Review: Dangerous Girls

DANGEROUS Girls

by Abigail Haas

Pages: 388 (paperback)

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Books

Publication Date: August 1st 2013 first published July 16th 2013)

ISBN: 9781471119149

Summary 

Elise is dead.
And someone must pay.

Anna, her boyfriend Tate, best friend Elise and a group of close friends set off on a debaucherous Spring Break trip to Aruba. But paradise soon turns into a living nightmare when Elise is brutally murdered.

Soon Anna finds herself trapped in a foreign country and fighting for her freedom. As she awaits the judge's decree, it becomes clear that everyone is questioning her innocence. To the rest of the world, Anna isn't just guilty, but dangerous. As the court case unfolds the truth is about to come out, and it's more shocking than you could ever imagine...

Review

Dangerous Girls is told from the point of view of Anna, as she relives the months leading up to her trail. A trail where she is accused of murdering her best friend, Elise. Unlike the rest of her friends, who also discovered Elise's body, Anna is the only one on trail. She's the only one kept incarcerated in a foreign country waiting to be sent to jail for the next twenty years for first degree murder. But here's the question. Did Anna kill Elise? And if not, who did?

I'm not entirely sure where to start. I'm still not 100% sure what actually happened or who killed Elise but it was one hell of a ride living through Anna's trail with her. This story has Abigail's quirky fingertips all over it and is a thrilling and impressive story of friendship, love, betrayal and the lengths some people will go through for those three things. It's completely mesmerising and Abby's writing is overwhelmingly alluring. I just want to keep reading her books forever!

Even though I did love this book I also struggled with it a little. I think the issue for me was that the whole reason I fell in love with Dangerous Boys (which I actually read first) was the dark seductive characters and the practically psychopathic story line that was all consuming and challenged my way of seeing human nature. With Dangerous Girls that character's didn't have that same edge for me, at least not until the very last chapter. Also still don't I haven't a clue what happened and it's been days since I finished this book!

I'm not saying I didn't enjoy this book because I did. It was exciting and the way Abigail writes is captivating from the very first page. I adore the way in which each chapter twitches between the past and the present revealing the story one clue at a time. I felt a whole array of emotions towards Anna while reading and it did pull me in. It's a great book. It just, for me, missed that seductive, dangerous quality of Dangerous Boys. 

Again, like my previous reviews for Abby's books I'm noting going into much detail as I don't want to give the game away. So that's all you're getting. Just know what it's well worth the read and will have you on the edge of your seats!  

Don't Look Back

Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Summary (via Goodreads)

Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend. 
Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it's one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level, and it's clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She's getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she's falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash.
But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn't just buried deep inside of Sam's memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?

Review

Where to start, where to start! There's not much I can say about this one without giving the game away so forgive me if I'm a little cryptic - just pretend you're in some 1940's spy film or something.

I've never read anything by Jennifer L. Armentrout but I think I might have to make my way to her special corner of Amazon because I loved the way this book was written! The plot had a couple of holes but the writing itself was effortless. It was gripping and enticing, even once I'd put all the pieces together it still kept me moving forward. As if maybe - just maybe - there was something else still to come. For the record, there was.

Okay what can I say about Sammy without saying too much? She's a little dense at times, don't get me wrong it's completely understandable - with her having no memories and all. But jeez, what did she need? A big flashing neon sign spelling it out for her? I liked her, honestly I did, but it felt like all her common sense had gone out the window along with her memory.

And onto the boys... Carson vs Del! There was a rather obvious winner but at the same time there are so many twists and turns in this book everyone's a suspect and you're never 100% sure you're not rooting for the bad guy. I went back and forth so many times on Carson I didn't know my left from my right. But what I will say is that I was happy with the outcome of this little boy battle.

Character to watch out for I here you ask? I think this time I'm going to go with Scott, Sam's twin brother. He was my favourite character out of this whole ragtag group. There was just enough sarcasm to his caring and he makes for a really interesting read. And then there's the fact he's probably the only person you don't think could be a raving physco at one point or another!

Armentrout is VERY good at leaving clues within the subtext and even better at misdirection. Seriously, if I didn't have sure a suspicious mind I don't think I would have figured it out! Overall I really enjoyed this book and even though it dragged on a little in the middle it was a good read and I'd recommend it to pretty much anyone. A great thriller for a teenage audience.

COVER REVEAL - CHARMING

CHARMING 

by Krystal Wade

Popular YA author Krystal Wade has a thrilling new young adult novel coming out in October, 2014! The spine-tingling suspense in CHARMING will get your heart rate up. We promise you.

We have a fun jigsaw puzzle of the cover for you guys! Go on, give it a try!

...but if you can’t wait, just scroll down and take a peek at final cover of CHARMING!

October 2014

Curious Quills

About CHARMING:

They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and that's great . . . as long as you don't die.

Sixteen-year-old Haley Tremaine had it all: top-notch school, fantastic family, and a bright future, but all of that changed when an accident tore her family apart. Now, an alcoholic father, a bitter younger sister, and a cold headstone bearing her mother’s name are all she has left.

Chris Charming has it all: a powerful CEO for a father, a prestigious school, and a fortune at his fingertips, but none of that matters when he lands a reputation as a troublemaker. Struggling to follow in his father’s footsteps, he reaches out to the one person he believes truly sees him, the one person he wants: Haley.

Little do they know someone's determined to bring the two together, even if it means murder.

Add CHARMING to your TBR pile on GoodReads

Author Bio

Krystal Wade can be found in the sluglines outside Washington D.C. every morning, Monday through Friday. With coffee in hand, iPod plugged in, and strangers - who sometimes snore, smell, or have incredibly bad gas - sitting next to her, she zones out and thinks of fantastical worlds for you and me to read.

How else can she cope with a fifty mile commute?

Good thing she has her husband and three kids to go home to. They keep her sane.

Website: http://www.krystalwade.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/author.krystalwade

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KrystalWade