📚 PRE-PUBLICATION BOOK REVIEW 📚

What We'll Burn Last
By Heather Chavez
Publication Date: July 23, 2024

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (I'd rate it higher if I could!)

📚THE SYNOPSIS:

A teenager and her boyfriend disappeared when she was sixteen years old. Her younger sister, twelve at the time, never gave up hope she might still be alive. All these years later, their childhood neighborhood remains shrouded in secrets. Another teenage girl with an eerily similar appearance has gone missing. And a Sierra Nevada wildfire threatens to bring its fury at any moment. That's my BRIEF synopsis. If you want the full synopsis, you can read it online...I had way too much to say. 😉

📚MY REVIEW:

This book was a really slow burn (no pun intended) at the start. I love thrillers with multiple POVs, but the first third of this book had so many characters to keep track of that I had to work to remember how they connected. But each chapter simply laid the groundwork for the intricacies of the story being told, piece by piece. About halfway in, as each character revealed bits and pieces, it took all my willpower not to take the day off and just finish this book! I was enthralled and furiously turned the pages, trying to figure out the truth behind this story's intense mystery.

After its slow burn beginning, this book was gripping, on-the-edge-of-your-seat thrilling. The plot twists just kept coming and coming...Some of them were so unexpectedly shocking, I had to physically take a moment before continuing. The fact that the book was - in part - inspired by Chavez's real-life experience with a California wildfire, only adds to its emotional intensity.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review! I waited and waited to get approved to review this book... And it was everything I'd hoped it would be -- and then some. When you have a chance to read this one, don't hesitate - get it in your hands and read it. What We'll Burn Last will be one you won't want to put down. And will stay with you long after you've finished. Heather Chavez, this was BRILLIANT.

#WhatWellBurnLast #NetGalley #bookreviews
#fivestarreads #thrillerbooks #bookstagrammers

Two families separated by mistrust and grief over their missing children from 16 years ago. Did they run away, kidnapped, killed by one of them. A sister determined to find out what happened, helped by her ex boyfriend and brother of the other one. All while a dangerous wildfire is closing in. Fast moving, I think my students will like the complicated plot and the family issues as well as relate to the danger of fire

This was an intense book especially with the impending fire happening in the setting. I did not see some of the twists coming. What an excellent read

Thanks to @netgalley and @mulhollandbooks for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I love @iamhrchavez’s books, and this one was no exception. So fast-paced! It was kind of like reading an action movie. I don’t know much about forest fires, so the information about them was interesting too. I was not expecting any of the twists in this book, and while I’m not so sure that I liked one part of the ending, I appreciated how everything came together. Chavez wrote the multiple points of view so well, and I really felt as though I was reading different characters. A ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 read in my books. Definitely add this one to your wish list when it comes out in July. #avivaandfriendsrecos

Good book with a well done story inside. I really enjoyed the story as a whole and all the characters were well done.

This was a decent read. Not my favorite by the author. The pacing was off i started losing interest but still wanted to figure out what was going on. I liked the characters and I think the author deliver a solid ending.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Heather Chavez is a top-notch author of mysteries and psychological thrillers.

In this novel, the resolution of an interlocking mystery involving multiple missing persons are all shockingly revealed during a tragic and terrifying fire that threatens the lives of almost everyone involved in hidden or attempting to discover the truth of what happened a decade and a half ago.

The fire not only symbolizes destruction, but it also represents renewal and eventual redemption.

This captivating story had me reading from the first to last page, all in one sitting.

Chavez is a writer of novels who fans of,authors such as: Frieda McFadden, Kiersten Modglin, Riley Sagar and Shari Lapena will greedily love, although there is something uniquely special in the talent Heather Chavez that gives her books a unique and an addictive literary weight.

5 stars from this grateful fan.

At twelve, Leyna Clarke watched her older sister Grace run away from their Northern California home with her boyfriend Adam Duran. They were never seen again. Sixteen years later a woman who looks like Grace shows up at the Reno restaurant where Leyna works. She then vanishes. It turns out Leyna was one of the last people to see her…other than the people in Leyna’s old neighborhood.

