This book is definitely giving a modern version of Heathers but with it's own twist. I really enjoyed it. Petrou's writing is so real and relatable, you'll feel like you're right there with the characters. My only comment would be that the ending could have been a bit more detailed or just added a little bit extra to it, and then it would have been a 5 star read for me, but it is still a wonderful 4.5 star read.

Spooky scary fun. I forgot to do a review back when I read this, but I know I enjoyed it! I love books about girls who are obsessed with people.

I love young adult mystery thrillers. This one had a lot of twists and turns I didn’t see coming, and I loved the mysterious aspect.

I really wanted to like this book. The synopsis held so much promise, but the book failed to deliver as much as I hoped for from it. I enjoyed it well enough, but with a few tweaks it could have been an even more enjoyable read.

I didn’t finish this I put it down I was so bored. I didn’t care about the characters or what was happening. It couldn’t keep my interest.

Friendship lost to the desire to be popular leads to bullying and a plot for revenge. A sobering read bc we know these things happen. Yet this has some shocking events/twists that will definitely leave you shaking your head.Loved the nods to movies like Heathers and Mean Girls.

Being a woman of a certain age, as soon as I saw this title was truly in reference to one of my favorite movies as a kid I was all like ooooh, how very.

The premise here is freshman Stevie is having a hard time adjusting to high school life. While her BFF was taken under the wing of the resident HBIC, Stevie was not simply left in the dust, but bullied by the popular crowd too. Enter Dee and her plan to shake things up, taking the queen (and king) bees down a notch. Strategically placed photos and pranks, all signed “Love, Heather.” But it isn’t long before the entire school starts going buck wild.

Soooooo, another problem with being a certain age (aside from the fact you can throw your back out simply by sneezing) is this wasn’t really written for me. I’m not sure of the author’s age, but it absolutely came off at times that she had taken a page out of Uncle Stevie’s playbook by trying to write youngsters only to come off like “how do you do, fellow kids???” As seems to be the trend of late, this simply had too much going on. The bully story was solid and I never saw the twist coming. While I’ve complained plenty about absentee parents in YA stories in the past, I have now discovered the only thing worse is when they are on page too much. Stevie’s mother came off more like a petulant teenager than the actual 14 year old (don’t even get me started that Stevie was only 14 - there’s a character limit here). And I don’t even know how to address the entire Pete storyline. Inclusion is great . . . until it’s presented as an insulting stereotype. Once again – keep it simple. Want to write a story/book about gender? Then write THAT book – don’t throw it in as some bizarre add-in just to get more hashtags assigned to your current release. This was a two star “it was okay” read for me pretty much throughout (despite Stevie being a character I felt for), but with the ending and the fact that I am not the target demographic for this one I’m going to go with a three.

I was only able to read so much of this book before I had to put it away. This book truly felt more preachy than helpful. When it comes to these subjects, I agree that it should be talked about so you might not feel alone, but there's a better approach to this and it's one of books that make you feel good about yourself and positivity not ones that start making you feel hopeless. Kids are cruel, but if handled correctly, it shouldn't happen in the first place.

Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Publishing for the advanced copy of Love, Heather.

I enjoyed this book. It was engaging for the most part and I liked Stevie. I really felt for her. It’s hard to be 14 and only wanting to fit in. Especially while losing your best friend. I liked that there is a broad cast of characters and you get to really see them through Stevie’s eyes.

This books hits a lot of topics. Like a Lot. And so it seemed like the focus was spread a little thin. Because this book was trying to cover so much, there were parts of the story that dragged. Situations had to be set up and there was sometimes a lot of explanation to go with it- almost felt like info dumps.

The ending was a little rushed. There is a lot of build up to the twist and so many clues left for you to see. But for me, the twist fell flat. I was surprised, yes, but it didn’t feel like it was given a proper amount of time before the reader has to move on to the conclusion. And if you’re looking for a book that is totally focused on revenge the whole time, this isn’t it. The revenge plots don’t start until almost 50% of the way through the book.

I think this is going to be a popular book when it releases. It has the potential to be a very important and powerful book to someone going through some of the things these characters experience.

Wowza!!! This had a twist I did NOT see coming and I am usually very good at twists! This was like a mix of Heathers and Mean Girls and I loved it!

I really liked this author and this book did not disappoint, it was an appropriately paced, page turner that will have me hooked throughout the story.

This is not for the faint of heart so keep that in mind. It was extremely compelling and detailed that made me cringe some. It had a lot of suspense and definitely had me guessing but still a difficult read.

