This was a quick, young adult mystery. It has so much teen angst and ridiculous flirting (when you are murdered and both of your siblings are really upset with how it hurt their dating life...) that you have to remember your audience. It was just cheesy enough to be enjoyable, though. There were mostly teenagers running around trying to solve a mystery without much parental involvement at all. The main character does a lot of investigating to get absolutely nowhere. If the killer hadn't been dumb enough to reveal themself, she'd still be in the dark. I think teens would enjoy this book.

Addie, on a mission to find out what really happened to her sister, ends up biting off more than she can chew!

This was a quick and suspenseful thriller that's perfect for my older middle grades and high school students! The characters were well-developed and there were plenty of twists to keep you guessing. I found the ending of this "whodunit" a little weak and predictable, but I'd certainly read more from Pagano for her writing style and ideas alone. Thank you for the ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⚖️ YA Thriller
🩰Childhood Frenemies to Lovers
⚖️Every is a Suspect
🩰Small Town Secrets
⚖️Murd3r Investigation
🩰Opposite Sides of the Track
⚖️Eat the Rich
🩰Found Family

Thank you Penguin Teen for sending me an early ARC copy.

This book was entertaining from start to finish. I feel YA thrillers have the perfect amount of everything in a book. The right amount of investigation, twists, creepy parts, and in this case romance.

I was suspicious of everyone except the person who did it. I was honestly shocked at the revelation. The motive was not as surprising but I only guessed the motive at the end, it’s not apparent.

I really like that you could feel all the emotions coming the characters. I could feel the grief and emptiness. Fiona’s d3ath is felt! The anger and determination of the FMC Addie was apparent and written well.

MMC Seth! Loved him! The romance between Addie and Seth was chefs kiss! Suspected him very heavily! Thats how you know you have written a good thriller, when even the MMC is a suspect.

I loved the location and vibes, it was very small town and hair-raising!

I would definitely recommend Girls Who Burn!

3.5🌟
This was a good and fast paced mystery book. I read it in one sitting!

Addie has always thought her sister’s passing was not an accident and suspected Thatcher, a boy who was in love with Fiona. When Thatcher is found at the bottom of a ravine, she sets out to figure out what truly happened. As Addie tries to uncover the truth she is careful of who she can trust.

With most mystery books i like noting the small details to see if i can figure out what happened. I did guess who did it, but still thought some of the twists made the story interesting.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Young Readers for the Arc!

I absolutely loved Girls Who Burn by M.K. Pagano. It felt very atmospheric and her characters were extremely vivid. Small town murder mysteries are almost always a fun time.

I read this one in 2-3 short settings, with some skimming once I figured out the villain. But I was genuinely interested in knowing how it ended, so in that sense, this book works as a thriller. However, I found the romance mis-marketed (this is NOT enemies-to-lovers) and distracting (for example, a side quest involving “only one bed”). Readers are likely to feel underwhelmed by the villain’s motives and a bit shocked by the sister’s storyline, but again they were enough to have me turning pages until the end.

3.5 stars.

Girls Who Burn had very pretty writing. Though it wasn't a fresh feeling YA thriller, it did give an interesting sense of de ja vu/nostalgia for summertime, 90s thrillers. It was decently paced, and easy to read.

I had gone in to this one expecting a little more excitement and "newness" to the genre. And, though I was a little disappointed in those aspects, the twists at the end made up for that. This one is definitely for those who love flying through fast paced, tropey, YA Thrillers. Also for those who love enemies to lovers romance (one of the best romances imo). I will be keeping my eye on what M.K. Pagano writes next.

Thank you Penguin Teen for providing me with an ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group for this ARC the below review is of my own thoughts.

Girls Who Burn by MK Pagano tell the story of Addie, a girl who's sister, Fiona, died the previous year and the police had ruled the death an accident. Addie was sure Thatcher, a rich boy from the city, was the one behind it and spent the last year posting her claims/theories online. However, when Thatcher ends up dying Addie and Thatcher's cousin, Seth, decide to try and figure out both murders together. Addie and Seth are each others alibis for both murders, hence why they trust each other and decide to try and solve the murders together.

This book to me was such a fast read, the chapters flowed really well and I was very invested in the story from the get go. It has been a while since I read an YA thriller and I can say I truly enjoyed this book. It has an enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Addie and Seth, as they have always fought/competed since an early age and this also plays a huge role while they are trying to figure out whodunit.

Overall, this book was very entertaining and I truly enjoyed it. However, I was not a big fan of the last reveal as I thought it was a bit cliche the reasoning for the murders and to me it was a bit disappointing.

I gave this book a 3.5 but rounded it up as there are no half stars here.

If you enjoy fast paced, enemies-to-lovers and YA thrillers this book is for you.

