The Fireproof Girl (Sophie Shields Book 1)

Abusive foster parents damage two developing teenagers. They find a very powerful love for each other. They also develop phenomenal skills which make them rise to the top of their respective skills. He is killed. She is in a new relationship far away. Her new love hides his letters for 5 years. She goes looking for him. Very enjoyable!

How does one write a book about a deranged person? This person, Sophie/Serena/Serenity/Miranda, is a character who had a horrific childhood. The abuse she received from her tormentors is unspeakable. She is so broken that at one point she reveals a split personality to the only person she could love. Yet, neither she nor any who cared for her along the way urged her to seek help. This is not a feel-good book, but I finished it just to see how it ended. "...and that's all I'm going to say about that."

Sophie was abandoned by birth. She grew up in the foster care system where she met Cole. Sophie gets the news that Cole has been murdered. She goes to see what happened. As the story progresses we follow Sophie through the past and the present as she tries to figure out what happened to Cole. Along the way she runs into some old enemies. Will she be able to find out what happen to Cole and stay safe?

In an Oyster Shell - It was a provocative action-packed read that will keep the reader on their toes.

The Pearls - From the start of the story, the character development is really strong. You get a sense of Sophie right away. Withdrawn, independent and a little bit lost. She comes unhinged when her "brother" from the foster care system is allegedly murdered. You get a strong sense of their relationship which makes for the intrigue of the story.

Loretta Lost never lets me down! I have read multiple books by her and each one just gets better and better! I am absolutely in love with this book and the characters inside.

"I will always remember how the earth moved when you touched my hand."

Lost introduces us to a young girl named Sophie. Sophie has had a rough life but is finally turning it around. She has a wonderful job, an amazing man, and a home to call her own. Sophie has only one complaint.. her brother has been killed. What will Sophie do when she finds out that her boyfriend was hiding things from her? Things about her brother! Will Sophie be able to bring back old memories in order to figure out what happened? Can Sophie handle the past? More importantly... what will Sophie find once she begins to dig into her past and into her brothers life? Can Sophie handle what she finds?

Lost's books are so intense! She always writes about matters that are so emotional and heavy! That is what I absolutely love about her though! I know I can count on her books to be absolutely amazing. The moment I pick one up, I know it will be totally awesome and that I am in for a treat. Lost paints her stories into the readers minds so vividly it is as if her readers belong in the story too. I felt like I was running around with Sophie trying to solve the murder of her brother. The emotions were super real in this book! Sophie and her brother had some heart to heart conversations that tore my own heart out. I cried with the characters and smiled with the characters. Her characters are always so descriptive and full of life. I absolutely loved the main character, Sophie! She is such a badass! I am almost positive you guys will agree with me!

This book had my immediate attention until the very end. Lost really knows how to hook a reader and keep them wanting more. Something about her words just hypnotized me and would not let me go until the last word was read. She writes in such a unique way! I loved how her book was set up and how well it was written. Lost gives us multiple points of view and also a number of extremely helpful flashbacks! The suspense and mystery just poured out of this book! I had no idea what was going to happen next. There were secrets, lies, deaths, smiles, and so much more! Bad things happened in this book.. but don't let that take away from the good things that happen as well!

Loretta Lost is awesome! I am a huge fan of hers and will always be! If you haven't already, I suggest you pick up this book or check out some of her other series. I promise you that her books will not let you down. Once you pick one up, you'll be a forever fan too!

Genre: Mystery, Romance, Psychological
Stand-Alone: Mostly - The story ends but there are still several unanswered questions and open story lines
Part of a Series: Yes Book 1 of the Sophie Shields Series
POV:Dual - Sophie in 2016 and Cole in 2003
Steam-Level: Minimal
5/5

Wow! This book is beautiful, powerful, funny, insane, brutal and could be quite the trigger for some readers. The way this book was written oscillating between past and present makes it all the more powerful. The love between Scarlett (or Sophie as she is now known) and Cole is evident as is how damaged they are. Both are smart and funny and destructive to those around them. They are stronger together but have been torn apart.

