i enjoyed this book. i liked the wildfire aspect of it because as fires are so unpredictable, you could not tell what was going to happen. the characters were really well written and i ended up hating all of them in the end, but i feel like that was the point. a lot of aspects reminded me of We Were Liars but I really enjoyed that book so i liked this one

It’s summer, and Hannah and her four best friends are planning an epic summer together in her hometown of Gap Mountain, California, starting with a day at Gap Lake.

But a few bad decisions and reckless moves later, they’ve started an uncontrollable wildfire. And no one—including the law—will care that it was an accident. Soon their lies are spreading just like the fire, thus the title.

This book was so intense. Jennifer Lynn Alvarez does such a great job raising the stakes at every turn. No one makes the best decisions when their future is on the line; right and wrong become as murky as the lake where everything started. Throw in the friends keeping secrets from each other, increasing personal loss from the fire, and the pressure is on!

LIES LIKE WILDFIRE is perfect for anyone who loves a high-stakes thriller!

This was an interesting read, especially since my feelings on it are very torn after reading. It was hard to feel any sympathy for any of the characters since none were all that likable. The thing that kept me reading was the fact that I did want to know what happened to Violet and if the monsters did get in trouble for what they did. However, it did become pretty obvious that Hannah was the person that hurt Violet, and once you do finally get to the ending it’s frustrating that she is the worst one of them all and the only one that doesn’t face any consequences. So for me, I give this 3 stars because it did keep me reading and wanting to get to the end, and I liked the author’s writing style, but the overall book and the events that transpired left me left than impressed.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Lies Like Wildfire by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez.

The Monsters are a group of teen friends that have been together for most of their childhood. Every summer they spend countless days at the Gap, smoking, drinking, and soaking up each other's company. But during a particular dry season, a careless spark irreversibly changes the course of their entire lives. It also tests the boundaries and strength of their friendships, are they strong enough to keep it together while holding huge secrets?

Okay, I really enjoyed this novel. It had great colorful characters, and a ton of life, one intense scene after another! It kept me on the edge of my seat, desperate to know what happens to the characters, but also scared to find out. I loved and got so mad at all of them at different times, which I consider true to life.

Having said that, it's a bit messy? It changes lanes drastically enough that I question if the author really knew what this book was going to be when she set out to write it. But, she still did a good job keeping the characters consistent, and it didn't take away from the enjoyment I had reading it.

Enthralling. A few iffy facts (N95 masks? Really? Which "real" people can actually find those? Wouldn't "masks" have been just as good?). The twist at the end was really unexpected - which is good.

Lies Like Wildfire is an intoxicating, twisty, addictive YA thriller with a toxic friendship at the center of the plot. The lies add up just like a wildfire in this fast-paced thriller. When sheriff's daughter, Hannah, and her friends accidentally spark an intense fire in California during fire season, they follow their instincts and lie to the investigators. As the fire blazes on and spreads, the friends all begin to crack under the pressure with the lies piling on. The story features truly fleshed out characters with strong development. If you enjoyed We Were Liars, this one is even better! The writing is strong. Highly recommended to readers who enjoy twisty thrillers with toxic friendships.

This book will ignite your interests just like wildfire and keep you reading until the destructive end. Lies upon lies but yet you pull for the underdogs. Wow! Jennifer Alvarez has crafted a fascinating predicament for her five monsters that satisfy the reader's desire. She said the 2017 California wildfire was her inspiration for this novel which reminded me of my trip to 14 National Parks in the western United States the summer of 2017 just ahead of that wildfire.

Wow! I couldn't put this book down. Suspenseful from the very beginning. What a great story about friendship and loyalty.

Lies Like Wildfire
by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez
Pub Date: 07 Sep 2021
Wow! No only was this a fantastic mystery, but I learned a lot about wildfires that often destroy so much in the western US
Hannah and her friends accidentally spark a wildfire during their final summer together in Gap, California. Starting a fire, even accidentally, is a crime and if they are found out, their lives will be ruined. As the fire spreads, so do their lies, tangling and twisting around them threatening to take them down with one misstep. Then suddenly one of them goes missing. Did they have something to do with their missing friend?

As someone that lives in Northern California and has first hand seen how destructive fires can be, I was very intrigued by this book. It is very fast pace and feels like a rollercoaster from start to finish. I was totally hooked and couldn't stop reading until I was done. I see some other people have compared this book to We Were Liars and I totally get the comparison. Lots of secrets and lies and character's who maybe you shouldn't be trusting their side of the story.

A book that sucks you in and keeps you hooked until the end. The effects of one lie spiral out of control and create a terrible mess of deceit and guilt. The character are relatable. The setting is appropriate. The only negative: the ending.......I felt it lacked a solid resolution for the reader.

4.5, rounded up. Yikes. Very intense, and I love how it was structured. It is easy to book talk & super compelling. A few spots felt repetitive, but just as I was feeling like that, something would happen to push the story along. It is for mature readers, and I wish some of the content had been dialed back a bit so it was not borderline inappropriate in some places. Otherwise, it was awesome! Students will love it.

What a wild ride. This book had so many twists and turns. MCs were iffy but hard to look away from. A fun summer time story.

The comparison to We Were Liars is valid, it has enough twists to keep you reading. Very action forward book with well fleshed out characters. The big trouble is the characters are all unempathetic and unlikeable. You want to feel bad for them but, you just don't. If you are comfortable with the antihero theme this is a very well written coming of age, adventure story.

