When I first picked up this book, the cover made me think it would be a sweet little mystery appropriate for middle graders, but the summary had me interested. I’m glad I continued because it definitely is not a book for middle grade kids and it was super good. A slow burn romance/thriller is definitely my genre. My only issue was that the conclusion left me wanting a little in that the “villain” explained everything and forced pieces to fit (rather than that “OH” moment the reader gets when seeing how the pieces fit once the “villain” is revealed), so that combined with the cover and title not matching the story, I gave it 4 stars.

this is one of those quick reads you can finish in one sitting. not just because of the page count, but also because of how i couldn't put it down. some may say this is another typical YA thriller, but i still found it written so well and gripped my attention. it's twisty, riveting, fast-paced, and cleverly put together.

i especially loved the MFC, Addie. despite being a teen, she felt relatable. she's not just another teen girl going through the usual teen angst story line. but with everything she's been through and is still going through, it made her real. the side cast of characters made for a well-rounded story and kept you wondering what secrets they kept.

i'd definitely recommend this. i enjoyed the writing style and the way the story was crafted. this author is someone i think we can look out for in the future. wouldn't mind reading more of their works. 4/5 STARS for me!

thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group, and Nancy Paulsen Books for allowing me the opportunity to read this book. i received this as an ARC and leave this review voluntarily.

You can read through this very quickly in one sitting. The story keeps you entertained but I'm not sure how particularly memorable it will be. Also this is not a big deal, but while it's a cool title I'm not sure where it came from/what it's referencing, even after reading the novel.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.25 Stars
First I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a very fast read and a good quality YA Mystery/Thrilled with plenty of twists and turns.
While I figured it out, it wasn’t until later in the story which was a nice treat for once.

There was t great character development but it really didn’t matter. You knew enough to engage with the characters and root for them throughout.

It did remind me a bit like Pretty Little Liars so fans of that series will enjoy this book.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

This was absolutely fantastic! Bingeable from page 1 and filled with poetic writing, this book is full of twists and turns, secrets, murder, and a fun enemies-to-lovers romance. I am much older than the intended audience and still immensely enjoyed this. I would definitely read more by this author!

Thank you to netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Nancy Paulsen Books for allowing me access to this book. This was a very interesting

This book reminded me of a Karen McManus book. It was very well written and I was shocked to see it’s a debut. I could have read 200 more pages of this story! The characters were all interesting and I found myself speed reading to find out what was going to happen, catch myself and force myself to slow down. That’s the sign of a great book to me.

I loved it. I was intrigued from the very beginning. The relationship between the two main characters was not one dimensional and added to the overall story.

To be honest, I didn't really like this book. I couldn't get into the story, and I did not love the writing style,. I think it would be a good book, but is just not for me!

Girls Who Burn is a fast-paced mystery that had me intrigued from start to finish!

Addie is still dealing with the loss of her sister and the things she said to her the night of her death. Even though Fiona's death was ruled an accident, Addie believes that a summer resident, Thatcher, was responsible for her death. One-year later, Thatcher is found dead at the bottom of the ravine where Fiona was found, and Addie seems to be the number one suspect. Addie will have to work with Thatcher's cousin and her alibi for the night of Thatcher's and Fiona's murder, Seth.

Girls Who Burn had everything I enjoy in a mystery/thriller and had several twists throughout the book that kept me guessing till the end. I like how the book didn't focus completely about the investigation but also how Addie was dealing with the fallout from the events that took place the night of Fiona's death while also fighting her feelings for Seth. If you enjoy fast-paced mystery/thrillers, I recommend this book.

Girls Who Burn comes out July 16th.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the opportunity to review Girls Who Burn. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It was physically impossible for me to put this book down. Did it take away a day from my vacation? Sure. Was it worth it? Oh, absolutely. Let me tell you why.

Girls Who Burn is a fast-paced YA thriller, with a mystery that will keep you scratching your head until the inevitable "Aha!" moment. The way M. K. Pagano decided to write this story, from the atmosphere to the characters and most importantly, the mystery, can only be described as addictive. So much so that I kept telling myself I would just read one more chapter until I reached the final one. It also helped that this story doesn't meander and gets to the point quite quickly. Not to mention the short chapters that know exactly what they are doing and how to nudge you toward the next one. That's when the cycle repeats.

M. K. Pagano's debut is a story that feels as if it was crafted by super-intelligent aliens trying to create the perfect narrative that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat from beginning to end. I'm happy to report that the experiment was a huge success. Girls Who Burn is an incredible debut from an author who has made the very short list of authors who will have me leaving fantasy every now and again to read a great thriller.

I adore books about teenage girls who are not afraid to be messy; Pagano writes it beautifully. I do wish the twist had been less out of the blue and the discussion of college financials had been more researched. That being said, I appreciate the light being shed on generation wealth, the power it provides, and the people who have to claw their way to a life that is delivered to others on a silver platter.

I could not put this book down! I read the entire thing in three nights, the last night way past my bedtime. Pagano does such an excellent job creating not only a mystery, but the strong desire to stick around to find out what really happened. Such an excellent cast of characters, especially our narrator Addie who is heartbroken and flawed and struggling in ways that many girls and women will find familiar, even if her situation is different. A simmering, twisty story about ambition, desire, privilege, and where those things collide.

This was a pretty good YA thriller. The mystery was compelling and kept me on my toes. I couldn’t stop reading because I had to know what happened. I appreciated the short chapters and how the book started quickly. I don’t think the enemies to lovers trope was necessary, but liked the characters nevertheless.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads review here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201751811

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

This book was a page turner from start to finish.

The cover is absolutely beautu6. I had to order a hard copy for my shelf!

I enjoyed this book greatly. The story drew me in from the first chapter to the final page.

All I can say is wow. This is a must read. I highly recommend.

It is going to be a number one best seller!

Five stars plus!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. You should read it!

This book was pretty good, I would definitely recommend

~This was given by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

The mystery of Girls Who Burn intrigued me from the beginning. Addie Blackwood lost her sister a year ago. She’s spent the last year blaming their friend Thatcher Montgomery for pushing her to her death. But when Thatcher dies the same way, she knows she’s been wrong. Their families are intertwined in friendship and drama and - as now becomes clear - hatred. Thatcher’s brother Seth, the boy she was with both times, is the only person she trusts to help. But all their theories have the same problem. Who would want someone from both families dead?

This is not action-packed. The slow romance takes a central role. The characters and their struggles feel painfully, beautifully real. This is a story about money and power, and about the desperate measures of those who have neither.

Plot-wise, this wasn’t everything that I hoped it would be. As much as Addie fretted over finding a simple reason for the deaths, it would have been nice to get one. In the end it just seemed complicated. And I lost track of how many times someone showed up at just the right moment in the woods.

Four stars to this novel. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for this advance read.

I enjoyed this one! Pacey, twisty, angsty--it's got it all. It's perfect for fans of Karen McManus and Jessica Goodman. Would def recommend!

This was a unique concept and I loved how unique the cover was and that it made me want to read the book inside. MK Pagano has a great way of bringing a unique story going on and thought the characters were everything that I wanted. It uses the enemy to lover thriller and had that suspenseful feel that I was looking for.