In a town on the edge of disaster, seventeen-year-old Caprice is trying to rebuild what’s broken—her family, her future, and maybe even herself. With her estranged brother suddenly back, a first love blossoming, and her hopes tied to a scholarship-winning app, everything feels fragile. Then the wildfires come. Inspired by the real-life devastation of Paradise, California, this powerful novel explores what we lose, what we fight to keep, and how love—of all kinds—can survive the flames.

This was a quick read for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a story about a teenage girl named Caprice navigating her senior year of high school in her small hometown. As she deals with issues such as her brother recently returning from an addiction recovery program, her grandmother's memory slowly fading, her crush on the new boy in town, and the desire to get out of her hometown for college, Caprice's life is changing rapidly, even before the wildfire that sweeps through Sierra, destroying her home and everything she has ever known there.

This was an absolutely beautiful story about home and family and growing up, and also about dealing with trauma and grief. The writing was beautiful and the characters felt so familiar and loveable, as did the setting. I might be biased because I was born and raised near Paradise (the town Sierra is based on), and this book made me want to cry because I love the place I grew up so much, even if I had to leave it. I think it did a wonderful job of portraying the loss, but also the resilience and the hope of the people in that community. So much of it rang true to my family's experiences with the fire and its aftermath, and I had a very emotional time reading it. I would definitely recommend it!

Thank you to Pengiun Teen and Netgalley.

A Catalog of Burnt Objects is a young adult coming-of-age novel about a high school senior who loses her town to a wildfire.

Caprice is adjusting to her older brother coming home after a stint in rehab, developing a tourism app for her town, and romance with a new student when tragedy strikes. After a long drought, her small Northern California mountain town is quickly consumed by flames, forcing her to make a series of quick decisions to save whoever she can. But in the weeks that follow, she faces shock, grief and guilt as she struggles to navigate a new life without a home.

This is a moving portrayal of a young woman on the cusp of adulthood whose entire life is pulled out from under her while she also tries to figure out her relationship with her brother, Beckett, a recovering alcoholic. Like her debut, As Many Nows As I Can Get, Shana Youngdahl does a beautiful job capturing the inner lives of teens and the pain of addiction. I loved Caprice’s complicated relationship with Becket and their banter but also the weight of unspoken words about their past. I also appreciated the strong friendship between her and Alicia, as well as her budding romance with River. I thought the inclusion of chapter breaks where various characters described a “burnt object” lost to the fire was especially touching.

Youngdahl drew on her own experience growing up in Paradise, California, and the devastating 2018 Camp Fire, which resonated with me personally, as I spent time there throughout the ’90s and have fond memories of the town and its people.

This is a touching and realistic portrayal of a young woman and a community forever changed by a destructive fire.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dial Books for giving me access to a digital ARC so I could review this book.

There’s a lot going on in this book -- a brother trying to recover from alcoholism, a grandmother with dementia, uncertainty about college plans, grieving the death of a loved one, and falling in love for the first time -- events that many teenagers would be familiar with. Then, on top of all this, Caprice’s town is destroyed by a wildfire.

What I liked about the book was seeing how Caprice and her brother, Beckett, rebuilt their relationship after he returned from rehab. I also liked the budding romance between Caprice and River, Caprice’s relationship with her grandfather and parents, and her commitment to creating an app. She mostly seemed like a well adjusted teenage girl with the normal insecurities about the future.

What I didn’t like was too many devices used in telling this story. There was the regular narration technique, bulletin board-like posts, and text messages. Those three styles are already enough, but the author added way too many if/then statements to show that Caprice liked to code. I like coding too, but there’s a lot more than if/then statements that evolved into line after line after line of IF IF IF IF IF and so on. In my opinion, this took away from what otherwise was excellent storytelling. It would’ve flowed so much better without this pseudo-code. (Also, there’s so much more to coding than just if/then statements, and focusing on this one command felt like Caprice didn’t really know anything about coding.) It’s a shame that such a beautiful story was overshadowed by so much filler.

The book includes resources about supporting communities that have experienced wildfires and resources for recovering from alcoholism which many teen readers might be interested in learning more about these topics.

