My top thoughts:
I’ve owned this book for years. And I grabbed it because I have enjoyed everything I ever read by Sherry D. Ficklin. So why the delay? Too many books is the only reason I can think of. But I’m trying to get to 100% on NetGalley so I picked it up and I am so glad I did!

What I liked/didn’t like:
Farris is a fantastic YA character. She’s the daughter of a military father and her mother passed away when she was younger. She’s had to grow up way too much as a result and I enjoyed watching the way Ficklin expressed that without going over the top – Farris still makes some very (accurately) immature decisions. And it was just neat to see this imagining of what life would be like living on a military base. I have no idea how accurate it is, but I enjoyed it. There’s love interest with the inevitable YA love triangle. That I didn’t love, but the way Ficklin worked it out was satisfying.

There’s also a mystery – someone is sabotaging, in a potentially dangerous way, her father’s team. She’s worried – lives could be lost – and since she’s exceptionally skilled with computers and can hack, she decides to investigate on her own. Now queue a little bit of an eye roll – am I supposed to believe that the US military doesn’t employ hackers that are more skilled than a teenager? The one saving grace in the plausibility is that she does have some information they don’t that perhaps makes it more possible for her to do the hacking.

Things ended up in a way I didn’t expect and I was kept guessing the whole way through. I really enjoyed it and would be interested to see what book 2 is about, as this felt like a satisfying conclusion. Apparently I own book 2 already on Kindle too lol.

Farris and her Dad are in dire need of a new beginning. Especially since last year her mum died, her friends turned her back on her, and her dad has been living in his job. Farris's dad is in the military, and they are moving to a new base. When Farris arrives, she meets a group of misfits and for the first time in a long time finds herself fitting in. If only it were that easy, as her Dad is feeling the pressure at work and someone is trying to mess with the base and the planes. Farris knows she can help as computers are her thing, but what happens when she starts to dig and finds out her new friends could be suspects. When one of the threats causes harm to her Dad, Farris steps up her game and skills to find the real #hacker and person behind the threat? What will happen though when she soon learns that she can't trust anyone especially not the nerd next door - Reid? Can Farris save the day and her father's job at the base? Find out in Playing with Fire. A fun, fast-paced YA novel filled with hacking, computers, and adventures and not to mention an awesome spy girl feel. Fans of Shannon Greenland's Spy Specialists and Ally Carters Gallagher Girl series will love Sherry D. Ficklin's #Hackers.