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Dangerous Girls Paperback – 18 July 2013

4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 1,478 ratings

Wouldn't we all look guilty, if someone searched hard enough?

Elise is dead. And someone must pay.

Anna, her boyfriend Tate, her best friend Elise and a group of close friends set off on a debaucherous Spring Break trip to Aruba. But paradise soon turns into a living nightmare when Elise is brutally murdered.

Soon Anna finds herself trapped in a foreign country, fighting for her freedom. As she awaits the judge's decree, it becomes clear that everyone is questioning her innocence. To the rest of the world, Anna isn't just guilty, but dangerous. And the truth is more shocking than you could ever imagine . . .

"The
best teen thriller I've ever read" - Wondrous Reads
"Told with the same "who can I trust?" tone of
The Girl On the Train, Dangerous Girls is the perfect mystery" - Bustle.com
"A remarkable thriller that truly needs more recognition" - The Guardian
"A compulsively readable,
hair-raising snapshot of the 21st century legal spectacle... a ripped-from-the-headlines thriller that is more than it seems." - Kirkus Reviews

For fans of 
Gone GirlWe Were Liars and Lying About Last Summer
Kindle Storyteller Award 2024
Check out last year's winner: 'Stateside' by J.D KIRK. Read more

Product description

About the Author

Abigail Haas has written two adult novels and four young adult contemporary novels under the name Abby McDonald. Dangerous Boys is her second young adult thriller. She grew up in Sussex, England, and studied Politics, Philosophy & Economics at Oxford University. She lives in Los Angeles.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster Children's UK (18 July 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1471119149
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1471119149
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 years and up
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.3 x 2.6 x 19.8 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 1,478 ratings

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Abigail Haas
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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
1,478 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and easy to read. They enjoy the suspenseful storyline with its twists and turns that keep them hooked until the end. The writing quality is praised as well-crafted and the narration is described as great. Overall, customers find the book an enjoyable and gripping read with interesting characters.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

25 customers mention ‘Readability’25 positive0 negative

Customers enjoyed the book's readability. They found it engaging and easy to follow, making it a good holiday read. The format of the story was described as addictive, with the story jumping between the past and present.

"...This book is an interesting one to be sure...having read some mixed reviews I was very intrigued to find out for myself what all the fuss was..." Read more

"...This book was fast and addictive, with a distinct eerie cloud over every page...." Read more

"This book was a really good read whereby I wanted to know what happened so got hooked, it was a little far fetched in the sense that no other..." Read more

"...details but I can’t it would spoil it too much but if you want a compelling read and you love all that law and order stuff, courtroom drama and have..." Read more

21 customers mention ‘Suspenseful story’16 positive5 negative

Customers enjoy the gripping story with its intrigue, betrayals, and drama. They find the storyline constantly developing with plenty of twists and turns. The book is described as a cross between mystery, psychological thriller, and crime. Readers appreciate the backstory and time travel elements. However, some feel the story is too simple, with teenagers lacking sense.

"...love a clever book and this one was - on the surface, a simple story of vapid teenagers with more money than sense, partying hard until tragedy..." Read more

"...It made for some nail-biting storytelling, which had me flicking the pages as fast as I could to see what happened...." Read more

"...If you appreciate a well written, suspenseful, intriguing book then this is also the book for you...." Read more

"...The ending was totally disappointing and I felt needed another chapter as clarification which left me thinking some of it really didn’t make sense...." Read more

8 customers mention ‘Writing quality’8 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing quality good. They say it's well-written, exciting, and an easy read. The narrator is great and the story switches between present day and past events.

"...the YA audience, with some very adult themes at its heart and is superbly written and laid out...." Read more

"...If you appreciate a well written, suspenseful, intriguing book then this is also the book for you...." Read more

"...Anna is a great narrator, her story switches between the present day after the murder and flashbacks of how she met Elise and the progression of..." Read more

"This was a really great book, well written and gripping. My only issue with it was the ending...." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Character development’3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the character development. They find the characters interesting.

"...back and forth between now and before, giving us a good look into the lives of the characters...." Read more

"Really engaging book that makes you care about the main character...." Read more

"Thrilling story with complex characters, an unusual structure and a bold ending. Loved it!..." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Pacing’3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's fast pace. It keeps them guessing until the end.

"...This book was fast and addictive, with a distinct eerie cloud over every page...." Read more

"...cases, most notably the tragic murder of Meredith Kercher, this brilliantly paced and plotted read delves in to the past and present of a murder..." Read more

"What a great book!! Fast paced and keeps you guessing to the last page. I would highly recommend this book" Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 December 2013
    It's Spring Break of senior year. Anna, her boyfriend Tate, her best friend Elise, and a few other close friends are off to a debaucherous trip to Aruba that promises to be the time of their lives.

