Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putman for this arc in exchange for my honest review. I really enjoyed this book! I found it hard to put down which is always a good thing. The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the ending, I felt like it was missing something. I still give it 4.5 stars and I look forward to reading more from this author!

"While We Were Burning" is as shallow as a wading pool and as clunky as a toddler trying to walk in her mother's high heels. What makes this especially frustrating is that the book is being sold as, to quote the blurb, an examination of "the intersection of race, class, and female friendship, and the devastating consequences of everyday actions." It's not. It's "women's fiction" with cardboard characters who speak and behave as if the author had never witnessed real human beings before. I'm stunned by all the four- and five-star reviews.

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was really really rooting for this book- one of my first requests on NetGalley (thank you!) and unfortunately it fell a little flat. The beginning was encapsulating, it had a really strong storyline and an extremely unreliable narrator, but toward the middle and end all of that seemed rushed and not at all resolved. I would say this is a nice beginner thriller- there’s a small twist that I semi expected but if you don’t typically read this genre this may be a good place to start.

An emotionally charged tale of grief, revenge, and secrets. This is one audacious thriller with subject matter with so much depth you feel like you are drowning in it too! Koffi touches on something that happens too often, she gives us a view into the grief of a mother whose life was forever changed because of the color of her sons skin. Koffi delves into tumultuous relationships, revenge, and even love with such an elegant style of writing you forget you are reading a book and just become fully emersed in the story. Raw characters with real world problems and an ending that will shock even the most seasoned of readers. The best psychological thriller of 2024 so far, this is going to be a hard one to put down and an even harder one to top!

Propulsive, compelling, with twists that were both unexpected and delightful, with a climax and ending that were satisfying and exactly right for this impressive novel.

I loved the domestic thriller premise and how the book explored the different relationships that Elizabeth had with those around her. The book did start off a little slow for me but picked up steam towards the latter half. I felt like a lot of the characters were pretty unlikable (especially the protagonist) and yet somehow it worked. I do wish the author had fleshed out Briana's character a little more, especially towards the end

I thought this book had a great premise but unfortunately for me it fell short. I felt the narrative and direction of this story was a little hard to follow. I didn’t find myself rooting for any characters or even particularly liking them. I would probably give this author another shot, I just disliked the book.

Thank you Netgalley & G.P.Putnam’s Sons for an eARC

I have just finished reading "While We Were Burning" and I must say it's a truly captivating novel. The author masterfully weaves together elements of mystery, thriller, and social commentary, creating a narrative that's both engaging and thought-provoking. The story follows Elizabeth, whose seemingly perfect life is thrown into disarray after her friend's tragic passing, and Brianna, her enigmatic assistant with secrets of her own. As they work together to uncover the truth behind the death, the narrative builds up to a gripping conclusion that's both surprising and satisfying.

The themes explored in the book are timely and relevant, tackling issues of race, class, and gender with nuance and sensitivity. Sara Koffi’s writing is masterful, with well-developed characters and a plot that keeps you guessing until the very end.

Emotional roller coaster! Just when I thought I had it figured out, I get hit with another plot twist! This was an amazing book talking about racial and societal differences, how racism is still very much alive. Female rage is a powerful subject here too and honestly each character was so perfectly flawed, broken, angry a sad.

This isn’t your typical murder mystery, it’s a gut wrenching story about life as a black woman vs life as a white woman. How one single decision could very well make you many enemies and change the course of your life.

This is definitely a story I won’t forget.

First the good - short book with an intriguing concept.

Now the reason this wasn’t the book for me - hundreds if not thousands of times the f-word was used. I’m not a prude and realize part of the usage could have been to express rage within several of the characters. Too repetitive and very boring vocabulary.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the opportunity to read this ARC.

At first, I was worried I was not going to connect with either of the characters. Sara Koffi's writing emersed me into both Elizabeth's and Brianna's points of view that I soon found myself rooting for them. Then the plot twists came and I found I didn't know who to trust or root for. For me, when an author has me questioning everyone's motives that is what hooks me. Her writing was simple and beautifully represented how truly messed up our society is. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and read more for Sara Koffi.

