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Too Perfect to Die
"Bring It On", but with murder, this heart-pounding YA thriller follows Jonty, a star cheerleader forced to track down a killer and achieve her dream—before it's too late.
With competition this fierce, bodies are bound to hit the mat...
All Jonty has ever wanted is to lead her cheerleading team, The Exalted Ones, to win a NCA championship. Cheer is not just a sport, it’s her legacy. Her mother cheered for T.E.O. before she died, and Jonty would do anything to snatch the crown and honor her mother’s memory. This year she has a real shot, finally beating her rival Tommie and becoming the team captain.
But Jonty’s perfect season is shattered when Tommie shows up dead on the first day of practice. Now the team is down a flyer and everyone is convinced that Jonty killed her. Everyone except Adam, her co-captain, who was with her the night that Tommie died.
As the season progresses, girls keep dropping like flies, and one thing becomes Someone is sabotaging The Exalted Ones, and they're willing to commit murder to get their way. But with the police still convinced it’s her, will Jonty be able to save herself, her team, and her perfect season?
Tense and full of twists, Too Perfect to Die is perfect for readers who
• True Crime
• Competitive Cheerleading
• Scream Queens
• Holly Jackson Books
• Karen M. McManus Books
With competition this fierce, bodies are bound to hit the mat...
All Jonty has ever wanted is to lead her cheerleading team, The Exalted Ones, to win a NCA championship. Cheer is not just a sport, it’s her legacy. Her mother cheered for T.E.O. before she died, and Jonty would do anything to snatch the crown and honor her mother’s memory. This year she has a real shot, finally beating her rival Tommie and becoming the team captain.
But Jonty’s perfect season is shattered when Tommie shows up dead on the first day of practice. Now the team is down a flyer and everyone is convinced that Jonty killed her. Everyone except Adam, her co-captain, who was with her the night that Tommie died.
As the season progresses, girls keep dropping like flies, and one thing becomes Someone is sabotaging The Exalted Ones, and they're willing to commit murder to get their way. But with the police still convinced it’s her, will Jonty be able to save herself, her team, and her perfect season?
Tense and full of twists, Too Perfect to Die is perfect for readers who
• True Crime
• Competitive Cheerleading
• Scream Queens
• Holly Jackson Books
• Karen M. McManus Books
352 pages, Hardcover
Published July 28, 2026
About the author
Juliana Goodman
5 books56 followersJuliana Goodman was born and raised in Blue Island, Illinois. She received her B.A. in English Literature from Western Illinois University in 2014 and her MFA in Fiction Writing in 2017 from Indiana. Juliana has received several awards and scholarships for her writing and was a 2014 Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Arts Award Finalist. She’s had work published in Sigma Tau Delta’s Rectangle, Blackberry: a Magazine and Fiyah Literary Magazine. In her free time, Juliana enjoys watching horror films, reading the latest young adult novels and hanging out with her dog, Artie, and her cat, Pickle. She is a 2019/2020 Tulsa Artist Fellow.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
December 3, 2025
Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC read! This was a fun Bring it On inspired YA murder mystery thriller! With a big intense team, pressure, competition, and jealousy, what would someone do to ensure their spot on the team? Jonty was just named Head Cheerleader, and hours later one of the girls on the team is murdered. It’s up to Jonty to keep her composure (and the teams), all while figuring out who the murderer is! Kept me on my toes, had me thinking like a detective for who all could have done it and why. I did feel like it went on a little long in some spots. It was a very solid read!
July 30, 2026
If you love YA thrillers with competitive cheer, murder, and plenty of twists, Too Perfect to Die is out today!
Thank you Fierce Reads for my eARC!
This one gave me major Bring It On meets murder mystery vibes. It definitely leans YA, but it was a fun, fast-paced read with enough suspense to keep me turning the pages to see who would survive until the end.
Thank you Fierce Reads for my eARC!
This one gave me major Bring It On meets murder mystery vibes. It definitely leans YA, but it was a fun, fast-paced read with enough suspense to keep me turning the pages to see who would survive until the end.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Too Perfect to Die walked into the room wearing a tiny cheer skirt splattered with blood and said, what if Bring It On had a kill count? And honestly, I respect that kind of confidence. This book fully understands that competitive cheerleading already has the emotional intensity of a hostage negotiation. Everybody’s screaming, somebody’s crying, a teenager is being thrown twenty feet into the air on blind trust alone, and now we’re adding murder? Yeah, okay. I’m listening.
Jonty is the kind of main character who is so deeply committed to perfection that you almost want to stage an intervention. Her entire life revolves around The Exalted Ones, the elite cheer squad her dead mother used to captain, and the pressure sitting on this girl’s shoulders could flatten a lesser teen immediately. She’s not even chasing her own dream anymore at certain points, she’s trying to keep her grief alive through brute force and synchronized tumbling. Which sounds heavy, and it is, but the book moves fast enough that you’re never sitting in sadness too long before another cheerleader starts acting suspicious in a hallway.
The second Jonty finally beats her rival Tommie for captain, I knew we were about three business minutes away from disaster. And sure enough, Tommie winds up dead almost immediately, which really puts a damper on the season kickoff. Suddenly everybody thinks Jonty did it because apparently teenage girls in thrillers have never heard of due process. The cops are on her, the team is whispering behind giant bows, and Jonty is somehow trying to solve a murder while still attending practice like she’s not one accusation away from ending up on a true crime podcast called Death Drop.
The funniest part is how seriously everybody takes cheer in this book. And I don’t mean that as an insult because honestly? The intensity worked for me. These girls are treating nationals like they’re preparing for battle in The Hunger Games. Entire relationships rise and fall based on stunt formations. Friendships collapse over flyer positions. People are risking it all over choreography. At one point I caught myself genuinely stressed about whether this fictional team would make finals while someone was literally still dead. That’s how they get you.
