Smada's Book Smack : Blog Tour & Giveaway: Watch You Burn by Amanda Searcy

Book Blurb:

WATCH YOU BURN by Amanda Searcy
Pub. Date: October 23, 2018
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Pages: 352

Jenny didn't want to move to the creepy, possibly haunted town with her dad. But the cops are on to her, and the only way she can protect herself is by moving as far away from her hometown as possible and staying out of trouble.

But even after she moves, Jenny still gets the itch. The itch to light a match and then watch it burn.

It's something she hasn't been able to stop, ever since an accident years ago. Now, in a new town, Jenny has the strange feeling that someone is watching her every move. Will her arsonist ways be exposed? Or is the burning truth deep inside her a greater danger?

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My Review:

4 Out Of 5 Stars

Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Teen--

Jenny was sent to live with her estranged father at his in-the-works hotel project located in the middle of nowhere after the incident- it is for the best, they say. She is trying to be be good and not let down her parents, but it is just so hard to ignore the feelings and compulsion that comes on. When she starts to make friends and meets a cute boy she is convinced that she can be a normal girl- that is until things start to unravel around her and the fire must burn.

I had no idea what direction the story was going to go in when I first started reading Watch you Burn. This is a prime example of a YA psychological thriller with some complex damaged characters and some interesting plot twists.

Jenny is what I like to refer to as a hot mess (see what I did there?). She is a very unreliable narrator which adds a nice touch to the book because it keeps the reader guessing and the plot and character are never for sure understood. She is incredibly manipulative and will play to whatever part the person she is interacting with wants, making her a very dangerous character in general. I found her to be interesting, and I could not help but to want to know what she would do next. I didn't like her as a person, but as a character she gets props for piquing my curiosity. I also liked how the author expressed Jenny's emotions, her anxiety and mistrust were palpable, her need to burn and fascination with fire as well as her excuses and reasoning were compelling, and her need to be exposed surprising.

Now that I am thinking about it, don't trust anyone in the story. This book works as a great psychological thriller because all the characters have unseen sides and internalized conflicts and nothing should be taken at face value. As per life, the characters in this book hide so many things from each other as well as the reader so there were multiple times I was caught off guard by a situation or person. This was a very different book from anything I have read before and I appreciate that. Don't expect any sort of hero or redemption arc here though- it is hard to get that when the main character is a villain and has no remorse. I was super surprised by the ending, and felt a little adrift when I reached it with a WTF moment, yet again another surprise the author throws out.

I am voluntarily reviewing a complimentary copy of this book

Author Bio:

Amanda Searcy has a BA from New Mexico State University and an MA in human rights from the University of Essex in England. She works in collection development for a public library system and loves chocolate, cats, and curling up with a good book. She lives in New Mexico. Visit her online at amandasearcybooks.com and follow her on Twitter at @aesearcy.

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