    But when Elise is found brutally murdered, Anna finds herself trapped in a country not her own, fighting against vile and contemptuous accusations. As Anna sets out to find her friend's killer, she discovers harsh revelations about her friendships, the slippery nature of truth, and the ache of young love.

    Awaiting the judge's decree, it becomes clear to Anna that everyone around her thinks she is not only guilty, but also dangerous.

    This book is an interesting one to be sure...having read some mixed reviews I was very intrigued to find out for myself what all the fuss was about.

    As you know I do love a clever book and this one was - on the surface, a simple story of vapid teenagers with more money than sense, partying hard until tragedy strikes and throws them all into turmoil..but underneath the glossy surface is a multi layered tale of love, betrayal and murder with a psychological twist.

    Told from Anna's point of view, covering the events leading up to the death of her best friend Elise and the aftermath, the story unfolding is compelling and addictive - not least because of the characters themselves. Abigail Haas has given them all a psychological depth not often found in teen fiction and has woven a cautionary tale into the narrative about the intensity and hidden facets of the relationships we form and the obsessive nature of such things. Throw into the mix drugs, drink and secrets and its not surprising really that things go horribly wrong.

    Inspiration has very obviously been taken from real life events, several of them, and this works very well because you kind of think you know the story - it lifts the reading experience into an almost "documentary" style feel, as if this is, in fact, a true tale. As Anna fights to prove her innocence in the face of almost impossible odds you will be clinging on by the fingernails with her - as she says " Wouldn't we all look guilty, if someone searched hard enough?"

    Well yes, we would. The most mundane actions can seem sinister when looked at from a place of suspicion, another thing that the author has managed to convey superbly. Along with a one track mindset from the police and the media turning the crime into a movie for the masses its a wonder that any justice system ever works...what Abigail Haas has done is made me wonder how many guilty, OR innocent for that matter, verdicts we hear about in the real world headlines are actually indicative of what actually happened.

    So yes, this is a mystery story aimed at the YA audience, with some very adult themes at its heart and is superbly written and laid out. The solution is right there in front of you folks, whether you see it coming or not, the experience of getting there will be worth it.

    Happy Reading Folks!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 September 2014
    Anna's relationship with Elise was intense. They were close friends, but it always seemed like something more; an attraction neither of them could sort through. Even with Anna's boyfriend hovering in the foreground, there seemed to be an untouchable nature to her relationship with Elise. An obsessive friendship beyond compare. It made for some emotional flashbacks.

    It's hard not to feel for Anna. Despite her close friendship with Elise, she becomes the prime suspect in a witch hunt by local police. The whole world thinks she's guilty, even her friends. She's betrayed by everyone around her, scrutinised by the media, and left to rot in prison while her fate is argued.

    The evidence against her is patchy, but the way the prosecutors attack Anna's character, weaving through her life and selectively picking parts that prove their theories was frustratingly brilliant and made for an interesting question: wouldn't we all look guilty, if someone searched hard enough?

    Sandwiched between the intense trial scenes, we flashback to the night Elise was murdered and the events leading up to it. It made for some nail-biting storytelling, which had me flicking the pages as fast as I could to see what happened.

    This book was fast and addictive, with a distinct eerie cloud over every page. I was suspicious of every character and time and time again, my theories were proved wrong. I flitted between suspects, all the while never really committing to one. Nobody felt trustworthy to me. But with all the twists and turns lacing each page, it was no wonder!
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 February 2019
    This book was a really good read whereby I wanted to know what happened so got hooked, it was a little far fetched in the sense that no other investigations really took place into the murder which was odd and the evidence the police had was too flimsy? The ending was totally disappointing and I felt needed another chapter as clarification which left me thinking some of it really didn’t make sense. If this had happened then I would have rated it 4.5.
    One person found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book with a twist!
    Reviewed in Canada on 16 December 2020
    Felt a little immature in the beginning. Took a couple chapters to get into it, but then I couldn’t put it down!
  • Alexandra Emilova
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
    Reviewed in Spain on 18 January 2022
    I read this book a few months ago and I loved it so much that I knew I had to get a physical copy. The delivery was great and the book came in perfect way. Very satisfied with my purchase!
  • charu gupta
    5.0 out of 5 stars Predictable but still engrossing
    Reviewed in India on 28 August 2020
    Fastest read of mine. The story ends with a perfect reason to the crime.. Satisfactory read. I suggest it a go
  • Quite the reader
    4.0 out of 5 stars Okay wow! I went catatonic after reading.
    Reviewed in Australia on 19 November 2019
    Clever work. I was livid, shocked. Appalled. this book manipulated me! So many twists and turns I was dizzy! In a good way.
    That's what good writers do. Love your work Abigail!
    Anna is wrongfully accused of her best friends murder on their group vacation. With a ruthless prosecutor on Anna's tail, her life is ripped apart turning her image into a monster in the eyes of the media and the public. Even her friends don't believe her. So begins her fight for freedom in a foreign country. What looms around the corner, put me into shock. As mentioned in title. It's missing one star due to more information required on a certain topic that needed a bit more fuel but I have to get vague not to spoil it.
    This is one of the best books I've read.
  • Crystal Starr Light
    5.0 out of 5 stars “Any one of us could be made to look a monster, with selective readings of our history.”
    Reviewed in the United States on 30 January 2014
    Elise is brutally murdered, and all fingers are pointing to Anna. As Anna lives through her stay in prison and the trial, we slowly get to see the wild, "dangerous" life of these girls and how quickly "friends" abandon you when times get tough.

