I’m a bit torn over this one, don’t think it was really my thing, it was well written, but I found the end a bit of a let down and I struggled to stay interested. 3 stars because I’m sure others will like it and it’s probably just not my book


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Loved this book. Nicely paced, quickly moving and captivating story. Characters so realistically portrayed that you feel as if you know them, or you know someone just like them. Really fun book!

The main character is more relatable than likeable, and I was distracted enough by the weird pacing to not see the twist coming at all (much less the conclusion). That said, where everything is infinite infinitesimal degrees, this book caused a little shift in the way I frame something in my mind, for which I am grateful.

Unfortunately, this read was not for me. The cover art is very fun, but I could not get into it once I started.

Thanks for the opportunity!

*Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* Wow, what a book! I can see this being very popular with YA readers. Stevie and Lottie are best friends and have been for years, but Lottie is starting to pull away from Stevie and hanging with the cool crowd. Stevie's world is falling apart around her; her favourite teacher is changing in the biggest way possible, her mother has a new boyfriend. It seems like things can't get worse for this adolescent. Then, Stevie becomes the target for the school bullies and enough is enough. Teaming up with the wild Dee, they set about getting revenge on the school bullies. But have their pranks gone too far? This is a powerful book that serves as a homage to the cult films of the 80s and explores a number of serious themes such as cyberbullying, LBGTQI+, mental health, social hierarchies and dysfunctional families. An intriguing read that kept my attention until the very last page.

Wow, what an intense read as a parent, so truly real and scary. I thought this book was done so perfectly, because it made sure to grab the reader and keep them in a tension filled state throughout. Very chilling as a parent, because it’s so possible for our children to endure the same in a social media addicted society! A must read for my fellow thriller lovers!
Will highly recommend to those in Chapter Chatter Pub!

"No one knows what is going on in anyone’s home, in anyone’s school, in anyone’s heart. Everything okay? We pack our lunches and go to school and spend all our waking hours pretending that nothing is happening, to us or anyone else. And then, sometimes, we get a nice, cool afternoon, where we watch TV or hang out by the lake, and maybe it is all okay, just for then, just for that time."

Stevie and and Lottie have been friends for forever, but S can't deny the tension that's growing between them over the last few days. Something is going on and she knows it.
Why does Lottie seem so...distant?
What is everybody not telling her?

Stevie only intends to do good, but her next move is met with brusk critcism and bullying from evil teenagers of Woepine High School. Suddenly, things get out of control. And S' life is changed forever.

This book discusses powerful topics, including mental health. The plot takes on a darker form 3 quarters in, where a big, crazy twist occurs and changes everything - you realize what the story is actually about and would then want to re-read the book all over again from a fresh, understanding perspective.

This book is rare on so many levels I feel like both teens and adults (parents and nurturers especially) should read it. Everything has consequences. Be careful what you say to others. In some, it might be triggering in small, temporary doses. In others, it will manifest itself in the darkest, most monstrous way.

"Look at Heathers, for example. I mean, it’s hard to know who to root for, isn’t it?"

All seriousness aside, this was a page-turner. I even surprised myself by devouring this in two sittings. Every chapter is like an itch that makes you want to know what happens in the one that follows.

LOVE, HEATHER is a profoundly touching story that is both thrilling and thought-provoking. You will not regret reading this one.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As a child of the 80s and 90s I loved this story which was clearly inspired by those time periods.

However, as the parent of a teenager, this book was extremely eye opening for me (and almost terryifying). The author truly understands how dark high school can really be, especially in the time of social media.

Stevie and Lottie are best friends and freshman in high school where things begin to change. Both girls become part of the Cool crowd (those are still a thing?)

The book starts off sort of light hearted with some humor, pranks etc that seem to be inspired by one of my favorite movies, Heathers.

The last end of the book, takes a turn and becomes a darker novel and a much more "need to read" novel. Its a brutally honest tale.

I expected something like Luckiest Girl Alive (some fluffy, revenge thriller), but what I got was something more.... Real. Feeling. Thought-provoking. What drives people to a psychotic break? How much is too much? How bad is too bad? What excuses are valid? I've been thinking about this book all day. It pulls you in, shocks you, and leaves you a little bit heartbroken. It felt a tiny bit slow in the middle, but I woukd still definitely recommend.

