Well, for action it was good. And for entertainment value, it was pretty good. I even liked the setting in CA and the way the characters were very fleshed out.

However, here’s some things that made for a 3 rating: the MC’s “deflowering,” as it were; the fruitless love to which she clung; the selfishness of the monsters that they liked to pretend was loyalty to one another; and all of the sort of storylines that never came to fruition. I just did not think it was a well-told story in general. Too bad, too. It had potential.

I couldn't put this one down! After five teen friends accidentally start a catastrophic wildfire in rural California, they decide to keep their guilt a secret to protect their loved ones and their futures. Like the fire, the secret can't be contained, and the stakes keep getting higher and higher.

While I didn't find the characters to be like-able, that may have been part of the idea of this book. The premise of one stupid mistake spiraling so badly out of control is one we can probably all relate to and the question of "what would I do?" is one we should all ponder. Would the characters be more sympathetic if they made different choices? Probably.

If you're looking for a book you won't be able to put down, this is it. Lies Like Wildfire opens with an impossibly difficult lie to live out, and the suspense of how this group of kids would outrun the lie – or not – kept me reading! The descriptions of life after a massive fire really put me in the shoes and experience of those who endured the Paradise wildfires, too. The exploration of teenage friendships/relationships was interesting, too. A gripping, thrilling read that anyone will enjoy!

Lies like Wildfire is exactly the type of book I grab when headed on vacation—engaging, relatable, with some crazy twists along the way. This story immediately sweeps you into a friend group that you care about and question at the same time. You to spend the entire book wondering who is truly loyal to whom and how far they will take a lie that burns as out of control as the fire they accidentally caused. Each character feels like someone you know and the stakes are dire in the terrible mess they’ve created. Just when you think there’s enough for these teens to handle, Alvarez throws in more, and then a little more.

I was a little disappointed that the story penalizes Hannah for her loyalty to long-term best friend, Drummer. Sure she is a self-serving and unreliable narrator, who should see Drummer’s tendency for making her his go-to gal as the one-sided love affair that it is and cut him loose. But in a small town, with a tight group of friends, it’s realistic that an unrequited crush could manifests as being there for the other person wherever, whenever. Unfortunately, the story spins into Hannah being obsessed rather than manipulated by the now-hot guy friend who wants to keep a girl in his corral at all times to make himself feel good—he even does the dismissing of her, making her seem even more insane. Although this dynamic serves the plot, it left me wondering what the story is saying about “being there” for a friend versus using others to make oneself feel important. (Then again, Hannah could also be accused of this.)

The story opens with Hannah working as part of a search party for one of her best friends, but the book rolls along for a while before the friend goes missing—to the extent where we almost forget that’s where the story started and wonder why it’s needed (whether the “will we get caught?” is enough). But that "why" gets answered in the unfolding of suspense-filled layers and the ending is truly creepy (and worth the wondering along the way),

A suspenseful read from start to finish featuring five friends who make a mistake and have to live with the aftermath of their actions. While underage drinking and using drugs, Hannah and her four friends accidentally start a wildfire that blazes through their town and kills several citizens. They are too frightened to come clean, knowing they will face jail time, so they vow to keep quiet. Eventually the aftermath creates friction and fights and the once tight group of friends slowly falls apart.

There was so much else going on underneath the main plot of the wildfire. The "monsters" as they refer to themselves are a toxic group of friends who treat each other horribly. They regularly make each other cry and break out into verbal and physical fights. I honestly wasn't sure why five different people remained friends with all the drama and toxicity.

Hannah was an unreliable narrator that I did not like. From the first chapter I picked up on her erratic thought process and actions. She is unhealthily obsessed with Drummer (her best friend that she is in love with) and truly believes when he stops sleeping around with random girls he will discover he loves her back. Despite calling the "monsters" her best friends, her thoughts toward them are harsh and filled with jealously and hatred.

There were a few things that didn't make sense (like why the rich grandma who lives in a mansion didn't have security cameras), and the one thing that was inaccurately portrayed was Hannah's actions after being discharged from the hospital after a bear attack. She suffers a concussion and is on prescription pain meds but the second she arrives home her police chief father hands her the keys to his car so she is free to roam, and she goes for a drive the next day. A few chapters later Hannah flat out says she takes her pain meds before driving somewhere. I'm not sure if this was included on purpose since I guess there wouldn't be much to the ending if Hannah is stuck at home healing from a concussion and lacerations. Speaking of the ending, I did not like it.

A thriller that fans of We Were Liars will like. This one also features an unreliable narrator. When 5 best friends accidentally start a major wildfire, the lies start mounting. If they tell the truth, they will probably be charged with arson. Would telling the truth be worth it? And can investigators really figure out how the fire started in the first place? The first half of this book, which had to do with the fire, was pretty slow. Chapter after chapter of "Oh no, the fire is still burning--we should not tell" also lots of preachiness from Hannah, the narrator, who reminds everyone constantly that they should know better because she is the sheriff's daughter. In the second half, one of the five friends disappears and then the story turns into "Oh no, where is she?" A good ending that many students won't figure out early.

Great first line: I’m not dressed to find a body.
18 year old Hannah aspires to be an FBI agent. But that career, and more, is at risk when she and 4 friends start an accidental wildlife that threatens to consume more than just their small town on the edge of Yosemite. With the recent history of west coast fires, this is an up-to-date example of the “unintended consequences” concept in teen lit, as the act is compounded by lies and betrayal. Fast moving and relevant, a compelling read.

Wow...I thoroughly enjoyed this multi-layered story. From the beginning, when Hannah and the monsters accidentally started the wildfire to the mysterious disappearance of Violet, I was hooked and couldn’t stop reading. How far would friends go to protect their secrets? What does it take to unravel their bonds? I was guessing right up to the end, and was not disappointed.