The Fireproof Girl is gripping and fast-paced. It shows the will to survive. The humor throughout breaks up the serious parts and makes the subject matter digestible . If the humor was not there I couldn't have read it - especially dealing with the violence that Sophie endured as a young girl. Some of my favorite humorous moments include the car the Sophie didn't steal, the airbag bra, and the pleading deals made with the universe which include giving up coffee and possibly taking up smoking to replace the coffee (Sophie didn't think that one through).

I received a copy of this book from ebook Discovery. I voluntarily reviewed this book. This is my honest review.

Sophie Shields never had it easy. She never knew her parents and has only experienced abuse during her time in the foster care system. She felt like her life was meaningless and worthless until a young boy entered her life.

Cole was the first person to keep promises. The first person to always be there for her. The first person that actually cared about her. Although he lost his parents in a horrific fire, he was Sophie's rock.

Cole eventually becomes a famous architect, and Sophie ends up working for the CIA as a code breaker. When she hears about his murder, her life shatters. She doesn't believe it, and she uses her code breaking skills and connections to find the truth.

As she follows a trail of clues and old letters, the story switches from the past and present. The precious moments from the past are raw and emotional. It felt like someone was punching my heart.

The Fireproof Girl took me by surprise, and I could not stop reading this book. I loved the romance, mystery, and angst. This beautifully written story kept me continuously guessing, and I can't wait to read The Bulletproof Boy!

Sophie finds out that her foster brother, Cole was murdered. Sophie goes back to California to find out what happened to Cole. Her and her boyfriend Zach live in DC, where she works for the CIA. But Sophie has a lot of secrets that she has never told Zach, such as her name isn't Sophie and shes married to Cole.

This book goes back and forth between present day and years later when Sophie and Cole were younger living in their foster parents house. Sophie was physically and sexually abused by two different foster fathers. And Cole's parents died in a fire, when he was younger.

This book was crazy and f-ed up and definitely keep me on my toes. I really liked Sophie and Cole's relationship as weird as that is, since they are foster siblings. I mean technically they are not brother and sister, but it is still not the norm. Anyways, Cole's love for Sophie is breathtaking, he truly loves and cares for her.

There were a couple of parts in the book I just wish I had more the details about Cole's murder. How did it happened, by who and why? It didn't give any information on that.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I recommend it, if you are into mystery and thrillers.

I received a copy from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

"I'm going to fight,and struggle,and treasure every moment of life I've got.-Loretta Lost The Fireproof Girl. This book was powerful mysterious romantic and emotional but in good ways to keep you wanting more. In particular the female main character was so powerful and interesting and she is a character that I want to write my main character in Radio Silence to be similar to her as far being strong and not letting things bother her. The male character was the one who actually said the quote in the photo and he always works hard to make sure that the female is happy and also to create his own family and he was so romantic in some regards he's on my list as far as book boyfriends. I really want to read the sequel now hope I can soon as far as gold stars for contemporary ?????? stars and more :) because it was an amazing contemporary mystery and a must read.

This deeply disturbing, suspenseful novel was difficult to read. That being said, it was well written and the plot was well thought out. However, the subject matter was frightening and left me feeling distressed. Sophie and Cole met in a foster home when they were teenagers and there was an immediate bonding of two broken souls. Both teens had above intelligence, which made them connect on another plane beyond the every day terror that they lived with. The love they had for each other was more spiritual than carnal, as they tried to protect each other from the evil that was stalking them. Unfortunately, even those who appeared to have their best interests at heart betrayed them, bringing unnecessary pain and destruction. The ending to this book was inconclusive and when I checked the supplier, I saw that it is part of a series and I can only hope the following books will bring about a satisfactory end for both Sophie and Cole. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review.

Sophie was abandoned at birth, abused and neglected. Cole Hunter lost his family in a fire. They meet in a foster home and Cole quickly becomes Sophies brother, protector and partner in crime. Years later when Cole is murder Sophie will risk everything to find out who killed him and why.

The story is told from Cole in the past and Sophie in the present and had me racing through the book to find out who did it. Every character was well written and Sophie is so complicated and broken yet comes across as so real.

Loretta has this way of weaving a story that draws you in and makes you care for the people she writes about. I have read all of her books and I think this one is the best of the best so far, but I'm sure when the Bulletproof Boy comes out it will be even better.

