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Dangerous Boys
Three teens venture into the abandoned Monroe estate one night; hours later, only two emerge from the burning wreckage. Chloe drags one Reznick brother to safety, unconscious and bleeding; the other is left to burn, dead in the fire. But which brother survives? And is his death a tragic accident? Desperate self-defense? Or murder?
Chloe is the only one with the answers. As the fire rages, and police and parents demand the truth, she struggles to piece together the story of how they got there-a story of jealousy, twisted passion, and the darkness that lurks behind even the most beautiful of faces…
Chloe is the only one with the answers. As the fire rages, and police and parents demand the truth, she struggles to piece together the story of how they got there-a story of jealousy, twisted passion, and the darkness that lurks behind even the most beautiful of faces…
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 14, 2014
About the author
Abigail Haas
3 books724 followersAbigail Haas has written two adult novels and four young adult contemporary novels under the name Abby McDonald. Dangerous Girls is her first young adult thriller. She grew up in Sussex, England, and studied Politics, Philosophy & Economics at Oxford University. She lives in Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 849 reviews
July 17, 2015
Our lives are made up of choices, you see. Big ones, small ones, strung together by the thin air of good intentions; a line of dominoes, ready to fall.
Well, holy shit. I want to invite Abigail Haas over to my house so we can be best friends and plot world domination together. But possibly not before I hide all sharp objects first. Honestly, I cannot imagine what it must be like living inside her head, but I do know she writes some of the best psychological thrillers I have ever picked up.
Let me tell you: I am not generous with 5 star ratings. I give them out sparingly to books that really surprise me with their originality or a special something that just makes them stand out... so the fact that Haas has written a grand total of two books and both have prompted me to give out 5 star ratings is almost unheard of. I'm really struggling to think of another time when this has happened. Nope, can't think of one.
This is another case where I don't know how much to tell you. I just want to say: GO READ IT. Like all readers of mysteries, you will try to guess what happens. Maybe you will get it right, most likely you won't. Either way, it doesn't really matter. Because Haas delivers something better than a murder mystery... she delivers complex psychology that had me questioning everything, wondering if I should be looking over my own damn shoulder, and hanging on every single word.
Despite the title, Haas doesn't wander too far from her area of expertise - the twisted, confused, longing that permeates the minds of teenage girls. At first, I thought to myself "this book is good but I still prefer Dangerous Girls"... now I'm really not so sure. This book just played upon so many emotions and packed punches at every turn. Once you think you know something, the story spins in a certain way so that you change your mind.
From the moment you're born, people start folding you into neat pieces and tucking you inside a box of their own design. They dress you up in their own expectations, before you even have a chance to understand the constrictions of your fate. That box becomes so cozy and warm, you never really notice that you're bent double, fighting for room to breathe.
The story is about three people - Chloe, Ethan and Oliver - and the build-up of their complicated relationships and jealousies (told between the past and the present). We know that Chloe and one of the boys has made it out of a fire; we know that the other boy is dead; but what we don't know is: which boy made it out alive? What happened inside that house? And why?
The author is a master of mystery... but more than that she's a master of carefully-woven relationships. This story fascinated me on every level. From the sad story of Chloe's mum's depression, to the exploration of someone trying to deal with their dreams falling apart, to the way small bad thoughts are shown to be able to grow into something else. There's an unsettling kind of truth in Haas's psychology because she starts with the bad thoughts we all have now and then - a feeling of resentment towards someone who depends on us, a feeling of desire for someone we should never be thinking about - and creates something much more sinister out of it. In short: Haas appeals to the inner demons lying in all of us.
I'm not going to say anything else. Just seriously READ IT. I can't wait to see what you all think!
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February 15, 2021
2015 reads : Give me fucked-up characters, 'kay?
☎ DISPATCH : Nine one one, what's your emergency?
☏ CALLER : Please, I... I think - I think I have to review this and -
☎ DISPATCH : OK, we'll send help. Just calm down, and tell me where you are.
☏ CALLER : I don't fucking know! I mean, yes, it was unputdownable and gritty as hell but in a good way, you know? All these emotions we fought every once in a while, discarding them because bad, bad, bad us to think such things, see? Abigail Haas magnifies them, showing her special talent for unraveling all the layers of pretending. Take these characters. I hated them. Each and every one of them at some point. But God, do I love them still! Because -
☎ DISPATCH : Where are you, honey? What happened?
☏ CALLER : Ugh. I was talking there so - what was I saying - oh, yes. Despite all theirs flaws and the moments I wanted to 1)slap them, 2)shake them, 3)make a face at them, 4)call the cops, and fucking run - the truth is, they are the kind of characters I want to see more often in my books. I crave for them. Why?
☎ DISPATCH : I'm sending an ambulance now. Tell me what happened, where is he hurt?
(Silence)
"From the moment you're born, people start folding you into neat pieces and tucking you inside a box of their own design. (...)
That box becomes so cozy and warm, you never really notice that you're bent double, fighting for room to breathe."
☎ DISPATCH : Honey? Are you there? Talk to me.
☏ CALLER : (whisper) I can't say anything. Look - I know many readers prefered Dangerous Girls and although I can understand why, it remains that these two books are different on so many levels that I can't bring myself to compare them. Are you looking for a mindfuck? In that case, you may be disappointed, as some clues appear to be easy to grasp. Do you want to wander into the human mind, in the inner darkness everyone hides? You've got your book, then.
► Pick your choice.
"Stop pretending. Stop hiding. Stop being the girl they all said you should be.
Imagine that freedom. God, can't you feel it?
What harm could it do?"
For more of my reviews, please visit:
February 7, 2017
3 1/2 stars.
Not as good as Dangerous Girls and didn't really blow my mind. I was expecting this to be a painful pleasure of mind fuckery, but sadly, it wasn't.
It was definitely a remarkable read and I admit, I did enjoy this quite a lot, but
Not as good as Dangerous Girls and didn't really blow my mind. I was expecting this to be a painful pleasure of mind fuckery, but sadly, it wasn't.
It was definitely a remarkable read and I admit, I did enjoy this quite a lot, but
July 31, 2017
3.5 stars
“You can be a part of someone’s life for years, your parent or brother or friend, and then one day they turn around and do something unconscionable, a crime so great, that suddenly, they’re a stranger to you. You think that their goodness is innate, embedded in their DNA, so you take it for granted, right up until the terrible moment when everything changes. You can never know anyone at all.”
I promise this will be quick. Not as mind-blowing as Dangerous Girls but still very well-written and the mystery well-crafted. All these unlikable characters are very well fleshed-out. The author managed to make me empathize with them even though I highly disapprove of their actions. But this next line will pretty much sum up my thoughts about the book. WRONG TITLE- is all I’m saying. ;)
“You can be a part of someone’s life for years, your parent or brother or friend, and then one day they turn around and do something unconscionable, a crime so great, that suddenly, they’re a stranger to you. You think that their goodness is innate, embedded in their DNA, so you take it for granted, right up until the terrible moment when everything changes. You can never know anyone at all.”
I promise this will be quick. Not as mind-blowing as Dangerous Girls but still very well-written and the mystery well-crafted. All these unlikable characters are very well fleshed-out. The author managed to make me empathize with them even though I highly disapprove of their actions. But this next line will pretty much sum up my thoughts about the book. WRONG TITLE- is all I’m saying. ;)
August 22, 2018
Creepy and brainwashing-ly and all.
For me there was something missing when I turned the last page... I don't know what I was thinking or even hoping would happen next but... it just felt weirdly unfinished to me. It's totally a personal thing since I really liked and that ending...
That made me sad, I mean it seemed like he still wanted her and that boy really deserved whatever he wanted, you know? He's been through a lot. I just want to hughughug him you know?
I liked our protagonist too - she was burdened as hell from the start! I felt her desperation, her hope wasting away and her shame when she's around Alisha - seeing what could have been her own life. It's just weighted her down again and again. I really hated reading it because I could totally relate. Sucks arghh
Who I didn't take to, at all, was Oliver. And man he was a biiig part of the book! His was a psychotic scholar style - all deep thoughts, philosophical arrogant good-looking boy. And I didn't like him one bit. Like I get why Chole would be attracted to him, in a way, but I just couldn't really 'feel' it for myself so I couldn't really relate.
It sucks when that happens. You don't feel what you should be feeling so the story doesn't work quite effectively on you. *sigh*
And I guess that's where I leave you - the pull just didn't quite get to me but the book was well written and I blew threw this whole thing in an afternoon. So despite my lack of investment on Oliver, I still think it's a really nice book. Creepy and brainwashing-ly and all.
rating: ★★★½
For me there was something missing when I turned the last page... I don't know what I was thinking or even hoping would happen next but... it just felt weirdly unfinished to me. It's totally a personal thing since I really liked and that ending...
That made me sad, I mean it seemed like he still wanted her and that boy really deserved whatever he wanted, you know? He's been through a lot. I just want to hughughug him you know?
I liked our protagonist too - she was burdened as hell from the start! I felt her desperation, her hope wasting away and her shame when she's around Alisha - seeing what could have been her own life. It's just weighted her down again and again. I really hated reading it because I could totally relate. Sucks arghh
Who I didn't take to, at all, was Oliver. And man he was a biiig part of the book! His was a psychotic scholar style - all deep thoughts, philosophical arrogant good-looking boy. And I didn't like him one bit. Like I get why Chole would be attracted to him, in a way, but I just couldn't really 'feel' it for myself so I couldn't really relate.
