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!

This was such a page turner! I thought I was coming up with great theories only to have them all proved wrong, but that’s okay. I don’t usually figure out mystery’s, but it’s still fun to try.

I actually really like when there aren’t a lot of likable characters in a thriller. It makes it hard to trust anyone and you become skeptical of everything.

If you want a fast, engaging read I think you’ll enjoy this. It was a fast paced thriller and easy to get through. The short chapters made everything very digestible.

3.5 stars!
This was a fun and twisty thriller, however I knew the culprit from the beginning but I'm going to chalk that up to me being a seasoned thriller reader. The characters were interesting and fun to read about, and I really liked the setting—how the story kept taking the reader back to the woods. Overall, I enjoyed this book quite a lot, I just wish that it did something to set it apart from other books in this genre. Also, the cover for this book is stunning but someone please tell me, what does the title have to do with the story?

Thoroughly enjoyed the entire book! MK Pagano nailed the dynamics of a teenager grieving and navigating the complexities of relationships, while also trying to solve her sister’s murder.

I didn’t guess a single twist throughout the book, though they remained believable. I find many thriller/mystery writers struggle to create believable twists that really shock the reader, but Pagano did exactly that.

The main character, Addie, was deep and well-rounded. Throughout her life’s tragedies, she took on a more mature, maternal role in her family life and this played a big role throughout the story in terms of how she handled different questions and conflicts.

I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone interested in a YA mystery.

Thank you to Penguin and Netgalley for providing me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion!

Girls Who Burn is a fast paced, thrilling mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Throughout the story I kept going back and forth between who I thought the killer was, only to be shocked when the identity of the killer was revealed. The storyline was easy to follow, and addictive. The enemies to lovers subplot was written so nicely and the tension, was sizzling! You can tell how much Seth and Addie cared for one another throughout the story.

Girls Who Burn is M.K. Pagano debut book, and she killed it! (No pun intended). I look forward to feature books written by the author.

If you are looking for a thrilling, engaging, YA mystery that will keep you guessing, I would definitely pick this up!

Addie and her family have long had a complicated relationship with the Montgomery family. Addie, her sister Fiona, and her brother Davy live in the middle-class community of Bier’s End full-time, while the wealthy Montgomery family lives in the city, only coming into Bier’s End for the summer. The families grew up together as childhood playmates (and sometimes enemies) before eventually forming romantic connections: Fiona and Thatcher, Addie and Seth, Davy and Marion.

Fiona died a year ago, her body discovered at the bottom of a ravine, while Addie was hooking up with Seth in a nearby clearing in the woods. Between that and the fact that Addie’s last words to Fiona were said in anger, Addie carries a lot of guilt with her. She’s also publicly blamed Thatcher for Fiona’s death, heightening the tensions between her and the Montgomery family.

But shortly after the Montgomery family shows up in Bier’s End for the summer, Thatcher is discovered dead at the bottom of the same ravine where Fiona was found. Addie finds herself reconnecting with Seth as they work together to figure out what really happened to Fiona and Thatcher, and the more Addie digs, the more family secrets she discovers—about both families—leading her to wonder whether she can truly trust Seth, even as she finds herself attracted to him once again.

This was a solid summer mystery, full of suspense (and a little bit of romance) that will appeal to your mystery fans. We liked Addie and were eager to learn what truly happened to her family through all the ups and downs of her investigation. We also enjoyed a subplot where Addie reconnects with an old friend and ex-boyfriend: she has to process her own hurt but also her realizations that, perhaps, she hasn’t been entirely fair to these old friends and isn’t truly better off without them.

The novel’s inclusion of profanity, teen drinking, and references to sex makes it more appropriate for high school students than middle school students.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and Nancy Paulsen Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are our own.

Review will be posted at https://threeheads.works/category/blog/ya-books/ on July 15, 2024.

What a rollercoaster of emotions and who done it!! Most of the times when I read a mystery thriller I can guess the killer before the halfway mark or even before but with this one it was just a flurry of suspects. In this fast paced YA debut everyone had a reason to be guilty and M.K did a great job giving each of them a justifiable reason. With M.K descriptions and dialogue EVERYONE looked guilty and I couldn’t pin point to one suspect, I was starting to believe the killer had to be a ghost 😂😂 but alas this wasn’t a paranormal book.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Girls Who Burn by M. K. Pagano is a first person-POV YA romantic thriller. Addie’s older sister Fiona was murdered a year ago and now Thatcher, a young man who Addie believed killed Fiona, has also ended up dead. Thatcher’s cousin and Addie’s summer fling for years, Seth, helps Addie track down who killed their family members as they grow even closer than before.

Addie is very much stuck in her head throughout the book. She struggles to see past her own tunnel vision and consider that other people care about her despite past mistakes or that things are more complicated than they might appear, including with Seth and her old friends. When she realizes her old friend is now dating her ex-boyfriend, Addie doesn’t want to hear it and shuts them both out even further instead of considering that maybe she could repair the relationship.