I did hit a stretch in the middle where the cheer details got a little dense for me. There’s a lot of technical routine talk, and as someone whose athletic career peaked in mandatory middle school dodgeball, I occasionally felt like I was auditing a very stressful gymnastics seminar. But even then, the character dynamics kept pulling me through because Juliana Goodman absolutely nails the specific emotional chaos of teenage girls who love each other and resent each other at the exact same time. Every conversation feels one bad mood away from becoming a full social collapse.
And honestly, Jonty worked for me because she’s not some perfect mastermind. She’s wrong a lot. She spirals. She makes reckless assumptions with the confidence only teenagers and people on HGTV renovation shows possess. But underneath all of that, there’s something genuinely sad about how badly she wants approval from a mother who’s no longer there to give it. The book sneaks those emotional hits in between all the suspicious behavior and competitive sabotage, and it gives the story more weight than just “teen girls but murder.”
Also, shoutout to Adam because every YA thriller needs one emotionally stable-ish person trying to keep the main character from detonating her life completely. Their friendship added a grounded center to all the chaos, especially when the story starts throwing twists around like folding chairs at a wrestling match. And listen, I did not fully guess the ending. I had theories. I had spreadsheets in my brain. None of them survived.
This ended up being one of those books that’s just ridiculously easy to inhale. It’s dramatic, messy, occasionally extra in a way that feels very YA thriller, but it knows exactly what kind of story it wants to be. It’s basically Pretty Little Liars for girls with terrifying core strength and unresolved grief. A very fun 3.5 star time, and honestly I would absolutely return to this world because apparently murder makes competitive cheer even more stressful than it already was.
Whodunity Award: For Making Me Believe Every Cheer Pyramid Was One Bad Secret Away From Becoming A Crime Scene
And huge thanks to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC. Nothing relaxes the nervous system quite like emotionally unstable teenagers solving murders between stunt routines.
Jonty is the kind of main character who is so deeply committed to perfection that you almost want to stage an intervention. Her entire life revolves around The Exalted Ones, the elite cheer squad her dead mother used to captain, and the pressure sitting on this girl’s shoulders could flatten a lesser teen immediately. She’s not even chasing her own dream anymore at certain points, she’s trying to keep her grief alive through brute force and synchronized tumbling. Which sounds heavy, and it is, but the book moves fast enough that you’re never sitting in sadness too long before another cheerleader starts acting suspicious in a hallway.
The second Jonty finally beats her rival Tommie for captain, I knew we were about three business minutes away from disaster. And sure enough, Tommie winds up dead almost immediately, which really puts a damper on the season kickoff. Suddenly everybody thinks Jonty did it because apparently teenage girls in thrillers have never heard of due process. The cops are on her, the team is whispering behind giant bows, and Jonty is somehow trying to solve a murder while still attending practice like she’s not one accusation away from ending up on a true crime podcast called Death Drop.
The funniest part is how seriously everybody takes cheer in this book. And I don’t mean that as an insult because honestly? The intensity worked for me. These girls are treating nationals like they’re preparing for battle in The Hunger Games. Entire relationships rise and fall based on stunt formations. Friendships collapse over flyer positions. People are risking it all over choreography. At one point I caught myself genuinely stressed about whether this fictional team would make finals while someone was literally still dead. That’s how they get you.
I did hit a stretch in the middle where the cheer details got a little dense for me. There’s a lot of technical routine talk, and as someone whose athletic career peaked in mandatory middle school dodgeball, I occasionally felt like I was auditing a very stressful gymnastics seminar. But even then, the character dynamics kept pulling me through because Juliana Goodman absolutely nails the specific emotional chaos of teenage girls who love each other and resent each other at the exact same time. Every conversation feels one bad mood away from becoming a full social collapse.
And honestly, Jonty worked for me because she’s not some perfect mastermind. She’s wrong a lot. She spirals. She makes reckless assumptions with the confidence only teenagers and people on HGTV renovation shows possess. But underneath all of that, there’s something genuinely sad about how badly she wants approval from a mother who’s no longer there to give it. The book sneaks those emotional hits in between all the suspicious behavior and competitive sabotage, and it gives the story more weight than just “teen girls but murder.”
Also, shoutout to Adam because every YA thriller needs one emotionally stable-ish person trying to keep the main character from detonating her life completely. Their friendship added a grounded center to all the chaos, especially when the story starts throwing twists around like folding chairs at a wrestling match. And listen, I did not fully guess the ending. I had theories. I had spreadsheets in my brain. None of them survived.
This ended up being one of those books that’s just ridiculously easy to inhale. It’s dramatic, messy, occasionally extra in a way that feels very YA thriller, but it knows exactly what kind of story it wants to be. It’s basically Pretty Little Liars for girls with terrifying core strength and unresolved grief. A very fun 3.5 star time, and honestly I would absolutely return to this world because apparently murder makes competitive cheer even more stressful than it already was.
Whodunity Award: For Making Me Believe Every Cheer Pyramid Was One Bad Secret Away From Becoming A Crime Scene
And huge thanks to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC. Nothing relaxes the nervous system quite like emotionally unstable teenagers solving murders between stunt routines.
November 22, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Juliana Goodman’s “Too Perfect to Die” is a YA thriller that combines competitive cheerleading drama with a steadily unraveling murder mystery. This is a story filled with cheer, pressure, and plenty of pointed suspicion.
At the center of the story is Jonty, a driven cheerleader carrying the weight of legacy on her shoulders. Her late mother once led their team, The Exalted Ones, and Jonty has been molded, sometimes suffocatingly so, into following that same path. Cheer isn’t just a sport for her; it’s her entire identity, her dream, and the only acceptable way to honor her mother’s memory. That single-minded focus leaves her little room to explore what she wants, and the book does a strong job of showing how parental pressure and grief can distort ambition into obsession.