It sucks when that happens. You don't feel what you should be feeling so the story doesn't work quite effectively on you. *sigh*
And I guess that's where I leave you - the pull just didn't quite get to me but the book was well written and I blew threw this whole thing in an afternoon. So despite my lack of investment on Oliver, I still think it's a really nice book. Creepy and brainwashing-ly and all.
rating: ★★★½
October 30, 2016
“Some pieces couldn’t be glued back together. Some people weren’t for fixing. Sometimes, the only thing to do was burn the whole fucking world down and start again.”
I made a mistake.
I went into this expecting to be shocked beyond measure over what unfolds by the end when really, that's the kind of mindset I should've held for Dangerous Girls.
So about 75% in and I'm starting to wonder: it's quite clear by now who the guilty party is so what could the author possibly have in store for me that's left everyone else so floored? Aw man, this is going to be so so good!
Wrong choice. Because with Dangerous Boys, it's not about the final unraveling of the mystery, no; it's about the how's and why's and all the fucked up events that lead up to it.
Abigail Haas did an absolutely fantastic job with her characters and their complexity, especially the main protagonist. You can feel the dark changes slowly start to manifest themselves into Chloe, all the while needing to yell at her to no, no, no, stop! and GET BACK TO YOUR SENSES WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS CAN'T YOU SEE HE'S MANIPULATING YOU??! (Note: this didn't just ruin the ending for you, it's far too convoluted for that.) But then you can't help but start to wonder about raw human nature and its many flaws; it creeps onto you just how easy it can be to accept the wrong, and that little bit of bad that lurks deep in the crevices within you. And that truly leaves you with a lasting sense of plain disturbed.
My only regrets with this book were how I unintentionally ruined the experience for myself, enough to make me bring it down by one and a half stars; but even so, it in itself is still a laudable piece of work, with Haas' talent for mystery racing you through to the end before you even know it.
Final rating: 3.5 stars.
________________________
Book Song: Saturn by Sleeping At Last.
________________________
January 10, 2015
ALL THE STARS. ALL OF THEM.
If you didn't know, Celine and I did a discussion review on this way back in August and we spent pretty much the entire time fangirling and flailing about Abigail Haas' amazing skills. You can check that out here. Many thanks to Abigail herself for offering us the review copies!
Run down on what we discussed (if you cannot be stuffed clicking on that link)
- Despite how high our expectations were, Haas still managed to blow us off our feet
- We were hooked from page one
- AND IT WAS ABSOLUTELY INTENSE AND THRILLING TO THE VERY END
- All the characters were so twisted and we despised many of them, in fact. But only more the reason to love this book
- The plot was delightfully twisted too
- We also tried to think of criticisms for this book but it soon became apparent that there weren't any
If you haven't read Dangerous Girls or Dangerous Boys, you have to go and fix that because these are possibly the best YA mystery thrillers, EVER.
If you didn't know, Celine and I did a discussion review on this way back in August and we spent pretty much the entire time fangirling and flailing about Abigail Haas' amazing skills. You can check that out here. Many thanks to Abigail herself for offering us the review copies!
Run down on what we discussed (if you cannot be stuffed clicking on that link)
- Despite how high our expectations were, Haas still managed to blow us off our feet
- We were hooked from page one
- AND IT WAS ABSOLUTELY INTENSE AND THRILLING TO THE VERY END
- All the characters were so twisted and we despised many of them, in fact. But only more the reason to love this book
- The plot was delightfully twisted too
- We also tried to think of criticisms for this book but it soon became apparent that there weren't any
If you haven't read Dangerous Girls or Dangerous Boys, you have to go and fix that because these are possibly the best YA mystery thrillers, EVER.
August 13, 2014
Philippine readers!! I am giving away a finished copy of this book on the blog. Check it out here: Dangerous Boys Giveaway
Upon finishing this book, I begged for mercy.
Why mercy, you ask? Because Dangerous Boys made me uneasy and scared. It made me anticipate, and dread, and look forward to what else will happen to our cast of complex characters. It would build up the momentum, tease me, let go, and then tease me again. It was intoxicating, addicting, and riveting in every sense of the word. Needless to say, it nearly drove me crazy with the well-placed suspense and well-built characterization, and all I could say was, "Have mercy, woman!"
Long story short: it blew me away. You need no other explanation than that.
I dived into this book with unbelievably high expectations. I read the author's previous work, Dangerous Girls, not too long ago and absolutely loved it. It had the kind of stunning quality that you do not often see in Young Adult psychological/thriller books, the kind that take your breath away, leave your mind screaming, and make you go on Twitter to look for other readers who read the same so you could all act as each other's support group. It was my first read from her and I knew then and there that Abigail Haas was a force to reckon with.
But did I expect this book to be like Dangerous Girls? No. And it wasn't.
Yes, there were a lot of suspense. Yes, the narration and writing were absolutely impeccable and second to none in this genre. But while Dangerous Girls is known for its twists and thrills, Dangerous Boys took another route and went for characterization. And by characterization, I mean very dark character developments.
Twists-wise, once you've read DG you will have seen them coming here. However, when it came to what Oliver, Ethan, and Chloe became once everything has been said and done, it will seriously blow your socks off. I didn't expect this one to take such a deeper and darker path, weaving the complex relationships among these three in such a raw, intense manner. Everything starts innocent - a girl depending on a guy to help her escape from her problems, only to meet someone else who would encourage her to unleash a side of her she has never encountered before. And it is that exposition, that build-up, to the final result that make this book so disturbing, unsettling, and fierce.
The way the story was presented only added to the thrilling touch, in my opinion. It's told in Chloe's eyes, telling us the story in the present and in the past; she lets us know first off that something bad has happened, and gives it to us little by little, unveiling gradually the train wreck her life will soon become. The eventual reveal of the darkness within, and how it makes us question whether or not we have our own kind of darkness within ourselves, will really set your mind going.
This is a well-written psychological thriller that bears the trademark of the usual excellent writing of Abigail Haas. This one really gets your adrenaline going as it unravels the darkness that reside in the characters, layer by layer, piece by piece, and you'll be left barely breathing by the end of it.
Upon finishing this book, I begged for mercy.
Why mercy, you ask? Because Dangerous Boys made me uneasy and scared. It made me anticipate, and dread, and look forward to what else will happen to our cast of complex characters. It would build up the momentum, tease me, let go, and then tease me again. It was intoxicating, addicting, and riveting in every sense of the word. Needless to say, it nearly drove me crazy with the well-placed suspense and well-built characterization, and all I could say was, "Have mercy, woman!"
Long story short: it blew me away. You need no other explanation than that.
I dived into this book with unbelievably high expectations. I read the author's previous work, Dangerous Girls, not too long ago and absolutely loved it. It had the kind of stunning quality that you do not often see in Young Adult psychological/thriller books, the kind that take your breath away, leave your mind screaming, and make you go on Twitter to look for other readers who read the same so you could all act as each other's support group. It was my first read from her and I knew then and there that Abigail Haas was a force to reckon with.
But did I expect this book to be like Dangerous Girls? No. And it wasn't.
Yes, there were a lot of suspense. Yes, the narration and writing were absolutely impeccable and second to none in this genre. But while Dangerous Girls is known for its twists and thrills, Dangerous Boys took another route and went for characterization. And by characterization, I mean very dark character developments.
Twists-wise, once you've read DG you will have seen them coming here. However, when it came to what Oliver, Ethan, and Chloe became once everything has been said and done, it will seriously blow your socks off. I didn't expect this one to take such a deeper and darker path, weaving the complex relationships among these three in such a raw, intense manner. Everything starts innocent - a girl depending on a guy to help her escape from her problems, only to meet someone else who would encourage her to unleash a side of her she has never encountered before. And it is that exposition, that build-up, to the final result that make this book so disturbing, unsettling, and fierce.
The way the story was presented only added to the thrilling touch, in my opinion. It's told in Chloe's eyes, telling us the story in the present and in the past; she lets us know first off that something bad has happened, and gives it to us little by little, unveiling gradually the train wreck her life will soon become. The eventual reveal of the darkness within, and how it makes us question whether or not we have our own kind of darkness within ourselves, will really set your mind going.
This is a well-written psychological thriller that bears the trademark of the usual excellent writing of Abigail Haas. This one really gets your adrenaline going as it unravels the darkness that reside in the characters, layer by layer, piece by piece, and you'll be left barely breathing by the end of it.
August 19, 2014
**Look at the end of this!**
Well, well, well, looks like we have a winner on our hands, folks! Abigail Hass has delivered another nail bitingly suspenseful book that will keep you on the edge of your seat and tips of your toes. And, mercifully, this cover isn't horrifyingly terrible.
The story is about two boys- brothers, and one girl. The girl, Chloe, is counting down the days till she's free from her small town and off to college where she can lose herself in the crowds and find the excitement she's always dreamed of, but her plan veers completely off course just a scant few weeks prior to her sendoff. As she's struggling to deal with this turn of events she meets a boy named Ethan, and he's a great guy: caring, attentive, attractive, hard working, and everything else one would ever hope for in a boyfriend. But. But then Chloe meets someone else and her world suddenly becomes something out of a fiction novel and she can't, or maybe won't, put things back to rights.
