I like how Shepard isolates the girls in the books (in contrast to their quickly re-bonding in the tv series with A's harassment); it feels more real that the girls have to reconcile their pasts that they have all left behind, but A won't let the past lie. Three years is a long time to have been drifted apart and they each have their own lives now. With A drudging up the past and watching their every move, it is inevitable that the girls will rekindle their friendship through this new trauma of A.

The bullying in this series gets really intense here and A manages to drive a wedge between the girls, their families, and their friends. They are completely isolated and alone and it is truly heartbreaking. If you are sensitive to bullying, please tread lightly my friends.

Interestingly enough, the girl's biggest secrets are all related to the mistakes they are making now. And things get really dark for each of the four ex-best friends in this book. Tensions are running high and A is pitting them against one another, sending them clues to what really happened to Ali.

"P.S. I may be a bitch, but I’m not a murderer. Here’s a clue for the clueless: someone wanted something of Ali’s. The killer is closer than you think."

These continue to be enjoyable and quick reads, and even though I was obsessed with the tv series, enough is different that I don't trust that I know anything. I was on the edge of my seat while reading and had to start book 4 straight away. I am honestly devouring these and loving everyone moment.

Representation: lgbtqiap+ (f/f romance)
Content/Trigger warnings: bullying, conversion therapy, eating disorder, homophobia, bad parenting (sorry but kicking your daughters out = selfish af in these instances)

[angelarenea9]

I guess she got the hang of writing for a book not a tv show because the brands are under control. Again I didn't like the way the adults were written. I feel like she is too immature to admit that adults just don't act that way. It's almost as though a child wrote it. Because as children we tend to feel that adults are out to get us. Other than that it was a good book, ending on a cliff hanger!