This was a lot less twisty than I expected, but still an extremely enjoyable book. I really liked the subplot about having a blended family.

Wow. This was a good one. I love thrillers and creepy themed books and this one was amazing, especially for a YA book. The perfect intertwining of a creepy haunted house story with real social issues like gentrification. I loved the characters but I do feel like a few storylines were kinda left hanging and the ending jumped up pretty quickly. But I really like this book and I was sucked in the entire time while reading it.

“Doesn’t matter how many new coats of paint or how many floorboards they replace...this will always be my house. You’ll never take it from me. It’s mine. Paid for with my family’s blood. It will always be mine.”

Mari’s new blended family moves from California to the midwest for a once in a lifetime opportunity. Her mom won a writing fellowship that provides free housing. But the neighborhood is more vacant than inhabited, many houses charred shells. And there are so many creepy things happening in the house, especially at night. The noises, the missing items, and the smell. Mari is isolated by her destructive choices and her absolute crippling fear of bedbugs. Mari’s isolation threatens to undo her. Everyone sees her suspicions as repeated anxiety behavior. The WIFI keeps dropping and she can’t contact her best friend. Who will believe her when it matters most? Will her new friends continue to support her when they know all her secrets? Be afraid. Very afraid. Especially, of what is in the forbidden basement.

Wow! Absolute edge of your seat thriller. Your students are going to LOVE this book. I consumed it in almost a single sitting. This is the book all your horror fan students will want to read this fall. Make sure you have copies ready. It is a great haunted house ghost story. What’s more, Mari’s struggle with anxiety and drug addiction add depth and weight. Not a story to take lightly, it will thrill horror fans and provide discussion points for readers. A great addition to school libraries and classroom libraries alike.

Content warnings: drug addiction, drug overdose

I've said it before, but I will read anything that Tiffany D. Jackson writes! This was TDJ's first foray into horror, and girl it was good. This book was soooo spooky and I could not get enough of it! Made my skin crawl, gave me chills, all the spooky vibes. I love the comparison of The Haunting of Hill House meets Get Out- perfect description. Also, no one writes a twist like this author... Every book leaves you collecting your jaw from off the floor. Highly recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley & Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins for an advanced copy of this book!

This would have been a five star read if not for one thing—the ending. The other issues were things I could absolutely overlook. It probably ended up a 3.5ish.

So I really like Tiffany Jackson’s writing—I think she handles real life horrors incredibly well and her writing is engaging and easy to read. I was super excited to find out she was releasing an actual horror novel so I jumped on this chance and for the most part, I really enjoyed it. It was creepy and occasionally gross and the combination of real life issues with the sometimes fantastical horror elements worked really well in this.

My only issues were that a lot of the characters felt one dimensional, and when there was any kind of conflict between them it never really felt like it got resolved to me. I hated the way Mari’s stepdad treated her through literally the whole book and how it felt like her mom never came to her defense. Jackson herself handled Mari’s issue well, but it was infuriating reading everyone else treating her like garbage over it but I guess that was realistic. There also never felt like any real resolution with the conflict/tension between her and Yusef.

My main issue though was the ending. Nothing was concluded. The climax of the story was really coming to a head it felt like, and then just… nothing after that. There was no actual resolution regarding the ACTUAL villains of the story and that really weakened the whole book for me. Overall, I did really enjoy reading it, and I couldn’t put it down, so I’d still recommend picking it up if it sounds interesting.

Dnf @ 50% this one just wasn’t for me. I thought the premise sounded really cool and I was really down for a YA horror book I ended up having to give up on it. There really wasn’t anything spooky or scary about it it just kind of felt like we were hanging out with these characters and nothing was happening.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of White Smoke by Tiffany Jackson. HOT DANG this book was WILD and I loved every minute of it! This is the perfect book for the spooky season (aka October). In fact I can’t wait to hype this book up starting in September to encourage patrons to put it on hold! Jackson manages to weave horror, mental health, racial injustice, family, and forgiveness all into this book. The ending was awesome, but I wish we could have been given more insight into the aftermath of the situation.

I'm a huge Tiffany D. Jackson fan but am not a horror/ghost story fan so this book is hard to rate for me. I like that Jackson has written something different and I think she will get new fans because of this book. It still has a lot of the grittiness and maturity of her other books but because some of the "reality" is removed from this story it isn't as emotionally overwhelming. It is solidly a book for high school and above.

This book was a little slower than what I was hoping but after giving it a second try I fell in love with the haunting writing. It was very suspenseful and gripping, and I need more of her writing now. The characters are strong and complex. This book deals with race, mental illness, and the criminal system. I think those who enjoy shows such as Law and Order, SVU, CSI, Bull and others will enjoy this one as well. This is a story for everyone to read.