An important read! I loved the the teen movie theme woven throughout. At times painfully awkward, as the teen years are, but mostly heartbreakingly real.

Wow. This book hits you in all the hard places. It will pull you back to high school and the cliques, the bullying and the doubts that come with being a teenager. I think this book is for everyone and a good reminder of the power of words and social media. Petrou does a great job writing about a hard topic and bringing real-life issues to light.

The publisher gave me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. I am shook.

'Love, Heather' is an explosive and daring thriller about teen bullying and revenge. It's also a brilliant coming of age story about growing up surrounded by rape culture, misogyny, transphobia and the pressures of social media, and what that can do to a girl when her world turns against her.

But even before the revenge plot kicked off I was hooked. Petrou really gets inside the heads of her characters, and 'Love, Heather' is worth reading for its depiction of teen friendships alone. Stevie is a fantastic protagonist, with a wonderfully distinctive voice. She's a big movie buff, and at times her narration reminded me of an indie film - which sounds awkward but somehow, really works. I felt like I was being picked up and pulled along by a narrative wave that's writhing out of Stevie's control, and it made for a totally intense and immersive reading experience.

In short, I loved it. It's been a while since I read something so creative and captivating. 'Love, Heather' is going to stick with me for a long time.

I received an arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

WOW!!!! This book is so riveting and i could not put it down. Such an important read and I highly recommended this book to all teenagers and parents of teenagers. The content is heavy, but so applicable to today's "bullying" epidemic and society . It definitely brought back memories of high school/middle school for me and i can't fathom how today's teenagers deal with social media on top of the already difficult teenage years. Love, Heather will make you feel every emotion there is to feel. You feel for Stevie and her coming of age in this book. It made me hyper aware of what my own 7th grade daughter might go through in school, and this book will definitely open up some dialogue between her and I.

This book deals with bullying, rape culture, mental illness, LGBT...all topics of great discussion in today's society.

I did not see the twist at the end coming! It blew me away. I know i'll be thinking about his book for days to come.

This book tackles a lot, maybe too much...

This book is a tough one. It does realistically portray the ups and downs of high school, the cliques and the bullying. It’s tough to read at points. It makes me glad I didn’t grow up in the cell phone age where people hiding behind a screen show no mercy and the internet teaches us all sorts of things we can do and make, and they aren’t all good.

The characters were interesting, well written and diverse, like life. The pace was decent though the middle plodded along at times for me. The conclusion leaves me a bit depressed...

I think there’s a lot of lessons trying to come across in these pages. I’m not sure if they will be seen by the right people and even then if they would help them...

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Crooked Lane Books for a copy in exchange for a review.

This is the story of one girl’s attempt to swipe back at the bullies, the snobby girls and boys who look down on everyone else in their high school, but it goes disastrously wrong. When Stevie decided to destroy her classmates, she didn’t mean to do it in the literal sense, but soon things are out of control and everyone pays the ultimate price. This is the kind of thing we see in the headlines every day, so often that we seem to have become desensitized to it, but Petrou’s book is a reminder that everyone of those headlines has a name, a person, a life behind it. Shocking and sad

Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane for a digital ARC in an exchange for an honest review. This review will be on good reads as well as a short review on my Instagram Blog.

This book hits multiple hard hitting topics that we have in today’s society and it shows you how easy it can be for people to turn their heads or go along with people that would have a negative impact on those hard hitting topics. When I first started reading the book I didn’t enjoy it as much as I did as the last few chapters. The end definitely made it worth the read, with a twist that was probably one of my favorite parts of the book. The twist hits that topic of mental health and I absolutely loved it!

Love, Heather is a shocking and emotional read. It covers bullying, LGTBQ+ issues, social media and teen culture today. It is well written, with lots of twists. I am not the target audience but enjoyed the read. The topics and characters aren't easy or likeable, but they make you think. The author throws in pop culture references to classic films that may go over a lot of teens heads, but were enjoyed by this reader! Always love reading Canadian. Recommend this for teens and those who enjoy YA.

This book begins with two lifelong friends, Stevie and Lottie, navigating the social ups and downs of their first year of high school. The two girls are unexpectedly accepted into the cool crowd, but Lottie shoots up the ladder much more quickly, leaving Stevie a bit bewildered and jealous of all the time she's losing with her so-called BFF.