Sophie Shields is actually a CIA Agent. She can do things with a computer that most people have never heard of. Few people know what she really does.

Sophie was abandoned as a baby and grew up in the system ... neglected and abused. Until she met Cole Hunter, she was totally alone in this world. Cole became her friend, her brother, her protector and partner in crime.

Cole served time in prison for killing a man. This man was foster father to both Sophie and Cole. He was abusive and he wasn't above sneaking into Sophie's room at night. This man also liked to create pain ... with the end of a smoking cigarette. One night when he attacked Sophie, Cole jumped into the fray and accidentally killed him. Even though it was in defense of Sophie, he spent some time behind bars.

Finding out that her current boyfriend of sorts was not giving her the letters from Cole for quite awhile because of his jealousy .. and then finding out that Cole had been murdered...sets Sophie off. She will go to the ends of earth to find out who and why.

But then ... is he really dead? If not, where is he?

This is a low-grade mystery, mostly written to introduce these characters and explain their backgrounds. This was an okay read for me ... not terribly exciting. There are 2 more books following this one and hopefully, there is more substance to be found.

The ending was a cliffhanger to introduce the next book, The Bulletproof Boy, I'm assuming is about Cole.

I wish to thank the author / Loretta Lost / and Netgalley for the digital copy of this book. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

he Fireproof Girl - by Loretta Lost
1st book in the series.

This book captured my attention and held it.
I really liked the book. This book was a solid
4 stars for me. I could feel the turmoil in
the characters and that's what held my attention.
I look for a book to take my mind off my own problems
for a little while, and this book did exactly that for me.
The plot twists and realizations in this book kept me
entertained. :-)

Sophie doesn't use cell phones nor computers.
Her employer won't allow her to use them, and she
could lose her job if she does. After months of not
hearing from her brother Cole, Sophie receives word
that he's been murdered. Sophie is devastated.
Even more so when she learns that her live in
boyfriend had been holding all of Cole's letters for all
those months. Sophie explodes and decides her
job is less important than finding Cole's murderer.

As the past and present unfold, we learn
that Sophie is not who she appears to be.

Story:
- Has a bounce from present to past as the story unfolds.
- A mystery that involves Sophie and Cole.
- A cliff hanger at the end makes you reach for
the next book in the Series: The Bulletproof Boy.
- Sophie and Cole had had traumatic events in their lives.

**If you don't care for characters who try to process their
pain internally/externally, and work through that process
during the book, this might not be a book for you.
I think if someone has never experienced a traumatic event,
they don't fully understand the internal demons that remain
after those events. I think they have a hard time following a
story line that reveal that pain/internal demons.

**I received a copy from the author for the purpose of reviewing on my blog.

Fireproof girl will send you on a journey of self-discovery, identity search and ultimately experience of real, naked, unfiltered emotions. The intensity with which the book thrusts you into characters' minds is shocking at first but eventually, once you become accustomed to it, will make it feel like a 4D experience of human psychology, emotion and complex nature of our being. Impatiently looking forward to discovering what comes next.

I really enjoyed this book about Sophie and Cole. They both had a hard life growing up. This book is about the 1st part of their lives together. It was an emotional and exciting book. I did not want to stop reading once I started. This was my 1st book by Loretta Lost and will not be my last. I was given a copy from Xpresso Book Tours through NetGalley and was not compensated in any way for this review, nor asked to give a positive review.

This is definitely my favorite book of 2017! Okay, so we’re only a week into the new year, and this is pretty much the first book that I’ve read. But still!

There were many things about this book that I actually did not like. It jumps back and forth between characters and time periods. It is pretty much sad and depressing from the get-go. And it only gets worse as things move along.

It’s a very good thing that there is a sequel (“The Bulletproof Boy”) because I really want to find out what becomes of these characters!

Captivating read! Two very damaged people with a bond so strong that they do not even understand it.
Excellent story line that really racks up the suspense and keep it going to the last page. Complicated characters that appeals and a romance nuance that haunts.
I will be reading more by Loretta Lost.
I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review.

