I received an ARC from NetGalley to read and review. The below is my honest, unbiased opinion. Thank you, Krysten Ritter, the publisher, and NetGalley, for allowing me to review.

Should you ever go back? It has been ten years since Abby Williams left home and scrubbed away all visible evidence of her small town roots. Now working as an environmental lawyer in Chicago, she has a thriving career, a modern apartment, and her pick of meaningless one-night stands. But when a new case takes her back home to Barrens, Indiana, the life Abby painstakingly created begins to crack. Tasked with investigating Optimal Plastics, the town's most high-profile company and economic heart, Abby begins to find strange connections to Barrens’ biggest scandal from more than a decade ago involving the popular Kaycee Mitchell and her closest friends—just before Kaycee disappeared for good. Abby knows the key to solving any case lies in the weak spots, the unanswered questions. But as Abby tries to find out what really happened to Kaycee, she unearths an even more disturbing secret—a ritual called “The Game,” which will threaten the reputations, and lives, of the community and risk exposing a darkness that may consume her. With tantalizing twists, slow-burning suspense, and a remote, rural town of just five claustrophobic miles, Bonfire is a dark exploration of the question: can you ever outrun your past?

I thoroughly enjoyed Krysten Ritters's debut, BONFIRE, a mystery thriller with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the very end. I found the plot to be dark, gritty, with an eerie setting and just enough detail to make this a truly terrifying realistic read. I found Ritter's voice to be quite captivating and very natural; she gives just enough detail to keep you clutching your book into the wee hours of the morning. I'm definitely looking forward to Ritter's next book, and you should be, too.

I was excited to have the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book on NetGalley.
Outstanding debut. Krysten Ritter’s writing style contains the same edgy darkness displayed in her acting. Abby escaped the town of Barrens by becoming a lawyer for the Center of Environmental Advocacy Work in Chicago. For ten years she avoided returning home and facing her memories and the mystery surrounding the disappearance of a former friend turned enemy. An opportunity to compile a case against Optimal, a company she suspects of poisoning the town, brings her back to Barrens. Past and present collide as she reconnects with her father and former classmates. The story is a combination of thriller and mystery with a touch of romance, but the core is about loss and the attempt to find one’s self by rooting around in the ashes of the past. I enjoyed this compelling tale and look forward to Ms. Ritter’s next book.

Ok, so can we just take a minute to praise all that is Krysten Ritter. A total badass triple (plus?) threat woman. I have to admit I was worried if she could hang as an author. I know, I know...but you know what I mean? Truth be told, those who can't are usually the reality-type authors, not naming names here but I think we all know what I mean. Don't get me wrong, those books serve a purpose but I wanted this one to be more (still love your addicting/trashy books for what they are, Lauren Conrad!). But I wanted more and this book was more. So enough fan-girling...

Bonfire was an ominous, eerie read. It was the perfect Fall read, exactly what I was looking for. I wanted something creepy, something that caught my attention and held it, and I got exactly that. Bonfire delves into that high school part that is so relatable. We all went through similar feelings and thoughts in high school, no matter what clique you were in. It just so happens Abby, our main character was considered a "loser" by the mean girls. One of the mean girls, Kaycee, had been Abby's best friend earlier in their childhoods but their relationship took a turn for the worse. Not sure about all of you, but I had a totally similar experience and maybe that's why I enjoyed Bonfire so much.

Back to the book, present day Abby is living in Chicago and has left her small town life in Barrens, Indiana behind. She is now a lawyer, and is on a case that brings her back home. She is investigating a company called Optimum for environmental corruption. What she starts finding leads her back to her time in Barrens. She starts having flashbacks to when Kaycee and some of the other girls claimed to have been getting sick and blaming Optimum but then the girls recanted and said they lied for attention. Kaycee has since disappeared, and the circumstances seem fishy. Abby is on a mission to find out what really happened to Kaycee and what's going on at Optimum. Optimum seems to now own the town, so who can she even trust anymore?

Bonfire is a well-paced burn. It has very interesting insight to the idea of corrupt companies and how they get that way (sadly we know they exist), and deals with relatable issues from Abby's life past and present. It also deals with the struggle of having a healthy relationship with yourself/work, your family and others (love interests, friends). I found the relationships in the books to be very developed and detailed. Although a lot of them were toxic, that made them all the more interesting to read.

While describing to a co-worker what I was reading, she said it sounded like Erin Brockovich. I found that interesting, and fitting. Think that, but darker and more devious and less boobs.

I want to thank Krysten Ritter, NetGalley and Crown Publishing for an unbiased review of this ARC. It was my pleasure to review this book! I look forward to hearing more from Ritter!

