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mostlywright's review
3.0
This was a very difficult book for me to rate...and to finish! Atlanta is a spunky and dark version of Veronica Mars. Which is why I bought the book! However, you soon realize that Atlanta is very dark and perhaps not as clever as Veronica. This is an enjoyable book for the most part. I am not 100% sure what direction the plot is going in (or if there is one). It covers bullying, sexual assault and then suddenly...dog fighting. And this is the point where I almost stopped reading. I did stop actual reading and had to skim only. The graphic violence towards dogs is not something I can take. I also realized that I am far more of a happy person than I realized. There is no real "happiness" in this book. Things just keep going from bad to worse and there is not an offset. There is not a balance of any kind. I would recommend that folks who are interested read this book...folks who are dog lovers-you might struggle.
ashrowe's review
4.0
Dark gritty wonderful!
She’s a negative young lady who has seen some dark things and has done something that has made the town rather scared of her. She sticks up for those who need someone to stick up for them. Even if she doesn’t want to.
Atlanta was a great broken, vulnerable, kick butt character that swore like a sailor and was tough as nails. She had moments where she was rather funny and through out the book I couldn’t help admire her and her tenacity.
The story its self is chock full of triggers. Rape, Animal abuse, Homophobia, lots of blood and violence. Still it made all for an interesting heart string pulling story. Kind of hard to read because of all the violent stuff that was going on but there were good times too. Reading about her actually developing friendships and trying to mend things with her mother were rather pleasant breaks from the darkness.
Dark, Violent, and a great story if you can handle it
old_tim's review
4.0
You may have been wondering if Chuck Wendig can kick ass with a YA novel. The answer is yes, of course.
http://fedpeaches.blogspot.com/2015/02/why-cant-i-be-normal-girl.html
http://fedpeaches.blogspot.com/2015/02/why-cant-i-be-normal-girl.html
simply_sam's review
3.0
The writing is really good. I totally get the Veronica Mars vibe, yay, and I really liked the characters and the atmosphere he's created (he threw a little bit of the Heartland in there too which I loved!). Buuut....the story just felt off to me. A lot of actions didn't add up and the author required an incredible amount of suspended belief. Overall, it's a decent read that would have been better with more solid and believeable plot.
nuevecuervos's review
4.0
Chuck Wendig is one of my favorite go-to authors for grimy adventure; his writing style is quick, snappy, witty and entertaining and it makes me happy. I'd been waiting to get my hands on the Atlanta Burns books, and they didn't disappoint. He's great at writing real people, though my favorites are the broken heroines like Atlanta and Miriam (from Blackbirds) and this book didn't disappoint. Not your typical feel-good teen sleuth story, and I loved it.
sbaunsgard's review
3.0
The good: main character, Atlanta Burns, is a sort of cross between Veronica Mars and Loretta McCready (from Justified). The bad: this book is also pro-revenge, super grim, filled with descriptions of dog fights, and there is a lack of subtlety in any of the characters other than Atlanta. I felt like I was being emotionally manipulated and lost interest by the point that she got the dog. I'm not sorry I read it, but I won't be reading others in the series.
setaian's review
5.0
Atlanta Burns just wants to be left alone. Then one day while she's walking home from school she comes across a gang of bullies beating on someone and she steps in. In very short order the bullies are on the ground with a face full of bear mace and she and Shane are on their way.
With Shane spreading the word about what she has done she soon finds herself the defender of the weak and the deepest, darkest nightmare of the bullies. But with a town overflowing with white supremacists, gangsters, rednecks and corrupt police, her life is only going to get more complicated.
Atlanta Burns isn't my typical book but I guess the one recurring theme in most of the books I read is they are about strong and determined women. Well, Atlanta Burns is about the strongest of the lot. She reminded me more than just a little of Tank Girl, a comic book heroine from the late 1980s. So if you're in the mood for a kick-ass anti-hero who takes on the bad guys and somehow manages to scrape through and be the last woman standing, Atlanta Burns is your woman.
Awesome book!!!
Many thanks to Skyscape and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC
With Shane spreading the word about what she has done she soon finds herself the defender of the weak and the deepest, darkest nightmare of the bullies. But with a town overflowing with white supremacists, gangsters, rednecks and corrupt police, her life is only going to get more complicated.
Atlanta Burns isn't my typical book but I guess the one recurring theme in most of the books I read is they are about strong and determined women. Well, Atlanta Burns is about the strongest of the lot. She reminded me more than just a little of Tank Girl, a comic book heroine from the late 1980s. So if you're in the mood for a kick-ass anti-hero who takes on the bad guys and somehow manages to scrape through and be the last woman standing, Atlanta Burns is your woman.
Awesome book!!!
Many thanks to Skyscape and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC
leelah's review
4.0
"Like she’s a poisonous toad or toxic jellyfish—interesting to look at, but for God’s sake, do not touch."
Meet Atlanta Burns.
Reluctant hero of gay kids and awkward nerds.
Savior of puppies.
Thorn in bigot's ass.