Lots of build up of central characters and issues, but not enough middle and an abrupt ending. Feels like it cuts off in a forced ending, with lots of unresolved issues and plot lines. Disappointing.

Wow! The writing in this book is just superb. Loretta Lost has this amazing skill of drawing out her readers' curiosity and keep it until the end. I never wanted to put the book down. And I was so disappointed when it ended because I don't have a copy of The Bulletproof Boy yet. I want to get on with my reading as if the first book never ended. It was a good decision to sign up to review this and for the cover reveal of the next book. I just knew, deep inside that these books will be delicious reads. I am thankful that I listened to my instincts. They never fail me. Ever. After reading The Fireproof Girl, I was already thinking of adding Loretta Lost to my favorite authors. She is that awesome that I was wondering why I had not met her sooner. She is a great find.

The Fireproof Girl has stumped me in a good way. I thought there was a hint of paranormal aspect in this book and I was dying to find out. The way it was written, it kept me asking is there? Really. But as confounded as I was, it soon became clearer and the ending made it even more. I was so lost in this book. Lost that I just wanted to bask in it. But glad to go back to real life as I don't think I can survive all the horrible experiences that took place in this book. The horror and the pain is just too real. Yes, everything that happened here happens in the real world. A lot of Sophies and Coles are out there, living in hell. My heart bleeds out for all of them. The same way, I am thankful that I grew up with both of my parents love even though we are not rich but still I cannot trade them for anything.

I give the book all the dragon balls that Goku has. Like a fire, it has consumed me and I want more. This is definitely one of the best books released this year. I think Loretta Lost is made of the same cloth as my favorite authors like Clive Cussler, Dick Francis, Dorothy Gilman and Steve Berry. They can spin engrossing tales and you just want to get lost in them. Never-minding if you ever come out or not.

I think I will be stalking Loretta Lost now to make sure I get to read all her works. I am like that. When I meet a new author with astounding books, I make sure I get my hands on all his/her books. I am a clingy fan. Watch out Loretta Lost!

Why should others have a dominion over my life because of a number? I can do more than they can. I can make better decisions. But being young, and homeless-it makes me so dependent, like I'm not even a person. I have to take so much crap. I don't want to be anyone's possession anymore. I want to belong to myself and be...free.
- Loretta Lost, The Fireproof Girl -

This is a voluntary review. I was gifted a copy.

Sophie was abandoned by birth. She grew up in the foster care system where she met Cole. Sophie gets the news that Cole has been murdered. She goes to see what happened. As the story progresses we follow Sophie through the past and the present as she tries to figure out what happened to Cole. Along the way she runs into some old enemies. Will she be able to find out what happen to Cole and stay safe?

In an Oyster Shell - It was a provocative action-packed read that will keep the reader on their toes.

The Pearls - From the start of the story, the character development is really strong. You get a sense of Sophie right away. Withdrawn, independent and a little bit lost. She comes unhinged when her "brother" from the foster care system is allegedly murdered. You get a strong sense of their relationship which makes for the intrigue of the story.

The Fireproof Girl is an unusual read. Categorized as women's fiction, psychological, and mystery/thriller, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. I definitely see the psychological part, but otherwise, I consider it more suspense. Cole's character seemed loving, caring, brilliant, and devoted. Zack seemed like a nice guy, but honestly, I couldn't figure out why he put up with Sophie's attitude towards him and complete disregard for his feelings. Sophie... Not sure what to say about Sophie except that I just didn't care for her. She had an incredible ability to hack into computer systems and break codes, she had basically grown up in hell, and in her own way, she seemed as devoted to Cole as he was to her. But overall, I just struggled to connect with or even like her character at all. Sophie was kind of crazy. Not good crazy, like completely nuts. I get that it was a result of her life growing up and the abuse she endured, but still - the woman wasn't quite right. Being on the run, as well as, her career had necessitated having alias', but I felt that it ran much deeper than that. Besides being crazy, the woman was selfish and withdrawn, demonstrating no personal growth or change by the end of the novel. I kept waiting for her to have a sane, "aha" moment prompting her to be kind to others or show some semblance of a soul, but it never came. 

