[Review: This Is W.A.R. by Lisa and Laura Roecker]

"This is W.A.R."
Author: Lisa and Laura Roecker
Pages: 288
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller
Date Published: July 2nd, 2013
Publisher: Soho Teen
Format Read: eARC provided by publisher (via Edelweiss) for honest review

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Summary:

This is W.A.R. begins with a victim who can no longer speak for herself, and whose murder blossoms into a call-to-arms. Enter four very different girls, four very different motives to avenge Willa Ames-Rowan, and only one rule to start: Destroy James Gregory and his family at any cost. Willa's initials spell the secret rallying cry that spurs the foursome to pool their considerable resources and deliver their particular brand of vigilante justice. Innocence is lost, battles are won—and the pursuit of the truth ultimately threatens to destroy them all.

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

This book was ridiculous.  Seriously, it had a bad case of the ugly duckling syndrome.  Just like a baby swan is so ugly it's cute, this book was so bad that it was actually enjoyable.  I think it's one of those books that you have to see for what it is.  I don't think the Roeckers were looking to write a serious murder mystery, but rather something that flowed in the vain of your favorite teen soap opera.  They succeeded in a big way.  As I was reading this book, I thought this was goofy, but I couldn't stop reading.

The book is told in four parts, each one is told through the eyes of each of the girls who have rallied together to start a W.A.R. on the rich Gregory family.  W.A.R. also happens to be the initials of their dead friend.  It was an interesting way to tell the story, but I have to admit that none of the lead characters did much for me.  Sloane was the dumb one (her words, not mine), Rose was the poor girl who didn't know what she was getting into, Madge was Willa's step sister looking for vengeance and Lina was a girl confused by her romantic preferences with the tough skin.  

I think were a lot of the humor came from was the fact that when the girls banded together to take down the most wealthy family in town their ideas were less then brilliant.  Nudey pictures, giving the Gregory boys female hormones in their drinks and selling stuff on eBay were just a few of the things that they came up with and tried to pull off.  I just couldn't wrap my head around what they were doing.  They kept saying that they were out for blood, but then those were the things that they thought up?  Come on.

The conclusion also left me wanting more.  After watching this war between rich people and filthy rich people the end just didn't do anything for me.  The fact is that a plot consisting of a war were each of the 4 girls had to put $25,000 in a safety deposit box could have come to a much bigger conclusion.  But then we got the ending that I was expecting all along.  In the end money won out and not the girls.  It didn't surprise me that things worked out the way they did, but I wanted this book to shock me in the end and it simply didn't. 

Like I said at the beginning, this book was a fun read, but it left me wanting more.  It was simply a fluff story which provided entertainment while it lasted.  If your a fan of teen soaps, this one is definitely for you!

 

Rating:  

           2 Unicorns = It was okay, but something just didn't work for me!