A Dangerous Year (The Riley Collins #1)

Thank you netgalley for the arc for an honest review!

And must I say that this book was so surprisingly good! It was fun, suspenseful, gripping, and I couldn't put this book down for a second. I connected with the well written characters and fell in love with this story and Kes Trester's writing!

**Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of A DANGEROUS YEAR by Kes Trester in exchange for my honest review**

GRADE: A-
4.5 STARS

Riley Collins, who grew up in the Middle East along with her diplomat father, has been tapped by the US Government to watch over Hayden Frasier, daughter of a software mogul. Attending school for the first time, particularly among Harrington Academy's elite, is only one of Riley's challenges. Endearing herself to Hayden may be even more difficult.

I hadn't expected A DANGEROUS YEAR, the first book in the Riley Collins series, to be such a gem. Riley personifies badass. She's tough, strong and socially vulnerable. Her inexperience with peers and the teenage experience makes her even more endearing. She doesn't always make the best choices, but what seventeen-year-old does? I loved her relationship with her father and his assistant.

Trester's crisp writing kept the pace steady, although I never felt a real sense of concern for Riley and Hayden. While one mystery was solved, the ending started another conundrum that I'm certain Riley will help commandeer. I can't wait to see what happens next.

A thrilling, fast-paced chase in the world of spoiled rich kids.

Lately I’m not really into YA stories but the synopsis of this one just fascinated me. Maybe because I loved Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ The naturals series and this one somewhat reminded me of it. So yes with less enthusiasm that it would deserve but I started it. In the end I freaking loved it.

I adore the cover. It’s nothing really special or outstanding but thanks to the bright colors its quite eye-catching also I love when the small details on the cover has meaningful role regarding the storyline. I also find the headers and the rules in the beginning of every chapter creative and adorable.
The writing style is smooth, easy to read and engaging. The plot is awesome, thrilling, fast-paced. It’s full of suspense, intrigue, action and just a touch of romance. Seriously, once I started it I couldn’t put it down. Really the only thing that I can ‘complain’ about is that I would have liked a bit more investigating and actual action, but then it would mess up the dynamism if the story. Because however ridiculously the base concept of the plot sounds at first (secret agents choosing a 17 years old girl without real experience to work for them) , the way the author built up her storyline, not taking things over a certain line made the book more realistic, even believable.

I liked Riley character from the beginning. She grew up in a quite unconventional way and thanks to things she saw; experienced she has a different perspective of life than most teenagers. I loved how she handles herself in various situations. She is entertaining and relatable. She has a great moral code, she is smart, brave, resourceful but not without doubts or fears.
Even the secondary characters are amazing and well fleshed out. They all present a very wide range of personalities.

This was a marvelous, ineradicable read and quite honestly I can’t wait to read the next one. This book doesn’t exactly ends with a cliffhanger but you definitely left wanting more.

20 Stars!!! Of all the books I have read this Summer I think this really is my favorite. This reminds me a little of the Gallagher Girls series. Riley is funny, snarky, smart, brave, honest, and a feisty. I cannot wit to read the next book in the series and I cannot wait until it is released on Amazon Unlimited so I can reread it. Riley, Von, Sam, Hayden, are just a few of the fantastic characters in this book. Once you start reading you do not want to stop.
Thank you NetGalley and Kes Trester for allowing me to read and write a honest review of this book.

This book was lighthearted with a bit of action and suspense added in.

The main character Riley Collins is a young female daughter of an American diplomat who has spent her childhood and teen years moving around the world being brought up by her widowed father and the help of a gruff ex-army best friend. Riley is a well adjusted and fun character who knows how to look after herself.

The book starts off action packed where Riley saves a young female from attackers in the Karachi market place. You see that she is not someone you mess with! Due to this she is picked to work for the State Department and take up babysitting duty at a prestigious boarding school for the rich and famous protecting a daughter of a businessman who is building software that would change the course of the world.

You see Riley trying to fit into high school after being homeschooled and trying to do a good job as a special agent for the state department. There she meets some characters that you can't help but gore to like from
Von, Sam, Steff and Hayden.

Riley comes up against the bad guys at the end and one you aren't expecting!! Definitely read this book if you like a bit of action, romance and sarcasm.

