Review and Giveaway - The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate

The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate




My rating: 4.5/5.0



Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: November 12, 2009

I received this ARC from Gillian Levinson of the Penguin Young Readers Group for review along with Wanderlust by Lucy Silag. I will be reviewing in a few weeks.  Thank you so much Gillian!

What would you do to remain the top girl in the school dating the top guy? What would you do to make sure that you win the Palmetto Princess and your boyfriend wins the Prince title?

This book is a dark look at teenage life. Natalie has made her way to the top and wants to stay there and she doesn't want Justin Balmer to beat out her boyfriend Mike King for the Palmetto Prince title.

I enjoyed this book - it read quickly for me. I believe in the letter I got with the book it said it was a cross between Heathers and Cruel Intentions. I was sold on the book at that point because for some reason I loved both of those dark and twisty movies. I would never personally go that far for something I wanted, but for some reason reading or watching it is interesting.

Natalie is not very likable (and she's not supposed to be I think), but for some reason you just keep reading. I did end up liking her some by the end. She is the main character in the book and it all centers around her. We see her with her boyfriend Mike, at school and with friends and even the ones who want to be like her. We see the good and the bad of Natalie and see her struggles.

This book brought out all kinds of feelings in me - from being appalled, to being sympathetic and just understanding how teenagers are and how this is such a tough time in life. It's a dark and edgy book that's highly entertaining.  It's also thought-provoking book and I really enjoyed it.

About the Book:

A steamy Southern beauty makes one fatal mistake

Natalie Hargrove would kill to be her high school’s Palmetto Princess. But her boyfriend Mike King doesn’t share her dream and risks losing the honor of Palmetto Prince to Natalie’s nemesis, Justin Balmer. So she convinces Mike to help play a prank on Justin. . . one that goes terribly wrong. They tie him to the front of the church after a party—when they arrive the next morning, Justin is dead.

From blackmail to buried desire, dark secrets to darker deeds, Natalie unravels. She never should’ve messed with fate. Fate is the one thing more twisted than Natalie Hargrove.



 Challenges:
100+ Book Challenge
Fall Into Reading Challenge 2009





And yes there is a giveaway.  I have a gently used ARC I would like to pass on to one lucky commenter.  Open to the US and Canada only.  Ends 11/18/2009.  To enter simply leave your email address (in code).

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