Pre-Read notes

I honestly grabbed this one for the title alone, but after reviewing the table of contents, which gives a good idea of the shape of the plot, I was completely invested.

Final Review to come

“Yeah, right . Sorry. I’m a little— you know, off today.” “Witnessing a fire-pocolypse can do that to a person,” I said. p124

Review summary and recommendations

I enjoyed this book in part because it's a well structure trauma narrative. I love reading stories about people or characters (in this case, a whole town) who survive a terrible experience (in this case, a wildfire) and start to piece their lives and new identities together in small ways, like the main character's reliance on her boyfriend's kisses to get her through, what she describes as "a fix".

I thought giving the audience this story through a teenage girl's perspective created a story with a surprisingly energetic tone and a tendency to question how the story action connects to itself. I loved that Youngdahl chose to write this story as YA.

Reading Notes

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. This form is smart and will add a lot to the story. I can tell just by looking at the table of contents!

2. Every year, the canyon winds heralded fall as sure as pumpkin spice at Peak Coffee and giant pots of mums at Franks. But this was different. People say the wind howls, but that morning it was an engine— a helicopter or a speed boat. A constant roar. p88 Wonderful description of the setting.

3. Selfies that said “I’m alive!” Everyone was waiting. Waiting to know what had happened to their friends, family, houses, pets, wanting to know if— or when— we could go home. p123 I find this scene so real and authentic. When M and I went through the fires in Colorado in the 2000s, and Hurricane Oscar in 2018 when we were in West Palm Beach, I was glued to social media to check on everyone, and to report as safe. I love the way Youngdahl writes this element.

4. I like the romantic elements in this one. This young live is very important to the barely-adult MC's planning their futures away at college. It sort of raises the stakes of the fire in a clever reverse-psychology way. Then I was kissing him back, getting lighter with each touch, and more aware of my hands and feet and lips. Yes, I had lips. And River. I had River to kiss. It was compulsive this kissing. More than a hunger. A fix. p176

5. I saw a growing darkness on the gray ground. Oh. I was bleeding. No wonder it hurt. Yeah. Ouch. That was pain. I thought in Alicia’s dad’s voice: Girls, if someone is bleeding, apply pressure. But with what? My hands were coated in toxic dust, and all scraped up. I tried to free my foot, but I was stuck. p218 The fmc's voice remains accessible and addictive, no matter the stakes or level of tension.

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. Not a fan of this form where the author often switches to some list form or other to deliver story information. The content feels repetitious because the form is. So I listened, and when he put his hand on my shoulder, I didn’t even look at it. I didn’t see the tarnished gold of his wedding band. I didn’t reach up and hold on. I didn’t say there’s no chance in hell we are leaving without you. I didn’t demand that he stay with us. I didn’t run ahead to grab whatever he needed twice as fast as he could. I didn’t. “Go on now.”He pushed me. p116

2. Okay the page full of Ifs is annoying, especially if you have diminished vision and your screen reader stumbles over and over all that. In general, this sort of repetition, where words become more like blockades, does not appeal to my senses, and it doesn't here. For excellent execution of this technique, I recommend House of Leaves. *edit This repeats throughout the book, it's brutal! But it's a pretty effective literary representation of anxiety. I don't hate this stylistic choice, because I think I get it's purpose.

Rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 /5 flames
Recommend? definitely!
Finished: Mar 8 '25
Format: accessible digital arc, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
🌪 natural disaster stories
🏋🏻‍♀️ strong fmc
👩🏽‍🤝‍👨🏻 teenage friendship under strain
🌳 great descriptive writing

Thank you to the author Shana Youngdahl, publishers Penguon Random House, and NetGalley for an accessible advance digital copy of A CATALOG OF BURNT OBJECTS. All views are mine.
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A Catalog of Burnt Objects” by Shana Youngdahl is a poignant exploration of resilience, family dynamics, and personal growth set against the backdrop of California wildfires. The narrative centers on 17-year-old Caprice, a coding enthusiast navigating her brother’s return from rehab, a budding romance, and the looming threat of natural disaster. Youngdahl’s evocative prose and layered storytelling offer readers a heartfelt journey through trauma and healing, making it a compelling read for those interested in contemporary young adult fiction.