Well written and an open ending for the next book. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and will definitely be reading the next one.

This is a fun, witty start to a YA series I want to read. The female main character is smart, strong and funny. The government access the characters have is a unrealistic, but close enough that it works for YA.

Thank you to Netgalley and this publisher for allowing me to read this book in the new series.
First, let me say I would have given this book 5 stars, but at times the characters were just to unbelievable for me. I love the adventure and speed of the novel. Riley Collins is a great character for young women. She is positive, independent, and full of smart choices. She brings a breath of fresh air to the young adult spy series. Riley is one of the most realistic and relatable characters in this genre that I have read in awhile. She comes from a family that has raised her to think and act for herself, but at the same time she is still young and makes foolish choices. I liked that direction that this series seems to be headed in. This first mystery/adventure moved a little slow, but it was mostly for readers to get to know Riley while she learns to get out on her own for the first time. Great first book overall!

This was a high energy, high school spy story that grabbed my attention and didn't let go. I probably would have given five stars, but I thought the climax/resolution were a bit rushed, and I would have liked to see a little more development there. However, there is room for a sequel, which I will definitely read, and I know there will be a market for this title in my library, so it's a definite purchase. Thanks to NetGalley for the preview copy!

"A Dangerous Year" is a young adult novel. Much of the story was about Riley trying to fit in at school. From the title, I was expecting a story spanning a year focused on Riley protecting Hayden, but Riley only does this for a few weeks. Don't expect Riley to be a super-spy. She's given few instructions on how to do her new job, and she made common sense mistakes left and right. Things like getting very drunk or showing off that she can kick butt when she's supposed to be undercover. Her main weakness was an irresistible, hunky boy that Hayden warned her to stay away from. Riley's supposed to make friends with Hayden, but Riley forgot that every time she saw him.

Halfway into the book (and a couple weeks into the school term), Riley got a shipment of spy gear from home. She knew how to use it all (without instructions), and I was left confused: is she supposed to be a super-spy after all or are we supposed to be laughing at her mistakes? Well, she kept making basic mistakes and bad assumptions, didn't pass on information to her bosses like she was supposed to, put off looking into important clues, etc. I wasn't even surprised by the "surprise twists," but Riley sure was.

Don't get me wrong: it's a fun story and clearly meant to be humorous. But it's more teen high school drama than bodyguard detail. If you like that type of teen movie or TV show, then you'll probably enjoy the book. There was no sex. There was a fair amount of bad language.

Finally, another book with cool teen spy action like Alex Rider, but with a super cool girl MC, who has an actual character and cultural history. Not to mention, I'm really really wanting her spy gadgets, if I can't at least have her fighting prowess.

This is a great mix of action, suspense, boarding school, snobby kids, and girl bonding, with good male characters too. Hot guys without insta-love, and actual character development. This is a gold mine.

I highly recommend. Can't wait for the next.

For those of you who've read: this is in the same spirit of Chris Bradford's BuddyGuards, or maybe a bit of Robert Muchmore.

Disclaimer: I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. (But seriously, this book is great!)

It's a YA spy novel. It did feel like I'm watching Agent Cody Banks when I'm reading A Dangerous Year but more badass which I love it! We are talking about using a high-tech gadget which makes it great!

It's only the first series and I'm already for the second series. I can't wait to read.

Kes Trester's writing has a steady pace with how the mystery solved and all. Definitely recommended to everyone to read this book.

I like teen spy books and I especially like teen spy books set at boarding schools that may or may not have some of its own secrets. I thought the main character, Riley, was pretty fun. She seemed way smart without being chippy or over-dramatic. And by chippy, I mean having a HUGE chip on her shoulder/needing to prove herself at every opportunity. The other characters were okay as well if a little flat–perhaps they’ll be developed more in later books. I really liked Riley’s relationship with her dad and the security guy. I wasn’t a big fan of the love triangle that developed, but what are you going to do? In the end, I would definitely be interested in reading more from this series.

Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Although there isn’t much of a variety and I haven’t read many, I’m a huge fan of government-involved novels. The main character could be the daughter of a senator running in an election or dating the President’s son or even in a school for spies. A Dangerous Year by Kes Trester, being about the daughter of an ambassador who gets sent to a private school for a covert operation, appealed to me for that very reason.