In Hass' other novel, Dangerous Girls, I flip-flopped repeatedly on who I thought was the guilty person and there is no difference in this one, and though the mystery isn't the same there's PLENTY to be shocked at! Trust. I was thinking one thing and hoping I was wrong, only to go back and forth on the fact that I couldn't be wrong, but oh how I had to be, surely that's not what happened. Surely I'm wrong. I stayed up until I fell asleep on accident and would have finished this first thing this morning, but I couldn't, and instead I had to obsess all day over what was at the heart of the story. Does good triumph over evil? Is there even a battle between good and evil at all or am I just looking at the whole thing with no gray areas? Maybe it's just the pain of being young and dumb, and the choices that can be made that are so wrong, and even though one may know they're wrong they still make that choice anyway. Isn't that how we learn? How we become the adults we've become? I know I've got many (many) choices in my young adult life that I'd go back and do differently. Make better choices. Be the good person. There's so many layers in this story that I could identify with, and others that I couldn't help but be fascinated or repulsed by.
The writing has to be addressed: I said it before and I'll say it again, Abigail Hass is a master at her craft! I first discovered Dangerous Girls right when the censuring debacle went down, and I took that really hard. I was all over The Thread That Ruined It All and I didn't want to participate with the bullshit that Goodreads was feeding us any longer. Then Em tells me about that book and it was exactly what I needed, that magical escape where I don't have to live in my world, I'll live in theirs and I loved her for it even though I wasn't going to give GR a review. Hass is something else I can tell you that. She writes with precision and there's nothing unnecessary anywhere, if you miss something then you're missing a clue, not just a needless set of words and there's nary a filler scene to be found.
I'm in awe over the complexity that the characters are written with: the mother who suffers a debilitating breakdown and depression, the boy who has so many secrets and hidden agendas, the one who is earnest and free, the one who feels trapped in their own choices, the one who got off scott free, the one who knows better... so many characters and all of them perfectly written. Perfectly.
If you don't typically read mysteries then I still highly recommend you read this, and the first too of course though they're not related, because this is a special book and a special author. This is the kind of storytelling and writing that stick with you no matter how much time passes and you don't have to reread to remind yourself of so-and-so, nope, everything is still seared into your memory even months (and years) later. Seriously folks, you gotta read this.
EDIT 8/16/2014
Look at this, guys!!!!
April 22, 2015
Buddy Read with my malicious and perilistic equal,
Anna
Our lives are made up of choices. Big ones, small ones, strung together by the thin air of good intentions; a line of dominoes, ready to fall.
Dangerous boys , dangerous boys who won’t share their toys…..Yeah, okay, that was weird but…yeah. Anyway. It felt right! Lol. I think that kind of sums it up, though, wouldn’t you agree?? After reading Dangerous Girls a week or two ago, I’ve been enraptured in the simplicity of it’s severity-the idea that something that is supposed to be fun, a break from reality, turned into something that would change one group of friends’ lives forever.
A heartbeat, a split-second’s whim, that’s all it takes to change your life forever.
No, I wasn’t shocked by the end-I even guessed it. But the point is that the execution hadn’t escaped my attention. More and more I started to long for a creeptastic end like in DG, but didn’t quite know where to turn. So, the next obvious step was to find out if boys can be as scary as girls in Haas’s other novel…but what I didn’t know was that I was going to become so wrapped up in this story that I wasn’t going to like what happened to my beloved boy(s)-for there was no happy ending that included all three of them-none that could possibly satisfy my need for safety and a wonderful life for my favorite brother. None for the flourishing relationship between a small town boy and a girl who longed to get away….and none for the wild card with a thing for baby brother’s girlfriend that entered an already peaceful scene and blew it all to bits.
Two bodies, two sets of clear blue eyes.
One survivor. One way out of this.
History is told by those who win.
I’ll admit I assumed that most of the story would mirror that of Dangerous Girls. In all actuality, it was nothing the same. I actually got everything I wanted that I didn’t get in DG with this story-it was real time and it was all in progression and in order of events…I LOVED THAT!!! I love that we got to see the crazy seep out of every pore and that we watch the inevitable demise of each individual-what lead up to it, who made it out of the house alive, why they made it out of the house alive, and how everything began to go downhill at a rapid pace. I was guessing after every page, after every chapter, spinning so many different scenarios and begging it to land where I wanted it to, pulling my hair out, all the while forgetting that even if what I wanted to happen happened….how could anything ever be okay?? And where could it possibly go after that?
You can never really know someone.
****
We’re all strangers, in the end.
So many emotions, so much squealing, hoping, praying, making deals with an invisible book God just so things might turn out even a little bit okay, I was a mess from page one. Once I take a stance, I am hard headed and I don’t budge on what I feel, so no one could reason with me or pull me down from the ledge once I’d made my decision on how this just had to go. In that regard, it was so much different than DG, because I built up this deep-rooted connection to the main character, but also for the boy who stole my heart. There was still a really cool format, but it worked much better for me this time and for this story-A ‘before, now, and after.’ And it was so simple. I loved switching back and forth and seeing where it was all heading…even as I saw us all careening toward the edge of a cliff with no breaks on the car. But I was all in. That’s the point, isn’t it?? I was in that car, sitting right beside Chloe and Ethan and Oliver-all of us in a terror filled journey where crazy takes a back seat to cold-blooded logic.
It’s me, it’s all on me.
So I choose.
***
Blood in the hospital, blood at the house. Blood soaked through my T-shirt, sticky on my hands.
Sinister with an end that chills you to the bone, I guarantee you’ll get at least a little satisfaction, no matter what side you rest on. The journey these characters take is something I can get behind. And while I did love this story a little more than DG, I find myself giving it the same rating-why? Why is that? Well, it’s simple-The story may have ripped it’s claws deep into my stomach, but it still ripped so deep that I was emotionally damaged and disturbed, and I can’t say every moment of this fucked up novel satisfied me. And I guess I’m horrible because I just didn’t like the way things were spelled or written, sometimes…it felt a bit, hmm, rushed? So, yeah. It wasn’t as clean cut and precise, writing wise, to me, and it chilled me deeply more than once-both in good and bad ways. And, while the end was thrilling and deeply disturbing (and I totally didn’t guess where the end was going even though I had most of it right), it didn’t give me the same malicious contentment her other work did. And I don’t ever compare-ever-but in this case, there were similarities (and tons of differences) that I couldn’t help comparing-like a badass ending.
‘What did I do to deserve you?’
***
We assume the sun will rise every morning just because it has done every other day, but what happens when you wake up to darkness?
Anyway-some of you will love this, and some of you would probably like the other story by this author better. One is real time (ish), and the other centers around the conviction of a best friend who is in the wrong place at the wrong time on a vacation from hell. In all reality, they are both so fucked up I guarantee you won’t walk away the same person. You’ll wonder what kind of people hide beneath their ‘perfect’ or ‘pretty’ or ‘well-read’ personalities and smiles-you’ll question what kind of world you live in that this fictional story could even exist. But, I’ll be the first to tell you-this is real. This happens. People are fucked up…and all you can do is be yourself. After all, that’s what we are trained to do-Be the perfect kid. The perfect student. The perfect boy/girl. Look out for yourself and try to take care of those around you…but it all circles right back around to you, doesn’t it? All for one….and one for all.
The line of dominoes falling one by one. Click, click, click, they tumble faster until you can only see the two that really mattered:
The beginning, and this, the end.
Oliver, and Ethan, and I.
For more of my reviews, please visit:
Our lives are made up of choices. Big ones, small ones, strung together by the thin air of good intentions; a line of dominoes, ready to fall.
Dangerous boys , dangerous boys who won’t share their toys…..Yeah, okay, that was weird but…yeah. Anyway. It felt right! Lol. I think that kind of sums it up, though, wouldn’t you agree?? After reading Dangerous Girls a week or two ago, I’ve been enraptured in the simplicity of it’s severity-the idea that something that is supposed to be fun, a break from reality, turned into something that would change one group of friends’ lives forever.
A heartbeat, a split-second’s whim, that’s all it takes to change your life forever.
No, I wasn’t shocked by the end-I even guessed it. But the point is that the execution hadn’t escaped my attention. More and more I started to long for a creeptastic end like in DG, but didn’t quite know where to turn. So, the next obvious step was to find out if boys can be as scary as girls in Haas’s other novel…but what I didn’t know was that I was going to become so wrapped up in this story that I wasn’t going to like what happened to my beloved boy(s)-for there was no happy ending that included all three of them-none that could possibly satisfy my need for safety and a wonderful life for my favorite brother. None for the flourishing relationship between a small town boy and a girl who longed to get away….and none for the wild card with a thing for baby brother’s girlfriend that entered an already peaceful scene and blew it all to bits.
Two bodies, two sets of clear blue eyes.
One survivor. One way out of this.
History is told by those who win.
I’ll admit I assumed that most of the story would mirror that of Dangerous Girls. In all actuality, it was nothing the same. I actually got everything I wanted that I didn’t get in DG with this story-it was real time and it was all in progression and in order of events…I LOVED THAT!!! I love that we got to see the crazy seep out of every pore and that we watch the inevitable demise of each individual-what lead up to it, who made it out of the house alive, why they made it out of the house alive, and how everything began to go downhill at a rapid pace. I was guessing after every page, after every chapter, spinning so many different scenarios and begging it to land where I wanted it to, pulling my hair out, all the while forgetting that even if what I wanted to happen happened….how could anything ever be okay?? And where could it possibly go after that?
You can never really know someone.
****
We’re all strangers, in the end.
So many emotions, so much squealing, hoping, praying, making deals with an invisible book God just so things might turn out even a little bit okay, I was a mess from page one. Once I take a stance, I am hard headed and I don’t budge on what I feel, so no one could reason with me or pull me down from the ledge once I’d made my decision on how this just had to go. In that regard, it was so much different than DG, because I built up this deep-rooted connection to the main character, but also for the boy who stole my heart. There was still a really cool format, but it worked much better for me this time and for this story-A ‘before, now, and after.’ And it was so simple. I loved switching back and forth and seeing where it was all heading…even as I saw us all careening toward the edge of a cliff with no breaks on the car. But I was all in. That’s the point, isn’t it?? I was in that car, sitting right beside Chloe and Ethan and Oliver-all of us in a terror filled journey where crazy takes a back seat to cold-blooded logic.
