Review: "Beware That Girl" by Teresa Toten

The Haves. The Have-Nots. Kate O’Brian appears to be a Have-Not. Her whole life has been a series of setbacks she’s had to snake her way out of—some more sinister than others. But she’s determined to change that. She’s book smart. She’s street-smart. Oh, and she’s also a masterful liar. As the scholarship student at the Waverly School in NYC, Kate has her work cut out for her: her plan is to climb the social ladder and land a spot at Yale. She’s already found her “people” among the senior class “it” girls—specifically in the cosseted, mega-wealthy yet deeply damaged Olivia Sumner. As for Olivia, she considers Kate the best friend she’s always needed, the sister she never had. When the handsome and whip-smart Mark Redkin joins the Waverly administration, he immediately charms his way into the faculty’s and students’ lives—becoming especially close to Olivia, a fact she’s intent on keeping to herself. It becomes increasingly obvious that Redkin poses a threat to Kate, too, in a way she can’t reveal—and can’t afford to ignore. How close can Kate and Olivia get to Mark without having to share their dark pasts?

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Can I just say, I love Kate! Kate is literally such an amazing person. She's extremely intelligent, she's street-smart, she's careful, and she is caring. Kate has one goal: to get into Yale. I admire that about her; nothing can hold her back. Literally, Kate will do anything to get what she wants. Maybe that sounds a bit rough, but I think it's awesome. I need that kind of drive too.

This one character, Mrs. Chen is quite the mysterious woman. No one knows much about her, but she sounds like the I-don't-care-on-the-outside lady who actually does care internally. She treated Kate well and helped her out a lot. I really like Mrs. Chen even if she seemed like some mean and rude lady.

Olivia, Kate's best friend, is alright. She's not a wonderful person or anything, but she seems like someone who really needs a friend. And she gets one - Kate! This is when Kate's heart starts open up after she's taken under Olivia's wing. Honestly, Olivia was a bit annoying at times because she was clueless a lot of times and she wasn't very helpful.

Olivia's a good friend to Kate though so it's okay. Olivi's dad was okay too. He wasn't very important but he played his part well.

Johnny!!! He is such an amazing guy! He cares about Kate a lot and more than showcasing a lot of PDA, he shows friendship. I love their little fling. Because, you see, in this book the main focus isn't love between Johnny and Kate. I love that. Of course they kiss once, but that also contributes to the plot because Kate's heart opens up more. (You're probably confused as to why Kate's heart would need to "open", but there is a big issue that led to Kate closing herself up, lying, and becoming ruthless.. so read to find out!)

I hate Mark Redkin. That's all I'm gonna say. He's an arse. Just... no. He plays with people so much to the extent that he... well, I can't say. Read the book, and you'll 100% agree with me.

All in all, I really liked the book! The ending was a bit too unrealistic and just random, weird, and out of place, but nevertheless still good. All of the characters were portrayed beautifully and I felt as if I personally knew Kate. Kate's dark past, Mark's fake demeanor, and Olivia's harrowing life will keep you thinking about this book for a long time.

"Watch me now. Pay close attention. Survival of the fittest, baby."

Overall Rating: 4.5 stars