Dangerous Boys

If you didn't know, although I have said it a million times, I loved Dangerous Girls! It was mind-blowing, mind-boggling read and I absolutely loved the whole book. Haas is a seriously talented author and I knew instantly that she would be an author I would be following from then on. So when Dangerous Boys became available on Netgalley, I knew I just had to have it! Even better, I got to do another buddy read with Amanda over at Book Badger.

I am always honest in my reviews, so I will admit that Dangerous Girls is my favourite of the two. But Dangerous Boys gave me everything I had been looking for from this read. It kept me guessing and had me questioning myself so much that it was hard to keep up with my own theories. It had me so engrossed in the story that I read it in one sitting and stayed up way later than I should have. It gives you characters you can obsess over in your head because they're so complex that it's hard to figure them out.

Basically me for the entire book.

Dangerous Girls was all about figuring out who the killer was in the story, where as Dangerous Boys takes a different approach. From the very beginning we know that Chloe makes it out of a burning house alive and that she drags one of the Reznick brothers with her but, for the longest time, we have no idea which brother she chose to save. As the story unfolds we begin to see how Chloe became a part of the Reznick boys lives and how they all came to be in the house that night. Haas isn't one to give too much away though and I was left staying up until the early hours of the morning so that I could finally find out what the hell had happened.

Total bad boy alert! This book was dark and the characters were so twisted that it was a little hard to deal with at times. Chloe was a character that was hard to connect to because you don't come across many characters like her. She's struggling with so much, her father walked out on them after having an affair and finding out the other woman was pregnant. Her mother has slipped into a depression so bad that Chloe doesn't know how she can help her. Chloe has always dreamed of getting out of her small town, but she defers a year so she can help her mother. This is when she meets Ethan, a sweet guy who takes her mind off of everything, he seems like the perfect distraction. That's until Oliver shows up, Ethan's brother and probably the best definition of a bad boy... E.V.E.R! That boy, I have to admit for falling for his dark, brooding, overly confident attitude straight away. I didn't blame Chloe for being even a little tempted to go there.

Chloe's home life is definitely difficult and I could sympathise with her struggles with her mother. She was in a terribly deep depression but Chloe seemed to be the only one who could see how big a problem it was. Her father was probably one of the worst I have come across in fiction in a long time, he just didn't care at all. I liked how Chloe had stepped up to look after her mother and I think the resentment that builds because of it was very realistic. Chloe was trying her hardest but I liked how much she struggled to put her life on hold for her mother.

Ethan was a character that I felt so sorry for and pitied quite a bit. That boy is so oblivious that it's not even funny. He is utterly sweet, adorable and is basically the perfect boyfriend ever. But, in my opinion, I didn't really understand why he was with or even wanted to be with Chloe. I just felt I was never really shown the moments where she was nice to him. He talks about how nice she is, but we never actually see it. I kind of wanted the boy to just wake up and move on.

This book had the same addictive quality that Dangerous Girls had, you can't put it down. Haas knows how to build up suspense and she knows how to keep your attention 100%. I never got bored once reading this book, I had to continue, had to know what happened that day at the house. This has the kind of intense characters you struggle to understand but want to so bad that it's hurt. They don't seem to react or act how you expect them to or how you would yourself, but that's what works so well. I couldn't predict where the story was going or what these characters would be capable of doing next.

4.5/5 Butterflies

I love Haas and find her writing style is utterly addictive. She writes the kind of books that I find hard to put down, I lose sleep because I have to stay up until I have finished. She is the queen of suspense and keeps you guessing the entire time, I came up with so many wild theories it was unreal. Her characters are twisted which makes them so fascinating to read about. The hunting scene was one that was particularly powerful to me and was a stand out part of the entire book. I felt like I enjoyed it a lot but it didn't leave me as utterly blown away as Dangerous Girls did. Haas needs more books out, I am going to be stalking her Goodreads page for her next book because I have to have! If you are looking for an intense thriller that's going to keep you guessing then I highly recommend this (And, of course, Dangerous Girls too).

*I received a copy of this novel from the author/publisher/publicist via Netgalley in exchange for a free and honest review and received no monetary compensation for this review.

I was so excited to get my hands on an early copy of Dangerous Boys! I loved the author’s book Dangerous Girls and couldn’t wait to read more of her work. Dangerous Boys was just as twisted and suspenseful as the original and I’m excited to read future books from Haas.