this was such a beautiful story and i think it's meant for everyone. i loved the characters and everything about this.

it follows caprice alexander before and after a forest fire destroys sierra, her hometown.

her estranged brother has returned home and she's trying to work on her relationship with him, unsure when she lays. she's designing an app for tourists who might visit her town, showing all the best places to go. she falls in love with the new boy in town, who cares about being carbon neutral and runs his truck on vegetable oil.

after the fire they have to piece their life back together one by one. it's such a drastic event that changes your life. everything you thought you knew is just poof gone, you start to realize where to put importance and how important your family/friends are.

the writing was very easy to follow and I read this in 3-4 hours. it says 12+ but there were many mentions of sex/intimacy so I'd say 14+ because of the innuendo but no language.

there's grief, first love, loss, new beginnings.

Book review: 4/5 ⭐️
Genre: YA fiction
Themes: wildfires, addiction, family, grief, acceptance

IF book features girls who code THEN it deserves a feature.

Thank you for @coloredpagesbt @penguinteen and @shanayoungdahl for letting me be a part of this book tour.

With devastating wildfires once again raging across California, this is such a timely novel. While shedding light on the sheer horror and destruction these wildfires can cause for a community, a family, it was more a story about hope. Sure it comments on climate change and how people can learn to live in an environment as opposed to taking it over, a life of balance and sustainability, but at it’s heart it is a coming of age story. A story of first love, the bond between family, learning to adapt and accept uncertainty and the roots that tie us to a place.

Seventeen year old Caprice is walking on eggshells with the return of her brother. A recovering alcoholic, his struggles have been the centre of the family and a resentful Caprice has no interest in discussing it further. Torn between being mad at her brother and wanting to support him, between resenting him for always needing to be the centre of attention and loving him for it at the same time, theirs is a complicated relationship where serious topics are off the table. As she tries to mend the rift, while also working on her ticket out of small town life, everything will change when a wildfire breaks out. Suddenly, life is put into perspective and the future is more uncertain than ever.

In true teenage fashion many of the characters can seem self-centred at times, especially Beckett. He seems incapable of understanding the true impact he had and is still having on the lives of his family, or at least verbalizing it. Given that he is focused on daily survival, it makes sense, but I felt for Caprice. Both Beckett and Caprice are experts in avoidance and forging forward, but as bitter feelings linger this brother-sister bond is tested. It was really interesting to have the perspective of living with a loving brother who also struggles with an addiction. To have this element introduced at a very young age was both heart breaking and truthful. The ripple effects never really end with addiction.

The characters: I liked Caprice, but I also wished for Beckett’s POV. I wanted to know why he turned to alcohol to begin with, what the accident had done to him, what he was thinking in the now - but I think that’s the point. We can’t always know, but have to learn to live with the now. I don’t always love the best friend and the brother situation, but it was handled well under the circumstances and I was rather fond of Ali. River had all the characteristics of that first, the hormone induced obsession and tender moments. I liked that he had his own goals and motivation, but was equally enamoured.

Overall it was a rather sweet story of healing and learning how many maybes life can have. With grief, addiction, and displacement, it is certainly a serious read and Caprice’s anxiety is palpable, but I think it is a beautiful story for older and younger readers alike. Kudos for also integrating STEM into the narrative. As someone in this field I greatly appreciated the youthful interest. Highly recommend this one!

“We weren’t dead, but much of our lives were gone.”

I don’t think I can accurately express the spectrum of feelings that A Catalog of Burnt Objects provoked in me. The writing choices the author made (I’m thinking about the coding language that Caprice uses, esp during anxiety peaks) were particularly clever and enhanced the emotions during the whole book –don’t ask me how many tissues I used, because, yes, I also cried a lot. “If” is a powerful world, but it takes even more importance here.
The book revolves around a massive wildfire, and how people –especially the MC– as individuals but also as a whole community deal with that. How can you imagine your future when a fire just ravaged your entire past? What Caprice lives is everything but simple. This is a coming of age story, but it’s so much more than that. If a major trauma wasn’t enough, she has to decide on her future like any other teen, face what first love kindles in her, learn how to deal with loss and grief –in every possible way. I loved the idea of introducing characters with these text boxes in which they talk about their most regretted lost object, and it also made me wonder what I would miss the most, should I lose everything.
Each character has something to say. In their diversity, they are a piece of the puzzle that is their community, and we can question a lot of themes, especially about our modern life, but also about transmission and memory. How can you remain yourself when your memories are gone –the objects, but also the insubstantial ones, like for Caprice’s grandmother?
Exploring the before, during and after through an ambitious teenager’s eyes was a very interesting POV, as much as this first love that gives her wings –or even better, allows her to anchor her feet on the ground. She has a great evolution during the novel, and if you can feel (quite literally) her distress in you bones, you also can feel hope. As I said, a whole panel of (raw) feelings.

