I was sent an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have read a couple of books by Kara Thomas before and enjoyed them, so I was excited to pick this up. I went in completely blind to the story.

Overall I enjoyed this book. It was a good thriller/mystery with a lot of twists and an outcome that you didn’t see coming.

Many of the main characters actions annoyed me. She was always getting involved in things that weren’t concerning her but it’s understandable considering how the police had handled her family’s case until that point.

There were a lot of characters in this story to keep track of. I found myself multiple times trying to remember who was who and how they fit into the story. Some of these characters, it seemed their sole purpose was to throw you off the trail of the main storyline by adding in others that didn’t really matter in the end.

Another thing that annoyed me so much that I took an entire star off. Multiple times the main character would be talking with someone (eg mitch at the end) and I would have to reread it to figure out what had happened and who they were talking about.

I did enjoy this book and I will be reading more of Kara Thomas in future.

Sadly didn’t love this one!

I’d have loved the story to stay focused on the actual deaths of her family, but as is, it meandered so much. There were way too many characters and extended family relations of who was related to who and who knew childhood friends, etc. So many plot threads (Dani, Rhodes, Luisa…) didn’t really serve except just as a small hint to what really happened. Additionally, a WHOLE huge plot thread really tried to justify the whole ‘cops are racist and bad’ narrative, and the worst part was that it was entirely unnecessary for the plot except as a red herring. The cop actually nearly puts a hand on his gun because a well-dressed black man shows up? The characters are terrified he was going to shoot them? Come on. That was very clearly leftist propaganda sneaking in….

I did love the ending—a lot people don’t seem to like it, but I thought it was the most interesting and strongest bit. If the whole story could’ve been focused on building up to that, more than extended relations/long lost family friends/bad cops, the story would’ve been so much stronger.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this arc!

-A

When Samantha Newsom was 13 years old, her family was murdered in the small town where they lived. Although there were suspicions about who was responsible, the case was never solved. Flash forward 22 years and Samantha is now a nurse living in New York. After one of her only remaining relatives passes away, she returns to the small town where she grew up. While there, she meets up with an investigator who is re-investigating her family’s murders and learns that what she always believed about her family’s murders may not be true. From there, Samantha sets out to figure out what really happened the night her family was murdered.

Overall, it was a decent thriller with a few drawbacks. This book gave me Dark Places by Gillian Flynn vibes. While reading, there were several times where I couldn’t put the book down and couldn’t stop reading. However, there were other times where the story really lagged and it ended up taking me about a month to finish. There were also a lot of side characters that were hard to keep track of and the author spent a lot of time writing about different events that didn’t appear to advance the plot. Additionally, the ending felt abrupt and unsatisfying.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me this ARC.

4.5 stars

One Sentence Summary:
Out of the Ashes is a thriller about a woman who comes back to the town she grew up in and "investigates" the way her family was murdered and their house burned down 22 years ago.

As soon as she was back in her hometown the book had me hooked! I wanted to know who was the killer and who burned the house down. Was it one person? Were two people involved? Who's saying the truth and who is just lying to your face?
Since the book took part in a small town, everyone seemed to know everyone and you could never really know what was the truth and what was gossip. So that always kept you guessing. Who did it? And what? Who knows about it? Or at least about bits and pieces?
I also really liked the ending.

With under 300 pages, it's also a (subjectively) short book. So you can read it very fast if you want.

All in all it was a great book that keeps you on your toes.

Such a good book! Highly recommend it! Couldn’t put it down! I didn’t want it to end! I loved the flow of writing and look forward to the next book!

I really enjoyed Kara's previous title, That Weekend, so I was excited to go in and read an adult thriller - which most definitely DID NOT disappoint.

Samantha is heading back to her hometown to say goodbye to her Uncle who passes away at her hand. In the process though, she is reminded of the horrific event that took her family from her when an upstate investigator reaches out with questions in regards to her parents and sisters murder. So many rumors, evidence mishandled, false evidence - secrets. Sam gets thrown into a whirlwind of chaos as she fights hard to find the truth. Slowly realizing that the truth comes at a cost.

The beginning was a little slow, but understandable to develop the plot, but once everything started spiraling out of control - HOLY OUT OF CONTROL it all became. The ending wasn't tied up neatly with a bow and I have grown to appreciate that so much; especially with thrillers.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

Not my favorite Kara Thomas book, but still very good with a classic twist that I have come to expect from reading her books. I always enjoy the dark and gritty feel that I get from her stories and the suspense that you know something bad will happen. The characters, as always, are very complicated with their own demons that just serves to enrich the conclusion.