Thanks to her dad, the protagonist Riley grew up in the center of all the ambassador action, picking up her dad’s political strategies and the security chief Benson’s rules for self-defense. When she is sent to a school in Connecticut to watch over the daughter of a billionaire, she first experiences life as a “normal” teenager.

While there is not as much mystery as I had anticipated in A Dangerous Year, it is no less sort of a riveting read. It has a natural sort of narration that makes getting into a book ever so easy, and it perfectly captures a high schooler’s voice and current millennial culture.

Still, I would have liked the pacing to be a little more constant and balanced. The amount of action in the last few chapters doesn’t compare to the little hints of foreshadowing. Despite the fact that Riley grew up by her dad’s side and is skilled in chess and martial arts, she is careless in the field and does not suspect odd occurrences that might be related to the mission. For the majority of the story, she is more focused on fitting in. There are so many mic drops towards the end that it felt like, just as I was recovering from the utter surprise of one reveal, I was hit with another and that made it hard to feel the true weight of each of the separate events.

After the narration, the character chemistry between Riley and the security chief/her “uncle” is my favorite part of the book. She keeps him updated throughout the mission, but despite the new friends her age that she has made, their relationship is the truest. They’re not just coworkers; they actually do feel like uncle and niece.

I also like the idea of the other characters: the school queen, the school queen’s half-brother who is her complete opposite, her minion, and the protagonist’s guy friend who may or may not have a crush on her. Their characterization is a bit simplistic and Disney Channel movie, but the cheesy encounters are definitely cute in a way that I more appreciate more than roll my eyes at.

Overall, the story is an enjoyable 3.5 stars. I would definitely recommend it for those who like a light and adventurous read with cute characters. With the story ending how it did, I am definitely looking forward to finding out what happens in the second book in the series.

I received this advanced reader copy from the publishing company in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this, any book with teenage spies is one I want to read. It was full of twist and turns, and had such an unexpected ending. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

Yes! This was a book after my liking. Action, a few heart stopping moments and, of course, some romance. Riley, daughter of an American diplomate, got sent to a boarding school for the rich and famous, to find out who’s threatening one of their attending girls. Things got even worse, when Riley finds out, that not only has she no idea of high school life, but even the head of the school dislikes her for unknown reasons. And the girl she tries to protect, doesn’t want a friend or room mate. A rollercoaster ride, this book was hard to put down and I enjoyed it greatly. Can’t wait for the next one to come out. I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Curiosity Quills Press!

I love the whole spy, secret-agent genre, so I was immediately drawn by the blurb of 'A Dangerous Year'. Within the first few pages, Riley had proven herself to be a strong, independent and intelligent protagonist and I was eager to see how the story would unfold.
Trester combines teen-angst, family drama and romantic developments with a nod to political upheaval and a comment on social media usage. The story through in some twists and turns I didn't anticipate and the ending was good enough to have me searching for the publication of the sequel.
If you loved Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls series, then you're sure to enjoy 'A Dangerous Year'.

As I come to review this book, a month after reading it, I'm faced with a problem: I don't remember it.

I finished the book at about 3am, which is part of why it seems to have so totally disappeared from my memory. I wrote a very, very brief review on Goodreads and promised that a full review would follow, but failed to write said review, and without rereading the book (which I'm unlikely to have the time or inclination to do in the near future), I'll struggle to write a detailed review of it.

As a result, I'll stick to the basics. I enjoyed the book, and in my brief Goodreads review, said that it reminded me of the Embassy Row series by Ally Carter crossed with Miss Congeniality (which is one of my all-time favourite films, something that always seems to surprise people; I have no idea why). But with more schoolwork involved. That in itself is a bit of a rarity, though; school stories rarely seem to involve much actual work.

I never fully clicked with any of the characters on an emotional level, which might also be a factor in why it seems so unmemorable to me -- I tend only to recall things that have a strong emotional impact. Despite this, the plot was engaging enough with some unpredictable twists and turns that kept me reading until nearly 3am (because I make poor life choices), so that definitely has to count in its favour.

Had I written this review a month ago, I probably would have given this book 4 stars. However, books I really like do tend to be a bit more memorable, and the very fact that I'm struggling to remember any details whatsoever probably counts against it, so I'm giving it three.

