⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 Wow. Thiis is a tough review to write because it was a tough subject to read. I applaud @lauriepetrou for taking on these subjects. They are in the news every day and cannot be ignored. School shootings, bullying, rape culture. #whenisenoughenough #wasitreallythatbad .

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of Love, Heather by Laurie Petrou. Although this is a fictional story, it hits on the current issues in our society today: transgender, bullying, cyber bullying and the rape culture. This story is about high school teenagers and how they do or don't fit in with the popular students. Those that get bullied face the pain daily as others either stand by and do nothing or don't realize what is going on. References to the movie "Heathers" is made throughout the book. This is an emotional book to read.

I was really looking forward to this book, however I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped. However, just to clarify with regards to my rating, I am not exactly the target audience; I am in my 30s, and read YA now and again, but the premise and the references to 80s teen movies lured me in.

Granted, I have always loved the whole 'revenge' aspect of novels and movies. Coupled with the focus on films, and this novel seemed right up my street. It's intense, and a realistic exploration of teenage bullying that really (sadly!) rang true.

As someone who was bullied as a teenager, I could completely relate. I know the lengths that teenagers can go to to make someone's life hell. How it starts off so small, so trivial, and can lead to complete manipulation and misery. (And I was a teen BEFORE social media was a thing, I can't imagine what some kids have to cope with now.) This portrayal was so real, and something I admired about this book. The revenge plot was fantastic.

However, I found that the story moved very slowly, at least in the first half. I was almost ready to give up on it, as nothing much seemed to happen (it felt like it could have been edited down), but I knew that the book itself was promising, so I kept reading. It starts to get interesting at around 45%. There seems to be a lot of this book that could have been cut; there are long chapters with little to no action. I just think the pacing could have been improved; there was so much build-up at the start, but the rest moved too quickly. Also, I found the whole MeToo aspect of the story quite forced. The bullies were awful enough. They were realistic as it was, without an additional issue to explore towards the end.

That said, I did enjoy this story, and it's a brilliant read for fans of movies such as Mean Girls, Carrie and Heathers.

Stevie has never been one of the cool kids. When she and her best friend get the opportunity to be a part of the group they jump on it. It isn’t long before Stevie ends up on the outside of the group. Her best friend has turned on her and she is now the victim of bullying at school and online. Luckily, Stevie meets strong willed Dee who always has her back.

It was Dee's idea to get them all back with a few clever pranks, signing each act Love, Heather--an homage to her favorite 80's revenge flick. Despite herself, Stevie can't help getting caught up in the payback, reveling in every minute of suffering. And for a while, it works: it seems the meek have inherited the school.

Things have taken a violent and unexpected turn. This was a well written book that really shines a light on bullying and mental health.

I have read many novels about bullying in schools and I found this one to be the most disturbing of any I have read. There was a major twist towards the end of the novel that I was not prepared for, but looking back it should have been obvious. Stevie is a high school student who thinks that her life is great, she is comfortable with her best friend Lottie and her parents are also like parents to Stevie. Once Lottie becomes friendly with Paige, a popular girl, their friendship changes. This novel deals with the effects of bullying and sexual assault on young women. Thank you NetGalley for this digital copy of this novel.

I’m honestly not too sure what to say about this book. I think it will take another read for me to fully digest the contents. I loved the first 3/4 of the book but felt a bit like the last 1/4 came out of nowhere, but it may be one of those books that, upon a reread, alludes to the ending. I did think that the author’s examination of bullying, assault, and depression were very realistic and I appreciated her honest look at them. Overall, I would recommend this book for people looking for a character-driven look at the effects of bullying and peer pressure on today’s teens.

Stevie never meant for things to go this far. When she and Dee--defiant, bold, indestructible Dee--started all this, there was a purpose to their acts of vengeance: to put the bullies of Woepine High School back in their place. And three months ago, Stevie believed they deserved it. Once her best friend turned on her, the rest of the school followed. Stevie was alone and unprotected with a target on her back. Online, it was worse.

It was Dee's idea to get them all back with a few clever pranks, signing each act Love, Heather--an homage to her favorite 80's revenge flick. Despite herself, Stevie can't help getting caught up in the payback, reveling in every minute of suffering. And for a while, it works: it seems the meek have inherited the school.




Thank you to net galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book it was a great experience first time reading anything from this author this book had me on the edge of my seat

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is so intense and just floods you with emotion. I really became attached to the characters and there were times that I was genuinely crying while reading this book.

The author's writing was so beautifully expressive and the characters were written so realistically. The characters are authentic and you can feel the emotions of them. This book hit really hard for me and I'd strongly recommend it to everyone, regardless of age group.

It's a heart-wrenching read that will make you laugh and cry. I think that its message will really resonate with a lot of people. It deals with a lot of big issues, like bullying and mental illness.