Everything implodes when Jonty’s biggest rival, Tommie, turns up dead on the first day of practice. After a public argument and being one of the last people to see Tommie alive, Jonty immediately becomes the prime suspect. She has an alibi—her friend Adam, the co-captain—but the detective on the case isn’t buying it. And to make matters worse, members of the team are convinced she did it too.
The murder sets off a season full of sabotage, paranoia, and interpersonal drama. While the story leans more heavily on team politics, rivalries, and secrets than nonstop danger, the slow-burn tension works for those who enjoy character-driven mysteries. Jonty becomes increasingly obsessed with clearing her name and uncovering the truth, and her desperate digging only reveals how many people on the squad had a reason to want Tommie gone.
The mystery unfolds at a measured pace (sometimes too measured) with stretches that focus more on drama than high-stakes suspense. But once the red herrings and subtle clues begin to click into place, the payoff is worth it: the final reveal is surprising yet completely earned. Goodman seeds the truth carefully, so rereading certain moments hits with that satisfying “ohhh, it was right there” clarity.
By the end, all major plot threads are wrapped up cleanly, and Jonty emerges with a newfound understanding that her life can be more than cheerleading; that she doesn’t have to live inside the confines of legacy or expectation. It’s a welcome arc that gives the story emotional grounding beyond its mystery.
While “Too Perfect to Die” isn’t the most groundbreaking YA thriller, it is a compelling, twisty cheerleading mystery with a memorable protagonist, well-planted clues, and a truly shocking reveal. Fans of competitive sports drama, true-crime-style plots, and YA whodunits will find plenty to enjoy, especially younger YA readers or anyone craving a fast, team-drama-heavy thriller.
Juliana Goodman’s “Too Perfect to Die” is a YA thriller that combines competitive cheerleading drama with a steadily unraveling murder mystery. This is a story filled with cheer, pressure, and plenty of pointed suspicion.
At the center of the story is Jonty, a driven cheerleader carrying the weight of legacy on her shoulders. Her late mother once led their team, The Exalted Ones, and Jonty has been molded, sometimes suffocatingly so, into following that same path. Cheer isn’t just a sport for her; it’s her entire identity, her dream, and the only acceptable way to honor her mother’s memory. That single-minded focus leaves her little room to explore what she wants, and the book does a strong job of showing how parental pressure and grief can distort ambition into obsession.
Everything implodes when Jonty’s biggest rival, Tommie, turns up dead on the first day of practice. After a public argument and being one of the last people to see Tommie alive, Jonty immediately becomes the prime suspect. She has an alibi—her friend Adam, the co-captain—but the detective on the case isn’t buying it. And to make matters worse, members of the team are convinced she did it too.
The murder sets off a season full of sabotage, paranoia, and interpersonal drama. While the story leans more heavily on team politics, rivalries, and secrets than nonstop danger, the slow-burn tension works for those who enjoy character-driven mysteries. Jonty becomes increasingly obsessed with clearing her name and uncovering the truth, and her desperate digging only reveals how many people on the squad had a reason to want Tommie gone.
The mystery unfolds at a measured pace (sometimes too measured) with stretches that focus more on drama than high-stakes suspense. But once the red herrings and subtle clues begin to click into place, the payoff is worth it: the final reveal is surprising yet completely earned. Goodman seeds the truth carefully, so rereading certain moments hits with that satisfying “ohhh, it was right there” clarity.
By the end, all major plot threads are wrapped up cleanly, and Jonty emerges with a newfound understanding that her life can be more than cheerleading; that she doesn’t have to live inside the confines of legacy or expectation. It’s a welcome arc that gives the story emotional grounding beyond its mystery.
While “Too Perfect to Die” isn’t the most groundbreaking YA thriller, it is a compelling, twisty cheerleading mystery with a memorable protagonist, well-planted clues, and a truly shocking reveal. Fans of competitive sports drama, true-crime-style plots, and YA whodunits will find plenty to enjoy, especially younger YA readers or anyone craving a fast, team-drama-heavy thriller.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you Feiwel & Friends and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. An intense mystery with a cheery side! Jonty made a promise to her mother on her death bed that she would one day become the captain of The Exalted Ones cheer squad and take them to the NCA and win it. She’s dedicated her life to this goal, even being homeschooled so that she can focus more on cheer. There’s only one person who could keep her from that goal and that is Tommie her rival for captain. Luckily she wins, but Tommie is not happy and accuses her of cheating. She plans to talk her about it but then the find out Tommie is dead, in fact she was murdered. Unfortunately the worst part is that something was found at the scene that seems to belong to Jonty. Now the police are looking at her for murder. In order to save her cheer season and keep herself out of jail she’ll have to figure out who murdered Tommie but as more accidents happen the more it looks like someone is out to get The Exalted Ones. Jonty knows it’s not her but who is it? Her returned best friend who has secrets of her own, the dead girls best friend, or Jonty’s little cousin who’s desperate to be good at cheer? The police are convinced it’s Jonty so she’ll have to dig herself in order to find out who’s really after them. Can she survive? A thrilling read that sucked me in! I thought I had it figured out because there’s a pretty obvious suspect but then the twist ending! Juliana Goodman’s new one has elements of Bring It On with murder, mystery, and suspense mixed in!
August 5, 2026
3.5/5
A huge thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed below are my own.
