11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The 'Perfect' blend of mystery and scandal, September 13, 2007
This review is from: Pretty Little Liars #3: Perfect (Hardcover)
There was a time, back in the seventh grade, when Alison "Ali" DiLaurentis, Hanna Marin, Spencer Hastings, Aria Montgomery, and Emily Fields ruled Rosewood Day school. Together, these five girls determined what, and who, was hot, and what, and who, were so yesterday. They were the girls everyone wanted to be - especially Ali - and the ones every guy wanted to date. Even Hanna, Spencer, Aria, and Emily felt jealousy towards the perfect Ali. Still, the five girls spent every waking moment together, trading secrets, gossiping about their classmates, and hanging at the mall where they shopped 'til they dropped, their parents credit cards in tow. But then, everything changed. At the end of seventh grade, Ali suddenly up and disappeared without a trace, and each of the girls slowly went their own ways. That is, until "A" came into the picture, threatening to reveal each of their deepest, darkest secrets; and an unlikely discovery was made, that of Ali's body, buried under the cement in her old backyard. Suddenly, it became evident, that secrets don't always stay buried.
After Ali disappeared, Hanna Marin dropped Spencer, Aria, and Emily, and picked up a new friend in the dorky Mona Vanderwaal. Together, they vowed to drop the extra weight, and become the most beautiful girls in school. Now, at the age of sixteen, they have both accomplished just that. But they want more. With Mona's Sweet Seventeen quickly approaching, there's no doubt in their minds that this won't be the bash of the century. But thanks to "A," there's trouble a-brewing between the two besties. Trouble that could set them at odds with each other forever. Spencer Hastings knew that it was wrong to steal her sister, Melissa's, essay for economics class. But it was so perfect, and there's no harm in a little fib now and then. Unfortunately, the essay has been entered into the Golden Orchid competition, throwing Spencer into the midst of semi-fame. Spencer just wants to ignore the congratulations surrounding her, but "A" is making that difficult with the constant threats of revealing her wrong-doing. Emily Fields knows that being gay would make her family hate her for life. She also knows that, if she doesn't report "A" to the police, she, or one of her old friends, could end up dead. She just never realized that coming forward with information would make her the target of "outing" her to the whole town. Aria Montgomery thought that her troubles were over when her family moved to Iceland for three years. But, upon return, her father, Byron, continued the affair he had left behind with his student, Meredith; and, due to the fact that Aria knew all about it, her mother wants nothing to do with her. Luckily, she has Ezra to run to. Unfortunately, with "A" around, he may not be able to claim the title as her "knight in shining armor" for much longer. As if dealing with "A" weren't enough, of course, there's some peeping tom-like nutcase running around the pretentious Philadelphia town of Rosewood peering into windows, and creeping everyone out; and the girls think that the newfound stalker may somehow be related to "A."
Not many book series get better with each installment. However, with Sara Shepard's PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, the series can be comparable to a fine wine - it only gets better with age. Or, in this case, with each new addition to the collection. PERFECT is no exception. From page one, I was hooked, and found myself incapable of putting down this amazing new novel. Hanna is still my favorite character. Her struggles with an eating disorder, and feelings of loneliness, as she finds herself on the outs with her superficial best friend, Mona, truly make you feel emotional towards her; while Aria's current situation regarding her tumultuous relationship with her mother, Ella, her difficulties with her father, Byron, and her growing feelings for her English teacher, Ezra, only work to invoke the same feelings. While Spencer isn't necessarily stealing Melissa's boyfriends, as she was in the previous installments, the new insight she gains into her childhood and current lifestyle thanks to a few sessions from her new therapist, Dr. Evans, are extremely gripping, and hard to ignore. And Emily...well, the fact that she's suddenly faced with kissing Maya goodbye, or just plain kissing her, is enough to throw her off her game. While PRETTY LITTLE LIARS and FLAWLESS were slightly more light and fluffy; PERFECT brings in an extremely emotionally charged storyline that leaves you on the edge of your seat from start to finish, contemplating what will happen in the fourth, and final chapter of the saga. The PERFECT blend of mystery and scandal.
Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
perfect is... perfect!, August 25, 2007
This review is from: Pretty Little Liars #3: Perfect (Hardcover)
it's difficult to write this review without making any spoilers. i will just say, please read books 1 and 2 first, in order, because if you don't, you will miss out on what's going on and all the interpersonal relationships/drama between the characters. And let me just say, there is LOTS OF JUICY DRAMA in this book!!! All 4 of the girls have really good scenes, I like how Sara Sheppard doesn't play favorites and gives proper attention to all her characters so that it's mot like you're skimming past the filler chapters of the 3 other characters to get to the chapter with the character that actually matters, in Pretty Little Liars, there are no filler chapters and all the characters matter!
*** TEENY TINY SEMI-SPOILER ***
In this book we MAYBE find out who Ali's killer possibly might be, but we aren't sure because as it turns out.......... LOL I'm not gonna tell you! go read the book!!!
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shocking!, August 21, 2007
This review is from: Pretty Little Liars #3: Perfect (Hardcover)
The third Pretty Little Liars is shocking. Practically every part will stun you. A is even more sneaky and evil in this book- and has several mistakes, and flops, up her sleeve. Hanna, Aria, Spencer, and Emily really begin to see who A really is. The mystery surrounding Ali's actions before her death are slowly being revealed as is her killer. This is typical, wonderful PLL, but even better. The girls are even more real in this book. It's hard to put into words how much I really loved this book without telling what happened!!!! It still seems a little early to yell about everything that happened, and everything that A did to all of them!!!! We've been warned for two books what might happen if the girls didn't do what A said. In Perfect, we find out exactly what she has in store for all them. Can Emily and Maya's secret be kept safely in the closet? Can Spencer recall the night Ali disappeared in full detail? What about Aria and Ezra? The mystery of A is not solved, but something else very important is. Some people have said the books have no depth to them, but I don't understand how anyone can say that anymore after Perfect. Perfect is incredibly suspenseful, and if you're prone to paranoia, be warned. Your curtains and blinds are going to bo closed for a while.
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