This book has everything a good YA thriller should have. I thought the whodunnit aspect of this book was great. I felt just like Seth and his theories; I kept changing my mind on who I thought it could be/what I thought happened! I have to admit, it took me a long time to put it together, and even then I had an idea of what may have actually happened without being sure who committed the crimes!
I will say that I wish I liked Seth’s character a little more. I think the parts of his personality that were written to make the reader suspect him (such as his absolute obsession with Jeremy) made him somewhat unlikable. He also seemed to be the stereotypical “nice guy” which felt more off-putting than romantic. It made it a little harder to buy into the love story part of the book. I felt bad for Jeremy, who I liked significantly more than Seth, and just could not wrap my head around Addie’s choices when it came to the two of them.
I also felt like the reader needed just a little more information toward the end for closure. Some details felt random (dad’s announcement at the end- which I know is supposed to add to the theme of growth/moving forward but felt so randomly thrown in), and I was hoping to see more justice. I was also hoping for more closure on the whole thing with her mom.
Overall, I did enjoy reading this book and look forward to more from this author.

This should’ve been good, but it felt like something was holding it back. The writing was rather immature, and Addie was also too stubborn. She refused to hear anyone else’s opinions and thought she was always right, it was infuriating. And then all the side characters kind of blended together and didn’t have much of a personality or any sense of distinction. Seth was cool I liked him, he seemed to care about Addie a lot, it was sweet. But it didn’t really feel like she cared about him that much, it was more lust than love from her. Overall, this was decent, with some lower quality writing and characters. I liked the idea a lot, but it slightly failed to deliver. I also wish that there were some more Easter eggs about who the killer was planted, that we could look back on once we knew who it really was. That wasn’t really a thing as far as I can remember. But besides that, “Girls Who Burn” was decent but nothing particularly special. Thanks to Netgalley and Nancy Paulson Books for the e-arc!!

I really enjoyed the characters and the setting of this book. This is a fast-paced thriller, it's not too far into the book when a body is found in the same rivine as Addie's sister Fiona and the suspense kicks off from there. Addie is convinced that Thatcher killed her sister, but that theory doesn't fly after he is found in the same place as her sister. Now Addie and Thatcher's cousins are suspects because they are the ones who found him,

The police are corrupt, and it seems like everyone is hiding something including Fiona, and what she was hiding could have been what led to both her death and Thatcher's. It's up to Seth and Addie to uncover the truth and prove their innocence. There are so many twists and turns that you never know what was going to happen next, and with each secret Addie uncovered I got even more sucked into the story.
This is the first book I've read by this author but it wont be the last.

Genre: YA Thriller

Synopsis:
Addie’s sister’s death was ruled an accident after she was found at the bottom of a cliff, but Addie doesn’t think it was. Now another body is found and there could be a serial killer.

Similar Authors:
Diana Urban
Jessica Goodman
Holly Jackson (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder)
Ripley Jones (Missing Clarissa)

This was a fast paced YA thriller and that was fun to read. It kept you guessing who the killer was the entire book. It had a little bit of an enemies to lovers feel without too much teen drama. It was suspenseful and had all the elements of a good YA thriller.
I listened to it on audio & really enjoyed the narration.

Thank you Penguin Teen & PRH Audio for the gifted copy! 🖤

I read this book in one sitting. It’s an enemies to lovers, coming of age, and a murder mystery novel all in one. The chapters are short and an easy page turner. I usually have a good sense of who the villain is, but this one completely shocked me.

In the sleepy little town of Bier's End, the tragic death of a talented young ballerina, Fiona, sends shockwaves through the community. Fiona was on the cusp of greatness, ready to attend the prestigious American Ballet Academy. But when city officials hastily label her death as a suicide or accident, Fiona's feisty younger sister, Addie, isn't buying it.

Addie is convinced that Thatcher Montgomery, the charming but troubled scion of a wealthy family, is behind her sister’s untimely demise. The twist? Thatcher himself ends up dead the following summer in eerily similar circumstances. With her prime suspect out of the picture, Addie is left with a town full of potential killers—friends and enemies alike.

Enter Seth Montgomery, Thatcher’s cousin and Addie's former childhood nemesis turned one-night stand. Together, they dive into a tangled web of secrets and lies, trying to unearth the truth behind the deaths. Their uneasy alliance is anything but simple, as sparks from their past fling reignite amidst the tension of their investigation.

Bier’s End is a town where corruption runs deep, secrets are buried, and truth-seekers often end up dead or missing. Just when Addie and Seth think they're close to solving the mystery, another clue sends them spiraling in a new direction.

"The Girls Who Burn" is a gripping whodunit that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. This debut novel from MK Pagano masterfully blends suspense with an enemies-to-lovers romance, creating a page-turner that you won't be able to put down.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group/Nancy Paulsen Books for providing a digital copy for this honest review. This is my first book by MK Pagano, and it certainly won't be my last. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next

This was such a good YA thriller! It had a little bit of everything within the plot which I absolutely loved. I honestly can’t get enough of the enemies to lovers turn partners in crime trope so this was amazing.

This was a quick, engaging YA thriller. I enjoyed the relationships and dynamics between the characters, even if I found the twists to be a bit easy to predict. Addie was a believable narrator and I never found the pace to be slow or boring.