The plot and suspense made this novel very entertaining in spite of my disconnect with Sophie. There were many pieces to this puzzle and tons of different players in the present, as well as, during the flashbacks. The characterization and suspense that the author caused me to doubt everyone and be on the edge of my seat wondering what had happened and who, if anyone, was "the bad guy." The investigation was interesting and several surprising moments popped up, until the last few chapters. Things turned weird very fast, almost like a depiction of some weird, LSD trip. Things became confusing, then all of it sudden, things were resolved. Imagine spending two hours climbing the hill on a roller-coaster, only to find it a 1-second drop on the other side? Not exactly satisfying, although the climb was still fun. 

I feel like I'm being overly critical, but I did enjoy the book as a whole. I would love to read the follow-up installments just out of curiosity and to learn what happens next with these characters, but I can't say this is one of my favorite books read lately. 

Loretta Lost never lets me down! I have read multiple books by her and each one just gets better and better! I am absolutely in love with this book and the characters inside.

"I will always remember how the earth moved when you touched my hand."

Lost introduces us to a young girl named Sophie. Sophie has had a rough life but is finally turning it around. She has a wonderful job, an amazing man, and a home to call her own. Sophie has only one complaint.. her brother has been killed. What will Sophie do when she finds out that her boyfriend was hiding things from her? Things about her brother! Will Sophie be able to bring back old memories in order to figure out what happened? Can Sophie handle the past? More importantly... what will Sophie find once she begins to dig into her past and into her brothers life? Can Sophie handle what she finds?

Lost's books are so intense! She always writes about matters that are so emotional and heavy! That is what I absolutely love about her though! I know I can count on her books to be absolutely amazing. The moment I pick one up, I know it will be totally awesome and that I am in for a treat. Lost paints her stories into the readers minds so vividly it is as if her readers belong in the story too. I felt like I was running around with Sophie trying to solve the murder of her brother. The emotions were super real in this book! Sophie and her brother had some heart to heart conversations that tore my own heart out. I cried with the characters and smiled with the characters. Her characters are always so descriptive and full of life. I absolutely loved the main character, Sophie! She is such a badass! I am almost positive you guys will agree with me!

This book had my immediate attention until the very end. Lost really knows how to hook a reader and keep them wanting more. Something about her words just hypnotized me and would not let me go until the last word was read. She writes in such a unique way! I loved how her book was set up and how well it was written. Lost gives us multiple points of view and also a number of extremely helpful flashbacks! The suspense and mystery just poured out of this book! I had no idea what was going to happen next. There were secrets, lies, deaths, smiles, and so much more! Bad things happened in this book.. but don't let that take away from the good things that happen as well!

Loretta Lost is awesome! I am a huge fan of hers and will always be! If you haven't already, I suggest you pick up this book or check out some of her other series. I promise you that her books will not let you down. Once you pick one up, you'll be a forever fan too!

Genre: Mystery, Romance, Psychological
Stand-Alone: Mostly - The story ends but there are still several unanswered questions and open story lines
Part of a Series: Yes Book 1 of the Sophie Shields Series
POV:Dual - Sophie in 2016 and Cole in 2003
Steam-Level: Minimal
5/5

Wow! This book is beautiful, powerful, funny, insane, brutal and could be quite the trigger for some readers. The way this book was written oscillating between past and present makes it all the more powerful. The love between Scarlett (or Sophie as she is now known) and Cole is evident as is how damaged they are. Both are smart and funny and destructive to those around them. They are stronger together but have been torn apart.

The Fireproof Girl is gripping and fast-paced. It shows the will to survive. The humor throughout breaks up the serious parts and makes the subject matter digestible . If the humor was not there I couldn't have read it - especially dealing with the violence that Sophie endured as a young girl. Some of my favorite humorous moments include the car the Sophie didn't steal, the airbag bra, and the pleading deals made with the universe which include giving up coffee and possibly taking up smoking to replace the coffee (Sophie didn't think that one through).

I received a copy of this book from ebook Discovery. I voluntarily reviewed this book. This is my honest review.

Sophie Shields never had it easy. She never knew her parents and has only experienced abuse during her time in the foster care system. She felt like her life was meaningless and worthless until a young boy entered her life.