It’s me, it’s all on me.
So I choose.
***
Blood in the hospital, blood at the house. Blood soaked through my T-shirt, sticky on my hands.
Sinister with an end that chills you to the bone, I guarantee you’ll get at least a little satisfaction, no matter what side you rest on. The journey these characters take is something I can get behind. And while I did love this story a little more than DG, I find myself giving it the same rating-why? Why is that? Well, it’s simple-The story may have ripped it’s claws deep into my stomach, but it still ripped so deep that I was emotionally damaged and disturbed, and I can’t say every moment of this fucked up novel satisfied me. And I guess I’m horrible because I just didn’t like the way things were spelled or written, sometimes…it felt a bit, hmm, rushed? So, yeah. It wasn’t as clean cut and precise, writing wise, to me, and it chilled me deeply more than once-both in good and bad ways. And, while the end was thrilling and deeply disturbing (and I totally didn’t guess where the end was going even though I had most of it right), it didn’t give me the same malicious contentment her other work did. And I don’t ever compare-ever-but in this case, there were similarities (and tons of differences) that I couldn’t help comparing-like a badass ending.
‘What did I do to deserve you?’
***
We assume the sun will rise every morning just because it has done every other day, but what happens when you wake up to darkness?
Anyway-some of you will love this, and some of you would probably like the other story by this author better. One is real time (ish), and the other centers around the conviction of a best friend who is in the wrong place at the wrong time on a vacation from hell. In all reality, they are both so fucked up I guarantee you won’t walk away the same person. You’ll wonder what kind of people hide beneath their ‘perfect’ or ‘pretty’ or ‘well-read’ personalities and smiles-you’ll question what kind of world you live in that this fictional story could even exist. But, I’ll be the first to tell you-this is real. This happens. People are fucked up…and all you can do is be yourself. After all, that’s what we are trained to do-Be the perfect kid. The perfect student. The perfect boy/girl. Look out for yourself and try to take care of those around you…but it all circles right back around to you, doesn’t it? All for one….and one for all.
The line of dominoes falling one by one. Click, click, click, they tumble faster until you can only see the two that really mattered:
The beginning, and this, the end.
Oliver, and Ethan, and I.
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August 26, 2014
“What would you do if nobody was watching? If nobody would ever know?”
Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas is one sick story and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It’s impossible for me to write this review without comparing it to Dangerous Girls, just in terms of the style and type of story. (No Spoilers!)
They’re different, as they should be, but equally brilliant. Whereas DG left me with that OMG WTF moment, here everything moves slowly, towards that inevitable end. It’s like a train wreck, you can’t stop it and you can’t look away.
With DG we were trying to figure out who did it, who committed the crime; here you might guess it but that’s beside the point. The beauty is in watching it all unfold. Furthermore, whereas in DG focus was on the plot, here it’s on the characters. And what amazing, disturbing characters did Haas create.
The story is told in two parts – past THEN and present NOW and it’s about three people – Chloe and brothers Ethan and Oliver and how they got to that part THE END.
I really don’t want to reveal anything, it’s best if you just pick up this book and get lost in it. I’ve read it in one sitting, it was so engaging; not quite in DG sense – what’s going to happen next, it was more edgy the whole time, with that fear of what’s going to happen.
This book disturbed me, whereas DG shocked me. I cannot a pick a favorite because I love them both equally and I think they’re both amazing and successful in what they tried to portray.
What do we hide within us? Who are we when no one is watching?
Moreover, this book will make you question. Because, after all, is there true good or true evil? The only thing left are the choices.
Therefore, this is a book is about pretending, being who we think others expect us to be; wanting something more and not being afraid to take it. It will also make you wonder – what lurks in the darkest corners of human minds?
In conclusion, this was one brilliant psychological thriller and I.just.want.more.
Abigail Haas’ mind is a dangerous place and I’d be lying if I say I wouldn’t like one more trip there.
June 13, 2014
Me while reading the book:
Me at the end of the story:
Abigail Haas has written a thrilling, dark and twisty book, which left me shocked and satisfied at the end of the story.
After Dangerous Girls, which is one of the best YA novels out there, and I hate the fact that this book is underrated (GUYS! READ THIS BOOK! PLEASE! IT IS FUCKING BRILLIANT), I had high expectations. But I trusted Haas to provide me another twisty and dark tale of the psyche of human beings.
Dangerous Boys is a dark, compelling, page-turner, with good writing, flawed characters, complex relationships and spritiual abyss.
The story follows our main character, Chloe. Her life is a mess after her father leaves the family and her mother becomes sick. Chloe´s wish is to finish high school, to leave the small town directly after her graduation and to find the excitment she always dreamed of. But life turns upside down for her, and Chloe realizes that she can´t follow her dreams. While taking care of her sick mother, she meets Ethan and slowly more than friendship develops between them.
But then Chloe meets Oliver and from there everything starts to fall down...
I liked Chloe and could identify myself myself with her. Her wishes and dreams are understandable and I felt so sorry for her!!
She had so much responsibility to carry that I just wanted to gave her a hug. And her mother
And then we have Ethan: the caring, soft and attentive boyfriend. Ethan tried everything to please Chloe and he was so sweet!!! But there was something Ethan wasn´t able to give Chloe.
Enter Oliver: Ethan´s older, sexy, and charming brother. I´m not going to tell you anything about him. Go and read the book. His dark mind fascinated me, and oddly I liked him more than Ethan. When you read the book you will understand why I find my affection to Oliver really strange.
The characters were well developed and immensely interesting, especially Chloe and Oliver. I cared about them. I wanted to know more about them. I could have read about them forever.
Of course, Dangerous Boys has twists and turns, but I will not spoil them for you. Don´t even read any reviews. Just buy the book and let yourself fall in the dark minds of the characters.
This book perfect. I am not going to say something else because perfect sums up everything.
I highly recommend everyone to read this book and (!!!) Dangerous Girls. If you want to read something different, something thrilling, something that will evoke variety of emotions in you and something that will shock you then these books are for you.
So, guys, go and read Dangerous Girls, and Dangerous Boys when it comes out on August!
I definitely will re-read both books!
Sorry for any kind of errors. English is not my native language :)
Me at the end of the story:
Abigail Haas has written a thrilling, dark and twisty book, which left me shocked and satisfied at the end of the story.
After Dangerous Girls, which is one of the best YA novels out there, and I hate the fact that this book is underrated (GUYS! READ THIS BOOK! PLEASE! IT IS FUCKING BRILLIANT), I had high expectations. But I trusted Haas to provide me another twisty and dark tale of the psyche of human beings.
Dangerous Boys is a dark, compelling, page-turner, with good writing, flawed characters, complex relationships and spritiual abyss.
The story follows our main character, Chloe. Her life is a mess after her father leaves the family and her mother becomes sick. Chloe´s wish is to finish high school, to leave the small town directly after her graduation and to find the excitment she always dreamed of. But life turns upside down for her, and Chloe realizes that she can´t follow her dreams. While taking care of her sick mother, she meets Ethan and slowly more than friendship develops between them.
But then Chloe meets Oliver and from there everything starts to fall down...
I liked Chloe and could identify myself myself with her. Her wishes and dreams are understandable and I felt so sorry for her!!
She had so much responsibility to carry that I just wanted to gave her a hug. And her mother
And then we have Ethan: the caring, soft and attentive boyfriend. Ethan tried everything to please Chloe and he was so sweet!!! But there was something Ethan wasn´t able to give Chloe.
Enter Oliver: Ethan´s older, sexy, and charming brother. I´m not going to tell you anything about him. Go and read the book. His dark mind fascinated me, and oddly I liked him more than Ethan. When you read the book you will understand why I find my affection to Oliver really strange.
The characters were well developed and immensely interesting, especially Chloe and Oliver. I cared about them. I wanted to know more about them. I could have read about them forever.
Of course, Dangerous Boys has twists and turns, but I will not spoil them for you. Don´t even read any reviews. Just buy the book and let yourself fall in the dark minds of the characters.
This book perfect. I am not going to say something else because perfect sums up everything.
I highly recommend everyone to read this book and (!!!) Dangerous Girls. If you want to read something different, something thrilling, something that will evoke variety of emotions in you and something that will shock you then these books are for you.
So, guys, go and read Dangerous Girls, and Dangerous Boys when it comes out on August!
I definitely will re-read both books!
Sorry for any kind of errors. English is not my native language :)
September 9, 2017
From the moment you're born, people start folding you into neat pieces and tucking you inside a box of their own design. No, it starts even before then, the moment the sonogram shows a faded blur. Blue for a boy, tractors and race-cars, big and strong and brave. Pink for a little princess, pretty and sweet. They dress you up in their own expectations, before you even have a chance to understand the constrictions of your fate. That box becomes so cozy and warm, you never really notice that you're bent double, fighting for room to breathe.
Abigail Haas is a genius. This is the author of maybe my all-time favorite teen contemporary book and now TWO of my favorite thrillers?? How does she transverse genres like this and still write such good books??
This is going to be a very hard book to review without spoiling anything. Strangely enough, though, being spoiled about who lives or dies wouldn't have ruined this experience. Half the intrigue of this book is trying to figure out how the end went down.
And that ending did not disappoint.
