Title: Dangerous Girls
Author: Abigail Haas
Genre: Young Adult // Murder // Mystery
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: May 6, 2014
Format: Physical Copy
Source: Purchased (Book Outlet)
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. And when the whole story comes out, reality is more shocking than anyone could ever imagine...(goodreads)
Dangerous Girls was one of those books where I considered missing my stop just to finish a page.
Plot: Dangerous Girls brings us into the action on page one, with the discovery of Elise's lifeless and a frantic phone call to 911. There was never a moment where I wasn't holding my breath and frantically flipping pages to figure out who killed Elise. There are definitely a slew of possible suspects, but for some reason the prosecution has their sights on Anna as the main suspect. I felt there were some similarities between this and Gone Girl with the media circus and accusations being slung at Anna, and she just can't seem to catch a break!
This was one of the only mysteries I've read in a year where I was covering up half the page because I didn't want to accidentally spoil myself. I was also taking bets with my husband as to "who dunit" and God bless him, he humored me.
Dangerous Girls was so thrilling because it is told through various mediums. We have passages of the present and past told from Anna's point of view, television interviews, text reports, 911 dispatch reports and etc. This format was also seen in
The Night She Disappeared which I also praised for its unique storytelling.
Characters: Getting into Dangerous Girls, I was a bit confused because the reader is basically thrown into action. There is not standard explanation of who these people are and what their connection is to Anna. As the story unravels, we learn more and more about the relationships and how not everyone says who they really are.
World Building: Dangerous Girls boasts a diverse cast of characters which is really a breath of fresh air in murder/mysteries. Not only is the location unique, but we have people of color hanging out in the same social circles. As for the physical location, we don't get much time to explore Aruba as most of the action takes place at the clubs or in the court room. I don't quite mind that we are limited to the various clubs of Aruba because it shows the groups' priority and how prelevant drugs and alcohol were in their lives. These instances will come back and play a role in the court proceedings.
Short N Sweet: Dangerous Girls is finger-biting good!
Labels: 4.5 stars, abigail haas, book review, dangerous girls, review, Simon Pulse
