Lies Like Wildfire by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez is a timely tale. With wildfires ravaging much of the world right now, the story takes on a deeper feeling.

The book played havoc with my emotions. The characters are actually quite unlikeable and their lies begin to compound, as usually happens.

The plot is quite believable as the teens known as The Monsters try to cover up their original accident with lie after lie. You can see it playing out and know it’s not going to end well.

The pacing is fast and tight throughout the book, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat.

It’s a tribute to the skill of the author that no matter how much you don’t like and can’t root for the main characters, you just keep reading page after page while mesmerized by the drama and suspense.

I’m going with 4 stars for this one, as I could not put it down. As has been stated many times about this book, It’s an emotional roller-coaster!

I feel like I would have been a monster as even when I wasn’t looking for trouble it always seemed to find me.

This particular group of friends (although I use the term friends very loosely) Hannah, Mo, Luke, Violet and Drummer are hanging out at The Gap. A local bolt hole which is basically a pit with the deepest lake in California. So deep that if you drown your body will never be recovered….

Drowning is the least of their concerns though when, after partaking in drink and drugs, an argument ensues and they start a wildfire in what can only be described as a tinderbox after a drought. With Hannah being the local sheriff’s daughter and Violet missing they make a pact by lying to protect each other as the fire burns through the town leaving death and destruction in its wake.

Can they really trust each other? The friendships are toxic and rife with jealousy and although these teenagers aren’t particularly likeable the author really captures the insecurities that are felt at that age, especially with Hannah and her blossoming feelings towards Drummer.

To me though the star of the show was the fire itself. It was described with such intensity I could almost feel the heat on my face and the smoke choke my lungs.

I’m quite picky with reading YA as I’m 48, having long since forgotten teenage angst I don’t really want reminding. Although this is classed as YA it could quite happily just stand as a thriller and is perfect for those who enjoy sifting the truth from the lies.

In Gap Mountain, California everyone knows about fire season. Everyone takes precautions, everyone knows the damage wildfires cause they have lived through it before.

When a group of five friends spend the summer together they frequent Gap lake a beautiful spot surrounded by forestation. Hannah is 18, and The Sheriff's Daughter, aspiring to follow in Her Dad's footsteps she's more than aware of the dangers. They drink and they party but when Luke suggests a smoke its one step too far, its red season after all. When Hannah intervenes and the pipe accidentally falls to the ground, a fire starts, and it rages and ravages everything in their path. The devastation it causes is horrific, fatalities, destruction and its not under control. Nobody must know how it started, Hannah, Luke, Drummer, Mo and Violet are scared, The secret must be kept at all costs.

From the very first page of Lies Like Wildfire I was hooked! I hated every single character but I think you're meant to as the web of lies and deceit unfold. Yes it was an accident but all five are completely selfish and make decisions that are so irresponsible but actually the sense of real panic had me captivated and felt so realistic. They are teenagers and I don't think they ever expected it to rage like it did. The pacing slows down at times but there's a huge investigation and I enjoyed the way that it unfolded. The writing is intense and had me on the edge of my seat a lot. We find out Violet is missing at the beginning and it was fascinating to see how the story connected! It's twisty in all the right places and even though the characters are flawed and very irritating you can't help wanting to find out what happens to them.
If you love One Of Us Is Lying then you will love this! Overall I loved this Ya Thriller.

My Thoughts: CAN WE JUST APPRECIATE HOW STUNNJNG THIS COVER IS?! 😍🔥

The “monsters” are a group of friends who have grown up together, this is their final summer before college and quite possibly their final summer together so they’ve filled it with loads of fun things to do together.

Unfortunately that doesn’t at all go to plan when in their first trip out together they get drunk & accidentally start a forest fire which very quickly engulfed the whole area and people had to be evacuated!

What follows is a story full of secrets, lies and the fracture of friendships!

This was so hard to put down and was just absolutely incredible. If you love a mystery thriller with about a million layers then this is definitely the one for you!

When Things Go Awry…
A group of friends (‘the monsters’), one final Summer together before college begins - a Summer which should be perfect. In fact, it’s the Summer when things go badly and tragically awry and, before the end, a pact of silence has been made. With a well drawn cast and a creeping sense of tension this is compulsive reading, packed with atmosphere and suspense.