Now Adam’s brother Dominic wants Leyna to come home. No one, including Leyna’s mother, Meredith, and Adam and Dominic’s mother, Olivia, has been able to get over the loss of Grace and Adam. And where is the missing girl?

Chapters are told from the perspectives of Leyna, Meredith and Olivia. There’s a lot going on here, and a lot of it falls largely into your standard thriller territory, but the book is a bit better than that.

This was an overall past faced thrilled, but I did feel it lacking in some parts and I was starting to lose interest. Overall, the book was good and would recommend it.

This is a solid thriller with lots of twists. The pace and plot are solid. I would have liked a bit more character development but the plot still works without it. The story is told from multiple POV's but is easy to follow.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview What We’ll Burn Last. I loved Chavez’ last book. This one is quite a departure.
The story of a missing sister and the one who sees her face everywhere she goes.
Written in many voices the reader is taken through the backstory of two families who have destiny and familiarity.
Characters are interesting and the backdrop to a fire burning that can devastate the land.
Some parts were long and I lost traction but it is a good book and Chavez delivers a solid ending
3.5 stars

If I want to guarantee a 5 star read I go directly to Heather Chavez.

My well nurtured obsession began when I discovered No Bad Deed, many moons ago. I fed this obsession along the way with Blood Will Tell and Before She Finds Me

And then I got my greedy little paws on What We’ll Burn Last, and my life has never been the same.

Shook..

That was one heck of a twist!!!!

Is that what the kids are saying these days? That’s exactly how I am feeling. How is it even possible that each book blows my mind but the one to follow is even better !

If you haven’t read a Heather Chavez, book I actually envy you, you have so many incredible books that you will be able to enjoy for the first time .

Teaser :

From the acclaimed author of Before She Finds Me comes a sharp and surprising thriller about two entangled families in a California neighborhood who must race to find answers about a missing teenage girl as a wildfire crackles to life nearby . . .

Three women.

When she was twelve, Leyna Clarke watched her older sister, Grace, walk away from their Sierra Nevada foothills home with her boyfriend, Adam Duran. Neither was ever seen again. Sixteen years later, a stranger who looks like Grace shows up at the restaurant where Leyna works—and vanishes soon after. When it comes out that Leyna was one of the last people to have talked with the young woman, Leyna’s childhood crush Dominic, who is also Adam’s brother, pleads with her to do the last thing she wants to do: come home.

Three secrets.

But Leyna isn’t the only one who hasn’t been able to leave that fateful night behind. Her mother, Meredith, still lives in the family’s old home—even if she claims to believe the police’s theory that Grace and Adam were willing runaways. Down the street, Adam and Dominic’s mother Olivia has also stayed, determined to be there when her son finally returns. . . and to prove that Meredith and Leyna have been hiding something all these years. But the past isn’t the only threat to the two families, or the missing girl. As a wildfire sparks, tempers flare and intentions turn deadly. Because someone in the neighborhood knows what really happened that night—and just how good the forest is at keeping its secrets.

Who will you trust?

I really enjoyed this! I couldn’t put it down and loved every second of it. This is one that sticks with you. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

#WhatWellBurnLast #NetGalley
When she was twelve, Leyna Clarke watched her older sister, Grace, walk away from their Sierra Nevada foothills home with her boyfriend, Adam Duran. Neither was ever seen again. Sixteen years later, a stranger who looks like Grace shows up at the restaurant where Leyna works—and vanishes soon after. When it comes out that Leyna was one of the last people to have talked with the young woman, Leyna’s childhood crush Dominic, who is also Adam’s brother, pleads with her to do the last thing she wants to do: come home. But Leyna isn’t the only one who hasn’t been able to leave that fateful night behind. Her mother, Meredith, still lives in the family’s old home—even if she claims to believe the police’s theory that Grace and Adam were willing runaways. Down the street, Adam and Dominic’s mother Olivia has also stayed, determined to be there when her son finally returns. . . and to prove that Meredith and Leyna have been hiding something all these years. But the past isn’t the only threat to the two families, or the missing girl. As a wildfire sparks, tempers flare and intentions turn deadly. Because someone in the neighborhood knows what really happened that night—and just how good the forest is at keeping its secrets. Who will you trust?
It was so good.
Thank you to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for giving me an advance copy.

