Reviews

Burnout by Adrienne Maria Vrettos

soldroolz's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

book for pretentious elitist nyc pieces of shit <3 

jessicaibarra's review

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4.0

I read 80% of this in one night and then I just got too tired and had to pick it back up in the morning.

I felt very close to the character through her voice, like my best friend was telling me what was happening to her.

I loved how the mystery unfolded throughout the book - just giving me enough extra clues to keep me interested and wondering.

aprilbooksandwine's review

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2.0

I am going to admit something kind of embarrassing to you. Sometimes I pick books to read off of my TBR pile based on their length. I get legitimately excited about very short books because I know they will help me beef up my goodreads reading challenge numbers. I know, I know, I should not be reading to boost a number but you know, I get competitive with myself. Maybe it’s reading for the wrong reasons, but I’ve come across some pretty decent reads that way. I’ve also picked up books that would have just languished forever on my pile. Friends, I picked up Burnout by Adrienne Maria Vrettos, a book that is two years, or ancient in certain reader circles, just because my copy was only 190 pages with super short chapters. I journeyed into the dangerous world of drugs and alcohol and came out of the book slightly confused, unsure as to what to rate the book.
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emilycc's review

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3.0

Recommended by one of my teens at the library and so far removed from what I usually read that it's hard to judge.

Nan, six months out of rehab and still grieving the end of her intense friendship with Seemy, wakes up in a subway car in clothes she doesn't recognize with HELP ME scrawled on her chest. She can't remember last night, and she keeps blacking out, but as she begins to put the pieces together, she worries that Seemy may be in terrible danger. Part retrospective of an intoxicating friendship, part mystery, Burnout is intensely plotted. It gives up some depth to pacing, and it's not exactly my cup of tea, but should have great teen appeal, particularly for fans of Ellen Hopkins & the like.

icameheretoread's review

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4.0

I don't read much contemporary YA fiction. I'm not sure why. I guess part of me feels a story is always better with a science fiction element, or a zombie thrown in.
I wanted to read Burnout because it takes place on Halloween, or the day after- depending on whether or not you count flashbacks.

There are no supernatural elements in this story. Still, it is one of the spookiest, page turn-y novels I have read in years.

Nan wakes up on a subway car. She is covered in makeup, shoeless, and is wearing a costume that is way too tight. On top of that, Nan cannot remember the last 24 hours.
The story alternates between NOW, and what Nan is doing to figure out what has happened to her, and THEN. The flashbacks are really well done and the reader gets to know Nan, her mother, and her crazed best friend Seemy through these glimpses of the past. I was only a little disappointed in the end, which wrapped up nicely, but a little too conveniently for me. That is why I went with a four star and not five star rating.

I couldn't put it down, and at 208 pages it is a short read. The pages will not turn fast enough, and this is a perfect autumn release.
I highly recommend it for readers who loved Imaginary Girls (like me!), who read Lois Duncan, or who want a fast paced mystery. Good stuff.

amdame1's review against another edition

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3.0

Nan wakes up in the subway, not sure if she is dead, asleep, or dreaming. She doesn't know how she got there or why she's dressed the way she is. She also doesn't know what has happened to her best friend.

Will appeal to reluctant readers, but is better for stronger readers as there is a lot of inference making involved plus many time/period transitions.

xallroyx21's review against another edition

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3.0

I really wanted to like this more. The premise was interesting and I liked the way the story was told. The problem is in the resolution and motivations. There are so many missing reasons why this even happened! There can be ambiguity, but not in the way this one does. Oh well.

mutantreptile's review against another edition

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2.0

Super quick read. It was interesting, but then it went nowhere. I feel like I read a first draft.

erinthevampireslayer's review against another edition

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2.0

If you like quick, young adult cautionary tale type thrillers, you already know that it's a genre typically filled with mediocre or amusingly bad books. This honestly wasn't as bad as others I've read, but the disjointed way the story is told (the narrator spends 90% of the book trying to remember what happened to her the night before while talking about past memories) got annoying pretty quickly. Also it's losing a full star for giving every single character a weird nickname.
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