I was dissapointed in the book because it needs more zing. It was boring. I only finished it because I was doing it for school. Q1P1 AHS/Samantha Z.

Russell and DJ are both navigating the deaths of their fathers in the line of duty. While initially revered as heroes, things change when new information comes to light.
The characters didn't ring true to me. While I found Lynch's Inexcusable really compelling, this book felt like it was trying too hard without revealing too much information as an attempt to keep readers' guessing. ( )

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Two local firefighters are heroes. They are dubbed Outrageous and Courageous. Members of the fire station, known as the Hothouse, they have rescued many in their careers. Even in this last big fire, they managed to save an old woman, but unfortunately not her cat or themselves.

Russ and DJ are the sons of those two brave firefighters. The boys are just beginning to adjust to the losses in their lives. The funerals are over and the mourners have left. Now, the remaining family must learn to carry on.

Over the years, the two boys have grown apart. Best of friends in the early years, they worshiped their fathers and dreamed of following in their footsteps. After awhile they headed in separate directions, different schools and different interests, but now this tragedy has brought them back together. Although each is mourning in his own way, they lean on one another for support.

After a huge neighborhood celebration honoring the two fallen men, life begins to calm down, and the boys get ready to return to school. They step back into the reality of their old lives just when news reports are released indicating the possible involvement of drugs and alcohol in the deaths of their dads. Russ's reaction is to fight back and prove the rumors untrue, and he is totally shocked that DJ doesn't share the same feelings about the situation. How can people believe that these fine men were anything other than honorable and brave?

In HOTHOUSE, Chris Lynch portrays two teens struck by tragedy struggling to make sense of the events and connect them to the memories they have of their lost loved ones. Their story is proof that facts can dramatically change when someone scratches below the surface, and what is discovered in the process will often impact the lives of many. ( )