Bonfire A Novel by Krysten Ritter published by Crown Publishing is a very fast read and not what you would expect from someone who started out as an actor and producer. I love watching her on Jessica Jones and I think part of the appeal of picking this bookwas knowing the person who wrote it and being such a big fan. I was pleasantly surprised at how well this fucking together and how much I actually enjoyed the story. The story Surrounds Abby Williams a woman who is asked to investigate local complaints of a water plant of her home town ten years after her high school graduation. The story should center around the current case that has brought her back home, but what we are given as readers is a gift of the past and how it all ties into the case. While I feel that most lawyers should feel disjointed from the cases they work I find Abby’s bleak future and rocky past endearing as it shows two things, first being the development of the character that is Abby and the emotional trauma that she goes through to push this story through to the end. Abby is unsettled by her past and the disappearance of her friend-enemy Kacyee who supposedly left town after faking an illness due to the water supply.

I don’t want to give two much away I think as a reader it is important for people to unwrap a good book one page at a time. I will say that social climbing and bullying play a big role in small towns where you want to give yourself the best possible outcome in life., Who gains the most from this lawsuit who stands to lose the most and how does Abby put her life back together before losing her sanity. 4 solid stars for a book you can devour in one sitting.

Arc provided for my honest review through Negalley

<i>Being a lawyer is a little like being a doctor in reverse : you look for the damage and try to grow it, try to push in, dig a little deeper, open up the festering places.</i>

BONFIRE was pretty close to being a hit for me. Unfortunately there were a few little issues that kept cropping up which kept this from getting a rounded-up rating from me.

<i>In a small town where everyone knows everyone, it takes real skill to look the other way.</i>

I might have clicked this title because I like the actress who wrote it but the synopsis drew me in, too. And I have to say : Ritter wove a really complex, layered, intriguing mystery that touches on the memories that haunt us even when we move on (or away), twisted up with highschool bullying, corrupt corporations, environmental issues, and greed. But the best part might be how she dealt with the sensitive and darker elements to her plot without ever having to go the shock and awe route. She wasn't gratuitous; even the romance-y moments were kept off page. This was about the story, the characters, the lies, the secrets, and she didn't truss any of it up with any t&a.

<i>There are the people of the world who squeeze and the ones who suffocate.</i>

While I did quite enjoy some of the mindfuckery aspects of the story as seen through the eyes of the main protagonist, it was Abby's extracurricular habit of drinking to excess and sifting through her memories of the night before that waned on me. I get that it added an element of suspense and that some of her actions were coming from a place of grief or emotional trauma, in a sense, but I found it not only unprofessional considering why she was back in her hometown but also frustrating as a reader. Also, I did guess the villain of the piece.. though I'll admit I didn't guess the how or why. So there might have been some of that typical 'don't call [blank]! don't let them in the house! you fool!' shouting going on in my head.. even if I couldn't figure out how it all tied up.

<i>Strangers make you feel like family should be the most important thing. Blood is thicker than water, that kind of thing. How are you supposed to act when it's not?</i>

I quite enjoyed Ritter's writing. Some passages were especially haunting, beautiful, and poignant, and the mystery itself was well-plotted and paced with suspense. I really did like the story and how all the element tied together. There is a lot of talent in this debut and I hope she intends to write more -- either related to this set of characters or otherwise -- as I'll definitely be picking it up.

3.5 "half the evil in the world, I think, must be someone just doing their job" stars

Abby Williams, small town girl-turned lawyer, returns home for a case and to face her past. Some people regress when they return home, but Abby really frustrated me, reading about such a smart, strong, female, falling back into her old ways. But as the mystery of the environmental case she is investigating, she discovers more lies, corruption, and murder than she anticipated. Overall, I enjoyed this debut by Krysten Ritter.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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When you grow up in a place called Barrens, you want to get out -- especially if it's an area with limited job options, a struggling agricultural industry, and nothing else to commend it. Although, the name alone would probably justify wanting to get out even if the economy and culture were richer. But as is the case with too many small towns like this, few manage to get out. Abby Williams headed for Chicago two days after she graduated from high school, went to college and law school, becoming an associate at an environmental firm -- and only sometime after that did she return.

She returns with her friend (a gay black man, who tends to stick out in the small, rural Illinois town), a first-year associate and a couple of students to investigate some claims about the water in the local reservoir. The town's only major employer is called Optimal Plastics, which has been dogged by rumors of shoddy environmental practices and health problems for years -- including before they came to Illinois -- and the team is going to see if they can make these rumors and concerns stick this time.

