Initial Impressions 1/5/13: A cute, quick read! When Rose Whitfield is framed for arson, she faces more than just the legal system as a result. Torched was more about the friendships and relationships that Rose has to try to mend after a crime she didn't commit. I thought Andrea Lynn Colt did a great job of making all of those situations feel real - A little too much so at times because it started to remind me of when I was in those situations myself (well, not because of a felony - just high school stuff haha). Although I wasn't entirely "Wowed" by it, it was a very nice read and I had fun! 
 Full review originally posted on The Book Addict's Guide: TORCHED is a cute and funny story wrapped in a contemporary wrapped in a mystery. Meet Rose Whitfield: cheerleader, popular, about to lose her virginity to her boyfriend Ryan until someone burns his parents' boat and frames her for it. Meet Paxton Callaway: mortal enemy of Rose, football player, neighbor, and suspect numero uno on Rose's list as to who started the fire. So how do Rose and Paxton possibly end up working together? The fact that none of her friends things she's innocent -- even her best friend, Alina. 
 Okay, so that's the story -- Here's how I felt. I thought TORCHED was a cute story but it never quite got to the "wow" point for me. I was sort of iffy on Rose for a lot of the book, mostly because although her friends seem worse, she was never quite a peach herself (although in the end she does start to realize this and change her ways, so that's good). She wasn't particularly mean, but she was oblivious to a few key incidences where her pranking and general attitude was hurting other people. Ouch. 
 I loved the romance between Rose and Paxton! I mean, Ryan who, right? I actually hated Ryan throughout the book (which I think was the point, although I might have hated him a bit more than intended). Paxton went from best friend to mortal enemy to love interest throughout the span of Rose's life and you guys -- You know how much I love best-friend-turned-boyfriend stories!!! So yes. I loved it. There are also a few PG-13 scenes and I was like "Whoa boy!" but one of them was kind of odd and I thought they went a little too far all at once. Confusing sentence, I know, but I'm trying not to give away any spoilers there... 
 I guess I was really hoping for a little more Nancy Drew from Rose. Yes, she and Paxton did do a lot of hunting for the real culprit of the fire, but I was hoping for a bit more. That may be just because I'm a mystery girl at heart! When we find out who did it in the end, I wasn't quite convinced of the motive and the means in which they pulled it off so that was just kind of "ehh" for me, but it still wrapped up the book nicely!