LIES LIKE WILDFIRE is a tense thriller that combines a devastating caused by recklessness and then the tangle of secrets that wrenches a friendship group apart. The first act with the fire is really terrifying, as the blaze burns out of control and everyone has to escape, really driving home the danger and the sheer stupidity of the actions that start it all.

It's such a hard book to stop reading (I accidentally missed my usual lunch hour because of it!) There are all these secrets and mishaps as police investigations ensnare the friends. The pace just keeps up as the friends fray under the pressure and the net closes. Knowing that something was going to happen to Violet really pushes the first half forward even faster.

There's this constant sense of wanting to know what happened to Violet (as the opening is of a search for her, and then the book jumps back five weeks to the fire), but also a desperate fear not to know - because how can it be good, given everything that's happened. Despite it being only from Hannah's POV, the author manages to make you care deeply for each character, and I didn't want any of them to have done it.

It's a really nice take on unreliable narrators. This is not one of those books where you know the character is holding something back (and thus undercuts the tension as you can pretty much guess what happened) or then suddenly information is revealed (which never feels satisfying.) Instead, Hannah is attacked and gets amnesia for the crucial hours where everything with Violet goes down.

It really adds to the mystery, because every option for what happened would be traumatic and so, combined with an attack, gives a really solid reason for the narrator to be unreliable. This creates tension rather than frustration, and still leaves every option wide open.

When the eventual reveal came, I wasn't entirely sure what to think of it, and is why it's a 4-star read rather than a 5-star. I think I'm going to need to have time to decide whether I liked it, or if it was an ending I've seen too much recently that it's lost the punch-factor.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

It’s been a minute since I’ve read a thriller in one day, but, once I picked this book up, I just couldn’t stop!

This story follows a young woman named Hannah and her group of friends nicknamed “the monsters”. They’re in the process of enjoying their last summer before college and the real world in Gap Mountain, California when one terrible mistake changes the courses of their lives forever. A small spark ignites into a devastating wildfire that eats through their town. Hannah, being the daughter of the town sheriff, knows the consequences their facing and so she and the monster come to a decision: to lie. But things quickly get out of hand and Hannah needs to decide what she’s willing to do to protect and her friends.

This was such a fast-paced and wild ride! I do love a thriller that can capture me so completely that I can’t bring myself to stop reading and this book certainly delivered. The plot is so brilliantly woven that you absolutely have to keep turning the pages because you have to know what happens! And that ending! I had some thought about what was going to happen and every single one of them were blown out of the water, lol. I will say that the ending, though surprising, left me feeling a teensy bit unsatisfied, but I still loved it. I also loved how the chapters are broken up, with the dates, times, and percentage of the fire containment. It just added to the tension that was building throughout the story.

Another aspect of this story that I really enjoyed was the incredibly compelling characters. Most of “the monsters” are… not great, but damn if they don’t completely remind me of people I knew when I was a young college student. Young adults who don’t make the best decisions because of so many different factors and the fact that they’re still figuring out how to function as an adult. All of the main characters were so well-written; nuanced and layered to the point that I could easily imagine them as real people. The author does an amazing job of getting you to empathize with them while also shaking your head at the piss poor decisions they make!

Final thoughts: Overall, this book was incredible ride that made me feel the fear of fleeing a wildfire and kept me on my toes from page one until the very end. I was absolutely wrapped up in this story, these characters, and the way the whole mystery unraveled. Though the ending did hit a lot softer than I was expecting, it was still a satisfying and interesting way to wrap up the plot. If you’re looking for a compulsively readable thriller that will have you completely consumed, then look no further than Lies Like Wildfire!

Where do I start? Lies Like Wildfire is by far one of the best thrillers I’ve read in ages! I could not put it down, I have so much to say and so many thoughts running through my head. Everything about this was just brilliant, from the setting, to the characters and plot. Lies Like Wildfire is a ride from start to finish, so many elements and variables were thrown into the mix, I didn’t see half of it coming. Even after I had finished I had to seriously think about details and join the dots.