Having said that: I did definitely enjoy the book. I've just had a lot going on that has made prompt reviews difficult recently, and it's a victim of that plague.

My Goodreads review, for what it's worth, is linked below; if I ever find I'm suddenly struck by a burst of memory and can write a more detailed review, I'll update it.

Alright, this is a tricky one. I will start by saying what I disliked about this, so I can finish on a positive note. There was really only one thing I didn't like, and I was tempted to give this less stars because of this one thing because I hated it so much. We meet Riley as this badass character who advocates for girls' rights to do whatever they want, literally fighting grown men to protect a girl's right to go to school. Amazing. I was in love with Riley from the start.
But then!! She goes to Harrington, where they have an MMA club. She is excited to go. I am excited to read about her kicking butt. But then the moment she walks into this club the leader tries to kick her out before even giving her a chance, just because she is a girl. And I'm getting ready, thinking "oooh, she's about to tell him what's up", but then... she doesn't?! She falls in love with him!! We meet her as this badass, feminist character, but then she falls in love with a gross, misogynist teenage boy? This was so, so disappointing. She spars with him and he runs his hand over her leg and she's cool with that, even though it was inappropriate and definitely uncalled for. I feel like the entire Sam storyline really made this story much less enjoyable for me as I hated every second Riley spent near him. While reading this book I took notes, and the one on Sam just said "nahh :(".

OKAY. Onto the positive parts. I did give this 4 stars after all!
Riley is respectful and loving of Pakistani culture, and she has learned Arabic so she can communicate with the people around her (even though her Urdu isn't too good). She likes to chat to the wives of politicians during meetings. She is involved and interested, loving the culture but also being able to be critical of it by condemning the groups who think girls shouldn't go to school. I think this is excellent and I loved the first chapter where she, as I mentioned before, took out a bunch of grown men to defend a girl.

Riley is a little fighter, without giving up her femininity. She still likes dresses, and goes to the MMA club in a bright pink sports bra. She engages in friendships with girls without speaking about their interests in a degrading manner. I really liked her friendship with Hayden, and I liked the wide variety of girls in the book.

Also I loved Von, and I think he's a way better love interest for Riley than Sam. He's respectful and interested in Riley's hobbies. He's willing to help, but he also knows that she can stand up for herself. He is great.

Benson, pretty much Riley's surrogate mother, is adorable and hilarious and I loved the little family dynamic between Riley, her dad and Benson. Benson was allowed to be badass, but also caring and loving, which is very nice to see in any character.

The story overall was fun too. The plot was enjoyable and I am a sucker for a good teenage spy story, so that was all good with me. The suspense and the ending were both well written and nice to read.

Overall this book was quite an enjoyable read, but the whole Sam thing really put me off. When the next book in this series comes out I will definitely read that too, as the writing, plot and most characters are great, but if Sam stays a relevant love interest I don't know if I'll be able to keep reading.

Riley Collins lives in Pakistan with her father, who’s an ambassador for the US. After getting into a fight in the street protecting a girl and taking down three guys, her life might be in danger there. Thankfully, she gets an offer to protect the daughter of a computer scientist who has invented an incredible software that might change national security forever. But that means she has to go to boarding school next to New-York, and she knows nothing about that world.

I loved Riley, I loved the ambiance. I love YA spy novels. The story, the characters, the intrigue, I loved it all so much…. I read it so fast too… And I didn’t see most twists coming. I don’t even know what else to say, except that I can’t wait to read more from this series.

(I received a copy via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review)

A Dangerous year is a fast paced YA book where we follow Riley Collins, the daughter of an ambassador who is sent to an elite school to protect a student there. I have to say I really enjoyed this book. Riley is a great main character who is strong, determined and whilst very capable is definitely out of her comfort zone as she tries to navigate high school and juggle her double life.

I enjoyed the combination of high school drama with her journey to protecting Hayden and whilst there was some elements that I found a bit predictable, there was also many things that I didn’t guess which happened and I really enjoyed that. I also really liked the other characters in this book and their interaction with Riley. The book left off in a good place for the next instalment in the series and I’m definitely intrigued to see what happens next!

