A compelling, propulsive read with excellent prose. This book really kept me on my toes and turning pages-- I couldn't wait to read what came next.

I will not be giving feedback on this book as I couldn’t really get into it but I think others may enjoy it.

Reading this book was like running down a steep hill. At first I felt I was in control and then suddenly everything was moving so fast I couldn't stop.

The writing is simply stunning. The imagery and symbolism of the fire and the trees took my breath away. Rarely have I seen an unhealthy relationship depicted in such a real way.

This book is full of so many secrets and layers, I don't want to give anything away. Suffice to say, I highly recommend NOTHING LEFT TO BURN.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35553614-nothing-left-to-burn?from_search=true

Nothing Left to Burn is one of the best YA novels I’ve read in a while. Often literary novels that explore serious issues like mental illness, unhealthy relationships, and first love can be a bit “quiet,” without a high stakes premise, but this novel has all the suspense of a thriller, with a structure that kept me flipping pages, upset that I had to leave for work because I needed to read “just one more chapter…” The narrative moves back and forth between a fire that is raging through southern California, threatening Audrey’s home, and the events of the summer leading up to the fire, when Audrey falls in love with Brooks, who slowly reveals himself to be more and more dangerous. Each plotline pulls the reader along and always leaves the reader wanting more as we move between the two timelines, the raging wildfire building along with the plot’s tension. I was particularly struck by the way that Ezell handles Audrey’s feelings for Brooks. Though Brooks is a character with serious mental and emotional problems, Ezell handles the relationship in such a way that we understand Audrey’s strong feelings for him, which feel authentic. Ezell captures both the thrill and danger of being taken in by first love and also weaves in subplots about friendship and family. All the characters are well-developed. As a writer, this is a book I plan to read again simply to study Ezell’s craft and learn from the way she handles both suspense and character. This is an important read for everyone, teens and adults alike, because of how authentically Ezell captures the dynamics of an unhealthy relationship.

Everything can change in an instant. Fires are started, bridges are burned, and nothing is the same again. Nothing Left to Burn explores all the tiny things that can come together to create the spark that changes everything. This book is about Audrey’s complicated coming of age and how everything in the past has transpired to get her to where she is now. Audrey just lost her virginity as her relationship is falling apart, she recently quit ballet and isn’t sure what her “thing” is now, her house is in the path of a wildfire, and her little sister is sick. Everything is threatening to topple over at once.

Nothing Left to Burn starts off with a bang and only gets better as it goes along. Immediately the first page sets a burning, smoldering scene where Audrey is waking up to find her house under the threat of a wildfire. She must grab as much as she can from her family’s home and get out of her neighborhood while the fire starts to intrude. This scene is gripping and Ezell completely pulls the reader in.

This compelling, flaming novel kept me up late. I couldn’t put down the book because every scene left me wanting to know more of the story. Set against an Orange County wildfire, this book uses the suspense of fire’s unpredictable course to keep the plot going. It’s also told in flashbacks that propel the story and help the reader piece together what’s really going on. The entire book unfolds and works together beautifully.

We learn about Audrey’s relationship with her boyfriend, Brooks, in flashbacks. We see how they met, how their relationship started, and all the things that made Audrey fall for him. Through flashbacks we see darker moments in their past and start to question their relationship. Both Audrey and Brooks are so complex and real. When Audrey quit ballet, she felt like she lost something important to her identity. She felt herself latch onto Brooks as a replacement for ballet. Though this book takes place all in one day, Ezell masterfully uses flashbacks to create a dynamic relationship timeline for Audrey and Brooks. hey have a tortured and consuming romance full of secrets and guilt.

Audrey is also dealing with her younger sister being in the hospital. Maya, who is still aspiring to be a ballerina, passed out at a big dance try out and was rushed to the hospital. Audrey worries that Maya, who has had lymphoma, is getting sick again. Audrey continued her own ballet lessons far longer than she was interested because of Maya. She has spent much of her own life worrying about her little sister but doesn’t realize that her sister is doing the same for her. In contrast to her tumultuous relationship to Brooks, Audrey has always had a supportive and loving family, including a best friend who encourages her to “talk louder and cry harder.” Audrey is seen and heard by her family and best friends.

Overall, this book is just full of spirited and intricate characters who leap off of the page. Audrey has so many raw, complex, and contrasting feelings because she is so real. She struggles with body image, self-hatred, and a yearning to figure out who she is. In some scenes she’s sure of what she wants and in others she’s messy and confused. Ezell has created a refreshing character who seems to make totally realistic decisions in the wake of life changing events.

Nothing Left to Burn is a gorgeously written contemporary young adult novel that hooks you and keeps you reading as the fire grows closer. Trees are burned, homes are destroyed, and futures hang in a balance–but like the eucalyptus tree, Audrey is a survivor with a thick, regenerative bark. She is ready to show you what it takes to burn it all and start over again.

What isn't there to love about this book? The writing is brilliant and the narrative pulls you in and keeps you wanting more. The author has a way of building a true sense of urgency. Highly recommend.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

What first drew me to the book was that it took place in Orange County, California. A place I'm familiar with. I loved that it took places from that county, real places (such as Fashion Island, Balboa Island, and the Spectrum) and put them in the book instead of making a fictional version of the county.

I wasn't really a fan of the Brooks character. He felt too needy and whiny, and really selfish. I was practically shouting at Audrey to dump his butt. I didn't understand why she would stay with the guy.

I enjoyed viewing their relationship prior to the day of the fire.

All in all, this book is more for older teens, and I rate it a 3 out of 5 stars.

Nothing Left to Burn is one of those novels that left me staring at the wall in front of me when I got to the words, The End. I blazed like the fire in this story through chapter after chapter, finishing it in only two sittings.

What just happened? That’s what I was asking myself while trying to adequately round up my thoughts on Heather’s stunning debut.

This novel is paced beautifully, with this undercurrent hum of discomfort and tension, and then sparked by moments of humor and perfect teen coming-of-age fun.

I was intrigued by and also deliciously horrified by some of the characters and their actions and motives. Audrey is a fresh narrator and I loved that she was truly questioning her place in this world and didn’t have everything figured out. Brooks is one of the most brilliant, haunted male characters I’ve spent time with in a long time.

With its twenty-four-hour timeline, the reader is craving and clawing for Audrey and Brooks’s intriguing backstory, which comes in alternating chapters. The format worked beautifully and it felt like nearly flawless storytelling. Well done. Very well done.

I was provided an advance copy of this title in exchange for a fair review.

As a native Californian, I'm very familiar with the danger of wildfires: their power, unpredictability, and ultimately, their indifference to suffering. In Nothing Left to Burn, Heather Ezell does a fantastic job of exploring the breakdown of a relationship against the backdrop of a devastating wildfire.

As the narrative jumps back and forth in time, we get to see Audrey and her boyfriend, Brooks, at various stages of their relationship. I liked how the author dropped breadcrumbs throughout the book, creating a sense of unease. We know something is wrong between Audrey and Brooks, but much like in real life, the toxicity of their relationship does not become clear until later.

Audrey is flawed, as the best protagonists are, and her moments of uncertainty and self-hatred are heartbreakingly relatable. Likewise, we get to see Brooks through her eyes: as both hero and potential villain. In a very real way, Ezell captures the volatile mixture of love and scorn that often coexists in an unhealthy relationship.

The pacing of this story is breakneck, the plot matching the terrible speed of the fire. There was never a dull moment, and I found myself dying to find out what happens next—or uncover the truth of what had already happened. I devoured this story of young love gone wrong, highly recommend it for fans of contemporary YA, and can’t wait to read whatever Heather Ezell writes next.