Allow me to tell you a true story. I began a journey just two short days ago. It was full of suspense, intrigue, and interesting characters. As I passed these things on my leisurely stroll, my pace began to quicken. The end, I kept repeating to myself, I must get to the end! The canopy on my path began to thin. I could feel my heart rate quicken as more light poured in through the thinning trees. This was it! I was almost there! Abruptly, my path stopped. The only thing in front of me was a steep cliff that dropped straight down to the crashing waves below. Was this it? Surely I could not have been on this journey only to reach that outcome.
As mentioned, the story above is based in reality. I picked up Sara Shepard's The Perfectionists with the die-hard Pretty Little Liars (TV show) fan girl squealing in my head. Overall, I was not disappointed with this latest novel from Shepard, but there were a few things I thought definitely could have been improved. If you like Pretty Little Liars, then this book is right up your alley, filled with the same character types, settings, and plenty of mystery. After realizing this, I paused for a moment of quiet (yeah, I am kidding myself) mediation. Are these the only characters Shepard knows how to write? Now, let me be fair. Without Sara Shepard, one of my favorite tv shows would not be in existence and I have done everything in my power to avoid picking up the novels the show was based on. I know there are some differences, but this is one of the few instances where I don't want to read the books. Maybe when the show has finished completely? But I digress. The characters in The Perfectionists were pretty similar to the Pretty Little Liars characters and the mystery was eerily familiar. On the show, viewers go SEASONS without getting questions answered. The writers wait until the last possible moment when they sense people are getting fed up to answer one tiny question and then the waiting begins anew. The Perfectionists was exactly the same! It had such a great story line and I did really enjoy it, even though it may have sounded different above, but I did not get an answer! Sure, there were a few minor details like love triangles and auditions that got wrapped in a neat little bow, but nothing about the bigger picture. There were several plot turning points and I thought that we should have at least gotten one thing resolved.
The way the book was written has set it up perfectly for a squeal, which I will most definitely be reading. It was also fast paced and had me constantly thinking of who had an ulterior motive, but I am not sure if character development was really up to scratch. In all fairness, this is the first book I have read by Shepard and I have already spotted another that I am eager to pick up, The Heiresses. I am willing to give this talented writer another go and hopefully, the characters will be somewhat different on the next go.
Genre:YA
Positives; Well written plot with plenty of suspense to keep you turning the pages.
Negatives: No resolution in the end and the book was entirely too reminiscent of Pretty Little Liars. Guess we will have to wait until June 2, 2015 to read the rest.
Rating:3.5 out of 5 stars
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