Love, Heather by Laurie Petrou

☆☆☆
Kindle Edition, 280 pages
Published October 8th 2019 by Crooked Lane Books
About the Book:
Stevie never meant for things to go this far. When she and Dee--defiant, bold, indestructible Dee--started all this, there was a purpose to their acts of vengeance: to put the bullies of Woepine High School back in their place. And three months ago, Stevie believed they deserved it. Once her best friend turned on her, the rest of the school followed. Stevie was alone and unprotected with a target on her back. Online, it was worse. It was Dee's idea to get them all back with a few clever pranks, signing each act Love, Heather--an homage to her favorite 80's revenge flick. Despite herself, Stevie can't help getting caught up in the payback, reveling in every minute of suffering. And for a while, it works: it seems the meek have inherited the school. But when anonymous students begin joining in, punishing perceived slights with increasingly violent ferocity, the line between villain and vigilante begins to blur. As friends turn on each other and the administration scrambles to regain control, it becomes clear: whatever Dee and Stevie started has gained a mind--and teeth--of its own. And when it finally swallows them whole, one will reemerge changed, with a plan for one final, terrifying act of revenge.

I am not a big fan of young adult books, BUT when I read the blurb for Love, Heather
this immediately came to mind...

So I HAD to have it.Love, Heather has a deliciously dark and twisted plot, so I expected it to be dark and twisted the whole way through. And it is, don't get me wrong, it's just that it's kinda generic, it also lagged. I read it in mainly one sitting, but the pacing was rather off. This book just had moments where very little happened and when you add that to the superfluous details that also added nothing to the plot, it becomes noticeable.

None of this is to say that Love, Heather is a bad book...it isn't. The main character is all right, the main supporting character was pretty awesome, and the writing is fine. It's just that after reading other YA books, that I actually enjoyed, I expected something equally explosive and it just wasn't. I still recommend it, but if you're picking it up expecting perfect for fans of Megan Abbott and Jessica Knoll, it isn't. I really hate it when publishers decide to compare works to other authors. What I DID like about it were the references to seventies and eighties music and movies...'cause hey, I was a seventies and eighties kid/young adult. Some of the dialogue was pretty funny too. Here are a few of my favourites...
* I mumble, glaring at Mom, who has to tell everyone about every bowel movement I have.
* Let me guess: he was a cool guy in school who spent too much time with a hacky sack and a bong.
* She is tall, confident, wild haired, like she’s made of steel wool and leather, Pop Rocks and gasoline.

Thank you NetGalley, Laurie Petrou and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

#LoveHeather #NetGalley