I was fully invested in Sam and Mel’s relationship right from the beginning. Hagstrom was somehow able to convince me that they absolutely belonged together, but that they really should not be with each other. I’m not sure how she did that! Watching their characters grow, and come to terms with many of their challenges was captivating. I was rooting for them, but only after they fixed a few things first.
While True was a side character, she was a big part of the draw for me. It was through her (mainly) that I was able to understand both Sam and Mel so much better. Her commitment to the Bishops was all-encompassing, and while that was admirable it was so nice to see her finally committing to herself. I would like to learn more about True as she moves on. I felt that more time should be have been spent on Astor. She seemed like such a side thought as times. However, that may be exactly how the “glass child” feels like. I personally found that very hard to read about (but absolutely important).

Smoke Season by Amy Hagstrom overall I found this to be a good book. The characters were all likeable even if they may not have been doing the right thing all the time. There was plenty of action in the book, that kept it moving along. It is told in different perspectives, which normally is a turn off for me. In this case that actually did not detract from the story line. I would recommend it to others.

I received and ARC from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing, and I am leaving my review voluntarily

Smoke Season is a beautiful, suspenseful novel that captures the raw and complex emotions of its characters while they are in the middle of an out-of-control wildfire in the Pacific Northwest. Firefighter Mel, her ex-husband Sam and their best friend True are worried about medically fragile five-year-old Annie, while trying to fight and escape the fire that’s taking over their town. At the same time Mel and True are hiding a big secret that would get them into trouble with the law if found out. While I thought some parts dragged on and were very wordy, the depth of the characters and the challenges they faced made up for it. Smoke Season is a compelling, thrilling read that will keep you wondering what will happen next. Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is quite a thrilling, but mostly beautiful story, following a struggling family through a forest fire. You feel all the emotions while reading this book. I truly feel like i got to know and love these characters and found myself hoping they would all make it out well. Definitely recommend.

Thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review

A Spine Chilling, Heart Pounding Race against a Wildfire to save the life a small child! A work of fiction that is plausible and powerful that read as if it was ripped from the headlines...and one that will stay with you long after you close the cover.

If that brief summary of this book doesn't get you attention, I don't what know what suspense thriller will! This book had everything that I was looking for in a snap me out of myself read. This complex and vividly rich book read like the best action movie.

What lengths will a mother go to in order to find the money for her child's life saving operation? This is the question that haunts Melissa as she heads off to fight baby wildfire while facing the crush of medical bills and true love marriage that has been collateral damage to the pressures of parenthood. But she and her best friend and Annie's 'Aunt' True have a plan that may rescued them all. On a normal white water raft trip downriver, True will ferry money for some unsavory characters - no questions asked -and return with her fee for services! One trip, in and out, done and dusted. For this experienced river guide this should not be an issue, right? But add to this Vivian and Emmett Wu...a single mom who has booked this trip as a bonding moment for her and her son who has just discovered his true self and everything takes on a powerful new dimension. This trip is designed to be not just a memory maker for the Wus but a powerful way to highlight acceptance for both mother and son and provide a chance for both to discover what they are truly capable of...and boy did they get this. But none of them, even the wildfire expert Mel, counted on the Flatiron Mt Wildfire and the way it would reveal these tenuous relationships in a brightest & harshest light. Will True find that she and Vivian have a spark of their own? Will Sam, Mel's husband and father of her two little girls, face the demons from his dark childhood and years in the military to conquer them while fighting to keep Annie,his fragile baby girl, and Astor, his little girl that is 8 going on 80, safe in the high mountain? What will this fire reveal about the strength of family, found and blood of identities born and chosen, and of the power of love to fight back the flames and shadows!

An amazing and gripping read that will keep you up with twists and turns that make you hold your breath and characters that will have you longing not just to survive but for a Happily Enough For Right Now.

I was very intrigued by the synopsis of this book. Set during a wildfire in Oregon, this story is told from three different POVs. Mel is the fire chief in charge of making sure the fire does not spread and cause significant damage to their small town. While she is out in the field, she is also worrying about her medically fragile daughter who will be greatly impacted by the fire if she must be exposed to the smoke. This is a good thriller with plenty of crime intwined in the story. What has Mel had to do to be able to afford medical bills for her daughter? Highly recommend!!

