Watch You Burn is a bit of a slow burn novel that really picks up if you hang in there long enough. The story being about an arsonist was different enough from what has been in YA fiction lately. The twist really added a bang to the story. Though not my favorite, I can still see readers enjoying this one.

First off I want to thank NetGalley and Delacorte Press for allowing me to read an advance copy of this novel for a full and honest review.

This was a 3.5 stars read for me. This was my first Amanda Searcy book and I did enjoy it quite a bit. The novel had the feel of the old school YA mystery/thrillers that I used to and in reality still do really enjoy reading. It had the feel of Christopher Pike or R.L. Stine (Not Goosebumps R.L. Stine but the YA version). The novel begins with Jenny arriving from Ohio where she lived with her Mother, Step Father and half sister Hailey after an unfortunate incident. to a small town in New Mexico to live with her Father. Shortly after she arrives a slew of fires begin to appear within walking distance of the Motel she is staying in. There is no point in hiding the fact that Jenny is the one starting the fires as it is revealed very quickly. We also find out quickly that she was in a fire herself as she has a burn that is an itches whenever she has a desire to light a fire. As Jenny tries to settle in to town and her new school she makes some new friends and that is when we get hints of what is to come in the novel.

I have to admit that it did take me a decent amount of time to really get into this novel. I think I was at about 45% on my Kindle when the book finally started to hook me. I never thought about not finishing it as I would never not finish an ARC. That just does not seem right but it did not hold my interest for a good amount of the beginning. The reason for the 3.5 stars? When the book picked up it really did pick up. All of the sudden things really begin to happen. You start to see the deep cracks in each of the characters that come in Jenny's life. Everyone is broken in some way, shape or form. Some you really love and some you begin to suspect have very shady motives almost immediately. I thought the character of Ben was extremely well written. In fact I thought he was actually the best written character in the book. There is a classic whodunit and though there are plenty of suspects I think the guilty party is pretty easy to figure out. Thi is not a book where everyone gets a happy ending, in all honesty there is no real, true happy endings but there is a an ending that I felt was very fitting for the novel. I wanted to love this book but I think I kind of just liked it. I did enjoy Amanda Searcy's writing and will be picking up another novel by her.

This one was hard for me because I thought I would really love it but I just kind of liked it... I found it a bit difficult to get into the story, though it was worth it for the ending. I just felt some disconnect with the characters but overall I do feel like some of my students will enjoy it!

Wow what an interesting book that dealt with fire and alcohol. Messed up family relations and crazy friends. Some romance but more on the girls friendship. I really enjoyed this book and wondered if she might be crazy , but this book had twists and turns.

Jenny leaves Ohio to move in with her dad in Arizona attempting to get herself off the police’s radar as they pursue an arson investigation. Her dad’s construction company is renovating an abandoned and dilapidated hotel into a shiny, updated new one to bring in more tourists to this tiny town. Jenny lives in one of the refurbished rooms with luxury features, but even her new lifestyle and starting at a prep school can’t suffice her cravings to start fires.

Making new friends and acquiring a boyfriend, Jenny attempts to behave and leave her past in Ohio, but once she lights the first match she spirals back to her old ways. Now the police in Arizona are investigating the fires along with murders that suddenly crop up. Despite the heat of the investigation, Jenny can’t shy away from starting fires and eventually she starts receiving notes and pictures from a stalker.

This story was a splendid mystery. The writing style was a tad difficult to get into, but as the story progressed I was so engrossed with the plot that I paid no attention to how everything was written. One small negative was how long it took for answers to be revealed, but on the plus side it made me want to keep reading. There were so many questions regarding the secondary characters, and Jenny, that weren’t answered until well over the 50% mark which was somewhat frustrating since I wanted my answers asap.

I didn’t expect the twists despite my history of reading many young-adult mysteries and thrillers so that was refreshing. I was on the edge of my seat until the end, very content with the final chapter and confrontation. I didn’t know the killer’s identity until the reveal since I expected it to be someone else. Jenny was beautifully written; you experienced her flaws instead of her good traits, but deep down she loved her family and would do anything to protect them, especially her little sister. The final chapter was when we got to see the true Jenny during her clash with the killer, and I adored every second of the power she possessed and manipulated.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.

The best kind of book should do three things: entertain, provide an escape, and force you to share the emotions of its characters. Watch You Burn checks all of those boxes.

It’s clear from the beginning that the narrator, Jenny, has some pretty big secrets. But she’s not the only one with something to hide. Each character’s backstory is fully fleshed and complete with a sordid secret which makes them all viable suspects later on. It’s easy to completely lose yourself in paranoia that jumps off of the page.

The only area in which Watch You Burn falls short is the ending. It was abrupt and didn’t provide enough closure. I feel like there is more left to Jenny’s story and her struggle with pyromania. Perhaps this is just the set up for a sequel? If so, I would definitely read it.

[Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free advanced copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.]

I thought this book would be something different. The title made me thing mystery and horror. The moving to a new place was a bit cliche but I read on and noticed it wasn't so cliche. How many books do you know have a girl who likes to set fires? But like some of the previous reviews the way fire is describe is odd. Like the writer doesn't know what fire does. I instantly thought the girl needed help. Something is not right with this character and I hope she gets help in the end.