The plot for this novel is sound. There’s a lot of intriguing elements that could’ve made this a really compelling read. I don’t mind a revenge plot, and I’d like to see an honest characterization of the “woke white woman.” But the writing style left a lot to be desired. The dialogue was over-the-top. The pacing was off—abruptly jumping from one plot point to the next without fully developing the characters’ motivations. I rarely wish a book were longer but this one could’ve done with more time moving from beat to beat and more careful characterization. As is, this book could find its readers with those that are desperate for a new domestic thriller or want a Lifetime movie in the form of a book. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me.

Many thanks to Net Galley for the advance reading copy of this eBook.

If you like fast-paced suspense thrillers with themes of revenge, this book could be up your alley. The strongest aspect of this book is the writing style, which is raw, vivid, and clear. The weakest element at play is the romantic subplot. I think adding a bit more to the book to spend time developing character dynamics between the twists would make it that much stronger. I’m interested in seeing what the author writes next; the writing style here was incredibly potent, so I definitely intend to keep an eye out for her next release.

The plot overall is cohesive and put together well. Conflict was interesting and compelling, with a lot of underlying tension between the lines. The secondary narrative, which was a romance subplot, felt kind of random and underdeveloped. I really enjoyed the structure and flow of the text: the use of perspective modes shifting between Elizabeth (first person) and Brianna (third person), the incorporation of texts and group chat transcripts, and the dual timeline aspect earlier in the book, all enhance the narrative. These structural elements don’t come across as gimmicky, instead feeling very natural and intentional.

The author’s stylistic voice is incredibly well-developed and remains consistent throughout the text. It’s very clear without being plain and has an almost cinematic feel. Exposition was trickled throughout the narrative at first, which didn’t slow the pace, which is appropriately fast and twisty, down much at all. Word choice felt overall very deliberate, employing a strong sense of character, verve, and style. Descriptive language isn’t absent, but it’s very casual and natural in its incorporation, never running the risk of becoming over- or under-written. Grammar, spelling, and syntax were all consistent and clear.

Thematically, this book centers around the concepts of revenge and codependency, as well as how they affect people’s relationships. I would have liked to see a little more exploration the complicated way the endeavor for vengeance irrevocably ties people together—not just Elizabeth’s dependence on Brianna, but more insight on their dynamic from Brianna’s point of view, too, would have enhanced the book for me. The dynamic between Elizabeth and Brianna is potent and fascinating, and I wish there was more time spent exploring that on page. The most interesting and memorable character here is Brianna; she’s incredibly compelling and has a fascinating interiority. Elizabeth is interesting, but less well-rounded. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to feel about David; I wasn’t really invested in him or his relationships.

There was one scene that gave me pause towards the beginning, where Elizabeth is interviewing someone to be her assistant and there’s a very sudden aside about ableism; the inclusion of it seemed out of place and the portrayal of disability in that moment felt satirical. It didn’t feel realistic to me that the woman would disclose that way in an interview, knowing how often employers discriminate against disabled applicants. The following scene has Elizabeth conceding that she was wrong in the situation, and then it’s never really touched on again, so I’m not sure what the author actually intended to convey with it, but I was glad it wasn’t a reoccuring element and I was able to enjoy the book regardless.

The book had potential, and the writing was solid. However, I found the characters annoying. The only one I kind of liked was Jay. The ending was abrupt, and the Brianna/David angle seemed forced. It felt like the author was trying to do a bit too much at once, and it came together jumbled and confusing.

I was lucky enough to win an e-ARC of WHILE WE WERE BURNING by Sara Koffi through a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thank you for the early look, and have a safe and happy Valentine's Day!

Elizabeth Smith seems to have it all. She's married to a successful man she loves and lives in a beautiful house. She works as an instructor at the Learning Center, a tutoring center for struggling students in Memphis. She's quite unhappy, however. Not only is her husband David being distant, she doesn't really have any close friends, except for Patricia, a volunteer at the center. Patricia makes friendly overtures toward Liz, but in truth, Liz finds her annoying. When Liz finds Patricia's body, the police believe it was a suicide. Liz knows it wasn't but no one will believe her. She becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to her (suddenly) best friend Patricia. Her obsession means that she suddenly is almost unable to deal with day to day issues. Her husband David decides that she would benefit from having an assistant. Enter Brianna. Brianna is a beautiful young woman who's dealing with her own tragedy. Her son died and her relationship with his father fell apart. Now she's trying to put her life together, but she has her own secrets. As she proves herself to be indispensable and she and Liz grow closer, their secrets will eventually lead them in unexpected directions.