This is definitely a must read. I highly recommend this for anyone!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

wow! holy amazing!
i kind of want to read this a second time to pick up on anything missed now knowing what I know. This was a very dark book and i will admit I had a lot of emotions. I became so attached to Stevie and wanted to hug her and tell her high school isn’t forever. I had genuine tears in my eyes a few times. The author did a beautiful job at portraying High School Mean girls and the other side of it: the victim.
I also loved the 80s movies references. Having grown up watching Heathers, this book packed a punch for me.
well deserving of 5 stars.
thank you #NetGalley, the author and the publisher for me free ARC in exchange for my honest review.
5 star cover too.

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Basic Plot: Young Stevie is hounded by bullies both physically and online. What to do? What to do?
She and her new friend Dee devise a way to get back at the bullies, but the entire project takes on a horrifying life of its own. This book gets better the further you get into the story = and the conclusion of this novel was truly riveting.
These type of stories need to be told: we must never become complacent. It seems to me that we need to curb that part of human nature that immediately capitalizes in a shift of power. We need to be teaching empathy, tolerance and compassion to school children at an early age - especially if we want to evolve into a humane, and not just a human, race.
Very well written, and yet another story set in Ontario, Canada and written by a fellow Canadian. Highly recommended.

📚Book Review: Love, Heather by Laurie Petrou 📚
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💜 Ever seen the classic 80s teen movie "Heathers"? It's awesome. It's like the ultimate revenge teen movie. And this is why I was so intrigued by Love, Heather. So I was excited when I got approved on netgalley. And I reading it pretty much straight away.🖤
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💜 I'll admit I didn't love the story. Oh how I wanted to really love it. The main character Stevie takes inspiration from teen movies. I love teen movies. And Heathers is one of my faves. Stevie and Dee decide to start getting revenge on the bullies in school. So of course I enjoyed that aspect of it🖤
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💜I felt like the story doesn't really get going until about half way through. I couldn't really connect to any of characters at first because I'm not the target audience for this one. I enjoy YA but this is on the younger side I felt. But still a powerful story. The author took the main character on a journey and I'll admit I was not expecting it to go the way it did. Just read it when it's released you'll understand.🖤
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💜The author tackles of a lot serious issues in this novel. And I think it's a book teens should read. It deals with bullies, the dark side of social media, rape culture and I subject that is close to my heart, Mental illness. I've suffered with depression and anxiety since I was teenager and the author doesn't shy away from it and I applaud that🖤

First of all, thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this one early.

The book starts off as a typical high school drama, but ends up taking quite the turn. There is so much pain in this book, and you feel so much for Stevie. I’m sure there are so many kids who have experienced what she has. I thought this was very relevant. A solid 4 star book.

An exciting and heartbreaking read!

I think we can all connect to Stevie as she struggles with the changes surrounding her at her high school. We all know what it's like to have a friendship begin to fade and to feel isolated, but to have everyone turn against is something entirely different. I felt so badly for Stevie and I could feel my anger rising up in me at the unfairness o her situation. The middle dragged a little bit, as it seemed to be just a repetition of bad behavior (from students at one of the worst behaved fictional high schools ever!), but the ending was strong with a twist I hadn't seen coming.

I went into this book initially not knowing what to expect. I decided that I should not keep my expectations very high and that if I was pleasantly surprised then well wouldnt that be pleasant. Soon into reading it, I found that I did not want to stop! Love, Heather is simply thrilling and heart-wrenching. I laughed and cried and laughed and cried and cried some more. I was completely hooked and could not put this book down. I HIGHLY recommend this book to absolutely everyone.

"I want to burn everything to the ground and emerge brand new: a strong, happy, funny, confident Phoenix--Love Heather, Laurie Petrou







The sentiment of wanting to burn everything down isn't new, particularly when we are talking about high school students. I'm sure not all of us, but equally sure a lot of us, can empathize with that idea. Maybe you've even had it yourself a time or two. It's not even an earth shatteringly different idea for a kid in a fiction novel to try to do just that: to create chaos, to right wrongs, to get revenge. This book isn't shocking and it's plot isn't a revolutionary one. The cool thing is, that's not the point at all.



Love, Heather is about the pain you feel when you find yourself alone. High school freshman, Stevie, is alone. Her parents divorced and both her mom and her dad are more worried about making their new lives than trying to make sure Stevie's life is working out. Her best friend since childhood, Lottie, has started hanging out with a new crowd (friendship breakups: what's more relate-able than that?). In short, everyone that Stevie should be able to count on is gone.



Enter Dee, a new friend who helps Stevie find the power to burn it all to the ground. Who seems to know her thoughts from the inside out. Who is exactly what Stevie was missing.







Now, given the title and references to the book, it's pretty clear that "Dee" is just a platonic, female version of J.D. from Heathers. Even the name smacks of intertextuality, so this goes a little deeper than mild references (hello, even the title and movement within the book is a nod to the film). That's not to say you can't enjoy this book if you haven't seen Heathers, but honestly, if you haven't I have two questions for you: what's your damage? Did you have a brain tumor for breakfast? Watch it. Winona Ryder, Shannon Doherty, Christian Slater . . . there's no risk here.



