Latest Read: Burn for Burn

Here are the basics ...
Book: Burn for Burn (#1)
Author: Jenny Han, Siobhan Vivian
Site: http://www.dearjennyhan.com/, http://www.siobhanvivian.com/
Category: Young Adult

Summary: Lillia has never had any problems dealing with boys who like her. Not until this summer, when one went too far. No way will she let the same thing happen to her little sister. Kat is tired of the rumours, the insults, the cruel jokes. It all goes back to one person - her ex-best friend and she's ready to make her pay. Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she's not the same girl anymore. And she's ready to prove it to him. Three very different girls who want the same thing: sweet, sweet revenge. And they won't stop until they each had a taste. (Adapted goodreads.com) 

My thoughts…

The good: Despite the super vengeful circumstances (pretty sure these girls were channeling Emily Thorne), I enjoyed the idea of three different girls coming together and refusing to be victims. Of the three, Kat is the feistiest and the one who sets their plans into motion.  Mary is the character I felt like I knew the least but is probably the most intriguing (if my guess is correct, I think there will be some very interesting twists to her story in the next book). And Lilia is somewhere in the middle. She wants revenge, and actually comes up with a couple great schemes, but I don't think she truly wants to hurt anyone. Each chapter is told from a different girl's point of view and Lilia's was probably my favorite (and Jenny Han's favorite too which probably explains why!). I think what makes the book thought-provoking is that the "villians" aren't 100% bad. It's not black and white.  Sure, they can do really bad and hurtful things to others but then the authors would give us these tiny glimpses of what lies beneath the surface. Sometimes the meanest people are also the most insecure, scared or angry with life. And it makes you wonder.. do they deserve this?

(Major) reservations:  I'm trying to keep in mind that this is the first book but I had a lot of questions.  For one thing, there is somewhat of a love interest.  At least I think he's (Alex) is supposed to be. But by the end, I still didn't know where he quite fit into it all. I do sense a potential love triangle but I'm not so sure I'd want that to happen either.  Then this whole revenge thing. Half the time, I wasn't sure why they were choosing these people to get back at. Some of it made sense, some of it didn't. I actually thought Lilia should've taken revenge on who Kat chose and vice-versa. At the end of the book, I found myself sympathizing more with the bad guys than the good and I'm not sure that's how I was supposed to feel. Also, something happens to Lilia that gets glossed over and I felt it should've gotten way more attention (next book maybe?).

Do I recommend?:  It's hard to say. Because on one hand, I am interested enough to want answers and read the sequel.  I have this feeling that all the answers I'm looking for will be in it.  For me, Burn for Burn was a quick, easy read and each girl was written with such a clear voice that I definitely wanted to see it through to the end. So if this sounds like something you'd be into, I think it's worth a try.

Happy reading!