I got this book because I have a fondness for fire (from a safe distance), and reading about an arsonist scratches my itch.

The book didn't spend too long on the beauty of fire and other pyro favorites. What it did have, was deep twisted characters, with a whodunit running throughout. Every character was messed up to some extent, with their own releases, be it drugs, alcohol, or setting fires. The characters were very well drawn out. I'm not sure which one I felt sorrier for.

The worst part, though, is that there was no clean conclusion. Yes, we find out who was behind it all, and why, all of which was very nicely done, but Jenny, the MC, ends the book with the very same issues that plagued her at the beginning. Actually, if anything, her life is even more messed up at the end. I might've rated this higher if it had a better ending. The way it is, it feels like there should be a sequel, or that the author was leaving it off that there are no nice happy every afters in real life. That most people remain messed up unless they take serious steps to change their lives. But still, I wish Jenny would at least get some therapy. Something. Anything.

Disclaimer: I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of WATCH YOU BURN on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher and author.

4 stars and here's why:

It’s not often that you read a book where the main character is so flawed from the get-go, that you keep reading in hopes that her situation and outlook will improve. It’s one of those rare books that you come across that’s so riveting, it’s just so hard to put down. The story unfolds like a fine wine, slowly and with anticipation that makes your mouth water and your senses go haywire. The main character battles with an addiction: arson. When she relocates with her family to a new town, she not only battles those urges, but has to deal with all of the other stuff teens do as well. Jenny’s situation is tenuous, but Ms. Searcy does an amazing job with how the addiction is it’s own character in the story – how this girl, Jenny, has a love-hate relationship with it. I love YA stories that make you reflect on the story days later. WATCH YOU BURN is one of these amazing books where it’s been more than a week, and I’m still thinking about it! Highly recommend.

This is a harder one to really put my feelings into words for. I'd say for about the first 40%, I was really bored. I honestly considered giving up on this and just marking it as a DNF. But, I held out, and it did pick up, so I'm glad I did.

Right from the beginning I was excited to have a main character who is one of the bad guys. There is a lot going on here, so she's definitely not the only bad guy, but she's certainly not who I would call the hero of the story. Actually, looking back on it, I don't think that there even is a hero in this story. I don't see this often, and I felt like the author could do a lot with it. I think it turned out OK, but I was expecting more.

The overall "plot twist" was one I saw coming from about the 50% mark, when things had finally started to get good. I mostly decided to keep reading this one because I wanted to find out if my guess was right or not. We've got these two big plot lines that don't really have anything to do with each other, and that makes for a pretty interesting experience. On one hand, we've got Jenny itching to start basically anything flammable on fire, and then we've got someone running around killing people. It made for a fun time trying to figure out how everything was going to tie together, but the reveal wasn't really shocking for me.

The characters were interesting enough, but there were some small story lines here and there that kind of came and went but didn't get resolved. I wasn't a fan of the writing style whatsoever in the beginning, but after a while I got used to it.

Overall, I don't hate it, and I don't love it. It was a fun read, but it didn't quite quench the thirst for a suspenseful mystery, in my opinion.

It’s sad when a mystery/thriller set around fires leaves me feeling cold.

“Watch You Burn” sees Jenny relocated to Arizona following a suspicious fire back home in Ohio and it doesn’t take long for her to give in to her urges and start lighting matches again. When she makes friends with some new people in town she finds that her secret isn’t the only one out there causing problems for those who wish they’d stay hidden and if she’s not careful she might end up getting burned.

First off sorry for the fire puns.

Okay so this one of those books that stays pretty much one note for the entirety of the novel which is sad considering it contains arson and murder. It sets itself up for a darker twist than what it delivered which is disappointing and the overall reveal was somewhat random and equally upsetting. Not to mention there were a few big plot points that were left unresolved or forgotten once they served their purpose in setting up the bait and switch and instead of being cleaver it comes across as lazy.

I was really excited for an unreliable narrator/anti hero and instead we got a dud. There wasn’t really anything keeping me invested in Jenny’s story and with such a compelling idea and history I should have been on the edge of my seat trying to see what happens next but instead I was watching the clock on my kindle waiting for it to tell me I was finished.

I wish I could say something positive about this but unfortunately I’m at a loss.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. I really liked this book. It’s pretty rare that you see a female that commits arson. I’ve never read a book from this point of view before so I really enjoyed that. I wish Jenny got some help in the end, she definitely needs some therapy! Other than that, this book was awesome. I’m happy I got an early copy!

Aside from the twist at the end, the writing left a lot to be desired.

I don't know if Searcy has ever used matches before, but by the way she describes it, I'd think not. There was a lot of things in this story that seemed very far-fetched. I think if the writing had been better with more imagery and detail it would have been easier to believe, but as it stands, it seems pretty inconceivable and didn't work for me.

I had a hard time with this novel. It is a read that develop slowly over time and you like the main character but you're uncertain what's coming next for her. This keeps you from being empathetic towards her and her sickness. The mystery of the story played out a little confusing.

This book ended up not really being my style. The story was okay, but it was a little predictable, and the characters were all pretty bland. It had potential, but it just didn't make the mark.