Difficult Girls

By: Veronica Bane

Narrated by: Valerie Rose Lohman

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A teen girl’s attempt at social reinvention takes a deadly turn when a co-worker disappears—and she learns she may have been the last person to see the missing girl—in this razor-sharp, murderously funny thriller debut.

After the incident last year, Greta Riley Green is looking for reinvention—a fresh start—and a job at Hyper Kid Magic Land, the local amusement park, seems like the perfect way to forge a new path . . . no matter what it takes.

So when fate pulls Greta into Mercy Goodwin’s orbit, it feels like things are looking up. Beautiful and confident, Mercy dazzles audiences daily. And at the first party of the summer, she picks Greta to confide in. Mercy has a secret to share, if Greta will just meet her the next day. It’s a sign that Greta’s truly fitting in.

Only, when the time comes, Mercy is a no-show—as she is everyday after that—and Greta knows something’s wrong. She can’t help thinking back to the night of the party. Did Mercy seem upset? Terrified, even? Could she be in trouble? It wouldn’t be the first time a talented young performer came to a sinister end at Hyper Kid. . . .

Of course, Greta has her own issues with the past, and the more she uncovers Hyper Kid’s secrets, the more her own threaten to surface. This job was meant to be a reboot, a summer without trouble. But trouble, it seems, finds Greta, and her past—and the bloody past of Hyper Kid—is about to catch up with her.

Critic reviews

“A thrilling debut. I dare you not to read it in one sitting.” —Cynthia Murphy, author of Win Lose Kill Die

“Sharp, witty, and oh so compelling, Difficult Girls cements Veronica Bane as an author to watch.” —Jessica Goodman, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Meadowbrook Murders and The Legacies

“Deeply heartfelt, laugh-out-loud funny, and filled with unexpected twists. Perfect for fans of Jessica Goodman and Karen M. McManus!” —Liz Lawson, New York Times bestselling author of the Agathas series and Murder Between Friends

“Twisty, bitingly funny, and fresh. Veronica Bane masterfully keeps you guessing as the bodies begin to drop.” —Trish Lundy, author of The One That Got Away with Murder

“Expertly weaves past and present mysteries in a humorous YA thriller.” —Megan Davidhizar, author of Silent Sister

“Veronica Bane has a rare gift.” —Amber Benson, actress and author of the Echo Park Coven series

"An engaging, plot-driven debut with a heart." —Kirkus Reviews

"Bane delivers off-kilter rom-com energy in a very scary thriller that will make the reader both laugh and scream (in a good way!), resulting in a wonderful debut novel." —Booklist

Five Stars

Veronica Bane proved she has been ghostwriting NYT bestsellers for years with her twisty, fun keep you guessing til the end debut. Loved the setting, you can tell she worked at a theme park because she writes with authority and it’s such a great backdrop for a mystery. One of my favorite book boyfriends ever and even I couldn’t guess who the killer is (I usually can). Characters were so real and well developed and I especially loved how she made the main character Greta an atypical heroine without pulling punches on her real world flaws and idiosyncrasies. Will autobuy this author from now on!

Annoying narrator and main character

I love an amusement park backdrop and will probably read a book in that setting no matter the genre. In DIFFICULT GIRLS by Veronica Bane, Greta, like so many YA protagonists, thinks she’s smarter than the police and they she can solve a twenty-year-old murder and the disappearance of a coworker.

Greta has to be one of the most annoying main characters I’ve read in recent years. She’s never met a conclusion she hasn’t jumped into head first. Her stream of consciousness thoughts had me wanting to take her to a psychiatrist for anxiety meds.

Greta’s big “secret” was anticlimactic, something she could have told as a comedy of errors (not what the boy did, but what she did in response).

DIFFICULT GIRLS had a few great twists and turns that make the book a worthwhile read for me.

Wonderful Book; Superb Narrator Pairing

I really loved every minute of this book. With such a fun setting, host of complex characters, and plethora of twists and turns, it really draws you in and hooks you from the start!
The narrator couldn’t have been better, either - the tone and energy captured the story and the characters perfectly.
I’m overall very pleased and recommend this to anyone looking for an exciting “read!”

I REALLY wanted to like this book.

I was super excited for this book to come out. Preordered a hardcover copy and all that jazz. When I hit the first “I had a feeling” that severely impacted the plot, I shook it off as a one time thing. It was not. I told myself I was having a hard time getting into the book, and tried the audio book. The voice actress is amazing, and it’s obvious the author can write, but the story feels forced, highly improbable, and hinges on gut feelings about someone the character barely knew. It seems like the author was checking off plot points to give the book a certain vibe, and not hitting those plot points in a way that feels authentic, which inevitably and repeatedly pulled me out of the story.