I thought this was a quick and fun YA thriller. It does a good job of setting up the mystery at the beginning of the story and throwing in a few misleading details throughout. After dealing with the loss of her mom, Jonty makes it her mission to become captain of the most elite cheerleading squad in town and take her team all the way to the NCAA. Her mom was a legacy with the same team, so right from the start she has this internal motivation to do whatever it takes to reach this goal. The problem? Tommie, her teammate that was also competing for the captain position, is found dead the day after the results for captain are released. As Jonty and her best friend, Adam, work to find out who really killed Tommie, more secrets start to come out that threaten to unravel the team she worked so hard to be the captain of.
This book is being described as "Bring it On" with murder in the mix, and I definitely feel like that is accurate for the overall feel of the book. The characters do read VERY high school (both in the way they speak and in the way they act), but this is YA so I feel that is to be expected. Overall, a solid YA thriller.
A huge thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed below are my own.
I thought this was a quick and fun YA thriller. It does a good job of setting up the mystery at the beginning of the story and throwing in a few misleading details throughout. After dealing with the loss of her mom, Jonty makes it her mission to become captain of the most elite cheerleading squad in town and take her team all the way to the NCAA. Her mom was a legacy with the same team, so right from the start she has this internal motivation to do whatever it takes to reach this goal. The problem? Tommie, her teammate that was also competing for the captain position, is found dead the day after the results for captain are released. As Jonty and her best friend, Adam, work to find out who really killed Tommie, more secrets start to come out that threaten to unravel the team she worked so hard to be the captain of.
This book is being described as "Bring it On" with murder in the mix, and I definitely feel like that is accurate for the overall feel of the book. The characters do read VERY high school (both in the way they speak and in the way they act), but this is YA so I feel that is to be expected. Overall, a solid YA thriller.
August 2, 2026
3.5 stars rounded up
You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.
This is a good YA mystery surrounding the murder of a teenager on an elite squad of cheerleaders.
Jonty is the captain of The Exalted Ones, a team seeking it’s first NCA championship. Her mother cheered for the team before she died and Jonty would do anything to honor her mother. The season is disrupted when Tommie, who also vied to become cheer captain, is killed and Jonty and fellow captain Adam are suspects. As other girls become victims of foul play, Jonty must find the killer before she lands in jail.
This book is well-written and kept my attention but reads young YA. Jonty is determined, dedicated, and loyal, but she makes bad decisions and quickly jumps to conclusions. She’d never make a good detective. The book offers up several potential suspects and has a few twists and turns that keep the plot moving forward.
If you want a quick and easy entertaining read to scratch your mystery itch, this is the perfect book for you. I received a complimentary copy of it from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends and Toppling Stacks Book Tour. All opinions are my own.
You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.
This is a good YA mystery surrounding the murder of a teenager on an elite squad of cheerleaders.
Jonty is the captain of The Exalted Ones, a team seeking it’s first NCA championship. Her mother cheered for the team before she died and Jonty would do anything to honor her mother. The season is disrupted when Tommie, who also vied to become cheer captain, is killed and Jonty and fellow captain Adam are suspects. As other girls become victims of foul play, Jonty must find the killer before she lands in jail.
This book is well-written and kept my attention but reads young YA. Jonty is determined, dedicated, and loyal, but she makes bad decisions and quickly jumps to conclusions. She’d never make a good detective. The book offers up several potential suspects and has a few twists and turns that keep the plot moving forward.
If you want a quick and easy entertaining read to scratch your mystery itch, this is the perfect book for you. I received a complimentary copy of it from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends and Toppling Stacks Book Tour. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
What would you do to chase perfection? This is the question Jonty faces every day, even after a teammate is murdered. As a legacy athlete, every decision Jonty makes is dictated by the pressure to follow in her mother’s footsteps; everything else is secondary.
I really enjoyed this thriller!!! I don't typically read thrillers but Juliana Goodman's writing enraptured me, I couldn't put this book down. I enjoyed reading just how far people would go, but I was absolutely surprised by who the killer really was. I liked getting to learn about Jonty's overall life it was honestly quite sad she lived breathed and ate cheer. All of the characters felt so animated and realistic, even background characters who didn't play much of a roll in the overall plot. If you grew up cheering or were a major Bring It On fan, I think you'd love this book. The actual mechanics of cheer routines were extremely descriptive and gave me a clearer understanding of what was happening, While the story was compelling, the pacing occasionally felt off, with certain chapters and character arcs dragging a bit too long. However, the strength of the character work made it worth the read
I really enjoyed this thriller!!! I don't typically read thrillers but Juliana Goodman's writing enraptured me, I couldn't put this book down. I enjoyed reading just how far people would go, but I was absolutely surprised by who the killer really was. I liked getting to learn about Jonty's overall life it was honestly quite sad she lived breathed and ate cheer. All of the characters felt so animated and realistic, even background characters who didn't play much of a roll in the overall plot. If you grew up cheering or were a major Bring It On fan, I think you'd love this book. The actual mechanics of cheer routines were extremely descriptive and gave me a clearer understanding of what was happening, While the story was compelling, the pacing occasionally felt off, with certain chapters and character arcs dragging a bit too long. However, the strength of the character work made it worth the read
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
As an adult reader who enjoys and reads a lot of YA, TOO PERFECT TO DIE read veeeery young, despite the story being about high schoolers and murder.
Jonty as a character felt extremely flat. You can't just give a character a recently deceased mom and call it a day. I truly didn't care for her at all - in both the on the page way and in a meaningful "I hope the killer doesn't get you" way. Yet she was still the strongest of the entire case of characters 😭
The story itself was also incredibly boring. It started off a bit fun, but quickly became juvenile and clunky in its writing. We witness the same stunts being performed again and again and then something weird happens. Again and again.
The author also pivots from one red herring to another (and not always the direction I thought it would go based on the behavior of some of the characters 👀), making it obvious that this person was clearly not the killer.