If you're looking for a book that is heart-stopping, fast-paced, filled with a cast of dynamic characters and outrageously fun...you need A Dangerous Year in your life. It's no secret that I adore espionage novels, especially ones where a teenage agent has to go undercover and disguise themselves as your typical high school teenager...and this book most definitely didn't disappoint. It had me gasping, laughing, swooning and biting my nails. A Dangerous Year kicked my adrenaline into gear and I loved every second of it.

A Dangerous Year is about Riley Collins. Daughter of an ambassador father and student of the defensive chief (and voluntary second father), Benson. After Riley rescues a girl from death in a bustling Pakistan market – and ends up injuring her attackers in the process – there's a price on her head and her potential demise is lurking in the cutthroat streets. After the incident, her father decides it's best to get her as far away from the danger as possible: he sends her to an elite, prestigious American high school...with a mission. What is that mission, exactly? To keep an eye on, and protect, Hayden Frasier, daughter of a billionaire whose software program is racking up a large mass of enemies. It should be fairly easy, right? However, as Riley navigates her new school, she soon finds that not everyone is who they first appear to be. Throw into the mix towering piles of homework, dreaded equestrian lessons and two boys vying for her attention, Riley has her work cut out for her. Shots will be fired, hearts will be broken and trust will be killed.

Okay so, I loved this book and I had an incredibly fun time reading it. Why don't I provide you with a list of all the things I loved about this book, because who doesn't like lists?

1) The Plot
As I said, if you mention teen espionage stories, I am there. I absolutely loved this book's storyline. An ambassador's daughter who has lived in several countries but never truly belonged, who has been trained in various martial arts and is incredibly smart, who then has to slot into life as your typical rich American teenager whilst trying to keep a billionaire's daughter alive. I'M SOLD. I adored all the spy elements that were included in this book. The software, the weapons, the gadgets – it's YA version of Kim Possible and I loved it. There were plot twists that had my jaw slack, there were moments where my heart was racing and I was practically biting my fingernails and there were moments where this read as your typical high school drama, complete with backstabbing, complicated love triangles and all the other obstacles high school throws at you. I loved how this book balanced Riley's double lives. Both aspects were incredibly interesting and her agent life, as well as her regular teenage life, were done superbly. ALSO, CAN WE TALK ABOUT THAT ENDING? I was clicking my kindle's button furiously, praying that that wasn't how it ended...but it was. Can I get the next one now? Pretty please? A Dangerous Year was intriguing, it was absorbing and it was fast-paced – what more could you want?

2) The characters
I LOVED THE CHARACTERS. I adored Riley. She's clever (I love it when books feature smart girls, we need more girls interested in tech in YA!), she's incredibly sassy, she's a chess champion, she's kind and brave but there's also something so likable and relatable about her. Perhaps it's the fact that she prefers reading a book and sitting on the couch stuffing her face with oreos on a Friday night than going out. Me too, girl, me too. I also love that she's not afraid to show the guys who's boss, she's not afraid to challenge them to wrestling matches (this girl's strength makes me want to hit the gym as soon as possible) and she's not afraid to challenge those in authority, if their motives begin to appear sinister. I absolutely loved Riley and I can definitely see her becoming one of my favourite protagonists!

I loved the other characters, too. There is Riley's dad who is kind, caring and offers the best advice and then there's Benson, who is the most precious, intimidating cinnamon roll ever. I know intimidating and cinnamon roll probably shouldn't be used in the same sentence, but if you read the book, I think you'll get where I'm coming from. Man, I really love Benson. He's probably my favourite character in the book. He's wise, he's hilarious, he's somewhat intimidating but he also has this sensitive, soft side that just made me love him even more. I absolutely adored the banter between the three, the wise words of wisdom they exchanged, the love and compassion and the brilliant family dynamics between the three of them. YAY FOR CLOSE FAMILIES IN YA BOOKS!

