Becca Fitzpatrick

After witnessing a murder, high school senior Stella Gordon is sent to Nebraska for her own safety where she chafes at her protection, but when she meets Chet Falconer it becomes harder for her to keep her guard up, and soon she has to deal with the real threat to her life as her enemies are actually closer than she thinks.

Dangerous Lies

nina 

** spoiler alert **
           3.5 stars
**SPOILERS FOR THE END***

Okay, so there is less than 10 pages left and I'm thinking: Oh no, she is gonna get shot and the author is gonna kill of the main character. And then i thought they are both gonna get shot and they are both gonna get killed off and then I thought only Chet was gonna get shot. And then you don't see it and Stella thinks he was shot but actually Carmina shot the bad guy, like good shot Carmina, and everyone lives.
Except for Trigger.
And the hit man.
And possibly Reed???
And the lots of others before the book even starts

The protagonist says and thinks a lot of stupid stuff and it annoyed me how quick she jumped from/ no longer cared about Reed to Chet. And we are supposed to change ships. I found it irritating how she justifies how Chet is so much better for her than Reed is- with no solid evidence- for no other reason than to try and make the readers hate Reed. I HATE WHEN THAT HAPPENS IN BOOKS WHEN THE AUTHOR TRIES TO JUMP THE MAIN CHARACTER FROM LOVE INTEREST TO LOVE INTEREST #2. However, I looked past annoying characters because of the plotline. I usually love character driven books over the plot-driven books, but I didn't like the characters in this book, so I only had the plot. By plot I mean, the main premise for this book was interesting, but Stella's at first humourous, but actually really annoying antagonistic attitude about everything, and the nitty-gritty details of the story didn't cut it for me. Now when I think about it, I should give this 3 stars, but whatever. 

This was a quick read and I enjoyed the writing style, but reading from the protagonist's perspective was so tiresome. Also, we don't really get any closure, the book sort of just cuts off. This is why I don't generally read stand alone books.

The cover is a little deceiving but no matter what you expect when you look at it, you'll be pleasantly surprised. A good YA country summer love filled with betrayal and backstop, with a plot twist that I didn't see coming. 

Taiha Morton

Zoe feeke

Chantale

I seriously could not finish this book. I tried but it just didn't do it for me.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

3.5 stars!

 THE STORY: 

  Lisa
: Going into this book I was under the impression it was going to be an edge-of-your-seat thriller, similar to Black Ice, which I really enjoyed. Immediately I became aware that this read much more like a contemporary story... which just so happens to be my favorite genre, so to me this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It just wasn't what I was expecting.
 

  

 
Stella has witnessed a violent crime involving her mother, and is now in the witness protection program. She's forbidden from having any contact with anyone from her past, excluding her mother. Her mother, however, is in a treatment facility due to a substance abuse problem, so Stella's desire to talk to and see her mother is non-existent.

A majority of this story is told similar to a contemporary YA read. We get to see Stella making a name for herself in this small Nebraska town, meeting new people, and even building great relationships with some of the towns people. The story does get pretty intense, however, toward the end of the book when things go from bad to worse.


  Becca
: Like Lisa, I also thought that Dangerous Lies was going to have more suspense and danger. Once we realized that this was really more of a contemporary read I was ok with it, but a bit disappointed because I was expecting something different.

The thriller/suspense part of the story really only came in the final chapters of the novel and because I felt as though I had been waiting the entire book for it, it was wrapped up a bit too quickly for my liking.

I did however enjoy the contemporary story and thought it was very sweet, with a warm hometown feeling that I enjoyed.

 
 THE CHARACTERS: 

  Lisa
: Stella got on my nerves quite a bit in the beginning of this story. She had a HUGE chip on her shoulder and took it out on EVERYONE! Her caretaker, Caramina, got the brunt of it, which I felt was extremely undeserved and had trouble understanding where she was coming from with all of his displaced anger on the one person who was doing their best to help her.

Chet, however, I liked pretty instantly. Stella meets him right away, and his friendliness and charm draw her in at first sight. No, don't worry... this is not a case of insta-love, thankfully. They start with just a friendship, and I really enjoyed the time they spent together, watching their relationship grow. How can you not fall for the handsome cowboy?
 

  

 

  Becca
: I felt very similarly about Stella as Lisa did at the beginning. I was a bit shocked at how rude and disrespectful she was and it kind of bugged me. But Becca Fitzpatrick did a good job with her character growth throughout the novel and I liked her more by the end.

I also instantly liked Chet, this handsome, rugged and kind hometown boy instantly captured my heart. He was so thoughtful and understanding, the mistakes that he had made in his past caused him to grow up fast but he was a better person for it.

The romance between Stella and Chet built slowly and I really enjoyed the friendship they shared before as Stella learned to put her past (and her ex) behind her.

There were a few secondary characters that were also important to the story, including Stella's caretaker Caramina. She was stern but caring and I really liked her. There was also the local entitled troublemaker Trigger who Stella makes an enemy out of right off the bat. Stella's ex Reed is also mentioned a lot but we don't know very much about him. Each of these characters plays an important part in the novel.

 
 TO SUM UP: 

  Lisa
: Though this wasn't exactly what I had thought it would be, I was overall pleased with this story. It didn't "thrill" me like I had expected, but it did entertain me and help my attention throughout. It reminded me quite a bit of Nicholas Sparks' Safe Haven (the movie, not the book. I haven't read the book.) The characters were good, the story was enjoyable, and the intensity was there strong toward the final chapters. Another satisfying read from Becca Fitzpatrick. If you enjoyed Black Ice, I'd recommend giving this one a try.


  Becca
: I completely agree with Lisa on the Safe Haven comparison, I read the book and watched the movie and noticed some similarities as I read this.

Although this was not what I was expecting either, I did enjoy it. The ending definitely had the suspense and thrilling aspect that I was hoping for. I am a fan of Becca Fitzpatrick and have read the entire Hush Hush Saga as well as Black Ice. Each novel has been very different from the ones before it and I have enjoyed each one of them. I am excited to read more by her in the future!

(Thanks to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for the review copy!)

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Dangerous Lies

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