Search This Blog

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han

Monday, July 30, 2012
BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY...
THEY GET EVEN.
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.

Goodreads Summary

This book reminded me of a blend of Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars.  Lillia is the popular one, but she takes back seat to her faux best friend...a best friend who never seems to care about her and only leads her into trouble.  Kat is the tough girl, the one who always seems to come back swinging.  Considerably poorer than the others, she doesn't dwell too much on materialistic desires, instead she wants to fight. 
Mary is the woman scorned...and you know what they say about women who are scorned.  Once considered fat, Mary's reintroduction to the island shows that she has lasting problems over her weight.  She let a boy destroy her life when she was younger, but she has every intention of showing him up now.

The three make a motley team.  Originally, they weren't even close to friends.  Lillia likely would never have agreed to help if not for her sister.  The three main characters tell the story from their own points of view.  The reader will get to know each individually and they are easy to differentiate.  The way they work together is reminiscent of John Tucker Must Die and borders on scary towards the end of the book.  It will soon become clear that the author isn't writing a fluffy novel, but one that will result in real consequences for her characters.  The events go from plotting to serious harm.  This novel was interesting in that many of the events could not really be predicted, much of what the girls chose to do was both unusual and a little out of character. 

At first, it is hard to get into the book.  The varying view points can be a little detrimental because I prefer to get to know one character well before switching around.  Eventually, I was used to it and appreciated the three different characters.  The story was very fluid, apart for the surprises, the plot fell into place perfectly.  This book surpassed my expectations and is recommended to young adult/teen readers.

4 Stars


Find this book:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
The Book Depository

This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.

16 comments:

  1. Unknown said...:

    thanks for the review! i’m not sure about the story, but i love the cover!

  1. Thanks for the review. I'm a bit hesitatnt on this book, but I loved Jenny Han's Summer series, so I want to give this one a shot.

  1. Addie R. said...:

    Thanks for the review! I didn't know what to expect from this and hadn't seen many reviews. I can't wait to read this!

  1. I'm super excited for this book after seeing it everywhere. It kind of looks like Pretty Little Liars...I didn't know it has multiple narrators though. I am curious how I will find that.

  1. Hey Karen! It's great that you enjoyed this, I liked it too!

    And thank you so much for your comment on our blog, I love the names of both your cats!

  1. Unknown said...:

    It WAS good right? :D one of my favorites of 2012! ^_^

  1. Unknown said...:

    I have heard just a little about this book and wondered if it was one I should pick up....but I think I will. It sounds interesting.Thanks for your review.

  1. Lili said...:

    I don't know if this story truly interests me, but I do love the cover! And I absolutely love the name of the character Lillia! It's gorgeous. As for the whole blend of Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl, I'm sure it'll appeal to some people. I gave up on Pretty Little Liars at book 9 because the series got way too long for me, and I've never bothered checking out Gossip Girl because it's not a show I want to invest my time in. This one just isn't for me, but thank you for the review!

  1. Cyn said...:

    Man, I really want to read this book.

  1. Steph said...:

    This book sounds good. Maybe I can get some vicarious revenge for high school!

  1. I really hope to read this one (I do have a request in for it, but I'm not sure it's happening). I love Jenny Han's series and love the sample of this that was in the BEA/NetGalley thing.

    Glad to hear both that it's not fluffy and that it was better than you expected :)

  1. Unknown said...:

    This one sounds like a great read. I'm not one for revenge, but I enjoy reading about the drama that other people cause by getting revenge. ;) Thanks for the review!
    ~Shelby @ Gobs and Gobs of Books

  1. Unknown said...:

    ahh! I can't wait for this book! I'm so glad you liked it, it makes me even more excited for it!

  1. Mona said...:

    Thanks for your review :)

    I enjoy the show Gossip Girl(what I saw anyway--very far behind) but have never read the books. As for Pretty Little Liars, I have never read the books nor watched the show. Catching up with both is on my never-ending list.

    This book sounds really good. I enjoy books written from the varying viewpoints of the characters. Some of my favorite authors, Jodi Picoult and Emily Giffin, write in this style. Each chapter is from a character's POV.

  1. I have this book, but I haven't read it yet. I want to, though. Absolutely. I love Courtney Summers and every work that she has. This to me is reminiscent of something that she would write. Especially when the payback turns into something a little darker. I love different POV's IF they are done well, and you can actually differentiate between the characters without needing a chapter heading. All in all, I think this will be a great read. So to speak!

  1. Anonymous said...:

    Another book I have that I haven't read yet. I should lock myself up and get to reading. I've seen a couple of episodes of Gossip Girl but I've never watched Pretty Little Liars. Sound like an interesting concept. ;)