The book begins with a fairly simple concept: Chloe wants to escape her small town, but her mother develops severe depression, so she can't leave for college. She begins dating good guy Ethan as she tries to make the best of her situation. And then in comes bad boy Oliver. Please don't sigh and stop reading this now. Because Chloe finds that Oliver brings out her inner side. And that inner side isn't so much a good girl; her inner side might be even darker than Oliver expects.
Fair warning: this book is messed up. I honestly don't want to know what's going on inside Abigail Haas' head. This book speaks to the dark sides of human nature. The manipulative sides willing to do what it takes. And it's so fucking well done.
There are reviews of this book saying I usually don't say this, but I think that complaint is totally missing the point. This book isn't about Ethan, and it isn't about Oliver. It definitely isn't about which one you prefer. This is about Chloe. Neither love interest is meant to be the right choice. Abigail Haas is both using and sidestepping many popular romance tropes.
So now that we've established this book isn't about the love triangle, let's figure out what it is about. This book is about the good people we pretend to be and the bad people we really are. This is a character study of an incredibly terrible person. Chloe is evil, yet there wasn't a moment I didn't relate to her. It's almost uncomfortable to relate to such a despicable character, and therein lies the brilliance of this novel.
Haas' writing is insanely addictive. She keeps dramatic tension in every moment, growing a sense of dread as to what exactly is going to go wrong. Her writing is so readable that by page 100, I could barely remember starting. It felt like I'd been reading for five minutes. It's very rare that authors can be addictive.
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April 23, 2015
3.75
Remember that episode in Supernatural when Dean got zapped by a djinn and he woke up in an alternate universe where his mom had never died and his brother Sam was little more than a courteous stranger?
Shoot it up on steroids and you got Oliver and Ethan's relationship.
Yeah, it is... not healthy. I could've accepted it, as I did Elise and Anna's freaky relationship in Dangerous Girls, had their relationship had layers. Years of pent-up sibling rivalry and jealousy. Not a simple "He's a psychopath" explanation.
Chole started out sympathetic enough, sacrificing college to take care of her depressed mom and getting a job to pay the bills. The turning point came when . Perhaps she's not meant to be sympathetic as she descends himself her true (?) nature, but there's Unlikable Heroine and I-want-to-high-five-you-with-a-shovel Heroine.
The ending didn't pack as much of a punch as Dangerous Girls did.
Writing's better (Dangerous Girls' prose was rather overblown), so I tacked on an extra 0.25 star. Other than than that, pedestrian.
You'd be better off reading its predecessor.
"Oliver always wanted what Ethan had, even when they were kids, he'd steal his toys just to spite him."
Remember that episode in Supernatural when Dean got zapped by a djinn and he woke up in an alternate universe where his mom had never died and his brother Sam was little more than a courteous stranger?
Shoot it up on steroids and you got Oliver and Ethan's relationship.
"I think you fucked [Ethan] and thought of me. I think you imagined me, every minute he was inside you."
Yeah, it is... not healthy. I could've accepted it, as I did Elise and Anna's freaky relationship in Dangerous Girls, had their relationship had layers. Years of pent-up sibling rivalry and jealousy. Not a simple "He's a psychopath" explanation.
"Why waste my time on somebody who doesn't intrigue me, or challenge me? People are so... limited."
Chole started out sympathetic enough, sacrificing college to take care of her depressed mom and getting a job to pay the bills. The turning point came when . Perhaps she's not meant to be sympathetic as she descends himself her true (?) nature, but there's Unlikable Heroine and I-want-to-high-five-you-with-a-shovel Heroine.
The ending didn't pack as much of a punch as Dangerous Girls did.
Writing's better (Dangerous Girls' prose was rather overblown), so I tacked on an extra 0.25 star. Other than than that, pedestrian.
You'd be better off reading its predecessor.
May 16, 2019
Not as good as Dangerous Girls, but the ending still fucked me
November 16, 2017
this book in a nutshell
I loved Dangerous Girls, but this one... *flushes book down the toilet*...not so much.
Dangerous Boys? More like Dangerous Pricks.
Where was the gut-wrenching feeling Mrs McDonald has got me used to? Where were the pathos and the thrill? Hint: they were nowhere.
A mess of nonexistent plot twists and incoherent character analysis, took their place.
Even the writing was somewhat dull and repetitive. Not to mention the characters...
I'm looking at you, Chloe Bennett (really? 🙄). I'm looking at you and I'm so not pleased.
When I finished Dangerous Girls, I just wanted to curl up in a ball, drink six gallons of chocolate milk and eventually pet a kitten.
Now? I just wish I hadn't spent so many hours on a story I'lltry to forget as soon as possible.
I feel betrayed.
I loved Dangerous Girls, but this one... *flushes book down the toilet*...not so much.
Dangerous Boys? More like Dangerous Pricks.
Where was the gut-wrenching feeling Mrs McDonald has got me used to? Where were the pathos and the thrill? Hint: they were nowhere.
A mess of nonexistent plot twists and incoherent character analysis, took their place.
Even the writing was somewhat dull and repetitive. Not to mention the characters...
I'm looking at you, Chloe Bennett (really? 🙄). I'm looking at you and I'm so not pleased.
When I finished Dangerous Girls, I just wanted to curl up in a ball, drink six gallons of chocolate milk and eventually pet a kitten.
Now? I just wish I hadn't spent so many hours on a story I'll
I feel betrayed.
August 23, 2019
"Our lives are made up of choices. Big ones, small ones, strung together by the thin air of good intentions; a line of dominos, ready to fall. They blur into an endless stream, leading seamlessly to the next question, the next decision – yes, no, no, yes. The line of dominos falling one by one. Click, click, click, they tumble faster until you can only see the two that really mattered:
The beginning, and this, the end."
A story of who, why and how. Albeit not intriguing as Dangerous Girls and less relatable characters, Haas as a magic way with words. I fell so easily into step with everything that was happening, that I did not even care if the characters just did not convince me as much. I was just compelled to read more and more.
So, what have we here? A trio of varying personalities; Chloe, a young adult riddled with burdens past her age; Ethan, a warm and kind-hearted guy and finally, Oliver, a whimsical person of peculiar interests. I find the title misleading since there are not dangerous boyS, but only just one who has the strange allure of something forbidden. The book handles well the secrets as they unfold and it depicts a situation where being lost under the pressure can give way to a newfound you who cannot handle that anymore.
I suppose that is as far as my relatability goes, because many things seemed exactly like dominos; preset in a straight line and everything fell according to the plan as to push the story along and reach a more anticlimatic ending. Despite my lack of true connection with the story or the characters, the writing and pacing, along with some social issues it brought up, were enough to say that I liked the book. Thus, I give it 2.5 stars!
The beginning, and this, the end."
A story of who, why and how. Albeit not intriguing as Dangerous Girls and less relatable characters, Haas as a magic way with words. I fell so easily into step with everything that was happening, that I did not even care if the characters just did not convince me as much. I was just compelled to read more and more.
So, what have we here? A trio of varying personalities; Chloe, a young adult riddled with burdens past her age; Ethan, a warm and kind-hearted guy and finally, Oliver, a whimsical person of peculiar interests. I find the title misleading since there are not dangerous boyS, but only just one who has the strange allure of something forbidden. The book handles well the secrets as they unfold and it depicts a situation where being lost under the pressure can give way to a newfound you who cannot handle that anymore.
I suppose that is as far as my relatability goes, because many things seemed exactly like dominos; preset in a straight line and everything fell according to the plan as to push the story along and reach a more anticlimatic ending. Despite my lack of true connection with the story or the characters, the writing and pacing, along with some social issues it brought up, were enough to say that I liked the book. Thus, I give it 2.5 stars!
August 28, 2014
3.5 stars
Now is the time to put away childish things...
Listen to our narrator Chloe, dear readers! Put away all childish things such as work, homework and chores--and PICK UP ANY ABIGAIL HAAS BOOK, NOW. Okay, maybe I wasn't the biggest fan of Dangerous Boys, but I can't deny that it is a fantastic book. I just didn't love it as much as I loved Dangerous Girls (my review here).
How can I convince you to read Dangerous Boys?
Chloe, Ethan and Oliver will leave you grasping at the edge of your seat with their raw and intense story. These three characters just have so much depth to them, and you will love them and hate them all at the same time. They'll leave you confused and hanging--but in a good way, of course.
I was actually NOT expecting the book to end the way it did. Neither did I anticipate WHY a certain someone did what s/he did. I can always count on Abigail Haas to turn my brain into jelly.
If you've been looking for a heart-stopping read that will probably cause all of your nails to suddenly shrink because you bit at them too much--Dangerous Boys is what you need. Or you know, either of Abigail Haas' books.
Why the hell did I not give this book 5 stars?
While this book was great in terms of technicalities, I wasn't as invested in the story as I was with Dangerous Girls. Maybe it's because of the length of the book? Was there not enough pages for me to really get into the characters?
Maybe it was because Chloe really turned me off at first--it wasn't until the second half of the book where I was really flipping pages to see how this story ended. Oh, and I thought the romance with Ethan happened too fast and didn't have enough development.
What I'm trying to say is...
READ THIS BOOK. Minor bad points aside, this is worth the read, trust me.
*Thank you very much to Abigail Haas for providing me with an eARC!
February 7, 2017
It shocked me, just how easily he tore apart under that blade: skin slicing open, the fibres of his form splitting apart, gaping red and angry inside. He was always so solid to me, from the moment he sauntered into my life: every limb and sinew flowing together in an indivisible whole; the smile and the walk and the absent-minded gestures. He was a presence, complete.
