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 pageant queen named Jenny is found murdered, her small town grieves the loss alongside her picture-perfect parents. At first glance, Jenny’s tragic death … Jenny’s tragic death appears clear-cut for investigators. The most obvious suspect is one of her fans, an older man who may have gotten too close for comfort. But Jenny’s half-sister, Virginia—the sarcastic black sheep of the family—isn’t so sure of his guilt and takes matters into her own hands to find the killer.
But for Jenny’s case 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 lies 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.
Infused with dark humor and driven by two captivating young women, The Prized Girl tells a heartbreaking story of missed connections, a complicated family, and a town’s disturbing secrets.
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Gripping prose, complex characters and dark family secrets propel this story about a murdered teen pageant queen to a perfectly unexpected finale. A stunning debut!
At times funny, at times haunting, The Prized Girl is a raw, beautiful page-turner; the perfect whodunit for today’s world. Green’s compelling characters step off the page and into your heart.
So fun and gritty! Couldn’t put it down, and then couldn’t stop thinking about it once I finished.
This was a debut thriller that I read as an audiobook. First of all, Alex McKenna’s narration was excellent! She was perfect as Virginia and brought her to life…for me, anyway. I thought the writing was outstanding, with two alternate POV’s. Virginia’s was in the present and Jenny’s in the past. The plot was compelling, and it had no problem keeping my attention. I was invested in the characters and enjoyed Virginia the most.
”From ages five to twelve, Jenny won more Grand Supreme titles than anyone else in New England. I was told about it quite often, and Linda wasn’t going to let anyone in this church forget it. Gigantic glamour shots of Jenny surrounded the coffin. In each one, a dead‑behind‑the‑eyes little girl was dressed in a slightly provocative costume with enough makeup for a roadside hooker.”
Books about young beauty queens don’t grab my attention. Thankfully, this one didn’t include much about the pageants themselves. It was centered around Jenny’s murder and the complicated relationships / family dynamics within the esteemed Calvin Kennedy family. And I’m sure you can guess that it contains some dark subjects.
After the brutal murder of Virginia’s younger half-sister, her family is ripped apart. Not that it was ever the picture-perfect one they displayed before the incident. And the town of Wrenton is devastated.
Virginia wasn’t close to Jenny, or her dysfunctional family, but becomes eager to uncover the murderer. After becoming involved with the lead detective, creating embarrassment for the family and consequences for the detective, she does her own investigating.
Amy K. Green is a new author to watch for in the future!
My Rating: 4 ’s
Published: January 14th 2020 by Penguin Audio
Thank you to Edelweiss, Penguin Audio, and Amy K. Green for this digital ARC, in exchange for my honest opinion!
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To be honest I am not particularly fond of stories involving murder and abuse especially when it comes to women and girls. And while it was in part a murder mystery, this story did not dwell on the murder of a 13 year old girl. What I enjoyed most about this story was how the girl’s older half-sister processed her own issues, came to terms with them, as she searched for what really happened to her younger sibling. It was also interesting getting some insight into what was going on in Jenny’s mind that set her down the path to her demise.
“A Prized Girl” alternates between chapters detailing the final weeks of Jenny and and chapters of her older half-sister Virginia who is compelled to find out what really happened to Jenny and gain some sort of shift in her relationship with her own demons.
Song/s the book brought to mind: All About You by Birdy
The Prized Girl by Amy K. Green is a stunning debut novel, and it left me wishing this author had more books out!
Besides the mystery of the murder, this book is FULL of heavy hitting subjects and I thought it was quite dark. There is so much trauma and heartbreak and at times it was hard to read, but it was so good. I couldn’t stop turning pages and I basically read it in two sittings. At times my pulse was pounding, and I loved the amount of suspense throughout the novel.
The Prized Girl left me constantly guessing and I had no idea who the murderer was going to be until basically the point where you find out. It really wasn’t what I was expecting which was a nice surprise. Now if you are someone who constantly reads thrillers this might not be the book for you, I can see how people would figure it out, but I’m happy I didn’t. Overall I thought this thriller was really solid, and I liked that it kept me guessing.
I also loved that The Prized Girl switches back and forth between both Jenny before and leading up to her murder, and her sister Virginia. For me, both viewpoints were very well done and helped keep the suspense up for me. The chapters were also really short which is another thing I love in a thriller. Although it may not be for everyone, The Prized Girl was a win for me and I can’t wait to see what Green will think of next!!
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book, all opinions and thoughts are my own.
