Amanda Searcy

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

Normally, I'm not a paranoid person, but I was suspicious of everyone and everything in Watch You Burn. Jenny's actions made me feel anxious and unsettled, and she frequently chooses to be reckless. I wish she had refrained from taking unnecessary risks, but it did move the story along. She's struggling with her addiction to fire, and it wins more often than not. I thought it was an interesting perspective, and it made me think about arsonists in a different way. I wish someone had helped her instead of letting her addiction spiral out of control.

I sympathized with Jenny, but I didn't like her. I also didn't agree with most of her decisions. First of all, she was extremely hypocritical. She wanted to collect everyone's secrets, but she was unwilling to share her own. Secondly, I think she should have come clean about her mistakes and dealt with the consequences of her actions. Jenny clearly needed help, but all they did was send her somewhere else. She's also insecure, petty, and jealous. Her confidence was fleeting, and would quickly be replaced by anger and frustration.

At times I felt like the story was a little slow, but the mystery kept me turning the pages. I had theories, but never felt confident about them. Everyone was hiding something, so I suspected every person she came into contact with. There were also a lot of unexpected twists that made me question everything I thought I knew, and I'm still not sure how I feel about the ending. It left things mostly unresolved.

Overall, it was an interesting read. However, I do wish Jenny had been more likable. I found it hard to relate to her and her way of thinking. She wasn't kind to others, and she threw money around like it didn't mean anything to her. I was annoyed when she used her parents money for stupid things just because she could. We already know about her extracurricular activities, and yet she still takes advantage of others.

There were a few romantic possibilities, but ugh. I feel like the romance could have been left out. Jenny used people to get what she wanted. She only worried about herself and what would happen if her secrets were exposed. She went along with whatever Ro suggested, and didn't treat her or Kara with the respect they deserved. Her relationships with everyone felt strained and awkward, and I'm not a huge fan of her father. He should have inserted himself in her life more, but he was too busy being distracted by the woman warming his bed.

I sped through Watch You Burn because I was invested in the mystery. I wanted to know what was happening and why, but also learn more about Jenny and her struggles with arson. The characters fell a little flat for me, but the story itself was okay.

Originally posted at Do You Dog-ear? on October 23, 2018.… (mehr)

Very clever story of two different girls Betsy and Kayla.

Kayla is a poor student who has been in foster care as her mother is an alcoholic. Her mother has been sober for 3 years and has finally won back custody of 17 year old Kayla. Kayla's best friend is a rich girl on the cheerleading squad who 's mother wants to buy her everything to alleviate her middle class guilt. Kayla is learning to stand up for herself and has just started a job at the low budget supermarket. She walks home every night to a very dodgy neighborhood where her mother lives. (The man next door is a drug addict). To make matters worse, there is a serial killer on the loose in town, and 3 girls have been raped and murdered nearby. Into Kayla's life comes Jordan - 19, suave and good looking. Then one night, Kayla is chased home by a man in black after work - who is the serial killer? And is Jordan too good to be true?

Betsy - there is a secret black phone under the bed. She and her mother have moved to a town bordering Mexico from North Dakota is their cover story. Her mother has a job at a florist and the shop next door is a Mexican restaurant. Betsy befriends the very pregnant 19 year old girl called Happy, who is related to the restaurant owners. In the kitchen is Adrian a few years older. Adrian looks at Betsy suspiciously and Happy's boyfriend thinks that Betsy is a narc. Everyone in the town seems to have something shady going on, but what is Betsy's story? What is the black phone she must constantly answer and why is she so freaked out about Happy and Adrian's totem of a golden fish?

Loved how the plot keeps you guessing until the last few chapters. For mature readers due to language, sex, drug abuse and violent crime, but gripping until the very end. Students will LOVE this book.… (mehr)

Student Review by: Hannah H (10th grade)
Grade range: 8th Grade and up
Genre: Suspense/mystery
Literary merit: OK
Characterization: Good

Review:
Watch You Burn is about a girl named Jenny and her internal battle with her obsession to control fire. At 7 years old Jenny was in a fire and it severely burned her arm, and that's when her itch started. No one got hurt when she set the fire, yet her mom insists she go live her father in Las Piedras, Mexico. She tries to turn over a new leaf and do better, and she even meets a girl named Ro who quickly turns into her best friend, but her demons follow her there and she can’t stop. Then she meets Ben, and he makes her want to get better and to stop starting fires in the woods. Jenny's friend dies suddenly, and she starts getting weird papers from someone who knows her deepest secret about the fire that happened when she was seven. Ro is there to console her through everything. Is it true friendship or something more sinister unraveling? Jenny tries to find out who is doing this to her, and as she goes down this dark path she sees that nothing is ever as it seems and no one is ever as they say.

Watch You Burn had a great story line but the ending was weak and left you with lots of questions. The story took a lot of time to take off and when it did it just didn’t grip you and hold you there hanging on every last word. The main character Jenny was depicted really well and throughout the book, you can feel all the pain she feels, but you don’t really understand her obsession with fire until the closer to the end, and you just have to make assumptions about her intentions at first. The book has you searching for answers, and it gives them to you all on one page. The book ends abruptly, and the whole ending just feels very rushed. Optional purchase.… (mehr)