May 6, 2014

Dangerous Girls - Abigail Haas

Dangerous Girls - Abigail Haas
Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: July 16, 2013
Source/Format: Gifted by Hannah (Thanks!) || ARC

It's Spring Break of senior year. Anna, her boyfriend Tate, her best friend Elise, and a few other close friends are off to a debaucherous trip to Aruba that promises to be the time of their lives. But when Elise is found brutally murdered, Anna finds herself trapped in a country not her own, fighting against vile and contemptuous accusations. 

As Anna sets out to find her friend's killer; she discovers hard truths about her friendships, the slippery nature of truth, and the ache of young love.

As she awaits the judge's decree, it becomes clear that everyone around her thinks she is not just guilty, but dangerous. When the truth comes out, it is more shocking than one could ever imagine... (from Goodreads)

If you are in search of a read that will end with your jaw dropping in shock, an incessant desire to toss this book at the wall or pound it against the floor, or even just the declaration of “what the eff” feelings, Dangerous Girls could very well be that book.

Dangerous Girls is the kind of book that you simply cannot put down once you’ve started. The crime in question (Elise’s murder) has dire consequences for the person who will wind up convicted, and all eyes are on Anna, Elise’s best friend. The novel quickly descends into chaos, complete with multiple suspects, alibis and motives, and the reader is caught up in the swirling torrent in an attempt to figure out who really committed the crime.

There are two things that really stand out: the intense character emotions and the clever storytelling.
Each character in this novel feels everything with a strong, clear intensity. There is a little bit of everything here – anticipation, happiness, sorrow, anger, anxiety, guilt, numbness. While it was tough to contemplate being in any character’s particular position, that in no way prevent my empathy and understanding of their emotional experiences.

But what I really wound up loving best about Dangerous Girls is how cleverly Haas tells the story. The chapters jump around between past and present, giving readers a bit more insight into all of the characters (including Elise herself). I never felt lost at all, since each moment was simply connected to the ongoing plot of the quest to find Elise’s killer. There are many things revealed in many chapters, everything from feelings to motives to relationships to alibis, and I am still in awe of how Haas makes it all fit together by the end.

Dangerous Girls is a dangerously (pun intended) addicting read. The desire to see things through and find out who killed Elise is strong motivation to keep turning the pages, and it won’t be surprising to find your suspicions changing with every chapter. Smartly written, impossible to put down, I’m certainly joining the chorus of Dangerous Girls fans to highly recommend this novel.

[Quick note: Estelle was the first person to recommend this novel to me last year, followed by Hannah (who gave me the ARC) and, most recently, Racquel. Considering that I trust the opinions of these three ladies, it’s no surprise that I kind of want to kick myself in the butt for not reading it sooner.]

8 Comments:

  1. I'm so glad you enjoyed this book! What I love about Abigil Haas was that she kept us on our toes. I could never really guess what was going to happen and she had me suspecting everyone at one point or another! When everything was revealed, I almost missed it! It was so subtle, I had to go back and read it and then I was like, how did I not see that? Anyway, great review! :)

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    1. I'm looking forward to doing a reread when I actually own a copy of the book! I seriously had no idea where the story was going to take me next, and I LOVED that so, so much. Her writing was so clever, and incredibly spot on!

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  2. So glad you loved! I also loved this one!! I read it in one sitting, couldn't put it down. :) The back and forth between past and present was also one of my favorites because you could TRY to piece together what you think happened. :) I recommend this one to people all the time! Haha, totally made my fiance's mom read it when we were in Cancun last Christmas. I thought it would put her more in the story being on a tropical beach! haha

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    1. I absolutely agree about the switch between past and present! It totally added to the overall mystery, and I was seriously thrown off so many times by so many little incidents. And I hope that your fiance's mom wound up enjoying it!

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  3. I feel like all signs are pointing to me needing to read this book. It keeps popping up everywhere and people rave about it. Surely this is a sign to me. :)

    Glad you enjoyed this one!

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    1. I'm thinking you definitely should read Dangerous Girls! It's so, so good. If you're looking for a book with clever writing and story structure, this is a great example!

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  4. I don't read a ton of murder mysteries but I know I need to read this one at some point. I've heard nothing but good things about this. And I love when books leave me reeling at the end!

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    1. I really hope you get a chance to read Dangerous Girls! I was certainly not expecting to get as invested in it as I did, but I'm glad that I had the same stellar reading experience other people did.

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