The typical teenage scenarios occur - accompanied by some very funny teen snarkiness - making the book feel like an episode of any number of teen shows. But after Stevie commits a major social faux pas and is kicked out of the cool kids club, the book becomes a lot more interesting.

Enter Dee, a newcomer to the area who plays by her own rules and doesn't care what the cool kids think. Instead, she believes that they should all be taken down a few pegs through a series of pranks that are inspired by the '80s movie Heathers (hence the book's title). What at first feels like righteous revenge for all the nastiness Stevie has encountered quickly spirals out of control.

The final portion of the book shifts tones dramatically. Gone is the humor and basic teenage angst. In its place is a shocking reveal and a much darker theme than I expected.

This is a book that's been written to speak to today's YA audience. They're readers who have accepted gender fluidity and live in a world filled with the fear of on-campus violence. Yet at the same time, they still have to deal with the often traumatizing aspects of simply trying to fit in. Adults who have previous experience being bullied will be able to relate to Stevie's plight. They're also likely to learn a few heartbreaking truths about modern teenage society.

Recommended for open-minded teen and adult readers who want to see the worst - and some of the best - aspects of society through the lens of a 14-year-old dealing with today's world.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

This book is honestly like nothing I have ever read before. Whilst the novel seemingly centers around teenagers in school, it is not quite your "typical" awkward coming of age story and that is what makes it really interesting.

The characters are written to be so realistic that I am rather grateful to have not been in school with some of them. Although the book is written from the one perspective, you still get a feel of what some people are like without a negative narrative.

I think the book illustrates the gap between school goers and their parents/teachers brilliantly. Everyone can remember having being in school and the things/events that happened, but they actively seem to forget what it feels like when you're going through it.

I was hooked from the beginning as the story is so enthralling, however at some points I felt like I really wanted to know what would happen next, but it was definitely with bated breath; if it was a TV series, I would have been watching through my fingers. Such an unexpected feeling to get from a novel, but genuinely so unique to experience.

It truly is beautifully written with lots of moving moments, addresses difficult situations and touches on real life issues.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Stevie is trying to survive in the jungle that is high school. Her oldest and dearest friend, Lottie, is pulling away from her; her mother is dating a new guy and does not spend time with her anymore; and her close relationship with Lottie’s family is falling apart. The only thing she still enjoys is her deep passion for movies, especially 1980s and 1990s female revenge flicks, like “Carrie” or “Heathers”. When she finally meets a kindred spirit in Dee, the two become fast friends. Eventually though, Stevie and Dee decide they no longer want to tolerate the bullying in their school anymore, they are tired of being the butt of jokes and watching other people suffer at the hands of a select few. So Stevie and Dee concoct a plan, which quickly picks up speed and “goes viral”…….until it gets dangerous.
“Love, Heather” by Laurie Petrou is a modern coming-of-age tale, immersing a reader in the lives of today’s teenagers, and the challenges they face that are only amplified by the wonders of modern technology.
Laurie Petrou is award-winning, educated and super talented. She is also Canadian (her Canadiana in this book touched my heart, the protagonist taking trips to my current town of Niagara Falls, and traveling to Sherkston Shores which is the beach where I grew up) which automatically gives her bonus points.
This novel is rife with teenage drama. Like, over the top, “extra” “bear” teenage drama (thanks to my high school students, I can use the lingo) which can sometimes get repetitive and drama (even more so when you have to deal with it all day long) but the reality in it is powerful and almost uncomfortable. For those of us around teenagers on a daily basis, it is very evident that Petrou has portrayed these struggles with honest humanity.
When the twist in this novel happened, it hit me like a ton of bricks. After chapters and chapters of teenage angst and drama, the climax of the novel came and went so quickly, it left me disappointed. I wanted this part to start earlier, I wanted more, and I wanted the dirty details. That being said, it completely upended my opinion of this novel, and this author (in a great way). This twist will STICK WITH YOU.
Props to Petrou for a creative, intense and uncomfortably honest novel in “Love, Heather”. Full of 80s and 90s movie references, and rife with modern societal issues and karmic revenge, “Heather” is a novel that will stick with you.