Thank you to the author, Penguin Teen and ColoredPages pr for the eARC via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

We have been hearing about these raging wildfires on the news for the last few years, but have we ever gotten a chance to experience what people living in these areas are going through in the aftermath of such hazardous situations, where sometimes there isn't even a home to go back to. Well, this author, a homie of Paradise, California, wanted to throw a light on these wildfires in her own way, bringing this book to life.

For context, the story flows like this, Caprice our FMC, a pro at multitasking, just rolling with her tight gripped life with her bestie Alicia, her rebel brother Beckett brother is back from rehab, they have love but there is trauma too, a cute guy River also comes into her life. It's getting a bit complex for her, but then her town Sierra faces a wildfire, pushing her into a place like never before. The story moves forward to where she, along with her friends, family and towners, face the aftermath with their own complexities swirling into the mix.

I am not delving more into this, because this book is meant to be an experience, and I really hope you, as a reader, get to feel that too, because trust me as a fellow nature lover, this was painful to me. Despite that though, there were many beautiful layers filling my bucket for a layer lover like me *wink*. And this book was full of heart, filled with family love, another of my special tick marks checked for a book.

And there is more mental health. Wow, this book was something there, that I was spellbound. The only con was I felt few contrasts in her relationship with River didn't work with me personally, else I really enjoyed feeling this one. Uncannily, the title was a genius idea *wink*.
Rating - 4.5 stars. Book Recommendation - Hell Yeah.

Thanks to @coloredpagesbt @penguinteen @shanayoungdahl for gifting me a free copy for an honest review.

i was anticipating this book forever! like the author's debut, this was an emotional and intense coming of age story. i wanted even more from it: i loved the complex relationships our protagonist had with her brother, her town, and herself, but i was so interested in her relationships with her parents and her best friend, and i expected more from the romance. i'm right between 3 and 4 with this one!

Thank you Netgalley and Dial Press for e-arc. My opinions are being left voluntarily.

What a phenomenal woven story about Family environment and relationships. It melt like a magical realism book, and disturbingly on point with where the environment is. I definitely think I'll need to do a re-read soon.

Absolutely recommend this book.

5/5☆

This book was close to the author's heart as she had grown up in Paradise, California which was destroyed in the Camp Fire a number of years ago. No doubt this book was well in the works well before the even more recent and devastating California fires. She is able to portray not only the loss of lives and personal proberty, but the loss of an entire community. Some may be critical that the story incorporated too many issues such as dementia and addiction, but I think it was a realistic sharpshot of what many teenager's face today. Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Group and the author for an advance copy to read and review.

The book follows 17 year old Caprice, who is an aspiring app developer working on a project that highlights the best spots in her hometown, Sierra, CA. Everything seems to be looking up for her and her family: her app has a local funder, her brother has returned home from rehab, and a new love prospect has entered her life. the first third of the book counts down to the day of the fire. When the fire happens, Caprice moves through a state of shock, which Youngdahl brings to life through interrupted and non-linear narration, as well as Caprice’s mental blackouts and anxiety/ panic attacks. In the days and weeks that follow, Caprice and her family work to figure out what a future looks like for each of them. Youngdahl doesn’t shy away from the tension between Caprice and her mother, her parents reaching for their own coping mechanisms, and the teenage spiraling as Caprice figures out what this means for her social and love life.

