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REVIEW & INTERVIEW: Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas

August 12, 2014 by Jaime Leave a Comment

DANGEROUS BOYS
By: Abigail Haas
Publication Date: August 14, 2014
Dangerous Boys

Three teens venture into the abandoned Monroe estate one night; hours later, only two emerge from the burning wreckage. Chloe drags one Reznick brother to safety, unconscious and bleeding; the other is left to burn, dead in the fire. But which brother survives? And is his death a tragic accident? Desperate self-defense? Or murder?

Chloe is the only one with the answers. As the fire rages, and police and parents demand the truth, she struggles to piece together the story of how they got there-a story of jealousy, twisted passion, and the darkness that lurks behind even the most beautiful of faces…

ABOUT ABIGAIL
Abigail HaasAbigail Haas has written two adult novels and four young adult contemporary novels under the name Abby McDonald. Dangerous Girls is her first young adult thriller. She grew up in Sussex, England, and studied Politics, Philosophy & Economics at Oxford University. She lives in Los Angeles.
Where did the idea for Dangerous Boys come from?
I’ve always been fascinated with sociopaths and psycopaths. Looking at a lot of YA, it seemed like the ‘bad boys’ were always borderline abusive/psychopathic in their behavior, so I wanted to explore that without a supernatural metaphor. What would draw you to that darkness? What would a boy like that reveal about yourself? Dangerous Boys is a love triangle, but it’s also a war within Chloe about what kind of girl she is – and how far she’s willing to go. Oliver and Ethan represent these two paths, two futures, and two versions of Chloe.
What is the weirdest thing you googled while researching for these books?
Oh my gosh, I google a lot of weird things! For Dangerous Girls, it was all about crime scene forensics and the Dutch legal system (Aruba is a Dutch principality, and their legal system is very different). For Dangerous Boys, I did a lot of research into psychopaths. It was fun!
What was your favorite scene to write and why?
The hunting scene. It was one of the first moments I saw when I thought up the book – the snow, the blood… I could visualize it perfectly, and it was really fun to put that on the page.
How do you write such twisted characters? What do you do to get in the mindset of them?
This is going to sound really bad, but I don’t see them as all that twisted! I love writing characters that I can relate to: real, fully developed flawed people, so that we support their decisions every step of the way – so it’s easy to understand just how things turn out, until suddenly you’re like, ‘Wait, how did this get to be so fucked up?!’ I don’t think anybody plans or anticipates their life taking such a dark and twisted turn, it’s all a series of smaller choices that can lead you down that path. I just love writing girls who aren’t the easiest characters: they have flaws, they have darkness, just like we all do.
Were there any scenes that had to be cut that you wish would have stayed in?
There was a sexy scene that was much sexier, my editor made me cut. That was a shame, it got pretty hot.
What are you currently reading? What books boys make you swoon?
I’m currently rereading ‘Lola and the Boy Next Door’. Cricket is mine, dammit!
Do you have a dream cast for this book?
For Dangerous Boys, I would love to see Shailene Woodley as Chloe, Dave Franco as Oliver, and Theo James as Ethan. Hotness!
Any advice for aspiring writers?
Accept that your first draft will suck. So many people get stuck on writing that one perfect paragraph, they never finish a full draft. Power through, then fix it!
What’s next for you? Are you working on anything right now that you can tell us about?
My romance alter-ego Melody Grace keeps me pretty busy with her Beachwood Bay series! But I am plotting another dark, twisted thriller, which should keep me busy into the next year.
5 Favorites
Favorite Song (right now) Obsessed with Until the Love Runs Out by OneRepublic
Favorite Book (right now)  Dear Daughter by Elizabeth Little
Favorite TV Show/Movie (right now) I’m watching Grey’s Anatomy from the beginning again. Don’t judge!
Favorite Word Cavalier
Favorite Snack There’s an icecream shop at the end of my block and it is RUINOUSLY DELICIOUS.

Erin’s Thoughts

Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

After completing Dangerous Girls, I jumped at the opportunity to read Abigail Haas’ Dangerous Boys. I mean, I devoured (Yep…really) Dangerous Girls and didn’t think it would be any different for this book and really the only difference for me this time around was that I just knew a twist was coming. No worries – I’m not going to give anything away.

Chloe is the main character and she is determined to get out of Haverford, Indiana. She doesn’t have a great home life since her father left her mom and I have to admit, I felt a bit sorry for her at times. It is clear her dad has checked out of her life and her mom is completely lost. As Chloe finds she has to step up and be the adult, she also realizes her dreams of leaving Haverford might be just that. As the book moves forward, we definitely see a lot of different sides to Chloe. (view spoiler)[ I got the sense that she wanted to be the girl Ethan thought she was but really underneath it all, she really was the person Oliver thought she was. And that is all I can say about that. (hide spoiler)]

As the book opens, we are also introduced to Ethan. He and his family recently moved to town as his dad owns the construction company working on the land development project that is mentioned in the summary of the book. He is truly a good guy and thinks he finds the perfect girlfriend in Chloe and honestly, for a while I am on board with him. Things definitely take a turn though when Chloe starts to learn more about Ethan’s brother, Oliver.

I don’t even know what to say about Oliver that won’t give anything away. He is an intriguing character and I think the more interesting one in the story. The relationship he has with his parents and brother is obviously strained but the question remains, did he end up how he was because of his childhood or was it always inside of him? I still don’t have an answer and to be honest, I think the same question could be asked about Chloe.

It is tough to mention much about this story without giving anything away so I won’t. Just note that as the summary also mentions, things come to a head between Oliver, Ethan, and Chloe and only one of the boys survives the fire. As a reader, you don’t know who right away and you don’t know what really went down but through Chloe, we learn what happened.

Definitely check this one out when you can. If you enjoyed Dangerous Girls I think you will like this one too as Haas creates characters that are at times likeable and unlikable and a story that kept me wondering what was really going on.

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Filed Under: Book Review, Interview Tagged With: Reviewed by Erin

About Jaime

Avid reader and book blogger, lover of music, writing, my kid & my cats. Master of sarcasm and snark and doing what makes me happy.

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