I loved this book. It was really captivating and thrilling and I can't wait to read more from this author. I would read this book again

This book is about a young girl discovering her power when she breaks the rules to 'get back' at bullies.

The story is about a 14 year old Canadian girl Stevie from a 'broken' home - her dad left when she was 12, although sometimes the timelines and flashbacks will have you guessing about the accuracy. Stevie tended to enjoy playing the victim a bit, as did her her own mother, who complained about but secretly relished being a single mother.

I personally thought that this story was a bit too mature for a 14 year old protagonist. There's some very adult situations committed by other 14 year olds and I found a bit hard to remember the main cast are only 14. Most of them seem very grown-up. I'm trying to keep this vague because I don't want to spoil anything, but I personally feel that I, as a thirty-something YA reader, would have had an easier time suspending my disbelief if the characters were only one or two years older. It's a very small thing to be picky about, but that's how I feel. Certainly, plenty of 14 year olds are very mature and having sex and stuff, I absolutely cannot argue with that. I guess when Stevie said "we're still virgins" (my emphasis) at age 14 it sits uncomfortably with me. Like yes, please don't be engaging in sexual activity yet, you're definitely not mature enough, as demonstrated by the author.

And in lots of respects, Stevie was appropriately innocent and ignorant, had the bravado of a social justice warrior and had this attitude of getting angry at others for not acting, protecting them, standing up for them. I would be very interested in how an actual 14 year old feels about this age's portrayal.


This is marked as a thriller book, but honestly, I didn't feel anything vaguely thriller-like until about 85% through the entire novel, when something cleverly hidden became obvious. I say 'cleverly' because I feel like I saw the hints but didn't quite pick up on them. So I was approaching this as if it were a contemporary almost the whole time. I don't think it's particularly thrillery or suspensey anyway, and I would definitely shelve it in my contemporary YA section of my library.

And honestly, I want to point out that maybe Petrou didn't write it to be a thriller! Maybe that's just where marketing plopped it. But I personally wouldn't plop it there.

The 80s pop references were pretty cool. I did honestly request to review this book because I love Heathers the Musical (not the film, the Broadway show based on the film), and I felt like I was in some kind of exclusive club when I knew what Stevie was referring to when she talked about old movies.


On the whole the book was really easy to devour and I definitely got into it. The long lead into the inciting incident filled me with dread. I absolutely did not see the ending coming. I was trying to piece the hints together at that point, and still didn't get it until it was made clear to me what was going on. If you're into Mean Girl books, or books about young vigilantes, I think you might enjoy this one. I certainly did!

DNF

It has been a while since I got this book and unfortunately I don’t really have any interest in reading the book anymore. I am also now a lot more picky with the books I request and choose to read.

I loved this book. It was great and thrilling and I can't wait to read more from this author. Thank you for the advanced copy

*I received this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

A really difficult and uncomfortable story line. I picked the "plot twist" right from the introduction of the character in question, but then logistically it didn't seem to make sense (too many outside character interactions?).

Really it's just very sad and a bit preachy to be honest.

“The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority.”

While I was intrigued by the premise of Love, Heather, I really wasn't expecting to like it is as much as I did. Too often books about bullying don't really capture or convey the damage it does to a person, but Laurie Petrou managed to do it beautifully. While this book was a good read, it was a very hard read and also I think a necessary read. At times Love, Heather was just heartbreaking, infuriating, and gut-wrenching; but I still couldn't put it down. I kind of felt like I had been put through the wringer emotionally when it was all said and done.

I read a lot of YA for work and mostly judge those books independently from my own personal tastes. This is a book that I legitimately enjoyed and found engaging. An excellent send up of Heathers.

This book follows Stevie, a freshman, as she begins to navigate her way in high school. Dealing with mean girls, losing her best friend and a relentless campaign to ruin her life; she falls into a friendship with the elusive Dee and others who begin to get revenge on their bullies. Inspired by the film Heathers, they sign off their at times violent pranks with Love, Heather. But it's a bit of fun. Some gentle payback. Until things get out of line and Dee and Stevie start to take things too far.

I really enjoyed this book. I love Heathers and I do have a real enjoyment for payback stories. While I think some of the pranks were a little too out there, I think that the stuff Stevie faced was a lot more serious than putting Breanne's braces on her locker. Lottie as a character, was an awful friend. Understandably, she was going through it with her mother coming out as trans but Lottie didn't need to treat Stevie's concern as desperate. Lottie continually laid things on Stevie when Stevie was just trying to speak up for others because nobody spoke up for her. Overall, I really rate this book. It was good, enjoyable and easy to read.