Pushing Perfect by Michelle Falkoff

Pushing Perfect by Michelle Falkoff

A girl's quest for perfection results in dangerous consequences in this smart, suspenseful YA novel by the author of Playlist for the Dead. Fans of We Were Liars and The Secret History will devour this layered, ensemble-cast novel in which "twists and turns abound" (SLJ).

How far would you go to be perfect?

Kara has the perfect life. At least, that's what she wants everyone to believe. The truth is, she works hard to maintain that illusion.

But when a moment of doubt leads Kara to do something risky--and illegal--someone sees. Before she knows it, she's drawn into an unlikely group of classmates, all bound together by secrets of their own. Secrets that are being used against them.

Soon Kara is forced to confront how far she's willing to go to be perfect--and if that's something she really wants to be.  

"Reminiscent of the novels of Joan Lowery Nixon and Lois Duncan, this mystery set in a modern-day well-to-do suburb in California will keep readers turning the pages." --School Library Journal

"Full of well-developed, diverse supporting characters. For teens who enjoy mysteries in the form of timely, realistic fiction." --Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

"Readers will be kept guessing." --Kirkus Reviews

One risky choice. Four unlikely allies. And a blackmailer who knows everything.

• Academic Pressure: Kara, a girl nicknamed "Perfect Kara," believes a flawless SAT score is her only ticket out. The need to succeed will push her to do the unthinkable.
• An Unlikely Friendship: When her secret gets out, Kara is forced into an alliance with a group of classmates she barely knows--a poker player, a flirt, and a theater kid.
• Blackmail Thriller: A series of anonymous, threatening texts proves someone knows all their secrets. Now they're being forced to do things they never imagined, with no idea who to trust.
• A Dangerous Quest for Perfection: This suspenseful young adult mystery explores the dark side of striving to be perfect and asks how far you'd go to protect the life you've built.

Playlist for the Dead, Pushing Perfect, and Questions I Want to Ask You are all written by Michelle Falkoff. Her work has appeared in ZYZZYVA, DoubleTake, and the Harvard Review, among other publications. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and currently works at Northwestern University School of Law as the director of communication and legal reasoning. Visit www.michellefalkoff.com to learn more about her.