I picked up this book after making my way through a string of not great books. This was definitely a page turner. It tells the story of Jenny, a high school freshman found raped and murdered and the family tensions and investigation following her death. Many twists and turns, and while there are no spoilers here I did not see the ending coming. The book explores some difficult themes including alcoholism, family secrets, and sexual abuse, and while this exploration can be dramatic at times it was always done in a way that kept my interest. I look forward to following Amy Green as her writing matures — not a knock against this book at all — just a reflection that some scenes were over the top, but a page turner to be sure.
The Prized Girl by Amy K Green is a marvellous contemporary psychological murder suspense that had my heart racing.
The action has two distinct time periods – before and after the murder – from the point of view of the victim and her sister. The elder sister tries to piece together the truth but sometimes the truth is buried by so many lies. Some amateur sleuthing enables the reader to join the clues together – I failed, again, to predict the outcome!
There are the difficult themes of preying on the young and vulnerable, blackmail and abusing ones position of authority. There is a merry go round of abuse that never ceases.
Family dynamics are explosive as a controlling family member loses their power and love turns to hate.
The Prized Girl was a totally thrilling read that I could not put down. I read with my heart in my mouth to the end. It was marvellous and well planned out. Amy K Green is a new author to me. I hope to read more by her.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
The Prized Girl by author Amy K. Green is a suspense thriller which strives to answer the question of “Who murdered thirteen year old Jenny?” The story is told through the alternating narrative of sisters, Virginia and Jenny. The mystery and suspense held my interest although the characters are selfish and seem to have little moral compass.
Virginia seems to have had so much against her from the time of her mothers’ death, the negligence of her father, and then the abuse by a teacher from age fourteen until eighteen. She has never allowed her life to move beyond. these personal hurts and she has become emotionally withdrawn from life and resentful of her family.
Jenny has been trained all of her life to compete in beauty pageants. She is tired of this life. She decides to rebel and her choices in life seem to bring her more trouble. Lies, deceit, and confrontation with her parents reach a crescendo for disaster.
I was disappointed that the truth is never revealed to the parents, police, and public. The story is told and manipulated to please Virginia. She is allowed to control truth, justice, and other people’s lives.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
So, I’m torn on this one. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either. When a former pageant queen is murdered in a small town, things are turned upside down.
Jenny is 13 years old when she is murdered. This book is written from her perspective leading up to her murder, and her sister Virginia’s after her death.
First, I didn’t realize it was the murder of a child. The synopsis said former beauty queen so I thought it was an adult. That was my misunderstanding. I get that Jenny is trying to find her way in the world now without the pageants.
Second, Virginia… she is a messed up individual. She is much older than Jenny. She had a long time relationship with an older man while she herself was very young, and cannot move on. She is basically recluse who does not socialize, doesn’t leave her apartment, is unemployed and drinks herself into oblivion.
It seems like Jenny’s last night was just one tragic event after another, and no one was there for her. Other reviewer have said they figured it all out, that they were parts that seemed thrown in for shock factor and wasn’t relevant. I didn’t feel that way, I felt that everything tied in and answered other questions.
For me, the book was just ok.
Wow. So that happened…
This was one of the strangest books I’ve read in a while, full of intensely unlikable characters, nearly every one of which is villainous at some point (if not many points). It’s dark and rambling and meanders – but it works, and I was hooked from the opening pages and read the whole thing in a day (in fact, in practically one sitting).
Green has written an overlapping, complex nightmare of broken people in destructive relationships. It’s depressing as hell if you think too closely about it all – but it’s a great read. The pacing is uneven. Everyone is unreliable and self-interested. The secrets are thicker than pageant girl’s makeup. It’s a gloriously dark tale, well written and well, if obliquely, crafted. And Amy K. Green is now firmly ensconced on my to be watched list…
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy.
This first novel by Amy Green should in no way be her last. I received an ARC of this psychological novel from Netgalley and Publisher Penguin group. The comments and review are my honest opinion. This is a book about an older stepsister, Virginia, that has never found her way in life and the rape and murder of her younger sister, Jenny, a thirteen year old beauty, the pageant winner, the perfect daughter until she wasn’t.
There is no champion or winner in this book, except perhaps the destructive relationships that led to murder. I hope the author’s next book lives up to this excellent debut.
Such a scary story. It had some very twisted details. I was hoping for Jenny to receive rest after all the time that was going by. There was times when I wanted to read between my fingers. Everyone should know that some towns, family, and friends are not what they seem. This book covers all the factors.I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway for a honest review.