Then there are the other characters that were featured heavily in A Dangerous Year: Von, Stef, Sam and Hayden. I loved all of them. Stef quickly takes Riley under his wing in her first week of attending the academy, introducing her to the Harrington students' way of living. He's gay, has a flair for the dramatic, impeccable fashion sense and also a tendency to drown his sorrows in alcohol as the demons set loose by his wealthy, careless family dance with him. There's Hayden, who at first glance seems shallow, vain and unkind but who later reveals herself to be a lost girl with high, impenetrable walls, built from years of the betrayal and mistrust she's had to face. Then there are Von and Stef, the two love interests. DON'T GROAN about the love triangle, they're both adorable and hilarious. There's not just one guy for you to add to your book boyfriend list – but two! I loved all four these characters. By the end of the book, they all seemed quite different to how they were first introduced. I like that the author took time to peel back their layers and reveal their inner selves to the reader.

3) The romance
The romance was subtle and it didn't feature that heavily in the book, which I know a lot of people will like. There was blatant flirting, banter that had me giggling and there were scenes where the chemistry was utterly sizzling between Riley and the boys. I loved her and Von's ease with one another but I loved watching the firework display of sparks that exploded between her and Sam...but I think I might ship her more with Von? I DON'T ACTUALLY KNOW. I LOVE THEM BOTH. I hope there will be more romance featured in the next book. I'm so ready for it.

4) The pace, the plot twists and the setting
As I mentioned earlier, the pace of this book was fantastic. You know you get those books that move super slowly or books that move so fast you feel as if you're caught in a whirlwind of activity and not in a good way? A Dangerous Year was perfectly paced. There were moments of relaxed ease as Riley settled into her surroundings, only for us to be catapulted into deadly car races and heart-stopping discoveries. I loved how the author managed the pace of this book. It was steady with charged moments of lightning-fast pace, which added a new level of thrilling to the book. I also adored the plot twists and I'm so excited to see where the author takes the characters in the next book. Like I mentioned above, after that ending, I desperately need the sequel. I also LOVED the setting. Rich boarding schools with plenty of secrets and rooms/closets filled with spy tech. THIS IS ALL I EVER WANTED

5) The dialogue
Oh, the dialogue in this book is brilliant. The flirty banter is absolutely brilliant and I whispered to myself “I ship it” more times than once due to the brilliant interaction between the characters. There were serious dialogues, wise dialogues and utterly hilarious dialogues and I loved every one of them. It felt natural and authentic and it made me love this book even more!

A Dangerous Year was utterly exhilarating and I tore through it. It's fast-paced, it has heart-stopping moments that caused adrenaline to course through my body, plot twists that caused me to slap my hand to my mouth, hilarious dialogue and a fantastic cast of characters that are so strong but simultaneously beautifully broken. It takes the elements of a high school teen drama and elements of a high-chase espionage movie and combines them to form the exhilarating and brilliantly fun A Dangerous Year. You don't want to miss this.

I give it: 4/5 cupcakes!

Normally, YA is not really my genre. But I sometimes make an exception if the story sounds good enough. I liked the Veronica Mars-series on TV and enjoy movies about young people spying around so this was not a bad choice.

The book starts with a bang when Riley saves a young girl on the streets of Karachi from Taliban. As the ambassador's daughter this is a diplomatic issue, but instead the State Department offer Riley a place at Harringon (a prestigious school in the US). In exchange, Riley has to bodyguard a fellow schoolmate, Hayden, whose father is of interest to the US. Riley doesn't want to go, but her father and Special Agent Benson (sort of a second dad to Riley) urge her to go.

I really enjoyed the story, even when it was sometimes a bit unbelievable. Riley is 17 and seems to have special training.... while the State Dept. is actually not giving her any special training.

The book ends with a bit of a cliffhanger, a continuation of the story. I am curious as to where the story will lead.

Riley Collins hasn't had the typical childhood, she has missed out on the traditional experience, but at the same time has had some that are out of this world. She has a little blip on the radar and this sets quite a few things in motion. She is sent to the United States and must try to disguise herself as an American teenager while also completing a mission.

This was such a fun read. It was easy to get into and invest in Riley Collins and hope for her to succeed and maybe even get a few life experiences. I don't read a ton of YA partly because I just can't relate to the main character and I tend to get frustrated by them and their ways, but this one struck a great chord.

I loved that this was a boarding school book, but had a great twist with a little mystery and drama! If you are a fan of YA then you will love this one. If you are like me and tend to limit your YA reading, I think this one will be a good one off to enjoy. As a mystery reader, the way that Kes Trester put together the book was just right and the flow and the story were spot on.