3.5 stars
That was some seriously fucked up shit. Wow. I think Dangerous Girls is more shocking but this one is definitely just as fucked up. Honestly, wow. This author writes such twisted stories and I absolutely love it. I had a dream last night I went to jail and I completely blame this book (as well as Dangerous Girls).
Okay so basically the entire premise is that there's a fire, Chloe (our MC) is okay but one brother is dead and one is in hospital in critical condition. What happened? So in Dangerous Girls I worked out who was the murderer but, even though there was a 50/50 chance, my predictions were wrong as to who died and who was alive - I thought it was going to be the other way around even though it does make sense why the dead brother was killed.
You're probably thinking why only 3.5 stars? Well, it wasn't as shocking. It was pretty obvious what was going on and who was really responsible. However, I did still really enjoy this. Our characters are much more dark and twisted in this one and omfg I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have "sociopath" written in my notes. Everyone. Is. Mental.
The plot is well crafted and put together and omfg I was completely hooked. I need so many more books from this author. If you haven't picked up anything by this author I'd highly recommend picking up Dangerous Girls first as it's a bigger mind fuck but this one is definitely something I'd still recommend if you're looking for something extremely dark and twisted.
3.5 stars
That was some seriously fucked up shit. Wow. I think Dangerous Girls is more shocking but this one is definitely just as fucked up. Honestly, wow. This author writes such twisted stories and I absolutely love it. I had a dream last night I went to jail and I completely blame this book (as well as Dangerous Girls).
Okay so basically the entire premise is that there's a fire, Chloe (our MC) is okay but one brother is dead and one is in hospital in critical condition. What happened? So in Dangerous Girls I worked out who was the murderer but, even though there was a 50/50 chance, my predictions were wrong as to who died and who was alive - I thought it was going to be the other way around even though it does make sense why the dead brother was killed.
You're probably thinking why only 3.5 stars? Well, it wasn't as shocking. It was pretty obvious what was going on and who was really responsible. However, I did still really enjoy this. Our characters are much more dark and twisted in this one and omfg I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have "sociopath" written in my notes. Everyone. Is. Mental.
The plot is well crafted and put together and omfg I was completely hooked. I need so many more books from this author. If you haven't picked up anything by this author I'd highly recommend picking up Dangerous Girls first as it's a bigger mind fuck but this one is definitely something I'd still recommend if you're looking for something extremely dark and twisted.
February 20, 2015
Dangerous Squirrels. Dangerous Babies. Dangerous Half-Eaten Corn on the Cob. I do not care what the hell Abigail Haas writes next - if it has her name on it, I'll be reading it. I'm already evangelical about Dangerous Girls, and beyond excited that her newest psychological thriller maintains the same thoughtful, slow-building creepiness combined with intriguing character development told through creative non-linear structure.
Chloe is a girl caught between two brothers, both of whom ultimately want to be the good in her rapidly worsening life. The marked difference is that Ethan provides respite in the more traditional sense of being a sweet, attentive, loving boyfriend, while Oliver encourages her to embrace the true, dark nature he sees within her.
What I love about Dangerous Boys is that even as you watch Chloe's moral code shift further and further under Oliver's influence, you can't help understanding and empathizing (or at least sympathizing) with every step of her change - how her life circumstances necessitate an overhaul; how his charisma and fearlessness speak to exactly what she needs; the effects of the exposure of power on someone who's dependent on a failed support system. And even as you know you're effectively observing the evolution of a sociopath, you're left with the unsettling feeling that you understand her...and wonder if that kinda makes you one too.
Somehow, it's not the worst feeling.
As with Dangerous Girls, the closing left me with a huge, admittedly rather twisted smile on my face. I don't know how Haas manages to turn me into such a gleefully evil creature every time, but when you find an author who makes you embrace your inner sociopath, you become a fan for life.
Update 6/9: Have ARC. Suddenly feel need to take a sick day and refuse to re-emerge until I have read this book in its amazing entirety.
Need it. Don't have it. Don't understand this. *weeps*
Chloe is a girl caught between two brothers, both of whom ultimately want to be the good in her rapidly worsening life. The marked difference is that Ethan provides respite in the more traditional sense of being a sweet, attentive, loving boyfriend, while Oliver encourages her to embrace the true, dark nature he sees within her.
What I love about Dangerous Boys is that even as you watch Chloe's moral code shift further and further under Oliver's influence, you can't help understanding and empathizing (or at least sympathizing) with every step of her change - how her life circumstances necessitate an overhaul; how his charisma and fearlessness speak to exactly what she needs; the effects of the exposure of power on someone who's dependent on a failed support system. And even as you know you're effectively observing the evolution of a sociopath, you're left with the unsettling feeling that you understand her...and wonder if that kinda makes you one too.
Somehow, it's not the worst feeling.
As with Dangerous Girls, the closing left me with a huge, admittedly rather twisted smile on my face. I don't know how Haas manages to turn me into such a gleefully evil creature every time, but when you find an author who makes you embrace your inner sociopath, you become a fan for life.
Update 6/9: Have ARC. Suddenly feel need to take a sick day and refuse to re-emerge until I have read this book in its amazing entirety.
Need it. Don't have it. Don't understand this. *weeps*
August 15, 2014
Okay, so I got to about 50% and said fck it. I don't really give a shit.
Minor spoilers ahead. Beware.
I should have realized that it was more of a love triangle. I hate those bitches. Then it was between brothers and that is just gross. So, there is a scene where she shoots a deer, on her first attempt ever, and kills the doe. Riiiight. I mean who kills a deer on their first shotgun attempt? NO ONE. That's who. She then immediately cheats with the brother after he swipes deer blood on her lip and kisses it off. At the point she doesn't vomit all over him, I just decided this book flip the book off, read the end, and head to bed. My first thoughts this morning were how damn disappointing.
Oh, I won't lie. I flipped to the end just to read who she chose. I must have missed the mind fckery but I kind of already thought that was who it would be. *shrugs*
July 11, 2015
I sort of put this down for a while, when I get back in the mood... I find it more fast paced and it put me on the edge of my seat and after finishing it....
Holy. Crap. Abigail Haas did it again!
Goodness, this is BLOODY GENIUS.
The woman who wrote this book is FREAKING GENIUS. I can't believe this.
Dangerous Boys may not be as unpredictable as Dangerous Girls but the story is way darker than I thought. I sort of got it right.. I knew there was something off with one of the characters but I got carried away just like Chloe. It's more intense, psychotic and gruesome. I really enjoyed this and it still shocked me with its twist and turns.
Well done Abigail Haas!
Holy. Crap. Abigail Haas did it again!
Goodness, this is BLOODY GENIUS.
The woman who wrote this book is FREAKING GENIUS. I can't believe this.
Dangerous Boys may not be as unpredictable as Dangerous Girls but the story is way darker than I thought. I sort of got it right.. I knew there was something off with one of the characters but I got carried away just like Chloe. It's more intense, psychotic and gruesome. I really enjoyed this and it still shocked me with its twist and turns.
Well done Abigail Haas!
May 11, 2015
Jesus Christ. I don't even know how to rate this. I feel like this deserves 5 stars because of the originality and the way my mind is right now, the way when it appeared 'the end' at the last page of this book I checked my window to see if I was safe even if this isn't a terror book, the way I am confused right now. But I can't give it 5 stars. I wasn't into it in the beginning and I was pretty confused, as well.
This isn't a normal book, people. This book, if you are not prepared to it, will leave you just like I am right now. I've been reading this for two weeks already, and I finished it right now, like 5 minutes ago, the time it took for me to turn on my computer with shaking hands. I wasn't even going to do it, I told myself. I was tired from a day of studying but then I told myself I deserved some reading, since I didn't read yesterday, as well. And here I am, guys. Damaged.
I was scared of this because we have some main characters. At first, I thought I knew what was going on, who was the 'dangerous boy'. Then, I thought we had two 'dangerous boys'. Then, I wasn't even sure if the 'dangerous boy' was a boy. This book has such a way of making you think, of messing with your head. You think you know, but you don't. You think that is the truth and that is a lie, but really, is it? Are we who we think we are? Or we need a trigger? This was so weird, because with Jasper's dad, in Blood of my blood, I was so certain that if you are born to be a serial killer, you will become one. And that's not even the point, here. But are we really destined to be someone, and we just need a little 'help' to find out?
"It said that we're all irrevocably trapped inside our own minds: just as it's impossible for anyone to truly know us, we can't begin to hope to know anyone else."
This book has such a twist. I mean, I kind of saw what was coming and at the same time I got the characters all mixed up. But this is about what we do if our lives: if we are willing to sacrifice ourselves, basically, for family, or friends, or a boyfriend. If someone you care says you have to jump, will you jump? And what if someone comes close to your ear, from behind, when you are almost jumping, and say that you are not a jumper, that's not who you are. And you realize you're really not a jumper? Your life changes forever.
"You tie up in knots to avoid showing any real emotion; I'm surprised you can function at all."
I won't be able to sleep tonight, I'm positive. There's too much to think, to dread. I haven't even read Dangerous girls yet, but really, is it like this? If so, I would be looking forward but scared at the same time. A light read is the next thing I'm going to read. Maybe something from Kasie West, and then DG. Until then, studying and romantic books call my name ^^
March 7, 2015
So messed up. I LOVE IT. 4.5 stars.
EDIT: http://thedailyprophecy.blogspot.nl/2...
I heard a lot about Dangerous girls, so I added the books on my wish list and didn’t look at it again. Luckily, Ellis send me a copy and right after finishing Dangerous boys I ordered Dangerous girls. What a mind-fuck! I was very satisfied how this story was told and how it tied together in the end.
