Review: Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas - Creepily Memorable

Title: Dangerous Boys 

Author: Abigail Haas
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Publication date: August 14, 2014 

Genre(s): Young Adult (Psychological Thriller)

Source: Publisher

Format: eARC

Pages: 336

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Three teens venture into the abandoned Monroe estate one night; hours later, only two emerge from the burning wreckage. Caitlin Kasprov drags one Donnelly brother to safety, unconscious and bleeding; the other is left to burn, dead in the fire. But which brother survives? And is his death a tragic accident? Desperate self-defense? Or murder?
Caitlin is the only one with the answers. As the fire rages, and police and parents demand the truth, she struggles to piece together the story of how they got there-a story of jealousy, twisted passion, and the darkness that lurks behind even the most beautiful of faces…

Dangerous Boys was such a surprise. I mean, I expected it to be a thriller, based on all the rave reviews and recommendations I get for Dangerous Girls. I was instantly attracted to this book because of its synopsis and the mystery element. Anyone who knows me knows how much I LOVE mysteries. Two brothers? only one comes out alive? a girl stuck in the middle? Whatever I imagined while reading this book.. it would have never prepared me for the ending… ever.

I must admit.. the idea behind this book is fantastic but it is a very short book.. what I mean by that is that we really get no character development throughout the novel. Everything felt a bit rushed in the middle section of the book and I just didn't understand some of the attachments some of the characters got. Still.. this is the type of book you'll want to read just to know how it ends.. and when you do know… it'll stay with you for months. I've read it almost three weeks ago and I still get the shivers thinking of that ending. I went on twitter and direct messaged two different people and all we said to each other was "OH MY GOD! I CAN NOT BELIEVE THIS! HOLY CRAP!" < a variation of this. I immediately want to pick up Dangerous Girls (no relation to this book.. both standalones) because Dangerous Girls is also a thriller and I now know Abigail Haas knows how to perfect them! 

This is the type of book that is more plot driven than character driven. It doesn't matter if you don't grow attached to the characters and it doesn't matter who you are rooting for. You'll agree with me when you finish reading it. Also, I love the way Haas wrote the book. We get a chapter of post-wreckage then we go back to the beginning, to when Caitlin meets one of the brothers then the other.. then back to the post-wreckage timeline. It was addicted. I could not put this book down and needed to find out what happened next. If you want a book that will mess up your mind, even months after you read it, then this is definitely the book for you.