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Thursday, June 29, 2017

Dangerous Girls

Dangerous Girls

I had heard a lot about this book prior to reading it and it definitely lived up to the hype. It's a mystery about a group of teens who go to Aruba and what happens after one of them- Elise- ends up dead. Anna is accused of the crime and finds herself alone and abandoned while her case goes to trial. Everyone turns against her, or so it seems, other than her father and her lawyer. It's not entirely clear if all of her friends have turned against her or if they've just been shepherded away by their parents- most of the teens come from wealthy families- but Anna has a pretty tough time being stranded and accused.

Anna and Elise were best friends, and along with Anna's boyfriend Tate and a few others, they went to Aruba to have fun. Things don't always go according to plan though and little chinks in the relationships start to show themselves- I wasn't always sure if what I was reading was the truth. The story is told from Anna's perspective, but we get snippets of police transcripts and some of her friends have to testify at her trial. It's probably not a surprise that some people have differing accounts of the events than Anna does. I liked Anna and felt for her, and yet constantly wondered is she telling the truth? Are her friends?

I pretty much believed Anna and it seems pretty obvious that the police have botched the investigation. Serious crimes like this are rare in Aruba and the cops did not seem prepared, nor did they handle the crime scene properly. Anna seems to be getting railroaded and other suspects were ignored or not handled properly. Why is the prosecutor out for Anna? And what really happened to Elise? The story starts off with a bang as the teens have just discovered the body and called emergency responders. I seriously had a hard time putting this one down- several bloggers had told me it was a fast read, and they were right. I sailed through this book.

I was a little surprised that the trial played such a big role in the story. I thought Anna was going to get out and then her and the others would somehow investigate, but instead Anna is in jail for most of this and the investigation plays out around her. That's not a complaint though, it's just different from what I was expecting. The tension stayed pretty constant throughout and there were times when I was mad at the police and mad at the media for the way they seemed to characterize Anna as guilty before she was even convicted. I think the author is taking the opportunity to make the reader think about how blown out of proportion little things from the past can be when suddenly one is in the media spotlight.

And I have to mention the twists. A book like this of course has a twist and this one got me pretty good. I mean of the different scenarios that were possible I had considered this one, but when it happened I was still wowed. All I can say is if you want a fast- paced YA with some twists and turns this is a great choice.

39 comments:

  1. YAY! Glad you enjoyed this one. I loved it and was sucked in and surprised with the twist too. Great review!!

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    1. Tha twist GOT me! Even though I knew it was a possibility I was floored the way it happened. :)

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  2. Wow, this sounds so intense! That's one of my worst nightmares, something terrible happening while in another country, because you never know how it will be handled. Adding this to my TBR, great review!!

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    1. This was pretty intense, and a killer twist! And it is scary, thinking of going overseas and being vulnerable!

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  3. Sounds like a really good read. I know my library has this one because I've seen it on the shelves. I'll have to grab it next time!

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  4. Ohh I like a good twist. I jsut read a book with one and was all damn!

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  5. Wow. I had not even heard of this book before, but you can bet it's on my to be read list now!

    Great review.

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    1. Yay- hope you get a chance to read it. :)

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  6. I'm so rarely surprised by twists so this sounds like a good one!

    For What It's Worth

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    1. I was kinda waiting for the twist and it still kinda surprised me. Which surprised me!

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  7. Wow.. This sounds like a great read. I love books with twists that keep you sitting on the edge of your seat! I'll definitely put this one on my TBR.
    By the way, I nominated your blog Book Haven for the Mid-Year Freakout book tag! No obligations!! But if your interested, you can find the post on my blog today! ;)

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    1. Thanks Maureen! I'll be over to check it out. :)

      And this was a good read- the twist was awesome!!

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  8. Great review, Greg. I've been to Aruba (a long time ago) and might give this one a go if my library offers up a copy.

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    1. I hope you like it! I haven't been to Aruba yet...

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  9. I remember reading this a couple of years ago. Talk about unlikeable characters and plot twists. I still need to read Dangerous Boys.

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    1. Exactly. These people were a mess. :) After reading this I'm very curious about dangerous Boys!

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  10. Got this one on my summer reading list. So glad you liked it and I'm so curious about that twist!

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  11. And here it is again!! The universe is telling me that I have to read this book, because I have read at least 10 posts containing it. And then you write this awesome review. =)

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    1. Ha ha I know what you mean. Some books just seem to call to us. And thanks! It is a pretty good book.

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  12. Ooh, sounds interesting! I didn't really know what the plot was about, actually, I just liked the cover hahah. Thanks for the review! I'm kind of intrigued that a good chunk of the book is about the trial that takes place.

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    1. Ha ha it's a murder mystery thriller basically. I didn't know either, I just knew a lot of people said read it, and then I finally did- worth the wait!

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  13. This sounds like a cross between Amanda Knox and Natalie Holloway but not so much like it that it gets creepy. Glad this lived up to its potential because it sounds amazing! You know I'm not much of a YA reader but this sounds like one I'd enjoy.

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    1. Exactly, in fact for the longest time I thought of those two cases and that made me less likely to want to read it since I generally avoid books w/ those kind of real life connotations. But... this was really good. I think you would like it.

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  14. I've been seeing this book around a lot lately, and I'm happy to hear that it's such a compelling read! I definitely want to check it out now!

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  15. Yes, this was one messed up book. I spent so much time raging at like, every person in Aruba, and then... well, you know. I loved that it picked pieces from real life stories, too- because it seems a lot more personal if you've heard of the story before, and I feel like the author used just enough real life references to pull at the heartstrings, but not too many as too be cheapened. Definitely the best twisty book I have read. Great review, I am glad it lived up to the hype for you!!

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    1. I know! That's what I mean, I was PISSED and then... wow. Okat then. VERY twisty and I was expecting to be twisted (ha ha) and she STILL got me. It definitely lived up to the hype!

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  16. The concept of the book sounds decent but I'm not a big fan of reading or watching trials. Glad you enjoyed it though!

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  17. YAY you read it!!! So exciting!! And I agree-- I totally thought of that twist as a possibility, but I had myself convinced it was something else by the time I got there, so I was very surprised!! And creeped out. So glad you liked it!

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  18. This reminds me of With Malice -- which was awesome. Need to check this out to see how it compares.

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  19. Interesting with her being in jail for a big chunk of it. Kind of reminds me of the real case years and years ago of a teen who vanished while on vacation down there.

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  20. Wow, poor Anna! That's cool though that the different characters kind of give different stories since I imagine no two people ever have the same Story in real life either. This does sound like a pretty interesting, twisty read!

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  21. I hadn't heard of this until the first time you showed it and it has really got my attention.

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  22. I saw everyone rave about this book and then it fell off of my radar. I was actually contemplating removing it from my TBR and then I saw your review. Turns out I should be reading this. I've added it to my long library list of books I need to borrow and I will hopefully enjoy. Glad to see the twists and turns of this one kept you hooked throughout.

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  23. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this one. It almost makes me want to like murder mysteries. :)

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  24. I don't know how I've missed this! Sounds like a great summertime mystery. :)

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