This story is told in a ‘then’ and ‘now’ perspective. The story starts in the ‘now’ where Chloe is in the hospital. One body is found in a burning cabin, one boy has been brought into the hospital with serious injuries and she is unable to tell what happened.
Most of the book takes place in the ‘then’ where we get to see how Chloe and Ethan get into a relationship. Chloe’s life is a mess. Her plans for the future have changed, she must take care of her unstable mother and she has to juggle several jobs to keep the bills paid. Ethan is the only positive thing in her life, but soon she gets entangled in his brother’s life (Oliver).
From the beginning on I didn’t know how I felt about Chloe. Her character isn’t written to be liked; we simple get to see how she deals with a situation that’s getting out of hand. I didn’t feel connected to her, but I felt pity for her when her life starts to crumble and I was engaged in her life. It was complicated to understand her emotions and decisions, but her unreliable perspective was fascinating. I can’t go too much into details here, but Chloe gets under your skin.
Ethan and Oliver are the complete opposites. Ethan was a bit too sweet for my taste, but Oliver was definitely not my cup of tea, with his bad-boy vibe and brutal way of thinking. I didn’t care for either of the boys, but that’s not what this book is about. There is a certain distant from all the characters, because the story is completely focused on the plot and the mystery about what happened – and better: who survived? I wasn’t let down by the answers and I’m very excited about Dangerous girls.
The last thing I want to share is that this book is filled with beautiful quotes that were spot on. This quote is my favorite: “From the moment you are born, people start folding you and tucking you inside a box of their own design. They dress you up in their own expectations before you even have a chance to understand the constrictions of your fate. That box becomes so cozy and warm, you never really notice that you’re bent double, fighting for room to breathe.”
EDIT: http://thedailyprophecy.blogspot.nl/2...
I heard a lot about Dangerous girls, so I added the books on my wish list and didn’t look at it again. Luckily, Ellis send me a copy and right after finishing Dangerous boys I ordered Dangerous girls. What a mind-fuck! I was very satisfied how this story was told and how it tied together in the end.
This story is told in a ‘then’ and ‘now’ perspective. The story starts in the ‘now’ where Chloe is in the hospital. One body is found in a burning cabin, one boy has been brought into the hospital with serious injuries and she is unable to tell what happened.
Most of the book takes place in the ‘then’ where we get to see how Chloe and Ethan get into a relationship. Chloe’s life is a mess. Her plans for the future have changed, she must take care of her unstable mother and she has to juggle several jobs to keep the bills paid. Ethan is the only positive thing in her life, but soon she gets entangled in his brother’s life (Oliver).
From the beginning on I didn’t know how I felt about Chloe. Her character isn’t written to be liked; we simple get to see how she deals with a situation that’s getting out of hand. I didn’t feel connected to her, but I felt pity for her when her life starts to crumble and I was engaged in her life. It was complicated to understand her emotions and decisions, but her unreliable perspective was fascinating. I can’t go too much into details here, but Chloe gets under your skin.
Ethan and Oliver are the complete opposites. Ethan was a bit too sweet for my taste, but Oliver was definitely not my cup of tea, with his bad-boy vibe and brutal way of thinking. I didn’t care for either of the boys, but that’s not what this book is about. There is a certain distant from all the characters, because the story is completely focused on the plot and the mystery about what happened – and better: who survived? I wasn’t let down by the answers and I’m very excited about Dangerous girls.
The last thing I want to share is that this book is filled with beautiful quotes that were spot on. This quote is my favorite: “From the moment you are born, people start folding you and tucking you inside a box of their own design. They dress you up in their own expectations before you even have a chance to understand the constrictions of your fate. That box becomes so cozy and warm, you never really notice that you’re bent double, fighting for room to breathe.”
April 10, 2017
Aynı zamanda @ Athena'nın Güncesi
Kitabı yorumlamaya nereden başlayacağımı inanın bilmiyorum. Parçaları yerli yerine oturan bir yapboz edasıyla anlatılmış olmasında mı başlamalıyım, yoksa Chloe'nin karakterinin baştan sonra ne kadar değiştiğini, bu değişimin de ne kadar düzgün ve titiz bir şekilde ele alındığından m bahsetmeliyim? Yoksa beklenmedik sonu hakkında iki üç bir şey mi çıtlatmalıyım? ...
- Gençlik kitapları pek bana hitap etmez, o yüzden bu kitaba başlarken bir ön yargı barındırıyordum. Kitap ilerleyen her sayfasıyla bu ön yargıyı ilk önce muntazam dilimlere ayırdı, tek tek yağda kızarttı, sonra da her bir parçayı bana yedirdi. Böyle bir şey beklemiyordum. Kendini okutmakla kalmayıp beni şaşırtmayı da başardı.
- Chloe'nin içinde bulunduğu ruhsal durum, önce Ethan'ın, sonra Oliver'ın resme dahil oluşu, olayların gelişimi ve ilerleyişi; hepsi birbirine çok düzgün bir şekilde bağlandı. Kitap, aklımda hiçbir soru işareti bırakmadan olan biteni toparlayarak bana beklenmedik bir final sundu. Ha kitabın finali yeni sorular oluşturdu, orası ayrı.
Kitabın ilk başından son anına kadar normal, tatlı bir gençlik kitabı olduğunu düşünmemiştim zaten. Kitabın açılış sahnesi bunu düşündürtmeyecek kadar canlı ve hani açık bir şekilde orada olan bir sahneydi. Beklemediğim şey, sanırım, kitabın bir ileri bir geri şeklinde örülerek, bize hem geçmişi hem de o an yaşananları bir uyum halinde sunmasıydı.
Durum böyle olunca, bir yandan "Acaba nasıl sonladı?" diye merak ederken, bir yandan da "Bu noktaya nasıl gelinmiş olabilir?" düşüncesiyle okudum kitabı.
- Karakterleri inandırıcı buldum. Chloe'nin gün geçtikle grileşen dünyası, annesiyle ilgili sıkıntıları yavaş yavaş umursamamaya başlayışı, önce Ethan'la, ardından da Oliver'la tanışması ve vardıkları son. Ethan'ın kişiliği, beklentileri ve bunların Chloe üzerindeki etkisi. Chloe'nin yalnızlığa geri dönme korkusu. Oliver. Oliver'ın... Oliver oluşu. İnsanları, hatta ailesini bile umursamayışı. Anı yaşayışı.
- Ayrıca akıcı, merak uyandırıcı, az biraz gizemli bir dili vardı. Kendini okuttu, merak unsuru benim için bu kadar baskın olmasaydı, yine de okuturdu diye düşünüyorum.
Kitabı yorumlamaya nereden başlayacağımı inanın bilmiyorum. Parçaları yerli yerine oturan bir yapboz edasıyla anlatılmış olmasında mı başlamalıyım, yoksa Chloe'nin karakterinin baştan sonra ne kadar değiştiğini, bu değişimin de ne kadar düzgün ve titiz bir şekilde ele alındığından m bahsetmeliyim? Yoksa beklenmedik sonu hakkında iki üç bir şey mi çıtlatmalıyım? ...
- Gençlik kitapları pek bana hitap etmez, o yüzden bu kitaba başlarken bir ön yargı barındırıyordum. Kitap ilerleyen her sayfasıyla bu ön yargıyı ilk önce muntazam dilimlere ayırdı, tek tek yağda kızarttı, sonra da her bir parçayı bana yedirdi. Böyle bir şey beklemiyordum. Kendini okutmakla kalmayıp beni şaşırtmayı da başardı.
- Chloe'nin içinde bulunduğu ruhsal durum, önce Ethan'ın, sonra Oliver'ın resme dahil oluşu, olayların gelişimi ve ilerleyişi; hepsi birbirine çok düzgün bir şekilde bağlandı. Kitap, aklımda hiçbir soru işareti bırakmadan olan biteni toparlayarak bana beklenmedik bir final sundu. Ha kitabın finali yeni sorular oluşturdu, orası ayrı.
Kitabın ilk başından son anına kadar normal, tatlı bir gençlik kitabı olduğunu düşünmemiştim zaten. Kitabın açılış sahnesi bunu düşündürtmeyecek kadar canlı ve hani açık bir şekilde orada olan bir sahneydi. Beklemediğim şey, sanırım, kitabın bir ileri bir geri şeklinde örülerek, bize hem geçmişi hem de o an yaşananları bir uyum halinde sunmasıydı.
Durum böyle olunca, bir yandan "Acaba nasıl sonladı?" diye merak ederken, bir yandan da "Bu noktaya nasıl gelinmiş olabilir?" düşüncesiyle okudum kitabı.
- Karakterleri inandırıcı buldum. Chloe'nin gün geçtikle grileşen dünyası, annesiyle ilgili sıkıntıları yavaş yavaş umursamamaya başlayışı, önce Ethan'la, ardından da Oliver'la tanışması ve vardıkları son. Ethan'ın kişiliği, beklentileri ve bunların Chloe üzerindeki etkisi. Chloe'nin yalnızlığa geri dönme korkusu. Oliver. Oliver'ın... Oliver oluşu. İnsanları, hatta ailesini bile umursamayışı. Anı yaşayışı.
We walk around trapped in our own subjective consciousness, experiencing the same events through a totally different lens.
- Ayrıca akıcı, merak uyandırıcı, az biraz gizemli bir dili vardı. Kendini okuttu, merak unsuru benim için bu kadar baskın olmasaydı, yine de okuturdu diye düşünüyorum.
