Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas

"Wouldn't we all look guilty, if someone searched hard enough?"

Dangerous Girls is a contemporary mystery thriller. It's the story of Anna, a girl who is away in Aruba for Spring Break with a group of friends, when one morning they find her best friend Elise stabbed to death in her room. Anna is immediately labelled as the prime suspect. The book follows Anna's desperate attempts to prove her innocence, and as the mystery is unravelled further, it grows clear that some members of the group are hiding things from the night of Elise's murder... 

Angharad:

Okay, I just read this book in one sitting and now my eyeball hurts. I am in too much shock to form a coherent review so I'll do some bullet points. Okay? Good.

- THE COMPLEXITY OF TEENAGE GIRLS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS. Were Anna and Elise more than just friends? Probably. Does it matter? No. I think we will all have our opinions about the nature of their relationship but deep down, it is two girls with an obsession with each other. And obviously, if you've read the book, obsession isn't always a good thing. 

- The entire justice system. I wanted to scream because it couldn't be real but at the same time, yes it is. We see this happen in real life, like Anna says, it is all like a well-constructed play and everybody has their parts. It doesn't always matter whether a person is innocent or guilty. Also the whole media coverage?? It really makes you think how much is real.

- Anna is such a complex character? I can't get too much into my thoughts about her because she is just one big mystery but woah, her character was so amazing to read. She was so unpredictable and also relatable to me. 

- Overall, this is a book that you will start and within a few pages, will become hooked by. I just wanted to get to the end (in a good way) so I could find out what happened. The novel includes transcripts, phone logs and even a floor plan which makes you feel so much more immersed in the story and trial itself. I haven't previously read any of Abigail Haas' work before but I definitely will from now on. I'm so annoyed that this book has been on my shelf for so long. 

- Go and read it!

- But prepare to have your mind blown!

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Becky:

Dangerous Girls is such a compelling read. I loved this book so much that I finished it in just a few hours - it drags you in and keeps you captivated throughout its entirety. I couldn't put it down as I had to know who had killed Elise - I really couldn't concentrate on anything else until I'd found out! Then, when I did find out, I was so shocked but at the same time, so happy. This book had such a perfect ending.  Everything about this book was so complex, from Anna and Elise's relationship and what their possessiveness over each other entailed, to Anna's character in itself. I loved the way that the story unfolded, starting with Elise's death, and how the reader was allowed to see more and more of 'behind the scenes' and flashback moments as the book went on, as well as floor plans of the holiday home and other pieces of evidence used in the trial. It allowed you to form your opinion on each character and on who committed the murder, change those opinions constantly as the book went on, and then have your mind completely blown when you reach the end and find out that everything you thought you'd worked out in this book was a lie. I can't recommend Dangerous Girls enough - I'm not always a fan of contemporaries, but this beautiful little contemporary mystery-thriller just blew me away. I can't wait to read Dangerous Boys!

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Have you read Dangerous Girls? Let us know what you think of it in the comments! 

Angharad's May Reads

May was probably the slowest reading month for me. After completing A Court of Mist and Fury, I entered a huge reading slump and I'm still not completely out of it. I'm just focusing on reading books I know I will enjoy. In the month of May, I got a tattoo dedicated to the Night Court and Becky and I got sent some amazing arcs from some very kind publishers. I completed ten books in total.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

(by J.K. Rowling)

I continued with my reread of the Harry Potter series. Despite now being the grand old age of nineteen, my love for these books hasn't faded. I loved them as much as I did when I first read them. I cry at the same parts every time, it's so annoying. Also, who has seen the new cast members for the Cursed Child play?? Aren't they wonderful? Anyway, I gave each of these 5/5 stars.

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A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

What can I say? This book was everything to me. I found my home in the Night Court with Rhys and his inner circle, I was so happy when Feyre escaped from an abusive relationship and all the new characters were a breath of fresh air. I love the world Sarah has created and I really can't wait for the third book to be released. Feyre and Rhysand are proof that two people can love each other desperately and yet still maintain a healthy and equal relationship. Despite only giving ACOTAR two stars, I gave this one 5/5!

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

I decided to come out my comfort zone and read a summery, contemporary. Everyone immediately consults Morgan Matson for this genre so I decided to check out this one. It follows the story of Emily who after discovers her best friend, Sloane has left town but she has left Emily a list of things to do throughout the summer. It's a story of friendship, self-confidence and love. I did enjoy it but I only gave it a 3/5 stars purely because I'm just not a summery, contemporary person. (I suck, I know!) (Full review here)

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Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas

This one has been sat on my shelf for a long time and as I was doing my daily staring-at-shelf-thing, I decided to pick it up. I completed it in one sitting, no lie! It tells the story of a bunch of teenagers who go away on holiday only to discover one of their number, Elise has been brutally murdered. Our protagonist, Anna, is the main suspect but could she really have been involved in killing her best friend? This book will blow your mind and then set it on fire. So many twists and turns, I would definitely recommend it and I rated it 5/5 stars!

Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman

When I saw both the cover and the description to this book, I immediately bought it on Amazon, received it the next day and read it in one sitting. That sounds good, right? Nope. Not today, Satan. I really didn't like this book. I rated it one star out of five and I definitely wouldn't recommend it. It follows the story of Hannah who after meeting 'bad girl' Lacey, basically becomes her puppet. Lacey changes Hannah's name and makes her a completely different person. This book has no plot, no meaning and was a definite waste of my money. Full review here!

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This Savage Song by V.E. Schwab

We were kindly sent this book by Titan Books in exchange for an honest review which we have posted here. This story follows what the world would look like if monsters were born from violence. Our two protagonists, Kate and August, find themselves coming together against a threat yet being very different people. It's brilliant, it's thrilling and it's out now so go and get a copy!

Cruel Reality by C.J. Whitley

We were sent this novel by its author in exchange for an honest review. It follows the story of Mike and Kay, two of three hundred British people who have been kidnapped only to be made to star on a deadly, reality television show where they must fight other camps to the death. It has a lot of elements from The Hunger Games and Lord of the Flies. Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. Mike was a very sexist character and when he wasn't being sexist, he was being very pompous. Kay had little character, she just spent her time running around behind Mike. This book wasn't for me however I think it could have been better if it was cut in half, there were far too many filler pages.

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Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow

We were kindly sent this novel by the publisher in exchange for an honest review which I will be posting fully on the blog soon. We follow Charlie as we meet her in a rehabilitation centre after she tried to commit suicide. With the help of some other girls there, she is eventually released into the outside world. She finds a job, learns how to cope and faces her past. She meets some people along the way that remind her good people do exist. It was a heartbreaking book but it was necessary. My heart ached for Charlie and I was so proud of her. 5/5 stars - make sure you check it out when it is released on September 6th.

The Girl in 6E by A.R. Torre

I went into this book not expecting to like it. I'm not a huge fan of erotica but this was also marketed as a thriller which I am a fan of. I was so pleasantly surprised. We meet Deanna who is a sex-cam worker with a troubled past. Not only that but she is unable to leave her apartment because if she does, she'll kill someone. Yeah, we all occasionally have to urge to kill somebody but Deanna has more than an urge. Upon meeting a client, she learns of his sick fantasies as he asks her to act as a young girl called Annie. Deanna must bury all her tendencies and help when she finds out that Annie is a real person and must be helped. It was fast-paced, it was informative about a career I knew nothing about and I loved Deanna. I would definitely recommend it and I flew through it. 4.5/5 stars!