Information:
Title/Author: Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick
Series: Standalone
Release Date: November 10, 2015
Publisher: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA, Mystery, Thriller, Romance
Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭

Stella Gordon’s life is a lie.

She does not belong in Thunder Basin, Nebraska. As the star witness in a murder trial against a drug dealer, Stella is now in the Witness Protection Program. The small-town locals can never know who she really is. Not even Chet Falconer, the one boy who makes her want to reveal her true self. She knows that telling the truth will only bring violence to this safe haven.

Despite how hard Stella tries to stay under the radar, danger is fast approaching. Criminals have a way of getting rid of witnesses, and Stella may have made the one mistake that could lead the cold-blooded men hunting for her right to her doorstep.

I read part of Becca Fitzpatrick’s Hush, Hush series earlier this year and absolutely loved them. When I saw a hardcover copy of Dangerous Lies sitting in the pile of YA novels at a local used book sale, I grabbed it as quick as I could. As October was approaching, this book’s eerily creepy cover called my name. And I have to say, although this book takes place in summer, it is the perfect read for the Halloween season.

What I loved…

First of all, let’s talk about this absolutely gorgeous cover. This book takes place in Nebraska, and by the looks of it, it sums of Nebraska’s fields pretty well. It could also pull off the fields just outside my city. But, I love how this cover focuses on the colours black and white, with an eerie white glow coming from the letters. The lights in the background make me predict a car crash. And I LOVED the texture of the raindrops on the cover.

Now, some might pity Stella, but I found her to be a very strong character. She was a part of the US WITSEC program, which is basically a witness protection program. Basically, she witnessed a crime and was sent into a program for her protection. She was sent to a small town in Nebraska to live with Carmina Songster, an ex police woman. How would you feel if you were sent away from your family, friends and home? I would be devastated and terrified, so I thought that Stella was a really strong character by how she dealt with her personal situation.

I loved Stella’s character and personality throughout this whole novel. She was partially stuck in the past, and partially in the present. So with that said, she was still the girl who loved makeup, curled/straightened hair and health diets. But, she was also the Nebraskan cowgirl we saw in this novel. I also loved how much she loved basketball, since I really enjoy basketball.

Now, can we talk about our hottie, Chet Falconer? I didn’t know if I was going to like him at first, since I didn’t like the name Chet, BUT I LOVED HIM. He is such a chilvarous gentleman, which we don’t see much of in YA books. Chet was never a douchebag and cared about Stella from the moment they met. Neither of them knew each other’s past, but they treated each other as if they had known each other for years.

I also really loved Inny’s storyline. In case you didn’t know, Inny is a pregnant local who worked with Stella. It really isn’t often that we see “young” pregnancy in YA novels, so I found this one to be super cool! And just you wait to see who the dad is. I was definitely ShOCkED.

What I didn’t like…

I think that the only things that I didn’t like about this novel were certain characters. I didn’t like Stella’s mom. I hated Danny Balando. I didn’t understand why Dusty was necessary in the novel. That’s about it.

Favorite quotes…

“I haven’t been able to think straight since I met you. I can’t think of a day when you haven’t been in my thoughts. There are a hundred other things I should be thinking about, but I think about you. What you’re doing, when I’ll see you next, what you’re thinking.”

Overall…

I ended up giving this novel 5/5 stars. It isn’t often that I get hooked on a book during the school year, but this one definitely had me hooked. I just couldn’t put it down. I loved the romance. I loved all of the mysteries. This was the first book this school year that made me WANT to read.

I would definitely recommend reading this book in October. Both the cover and plot give off a creepy vibe that is definitely worth reading near Halloween.

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Happy Reading,
Alaina