Scan barcode
rachelmcchicken's review
4.0
Unlike many other people, this is one of my favourite stand-alone novels.
Natalie is indeed a selfish character, but once I started to understand her backround and how she spend her youth, it is kind of understandable, for me at least. Although I do have to say the whole 'daddy' plot line was a bit annoying. I think with better writing and maybe even an altogether longer book, that sub-plot could've worked it's way into the story nicely. However, when reading the book it's almost like Lauren Kate just threw in a text from Natalie's dad or an abstract thought or memory of Natalie's relating to her dad when things got a bit boring. I didn't like it at all.
I loved the ending, and yet hated it at the same time. I don't mind Natalie's death or Mike's disappearance afterwards, but I do think that Lauren Kate should've given us some more concrete info on J.B earlier on in the book instead of letting Nat reveal a memory or two of him every three chapters. I think if this had happened, the memory of Nat and J.B first meeting at the end would've flowed better. Especially considering the epilogue! To me, you can't have almost nothing known about Natalie and J.B's relationship then all of a sudden being shown how they met and that he was in love with her the whole time. I was so confused when I finished the book for the first time I had no clue what was going on.
Aside from the badly-written sub-lot and horribly confusing ending, it was a good book.
Natalie is indeed a selfish character, but once I started to understand her backround and how she spend her youth, it is kind of understandable, for me at least. Although I do have to say the whole 'daddy' plot line was a bit annoying. I think with better writing and maybe even an altogether longer book, that sub-plot could've worked it's way into the story nicely. However, when reading the book it's almost like Lauren Kate just threw in a text from Natalie's dad or an abstract thought or memory of Natalie's relating to her dad when things got a bit boring. I didn't like it at all.
I loved the ending, and yet hated it at the same time. I don't mind Natalie's death or Mike's disappearance afterwards, but I do think that Lauren Kate should've given us some more concrete info on J.B earlier on in the book instead of letting Nat reveal a memory or two of him every three chapters. I think if this had happened, the memory of Nat and J.B first meeting at the end would've flowed better. Especially considering the epilogue! To me, you can't have almost nothing known about Natalie and J.B's relationship then all of a sudden being shown how they met and that he was in love with her the whole time. I was so confused when I finished the book for the first time I had no clue what was going on.
Aside from the badly-written sub-lot and horribly confusing ending, it was a good book.
rebeccajane's review
3.0
I liked this book but not as much as I'd hoped. I don't particularly like Natalie, she's kind of self absorbed. There were a few characters I did like but she just wasn't one of them. The ending was kinda majorly sad :/ I really wasn't expecting the ending at all.
escapeebee's review
4.0
Full review posted here on TotalTeenFiction
I'm still waiting for Fallen to become available from the library, so when I spotted this book in my local charity shop I decided to grab it and get my first Lauren Kate fix. Natalie Hargrove is the queen bee, and with the prestigious Palmetto ball approaching, Natalie wants nothing more than to be crowned princess alongside her boyfriend and hopeful prince Mike.
I'm going to start out by saying that this book was a total guilty pleasure. It felt like the kind of book I really shouldn't have liked as much as I did! Natalie Hargrove is a totally horrible character. She'll do whatever she can to get exactly what she wants, and holds this influence over her fellow students. After her mum's marriage got her a ticket to the nice side of town, she's determined to stay there and forget her past. Basically, she's pretty ruthless.
Despite this, I found myself completely hooked into the drama. The writing style really grabbed me and even though I knew I should hate Natalie, I just couldn't put this book down and I loved finding out what was round the corner for her. It's pretty typical high school drama for the first half of the book. Everyone's talking about the school ball and there's parties, drinking and plenty of steamy make-out sessions between Mike and Natalie. Just when I thought this was looking to turn into some kind of love triangle, the plot took a completely different turn to what I was expecting, and suddenly lives are on the line.
If you want a book where characters learn from their mistakes or go on a journey then this isn't really that book. If you like American high school drama with a massive order of bitchiness and scheming then it is. I would have liked a bit more depth to Natalie's character. It felt there could have been a lot more to her than there was in the end and I was a bit disappointed by the way it ended. What it definitely has done is tickled my tastebuds and made me want to read more by Lauren Kate.
Find more books like this at TotalTeenFiction
I'm still waiting for Fallen to become available from the library, so when I spotted this book in my local charity shop I decided to grab it and get my first Lauren Kate fix. Natalie Hargrove is the queen bee, and with the prestigious Palmetto ball approaching, Natalie wants nothing more than to be crowned princess alongside her boyfriend and hopeful prince Mike.
I'm going to start out by saying that this book was a total guilty pleasure. It felt like the kind of book I really shouldn't have liked as much as I did! Natalie Hargrove is a totally horrible character. She'll do whatever she can to get exactly what she wants, and holds this influence over her fellow students. After her mum's marriage got her a ticket to the nice side of town, she's determined to stay there and forget her past. Basically, she's pretty ruthless.
Despite this, I found myself completely hooked into the drama. The writing style really grabbed me and even though I knew I should hate Natalie, I just couldn't put this book down and I loved finding out what was round the corner for her. It's pretty typical high school drama for the first half of the book. Everyone's talking about the school ball and there's parties, drinking and plenty of steamy make-out sessions between Mike and Natalie. Just when I thought this was looking to turn into some kind of love triangle, the plot took a completely different turn to what I was expecting, and suddenly lives are on the line.