Cole was the first person to keep promises. The first person to always be there for her. The first person that actually cared about her. Although he lost his parents in a horrific fire, he was Sophie's rock.

Cole eventually becomes a famous architect, and Sophie ends up working for the CIA as a code breaker. When she hears about his murder, her life shatters. She doesn't believe it, and she uses her code breaking skills and connections to find the truth.

As she follows a trail of clues and old letters, the story switches from the past and present. The precious moments from the past are raw and emotional. It felt like someone was punching my heart.

The Fireproof Girl took me by surprise, and I could not stop reading this book. I loved the romance, mystery, and angst. This beautifully written story kept me continuously guessing, and I can't wait to read The Bulletproof Boy!

Sophie finds out that her foster brother, Cole was murdered. Sophie goes back to California to find out what happened to Cole. Her and her boyfriend Zach live in DC, where she works for the CIA. But Sophie has a lot of secrets that she has never told Zach, such as her name isn't Sophie and shes married to Cole.

This book goes back and forth between present day and years later when Sophie and Cole were younger living in their foster parents house. Sophie was physically and sexually abused by two different foster fathers. And Cole's parents died in a fire, when he was younger.

This book was crazy and f-ed up and definitely keep me on my toes. I really liked Sophie and Cole's relationship as weird as that is, since they are foster siblings. I mean technically they are not brother and sister, but it is still not the norm. Anyways, Cole's love for Sophie is breathtaking, he truly loves and cares for her.

There were a couple of parts in the book I just wish I had more the details about Cole's murder. How did it happened, by who and why? It didn't give any information on that.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I recommend it, if you are into mystery and thrillers.

I received a copy from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

"I'm going to fight,and struggle,and treasure every moment of life I've got.-Loretta Lost The Fireproof Girl. This book was powerful mysterious romantic and emotional but in good ways to keep you wanting more. In particular the female main character was so powerful and interesting and she is a character that I want to write my main character in Radio Silence to be similar to her as far being strong and not letting things bother her. The male character was the one who actually said the quote in the photo and he always works hard to make sure that the female is happy and also to create his own family and he was so romantic in some regards he's on my list as far as book boyfriends. I really want to read the sequel now hope I can soon as far as gold stars for contemporary ?????? stars and more :) because it was an amazing contemporary mystery and a must read.

This deeply disturbing, suspenseful novel was difficult to read. That being said, it was well written and the plot was well thought out. However, the subject matter was frightening and left me feeling distressed. Sophie and Cole met in a foster home when they were teenagers and there was an immediate bonding of two broken souls. Both teens had above intelligence, which made them connect on another plane beyond the every day terror that they lived with. The love they had for each other was more spiritual than carnal, as they tried to protect each other from the evil that was stalking them. Unfortunately, even those who appeared to have their best interests at heart betrayed them, bringing unnecessary pain and destruction. The ending to this book was inconclusive and when I checked the supplier, I saw that it is part of a series and I can only hope the following books will bring about a satisfactory end for both Sophie and Cole. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review.

Sophie was abandoned at birth, abused and neglected. Cole Hunter lost his family in a fire. They meet in a foster home and Cole quickly becomes Sophies brother, protector and partner in crime. Years later when Cole is murder Sophie will risk everything to find out who killed him and why.

The story is told from Cole in the past and Sophie in the present and had me racing through the book to find out who did it. Every character was well written and Sophie is so complicated and broken yet comes across as so real.

Loretta has this way of weaving a story that draws you in and makes you care for the people she writes about. I have read all of her books and I think this one is the best of the best so far, but I'm sure when the Bulletproof Boy comes out it will be even better.

Sophie Shields is actually a CIA Agent. She can do things with a computer that most people have never heard of. Few people know what she really does.

Sophie was abandoned as a baby and grew up in the system ... neglected and abused. Until she met Cole Hunter, she was totally alone in this world. Cole became her friend, her brother, her protector and partner in crime.

Cole served time in prison for killing a man. This man was foster father to both Sophie and Cole. He was abusive and he wasn't above sneaking into Sophie's room at night. This man also liked to create pain ... with the end of a smoking cigarette. One night when he attacked Sophie, Cole jumped into the fray and accidentally killed him. Even though it was in defense of Sophie, he spent some time behind bars.

