This book is on fire. It’s nonstop action from the first page to the last, and it will draw you in and hold you tight until you read the final word. While it gets a bit raw at times, it’s everything a thriller should be: well-written, filled with a good story and a great plot, and enough twists and turns to make your head whirl, in a good way.

Brody Ellis, abandoned by his mother and left without a father, does something he knew was wrong. But he needed money to help his sister. He does his best to make sure no one will get hurt when he robs a convenience store, but he couldn’t prepare for how things were about to go horribly wrong and upturn his life.

When he receives a call from Blair Mayo telling him she’s found his lost wallet, he can’t even guess that his world is about to spin out of control and drag him into his mother’s deep, dark past.

This was a remarkable book. It’s a coming of age story mixed with a tale of family love and organized crime viciousness. Brody, with his sister Molly’s help, attempts to outrun Blair and Jimmy Latzo as they hunt him down from one side of the country to the other.

The ending of the book will leave you feeling warm and wonderful. It ties up all the loose ends and sets up a happily ever after for you to ponder.

I listened to the audiobook version, which I received from Netgalley. The narration was spot on, offering everything the book needed to come to life. The narrator has an easy to listen to voice and provided the perfect performance. I’m not a big fan of books about organized crime, but this book was different. This book is more about family sacrifice. I can’t recommend his book highly enough.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. I thank them for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

I enjoyed this book. Brody is trying to care for a disabled sister after his father commits suicide. He becomes desperate and robs a convenience store and things continue down hill from there. His mother, Lola disappeared from his life many years ago. Lola has an interesting story, involving the mob and violence. The characters of Brody and his sister Molly are both very likable. Not the usual type of book I read but it kept me interested all the way through.

Brody Ellis has lost his job: desperate for cash to pay rent and to help take care of his younger sister, he robs a gas station. On his way out, he bumps into a woman. It's only once he's home that the realizes he's lost his wallet. He's waiting for the cops to arrest him when he receives a call. A woman named Blair Mayo, the one whom he ran into, has the wallet. She'll return it if he'll do something in return: steal her late mother's diamonds from her father's hateful new wife. But when Brody executes Blair's plan, he finds something else: a murdered woman and a security camera watching his every move. After he flees, slipping in blood, Blair tells him someone has already taken care of the footage. The woman's husband, the notorious mobster Jimmy Latzo. But he wants his own special revenge on Brody (and his sister, Molly, by default). The two flee, with the mob hot on their tail, and get caught up in a tangled web that involves Jimmy, Blair, and a woman named Lola Bear who came up against Jimmy years ago.

This book was amazing: completely raw, emotional, and brutal. Reading it felt like watching a "shoot 'em up" movie (one with a little heart, though). It's gory and dark, so if you're not able to handle some blood and violence, this read isn't for you. However, I found it nearly impossible to put down. I was completely invested in Brody, Molly, and Lola. This book weaves a tangled web, and I was there for every little spin.

It was honestly great to read a book where there's a pretty clear delineation between "good versus bad." Still, the story is certainly complex, filled with deep emotions and complex familial tensions, but you always know who to root for. It takes your mind off things (aka real life) for a bit.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I love violent movies, where the good guys are good and the bad guys really bad. It was fun seeing that translated into a book. I also loved the rawness of this book and the underlying tenderness that accompanied it. It's a fast, dark read. 4.5 stars.

I received this book as an advance reader copy.

Brody and his sister Molly live together and they have been down on their luck. He is trying to help his sister get her medications and pay the bills. So, he decides to rob a convenience store.. which goes from scary for him to real bad as events continue to happen.

The story took some interesting twists and kept you going. I enjoyed the book!

I usually prefer psychological thrillers, but this crime thriller caught me from the first shoot-em-up scene and kept me turning pages through to the big bang ending. It is a fast-paced read full of colorful characters--both good and bad guys--and a great plot.

Brody Ellis is down on his luck and needs money to pay his debts and pay for his sister Molly's medications. He makes his first bad decision when he decides to rob a convenience store. He loses his wallet at the convenience store when he runs into a woman as he is making his escape. The woman, Blair, turns out to be the daughter of the notorious gangster, Jimmy Latzo. Blair has Brody's wallet and will return it only if Brody steals her late mother's diamonds from her evil stepmother. Brody agrees, but when he gets to the house he finds the stepmother brutally murdered and a security camera recording his every move; Blair has framed him for the murder. Brody and Molly go on the run to escape Jimmy's vengeance and continue to make bad decisions at every turn but they somehow keep one step ahead of certain death.

This book is a wild ride across the U.S. as Brody and Molly look for someone who can help them stay hidden. Along the way they discover secrets about their family and learn the skills necessary for survival. This is an enjoyable read and I recommend it for those who enjoy a good thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for an Advance Reader's Copy of this book. It goes on sale February 16, 2021.