I love how the author explored the friendship dynamic, highlighting how a friendship can be toxic without you even realising it to begin with, how easy it is for a friendship to turn toxic and how easy it is for secrets to destroy so many people. The title of the book is fitting, as their lies were their own form of wildfire by the end. The character development is just brilliant, following them throughout the events in the book, finding out who they really are, what they did, the secrets they’re keeping was honestly the highlight of the book for me. I was constantly left guessing as to who was responsible for a certain event (possibly spoilery) – it took me awhile to guess who it was. Have I mentioned how brilliant this book is? Because it really is. The tension, betrayal, the lies that only multiply. It’s not just the best thriller I’ve read in ages, it’s also one of the best books I’ve read this year and will definitely make on my top ten list come the end of the year. I’m definitely up for a sequel in some form as I’d love to know what happens next.

You need to read this one, trust me! I can’t recommend it enough

This is the first YA book I’ve read in a long time and I was held captive by it! The story already starts off on a crazy start, an immediate hook. The plot of this book was fantastic and it was a gripping read from the beginning. The conflict and revelation was well done, although a part of me had already expected and knew what the truth was; the book had done a fantastic job slowly building up to that moment like a dreaded memory.

The characters are dislikable, they’re made to be that way, but there are a few you feel bad for. Sure, they are good people who sometimes do bad things [unintentionally], and sure they are teens just hanging out on a nice summer day, perhaps their last before college, but it was because of their recklessness that caused not just a massive forest fire, but one bad enough to destroy a town; people are displaced, animals are missing, the high school is <i>gone</i>, and there are multiple casualties! They decide that it doesn’t matter whether or not they tell the authorities the truth, they’ve already ruined their lives and are consumed with guilt, telling on themselves won’t bring those people and the town back and thus, by that logic, they continue to keep their secret.

The book is incredibly suspenseful. Every chapter there’s always SOMETHING happening and honestly, it’s never a good something. You’re waiting to see if that knock on the door is from one of the Monsters or...maybe it’s the cops and they’ve figured everything out. It’s a heart stopping feeling. Just reading about their “hiding” makes me exhausted. Ever tried to keep a massive secret but already know the truth? It’s tiring.

Lies Like Wildfire revolved around lies, betrayal, and secrets; their lie, a web spun so large that there is no turning back. Their friendship is crumbling and so is their world. On their shoulders is the crime they’ve committed, the strain of hiding this secret, knowing fully well WHO killed those townspeople every time they hear about the latest case gossip.

A fantastic book that had me eating through it. The ending was left ambiguous because, just like the main character, the future is now unclear. After all, there is always somebody who is willing to bring back a cold case. Everything feels unfair, but that is one of the many prices they will have to pay.

Every time I read a great one, I am always reminded that I don’t read enough YA thrillers. This one was pitched to me as perfect for Karen M. McManus fans and I was delighted to be recruited for The WriteReads blog tour for it.

In a small mountain community in California, aspiring cop Hannah and her friends are looking forward to a final summer together before they all go their separate ways for college. But then, they end up starting a ferocious wildfire that rips through Yosemite National Park, causing incredible devastation and the group go to extreme lengths to cover up their involvement.

Hannah and her friends have been inseparable since they were children. They were introduced through a community production of Where The Wild Things Are, when they all wanted to play monsters. Ever since then, the five of them have been known as ‘the monsters’. They are about to be separated by their futures and so there is this huge ‘end of an era’ vibe throughout the book. Anyone who has ever left their hometown and the people they grew up with will immediately recognise that strange mixture of nostalgia and curiosity for bigger things and that this separation is a huge test of friendship. That’s exactly what’s going on for the monsters -their incredibly close ties are brutally tested in more ways than one.

Hannah has been in love with Drummer, one of the guys in the group, for a while. She doesn’t really know what to do with her feelings but they drive a lot of her actions throughout the narrative. A lot of people will be able to relate to that heart-wrenching, terrifying realisation of your love for someone being bigger than you first thought. Drummer is a typical hot guy and although I could see his appeal to a young girl like Hannah, I could smell the trouble radiating out of his pores really strongly. I wanted to urge Hannah to tread carefully there because I knew he had the potential to break her heart.

Mo's and Luke’s families both lose everything to the wildfire. Watching this play out for them really brings home the true devastation that these fires can have on those directly affected. These are not wealthy people who can replace everything easily and many important irreplaceable things are lost to them forever. So much news coverage of wildfires focuses on the damage to the landscape and natural environment, which is of course terrible but the reality of the fires for real people is often ignored. Families like Mo’s and Luke’s exist and they are still rebuilding their lives following the latest natural disaster that took their homes.

