Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas [Review]

4.5 out of 5 Robots!

  

Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Release: August 14, 2014
Hardcover:  336 Pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books
My Copy: Purchased
Reviewer: Shannon

Book Summary:

It all comes down to this. Oliver, Ethan, and I. Three teens venture into an abandoned lake house one night. Hours later, only two emerge from the burning wreckage. Chloe drags one Reznick 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 ...? Chloe is the only one with the answers. As the fire rages, and police and parents demand the truth, she struggles to piece the story together - a story of jealousy, twisted passion and the darkness that lurks behind even the most beautiful faces ...

(Courtesy of the Publisher)

Shannon's Thoughts:
Having read Haas' other thriller, Dangerous Girls, I knew I was in for a tense, unpredictable thriller.  Dangerous Boys definitely delivers.  While it feels different than Dangerous Girls, it still gives you all the things you expect: twisty-turny plot, an unreliable narrator and questionable morals. 

Chloe, the narrator, is three weeks away from escaping her small town and going to college.  Her father left her mother to start a new family and her mother is slipping further and further into a deep depression.  Chloe finds a distraction in Ethan, a new kid in town who takes a liking to Chloe.  Chloe isn't expecting anything since she is leaving.  But after realizing that her mother is much much worse than she thought, Chloe realizes she has to put aside her college dreams and take care of her mother.  She now finds herself stuck in her small town and with a perfectly nice, safe boyfriend.  Chloe feels suffocated and tries hard not to.  But it all comes to a head when Oliver, Ethan's wild and unpredictable older brother, shows up.  Chloe can't help but be attracted to Oliver's wildness and Oliver sees the darker desires of Chloe's heart.  And because this is a Haas book, things do not end well.    

The book starts at the end, with the confrontation between Oliver and Ethan and then works backwards and forwards, piecing together the events that led to their confrontation.  There were definitely some surprising turns.  Dangerous Boys is definitely darker than its predecessor.  I can't say I liked any of the characters, but I still whipped through this book in a day.  I had to know how it ended!  And wow!  That ending!!

After reading two of Haas' books, I can definitely say I am a fan.  Anyone who is a fan of psychological thrillers should definitely check out this book and Dangerous Girls!