After loving Youngdahl’s debut, As Many Nows as I Can Get, I was elated to get early access to this one. Youngdahl’s writing is layered, poetic, and deeply resonant in a way that reads as effortless, even though I’m sure it’s anything but. The simplest of sentences carries emotional weight. The symbols and metaphors are lightly handled but vividly drawn, such that every garden gnome, every street corner, every haphazardly-incurred scar has layers of meaning. I also love that in a sea of feel-good reads that are dominating the YA market right now (because, let’s face it, we all need something that makes us feel good), Youngdahl doesn’t shy away from the hard stuff. Here, we not only have a community displaced by the wildfire that devastates their town, but a beloved brother working through the brutally challenging aftermath of intense addiction that wracked his family and left his best friend in a permanently vegetative state, a grandmother with dementia, and parents with a contentious relationship to each other and a largely distant relationship to their kids. It’s a lot, though Youngdahl balances the layers of trauma with the flutters of attraction brought on by the cute new boy in town, a ride-or-die friendship, and a tenacious hope for a better future that colours every interaction. It’s a story about a town destroyed by wildfire. It’s a call to action about ignoring climate change. It’s a deep dive into the resilience of the human spirit and the challenges of accepting the unknown as a means of moving forward after intense hardship. It’s a beautiful, poetic look at the things we hold dear, and why they grip our hearts. It’s complicated. It’s insightful. It’s beautifully written. And it packs a hell of an emotional punch.

Intense character study of identity and complicated relationships.
Personally, a little too "teen angsty" for me, but the older teens i teach would like it

This book is a heartfelt and emotional journey through loss, survival, and rebuilding in the aftermath of a devastating wildfire. As Caprice navigates family struggles, a new romance, and the destruction of her hometown, her story is both raw and deeply relatable, making it a must-read for anyone seeking a powerful tale of resilience.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this incredible book.

It was so very good. I loved it and I forsee a best seller! I have never read anything by this author, but the description and reviews pulled me in.

So glad I was able to get to read this one. It was just overall fantastic.

I highly recommend. You will not be disappointed.

Five stars.

This is an important book for my students to read, especially because they live in Ca. It is a story of a family, a girl with dreams, navigating building an app, a new romance, the return of her brother after rehab and so much more as they deal with the fire and the affect effects. How to survive when so much is lost, strong moving tale of survival

A CATALOG OF BURNT OBJECTS is such a beautiful book! Caprice is a heartwarming and relatable protagonist. Just as she is putting her life together and looking forward to what is next, a terrible disaster strikes in the form of a wildfire. The scenario is realistic and based on the real-life wildfires in California. The author does a wonderful job of including just enough details to make the reader feel immersed in each scene. I enjoyed following along Caprice's journey.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-galley; all opinions in my review are 100% my own.

I am not the typical YA audience (I'm 70) but just loved this book. I thought your characters, plot and circumstances were interesting, and the love affair between Cap and River just realistic enough to engage both teens and adults. The story concerns a somewhat fictionalized version of the Paradise Calif. fire of several years ago. and the timeline spans before and after the town is consumed by it and how the lives of the main characters -- including the two teens mentioned -- drastically change as they adjust to new circumstances of being homeless and rootless. There are three generations of residents that are involved in the plot, and while some of the situations border on well-worn stereotypes, they pull back just enough to make them realistic, relatable, and engaging. As the author says, "it is a story all of us need. We all face our own disasters. We all must find a way through." Highly recommended.

Caprice’s journey is so raw and intense, it pulls you in completely. The way she tries to mend her broken family while falling in love for the first time feels so real and heartbreaking. You can feel her pain, her hope, and her desperation as the wildfires threaten to take away everything she’s trying to hold onto. The emotions in this story are heavy, but there’s also a quiet strength in how Caprice fights for her family and her future, even when everything feels like it’s falling apart. It’s such a deeply moving and honest portrayal of love and survival.