First of all, the cover artwork is stunning. Out of the Ashes is one of many Kara Thomas books I've read and I really enjoyed it. This was an enthralling thriller from start to finish.

Samantha Newsom's family is brutally murdered when she is a teenager and house set ablaze. The police have severely mishandled her family's case, which lead the case to go cold for more than two decades. That is, until Travis Meacham is assigned to the case and approaches Samantha with a bombshell reveal - her baby sister may have survived the killings and arson.

Twists and turns occur over the course of the book and will leave your jaw-dropping. This will be your next TBR.

A massive thank you to Kara Thomas and Thomas & Mercer for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings: murder, arson, kidnapping, assisted suicide

This was a suspenseful thriller. I enjoyed the characters and small town vibe. It really set the mood for the mystery. The ending was a bit clunky but I otherwise enjoyed.

I had a great time with this book! I have read one of Kara Thomas' YA books, so I was super excited to see her coming out with an adult book. I trusted her and know I enjoy her writing so I went into this book almost completely blind and had just read the initial blurb. Murder, family secrets, lies. I'm sold! If you are worried this will feel YA because of her previous books, don't worry! However, that doesn't mean that there's a lot of on page violence or sex. It simply means the characters are older and feel older. They have less teenage angst! I think Kara Thomas did a great job of integrating many different plot threads together. The first half of the book is slower as everything gets set up, but it didn't feel too drawn out. The second half just goes as you learn more and more secrets! Overall it was a fun book and I will definitely keep reading her books!

This is my first book by this author. The premise was intriguing and sounded really interesting. There were so many characters it was hard to keep track of it all. I'm also not a big fan of the ending.
3 stars

Love the premise of this book - a town full of secrets and former Carney member Samantha Newson is determined to discover who murdered her family and burned their house to the ground 22 years earlier.

Sam was a great character! Deeply flawed, understandably given her past, but she had drive. This is a ‘citizens gone rogue’ story through and through which Sam herself references throughout the book.

What I really enjoyed about the book was that it was more than just Sam’s story. All the people she left behind when she escaped Carney were still there, and in the search for her own truth she uncovers mysteries surrounding past friends and family. These stories intertwine with Sam’s own mission and ultimately helped her understand more about how and why her family was been murdered.

The atmosphere felt gritty and dirty and Thomas really showed the depravity hidden In the town and the darkness of the secrets.

A fantastic read and highlighted Thomas’s ability to successfully move to adult fiction from YA.

Thank you to Kara Thomas, Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for an E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book gave me SO many feels, more than any book I’ve read all year. Sam was determined to find out what happened to her family in a mysterious fire when she returned to her hometown after the death of a relative, and just… wow. I’m speechless.

I don’t feel this strongly about books often, but this one really struck a chord with me. The last couple of chapters especially, I was in absolute tears. This book, from start to finish, was absolutely perfect - a mystery with some suspense, but also, a really heart wrenching story about a troubled family and town with a lot of secrets.

I typically like books with short chapters - this book has long ones, but it felt necessary in this case. I loved everything about this book and I feel so many conflicting emotions having finished this book.

5/5 stars ⭐️ , no question - this is my top read this year.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. I can’t wait to read more from this author, I have been SO moved!!

A heartbreaking mystery with lots of red herrings! So many family secrets and such a differing outcome for two sisters separated dramatically at 3 and 13. Sam was a formidable character, determined to solve the mystery. A very good read, thanks to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for allowing me a pre sale read👍

This book was pretty slow paced and a little bit hard to get into, but by about halfway through I was more engaged and really interested to see how it ended. There were quite a number of interesting twists in the storyline, and the author made good use of some recurring themes that continued right to the end and helped everything feel satisfying and complete. Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Out of the Ashes shocked me and kept me interested the entire time I was reading. I enjoyed the way Kara Thomas slowly revealed information regarding the murder of Sam's family, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. While Sam's character was not particularly likeable, for me, she was real and relatable. I enjoyed the references to current events occurring in the just the last few years. This book was a true murder mystery. I'm so glad to have been able to read it!

This was deeply unsettling and had me clenching my teeth the whole way through. And the twist at the end? Chefs kiss, y’all. Rarely does a twist surprise me. I have been fortunate to have come across a few lately!

As soon as Samantha Newsom could leave her hometown of Carney, NY, she fled as fast as she could. At age 13, she lost her entire family and home in a violent crime that was never solved. Over two decades later, she returns to Carney to help with the passing of a relative, and is immediately drawn back into the twisted web of deceit and tragedy that drove her out all those years ago.

Because a new detective is investigating - the mishandling of evidence by the authorities, the dead ends, the lack of follow-up - but most importantly, a new piece of information: an inmate at a local prison says he saw Sam’s baby sister carried safely from the house that fateful night.

