Peterfreund grew up near Tampa, Florida. She graduated from Yale University in 2001 with a double major in literature and geology.

Peterfreund's first book, Secret Society Girl, is about a college student who gets tapped for a secret society. The school in the novel is based on her time at Yale. The New York Observer described the book as "witty and endearing", and Booklist described the book as "frivolous but fun to read", Three other books were released in the series.

In 2009, Peterfreund released Rampant, a young adult novel about a girl who hunts unicorns. Publishers Weekly wrote that the book was a "gripping page-turner".

She has also contributed to several collections of essays.

Secret Society Girl Series

• Secret Society Girl (2007)
• Under The Rose (2007)
• Rites of Spring (Break) (2008)
• Tap & Gown (2009)

Other

• Rampant (2009)
• Ascendant (2010)

Essays

• The World of the Golden Compass: The Otherworldly Ride Continues (2007)
• Through the Wardrobe: Your Favorite Authors on C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia (2008)
• Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned From Judy Blume (2009)
• Mind-Rain:Your Favorite Authors on Scott Westerfeld's Uglies Series (2009)