Lola on Fire by Rio Youers

I received a free copy of the ebook version of this book from Net Galley.

Brody Ellis is short on luck and even shorter on cash to buy the medication his sister Molly needs.
Desperate, he robs a convenience store, but on the way out, he bumps into a young woman and loses his wallet. Just when he expects the cops to arrive, the phone rings. It's Blair Mayo--the woman he bumped into--and she's got the missing billfold.
Brody will get it back, but only if he does her a favor: steal her late mother's diamonds from her wicked stepmom. But when he gets to the house, he finds a gruesome crime scene--and a security camera. Brody knows he's been framed.

Lola on Fire is a good action book, keeping the reader pulled in with a fast moving story-line. Just when you think you know what is going on, the story pivots off in a new direction. The story gives you the point of view of a couple of characters to give you an idea of why they do what they do. I would have liked more history of the characters, but that would have lead to a 3 book series.

All in all, this book is an exciting adventure of a family pushed to their limits.

The violent opening scene had me wondering if I wanted to continue reading this book. I don't usually read books with so much killing. But I continued to the next chapter. I'm glad that I did. The story involves a young man and his disabled sister. These two characters kept me reading. As the story unfolded, I kept wanting to know how it ended.

Brody is having a bit of bad luck. Not only is his roommate threatening to kick him and his disabled sister, Molly, but Molly is also out of her very expensive medicine. Brody needs cash fast... and decides that robbing a convenience store is the way to go. But his bad luck continues when he loses his wallet on the way out of the store during the robbery, and it is picked up by a woman who wants to cut him a deal. She'll return the wallet, if Brody breaks into a specific home to steal something that the girl considers hers - otherwise the wallet is getting turned into the police. Brody agrees... however, things seem to go haywire when he finds a dead body and cameras inside the home - which he finds out is the home of mob boss Jimmy Latzo.

Soon, Molly and Brody are on the run from Jimmy and his crew... but things may not be as they seem. Is there more to this story? What does Jimmy really want with Brody and Molly?

I enjoy a good mob story, and this one was complete with some great fight scenes. I felt for Brody, and wished we had more time with Molly because she seemed pretty badass despite her physical limitations. I enjoyed watching Brody's development through the story (despite some of it being slightly unrealistic). Overall, this book was a fun read!

Bad decisions lead to bad consequences... trying to figure if they are your bad decisions or others is another thing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Brody has had a run of bad luck, and he feels the only way to get his sister the medication she needs is to rob a convenience store. But if you're that unlucky then no way anything will be allowed to go your way. After a mistake during the robbery, Brody is blackmailed in to commit a second robbery or have the police find out he committed the first one. It's the perfect plan, except the dead body on the bed was not part of that plan....

This was as much of the blurb as I read before reading the book and I am glad of that because this book starts as one thing, quickly becomes another thing, and then winds you down paths of pure action, tension and thrills and spills. I do not think this book is like anything I have read before, and I have a hard time categorizing it, or likening to anything else. Rio Youers has an interesting way of spoiling something that is going to come up, but then making you wait a bunch of tense pages before having that spoiler pay off and it is a technique I loved, and gripped me so tightly that I had a real hard time not just wanting to read 10 more pages. Even in the quieter times in the book the tension was still high for me because I wanted to find out more, and get to the conclusion. I was bought in to the characters and I cared what was going to happen to them. I don't like spoiling a book too much, so there is little more to say than to say whatever you are looking for from a thriller I can guarantee this book has it in spades.

I was gripped by the book. The action scenes sucked me in, and I believed and saw every piece of action like it was on the big screen. Plenty of sleuthing, fight scenes, and gun play for all the thriller fanatics out there. When a flamethrower comes out within the first 10 pages you know you are in for something good.

I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to the author, HarperCollins, Scene of the Crime and NetGalley for the ARC to read, review and enjoy.

Rio Youers delivers a kickass heroine who literally sets the story on fire in one of the best openings I've read in years.
Its 1993. Lola Bear is out for revenge on crazy Jimmy Latzo, the jealous mobster who killed her lover. After 16 dead henchmen and several guard dogs, Lola takes on Jimmy and leaves him for dead.
But Jimmy didn't die. After years of therapy, Jimmy wants Lola dead.
Lola goes into hiding, changing her identity and location several times over the years.
Now Jimmy has a new protégé; Blair, who's younger and more deadlier than Lola. Blair likes to play the long game, drawing Lola out of hiding.
Blair goes for Lola's weakness: her grownup kids, Brody and Molly.
A showdown is coming on Jimmys turf. Can an aging warrior and her loser son take down an army of killers?
Lola On Fire is a terrific read, filled with lots of bullets and blood, but also the love of family. The finale will leave you toasted. Recommended.