    There are two things in life I love: reading and coffee. (OK, I love my family and friends too, but they aren't "things".) And the Kindle (given to me by the Most Amazing Sister EVAH) has been the best thing for reading AND my pocket book (and when we are good to the pocket book, we get the next best thing to more books: MORE COFFEE!). I saw "Dangerous Girls" as one of the Daily Deals and based on a friend's review snapped it up and put it on the Kindle for my next airplane trip.

    I love, and I hate this book at the same time. I love that this book made me read it in two sittings and left me staring blankly at the seat in front of me, making me question life and everything I knew. I love that I wanted to strangle characters in the book, so real did they feel. I love that I couldn't bear to put this book down.

    But then I HATE THAT ENDING GORRAMMIT. After all that nail-biting suspense, all those dips and twists in the story, and then we find out THAT?!

    But I get ahead of myself.

    Abigail Haas, you can write. You can write, you can create realistic teenaged characters, you can create the most thrilling suspense all the while never having the characters do anything more exciting than sit down. Really, woman, I am in envy of your craft.

    Before this book, I was ready to throw in the towel entirely on the Young Adult genre, especially after tepid (IMO) books like Antigoddess and Arclight. If Young Adult is going to be merely Girl + Boy A + Boy B + (Genre of the Most Popular YA Book of the Moment), then I don't care, I'm checking out. I don't read books to read the same story, the same characters over and over and over again. I want something different or unique, even if it's just a really, REALLY well-written form of something old.

    "Dangerous Girls" stands out. It's raw and gritty (I definitely wouldn't recommend for teens younger than 16, what with the sex, drugs, and alcohol use), but it's clever and REAL. The characters are stunning; Anna isn't a Mary Sue, with zero self-esteem, unable to realize how beautiful she is, and thinking every other female is an enemy (though she does do a bit of slut-shaming to the bully girls). She's a hurting girl, suffering when her mother has cancer, able to build friendships with other females *GASP*, and not afraid to embrace her sexuality *GASP*. Tate isn't a set of good-looking abs; he's a coward, a perfectionist, a flawed miserable human-being who abandons his girlfriend just to save face. Elise isn't the Manic Pixie Dream Girl; she has no qualms about using men to get what she wants (and not caring about their feelings), doesn't appreciate her mother, and is insanely jealous - but she's also the dearest, sweetest friend Anna could ever have. She stands up with Anna in the face of bullies and leaves her elite status behind to be with Anna.

    The whole book is a character study, not just of Anna, but of every other person she knows. Her boyfriend, Tate. Elise. The other friends in their circle. Her lawyers. Her father. The media. It's an intense look at how awful people can be. I've been calling it in many ways the "Gone Girl" for Young Adults, because that's what I think of when I read this. These aren't perfect characters; they are realistic, and every one of them is hiding something. Every one of them has messed up and is being selfish and horrible to their fellow human beings.

    With so much praise, why do I say I hate this? Well, that pertains to the ending and for that is a HUGE spoiler - a "Sixth Sense" scale spoiler. Let's just suffice to say that I didn't see it coming and felt it came out of left field and contradicted what Haas had earlier established. Of course, my opinion is just that: My opinion. I'd love to talk more about the ending, so feel free to comment. (Just be careful with spoilers!)

    But even with my feelings about the ending, I can't deny this is a marvelous book. A book that makes me devour it in two sittings, that leaves me with Book Hangover is DEFINITELY a 5 star in my book, even if the ending is "HUH?" I heartily recommend a read and will be checking out more of Haas' works in the future.

    Brought to you by:
    *C.S. Light*