Seth and Addie’s relationship was my favorite part. Seth comes from an affluent family but he never puts Addie or her family down for having less. Other members of his family are attracted to members of Addie’s family (his cousin Thatcher was attracted to Fiona and Addie’s younger brother Davy used to date Seth’s cousin Marion), which indicates that the two families were very close at one point in their childhoods. Addie is constantly drawn to Seth no matter how hard she tries to pull away and he is always there for her when she really needs him.

One thing I really appreciated was how M. K. Pagano brought up the difficulties that the internet sleuths can bring to unsolved cases. It isn’t a big focus, but Addie regularly brings up how the internet boards think either Thatcher or she killed Fiona and now that Thatcher is gone, they believe Addie is the one who did it. Addie isn’t targeted by hate mail, but there have been cases in the past of these groups harassing family members of unsolved murder victims, so it was nice to see the author bring it forward.

I would recommend this to YA thriller fans with strong romance elements, fans of thrillers that explore inter-family relationships and those looking for a thriller set in a small town.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book!

A solid entry in the YA teen murder mystery category. It follows familiar trends of teens from different class backgrounds, and broken homes. Where this books succeeds better than most is how it does a solid job in developing the main character in Addie who comes across as a complex character that feels mostly realistic. It also does reasonably well at keeping multiple suspects as plausible culprits without resorting to plot holes or having a wild and farfetched conclusion. While the ending mostly satisfies, it does tend to shy away from action and more into expository in over-explanation. Despite these shortcomings, it is a solid debut novel.

Wow, this YA book has it all. First love, betrayal, and murder with twists and turns around every corner.

After Addie's sister Fiona dies in a mysterious "accident," she is determined to prove that it was anything but. Except when her main suspect ends up dead, Addie has to rethink the whole case.

This was a fantastic read that keeps you guessing, and just when you form your own opinion, everything comes crumbling down. This is my first time reading a novel from M.K. Pagano, but it will definitely not be my last!

Addie's sister died last year and she's convinced the Montgomerys are behind it. When her main suspect, Thatcher Montgomery, dies under mysterious circumstances, it throws Addie's investigation for a loop. Addie and Thatcher's cousin, Seth, become the prime suspects in the police investigation. Together, they set off to find the killer before they're arrested for a crime they didn't commit.

This is one of my most anticipated books of 2024 and it did not disappoint. I flew through the pages and would’ve finished it in one night but alas I had to sleep. In other words, the pacing was perfect. The mystery was good. It kept me guessing and the plot twists kept it interesting. There’s a strong message about class divide throughout that’s not very subtle but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Eat the rich, as they say. There’s a potential here to turn this into a great series. I did, however, find Addie to be… easily manipulated? That’s not to say she’s a bad main character. I enjoyed being in her head most of the time. But I wish she could’ve figured out what was happening earlier. As the reader, some things become obvious, especially towards the end. All in all, I had a great time reading this. I can tell this author has great stories and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Girls Who Burn by M. K. Pagano offers an intriguing blend of mystery and romance, with a plot centered around the unresolved deaths of Addie's sister, Fiona, and the rich boy down the street, Thatcher. The premise promises a thrilling ride as Addie, driven by guilt and suspicion, sets out to uncover the truth behind these deaths. The novel effectively sets up a tense atmosphere with a backdrop of corrupt police and a powerful, questionable family, making it a gripping read for fans of suspense.

However, the execution of this compelling plot is somewhat inconsistent. While the character dynamics between Addie and Seth, her childhood rival and unlikely ally, are well-developed, some aspects of the narrative feel forced. The romantic tension between them, although engaging, occasionally overshadows the central mystery, detracting from the story's primary focus. Additionally, the pacing can be uneven at times, with certain sections dragging while others rush through crucial plot points, leaving some character motivations and developments feeling underexplored.

Overall, Girls Who Burn succeeds in delivering an entertaining story with a strong central mystery and well-crafted characters, even if it stumbles in its execution. Fans of young adult mysteries and romance will find much to enjoy here, though they might wish for a bit more depth and consistency. The novel earns a solid three stars for its intriguing premise and the chemistry between its leads, tempered by a few narrative missteps.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for accepting my request for an ACR of this book!
My sister is dead, and someone needs to be held accountable.
3.5/5
After reading this, I found that this is one of the mysteries that seemed alright in the summary but was a better story. I enjoyed the characters, following Addie in her search to find out what truly happened to her sister, and others who have been found dead. The main thing about this book that stood out was the writing, which I found to be well done, the pacing was medium but in some cases it had more speed. I found that in the book there were a lot of similarities to AGGGTM. I don’t like comparing books but there were at least three things that happened in both stories that felt odd to have both been mentioned. Overall though this was a fun mystery and I enjoyed reading it.