Full disclosure - I'm a Kara Thomas fan and I was excited to see that she had ventured into the world of adult fiction. Thomas's prose is always beautifully crafted and evenly paced, and Out of the Ashes was no different. The characters were nuanced and subtly shifted throughout the book. Subtlety. I like subtlety. I recognize that "woman returns to small hometown to uncover secrets" is a huge trope, but the event that made our main character return definitely put a twist on that, making it work. The only reason this is getting four stars instead of five is that it still felt like a young adult book at times, which is a definite drawback - but the plot is interesting, the twist is good, and the characters are well-developed.

This book I thought was going to be heading in a different direction. However it was a good book and kept me interested from the beginning. A good quick read that keeps you wondering the truth about things and if they will ever find out the real truth,

Wow wow this one was a wild ride. I really enjoyed it and the adventure I went on reading this, it felt like there was constantly something new that kept me guessing what the truth was. A huge strength of this book was its pacing - it was so good. One way a thriller can really struggle, in my opinion, is if they have poor pacing, which has never been an issue with any of Kara Thomas's books for me. The only thing that I really struggled with in this story was the amount of characters - there were so many to the point that it made it difficult to keep them straight. I would've liked a family tree at the beginning of the book or something like that.

Overall, Out of the Ashes was a really solid story from a reliable thriller author, 3.75 stars!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book, provided by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

WOW. I am absolutely floored by this book. I started off this year with a bang by reading this. I could not put it down. I had read Kara Thomas' YA books, and I really liked them, but this one just kicked it up a notch. Suspenseful and kept me guessing to the very end.

Sam is called back to her hometown to deal with a family tragedy. She had left years ago because of the memories of her family's gruesome unsolved murder. She's met with a detective who's re-opened the decades-old case and a witness who claims her baby sister, who was believes dead, actually made it out alive - carried away from the presumed murderer.

But once Sam is back, and more secrets are uncovered, can she find the murderer, track down her sister and get out of the town alive? This story was fast-paced, beautifully descriptive and chock full of twists and turns to keep you guessing. I gasped several times - I couldn't put it down.

Samantha lost her entire family in an instance. When twenty years later she's grieving the loss of her uncle, she has to confront the past. Her whole family died that night. Who really did it? Did the cops actually follow every lead? Could her baby sister have survived? Sam will hunt down the truth at any cost.

This book has some twists, but lots of characters. They all link together in the end. Thanks Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

ADD THIS TO YOUR TBR NOW!

This was actually my first Kara Thomas book and I loved it!

The pacing was a little strange for me. I was hooked immediately and could not put it down (I stayed up so late on a work night reading this book) however the 40-70% range slowed down a bit for me before picking up again - however it was still entertaining all the way through!

This book is full of turns you didn’t see coming! The character development is decent and the descriptions of the people and places are perfection - you really come to understand the type of town our main character Sam lived in.

I was sad to be done this book because I really enjoyed it but am relieved that I’ll actually get to bed at a decent time tonight!

An interesting read about a town with a lot of secrets, and how those secrets can have repercussions that impact many different families.

Out of the Ashes by Kara Thomas-
I want to start by thanking NetGalley, Kara Thomas, Thomas & Mercer publishing for allowing me to read the advanced copy of this book.
This book had so many twists and turns I honestly couldn’t put it down. I fell in love with the main character Samantha Newsom. Samantha is dedicated to finding out how her entire family got murdered in a tragic house fire. The police in Carney have messed up big time in their subpar investigation into the horrific and tragic deaths of Samantha’s family. Samantha was only 13 years old when their deaths happened. She was brought back into the investigation after 22 years had passed.
Each chapter was written beautifully and helped me depict a perfect picture of the scenes as they played out. This book was a real page-turner. I read it in only a day, and I couldn’t put it down. I can’t say enough good things about this book!



https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5211186949

I enjoyed this great thriller. I loved how intriguing the plot was, how dark the family massacre story was and how it all molded in small town people hiding big secrets!
It was fast paced, dark, well written, and a heart wrenching psychological thriller with an awesome twist! The ending was emotional and powerful too!
I'm excited to read more from this author and I totally recommend!
My thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and the author for providing me with an ARC ecopy of this book in exchange my honest review.

I love Kara Thomas' stories. I've enjoyed reading two of her Young Adult books. I was super excited to have received a copy of OUT OF THE ASHES to review.

Samantha was 13 years old when her family was murdered. Raised by her aunt who always held a grudge against her, Samantha is called back to her hometown for a couple of reasons.

While there she is pulled into trying to solve who killed her family.

Kara is so good at weaving small towns throughout a mystery. She's also very good at writing morally grey characters and unreliable narrators.

The story, albeit a tad too long, had me interested. However, I became confused at some points because there were actually several murders outside of Samantha's family that also needed solving.

The one thing that irritated me were the several references made about Trump and the presidential election. These references didn't bring anything to the plot or the solving of the mystery. When I read, I'm looking for an escape from the real world and, ESPECIALLY, politics. It feels forced and exhausting at this point.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an e-copy of OUT OF THE ASHES to review.

I rate OUT OF THE ASHES three out of five stars.

I told my friends I was going to be around 8 PM to be ready for our annual winter get-together the following day. However, I ended up staying up until 2:45 AM to finish Kara Thomas' latest book Out of the Ashes! I read The Cheerleaders in 2020 and really enjoyed it, but Out of the Ashes exceeded my expectations for what I look for in a (YA) Thriller.

The main character returns to her hometown after years of staying away. The passing of her uncle brings to the forefront many of her feelings with her family's unresolved murder that happened on the eve of 9/11. With a country in crisis, her family's case was in many ways lost in the shuffle. The book at times felt overly complex and a bit slow for my liking, but I was intrigued and needed to know what happened!