Thanks to Mulholland and NetGalley for the ARC. My first book by this author. A well- written, if a bit dragging at the end, domestic thriller. It kept me reading to find out who and why. A good read.

For some reason I did not find this book very engaging. The dynamics between the characters seemed off. I usually like her books, but this one wasn’t a hit for me.

This riveting mystery unfolds in the midst of a 16-year investigation into the disappearance of Ellie Byrd, a case that may be linked to the vanishing of two young teenagers. As power outages and wildfires add to the tension, the compelling pacing draws you deeper into the central mysteries, which intertwine the past and present with a web of secrets and tragedy.

The narrative revolves around three key characters: Leyna Clerk, a 28-year-old working menial jobs to make ends meet, consumed by the quest to uncover the truth behind her missing sister Grace's disappearance; Olivia Duran, mother to Adam, Dominic, and ten-year-old Thea, still holding out hope for her son's return while harboring secrets from her husband and nursing resentments towards the Clerk family; and Meredith Clerk, a professional art forger estranged from her daughter Leyna, grappling with her own troubled past and the secrets surrounding Grace's disappearance.

Leyna's chance encounter with young Ellie Byrd sparks memories of her missing sister and raises suspicions about Adam Duran's involvement. When Ellie herself goes missing, Leyna is compelled to return to her hometown and join forces with Dominic, Adam's brother and her long-time crush, to uncover the truth. As tensions escalate amidst the chaos of wildfires and power outages, long-buried secrets come to light, and the simmering animosity between the Clerks and the Durans threatens to erupt into violence.

Overall, I found the pacing and twists of the story to be engaging, though I was left with some lingering questions. The unlikable characterization of Olivia and Meredith, with their dysfunctional attitudes towards their children, detracted slightly from my enjoyment, but the intriguing storyline and satisfying conclusion ultimately earned it a rating of 4 stars.

As always, I'm a big fan of Heather Chavez's fast-paced thrillers that grip you from the start and keep you hooked until the very end.

Many thanks to Heather Chavez and NetGalley for providing me with an unputdownable digital review copy of this thrilling novel in exchange for my honest feedback.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒅.

𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧. 𝐈𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞. 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐡. 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐫. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞. These are just a few of the many verbs that highlight the ferocious power of fire. They are also appropriate words to describe the all-consuming guilt one may feel over a loved one's disappearance. How do you keep going without being torn apart by all the things you didn't say and the things you wish you hadn't?

No one knows this better than Leyna Clarke. When she was twelve years old, she watched her older sister Grace walk away from their home with her boyfriend Adam. Neither was seen again. Sixteen years later, Leyna looks for remnants of her sister in strangers, holding fast to the belief that she is still out there somewhere, alive. Leyna is working at a diner, making just enough to pay the rent, when she sees someone that makes time freeze--someone who looks just like Grace, but it can't possibly be her, because the mysterious stranger is around the same age as Grace was when she disappeared. Completely stunned but not wanting to miss the opportunity to speak to the girl, she attempts a conversation and is shocked by something the girl reveals before hurrying out the door. To her horror, Leyna finds out the girl disappeared, and that Leyna was the last known person to speak to her.

This is a story that unfolds deliberately and languidly, and just as a spark may seem negligible, its effects can quickly turn insidious, devouring everything in its path. Be patient with the many layers of this story and the diverse characters who all seem to be hiding something because as you peel back those layers, you will uncover secrets that have been tucked away for years.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for the early copy. This title will publish July 23, 2024.

This one gets your heart racing with the family drama, a missing girl and a fire heading your way i'ts an adrenaline ride you don't want to miss.

Leyna was twelve when her sister left the house with her boyfriend and was never seen again. Now, Ellie shows up at and speaks to her and goes missing. This all leads back to her old neighborhood so it is time for her to go home.

Some secrets are about to be revealed and the truth will come out. So many cover ups made this a brilliant read.

This was a good overall book. I do feel as though I would have liked more in the way of character development, but the twists and turns were solid.