As they dig into records, tests, regulatory reports and whatnot, Abby notices something. Optimal Plastics is clean. Absolutely clean -- on paper, there's never been a company so clean and responsible. Which just seems impossible, no one is this perfect. Abby smells blood in the water and goes on the attack.

At the same time, in a small town, you can't help but run into people you don't want to see again -- which is pretty much everyone from High School. The girls who used to torment her, the guy she had a large crush on, the people she wasn't so sure about. It takes mere moments for her to get embroiled (or re-embroiled) in the same relationships, problems, gossip that she'd escaped from. From "the old crowd" (that was never Abby's crowd), she gets her insight into Optimal Plastics -- all the good they've done for the town, the numbers of people they employ, the money they pour into the schools, and so on. So much good that no one wants to take a good look into them, the price is potentially too high.

This reminds her (not that she needed the reminder) of some problems potentially tied to the company back when she was in high school -- girls that seemed inexplicably sick. What else could it be from? She's told time and time again by her friend that what happened over a decade ago doesn't matter,what matters is what the company is doing now. Abby's not convinced, and keeps digging at this -- even if she agrees with him, the ghosts that haunt her will not allow her to let it go. Abby becomes more and more focused on this aspect of the investigation -- flirting with and maybe crossing the lines into obsession.

Oh, and did I mention her father? As you may have picked up from the fact I mentioned earlier that she hadn't returned to Barrens since high school that she's not that close to anyone there -- including her father. The exploration of and changes to their relationship is one of the more emotionally satisfying storylines in the book.

I'm from a small town, I get the feeling of never actually escaping from it -- returning to the same place you left. But I'm willing to bet that even readers from larger towns/cities can relate to this. You can take the girl out of High School, but you can never take High School out of the girl, I guess. Ritter deals with the emotional realities and hazards like a pro -- there's not a beat that seems false or forced. The manner in which Abby makes connections, interweaves her look into what happened years ago with what's going on right now is great (for the reader). The secrets she uncovers are chilling and unthinkable -- yet entirely believable.

Would I have liked to have seen more with her colleagues reacting to Barrens, helping her follow the leads she's interested in, or just interacting with her at all? Absolutely -- but I'm not sure how Ritter could've done that without more effort than it's probably worth. Could she have done more with her Chicago-friend sticking out in Barrens? Yup, but it might have distracted from the overall plot (but if she's going to remark on it as often as she does, she should do something on it -- it comes across as urban snobbery). I think that's almost something I could say about everything in the book. I don't know that I needed a lot more of everything, but I think every bit of the story, the characters, the mystery, etc. could use a little bit more development, a little more space. Not much, just a little bit.

I liked Abby almost immediately -- from the fairly disturbing Prologue, on through to her struggles in town and questionable choices, you root for her and hope that she finds an element of peace. Her coworkers are great. It's hard to decide what you think about some of her old high school friends right away, and probably best no to decide too much about anyone in town until The Reveal at the end.

The writing is crisp and compelling -- Ritter has some really nice turns of phrase as well. There's a couple of times that Abby is drunk and/or the influence of alcohol plus other things that were just excellent. Abby's inability to keep her perceptions in line, to have a coherent recollection about everything she experiences through this time -- that's just excellently executed.

I won't say that it's one of the best books I've read this year -- if there's a plot point here that you haven't seen, I'll be surprised. If there's a character, character arc, or anything like that you haven't seen before, I'll eat my hat. Does it matter? Nope. The way that Ritter tells the story, how she treats the characters and shows them to the reader -- how she executes things, that's the key. It all worked really well, I was thoroughly entertained, even held in suspense. Even if in retrospect I decided that I'd seen it all before, I didn't see a lot of it coming -- or I'd seen story elements X and Y a few dozen times, I hadn't seen them combined the way Ritter did. This is a solid first novel, and I hope there's at least a second on the way.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Crown Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for this post -- thanks to both for this.

I'll start by saying that this book kept my interest the whole time, I never felt the urge to put it down and walk away. I know this is being marketed as a thrilling mystery, and it is, but what resonated with me is the underlying story of a bullied girl who made good, coming back to the town that persecuted her. Abby was one of the few who escaped and made something of herself. It's pretty obvious from the beginning that even though she's well educated and successful, she is still fundamentally messed up by her childhood. Her experiences color her perceptions and expectations, you are left wondering if this bias will affect the job she's sent home to do.

No one quite believes her when she suspects there is more going on than just an environmental issue. She is the epitome of the unreliable narrator. Is she being manipulated? Is she remembering events that never actually happened? You have to keep reading to find out! This is a solid novel from Ritter, I will be interested to see what else she has up her sleeve.