Unsure if I would read another book by Juliana Goodman based on my experience with this one, but, as they say, there's a book for every reader and a reader for every book..
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy for review - out July 28.
Jonty as a character felt extremely flat. You can't just give a character a recently deceased mom and call it a day. I truly didn't care for her at all - in both the on the page way and in a meaningful "I hope the killer doesn't get you" way. Yet she was still the strongest of the entire case of characters 😭
The story itself was also incredibly boring. It started off a bit fun, but quickly became juvenile and clunky in its writing. We witness the same stunts being performed again and again and then something weird happens. Again and again.
The author also pivots from one red herring to another (and not always the direction I thought it would go based on the behavior of some of the characters 👀), making it obvious that this person was clearly not the killer.
Unsure if I would read another book by Juliana Goodman based on my experience with this one, but, as they say, there's a book for every reader and a reader for every book..
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy for review - out July 28.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have received an advanced copy of Too Perfect To Die from the author and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group! 🫶
Too Perfect To Die had me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning to the end! 😳🤯🙊😱 If you mixed in Bring It On vibes along with Pretty Little Liars vibes that is Too Perfect To Die in a nutshell and I had such a fun time reading this! 🫶
What would you do if you found out that your rival on the cheer team is dead and everyone is trying to blame you for what happened when that’s not the case? ☠️ In Jonty’s case try to find out who did it. I had so many theories while reading this that I wrote them all down in a notebook of who I thought did it and turned out every single one of my theories was wrong! 🕵️♀️🧐 I found out who did it when the main character found out herself! 😂 It truly is such a fun read and I pretty much binge read this book in less than 24 hours because I needed to know what happened! 🫶
If you love YA thrillers, Bring It On meets Pretty Little Liars, and lots of twists and turns then this is the book for you! 🫶
Too Perfect To Die had me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning to the end! 😳🤯🙊😱 If you mixed in Bring It On vibes along with Pretty Little Liars vibes that is Too Perfect To Die in a nutshell and I had such a fun time reading this! 🫶
What would you do if you found out that your rival on the cheer team is dead and everyone is trying to blame you for what happened when that’s not the case? ☠️ In Jonty’s case try to find out who did it. I had so many theories while reading this that I wrote them all down in a notebook of who I thought did it and turned out every single one of my theories was wrong! 🕵️♀️🧐 I found out who did it when the main character found out herself! 😂 It truly is such a fun read and I pretty much binge read this book in less than 24 hours because I needed to know what happened! 🫶
If you love YA thrillers, Bring It On meets Pretty Little Liars, and lots of twists and turns then this is the book for you! 🫶
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I definitely think that this is a book that will have a place in my classroom and that my students would really like. It’s kind of like bring it on meet some murder mystery. My goddaughter was involved in the world of gymnastics and cheer for a while and it is so competitive and so time-consuming, and these men and women who cheer really are just elite athletes and I think sometimes people forget that. That being said, just like any other sport, the pressure to be perfect and to achieve the highest level of honor is just as much as it would be for a football player, and this book really showcase is that. When the team has finally reached a place where it might reach the highest honor ever has, people start getting hurt and not during the cheer routines. What follows is twisty tale as the cheerleaders and you try to figure out who the murderer is. I had lots of thoughts of none of them were correct and me that’s the mark of a good murder mystery. I will definitely be looking for this one when it finally comes out to bring it into my classroom.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you Netgalley for a copy of the e-arc in exchanged for an honest review!
The fact that this was labeled as: Bring It On but with Murder is what made me intrigued by it in the first place. I was enthralled and it brought me back into my weird love for cheerleading things, despite not being a cheerleader myself. This was an absolutely page turner and once I got into it, I really couldn't put it down. It was a little bit of a slow start but once it got to the mystery aspect and Jonty and Adam acting as amateur sleuths trying to figure out who killed their teammate.
I stopped trying to guess who it was after the first time our sleuths thought they knew who it was. I was just there for the good times. There definitely could have been more drama, within the team (although, I do like how they all stuck together) or outside of the team. But overall, I did have a wonderful time with this book.
I definitely couldn't have guessed the plot twist at the end of the book, that was a shock!
The fact that this was labeled as: Bring It On but with Murder is what made me intrigued by it in the first place. I was enthralled and it brought me back into my weird love for cheerleading things, despite not being a cheerleader myself. This was an absolutely page turner and once I got into it, I really couldn't put it down. It was a little bit of a slow start but once it got to the mystery aspect and Jonty and Adam acting as amateur sleuths trying to figure out who killed their teammate.
I stopped trying to guess who it was after the first time our sleuths thought they knew who it was. I was just there for the good times. There definitely could have been more drama, within the team (although, I do like how they all stuck together) or outside of the team. But overall, I did have a wonderful time with this book.
I definitely couldn't have guessed the plot twist at the end of the book, that was a shock!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
⭐⭐⭐⭐
TOO PERFECT TO D*E by Juliana Goodman (July 28, 2026)
Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan for the eArc
Jonty has one dream: to win the NCA champtionship with her team The Exalted Ones. When on of her teammates, Tommie, is found m*rdered, everyone is convinced Jonty is responsible. As accidents ramp up, and the threat increases, Jonty won't let up: She's goingto figure out who is taking out the cheerleaders.
TOO PERFECT TO D*E is a YA m*rder mystery that is dramatic and violent. It's a slower-paced read that I do feel sort of strayed from the plot (cheerleaders d*ing + getting into accidents). Going into this, I thought it would be more Bring It On: Cheer or D*E; more bl*od, less cheer. When it finally starts focusing on the investigation, it takes a turn for the better.
