The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove [Mass Market Paperback]

Lauren Kate (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 12, 2009

No Description Available

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[A] racy gothic tale...[a] deliciously twisted story." --Publishers Weekly

"Lots of adjectives can be applied to this debut effort--mean, smutty, decadent--and all of them should be taken as compliments." --Booklist

"This book will be enjoyed by teens who appreciate titles with irredeemably "mean girl" characters." --VOYA

About the Author

Lauren Kate grew up in Texas in a town a lot like Palmetto. She now lives on a farm in Winters, California. The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove is her first novel. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 235 pages
• Publisher: Razorbill (November 12, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595142657
• ISBN-13: 978-1595142658
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #973,842 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lauren Kate grew up in Dallas, went to school in Atlanta, and started writing in New York. She is the author of The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove, Fallen, Torment, and Passion. She wants to work in a restaurant kitchen and learn how to surf. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband.

Photo credit: Andre Vippolis

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars High School Queen Gets Bested by Fate, November 19, 2009

By 

Stephanie Su (Swarthmore, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove (Mass Market Paperback)

THE BETRAYAL OF NATALIE HARGROVE is an unapologetically guilty-pleasure read that will make your insides squirm with half-pleasure, half-horror. With a wonderful voice, tantalizing characters, and a steady plot, this book seems tailor-made for teen girls looking for a fast and furious read.

Natalie reminds me of many unapologetically bitchy and manipulative queens of high school society. Her voice is spot-on and full of judgment against those who cross her path as well as the constant fear that she will be exposed as a fraud. She is the girl you love to hate, and yet can't read enough about. Though definitely callous at times, Natalie is also simultaneously the desperate, lost girl struggling to gain footing on a suspicious land. Her actions may be despicable, but she is also wonderfully justified in doing what she did, which is a remarkable achievement on Lauren Kate's part.

Indeed, I found almost all of the characters fascinating with their complicatedly bad sides. Here, there are no perfect characters, and it's almost like watching a CW drama, the way you can't look away from these train wrecks of characters. (On a side note, I believe I also have a bit of a bad-boy crush on Justin.) Nobody really changes much throughout the story, but they are interesting enough that you just might overlook that and focus on the drama itself.

The story slowly unfurls Natalie's past, as well as what happened between her and Justin. It can be an infuriating process, the way hints are dropped sporadically, unhelpfully. However--and it may be my slightly masochistic side saying this--I found the ending satisfying, in all its shock and, yes, even unexpected sweetness.

THE BETRAYAL OF NATALIE HARGROVE may not be for everyone, but if you're willing to overlook the fact that all of these characters and the entire situation itself are far from admirable, you're in for an enjoyable ride.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove, January 19, 2011

By 

Moirae the fates book reviews - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove (Paperback)

The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove review by Moirae (the Fates) book reviews. In Lauren Kate's debut novel: The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate, with the tag line there is nothing more twisted then fate We meet a high school senior who is the crème de la crème of the school. Natalie is a tree-time prom queen and is obsessed with becoming her school's Palmetto Princess, an annual popularity contest that is reserved for the senior class. Natalie's story is very very dishy and very juicy.
Natalie and her boyfriend Mike are the power couple of their high school. Natalie is the embodiment of the typical bitchy teenager that half the school hates, the other half are only friends with her to feel powerful. I simply loved this story.
Natalie is determined to win no matter what. She and Mike play a trick on another one of the students, this one is in the running for Palmetto King, and Mike is also up for King. The problem is, the trick goes horribly wrong.
The rest of the story is Natalie and Mike trying to cover up what they had done.
The character development in this story, I thought was very good. The interactions between Natalie and the other characters felt very real to me. Kate did an amazing job drawing her readers in. I really felt as if I was there with Natalie, watching everything unfold. Through out the story, we begin to learn more and more about Natalie and her past, which helps the reader, understand Natalie more. Natalie is also very manipulative. Kate did a great job in creating a character like Natalie that is bitchy and manipulative, but one that the reader also still likes and can get behind.
The storyline was very original and very well thought out and wonderfully written. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

What Parents need to know:
The sexual content in this book is very small. There is one scene that is suggestive in fairly early on in the book.

The cover art:
I simply loved the cover art, I thought it really captured the emotions of the book and of Natalie herself.

Over all rating:
My over all rating for this book is **** 4 out of 5 stars.

Obtained:
My personal bookshelf

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome read., September 12, 2010

By 

Erica - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove (Mass Market Paperback)

From the sysnopsis, The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove sounds like a simply fantastic read. And it was! I loved every moment of it! In the middle, there were a few moments that dragged just a bit. The plot was great - it was a semi-refreshing take on a high school story while being totally realistic to every aspect of what high school is really like. Lauren Kate's writing was a joy to read. She had me hanging on her ever word. It's a fast read with a gorgeous cover!

I loved the characters Lauren created. Elements of Natalie really reminded me of Ariana from Kate Brian's Private. Natalie isn't quite as twisted or extreme as Ariana, but the similarities to me are definately there. Ariana is one of my favorite characters ever, so for me to compare Natalie to her is big. Capturing that type of character in writing screams talent. Mike was a character I really liked in the beginning, but towards the end of the middle and in the end he fell a bit flat.

Lauren Kate also threw some twists in the plot to keep you guessing. The ending is a total shocker. The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove was a stunning debut! Lauren Kate's definately an author to watch out for.