This book was everything I didn’t know I needed. It’s completely different from the books I’ve been reading so it was like a breath of fresh air! I went in blind and I’m so glad I did. This book has a little bit of everything. A murder mystery, suspense, even a little romance! The writing was so good, I couldn’t put it down. It even had some long chapters which aren’t usually my thing but they were so easy to read I flew right through them, it was awesome. I also was completely wrong with the outcome, I was stumped! That is really hard to do with me I usually always guess right, so major props for that. I also really enjoyed the journey of healing and self discovery through the grieving process. I could really relate to and appreciate that aspect of the story. I would highly recommend this book to anyone really, there’s something in it for everyone!

This was such an engrossing, memorable YA mystery thriller! I absolutely loved Addie, her voice, how she's okay with being selfish, her conflicted feelings for Seth and the messiness with her ex-friend, Gen. I also loved the dynamic with Seth and the woodsy small town setting! The themes and tropes are familiar to this age and genre, but it all serves the story in a way that feels original, and the twist is genuinely unpredictable! MK Pagano also has a crisp yet powerful writing style that I really appreciated. This one is definitely a must-read for mystery fans and I can't to read another MK Pagano book!

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"Girls Who Burn" by M.K. Pagano is a gripping YA thriller that combines suspense and romance while also focusing on the darker side of privilege; this mainly involves looking into what people would do if they had all the money in the world. If you enjoy a quick, engaging thriller with interesting plot twists and character motivations, you will definitely enjoy this one.

The story follows Addie Blackwood, a high school senior whose life has been overshadowed by the mysterious death of her sister, Fiona, a year prior. Fiona was found dead at the bottom of a ravine, and while the police ruled it an accident or suicide, Addie is convinced it was murder. Her prime suspect is Thatcher Montgomery, a wealthy neighbor who had a tumultuous relationship with Fiona. Addie's life takes a further twist when Thatcher himself is murdered and she partners with Seth, Thatcher’s cousin and Addie’s childhood nemesis-turned-crush, to uncover the real killer. Their collaboration is filled with tension and unresolved feelings. I absolutely loved the chemistry between Fiona and Seth. There was undeniable tension between them even as they were dealing with traumatic events. The two of them did first come together though when Fiona cheated on her now ex, so that definitely wasn’t a great way to start their relationship. I did like how they both developed throughout the book as they learned more about each other and their feelings, especially with Fiona’s unresolved issues after her mother left. There was a scene where they ended up hooking up at what seemed like a completely random moment, which was quite unexpected. However, I still enjoyed their dynamic throughout the book.

One of the strengths of "Girls Who Burn" is its well-constructed plot. I honestly did not expect the killer in this book, and the reasoning behind the killing was also unexpected for me, though I am sure there were some clues I missed. The journey to the reveal is filled with suspense, making you point fingers at everyone in the inner circle; there were quite a few suspects in this book (almost too many to keep track of), and they all had unique motives.

Addie is portrayed as a complex heroine, dealing with low self-esteem, the loss of her sister, and the betrayal by those she trusts. I found her to be a relatable character, and she has an interest in math, which is a unique characteristic, even though it doesn’t come up that often. The characters at times feel like flat sketches, with certain traits and behaviors seeming disconnected from the rest of their personalities. Addie's brother’s changing temperament, for example, feels more like a plot device than a natural character progression. I also wanted more from the sister, Fiona, like snippets from her journal to help flesh her out more.

Overall, "Girls Who Burn" is a fast-paced, entertaining thriller that keeps you hooked from start to finish. Its blend of suspense, romance, and drama makes it a perfect summer read (I almost enjoyed the romance aspect even more than the mystery).

With a twist you won’t see coming, Girls Who Burn is an amazing enemies to lovers thriller full of tension, murder, and rich privilege.

Girls Who Burn follows Addie a year after her sister was found dead at the bottom of a ravine. While her death was ruled an accident or suicide, Addie has never believed the police. Her sister was a ballet-prodigy who just got into a prestigious academy. Addie believes she was pushed—and she had one suspect: Thatcher Montgomery, a rich boy with a thing for her sister. No one believes her theory, especially Seth, Thatcher’s cousin and Addie’s childhood rival and crush. Addie’s theory gets blown up when Thatcher is found dead at the bottom of the same ravine. She partners up with Seth to catch the real killer, all while dodging corrupt police, Seth’s influential family, and a growing bond with Seth as the killer comes after them.

This is an absolutely fabulous mystery/thriller! I honestly had no clue who was going to be the killer. I had so many different theories and I was wrong on all counts. The author did such an incredible job keeping you guessing until the reveal. And I loved the twist—it was so jaw-dropping and good! The plot was so engaging and kept me very interested and invested. And the setting was fabulous—I loved how much time was spent in the woods as it created such good spooky atmosphere.

I adore the romance in this book. It was so cute and had immaculate tension as they denied their feelings. I loved how much they obviously cared for one another even when they were denying it. Addie is a really good main character. She’s smart and strong and determined to find her sister’s killer. She had a lot of guilt to work through in the novel and her arc was really well done. Seth is lovely—he’s very much a new book bf. I love him! The side characters are also really well done—they had their own personalities and were well-rounded. Marion and Davy were such a cute little subplot. And I loved the resolution with Addie and Gen!

Overall, this is a great mystery/thriller with so many twists and an amazing romance—perfect for the summer!

Thank you for the arc in exchange for an honest review!