There are a lot of suspects, and I landed on someone from the get go, but with Jonty all over the place, I began questioning myself. When the whodunnit was revealed, I was almost as shocked about who it was as I was about being wrong.
Shocking, thrilling, and a must-read.
TOO PERFECT TO D*E by Juliana Goodman (July 28, 2026)
Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan for the eArc
Jonty has one dream: to win the NCA champtionship with her team The Exalted Ones. When on of her teammates, Tommie, is found m*rdered, everyone is convinced Jonty is responsible. As accidents ramp up, and the threat increases, Jonty won't let up: She's goingto figure out who is taking out the cheerleaders.
TOO PERFECT TO D*E is a YA m*rder mystery that is dramatic and violent. It's a slower-paced read that I do feel sort of strayed from the plot (cheerleaders d*ing + getting into accidents). Going into this, I thought it would be more Bring It On: Cheer or D*E; more bl*od, less cheer. When it finally starts focusing on the investigation, it takes a turn for the better.
There are a lot of suspects, and I landed on someone from the get go, but with Jonty all over the place, I began questioning myself. When the whodunnit was revealed, I was almost as shocked about who it was as I was about being wrong.
Shocking, thrilling, and a must-read.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thanks so much to MacMillan Children’s and Fierce Reads for the review copy. All opinions are honestly given.
All in all, this was a fun and twisty mystery with the vibe of Bring It In and Dance Moms. I really enjoyed the tight knit found family vibe of a competitive cheer team and the close friendships of some of the cast. However, some of these characters were so overwhelmingly portrayed as sketchy that it felt like being hit over the head with an anvil.
Jonty’s arc was enjoyable, despite her stubbornness in refusing to see the suspicious clues that the audience is hit with. I really liked how so many things tie back to her relationship with her deceased mother that really led to so many of her issues today - is she cheering for herself or just en memorium? Is she working so hard for something she cares about or is it something she just believes she’s supposed to care about?
I really enjoyed the reveal of who our bad guy is and how it was handled!
Recommended for fans of YA fast paced mysteries.
All in all, this was a fun and twisty mystery with the vibe of Bring It In and Dance Moms. I really enjoyed the tight knit found family vibe of a competitive cheer team and the close friendships of some of the cast. However, some of these characters were so overwhelmingly portrayed as sketchy that it felt like being hit over the head with an anvil.
Jonty’s arc was enjoyable, despite her stubbornness in refusing to see the suspicious clues that the audience is hit with. I really liked how so many things tie back to her relationship with her deceased mother that really led to so many of her issues today - is she cheering for herself or just en memorium? Is she working so hard for something she cares about or is it something she just believes she’s supposed to care about?
I really enjoyed the reveal of who our bad guy is and how it was handled!
Recommended for fans of YA fast paced mysteries.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This book is basically Bring It On but with more violence. As a big fan of the Bring It On franchise and murder mysteries, I really enjoyed this. The main character, Jonty, has a great character arc. She goes from ‘live, breathe, cheer’ to realizing she wants more in her life. Also, this novel does not shy away from real world issues. It touches on the effects of the social media rumor mill, unfair profiling by the police, and the insane lengths some people will go to to win. To top it all off- I did not see that ending coming! Jonty and Adam had some pretty good suspects but the actual killer was unexpected. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Bring It On or the world of competitive cheer. Also if you’re looking for a murder mystery that isn’t a super serious crime book but also not a cozy novel, this one definitely falls in between.
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
July 29, 2026
✨ ARC Review ✨
Too perfect to die by Juliana Goodman
Pub date- 7/28/2026
Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC, in exchange for my honest review.
In this YA thriller, Jonty & Adam are team captains, trying to keep their heads above water all throughout the book. They are both being accused of killing their teammates in cold blood. Jonty doesn’t want to see her best friend go down for the killings and truly does all she can to make sure that Adam doesn’t actually take the fall.
I was pleasantly surprised by all of the twists it had happen in it. I really enjoyed reading this book, which was by an author who I had not read any of her work yet before. She did a good job with her writing style with it having few errors and explaining cheer stunts well, to the best of my knowledge. I was very shocked by the ending and who was committing the murders of the cheerleaders! I would recommend this YA thriller to readers that are fans of crime novels and Holly Jackson books.
Too perfect to die by Juliana Goodman
Pub date- 7/28/2026
Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC, in exchange for my honest review.
In this YA thriller, Jonty & Adam are team captains, trying to keep their heads above water all throughout the book. They are both being accused of killing their teammates in cold blood. Jonty doesn’t want to see her best friend go down for the killings and truly does all she can to make sure that Adam doesn’t actually take the fall.
I was pleasantly surprised by all of the twists it had happen in it. I really enjoyed reading this book, which was by an author who I had not read any of her work yet before. She did a good job with her writing style with it having few errors and explaining cheer stunts well, to the best of my knowledge. I was very shocked by the ending and who was committing the murders of the cheerleaders! I would recommend this YA thriller to readers that are fans of crime novels and Holly Jackson books.
August 2, 2026
This book was a fun YA murder mystery involving cheer and showing how cutthroat the sport can be.
The main character, Jonty, has made cheer her whole life, especially after her mother passed away and wanted her to love it as much as she did. Unexpectedly, one of the team members is killed around the time Jonty was voted team captain. Near her body, a keychain was found that looks like Jonty's. Along with her best friend Adam, they start trying to figure out who killed Tommie. They think they may have figured it out until another tragedy befalls one of their teammates. The suspicion is on everyone, and Jonty and Adam are desperate to clear their own names.
This was an easy read for me. It was cool learning more about the sport of cheerleading and how tough it is. The book did a good job of fleshing out the characters, and I did not end up guessing the killer, so that was a fun surprise twist.
Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC.