There is a guy called Justin who appears to just be hanging around Hannah. He gave her a lift out of Gap Mountain during the fire and asked her out then and there. His behaviour is quite strange throughout the book and his presence made me very uneasy. When things descend into darker realms, he was a strong suspect and I couldn’t work out why he seemed to be sniffing around Hannah, who was clearly significantly younger and more vulnerable than him.

The whole of the book holds this immense anticipation which is weighted with whether the monsters will get away with what they’ve done or not. A real mystery kicks in around the halfway mark and the unravelling of that completely threw me. I couldn’t figure what had happened despite my best efforts and the whole thing landed on top of me in a very heavy, heartbreaking fashion.

Lies Like Wildfire is a very intense and fast-paced. I was desperate to find out whether the monsters were going to get caught and who was behind the seemingly unsolvable mystery. The ending is pretty sad and I think I was expecting a more hopeful departure but it’s perhaps a more realistic finish. Everything is tied up -just not in the way I’d have liked it to be!

Set amidst the blazing hear of Northern California’s fire season, Lies Like Wildfire is the story of Hannah, daughter of the local sheriff in the small forest town of Gap Mountain, and her four friends: Mo, Luke, Violet, and Drummer. Known locally as ‘the Monsters’, the five have known one another their whole lives – and are looking forward to one final summer of hanging out together before college.

But when the simmering tensions within the group reach boiling point, the Monsters find themselves accidentally starting a deadly forest fire that destroys their town and leaves death in its wake. Afraid for their futures, the group make a pact of silence. When one of the group goes missing after threatening to break their pact and tell everything to the police, it isn’t long before the lies – like the uncontrollable wildfire that sparked them – spread dangerously out of control.

With a fantastic premise, I had very high hopes for Lies Like Wildfire. And there was a lot that I enjoyed about this novel. In a note at the end of the book, Jennifer Lynn Alvarez explains that its genesis was her own experience of the Tubbs Fire, an uncontrollable wildfire that roared through her small community, burning for 23 days, causing $1.2 billion in damage and taking 22 lives. This personal knowledge of wildfire – of the sudden evacuation procedures, the fear, the anger, and the emotional toll of the aftermath – really comes across in the novel and, for me, the chapters where the fire was raging were the most compelling in the book.

Unfortunately I failed to find the same emotional connection to Hannah and her fellow Monsters. It’s hard to say too much without giving away elements of the story but, to be honest, I found Hannah to be a distant and difficult protagonist. Infatuated with her childhood friend Drummer and easily manipulated as a result, Hannah seemed to veer between resolute and chaotic, periodically stomping off into a mood whenever her police officer father or one of his colleagues asked her a question (and then wondering why she and her friends have become suspects in the investigation). I also felt as if her character changed completely over the course of the book and, whilst that can partly be explained by the emotional stress she undergoes, some elements of that change felt a little forced.

Meanwhile I found Drummer – the object of Hannah’s affections – to be emotionally manipulative, selfish and even a bit creepy at times. I get the feeling that Alvarez doesn’t actually want her readers to like Drummer – which is fair enough as characters definitely don’t have to be likeable to be compelling – but I’d have liked to get a sense of why Hannah likes him. From what I could tell, he treats her terribly for most of the time! The other ‘Monsters’ – Violet, Luke, and Mo – were more likeable but, alas, I didn’t feel like we got to spend as much time with them and, whilst the ever-shifting dynamics of a teenage friendship group are really well portrayed, I felt some of the subplots were wrapped up a little too quickly for them to real make an impact.

The story itself is fast-paced and compelling with lots of action and plenty of twists – although a mid-book twist involving a bear attack and a bout of amnesia really pushed the boundaries of plausibility for me and, I felt, provided a convenient way of extending a mystery that was otherwise wearing a little thin.

As you can probably tell, Lies Like Wildfire was a very mixed bag for me. I loved the original concept and the way that the author managed to really convey every stage of the wildfire on the page. And I felt that the emotionally charged dynamics of a teenage friendship group were really well portrayed – as was the tension of constant lying to friends, family, and the authorities. Unfortunately I just didn’t care enough about any of the characters to get really invested in the book and a couple of the plot points and twists fell somewhat flat for me.