Bonfire is a smart, surprisingly complex novel about the tangled relationships we have with our pasts. The writing is gorgeous, and some of Ritter’s characters are razor-edged and ruthless. A must-read for fans of Megan Abbott. If you were drawn to Bonfire because you've seen Ritter on Jessica Jones, put it out of your mind. This work stands on its own.

This book was really good. I was excited to read something by the star of Jessica Jones, but I think this book stands on its own. It's sarcastically funny, suspenseful, and emotionally engaging. The story kept me reading, with a desire to not only find out what really happened all those years ago, but to also see a conclusion for the main character. The premise is a little cliche, but I think it's done really well here. It's also something different than many of the other suspense books I seem to be coming across. Thank you to Crown Publishing for the chance to read this ARC!

I am a big fan of Marvel's Jessica Jones, so when I saw that the awesome Krysten Ritter wrote a book I was very interested in reading it.

Great build of the suspense throughout this book. The tone was dark and moody but that is what worked for this story. Good but somewhat familiar thriller/suspense storyline. The main character Abby was literally unraveling before our eyes throughout this book and I found that fascinating. I don't even know how she managed to function at times.

Nice debut effort by Ms. Ritter. I hope she continues writing.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I requested Bonfire simply because of the author, Krysten Ritter. I loved her performance in Veronica Mars and Jessica Jones, so I’ve been slowly making my way through her work.

Bonfire has the generic premise of a woman returning to the hometown she ran away from as soon as she was able. However, Ritter expertly subverts the trope by creating a complex multi-dimensional main character, Abby, investigating a potentially poisoned water reservoir. Think Erin Brockovich. I loved the fact that the main character didn’t return to her hometown to investigate a murder. It was a twist on an overused plot.

Abby is a capable, intelligent, and complex character. She has her own demons she battles throughout the novel, but isn’t as dark and twisty as most characters written in the genre.

The writing style is accessible and clean. I was able to immediately emerge myself in the character and story without feeling lost or confused. Ritter is able to communicate to the reader Abby’s emotions through poignant imagery.

Overall, Bonfire is a fantastic novel that uses an overused generic plot in a unique way to create an intricate mystery with a multi-dimensional main character.

This book was terrific. It was fast paced and suspenseful. Going home and revisiting your past is never easy especially when it is so painful. Abby really wants to find out the truth about her former friend Kaycee and what really happened so many years ago. I liked how Abby was such a flawed person and fought her demons throughout the whole book. I was never sure whether to trust her or not. What a fabulous debut book by an actress. I was very impressed.

This book bears a strong resemblance to Megan Abbott's later works, which are some of my favorite things to read. The illusions to the power and subsequent weakness of teenage girls came across in flashes, both in Abby's own memories of her teenhood and in the teens she encounters. Unfortunately, the pacing was a bit off, and the plot could have been more even. But it was fun, and I hope that Krysten Ritter continues writing because I look forward to what she does in the future.

Ten years after her high school graduation Abby Williams, now an environmental lawyer, returns to her hometown of Barrens, Indiana to investigate environmental concerns connected with a major corporation, Optimal, that has since come to town. She has spent these past ten years trying to forget the horrible high school bullies lead by her former best friend Kaycee, who disappeared on graduation day. Before Kaycee disappeared she and the other bullies came down with an illness that baffled the town. Immediately following Kaycee disappearance, however, the other bullies admitted they were faking the illness the whole time. Abby is determined not only to uncover any corruption associated with Optimal, but to find any links between this new case and the disappearance of Kaycee ten years ago.

When I heard that Krysten Ritter was writing a book I must admit I was intrigued. I really liked her in Breaking Bad and am liking her as Jessica Jones, but was wondering how she would be as a writer. When I read the plot of the book, however, I grew even more interested as I found out she was not only writing a mystery/thriller but that her main character is an environmental lawyer. This is of particular interest to me because I am a chemist working in environmental laboratory testing water for heavy metals.

Bonfire is a solid, gritty thriller following two separate mysteries. One thing that I really appreciate is when a book does not leave a story line hanging where I don't get a conclusion, and Bonfire did a nice job at bringing all the story lines together at the end. The twisty plot and unreliable narrator made for an enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the advanced copy.

It's a murder mystery.