The main character, Jonty, has made cheer her whole life, especially after her mother passed away and wanted her to love it as much as she did. Unexpectedly, one of the team members is killed around the time Jonty was voted team captain. Near her body, a keychain was found that looks like Jonty's. Along with her best friend Adam, they start trying to figure out who killed Tommie. They think they may have figured it out until another tragedy befalls one of their teammates. The suspicion is on everyone, and Jonty and Adam are desperate to clear their own names.
This was an easy read for me. It was cool learning more about the sport of cheerleading and how tough it is. The book did a good job of fleshing out the characters, and I did not end up guessing the killer, so that was a fun surprise twist.
Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC.
August 23, 2026
The competition is killer.
📣
Cheerleading is everything to Jonty, especially because winning a national championship would honor her late mother’s legacy. But when her biggest rival is murdered and Jonty becomes the prime suspect, her dream season turns deadly. As more teammates are targeted, Jonty must uncover who is sabotaging the squad before she becomes the next victim.
🩸
Bring It On with murder? Say less. I loved the combination of competitive cheerleading, which there aren’t many books about, and a twisty murder mystery, especially with the added pressure of Jonty being the prime suspect. The rivalry, team drama, grief, and increasingly high stakes make this perfect for YA readers who love Holly Jackson and Karen M. McManus. Grab this for your high school library.
CW: emesis, death, murder, medical content, hospitalization, stalking, blood, body horror, poisoning, bullying/hazing (recounted), death of a parent (off page)
📣
Cheerleading is everything to Jonty, especially because winning a national championship would honor her late mother’s legacy. But when her biggest rival is murdered and Jonty becomes the prime suspect, her dream season turns deadly. As more teammates are targeted, Jonty must uncover who is sabotaging the squad before she becomes the next victim.
🩸
Bring It On with murder? Say less. I loved the combination of competitive cheerleading, which there aren’t many books about, and a twisty murder mystery, especially with the added pressure of Jonty being the prime suspect. The rivalry, team drama, grief, and increasingly high stakes make this perfect for YA readers who love Holly Jackson and Karen M. McManus. Grab this for your high school library.
CW: emesis, death, murder, medical content, hospitalization, stalking, blood, body horror, poisoning, bullying/hazing (recounted), death of a parent (off page)
December 8, 2025
A whirlwind YA thriller! I was promised Bring it On, but with murder and it definitely delivered!
Jonty cares about one thing more than anything in the world-cheerleading. She’s a legacy in her cheer group, the exalted ones, and just won captain. Everything is going to plan for them to win a bid to NCA, until one of their own ends up dead. Jonty and her best friend, Adam, become prime suspects. It doesn’t stop there though, when more and more members of her team start dropping. Being harassed by the police, other cheer teams and parents alike, how can she possibly clear her name?
I loved this! The pacing was perfect and the characters were phenomenal. The web of secrets and who-dun-it kept me flipping pages and I’m so glad I did! I thought I had it figured out, but I was definitely thrown for a loop!
Pick this up if you’re looking for a fast paced, fun thriller!
Jonty cares about one thing more than anything in the world-cheerleading. She’s a legacy in her cheer group, the exalted ones, and just won captain. Everything is going to plan for them to win a bid to NCA, until one of their own ends up dead. Jonty and her best friend, Adam, become prime suspects. It doesn’t stop there though, when more and more members of her team start dropping. Being harassed by the police, other cheer teams and parents alike, how can she possibly clear her name?
I loved this! The pacing was perfect and the characters were phenomenal. The web of secrets and who-dun-it kept me flipping pages and I’m so glad I did! I thought I had it figured out, but I was definitely thrown for a loop!
Pick this up if you’re looking for a fast paced, fun thriller!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Exciting “adrenaline-pumping YA thriller!
Jonty Blair beats out former friend, Tommie, to become captain of the Olympia Meadows high school cheerleading squad. It’s a racially diverse squad called The Exalted Ones. Jonty prepares the squad for the National Cheerleaders Championship (NCA) with steady leadership to make her deceased mother proud. When Tommie’s body is found in the Blue Willow Preserve, the fingers are pointing at Jonty as the perpetrator. Jonty must now prove herself innocent. As others are killed off, Jonty teams up with co-captain, Adam to prove herself innocent innocence.
This is pretty standard fare of a thriller. What makes the book interesting are the “in-depth sports descriptions,” the cheerleading “lingo” and all the work that goes into cheerleading.
This is a good YA book even for adult readers.
My thanks thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for granting me access to this ARC.
Jonty Blair beats out former friend, Tommie, to become captain of the Olympia Meadows high school cheerleading squad. It’s a racially diverse squad called The Exalted Ones. Jonty prepares the squad for the National Cheerleaders Championship (NCA) with steady leadership to make her deceased mother proud. When Tommie’s body is found in the Blue Willow Preserve, the fingers are pointing at Jonty as the perpetrator. Jonty must now prove herself innocent. As others are killed off, Jonty teams up with co-captain, Adam to prove herself innocent innocence.
This is pretty standard fare of a thriller. What makes the book interesting are the “in-depth sports descriptions,” the cheerleading “lingo” and all the work that goes into cheerleading.
This is a good YA book even for adult readers.
My thanks thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for granting me access to this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!
Too Perfect to Die is a YA murder mystery about Jonty, who just became captain of her cheerleading team and is now being framed for the murder of one of her teammates. While other teammates are slowly being picked off, she has to try to find out who the real killer is before she's arrested, or worse.
I loved this book! I read it in two days; I couldn't wait to finish it. Unlike most murder mysteries I read, I didn't figure out who the murderer is until the main character did, which I liked. I loved the cheerleading setting and how the whole team stuck together the whole time. I loved Adam and Jonty's friendship; it was very refreshing to see a strong female/male friendship that doesn't turn romantic. Everything about this book was amazing; I highly recommend it!