Other readers probably won’t be anywhere near as picky as this. If you don’t mind an unlikeable narrator or five, Lies Like Wildfire is a compelling and twisty YA read and its tangled web of toxic friendships, love triangles, and lies is sure to appeal!

Lies Like Wildfire is a YA thriller with so many twists and turns that keep you guessing till the very end.

The first line of this novel hooked me straight away. ‘I’m not dressed to find a body.’ Thrilling and intriguing, I desperately wanted to find out why the main character was searching for a body in the first place.

The character of Hannah, our leading lady, was very likeable, and I actually felt incredibly sorry for her. Her friends, especially Drummer, take advantage of her often, and this leads to some severe self-deprecation from Hannah. Drummer is the boy that Hannah has had a crush on since she was young, and she has been following him around little a little lost puppy, hoping he would finally come forward and say he likes her too. Unfortunately for her, this doesn’t happen, but it doesn’t stop her from doing absolutely anything for him.
I disliked Drummer’s character from the start. I don’t like a guy that purposely keeps a girl hanging on for his benefit, it’s such a crappy thing to do to someone, and Hannah did not deserve it.
There was also a memory that Hannah eluded to within the novel, that shook me to the core. Without spoiling anything, it seems that Drummer has been making her keep secrets for him for some time now, and those secrets are not something to be kept lightly.

I also liked the character of Violet, she seemed pretty down to earth and kind, even though she was known as ‘the rich one’ in the group. She was often on Hannah’s side, especially when things started to get rough with the other friends blaming Hannah for their situation.

There were also a couple of moments in the book that I got teary over. I even had to put the book down for a moment to compose myself at one point. Most of the parts that involved animals, including a part where a flock of sheep were completely obliterated by the fire, were the bits that got me emotional.
I liked that the aspect of amnesia that came into things near the end also, as it added even more mystery to what had really happened before one of the friends went missing.

I even learnt one or two things from the book around wild fires, as we don’t really get them in the UK, so it’s interested to know how they move, how quickly they move, and what happens to anything in the vicinity of the point of origin.

I genuinely did not see where the novel was heading. Alvarez surprised me with the huge twist at the end, and I ended up staying up till midnight to finish it as it was SO GOOD.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was well written, with interesting characters and a brilliant premise, and I highly recommend to anyone that likes a YA thriller with some deep dark secrets within.

Lies Like Wildfire is a YA novel by author Jennifer Lynn Alvarez. The plot follows a group of teenagers who have been friends since they were little and call themselves ‘The Monsters’.

Whilst enjoying the day out together the friends accidentally start a wildfire, rather than own up to their mistake they agree to stay silent, but as the fire rages on destroying homes and killing people cracks begin to show in their friendship and their pact.

As the net begins to close in on them one of the teens disappears after stating they were going to the police, the new question is did one of the group go to extreme measures to keep their secret?

This is a book that is bang up to date and covers a subject that affects many, is often in the news, and happens around the world – wildfires.

The group of friends have been keeping secrets since they were little and have a code of honour between them but they have never encountered anything as serious as starting a wildfire and so keeping shtum about it comes easier for some than others.

Our main protagonist is the daughter of the local sheriff and thinks she knows a lot about evidence and fingerprints on items found in fires but it turns out she isn’t quite as clever as she thought, although she is pretty ruthless and is the one holding the group together.

The story is fast-paced and I rushed through it. The book opens with a search party for one of the teens and then goes back in time to show you how we got to this point. For most of the way through I was engaged and gripped to the pages. I enjoyed the feelings and emotions that played out as well as the police trail that lead them to some of the members. However, I found the ending a little bleak, especially when the rest of the book had been a unique and creative YA thriller.

This last 1% didn’t ruin my enjoyment though. If you are after a YA thriller that is well-written and takes you on a journey, plus is an emotional rollercoaster, then grab yourself a copy of Lies Like Wildfire today.

Unfortunately this didn’t really hold my attention all that well. Stopped reading and never returned to it.

As I already mentioned, the theme of this book, the wildfire, is quite important and timely. I grew up and lived in a country filled with forests, but I never really experienced a tragedy like this. And hopefully never. But I’ve seen global news and am horrified every time there’s wildfire news. It’s always tragic. So yes, that is the main reason why I was intrigued by this book.