June 17, 2015
Edited review:
(graphics by veronique96)
I first read Dangerous Girls and although it's not as mind blowing as the other book, this one WILL ABSOLUTELY MIND-FUCK with your brain and emotions.
If you've ever read Sidney Sheldon's Tell Me Your Dreams, you'll feel exactly the same way with ending with both books. Abigail Haas is the type of author that will make you rip your hair out and gnash your teeth just because she can.
Toast Madam.
(graphics by veronique96)
I first read Dangerous Girls and although it's not as mind blowing as the other book, this one WILL ABSOLUTELY MIND-FUCK with your brain and emotions.
If you've ever read Sidney Sheldon's Tell Me Your Dreams, you'll feel exactly the same way with ending with both books. Abigail Haas is the type of author that will make you rip your hair out and gnash your teeth just because she can.
Toast Madam.
September 24, 2018
That was fucked up, legit bat shit crazy.
April 12, 2015
A mystery that had all the cards. It just put them to waste, laid them in an unclimatic order.
For months and months after being becoming smitten with Haas and her addition to the somewhat lacking psychological thriller branch of YA, I’ve been wording and rewording the same phrase: I can’t wait to get my hands on Dangerous Boys, but I just haven’t had time. Which is, in part, true. But mostly crap if we’re being perfectly honest here. Perhaps it was fear, if we really dig it up. Fear that I’d enter the book with over elevated expectations. And I guess I thought time would cure it, as they say. But that’s utter bullshit, in my opinion. Because time only hyped and hyped it up and two pages into the book, it became clear that I wasn’t going to be swayed by Dangerous Boys.
I guess Dangerous Boys lost itself in the fact that you can’t repeat a winning concept and expect it to wow the same audience. I guess Haas was trying for consistency but I was getting real bored, quick. Dangerous Girls did the whole Before and Now concept. And it did it well. There was a real investigative tone, a sense of urgency to the Now period. That’s what Boys lacked. Perhaps it was me, but the present was rather lacklustre. There was a real sense of disconnection between the characters and the whole situation that they dug themselves into. And quite frankly, when the characters can barely give a fuck, how do you expect me to?
Dangerous Boys was selfish. Which is saying something coming from the most selfish person on earth. I kid. But seriously, what do I mean by that? The plot that Boys attempted to capitalise from just oozed a tad too much selfishness. I couldn’t pinpoint her motives. And in that sense, it was a rather less plausible than the plot of the first book (which hey ho, is quite the statement considering the first plot wasn’t all too happens every second day—or at least I clearly and dearly hope not). It was a hindrance to my experience. I guess there was no thrill.
I’ve got to stop believing that once one thing’s a hit, everything else will follow suit. Haas’ first got to me, her second got me to sleep. I guess you can’t have them all. Dangerous Boys tried (don’t they all) but unfortunately, you’ve got one disinterested fan.
August 5, 2014
4.5/5
Wow! Abigail Haas sure knows how to write a good thriller book. Dangerous Boys was everything that I could ask for and more! There was a teensy bit of a doubt in my head that I wouldn't enjoy Dangerous Boys as much as I enjoyed Dangerous Girls, but obviously I was proven wrong. Abigail Haas can write a grocery list and I'm still going to read it. She is a undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with in the YA mystery genre.
The beauty in Haas' novels is that you think you know exactly what is going on from the get go, but you really don't. You think you know exactly who did what and how everything happened, but as the story progresses clues are strewn across that completely throw you off balance and make you gasp out loud because you don't see them coming. This was also the case with Dangerous Boys and I loved it. I loved the feeling of confusion and doubt that I was overwhelmed with because it made me want to become even more invested in the story line. The feelings of uncertainty and doubt throughout the read is what made this such a phenomenal book. The author makes you question every doubt and suspicion you have and you are never entirely sure of the outcome until the very end. Even at the end, she had me jumping out in surprise. She is that brilliant! It's a psychological thriller at its best and I honestly couldn't get enough of it. It's hard to divulge into the plot line because of spoilers and because it's best that you go into the book without knowing much about it so that you can wind up feeling as invested as I was in the plot.
The characters were also fantastic. Abigail Haas is phenomenal at fleshing out characters and showing their true self gradually over the course of the book. Chloe, Ethan and Oliver were all incredibly well-written. I loved how you could never really trust either of these characters. Another wonderful aspect of Haas' writing is that she makes you feel for the characters, even the guilty party. Chloe was especially an easy character to become attached to. It was easy to sympathize with her because she not only had to push off college, which she was looking forward to, for a year, but she also had to look after her unstable mother. Her only bright light in all this was meeting Ethan. But her life unravels when she ends up meeting Oliver, Ethan's older brother. It was a love triangle gone wrong. The book is told in three different time lines : in the past, during the incident and after the incident. Now, normally, that would irritate me, but Haas made it work. In fact, I thought the narration actually made the book stronger because I found myself flipping the pages until the early hours of the morning, wanting to find out what exactly was going on with these three kids. I don't regret the droopiness I had to go through the next day at work one bit.
I'm keeping this review on the shorter side because I don't want to give out anything. This is a book that everyone needs to experience and go in blind into. Dangerous Boys was twisted, all kinds of messed up, but ultimately the kind of book that will blow your mind into smithereens. If you haven't read Dangerous Girls yet, do yourself a favor, go buy it right away, because you haven't read a brilliant YA mystery/thriller book yet.
Wow! Abigail Haas sure knows how to write a good thriller book. Dangerous Boys was everything that I could ask for and more! There was a teensy bit of a doubt in my head that I wouldn't enjoy Dangerous Boys as much as I enjoyed Dangerous Girls, but obviously I was proven wrong. Abigail Haas can write a grocery list and I'm still going to read it. She is a undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with in the YA mystery genre.
The beauty in Haas' novels is that you think you know exactly what is going on from the get go, but you really don't. You think you know exactly who did what and how everything happened, but as the story progresses clues are strewn across that completely throw you off balance and make you gasp out loud because you don't see them coming. This was also the case with Dangerous Boys and I loved it. I loved the feeling of confusion and doubt that I was overwhelmed with because it made me want to become even more invested in the story line. The feelings of uncertainty and doubt throughout the read is what made this such a phenomenal book. The author makes you question every doubt and suspicion you have and you are never entirely sure of the outcome until the very end. Even at the end, she had me jumping out in surprise. She is that brilliant! It's a psychological thriller at its best and I honestly couldn't get enough of it. It's hard to divulge into the plot line because of spoilers and because it's best that you go into the book without knowing much about it so that you can wind up feeling as invested as I was in the plot.
The characters were also fantastic. Abigail Haas is phenomenal at fleshing out characters and showing their true self gradually over the course of the book. Chloe, Ethan and Oliver were all incredibly well-written. I loved how you could never really trust either of these characters. Another wonderful aspect of Haas' writing is that she makes you feel for the characters, even the guilty party. Chloe was especially an easy character to become attached to. It was easy to sympathize with her because she not only had to push off college, which she was looking forward to, for a year, but she also had to look after her unstable mother. Her only bright light in all this was meeting Ethan. But her life unravels when she ends up meeting Oliver, Ethan's older brother. It was a love triangle gone wrong. The book is told in three different time lines : in the past, during the incident and after the incident. Now, normally, that would irritate me, but Haas made it work. In fact, I thought the narration actually made the book stronger because I found myself flipping the pages until the early hours of the morning, wanting to find out what exactly was going on with these three kids. I don't regret the droopiness I had to go through the next day at work one bit.
I'm keeping this review on the shorter side because I don't want to give out anything. This is a book that everyone needs to experience and go in blind into. Dangerous Boys was twisted, all kinds of messed up, but ultimately the kind of book that will blow your mind into smithereens. If you haven't read Dangerous Girls yet, do yourself a favor, go buy it right away, because you haven't read a brilliant YA mystery/thriller book yet.
November 8, 2017
Wow. Was this that good or have I just read too many disappointing fantasy books lately?
Me from the future:
I've been thinking about this book so much and I'm hovering between 4 and 4.5 stars. I didn't love it quite as much as Dangerous Girls but it was pretty damn close and I expected to like it less anyway.
There isn't much I can say without spoiling anything but I can say this: Abigail Haas is an actual wizard when it comes to time jumps. This novel alternates between three timelines instead of two, yet it's thrilling without being the least bit confusing. One tells the story linearly from the beginning, one takes place during the house fire, and the third is set at the hospital after the fire. The way it weaves together has you turning the pages like a beast hungry for answers.
Abigail writes these amazing flawed characters, and you never know if they are good or bad until the end. But she does it in a manner that makes you want them to be bad, and also hope that they get away with it too. She is without a doubt my favorite YA mystery/thriller author and I know I will immediately devour any novel she puts out in the future.
Me from the future:
I've been thinking about this book so much and I'm hovering between 4 and 4.5 stars. I didn't love it quite as much as Dangerous Girls but it was pretty damn close and I expected to like it less anyway.
There isn't much I can say without spoiling anything but I can say this: Abigail Haas is an actual wizard when it comes to time jumps. This novel alternates between three timelines instead of two, yet it's thrilling without being the least bit confusing. One tells the story linearly from the beginning, one takes place during the house fire, and the third is set at the hospital after the fire. The way it weaves together has you turning the pages like a beast hungry for answers.
Abigail writes these amazing flawed characters, and you never know if they are good or bad until the end. But she does it in a manner that makes you want them to be bad, and also hope that they get away with it too. She is without a doubt my favorite YA mystery/thriller author and I know I will immediately devour any novel she puts out in the future.
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