That's what this book is. It took the last few chapters to finally know what this book is. The problem is that the book figures out what it is in the last few chapters. The majority of this book is spent trying to figure out what is this story. Is a mystery, a thriller, a romance, a detective story, conspiracy story, woman trying to reconnect with her past, environmental story, law procedural, single white female falling for single dad reformed bad boy with a heart of gold hidden behind years of shame story. It doesn't know what it is until the end. But by then there are so many loose plot threads that it cannot pull them all together. It wants to makes sense of everything that came before it but it cannot because there are too many threads that are just ignored. The middle drags a bit but that wasn't too bad. The lead character was confused about where to go next at the end. I understand why after reading this story. I think the author will do better next time but for a first book this was all over the place. This could make a decent hour and a half movie on Lifetime but there would have to be a lot of streamlining done this story.

Thomas Wolff exclaimed "You can't go home again." Unfortunately for Abby Williams, you can. Mercilessly bullied in high school by the "popular girls," Abby thinks she has put all of the pain and humiliation behind. She returns home to The Barrens as a successful environmental lawyer determined to discover whether the largest employer in town, Optimal, is poisoning the groundwater. But no matter how much we change, who we were can always haunt us. Abby finds herself thrown together with a previous "mean girl" and the boy she secretly loved as she tries to get to the truth. BONFIRE has engaging characters and a good plot-line. Parts of the premise underlying the book is far-fetched but it was still and entertaining read.

OMG! Can you say awesome! I loveddddfd this book! Krysten Ritter is an amazing actress and now an amazing author! I am so happy I got an arc of this book! Cannot wait to purchase the final copy in November 🙂 5.0 out of 5.0! 🔥

I wasn't expecting to love this book so much! Bonfire is an unstoppable suspense novel that I had a hard time putting down. Don't get me wrong, I love Kristin Ritter! I've loved her since she was on Veronica Mars and then Breaking Bad, The B From Apartment 23, and Jessica Jones. I love her Instagram account and that she knits. She's so relatable and talented it seemed like she couldn't possibly also be an amazing author. I was wrong. She is also an amazing author!

Abby Williams has returned to her hometown as a lawyer for an environmental agency to figure out why kids are getting sick and if she's correct have been getting sick for years. Growing up in Barrens wasn't easy for Abby and she's not thrilled to be back. She is haunted by memories of being the odd one out and bullied. She lost her mother at a young age and was tormented by her classmates.

One classmate in particular was more brutal than the rest. Kaycee Mitchell began as Abby's only friend and then made it her mission to ruin Abby's life.

"She was easy to believe in the role of politician, convincing and quick-witted, a talented liar; I'm not even sure Kaycee knew when she was telling the truth and when she wasn't."

Kaycee became sick and soon other girls were also blacking out, having seizures and wasting away. But, then the girls all abruptly said they made it up. It was a game for them and that they had been lying to everyone. Abby has a hard time believing that Kaycee wasn't ill and sets out to prove that she was the first person in a long line to get sick from Optimal polluting the water. Abby has her work cut out to make a town that Optimal literally owns believe they are being poisened by the company that feeds them.

"But I believed them. And there's a part of me that never stopped believing the sickness was real -- that found myself again and again tugged to questions of environment and conservation, that brought the initial complaint to the agency's attention, cleaving to it with the small but painful, nagging intensity of a hangnail."

Abby is drug back into small town life, but this time she is the one asking questions. She is no longer the girl with her head down avoiding everyone. She has become the center of attention and the person to question them. She is a bit shocked when she's accepted into the fold. Soon she's being invited to football games and bonfires. She has the attention of Brent, the ex-boyfriend of Kaycee Mitchell and a boy who would have never looked her way in high school.

"Distantly, I hear the shrieks of laughter and the distant thud of music. I know that sound. Someone is having a bonfire. Memories are like fire, and need only a little oxygen to grow. I remember now how I used to see the far-off light of bonfires from just a little farther than my back porch."

Quickly everything begins to spiral out of control. I couldn't read fast enough to get through the last few chapters! Bonfire is a thrilling, page-turner that had me guessing who was good and who was evil right up to the last pages. I highly recommend Bonfire and can't wait to read what Kristen writes next.

Krysten Ritter is a woman of many talents! Her first foray into fiction is a fun thriller - a sexier, edgier Erin Brokovich, if not quite as satisfying. The main character is on a quest back to her hometown to point the finger at corporate water giant Optimal, who may or may not be poisoning the town's reservoir. The tangled subplots are in turns riveting, moving, and then terribly convoluted. The writing is good enough, and the story is at least entertaining, but the Ritter-esque heroine is often frustrating and unlikeable - completely unlike any Ritter-esque heroine before her! There are quite a few "black out drunk" moments, which felt like cop-outs and left unsatisfying holes in the narrative. I'd pick up another Ritter-penned manuscript, but I'll temper my expectations next time.