One reason I was hesitant to read it is the characters. I knew they will be terrible. The blurb clearly stated about their lie, and mind you, there are lots of lies in this book. The characters are not the kind of characters you will love because they’re good people. They’re not. They’re terrible, more so are their actions. But did I hate them? Surprisingly no. I don’t tolerate or agree with their actions, but these characters were incredibly well-written in that they were so realistic. All I could think of was, wow, the author clearly knows how to be god creating these people.

It was very interesting because it’s not often that I read a book where most, if not all, characters are not likable, and yet I liked the book. You see, I love books that are character-driven so I want characters I can root for. In the second part of the book, I appreciate Hannah more. It was quite an experience following her piecing together every secret of the plot. I also found the element of friendship fascinating. It is fascinating to see a group of friends and fell out. I think the author handled the part of friendship really well. It’s not a happy friendship of course, but still, it was so realistic. It was so toxic and filled with lies.

Even though I knew there will be a mystery element in the story, I wasn’t expecting it to be atmospheric and really intense. The pacing was really fast, in a good way, and it didn’t fizzle till the end. I wouldn’t call any of the reveals shocking or unexpected, but the pacing really helped the story become interesting till the end. I really like the writing style of this author.

Overall, Lies Like Wildfire is a great read. It is fast-paced and realistic. Anyone who loves mystery and intense storylines would love this book.

'Lies Like Wildfire' by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez a young adult thriller with a cover and synopsis that makes it stand out from the crowd. A story I hoped would match the promise of both cover and synopsis... well I found it a stand out book for 2021.
We are introduced to Hannah, eighteen years old and a sheriff's daughter who is looking to become an FBI Agent. She lives in Gap Mountain, California, where fires are prevalent and deadly.
Hannah and her friends who are nicknamed 'the monsters' are revelling in their last summer before they all go college and out into the outside world until one mistake alters the course of their lives forever. As a wildfire incinerates their home town, Hannah and the monsters make a decision to lie about the fire. Events seem to spin out of control and Hannah has to make her mind up how much of the line she is willing to cross in order to protect the monsters.
A thriller that is relentless, the pacing is fast the tension is definitely there and racked up by being given the date, time and finally the percentage of fire containment as the story unfolded. A sure fire way to make the reader feel as anxious as a member of the town. It did it for me.
The author has very cleverly created a story that has you hanging on to read 'one more page' so in the end you really have to tear yourself away or you would be sat all day. Her characters are perfectly created, right down to 'the monsters'. No teen group is without the selfishness of most of the kids anyway but this group reminded me of teens I knew when I was that age. A great depiction of a group who are still young enough to make the wrong decisions due to the transition from child to adult. I could picture these characters they were presented that well. On the one hand I really felt for them and on the other one it was like "Why?Just Why?" Their decisions did leave room for improvement but that's kids. I felt for Hannah, a girl who just wanted not to let her dad down. I could totally understand her wanting not to admit she helped start the fire. A character that is truly believable and relatable. The flaws of her character are what you could expect from a teen. This makes the story even better for me.
A compelling and addictive read that was right up my street. I was immersed in this story and felt like I was right by these kids sides as they made errors of judgement along the way. The ending was satisfying too. After reading this book, I think I am going to have to check out this authors work and add any to my tbr list as well.
Thanks to The Write Reads for inviting me on this fabulous tour and the publisher and netgalley for my gifted copy of the book.

I was really intrigued when I first got a copy of Lies Like Wildfire as it is a thriller unlike anything that I have read before, but I absolutely loved it. It had just the right atmosphere and plot to keep it believable while also making you terrified of what was to come.

Even though the characters were terrible people doing some terrible actions, you wanted to route for them and get away with all the crimes they were committing. This was such an interesting concept and not one that I have read for a long while, so it was nice to see a change in the narrative. I didn't particularly like any of the characters individually, but I did like the set-up of their friendship group and seeing its downfall, as people want to escape and move away from what they used to know to new things.

