Liz Currently Loves…..Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas.

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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 harsh revelations about her friendships, the slippery nature of truth, and the ache of young love.

Awaiting the judge’s decree, it becomes clear to Anna that everyone around her thinks she is not only guilty, but also dangerous.

This book is an interesting one to be sure…having read some mixed reviews I was very intrigued to find out for myself what all the fuss was about.

As you know I do love a clever book and this one was – on the surface, a simple story of vapid teenagers with more money than sense, partying hard until tragedy strikes and throws them all into turmoil..but underneath the glossy surface is a multi layered tale of love, betrayal and murder with a psychological twist.

Told from Anna’s point of view, covering the events leading up to the death of her best friend Elise and the aftermath, the story unfolding is compelling and addictive – not least because of the characters themselves. Abigail Haas has given them all a psychological depth not often found in teen fiction and has woven a cautionary tale into the narrative about the intensity and hidden facets of the relationships we form and the obsessive nature of such things. Throw into the mix drugs, drink and secrets and its not surprising really that things go horribly wrong.

Inspiration has very obviously been taken from real life events, several of them, and this works very well because you kind of think you know the story – it lifts the reading experience into an almost “documentary” style feel, as if this is, in fact, a true tale. As Anna fights to prove her innocence in the face of almost impossible odds you will be clinging on by the fingernails with her – as she says ” Wouldn’t we all look guilty, if someone searched hard enough?

Well yes, we would. The most mundane actions can seem sinister when looked at from a place of suspicion, another thing that the author has managed to convey superbly.  Along with a one track mindset from the police and the media turning the crime into a movie for the masses its a wonder that any justice system ever works…what Abigail Haas has done is made me wonder how many guilty,  OR innocent for that matter, verdicts we hear about in the real world headlines are actually indicative of what actually happened.

So yes, this is a mystery story aimed at the YA audience, with some very adult themes at its heart and is superbly written and laid out. The solution is right there in front of you folks, whether you see it coming or not, the experience of getting there will be worth it.

Happy Reading Folks!

 

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3 Responses to Liz Currently Loves…..Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas.

  1. Mollydee says:

    Great Review! I am putting this on my To Read list. I am not a fan of YA, but if it is done right, I am. This sounds like it is intense, but very good. Thank you for the review.

  2. Mollydee says:

    ps would you recommend this? I am still doing my A-Z list and I would not have known about the book if it was not for you!

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