Finding out that her current boyfriend of sorts was not giving her the letters from Cole for quite awhile because of his jealousy .. and then finding out that Cole had been murdered...sets Sophie off. She will go to the ends of earth to find out who and why.

But then ... is he really dead? If not, where is he?

This is a low-grade mystery, mostly written to introduce these characters and explain their backgrounds. This was an okay read for me ... not terribly exciting. There are 2 more books following this one and hopefully, there is more substance to be found.

The ending was a cliffhanger to introduce the next book, The Bulletproof Boy, I'm assuming is about Cole.

I wish to thank the author / Loretta Lost / and Netgalley for the digital copy of this book. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

The Fireproof Girl is an unusual read. Categorized as women's fiction, psychological, and mystery/thriller, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. I definitely see the psychological part, but otherwise, I consider it more suspense. Cole's character seemed loving, caring, brilliant, and devoted. Zack seemed like a nice guy, but honestly, I couldn't figure out why he put up with Sophie's attitude towards him and complete disregard for his feelings. Sophie... Not sure what to say about Sophie except that I just didn't care for her. She had an incredible ability to hack into computer systems and break codes, she had basically grown up in hell, and in her own way, she seemed as devoted to Cole as he was to her. But overall, I just struggled to connect with or even like her character at all. Sophie was kind of crazy. Not good crazy, like completely nuts. I get that it was a result of her life growing up and the abuse she endured, but still - the woman wasn't quite right. Being on the run, as well as, her career had necessitated having alias', but I felt that it ran much deeper than that. Besides being crazy, the woman was selfish and withdrawn, demonstrating no personal growth or change by the end of the novel. I kept waiting for her to have a sane, "aha" moment prompting her to be kind to others or show some semblance of a soul, but it never came. 

The plot and suspense made this novel very entertaining in spite of my disconnect with Sophie. There were many pieces to this puzzle and tons of different players in the present, as well as, during the flashbacks. The characterization and suspense that the author caused me to doubt everyone and be on the edge of my seat wondering what had happened and who, if anyone, was "the bad guy." The investigation was interesting and several surprising moments popped up, until the last few chapters. Things turned weird very fast, almost like a depiction of some weird, LSD trip. Things became confusing, then all of it sudden, things were resolved. Imagine spending two hours climbing the hill on a roller-coaster, only to find it a 1-second drop on the other side? Not exactly satisfying, although the climb was still fun. 

I feel like I'm being overly critical, but I did enjoy the book as a whole. I would love to read the follow-up installments just out of curiosity and to learn what happens next with these characters, but I can't say this is one of my favorite books read lately. 

When I started this book I was not immediately drawn in. It did not really grab my attention until about midway through and then I became more intrigued. But then the book ended so abruptly that is kind of just made me mad. The book was just getting good and then nothing.

The plot of the story was a little interesting. The book dug deep into the abuse that Sophie was submitted to throughout her life, but the book had some other things that did not blend well. It felt as if it was missing some key parts to the story of her CIA career and the real reasons behind Zack's presence in her life and why she ran from Cole in the first place. I know that the excerpt for the next book states it will dig into why she ran, but that was something that should have been reveled in the first book. These types of things made the story feel holy. It is not a bad read, just hard to get into and missing chunks of story.

Overall the book had some interesting characters and topics. Sophie seems like a deeply disturbed individual who could possibly suffer from a multiple personality disorder. She has had so many identities that I felt like she really does not know who she is anymore. Cole seems to be a strong man, but a little too dependent on Sophi. He seems messed up in the head as well. Maybe this is the attraction between them.

My overall rating on this book is 3 stars.
*ARC provided by Loretta Lost & Expresso Book Tours

I like the protagonist who is flawed but talentted. The twists and turns kept me guessing until the end. Even though a book in a series .
, it. Is a good read as a stand alone . Well worth the time and effort

Lost in a foster system and feeling alone. In how many ways can a young girl be hurt? There seem to be more people to fear then who are on her side. How will the one who has been there for her over the years ever convince her their time is right? This is a good book you will enjoy.