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.

4 stars

This is one of those books where everything seems kind of confusing until it all starts to come together towards the end. Both narrators are unhinged and unreliable and you don’t know who to believe.
I thought this was an interesting and unique story that really highlighted some important issues and gave us a compelling story about two women both searching for justice, albeit in opposite ways

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the ARC!

I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review

The description of it being a mix between Parasite and Such a Fun age is a great way to describe this book! The storyline follows Elizabeth and Brianna. Set in Tennessee, Elizabeth is mourning the loss of her friends supposed suicide and she wants to get to the bottom of what happened. She is obsessed with the details and her life is suffering because of it. She hires Brianna as an assistant to help get her life back on track. But Brianna is keeping a secret from Elizabeth that will change everything. The author has you falling in love with these characters and hating them at the same time. This book follows the topics of race, social class, mental illness, and abuse. (definitely read trigger warnings before reading this book)

Wish we would have gotten more background on Elizabeth to help see why she is the way she is, I think they do this well with Brianna. I can see how some people had problems with the believability of the book. I just chose to look past that

You will love it if you enjoy a good page turner, a book with a lot of twists and turns, and domestic thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for an ARC in exchange for a review. Book is set to release 4/16/2024.

Really fun but neither of the characters quite felt fully realized at times. It had all the right elements but at points I felt dazed by their actions as I felt they weren’t set up enough. Thanks for the arc. 3.5

Taut and propulsive—this one was hard to put down. A carefully woven web of a plot whose pieces drew tighter and tighter until the dramatic ending.

The premise of WHILE WE WERE BURNING is the foundation of a good domestic psychological thriller: an unstable woman hires a personal assistant who isn’t quite what she seems. The tension is amplified by race; the employer is white, her employee is Black. What unfolds is a page-turner about power and conflict in the gentrified South.

The premise is brilliant. The characters have all the goods that make a story interesting. There are plot twists galore. And yet, it wasn’t (ironically) a slow enough burn. Parts of it felt rushed, with too much all at once, and then other parts felt like we didn’t quite get enough.

This is a good debut novel, and I look forward to reading the author’s work, because the ingredients are all there. They just didn’t land for me in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. All opinions are entirely my own.

I find myself being constantly disappointed by "psychological thrillers," and I have to take responsibility for this. I know what I like and what I don't like, and I should pick my thrillers accordingly. Unfortunately, this book did not work for me. I felt like DNF'ing for the first 20 percent or so. It actually did get better (I was much more invested once Brianna was introduced), and I love that the author gave us a big secret early on and didn't spend 300 pages annoyingly alluding to some mysterious connection from the past. Kudos for that! However, in the end I didn't really enjoy reading this book even though I wanted to love it. It was one of my most anticipated novels of the year. Better luck next time!

I wish I could read these but the ARC is a mess. Words are scattered across the page with random text breaks and font changing color. I’m just going to keep an eye out when it’s published.

I rated this a solid 4 stars on goodreads but for some reason my review did not post! A special thank you to Netgalley and Sara Koffi for the opportunity to read this book.

This novel is scorching. While the character development is at times one-dimensional, the plot is engaging and thrilling, and more than makes up for flatter characters. The themes are heavy and are presented matter-of-fact, leaving the readers with no choice but to confront these topics, all while we spiral to a conclusion that is certain to be explosive.

This is so good.
Liz is married to David and he is giving her grief. He isn't wanting to have sex and she's hearing weird things rom his bestie. After she loses a friend he convinces her to hire an assistant.
Brianna loses her beloved son the year before and then her man leaves. She is dealing with her own issues. She applies for the assistant job and she is hired.
The moment they meet you question Brianna's angle but also you want her to win whatever she needs to win. But then you're like "maybe not."
It just gets so good!
I love the thoughts on emotional labor and racism and calling the police. We need these in our books.
I will read everything this author writes.