From the first chapter, I was drawn into the dark and tumultuous lives of Chloe, Ethan and Oliver. The reader knows from the start something awful is going to happen to these characters, but Haas keeps you guessing on how exactly the plot will unfold.

It’s hard to talk about the characters without posting spoilers. But I will say they were complex and the relationships between Chloe and the brothers kept evolving. I thought the book was mostly about a love triangle gone wrong, but it turned out to be so much more than that.

The only thing I wasn’t completely sold on was the character development. The book is short and I really would’ve liked more to understand how the characters got from Point A to Point. Honestly, the book was so good—I could’ve read a thousand more pages.

Dangerous Boys is a standalone and not connected to the first book, but I highly recommend Dangerous Girls. I actually think I liked Dangerous Girls a bit more than Dangerous Boys. But both books are awesome and can be enjoyed by both mature YA readers and those who like novels of psychological suspense.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!

"Our lives are made up of choices, you see. Big ones, small ones, strung together by the thin air of good intentions; a line of dominoes, ready to fall."

Well, holy shit. I want to invite Abigail Haas over to my house so we can be best friends and plot world domination together. But possibly not before I hide all sharp objects first. Honestly, I cannot imagine what it must be like living inside her head, but I do know she writes some of the best psychological thrillers I have ever picked up.

Let me tell you: I am not generous with 5 star ratings. I give them out sparingly to books that really surprise me with their originality or a special something that just makes them stand out... so the fact that Haas has written a grand total of two books and both have prompted me to give out 5 star ratings is almost unheard of. I'm really struggling to think of another time when this has happened. Nope, can't think of one.

This is another case where I don't know how much to tell you. I just want to say: GO READ IT. Like all readers of mysteries, you will try to guess what happens. Maybe you will get it right, most likely you won't. Either way, it doesn't really matter. Because Haas delivers something better than a murder mystery... she delivers complex psychology that had me questioning everything, wondering if I should be looking over my own damn shoulder, and hanging on every single word.

Despite the title, Haas doesn't wander too far from her area of expertise - the twisted, confused, longing that permeates the minds of teenage girls. At first, I thought to myself "this book is good but I still prefer Dangerous Girls"... now I'm really not so sure. This book just played upon so many emotions and packed punches at every turn. Once you think you know something, the story spins in a certain way so that you change your mind.

"From the moment you're born, people start folding you into neat pieces and tucking you inside a box of their own design. They dress you up in their own expectations, before you even have a chance to understand the constrictions of your fate. That box becomes so cozy and warm, you never really notice that you're bent double, fighting for room to breathe."

The story is about three people - Chloe, Ethan and Oliver - and the build-up of their complicated relationships and jealousies (told between the past and the present). We know that Chloe and one of the boys has made it out of a fire; we know that the other boy is dead; but what we don't know is: which boy made it out alive? What happened inside that house? And why?

The author is a master of mystery... but more than that she's a master of carefully-woven relationships. This story fascinated me on every level. From the sad story of Chloe's mum's depression, to the exploration of someone trying to deal with their dreams falling apart, to the way small bad thoughts are shown to be able to grow into something else. There's an unsettling kind of truth in Haas's psychology because she starts with the bad thoughts we all have now and then - a feeling of resentment towards someone who depends on us, a feeling of desire for someone we should never be thinking about - and creates something much more sinister out of it. In short: Haas appeals to the inner demons lying in all of us.

I'm not going to say anything else. Just seriously READ IT. I can't wait to see what you all think!

I received a copy from Netgalley.

It sounded interesting enough, and I figured a mildly interesting teen thriller with a made for TV movie feel. Could not have been more wrong. This was a disturbing and fascinating story. Small town girl counting down the days until she leaves for college, becomes involved with two boys. One good brother, one not so good.

Sounds like a dull love triangle story, but its not by any means. The way small town life is depicted is fascinating, and the author has a way with the narrative of provoking desire and some uncomfortable truths about what as people you are willing to face and what you'd rather bury inside.

The plot was gripping, watching this so call ordinary girl spiral towards a darker self as she falls for. Its hard to go into the psychology of the character dynamics, especially with how things progress with the second brother as that would be very spoliery to the character and plot.

Given the premise the story is told in a 'then' and 'now' fascination, The Big Event itself, what happened to get them to that point and the 'now' being the aftermath what happened. Which gives the story an interesting depth to see how these characters build through out.

A bit of a slow start, but once I got into it it I couldn't put it down. I loved it. So huge thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster UK Children's for approving my request to view this title.