I did love piecing together the second half of the story with the main character Hannah as we went through it in 'real' time. We got to learn along with her, what had happened, which I particularly enjoyed as it kept me intrigued throughout the book. I managed to guess the ending quite early into the second half, but that didn't take away any enjoyment. It didn't take away my enjoyment because Jennifer Lynn Alverez has such a brilliant writing style that made me want to continue and prove my theories right.

But the real thing that pulled Lies Like Wildfire altogether was the atmosphere. I have never been anywhere near a wildfire, as that is not something we particularly get in the UK. But Jennifer Lynn Alverez makes you feel like you are there and going through it all with the characters. I think she does this so well because it is based on personal experience of the wildfires that she has experienced in California.

I can't wait to read what Jennifer Lynn Alverez will publish next, as if it is anything like Lies Like Wildfire, I will be running to the bookshop to purchase it. If you love really intrigued thrillers that keep you guessing and make you think, I definitely suggest picking up Lies Like Wildfire.

“I vow right then not to let that happen. I will keep this plate spinning. I will keep us out of prison. I will protect the monsters.”

CW: Arson/Wildfire/Property damage by fire/Death by fire (mentioned)/Wild animal death (by fire)/Pet death/Parental death (before events of the book)

Lies Like Wildfire promised a story full of drama and mystery and high-stakes events and it certainly delivered on that. There’s no end to the trouble that keeps knocking on these friends’ doors – and it made for a book that was easy to just keep reading, to just find one more clue.
I loved that we didn’t know everything about the story. Even though “we” witness the fire firsthand, there’s so much else we don’t know.
I think the characters were the most interesting part. By no stretch were they likeable. Even if accidental, a lot of the book has them protecting their own interests, regardless of others’. But their bond is so tight, their friendship so tangled, that it’s easy to see why they found themselves in the trouble they were in.

Lies Like Wildfire is a spider web of secrets, lies and complex relationships that slowly unspins, leading you on a journey of fire and blood. Its ending is stellar and will leave you with your jaw open.

Alvarez opens with one hell of an impactful opening line. Immediately, it promises a original, very intriguing and dangerous tale is about to unfold. It feels fresh and new, a shocking and enticing way to open. It pivots straight to the discovery of a body and murder. Therefore, it effectively sets the scene and draws you in. From then on, Alvarez ensures that you won’t glance away by maintaining this incredibly intense atmosphere. The tension and suspense are constantly piling on, with the pressure increasing on our protagonist and her fellow monsters. She sits in this tangled web of secrets, lies and guilt that is eating away at all of them, but the consequences when they start to snap and unravel will be deadly.

Alvarez’s writing is incredibly bingeable, so much so that I practically read this book in one sitting. You find yourself becoming enmeshed in these characters’ lives and discovering the glimmers of the dark secrets they all hold. These are deeply unlikeable and complex characters who have done awful things and are entangled in so many secrets and family issues. Above all, our narrator Hannah provides us with a complicated and often obscured tale. She is brave, fiercely loyal and incredibly fearful of the repercussions this will have on all of them. Also, this is an excellent mystery, with some incredible twists and turns. Everything culminates in a superb ending that really sits on your mind. All I’m saying is that the before and after sections of the book will definitely shift your perspective and it’s the type of book that you instantly want to reread and pick apart.

Lies Like Wildfire is a shining star amongst YA thrillers, with excellent writing and some amazing twists and turns. Keep your eyes on everyone, because you never know who can truly be trusted.

3.5 stars

As someone who grew up in California—and in an area with lots of wildfires—this was kind of a surreal story to read about. I didn't have snow days as a kid, we had fire days where the sky would be orange and ash would fall from the sky, the wind determining if you were forced to leave your home for potentially the last time.

All because of a stupid, seemingly inconsequential mistake, Hannah and her four best friends—the monsters— are fighting like hell to not get caught for starting a fire in their small town of Gap Mountain. And like a wildfire, one lie snowballs away from you, only to get bigger and so out of your control that you get lost in it. That's what happened to the monsters.

This book was incredibly fast paced and exciting to read. I kept wanting to know more and more—the toxic friendships, love triangle, and an unreliable narrator with memory loss. It's a shame that all the characters were pretty despicable people, and not in a fun or endearing way. I also still don't understand the Justin subplot. Why have Hannah mixed up with an older man if it didn't add to the story in any way.

While things about this story bothered me, I was intrigued from start to finish.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.