Review: Jen's 4.5 Star Review
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 22, 2014
If you are in the mood for a fun, flirty, suspenseful story then look no further. Burning Down the House was that and so much more. Every word Allie wrote had me completely consumed and I was anxiously turning the pages not wanting to miss a thing.“You never really know anyone “And oh how true this was throughout this book. There are a lot of characters mixed into the story but every single one of them plays an important role. Some will make you laugh, some will have you cringing and some will just be a complete enigma to you. This is definitely one of those books you will completely fall in love. Rumors, secrets and misunderstandings are just one of the things that will keep you glued. Allie really nailed this one with just the right amount of angst mixed with a sexy hot athlete and a very observant, compassionate girl. Definitely the perfect mix and the very reason why I love reading romance novels so much. Throughout the story I kept questioning the characters. Who was being honest? Who do I trust? And of course my thoughts kept screaming please don’t make it be him. Confused?The story starts off with Sarah moving back in with her father. Unbeknownst to her, upon her arrival to her dad’s she is told that his old friend’s son is living with them because his parents died in a house fire and he has no real family left. Rob and Sara grew up with each other but they never really got along all that much. The last thing Sara remembered about Rob was that he was a brooding goth with a major attitude problem. People grow up and people change because but she never thought she utter these words where Rob was concerned.“All I could do was stand there frozen like a mental defective. Because he was hot…and by hot I mean abso-freaking-lutely droolwothy jaw-on-the-floor gorgeous.”So things don’t start off with a bang with these two. Rob still seems to be harboring some anger and maybe some resentment. He may no longer look like the boy she remembers but his attitude at least towards her hasn’t really changed. No matter how hard she tries to get him to warm up to her, he wants nothing to do with her.“he’d never had much tolerance for me and it appeared that hadn’t changed.”She’s a bit nosey, she’s curious, talks a lot and of course has many questions surrounding not only what happened to his parents but also the rumors that she’s heard. However, Sara being who she is isn’t one to just lay down and take it. After some time passes Rob ends up opening the door to her and from there things start to grow between them. When another tragic house fire rocks their community Sara and Rob’s relationship is really put to the test. Can they trust each other? Can their love endure all the rumors surrounding this community? And I’m not really going to say much more because honestly you need to read this book so you can see how everything plays out.“A person can learn a lot in a very short time.”I really loved that the characters in this story for the most part were strong individuals. There was no whining or crying or those little annoyances we sometimes find in some books that have us saying god I can’t stand that girl. I LOVED this girl. Sara was no pushover. She definitely could hold her own and I think she gave Rob a run for his money. I loved the chemistry between all the characters and how easily I fell in love with this storyline. The banter was fun and witty, the progression didn’t feel rushed. The relationships didn’t happen to fast for me. I have to congratulate Allie on the biggest twist of all. I never saw that one coming. You got me good with that because I was completely convinced I had it all figured out. I’d definitely recommend this book.*received a complimentary copy from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review*