Blog Tour: Dangerous Lies - Becca Fitzpatrick

Becca Fitzpatrick has stopped by A Dream of Books today to provide some advice for teens. 

On being a teen or advice for teens

In my writing I tend to draw, at least in bits and pieces, on my own teen years. In Dangerous Lies I based Chet Falconer, the story's hero, on my high school boyfriend. I had a great high school boyfriend. He was kind, smart, athletic, good looking. At the time, I wondered why he was with me. Girls would come up to me at school and say things like, “Is he really with you?” and it made me more insecure. I think teens can be really hard on themselves. We're very critical of every perceived flaw. Recently, a friend from high school contacted me and said, “You had everything. I wanted to be you.” I was baffled.

Moral of the story: Love yourself. Be kind to yourself. Focus on your good qualities, because someone out there sees them.

Becca's new book 'Dangerous Lies' (published by Simon and Schuster) is out now. 

Stella Gordon is not her real name. Thunder Basin, Nebraska, is not her real home. This is not her real life.  After witnessing a lethal crime, Stella Gordon is sent to the middle of nowhere for her own safety before she testifies against the man she saw kill her mother’s drug dealer.

But Stella was about to start her senior year with the boyfriend she loves. How can she be pulled away from the only life she knows and expected to start a new one in Nebraska? Stella chafes at her protection and is rude to everyone she meets. She’s not planning on staying long, so why be friendly? Then she meets Chet Falconer and it becomes harder to keep her guard up, even as her guilt about having to lie to him grows.  As Stella starts to feel safer, the real threat to her life increases—because her enemies are actually closer than she thinks.   

Don't forget to check out the rest of the stops on the 'Dangerous Lies' blog tour. There are some great posts still to look forward to. 

Review: Dangerous Lies - Becca Fitzpatrick

Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick, published by Simon and Schuster on 10th November 2015

Goodreads synopsis:
Stella Gordon is not her real name. Thunder Basin, Nebraska, is not her real home. This is not her real life.

After witnessing a lethal crime, Stella Gordon is sent to the middle of nowhere for her own safety before she testifies against the man she saw kill her mother’s drug dealer.

But Stella was about to start her senior year with the boyfriend she loves. How can she be pulled away from the only life she knows and expected to start a new one in Nebraska? Stella chafes at her protection and is rude to everyone she meets. She’s not planning on staying long, so why be friendly? Then she meets Chet Falconer and it becomes harder to keep her guard up, even as her guilt about having to lie to him grows.

As Stella starts to feel safer, the real threat to her life increases—because her enemies are actually closer than she thinks.

Review:
'Dangerous Lies’ was probably the best book I’ve read by Becca Fitzpatrick so far.  I’ve had a bumpy track record with her books, some I’ve loved and some I haven’t enjoyed, but I thought this was a great read.  It wasn’t a five star standout but it had a good plot which featured a hot guy (it always helps!) and there was an exciting turn of events which kept me hooked until the end.

 

At the beginning of the story, Stella Gordon enters the witness protection programme which leads to her relocating to the middle of nowhere, or Thunder Bay, Nebraska to be more specific.  Although upset to be apart from her boyfriend and her old life, she finds that there are some things to enjoy about life in a small town, local boy Chet being one of them.  I thought that the idea for the plot was great – teen hides out alone from bad guys in a small town.  I kept wondering if Stella was really as safe as she appeared to be and this kept me on my toes throughout the book, as I was constantly looking for danger around every corner.  Not only does Stella have some pretty dangerous people to watch out for, she also has to deal with local bad boy Trigger McLure.  I have to say that I didn’t quite understand why Trigger hated Stella as much as he did but he was one very bad piece of work.

 

Chet on the other hand was wonderfully dreamy!  He has had a lot put on his young shoulders but he copes with things admirably and I could easily see why Stella began to fall for him.  He has a lovely personality and is gorgeous too!

  

Although Stella wasn’t my favourite heroine, she grew on me throughout the book and I enjoyed finding out about the secrets she is hiding at the end.  There were some good twists and turns and a dramatic conclusion which had me on the edge of my seat.  More like this please Becca Fitzpatrick!

Review: Black Ice - Becca Fitzpatrick

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick, published by Simon and Schuster on 7th October 2014

Goodreads synopsis:
Britt Pfeiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there... and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target.

But nothing is as it seems in the mountains, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?

Review:
'Black Ice' was a book of two halves.  The second part was so much better than the first but it depends if you are willing to wade your way through the opening chapters to get to that point.  I know a lot of other bloggers have read this one and had quite strong reactions to it but I always try to approach books with an open-mind.  Sadly, it isn't one that I particularly enjoyed which is a shame because when I first heard about it I thought the synopsis sounded brilliant. 

I didn't warm to the main character Britt or her best friend Korbie, who both seemed incredibly shallow and spoilt.  They are supposed to be best friends but it seemed more like a competition between them.  Because they seem so spoilt, they don't appear capable of doing anything for themselves, which made the idea of them backpacking alone through the Teton mountains almost unbelievable.  When the weather takes a turn for the worse, they end up seeking refuge in the first cabin they stumble across which happens to contain two men.  Now, I know that they are in a potentially dangerous situation, cut-off from seeking help from any other source, but surely common sense would tell you that it's more dangerous to stay in a cabin with two strange men that you don't know. 

I didn't like the way that Britt and Korbie behaved with the men either.  They flirt and compete against one another for attention, rather than thinking about the possible danger they are in.  There are so many indicators that they shouldn't trust them but they ignore all of these.

I did enjoy the survival aspect of the book and the fact that they have to find a way to stay alive in the wilderness but even that wasn't enough to get me on-board with the overall plot. 

As the pieces of the story began to click together, I began to enjoy it a little more and I thought that it was very creepy and suspenseful in places.  Unfortunately the book was just let down by extremely unlikeable characters who I couldn't find it in me to care about.

I will still be looking out for Becca Fitzpatrick's next book but sadly, this one wasn't for me.