Hello! Welcome to the next stop on the Watch You Burn blog tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. I'm really happy to share my thoughts on this book with you!
Author: Amanda Searcy
Pub. Date: October 23, 2018
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Pages: 352
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, iBooks, TBD
Jenny didn't want to move to the creepy, possibly haunted town with her dad. But the cops are on to her, and the only way she can protect herself is by moving as far away from her hometown as possible and staying out of trouble.
But even after she moves, Jenny still gets the itch. The itch to light a match and then watch it burn.
It's something she hasn't been able to stop, ever since an accident years ago. Now, in a new town, Jenny has the strange feeling that someone is watching her every move. Will her arsonist ways be exposed? Or is the burning truth deep inside her a greater danger?
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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 Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.
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.
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.
Amanda Searcy has a BA from New Mexico State University and an MA in human rights from the University of Essex in England. She works in collection development for a public library system and loves chocolate, cats, and curling up with a good book. She lives in New Mexico.
Visit her online at amandasearcybooks.com and follow her on Twitter at @aesearcy.
Giveaway Details:
3 Winners will receive a finished copy of WATCH YOU BURN, US Only.
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
10/15/2018- Rhythmicbooktrovert- Review
10/16/2018- Moonlight Rendezvous- Review
10/17/2018- Patriotic Bookaholic- Review
10/18/2018- Jena Brown Writes- Review
10/19/2018- A Gingerly Review- Review
Week Two:
10/22/2018- Riddle’s Reviews- Review
10/23/2018- Do You Dog-ear?- Review
10/24/2018- Pacific Northwest Bookworm- Review
10/25/2018- The Pages In-Between- Review
10/26/2018- PopTheButterfly Reads- Review
Week Three:
10/29/2018- The Clever Reader- Review
10/30/2018- BookHounds YA- Review
10/31/2018- Rainy Day Reviews- Excerpt
11/1/2018- Here's to Happy Endings- Review
11/2/2018- Liezel and Angie’s Book Blog- Review
Week Four:
11/5/2018- Bookish bibliophile- Review
11/6/2018- Eli to the nth- Review
11/7/2018- Smada's Book Smack- Review
11/8/2018- Taylor Fenner’s Bookish World- Review
11/9/2018- YA Books Central- Excerpt
Glad the story line kept you engaged even if the characters were flat and pretty much unlikable.
ReplyDeleteI felt invested in the overall story, but I wish I had liked the people in it. It's always a bummer when I don't like the characters!
DeleteSounds like an interesting mystery, but I'm sorry to hear you didn't really care for the characters, especially the MC. I'm not so sure I'd be a fan of hers either. Sometimes unlikeable characters can work, but not always.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
I know sometimes the characters are supposed to be unlikable, but I felt like Jenny was too selfish and showed no remorse for her actions. I also wish she had built more of a relationship with her father, or kept in contact with her younger sister. Without he family, she seemed isolated and even more removed from the rest of the world. She was just so obnoxious!
DeleteSounds like a very unlikeable character. That can often make or break a story for me.
ReplyDeleteJenny was horrible. She did terrible things and was willing to sacrifice others to save herself. She may have briefly felt bad for some of her decisions, but it didn't take her long to get over it. Her life came first. Always.
DeleteSounds like it had promise. Sorry to hear it fell a little flat for you.
ReplyDeleteI was really excited to read a book about an arsonist, but I think that aspect of the story was neglected. Yes, she starts fires and they make her feel powerful, but I wish we'd learned more about the core of Jenny and her addiction. I want to feel like I'm part of the story, but Watch You Burn made me feel like I was watching from a distance.
DeleteJenny sounds like a tough character to connect with or even empathize with. And it sounds like this really could have done without the romantic storyline. Sorry this one wasn’t a bigger hit for you.
ReplyDeleteThe romance really detracted from the rest of the story. I honestly have no idea why it was there, or how the author managed to squeeze it in. The two barely new each other, and then she's randomly kissing another guy so he won't get suspicious. His feelings for her were weird, too.
DeleteI could sympathize with some of her feelings, but she caused most of her problems. It was hard to balance my feelings when I was upset with her actions, but also understanding her rollercoaster emotions afterwards. I had such high expectations for this... :(