It was certainly hard to have much sympathy for Liz, who couldn't be bothered with Patricia when she was alive but became obsessed with her after death. I enjoyed finding out about what happened in Brianna's past and how that shaped who she was now. Some of the elements surrounding Patricia's death were a bit farfetched, but it you can go along with that, the story is otherwise quite enjoyable.

This was a DNF for me. I didn't care for the characters and the plot was rather boring. I just didn't care what was going to happen.

This story was incredible. It was both intense but thought providing. We live in an interesting Era and this book took the time to face some serious societal concerns head on. I love that the author is a female black author. It has vibes like several horror authors but has even more meaning given who Koffi is. Well done!

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What a marvelous debut! It’s always satisfying and distressing to finish a five-star read. Something that caught your interest from the get-go and took you on a wild and unexpected ride. While We Were Burning is one of those novels; a timely mystery that tackles big ideas and big consequences, and had me turning pages faster than my fingers wanted to move.

WWWB follows two women, Elizabeth Smith and Brianna Thompson. After the death of a friend, Elizabeth is consumed with solving what she believes to be her murder, her life spinning out of control. Her husband, David, recommends hiring a personal assistant and in walks the perfect woman for the job: smart, savvy Brianna Thompson, who seems to know the answer to everything and be able to hold Elizabeth together. But Brianna has a secret too, and a reason for befriending Elizabeth and wanting to immerse herself in her white, privileged world. As both women seek to uncover the answers to their individual mysteries, the truths lie somewhere around them.

I’ve read dozens of domestic thrillers, and it was such an honor to read one grounded in something so important and so prevalent. Both Elizabeth and Brianna were wonderful narrators, one messy and unreliable and the other one methodical and intentional. I enjoyed spending time with both of them, and their relationship is the heart of WWWB, which is always a treat to read fiction built around women's’ relationships with each other. It all lights up to a fiery ending that proves that nothing quite burns as bright as the fire we carry inside ourselves, the fire we work so hard to never let go out.

After her best friend supposedly commits suicide, Elizabeth’s life starts to spiral out of control. Her husband suggests she get a personal assistant to help.

Brianna is exactly what Elizabeth needs and fits perfectly into Elizabeths life. Soon, Brianna is helping Elizabeth dig deeper into what really happened to Elizabeth’s friend.

Brianna has questions too. She is determined to figure out what happened to her son; why did the police kill him?

As the women continue to dig, it becomes clear that they are both keeping secrets.

This book was really entertaining. It took me a while to get into it, and figure out what was going on, but when the pieces started coming together, it was wonderful! So, if things don’t make sense right away, stick with it, it’ll all make sense soon and it will be amazing. This is one of those books that were so compelling that I didn’t want to put it down in fear that I would miss something. There were so many nuances.

The characters in this one were interesting. I did feel at times they were a little one dimensional, but they were still interesting and held my interest. Initially I thought Brianna was much younger than she ended up being, she seemed to be written very young to be in the beginning, but I later learned she was older. It wasn’t a huge deal, just something I needed to reconcile.

When the reveals started coming, they were just heartbreaking! Not what I usually expect from a thriller, and I really like that this one was different, it was refreshing and really made me think. I could put myself in the characters’ shoes as well. It was a very well done psychological domestic thriller.

This book also brought to light some issues that have plagued the country, and I really hope that by continuing to spread the word, and highlight these issues, change can be made. I’m hopeful at least. This book also touched on mental health issues. Lots of heavy topics were included in this book, and I think they were done well.

There were a few things that I wish we would have gotten a little more information about, but the book was so good anyway, it was still a five-star read. I’m still thinking about it.

I still can’t believe that this is a debut novel, and I am so excited to read more from this author.

Thank you so much to Penguin Group Putnam, G.P. Putnam’s Sons and Netgalley @Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This review will run on my blog, speedreadstagram.com during publication week.