10 Things I Loved About This is W.A.R. by Lisa and Laura Roecker

Yesterday was the book birthday for the lovely and hilarious Roecker sisters' new book. I was lucky enough to win an ARC of this book from a GoodReads contest and I very much might have done a happy dance around my room when it arrived.

Spoiler-free Summary:
After Willa Ames-Rowan drowns, everyone knows the truth - she and James Gregory left together and James came back alone. But his family rules the Hawthorne Lake Country Club and with a little carefully placed money and a lot of pressure the "accident" is pushed aside. When four girls with a strong connection to Willa and their own terrible secrets find themselves drawn together to expose the lies and bring down the whole Gregory family it isn't just revenge; this is W.A.R.

1. First off that cover. Doesn't it just catch your eye?! Don't you just want to find out what on earth is going on?! I love the green tones and I love the title. I even love the font they used for the author names.
2. I really liked the way the sections of the book rotated through the perspectives of the four girls who have formed W.A.R. Each girl had a distinct voice and I liked the way it was in larger sections rather than interspersed. It was different and worked really well for this story.
3. In connection to that I also liked how the backstory was revealed little by little. It was masterfully handled so as not to reveal too much, but I never felt frustrated or like things were being kept from me. Each girl had a little more to add that slowly made the story more clear.
4. You think you know what's going on, but you really don't. I loved that. So many things kept me guessing. And even when you are pretty sure it's all been revealed something else comes to light and makes you wonder what the truth actually is.
5. The girls are all so different and really have nothing in common except Willa, but as the book progresses they have to start to trust each other and understand and support each other, but it isn't corny - it just works.
6. Each of the girls has some sort of issue. They aren't perfect, and they are all culpable (or think they're culpable) in Willa's murder in some way. I found this so much more interesting, because they aren't just fighting against the Gregorys, but against their own flaws and guilt.
7. The capstone perspectives from Willa. I really don't want her to be dead because I wish I knew this girl! Which is good, because if you didn't care about Willa being dead, the book would lose a lot of its impetus. But as you learn more about her from each of the girls you get more and more angry at those responsible.
8. It is sadly realistic. The Roecker's aren't afraid to just dig right in and point out a lot of problems that are at times present in our society - things a lot of people don't want to admit happen. But the book definitely doesn't read like they're on a soapbox of any kind - it just comes through. I noticed on GoodReads that a lot of people sort of mocked this aspect, and perhaps it has been overdone in some places, but I liked that they just went for it and I liked that the girls have some of the same issues to overcome as the problems they see around them.
9. Girl Power! I love how the Roecker sisters have such strong, independent, flawed female leads. If you haven't read The Liar Society and The Lies That Bind you should. Very different feel, but another strong female lead.
10. There's another book! Right? RIGHT?! Because the ending totally made it feel like there was another book. And if there's not I might just have to hunt Lisa and Laura down and make them write it.

I received this book for free and received no remuneration for this review.