By far by favorite aspect of this book is the device of the “catalog of burnt objects” that Youngdahl weaves through the book. Presented like case reports, these sections list the object that is missing, the place, and the owner of the object, followed by a narrative from that character about the meaning of the object. This brings the story outside of Caprice’s perspective and creates a collective voice for the town of Sierra. In what is lost, we learn about the stregnth of memory and spirit of each of the town’s members.

Caprice, at 17, is smart, and independent. Her older brother is and alcoholic, her father is absent, and her mother isn’t really there. Her Grandfather is always there for her though. As she starts her senior year in high school, her brother comes back home from rehab. Caprise is planning for her furture when a fire rips through her town.

In “A Catalog of Burn Objects”, Shana Youngdahl touches on so many intense parts of life such as love, addiction, recovery, aging grandparents, and loss.
Growing up in Southern California, fires were always in the back of my mind. Even living in the Texas Hill Country I have a go bag packed in case one breaks out nearby. Fires are the worst, I read this book with a small ball of anxiety in me.

Thank you NetGalley and Dial Books

What a wonderful step back in time to a place I inhabited as a young woman. Caprice owned these pages and with a voice and writing style that truly spoke to my inner teen and she drew me into her world in all its emotional chaos and family dynamics and held me close. I feel as if I have made a new friend and shared her world experiences, however there is a wonderful quality to youth that allows the young to stand tall in the face of adversity and grow stronger still because of it. Caprice reminds me of a seed from a giant redwood, her full strength would not be realized and the power of her spiritual breath would not be seen if not for the fire that allowed her sprout and claim her place.

As a an older reader, I was impressed with Youngdahl's writing and her ability to share Caprice's story in a way that make me feel as if I was teen again. But I am not the target audience, no matter how much I saw myself reflected here. Stepping back and thinking to what I longed to read as a teen and reflecting on what I hear teens commenting on around me, I can see this story being one that truly reflects the reality that this generation isexperiencing. This book would be a great summer read for anyone, but I truly feel this is a book teens need in this moment when resiliency, love, compassion, and endurance are the mixed up hallmarks of their generation. Caprice's story is one that will allow many to process the confusing mix of feelings that is life in the 21st Century.

I was hooked from the beginning!!
I devoured this book.
It was amazing, addictive, and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A CATALOG OF BURNT OBJECTS by Shana Youngdahl

Thank you Netgalley and PenguinTeen for the earc (Mar 18)

When Caprice's brother returns home, she wants nothing more for things go back to normal---for her family to be okay, or as okay as they can be. As things start looking up for her: working on her app, rekindling a relationship with her brother despite how she feels, and falling in love, a wildfire strikes her hometown leaving her confused, worried, and unsure about her future.
A CATALOG OF BURNT OBJECTS was a fast-paced read that I flew through in under a day. With it's coming-of-age, contemporary vibes, it makes for an emotional read.
This book was gripping and left me giddy, sad, relieved, all the emotions rolled into one. The characters were likeable for the most part...they each had their faults, but honestly that made them more human, which in turn made this book more realistic.
I want to say: this reminded me of LIES LIKE WILDFIRE by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez, which was neat because I liked that book. This book is also something relevant to today's times, the tragedies that so many have endured with countless wildfires. 10/10 would recommend.

Too much. I could not get into this book at all. A sarcastic high senior experiencing first love, a new kid with gay moms, an immature older brother home from rehab, a high achieving black best friend, a hippie mom, a meat and potatoes grandpa, a grandma with dementia, and then wildfires hit their town and wreak havoc. Now, none of these things are bad. All are fine. All, individually, have the potential to make a great story. But together they are like a soup with no broth. There is so much happening that you cannot focus on anything.

Due out March 18!

In the wake of this year's fires here in Southern CA, this was at times a really tough read.

Caprice, at 17, is smart, independent, and strong willed. She's grown up with an alcoholic older brother, absentee father, and checked out mother. Her grandma has been moved to a memory care facility and often doesn't remember her. Thankfully, Caprice's grandpa is always there for her.

Finding new footing with her brother home from rehab and the start of her Senior year in HS, she's creating an app for visitors to her town, with her bestie Alicia and new-to-town romantic interest River when wildfire takes over their town.

The grief and blame and sorrow ... I didn't need quite so many IFS, but I felt the emotions were so well written. And the ending was satisfying.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Dial Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.