DIFFICULT GIRLS, by Veronica Bane, Delacorte Press, July 8, 2025, Hardcover, $19.99 (young adult)
A teen girl’s attempt at social reinvention takes a deadly turn when a co-worker disappears in Difficult Girls, by Veronica Bane.
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. —Synopsis provided by Delacorte Press
Difficult Girls is a book readers are going to like or put down after the first couple of chapters — with no in-between. I fall in the latter half; except I did finish it for reviewing purposes.
The reasons: Greta and the amusement park.
Greta’s a character I never fully connected with. Her stream-of-conscious narration felt unreliable and made me anxious. Author Veronica Bane does capture Greta’s voice, though, which remains consistent throughout. And if, as a reader, you connected with that voice, you’d feel compelled to keep reading.
Difficult Girls is set in an amusement park, where Mercy’s job is essentially to clean up after guests. I’m sure Bane was trying to set the stage by going into detail of all the banal aspects of the job, but boy, did I get tired of it quickly. Once she gets into the amusement park’s dark backstory, things pick up, but I could see where readers would lose interest early on.
Difficult Girls is fairly fast-paced, which helps, except at the ending where it feels a bit abrupt. It features mystery, drama and a slow-burn romance. I suggest checking it out from the library prior to purchase to see if it’s a good fit for you.
Copyright © 2025 Cracking the Cover. Unless otherwise noted, all books — digital and physical — have been provided by publishers in exchange for honest and unbiased reviews. All thoughts and opinions are those of the reviewer.