I found this to be great for fans of We Were Liars who wanted something a little more dark, and a lot more mysterious. This was full of lies, lies, lies, so much that I didn't know if I could trust any of the main characters. Thank you for the e-arc.

Web of lies, love triangles, toxic friendship bond is doomed to fail eventually as the fire breaks out and destroys the lives of entire town!

This is a quick, capturing, fast paced, twisty young adult thriller! Five teenagers called themselves monsters( and eventually they are turned into real ones) , growing up together, remaining as friends for years: now they’re eighteen: three girls will leave to town for college, two boys start working in town, pursuing their own dreams for better futures.

They already planned spending their last summer, chasing new adventures and lots of fun! But gathering around their local meeting place Gap Mountain of California in the fire season turns into the worst decision of their lives. Wouldn’t they wish to take back the reckless choices behind their actions? But now it’s too late!

Hannah Warner,sheriff’s daughter whose life defined by laws: including sending his own wife to the prison where she died in two years from breast cancer, leaving their daughter motherless, all alone.

Hannah wanted to go to Stanford just like their friend Violet who mostly spends her time at their Santa Barbara house, joining their group in summer while she’s visiting her grandmother’s house. She’s beautiful, wealthy, having it all, outsider of their group. She doesn’t have any idea how to fight so hard to reach her goals.

Hannah got rejection from Stanford and focused on second choice: studying criminology at Santa Diego State College, becoming a law officer like her father.

Her long time crush Drummer flirts with Violet in front of her eyes which hurts like hell because their group has a rule: monsters don’t date with another monster!
Drummer seems like using her to clean his mess and Hannah slowly feels like she is his backup girl, who is always devoted and loyal to him.

And let’s meet with the other two gang members: Luke, throwing stones to the house, coming from troubled house and peacemaker, friendly, caring Mo is coming from middle class family, chasing her dream to become a nurse.

Their gathering at Gap Mountain ruins when the boys decide to get stoned along with Violet. Hannah screams at Luke to stop but he doesn’t listen to her. She is out of her patience lately. She reacts fast, hitting his hand and as Luke drops the pipe, a small quarrel ends up with putting entire town on fire.

There are incredibly realistic depicted parts of the book: telling us how the blaze roars through town and towards the Yosemite National Park! I read those parts as if I was watching a movie IMAX with Laser : animals on the road, the fire is erupting, smoke blasting out, covering the field of vision, mad drivers honking their horns, maneuvering their cars, townies are on the road running as they are carrying supplies, children, animals on their arms! It’s the realistic picture shows how all hell breaks loose! Those images seem like popping out from screen and moving directly to you as you cover your eyes and keep screaming.

Five friends swear to protect each other by lying. But at the beginning we also find out Violent is missing! How those two tragedies connect with each other! Did one of the monsters sell the others? Could be the one of them responsible for kidnapping of Violent? Or is she really kidnapped? Could some of them be violent enough to do something to her?
So many questions, twists, lies!
Overall: well executed, exciting, mysterious, riveting thriller keeping you on your toes till the end!

I have to admit: all of the characters are so much dislikable, flawed, irritating! But you still want to know how their story will end. The structure of the story is well developed, keeping your attention intact!

I’m giving four liars pants on fire, I’m addicted to you, don’t you know that you’re toxic stars!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/ Delacorte Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Finished this in two sittings! It dragged a little here and there, but the intensity of the suspense kept me right in it. Absolutely believable in terms of how things happened. I wish the one on-page (unnecessary to the story, really) sex scene wasn’t there, as that is the only thing that really keeps me from recommending to middle schoolers, which would open a new market for publishing. Keeps you guessing!

This book had me hooked from page one! I couldn't put it down! I found myself routing for the monsters, even though maybe I shouldn't be? I loved the narrator even if her character may be a little shaky. Is what she is doing OK or is she someone to be questioned by the police. This was a unique book and I just absolutely loved it. Finished it within one day. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel.
3.5/5 stars.

Okay, I requested it because of the cover (What's new) and the synopsis. I have been on a mystery/thriller kick lately, so I was excited to read this. Uhhhhh, it was INTENSE. Like, it kept me on the edge of my seat, and I didn't want to put it down.

While the wildfire is literally part of the story, the title is brilliant. Hannah and the rest of the "monsters" (ps, I love that for a friend group name)...well, their lies grow like wildfires as they risk everything to protect one another. Just when you think the story is dying down, another one is sparked by the embers remaining from their lies. While we know this new story is happening since it's told within a frame narrative, the idea was still unsettling because oh my goodness.

The writing style is fantastic, and I sincerely could not put it down. 3.5 stars though, because the characters (yes, all of them) were insufferable honestly. The only redeeming quality was Hannah's unreliableness toward the second half of the book (since she loses her memory LOL), but as she regains it, her personality does a complete shift. I also don't like her and Drummer's relationship. At all.

Overall, this was a good thriller/mystery but definitely had some character flaws. There was also a heavy emphasis on criminal justice and investigations which I thought was unique, but still 3.5/5 stars.

No secrets and no lies. That's the motto of 5 long-time friends, known as the monsters. But that pledge is challenged when the teens accidently start a deadly wildfire and cover it up. The guilt and secrets build as the authorities uncover more evidence pointing to some of the group; one monster disappears and another has amnesia from a bear attack. Did she see her missing friend before the attack? What can't she remember? A mystery, even though what happened seems known, and an accurate representation of teen life and relationships. Enjoyable!