DIFFICULT GIRLS

A bullied teen trying to escape her reputation becomes embroiled in a mystery when she takes a summer job at a theme park.

Smart, determined 16-year-old Greta, whose sarcastic narrative voice sets a tone of grim humor, sees her new position as an usher at Hyper Kid Magic Land’s 4D theater as a chance to make new friends after enduring a sexist, victim-blaming ordeal surrounding a topless photo she sent to a crush at school. Hyper Kid is its own social microcosm, and Greta is quickly swept up in it. She’s working alongside pretty boy performer Gray, fellow usher Ivy (who takes Greta under her wing, protecting her from the snobby actors and the obnoxious classmates who inevitably come to the park), and technician Liam (who takes a shine to her). Liam and Greta’s sweet, supportive, idealized romance blooms naturally as the story moves along. There’s also a darker side to the park—Greta becomes fascinated by the unsolved mystery of Hailey, an employee who was murdered there years ago. When Mercy, one of the actors, inexplicably stops showing up for work, and then another member of staff turns up dead, Greta’s terrierlike worry about Mercy’s fate draws her and her peers further into the park’s bloody history. Several central characters, including Greta, are cued white; Ivy is Colombian American, and Liam is Filipino, Mexican, and white.

An engaging, plot-driven debut with a heart.