So, what if she sleeps with a shotgun? Some people need nightlight and a teddy bear- she is cool with comforting presence of her single-shot .410 bore scattergun.
From terrible mind of Chuck Wendig, comes unusual heroine with coolest name ever and it goes with reputation.
***********************
I keep thinking that this book is like one giant mash of opposite things:
It's Young Adult book, but for adults.
These days, putting anything in boxes, with firmly determined boundaries calls for challenging and defying it- same goes with genres. If we are to call some book YA because main character is still in high school and there are no sex scenes... then [b:Atlanta Burns|23109035|Atlanta Burns (Atlanta Burns #1)|Chuck Wendig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1414976904l/23109035._SX50_.jpg|42656525] fits the bill. Still, if you are thinking of buying it to teen reader, thread carefully: this book tackles some really disturbing themes like cruelty to animals, gay bashing,murder, torture and sexual abuse of a minor. Nothing is smoothed ever or toned down- Wending is showing human evil in its truest, filterless sense, and if anything, narrator's age just made it even more disturbing for me.
It's over-the-top, but somehow uncomfortably realistic.
This book covers two previously published novellas: [b:Shotgun Gravy|12874993|Shotgun Gravy (Atlanta Burns #1.1)|Chuck Wendig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328856455l/12874993._SX50_.jpg|18027790] and [b:Bait Dog|15804295|Bait Dog (Atlanta Burns #1.2)|Chuck Wendig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1344410280l/15804295._SX50_.jpg|21528069]. In first one, Atlanta is taking on Neo-Nazi cult who are in the business of bulling and torturing gay kids. In second one, Atlanta is trying to shot down illegal dog-fighting ring. Villains, action scenes, Atlanta's voice - it's like Tarantino's movie, with ridiculous, pulpy premise that this kid is actually pulling this off.
But under all that plot whack-a-mole that calls for suspension of disbelief, reader is aware that bulling or abuse exists and it looks exactly like it was depicted in books. It's not dog baits that will sound like stretch of imagination...it's the fact that anyone can do anything about it.
It's funny as hell, but serious as death.
Atlanta's voice is priceless- she is this sassy, foul-mouthed bad ass kid with low bullshit tolerance level. It has that peculiar, smart and quirky Wendig humor:
What is this?” Mrs. Lewis asks. The woman’s got some mean eyebrows. Like two fuzzy caterpillar lovers, straining to reach one another, trying to make out. Now those furry brows are scrunched up tight.
“Huh?”
“You heard me.”
“It’s my paper,” Atlanta says with some authority. Because, duh, it is.
“It’s one page.”
“Thank you. Yes.”
“I asked for a seven-page paper.”
Atlanta blinks. “Yeah. I know. And mine’s one page.”
“Do you remember how you ended the paper?” Mrs. Lewis asks. “Do you remember how you reached the conclusion that resolves your thesis?”
Atlanta does remember. But she just shrugs instead, lets the teacher talk through it.
“This one sentence just . . . trails off and the ending is replaced by ‘blah blah blah.’”
“I thought it was a nice commentary on the futility of collecting information and, uhh, synthesizing, ummm. Thought patterns.” Atlanta nods, having settled that. “Yeah. Synthesizing thought patterns."
Smartass. :)
Now serious as death part comes from the fact that Atlanta is dealing with heavy personal trauma that left her with shakes and panic attacks. Majority of time, she tries to fool others with her careless poking and lack of fear, but reader knows she was throwing in bathroom after. She is a scared kid who is in over her head and nobody is there to help her.
Can't wait to see where will Wendig take Atlanta next. It seems that every time she handles one shit, next one comes piling up.
bookdingo's review
5.0
I blindly began reading this book earlier in the week. All I knew about it is that Chuck Wendig wrote it, and folks were comparing it to Veronica Mars. Well, I've never seen that show, so there you go. Everything in Atlanta's life is messy and chaotic. She returns to school two months before the summer break after an awful incident took her away for awhile. People speculate about her, but she tries to stay cool and mind her business until one day she spies a fellow student getting bullied and whips out her bear mace. Y'know, LIKE YA DO. This begins a series of dark and dangerous events that take Atlanta and her new friends into circles you'd never want to find yourself in. Have I been generic enough yet?
You'll find in this book: hate crimes, racism, white pride, dog fighting, animal abuse in addition to dog fighting, talk of rape, drug use, teen cynicism and apathy, troubled family life AND THAT'S NOT ALL. There's also friendship, hardcore challenges, a strong "take no shit" female protagonist, and some awesome red hair.
Just go read it. You don't need for me to tell you anymore about it.
You'll find in this book: hate crimes, racism, white pride, dog fighting, animal abuse in addition to dog fighting, talk of rape, drug use, teen cynicism and apathy, troubled family life AND THAT'S NOT ALL. There's also friendship, hardcore challenges, a strong "take no shit" female protagonist, and some awesome red hair.
Just go read it. You don't need for me to tell you anymore about it.
ewbanh's review
5.0
Yikes! Had to put it down several times because it just got way too intense for me. Still, it’s very well written. Violent and dark, but balanced.