Best of all, for me, Kara Thomas writes novels that aren't tidy. Murder isn't tidy or how it appears in tv shows. Elements of what cases will always remain unresolved or unsolved. You have to be willing to embrace non-closure and if that's your style, you'll enjoy Thomas' novels. They feel more real to me from that point of view.

Gruff and Gritty

Out of the Ashes is a dark and disturbing thriller about an unsolved murder of a family. 22 years later, the lone survivor investigates what happened to her family.

When she was 13 years old, Samantha Newsom’s life changed forever when her mother, father, and baby sister were brutally murdered. The local police were never able to solve the crime.

In the present, a prisoner reveals to the authorities one of the missing pieces behind the murder. Samantha, now a nurse, returns to her hometown determined to solve the crime. Secrets are unearthed, leading to a shocking revelation.

This book has a lot going for it. It is very readable, and Samantha is a complex character. It is narrated solely through her eyes. The pacing is a little slow to start, but it picks up momentum quickly.

In addition to the murder of Sam's family, there are additional mysteries at play. I didn't figure out who the villain was until close to the end.

Thomas brings a small town in the Catskills to life. She captures the desperation of locals who feel trapped in the dying town. The characterization is strong; all of the side characters felt real. I was able to visualize the setting and feel the emotions of those who lived there.

Sam’s character and the grittiness of the plot reminded me of The Familiar Dark. However, they are very different books.

Of course, I had a few issues. Elements of Sam’s character felt forced at times. And there is one plot hole regarding her character that is alluded to but never fully explored or resolved. Lastly, the ending felt out of place compared to the rest of the book.

However, this is well worth reading for the character development and an intriguing mystery. It is a tense, twisty, and captivating read, and I enjoyed the ride.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review.

Out of the Ashes is a book about a young woman looking for answers. Samantha Newsom never wanted to return to her hometown of Carney, New York, after the death of her family. However, when Investigator Travis Meacham found new evidence in the case, she decided to come home to investigate, and what she saw would completely shred Samantha Newson's world. The readers of Out of the Ashes will continue to follow Samantha Newson and Investigator Travis Meacham to find out what happens.

Out of the Ashes is the first book I have read by Kara Thomas, and I found it enjoyable. At first, when I read the blurb of this book, I was not sure I would engage with the plot or the characters; however, I was wrong. I love Kara Thomas's portrayal of her characters and their interaction with each other throughout this book. Out of the Ashes is well-written and researched by Kara Thomas. I like Kara Thomas's description of the setting, which complimented the book's plot.

The readers of Out of the Ashes will understand issues for children who suffer from trauma has a child. Also, the readers of Out of the Ashes will learn about the uses of DNA during law enforcement investigations.

#OutoftheAshes #NetGalley Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I encourage you to check this one out!

Once again I'm reading the first adult book written by a traditionally YA author: Kara Thomas. This one "Out of the Ashes" is a emotional butt kicker.

It stars 30 year old Samantha Newsom who "escaped" her town of Carney, NY 22 years ago after her family was murdered and their house burned down. The local police screwed up the case and nobody knows what happened that day. She is living as a RN when she gets the news that her uncle has died and she needs to go back and settle affairs with his house. She is also given news by the investigator handling the murder case: Travis Meacham that new evidence has come to light: A prison inmate has came forward and stated that he saw someone carry her infant sister out of the fire. She is still alive! Hmmmmmmm.

I love reading about strong female characters and Sam is one of them. She is relentless in her pursuit to find out what happened that night 22 years ago. You will meet a ton of country characters in this book that didn't "make it out of Carny" like Sam did.

The book itself is short and on point and you will roll through it quickly. But maybe way more emotional and gut wrenching then I personally like in my books but I still loved reading about Sam not letting anything get in the way of her goals.

I really appreciate Thomas & Mercer giving me the opportunity to read and review this book and it has a publication day of May 1st, 2023.

Advance Reader Copy given free for honest review.

After previously reading Kara Thomas’ YA thrillers and loving them, I just knew I had to give her adult thriller a go! The lies, the secrets, the angst was just amazing and kept me in the edge of my seat the whole time!

~ I discovered Kara Thomas with her young adult thriller "Little Monsters" and fell in love with her talent. Thanks to her and to Net Galley, I had the opportunity to read "Out of the ashes" a long time before its release.

~ I am so fond of that kind of "back in small town / oppressive / closed door" atmosphere, and here, it is sublimated by a wide range of nuanced characters.

~ I enjoyed trying to mend the pieces of the puzzle, clue after clue. But I've been surprised by the outcome, anyway ! No spoiler allowed, but all I can tell is that the ending made me shed a tear…

~ What a powerful story, full of love, family secrets, regret and remorse. Thank you again for this great reading moment and can't wait to read you again !

This book was insane! I was instantly hooked and couldn’t put it down. The twists and turns left my heart racing and I felt like the ending really tied things up well. I loved that the main character went to the same college as me, and it was kind of fun reading about so many places I used to pass on the drive there. The characters were well-developed and although the backstories and family history sometimes felt chaotic, it all seemed to flow together well.

Super thrilling and enticing, the characters felt so real to me that I was angry at a lot of them. I’m eager to read more of this authors work in the future!

I overall enjoyed this book, but there’s so many characters and subplots that at times, it was hard to keep up with.

I also found it hard at times to connect with Samantha, the main character. I understand that someone who has lost their entire family might’ve behaved the way she did, but I found most of her decisions selfish and reckless. there’s just something missing.

so many characters and subplots that were just a dead end. I felt lost.

the ending felt flat and not what I expected from a whodunnit. there was no actual closure for me.