Audiobook Review: This is W.A.R. by Lisa Roecker

Title: This is W.A.R.
Author: Lisa Roecker
Narrator: Amanda Dolan
Published: July 2, 2013
Publisher: Soho Teen
Length: 6 hrs 16 mins
Source: Publisher via Audiobook Jukebox

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.

After hearing so many mixed reviews about This is W.A.R. it made me even more curious than I already was.  For some reason I have to read a book that people seem to either love or hate.  It seems to me that those books can sometimes be a very pleasant surprise... or maybe a bit of a waste of time.  I'm happy that this one, for me, fell right in the middle.

Willa is dead. Her four friends set off to avenge her death and get back at the guy they believe killed her. A bit of a murder mystery you could say... but with a "Mean Girls" twist. "Enter four very different girls" is pretty accurate... though they honestly weren't very memorable since I'm having a hard time remembering which was which. They were basically all rich and spoiled. They came up with horrible ideas (Such as giving the guys hormone pills so they grow boobs. Yes, I'm serious...) and it seemed like their thoughts were constantly all over the place.

It may seem hard to believe, but I did enjoy certain parts of this story. It was rather entertaining here and there. And the narrator did a great job of performing the different characters, each in a unique way. I was definitely impressed with that. I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much as I did if I was reading it myself, rather than listening to the audio.

My first thought:  Okay, this could be fun.  Then after a while I was just confused.  I'm still not sure I understood the ending completely.  There were times throughout the story that I found myself really listening intently and enjoying the book... then I would lose interest again and drift off into my daydreaming world.  I may have missed some of the story because of this.  That's definitely a part of audiobooks that is difficult for me... if I'm not entirely interested, I stop paying attention and don't realize it until I'm completely lost on what's happening and have to rewind it a bit.  That may have happened once or twice (or maybe more like 10 times) with this one...

It wasn't bad.  It wasn't great.  It was okay.  I'm happy I read it.  I like the cover.  I'll leave it at that.

Lisa and Laura Roecker are sisters-turned-writing-partners with a love of all things Young Adult. Some call it arrested development, but the sisters claim it keeps them young. Plus, its cheaper than Botox. Lisa and Laura live in Cleveland, Ohio in separate residences. Their husbands wouldn't agree to a duplex. THE LIAR SOCIETY is their first novel.

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