The Prized Girl – Amy K. Green

Released earlier this week!

Thanks to Dutton Books for the free early copy in exchange for my honest review

THE PRIZED GIRL – Amy K. Green (Released January 14th, 2020)

Book Description:

From debut author Amy K. Green comes a devastating tale of psychological suspense: a teen pageant queen is found murdered in a small New England town, and her sister’s search for answers unearths more than she bargained for.

Days after a young teenager named Jenny is found murdered, her small town grieves the loss alongside her picture-perfect parents. At first glance, Jenny’s tragic death appears clear-cut for investigators. In the murder of a former pageant queen from a safe and loving family, the most obvious suspect is a fan who got too close for comfort. But Jenny’s sarcastic, older half-sister Virginia isn’t so sure of his guilt and takes matters into her own hands to find the killer.

But for Jenny’s case and and Virginia’s investigation, there’s more to the story. Virginia, still living in town and haunted by her own troubled teenage years, suspects that a similar darkness lay beneath the sparkling veneer of Jenny’s life. Alternating between Jenny’s final days and Virginia’s determined search for the truth, the sisters’ dual narratives follow a harrowing trail of suspects, with surprising turns that race toward a shocking finale.

My Thoughts: 3/5 stars

THE PRIZED GIRL is Amy K. Green’s debut novel and I think this is a stellar start for her! I’m really torn because there were a lot of great points and elements to this novel, but I also felt like I was missing something that I still can’t put my finger on. This book is perfect for those still branching into the psychological thriller genre. For those that frequent the genre, this will feel like a cookie-cutter example of what we come to expect, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing!

I loved the multiple POV’s – something I continue to love and almost hope for in thrillers. The way the author wove these together was flawless and showed clever crafting on her part. They were flawed and the kind of characters you would want in a thriller, but I didn’t feel too connected to them. The story had plenty of suspense but nothing came as a huge shock for me (maybe because of the saturation of this genre in my life right now), but that didn’t take away from the reading experience.

Like I said, a fantastic debut for Green. I will definitely be looking for more from her in the future and highly recommend this to those that are wanting more psychological thrillers in their TBR. While the ending didn’t shock me, Green kept me glued to the pages from start to finish.