[b:Pretty Fierce|30612667|Pretty Fierce|Kieran Scott|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1492514430s/30612667.jpg|51145215] was one of those stories where I just suspend ALL disbelief and enjoy the ride. This is a book that is pure entertainment. Pretty Fierce was a fast paced and action packed adventure with lots of humor.

Things I Liked:
There was lots of action in the story but, it never feels too heavy or bogged down. The sequences really flowed well and built to each other and it moved at a really face pace.

I thought it was fun to have a role reversal of any number of spy comedy flicks of the past 10 years. Here the guy is the clueless and inexperienced partner and the girl is the capable trained assassin, or in this case trained by assassins. To me, this book was like a really fun mashup of Killers and Agent Cody Banks - the perfect blend of the unexpected fish-out-of-water experiences with faced pacing and lots of humor and action.

I found that the alternating POVs gave nice backstory and experience from Kaia that contrasts with fish-out-of water experience of Oliver. It helped to really balance everything that was happening.

Things I Didn’t Like:
There was some “not like other girls vibes” from Oliver and Kaia both in the beginning of the story. Yes, we get Kaia is a badass with some serious training and fighting skills, but her not caring about makeup has absolutely no bearing on her character at all.

This book was so super cheesy! It didn’t make it any less enjoyable for me, only more predictable. It was so light-hearted and fun, that I didn’t really mind all of the cheesiness, but I wish it wasn't so predictable.

I felt like I still had a lot of questions at the end. I wanted to know where our characters were going moving forward, and what was going to happen next. I felt like the ending was satisfying for the conflict we were given, but there wasn’t much character growth showcased.

This was a super quick and easy read. It was like a palette cleanser, or something you could easily devour and enjoy. Pretty Fierce is fun, light-hearted, and action packed. A great spy comedy for the summer.

I received a copy of the book from Sourcebooks Fire via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I really wanted to like this novel. The beginning of this story was full of excitement and I got a rush from reading about their hasty flight out of town. This story was told from the perspective of both Oliver and Kaia, which I thought was a nice touch; we get to see what the assassins' daughter feels and the civilian. However, the longer I kept reading, the more incredulous I found the whole thing. There are so many things that happen to them, so many weird connections made, and things just didn't add up. At various points in the story, I had to put the book down and just try to move past all of the inconsistencies. While there was definitely tons of action, I felt no connection with the characters, and just couldn't get into this absurd plot. For me, this novel did not live up to expectations.

I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Kaia Thompson, 17, is the daughter of a husband and wife high-end hitman team in this fast-paced young adult thriller. Formerly working for the CIA, the parents now work for themselves, and the family lives in a rather abnormal way, traveling all over the world for very risky jobs. Kaia has received lessons in “the family business” as well, as part of the desire of her parents to protect her. But 18 months prior to the start of this story, something goes terribly wrong, and her parents have disappeared.

Kaia goes to a couple in South Carolina she has been told would be her back-up family, and who pose as her grandparents. But suddenly other bad guys have come after her there, demanding to know where her mother is (Kaia presumed her dead) and threatening to kidnap her. Kaia’s boyfriend Oliver walks in just as this is happening, and in a short time, he, a bit in shock, joins her on the run.

Oliver never knew this side of Kaia, but he has secrets of his own. In alternating chapters narrated by Kaia and Oliver, all of the secrets invariably come out as the two flee across the country in wild chase episodes pursued by various bad actors.

Will they make it alive? Will they find out what really happened to Kaia’s parents? And how do the bad guys keep finding them?

Evaluation: If you don’t apply too much scrutiny to the many unrealistic aspects of this story, it’s an entertaining way to spend some reading time. The author shows great insight into teen thinking and dialogue. ( )