Customer Reviews

The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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

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.

Lauren Kate has crafted a completely plausible scenario in her modern day Gothic tale. It reads almost like a diary and makes an otherwise unlikeable protagonist, sympathetic to readers. Yes, Natalie Hargrove did a bad, bad, thing (cue Chris Isaak's song) -but you can't help but route for her to get away with it and succeed in her plan.


Sex, drugs, revenge, murder, social political ploys, and cover-ups...this story has it all, but not in an over the top way. It is written in a calculating way that felt more like a young adult (and PG) version of Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil. There are very real emotions conveyed in the text it just takes a little time for them to surface, but once they do it is exciting. The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove is not an after school special, it is more of a literary soap opera. But I have always had a soft spot for soaps;).

This is an AR book for my honors student. She loved it! Finished in it three days because she wanted it to last longer. It is shorter than what she normally reads but it was a good quick read for a short book report assignment.

The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove
Never judge a book by it's cover they always say! No saying is more true when it comes to The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate. I had seen the book sitting on the shelves of my local bookstore for weeks. I'd glance at it-hate the cover and continue my search. For some strange reason though, I kept coming back to it. I read the reviews online and decided it really did sound like a book for me. I just wouldn't pay any attention to the cover. I couldn't put the book down once I started reading it.
Natalie, is a spoiled, pretentious brat from the wrong side of town but I absolutely fell in love with her. Everything she did was in her best interest, but I couldn't help silently urging her on to victory. The surprising twist at the end, although beautifully written, left me sad and disappointed. I was left wanting to more, but as the book proves you don't' always get what you want. When we do was it really what we wanted after all?

This book will stay with you. You see it coming, you keep hoping it won't, it still happens, of course, but not in a way you would expect. Natalie is not a warm and fuzzy character, however, she is believable, and probably more true-to-life than the characters we usually see in teen novels. Good story, twisty ending. Would recommend.

Having read, and adored, both 'Fallen' and 'Torment', I was excited to read this book. Through her previous work, I could not fault Lauren Kate, she was exciting, fresh, fast paced, well thought out and unique. Everything that this book was not. The plot felt so generic that I was almost certain i'd read it before. The characters were painfully two dimensional and to be brutally honestly, extremely cliche. How many previous stories have we read where the protagonists main aim in life is to be 'prom queen' and she will stop at nothing to get it. The attraction she was supposed to feel towards J.B was ill-described and bland. We, as readers, were meant to feel as though their was a complex love triangle going on, due to a past between J.B and Natalie. The past event, which we finally find out in the end was laughable and really let down the book.
As for the ending, the only way it could have been made worse was if Natalie had woken up and it was 'all a dream'.
I was utterly let down by this book, and would urge people to read her other books or if they need another read, try Becca Fitzpatrick.

I read Lauren Kate's other book Fallen and was like OHMYGODWHATISTHISCRAP??? But fortunately, I always like to give authors more chances.

I really loved the character of Natalie, she has that queen-B thing down. I loved Lauren Kate's surreal high school world of Bambies (overly eager sophomore girls) and hippie juniors, including one that holds office in the junior bathroom like the guy from Rock 'N' Roll High School

This is a nice quick read. if you're not in the mood for 12 book series like Pretty Little Liars Box Set: Books 1 to 4 or A Private Collection (Boxed Set): Private, Invitation Only, Untouchable, Confessions but still want to read a suspenseful, girly, high school murder story, give this one a try.

When I cracked open this book and read the first chapter, I didn't know if I'd even get around to finishing the thing. I couldn't stand Natalie from the start. She was selfish, self-absorbed, and way too hootey-tootey for me. The fact she kept going on and on about Palmetto Princess to the point where I wanted to reach into the book and strangle her. There wasn't much side characters besides Justin who you don't really get to know much about and then Natalie's boyfriend, Mike, who is so whipped, it's sad.

Mike and Natalie's relationship was very realistic though. The back wasn't lying when it mentions the word 'steamy'. There were some moments in this book between Mike and Natalie that I almost felt like a peeping tom while reading. (Though it never gets graphic for those of you who might be wondering.)

But even though I thought I'd put the book down - I didn't. There is something about Lauren Kate's writing that kept me glued to it. It's almost like this love to hate thing watching as Natalie manipulated everyone around her. I wouldn't say I ever really agreed with her actions, but sometimes, she almost made a valid point.

I like how the author weaved in Natalie's past. It never made me feel sorry for her because even at the end, I still didn't like her. But it gave me a better understanding of how she became this person. Basically, this book took me by complete surprise! I love when a book does that. It has some twists I never saw coming. And the ending - wow! At first I had some mixed feelings, but over all it was shocking and perfect. I would recommed this book if you were looking for something a little more on the twisted side and if you are up for some complete surprises.