This book had me at the edge of my seat! Slighty eerie with some suspensful moments, this book is great for teens and young adults who enjoy a little mystery and horror. The book gives a teen's modern perception of inequality and gentrification of a small town being taken over by a white billionaire.

It was a good creepy tale, but it took a while to escalate & one of the subplots was left unresolved. The big twist made me want to read it again & I suspect it would have been creepier!

"Change is good. Change is necessary. Change is needed."

Tiffany D. Jackson's newest YA novel is a seamless jaunt into a new-to-her genre. Jackson utilizes her flawless storytelling ability, character-like setting, and deep, intentional characters to bring this economical/environmental psychological thriller and horror story to life. Through her characters, Jackson weaves accurate and real criticisms to the for-profit prison system, lack of mental health support, gentrification, and subtle racism that we see all to often in our world today.

this was exactly the type of book i was looking to read. i love the topic of haunted houses and i really like Tiffany D. Jackson’s writing style. I have enjoyed all of her books thus far and looking forward to reading more

Wow wow wow, this book was so good!

I'm not really into ghost stories, but this one had me hooked! I also really loved the depth of the plot happening beyond just the home. The complexities and disparity among different classes and races within this book is done really well. There were definitely some creepy moments. I read this within a few days because I couldn't put it down!

This was my first time reading a book from Tiffany D. Jackson. I was so enthralled by this book! I read the whole thing in one sitting and just kept wanting to know what would happen next. It had a great twist ending that I definitely didn’t see coming. I will definitely be recommending this one at work!

"The Haunting of Hill House meets Get Out in this chilling YA psychological thriller and modern take on the classic haunted house story from New York Times bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson!

Marigold is running from ghosts. The phantoms of her old life keep haunting her, but a move with her newly blended family from their small California beach town to the embattled Midwestern city of Cedarville might be the fresh start she needs. Her mom has accepted a new job with the Sterling Foundation that comes with a free house, one that Mari now has to share with her bratty ten-year-old stepsister, Piper.

The renovated picture-perfect home on Maple Street, sitting between dilapidated houses, surrounded by wary neighbors has its... secrets. That’s only half the problem: household items vanish, doors open on their own, lights turn off, shadows walk past rooms, voices can be heard in the walls, and there’s a foul smell seeping through the vents only Mari seems to notice. Worse: Piper keeps talking about a friend who wants Mari gone.

But "running from ghosts" is just a metaphor, right?

As the house closes in, Mari learns that the danger isn’t limited to Maple Street. Cedarville has its secrets, too. And secrets always find their way through the cracks."

A new take on the classic haunted house!?! I'm in!

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc!

When I saw descriptions of Tiffany D. Jackson’s next book as Get Out meets The House of Dies Drear, I couldn’t wait to read it.

We meet Mari as she and her family move to a new town and learn that they’re starting fresh after something bad went down at her old school. She and her brother Sammy struggle to get along with their new, younger, white stepsister, whose dad recently married their mom. From the moment they roll into town, there is clearly a strange vibe in their neighborhood and especially in their newly renovated house.

The tense social commentary focuses on the effects of gentrification, prison and laws that target specific populations, along with mental health, addiction, and the legalization of marijuana.

Mari is one of my favorite characters from Jackson because of her internal struggles (side note - be wary if bed bugs are problematic for you) and the way she eventually works through her issues with help from friends.

The only thing I didn’t like was the abrupt ending - many loose ends were left hanging in such a way that it seemed like a final chapter was missing.

White Smoke is definitely a middle of the day, all lights on kind of read. And as with any good horror story, Jackson also offers up on point social criticism - a haunted house is scary but so are your neighbors, gentrification, the justice system, and the way corporations put value on money above human lives. The tension in this book is great and I felt for Mari in her struggles to put her past behind her and to prove that she was someone worth trusting and believing in spite of her mistakes. This is one I'll be recommending for awhile.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC. Here's my totally honest review.

<i>White Smoke</i> is an excellent book for an educator to use during Spooky Season. As a teacher, I could see myself creating a unit that also reflects on the impact of gentrification. It combines a topic that may be hard to discuss with all the horror of a good ghost story. I had a hard time putting the book down, the pacing and the continued creepy events kept me really engaged. I also loved Sammy. He's fantastic.

I did have a hard time believing that the chemistry between Raquel and Alec was enough to build a marriage on. He was pretty dismissive of Marigold and Sammy, and he clearly had Piper on a higher pedestal, which wouldn't sit right with me. The preference he shows for Piper throughout the book is baffling, and I feel like Raquel doesn't do enough to show that it's not okay.

For me, I also felt like there wasn't enough closure with the ending. I wanted to know more about what happened in the aftermath of everything.\I feel like we were left hanging with a lot of questions, and this book could have kept right on going. I would have eagerly read along.

So very creepy! If you know readers that like horror stories, you will want to give them this book. Highly recommend.