Movie gushing aside, this book was really good. Personal overshare here: I have three children, so while I read more than most, it takes a lot for me to put it all on hold and read for hours on end. I had trouble putting this one down because a) there's a thing I wanted to see if I was right about and b) it was really fast paced and enjoyable.



Okay, so you know how books about high school usually fall into the two extremes of being overly precious or so overly dramatic they read like a Lifetime movie script? this one, one that had so much chance of going totally off the cliff, really didn't. It felt very authentic to what it's like to be in that weird, liminal space of adolescence. sure, Stevie was self-absorbed and had a tendency to make things about her: isn't that the hallmark of being a teenager? But the other stuff, the big, thematic stuff, worked. Petrou discussed sexuality and gender and consent in ways that actually felt like they were just things the character was experiencing, rather than some super edgy, look-at-this-social-problem manifesto. this is a worthwhile read for anyone middle school aged or older. Obviously it's a bit dark for anyone younger than that and I'm sure many will even say it's too much for a middle school kid, but. . . I would argue they are forgetting what middle school really looks like. This is it, y'all. This is youth at its meanest and most honest.



Loved it.



5/5

https://bibwithblog.blogspot.com/2019/04/love-note-to-dark-teenage-comedies-of.html

I really enjoyed the first three quarters of this book. I felt like the author really captured how fraught the high school experience is, specifically how complicated female friendships can be and how quickly things can escalate. This book is about a girl named Stevie who starts off the book with a solid support system, including her best friend Lottie, and how things slowly deteriorate from there. After losing all of her friends, Stevie and a new friend decide to turn the tables on the bullies of the school.

I think that the author dealt with teenage angst well, however, the end of the book really fell apart for me. I found it to be very convoluted and confusing, and kind of heavy handed with the way it tried to address the Me Too movement. I feel that this aspect of high school could have been handled in a much more tactful and realistic way, which is way I had to take off a few stars.

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

Holy shit...this was fantastic.

I read this in one sitting. Couldn't put it down.

The premise is a modern coming of age story inspired by various 80s and 90s teen films, but most significantly Heathers. This book hits all the big issues: bullying, rape culture, mental illness, LGBT, growing up on social media...and more.

The story is fast paced. The characters feel authentic. You know these people. You feel the emotions.

This is a must read for fans of teen thrillers, but also for anyone with kids coming of age in today's society.

Very highly recommended.

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

I read Love, Heather in one sitting because it was simply so captivating and believable. The premise is a coming-off-age story inspired by classic teenage flicks from the 80's and 90's, and the execution is just so well done. The characters are believable in every way, the dialogue and lingo never feels forced and they come off as nuanced and well thought out all of them.
The very beginning of the novel had a couple of huge info dumps, but for me, that was fine. It set the premise and backdrop of the story in a believable fashion. The only thing to pick at is that the characters felt a bit older than they were. I'm not well-versed in American/Canadian school systems, and I honestly believed they were 17 until halfway through the novel, when they are revealed to be 14.
This novel is contemporary in every sense of the word, talking about issues such as bullying, rape culture and mental illness.

I wouldn't say you necessarily have to watch Heathers to read this, but seeing as Heathers is an excellent movie, I would highly recommend it. There are a lot of characters throughout the novel that are clearly inspired by the film, and small details come through and connects the movie in more subtle ways.

I highly recommend this, it is a must-read for 2019!

“What’s your damage?”

Ok, full disclosure, Heathers is one of my all time favourite films. The first time I saw it, I was way too young to be watching it and found myself misunderstanding a lot of what was going on. I revisited it as an older teenager and saw my friends, my enemies and my school is this film. It was funny, raw, honest and brutal. Just like high school.

Love, Heather is not a retelling of those awesome cult film, but there are references throughout, some clear and obvious, others hidden to only true Heathers fans. Or obsessives!

The main character, Stevie, finds herself ostracised in school, kicked out of the popular gang by her best friend and soon buddies up with Dee, a new girl at school who recruits her and other bullied teens to take action against those that hurt them.

I do not condone what Stevie does in this book, but it’s interested to see from the perspective of someone pushed into that position. Damn, kids can be mean. And adults can be blind.

The twist was clear, if I’m honest, but it didn’t detract from the importance or the truthfulness of this book. I loved reading it and would recommend it to all YA readers who want to read something realistic.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. This in no way influenced my review or my opinions of this book.

From the moment I started Love, Heather, I was gripped. Petrou captures the politics of teenage friendship perfectly, and the voices of her young characters felt truly authentic. The frequent references to teen revenge flicks were a really brilliant way of framing the story and foreshadowing the final act, which was heartbreaking and beautifully written. Reminiscent of Megan Abbott's Dare Me and Louise O'Neill's Asking For It, this is a powerful book.