Now even more desperate for answers, Sam finds herself spiraling deeper into the dark secrets her hometown is fighting hard to keep covered. And the further into it she digs, the less likely it seems she’ll make it out of Carney alive.

Family secrets abound in this dark and twisty thriller, with a dysfunctional family at its centre. In Out of the Ashes, we are following Sam, who at thirteen lost her entire family when they were murdered and their home set on fire. Sam grew up believing a cop in their small town had murdered her family, and the rest of the police force covered it up. Now, decades later, Sam is a nurse and has created a very different life for herself. But her past comes crashing back when a state police investigator contacts her to let her know new evidence has surfaced in her family’s case, and that her toddler sister may have survived the fire.

I was riveted by this tense, twisty book! This book is very fast paced, plunging the reader into the action from the beginning, and never letting up. There is also a lot of emotion in this book, as our main character Sam is still impacted by the grief of losing her family, and all the emotions that come with her fractured relationships with her remaining family members. I loved following Sam throughout the book, she is a main character who is easy to root for, even when she’s not making great decisions. I really enjoyed this book, the twist at the end was one I never would have guessed, and my jaw dropped when things were revealed. I highly recommend this book.

I received this as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley as well as Thomas & Mercer for this fantastic 5 Star read!

Kara Thomas can we be best friends?! I just loved this book! If you're a "crime junkie" this has a very "ripped from the headlines" feel. The past crime/ current investigation storytelling reminded me of the real life storytelling on the Counter Clock podcast. This was fast paced from the start and I did not want to put it down.

+1 Star: Excellent relatable writing style. It wasn't forced and didn't try too hard to be flowery with language. Which is great because the main character was not a flowery person (for good reason).

Main Character (no spoilers):

Sam is clearly intelligent and she endured so much trauma she seems stuck in triggered mode and acts accordingly with good reason. She is intensely perceptive as an adult of others and it's clearly a trauma response, but it's also what's driving her to put the pieces together about what really happened to her family. Sam is every Millennial who has seen some shit. She is perfectly flawed and her questionable behavior matches her character's life.

+1 Star: Plot:
If there were any plot holes I didn't notice because I was just enjoying the story and main character so much. Fast paced, quick read that I didn't want to end though I was desperate to know the answer.

+1 Star: The Perp & Ending. No spoilers here. It's too good to ruin. There were so many directions this could have gone. This was a masterpiece of a story.

Trope Talk:

The MC returning to a small hometown full of people with a complicated history trope was executed with perfection. I was there with Sam in Carney.

+1 Star: World Building:

The author's ability to sew so many nuances of literally everything in current political/social/pop culture into this story to make me feel and relate to the environment was beautifully done.

I so much appreciated the attention the mc (a nurse) brought to how the opioid crisis and chronic pain affect people. Specifically an explanation of a character's rheumatoid arthritis and the conversation between two characters about chronic pain was so well written. Anyone who has chronic pain or has in any way been impacted by what that can lead to will feel seen and understood.
A++ for accurate modern world building.

+1 Star The Unexpected:

I did not expect this book to be funny but certain lines had me crying from laughing so hard. I AM the target audience for this book for sure. I cackled when Sam was working a shift and the author describes "a Mary Kay scented hand" touching her. Something about this nurse who is into MLM products was just hilarious, there's at least one on every hospital floor so this just perfectly set the scene and is probably the most funny way I have ever heard a character described. Another line about over-priced stitch fix clothes sent me. The adoration of cinnasticks. 🤣 Little quips about Millennial behavior were spot on. The political jabs and calling out the "Thin Blue Line" bullshit were *chef's kiss*.

Miniscule Gripe:

Every person with a scar/tattoo was described the same: "a crescent shaped scar/shape from XYZ". It was just repetitive enough to slightly irritate me by the 3rd+ time.

Trigger Warnings:

Heavy on the topic of parental/sibling loss and death by fire. Also for OD'ing/drug use disorder and sexual assault. All are absolutely necessary topics for the story and handled with no judgment and great care and by the author.

Overall: I would recommend reading this and when it comes out I will be purchasing for my shelf and a re-read. I will be adding Kara's other titles to my "To Read" pile.

This book was absolutely amazing. It had me on the edge of my seat all the way until the end. I loved and lived for all the twists and turns throughout this story. At one point, I even had my heart racing trying to find out what happens next. I love all the story lines to keep guessing until the end. My favorite storyline was about Dani Burkhardt. I would love to read more from Kara Thomas. My only suggestion would be to limit the confusion with so many characters. It can be difficult to keep up with all their names throughout the different storylines.