NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A teen girl’s attempt at social reinvention takes a deadly turn when a co-worker disappears—and she learns she may have been the last person to see the missing girl—in this razor-sharp, murderously funny thriller debut. 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. “ A thrilling debut . I dare you not to read it in one sitting.” —Cynthia Murphy, author of Win Lose Kill Die “ Sharp, witty, and oh so compelling , Difficult Girls cements Veronica Bane as an author to watch.” —Jessica Goodman, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Meadowbrook Murders and The Legacies “Deeply heartfelt, laugh-out-loud funny, and filled with unexpected twists . Perfect for fans of Jessica Goodman and Karen M. McManus!” —Liz Lawson, New York Times bestselling author of the Agathas series and Murder Between Friends “ Twisty, bitingly funny, and fresh . Veronica Bane masterfully keeps you guessing as the bodies begin to drop.” —Trish Lundy, author of The One That Got Away with Murder “Expertly weaves past and present mysteries in a humorous YA thriller .” —Megan Davidhizar, author of Silent Sister “Veronica Bane has a rare gift.” —Amber Benson, actress and author of the Echo Park Coven series "An engaging, plot-driven debut with a heart." — Kirkus Reviews "Bane delivers off-kilter rom-com energy in a very scary thriller that will make the reader both laugh and scream (in a good way!), resulting in a wonderful debut novel ." — Booklist Veronica Bane spent her formative teen years working at a popular theme park. Following days spent as a princess and an usher, she graduated from Chapman University with a BFA in Creative Writing. Since then, she’s worked as a high school English teacher in Lincoln Heights, California. When she’s not writing, she’s exploring Los Angeles with her husband and their beloved dog, Bodhi. Her debut novel, Difficult Girls , was an instant USA Today bestseller. Visit her online at veronicabane.com and on Instagram, Threads, and TikTok at @veronicabane. Chapter One Saturday, June 14 10:23 p.m. Tonight, I’m going to make out with Grey Larsen. If everything goes according to my plan, his hands will run across my bare shoul-ders. He’ll tell me that the color black is perfect for me and that the eyeliner I re-did three times is flawlessly balanced on both sides. He’ll tell me how good it is to see me out of my work polo shirt, how he knew immediately that we were meant for each other, how he only hopes I’m into him, too. He’ll say he doesn’t care that I’m an usher and he’s a performer--what he feels for me can’t be contained. I first met Grey Larsen exactly thirty-four hours ago. Well, not exactly thirty-four. I don’t know what the minutes are. If I did, that would probably be cause for con-cern. But no, I only know the hours, which is totally reasonable given who Grey Larsen is. What he looks like. What he stands for. Also, I guess that “met” might be a bit of a stretch. I should say that Grey Larsen first breezed into my life yesterday a little bit after twelve-thirty p.m. I had spent the morning training at Rocket Theater--the “4D” theater at Hyper Kid Magic Land, where I am now employed--before heading with my fellow usher to the patio tables outside the Caf. That’s when I saw him. He was part of a group of people who approached from the road, people who walked with ease and confidence. They were dressed in street clothes, not polos like the rest of Hyper Kid’s employees. Sweatpants. T-shirts. Plain but cool sneak-ers. As they came closer, I saw that their faces were overly done in comparison with what they wore, each one dusted and painted to give them perfect complex-ions, their eyes framed by liner and false lashes. Performers, I realized. And in the middle of them, there was a laugh, some