If you want a book where characters learn from their mistakes or go on a journey then this isn't really that book. If you like American high school drama with a massive order of bitchiness and scheming then it is. I would have liked a bit more depth to Natalie's character. It felt there could have been a lot more to her than there was in the end and I was a bit disappointed by the way it ended. What it definitely has done is tickled my tastebuds and made me want to read more by Lauren Kate.
Find more books like this at TotalTeenFiction
hetlevenvaneenboekenworm's review
5.0
You can find my review at my blog:
http://mybookaddiction.blogspot.com/2011/06/review-betrayal-of-natalie-hargrove-by.html
http://mybookaddiction.blogspot.com/2011/06/review-betrayal-of-natalie-hargrove-by.html
matildai's review
1.0
The story is about Natalie who is the popular girl that everyone wants to be. She comes from from other side of the tracks though, but no one knows her past.
When a tragedy happens, Natalie's' world is spun out of control.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have had this book on my bookshelf for years. I bought it because I loved Lauren Kates Fallen series, so I assumed that I would enjoy this book too.
Alas just because you like an author doesn't mean you will like all their work.
If I could give this book a 1.5 star rating I would. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't good.
I found the story under developed there was very little suspense and it was generally very blah.
When a tragedy happens, Natalie's' world is spun out of control.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have had this book on my bookshelf for years. I bought it because I loved Lauren Kates Fallen series, so I assumed that I would enjoy this book too.
Alas just because you like an author doesn't mean you will like all their work.
If I could give this book a 1.5 star rating I would. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't good.
I found the story under developed there was very little suspense and it was generally very blah.
serenitymoon's review
3.0
It wasn't bad, but it also didn't quite live up to its potential. It was mediocre and perfectly forgettable. Plus you kind of see the ending coming.
loveleareads's review
3.0
The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove was interesting to say the least. It was full of twists and turns and very unpredictable at times.
The main problem I had with this book was the main character, Natalie. She was way too selfish and egocentric, not to mention obsessed with winning the crown. Not only was she this way, but the characterization just wasn't good. All the characters were very one-dimensional.
While I didn't like the characters so much, I loved the plot. It was so dark and twisted. For the most part it was fast-paced, and rarely got slow. I loved the ending, too. It was so unexpected and very currupt. All in all, the plot made up for the characters. It was a good read and very captivating.
The main problem I had with this book was the main character, Natalie. She was way too selfish and egocentric, not to mention obsessed with winning the crown. Not only was she this way, but the characterization just wasn't good. All the characters were very one-dimensional.
While I didn't like the characters so much, I loved the plot. It was so dark and twisted. For the most part it was fast-paced, and rarely got slow. I loved the ending, too. It was so unexpected and very currupt. All in all, the plot made up for the characters. It was a good read and very captivating.
theawkwardbookw's review
3.0
Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCferU-BCL2dlFjWdD0rS75Q/videos
Natalie Hargrove is the most popular girl at her highchool. She has dreamed of becoming Palmetto Princess for years and her long time boyfriend, Mike King is supposed to be crowned Prince beside her. When Justin Balmer threatens her boyfriend's crown, Natalie decides to take matters into her own hands to ensure this doesn't happen.
The book was entertaining at times, but often got on my nerves. Most of the time it was just Natalie trying to get her boyfriend to 'desire her' and then whining when she didn't get her way. A lot of the story was Natalie trying to cover up that she came from the 'wrong side of the tracks' which I'm assuming was supposed to make the reader feel sorry for her and forgive her for her shitty attitude. Just something about her really bothered me. I still really enjoyed how manipulative and conniving she was though and really wanted to see what she would do next to try to cover up what she did. The book is kind of like a terrible life time movie... It's not the best, but it's entertaining so you keep watching because you really want to know what happens next.
Overall, it was entertaining, but nothing overly special.
Natalie Hargrove is the most popular girl at her highchool. She has dreamed of becoming Palmetto Princess for years and her long time boyfriend, Mike King is supposed to be crowned Prince beside her. When Justin Balmer threatens her boyfriend's crown, Natalie decides to take matters into her own hands to ensure this doesn't happen.
The book was entertaining at times, but often got on my nerves. Most of the time it was just Natalie trying to get her boyfriend to 'desire her' and then whining when she didn't get her way. A lot of the story was Natalie trying to cover up that she came from the 'wrong side of the tracks' which I'm assuming was supposed to make the reader feel sorry for her and forgive her for her shitty attitude. Just something about her really bothered me. I still really enjoyed how manipulative and conniving she was though and really wanted to see what she would do next to try to cover up what she did. The book is kind of like a terrible life time movie... It's not the best, but it's entertaining so you keep watching because you really want to know what happens next.
Overall, it was entertaining, but nothing overly special.
luckylumpia's review
1.0
Ugh. What a terrible book. Not only that, but I seriously lost it when I read "Cyprus tree" in there. I have a feeling that this is another one of those fanfics picked up to become a novel. Just don't. Please.
heatherhy01's review
4.0
I was not quite sure what to expect from this book. It does seem like a younger teen read. The writing style is very simple, but I love that type of writing. The main character of Natalie was interesting, with a one track mind.....being crowned Palmetto Princess with her boyfriend crowned as Prince. A simple joke against a competitor turns out to be their worst nightmare. With a huge surprise at the end, which I totally was not expecting, this was a very good read.