Too Perfect to Die is a YA murder mystery about Jonty, who just became captain of her cheerleading team and is now being framed for the murder of one of her teammates. While other teammates are slowly being picked off, she has to try to find out who the real killer is before she's arrested, or worse.
I loved this book! I read it in two days; I couldn't wait to finish it. Unlike most murder mysteries I read, I didn't figure out who the murderer is until the main character did, which I liked. I loved the cheerleading setting and how the whole team stuck together the whole time. I loved Adam and Jonty's friendship; it was very refreshing to see a strong female/male friendship that doesn't turn romantic. Everything about this book was amazing; I highly recommend it!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I love a good YA mystery novel! The twists and turns were fun and kept me guessing. All loose ends were tied up nicely at the end! Definitely recommend if you’re a cheerleader or cheer fan with a love of mysteries :)
The plot and twists in Too Perfect to Die were great, but a bit heavy on the cheer specifics for me personally. I definitely wanted the cheer drama and tension between the characters, but I felt that the details of the stunts, routines, and performances took away from the story and slowed the book’s pace down, particularly in the first half. However, if you’re in the cheer world, you’ll definitely appreciate those specifics!
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The plot and twists in Too Perfect to Die were great, but a bit heavy on the cheer specifics for me personally. I definitely wanted the cheer drama and tension between the characters, but I felt that the details of the stunts, routines, and performances took away from the story and slowed the book’s pace down, particularly in the first half. However, if you’re in the cheer world, you’ll definitely appreciate those specifics!
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
August 1, 2026
👧🏻 review: my perception of school sports has changed drastically after reading this suspense thriller YA. The competition is fierce and intense and I know cheerleading to others is life but this one absolutely made it crazy and unexpected. I can tell Jonty wants a healthy and fair competition but upon seeing the teammates dying like dead flies, the story made sense why the pages kept turning and the plot got darker. It is a fast paced read packed with intense tension and suspense dead-ends. I always enjoy a healthy dose of competition and having watched and read true crime stories with this similar stories, this book is definitely an interesting YA thriller.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Too Perfect to Die by Juliana Goodman is a gripping, twisty thriller that keeps you second-guessing everyone. The story pulls you in fast with its glossy, picture-perfect surface and then slowly cracks it open to reveal something much darker underneath. The tension builds beautifully, the pacing keeps you hooked, and the reveals are genuinely satisfying. I loved how the characters all felt a little suspicious in the best way—no one is as perfect as they seem. If you enjoy domestic thrillers full of secrets, lies, and “wait… WHAT?” moments, this one is absolutely worth the read.
August 18, 2026
This one kept me guessing!
I love all the cheer competition stuff; it was fierce. Some of the girls were catty as hell, and it definitely gave Bring it On vibes. The mystery itself had some great twists and turns along with a decent amount of suspects, although Jonty and her friend really zeroed in on a select couple because of some circumstantial evidence and bad feelings.
As thing after thing happened, I was more and more invested in the plot and couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next and how it would all play out in the end.
I love all the cheer competition stuff; it was fierce. Some of the girls were catty as hell, and it definitely gave Bring it On vibes. The mystery itself had some great twists and turns along with a decent amount of suspects, although Jonty and her friend really zeroed in on a select couple because of some circumstantial evidence and bad feelings.
As thing after thing happened, I was more and more invested in the plot and couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next and how it would all play out in the end.
December 3, 2025
I went in expecting a light YA mystery and ended up with so much more. The pacing kept me turning pages and I loved the mix of drama, secrets, and messy but believable characters. I thought I had everything and everyone all figured out, but was pleasantly surprised by the twist. (Keeping things spoiler free) I really appreciated the dive into the cheer world, the dialogue felt real and natural which I really enjoyed. A great YA thriller.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
December 8, 2025
I really enjoyed how this book captured my attention. A little bit of “Bring It On” mixed with all the murder mystery I love! For me it also showed the pressures that athletes have placed on them, as well as placing on themselves. Although I thought I had it figured out most of the book, I was completely wrong, so the twist was a nice addition.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC on this book and the opportunity to read it!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC on this book and the opportunity to read it!
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
My middle school students are always asking for murder mysteries, but this was a bit too young adult. Not only did it have different pacing than middle grade books have, but it had more mature language and a pretty high body count. This is a solid choice for readers who successfully navigate Karen McManus books, and I would buy this for high school, but I think I will pass for middle school in favor of books like Souders' Secrets of the Broken House.
My middle school students are always asking for murder mysteries, but this was a bit too young adult. Not only did it have different pacing than middle grade books have, but it had more mature language and a pretty high body count. This is a solid choice for readers who successfully navigate Karen McManus books, and I would buy this for high school, but I think I will pass for middle school in favor of books like Souders' Secrets of the Broken House.
August 14, 2026
This one was so good! With Bring it On vibes mixed with a little murder mayhem this one kept me on my toes and held my attention the whole way through!
I really enjoyed this one and I loved trying to uncover the mystery. That mixed in with plenty of teenage drama and some awesome cheer that one was a great young adult thriller you don’t want to miss!
A huge thank you to the author and toppling book stacks for a gifted copy!
I really enjoyed this one and I loved trying to uncover the mystery. That mixed in with plenty of teenage drama and some awesome cheer that one was a great young adult thriller you don’t want to miss!
A huge thank you to the author and toppling book stacks for a gifted copy!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
First off thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for the early copy! I actually really enjoyed this! It kept me interested and I kept picking it up to find out what happened next. Some parts were a little slow, which is why I gave it a 4, but it kept my interest enough for sure! The ending was also great! The ending makes or breaks a book and I enjoyed this one!
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