4.25⭐

If you're looking for a book that's both intense and high-stakes, checking out Smoke Season by Amy Hagstrom. I am serious when I say intense. My stomach was in knots throughout this book. Mostly because it's set against a backdrop of a burning wildfire in the mountains of Oregon, the town of Carbon, and the river Outlaw.

With a plot that revolves around three main characters: river guide True, her closest friend, battalion fire chief Mel, and Mel's estranged husband Sam.

And as the fire burns through the mountains and moves closer to the town they call home, each person finds themselves in impossible situations and incredible danger.

With True out on the river, with her client Vivian and her transgender son Emmett. Mel is fighting the fire with her crew while Sam is at home with their two daughters waiting to hear whether they will have to evacuate. While also worrying about his youngest daughter's complex health needs.

However, the danger is not finished there. As True and Mel have been operating a dangerous side hustle, in order to raise funds that Mel and Sam urgently require.

And with complex and nuanced characters, and an impending feeling of doom. As mother nature does her worst. Smoke Season was both engaging and fast-paced, and I thought that Amy handled some sensitive and tough subjects incredibly well. I particularly liked the detail given around the wildfire and the conversations True and Vivian had.

My thanks to Kate Rock Book Tour for the opportunity to read Smoke Season.

Thank you @amyhagstromauthor @lakeunionauthors and @katerockbooktours for my gifted arc.

WOWZA!!! What a compelling thrill ride this was! I was locked in for Mel, Sam, and True’s decisions and outcomes. Mel, the small town fire chief battling the fire but worrying about her youngest daughter, seemed like she had the most on the line. But, Sam, taking care of the two girls- especially Annie with a heart condition- and having to make difficult choices in order to care for them but ALSO worry about his family home as the fires become dangerously close and all that brought with it felt the most relatable for me having been in his shoes with hurricanes and my own health to consider. True, on a river rafting guide trip and caring for her guests but also engaging in dangerous activity to help Mel and Sam take care of their daughter seemed to be putting the most at risk. I also liked the LGBT and trans rep within True’s story.
Could not put this one down!

I loved Hagstrom’s previous book, The Wild Between Us, and came into Smoke Season anticipating good things. I wasn’t disappointed! The author blends authentic storytelling of humans and nature, full of love, fear, and honesty, with pulse-pounding suspense that can’t be beat. She has quickly become an auto-read author for me.

This heart pounding story had me racing to finish the book to see how the story ends. It explores what choices a person will make for their family. Set in a small, rural Oregon town, estranged couple Mel and Sam are struggling to survive and have the money needed for the care of their very ill daughter. Their best friend, river guide True, is trying hard not to take sides and is working with Mel on a dangerous scheme to earn extra money. When a wildfire ignites in the area difficult decisions must be made in order to survive. Will this fire season destroy everything? The multiple points of view and multiple storylines drew me in and kept me engaged. I liked Mel, Sam, and True and could feel their struggles and terror. The writing had my heart racing and I could see the fire as it raged. I will be adding the author to my list of auto read authors. I highly recommend this for readers that enjoy heart pounding reads.

was a really good story.
I found myself pulled into this remarkable story with intriguing characters and unable to pull away.

Does this author know how to describe a fire! Wow!! Before starting this book, clear your schedule and calm your heart rate because while Ms. Hagstrom's first book was a slow build to the climax, this book starts with a bang. Kinda literally! I was not a victim of the 2018 Camp Fire, but I live close enough to have suffered from the air quality and provide assistance to some of the victims. Reading this book filled me with flashbacks to news reports, conversations with victims, etc. If you think I'm exaggerating, no, Ms. Hagstrom even mentions the Camp Fire in the acknowledgements. But, in addition to the heart pounding descriptions of fire, its precariousness, and the damage it can cause, there are also well developed and intricate storylines outside of the fire itself. The narration bounces between three points of view, all connected to each other but for the most part separated due to the fire. Each one has very specific concerns of their own in addition to concerns about the other narrators. This makes for a gripping, page turner and the second 5 star read for me from Ms. Hagstrom!

📚 PUBLICATION WEEK BOOK TOUR BOOK REVIEW 📚

Smoke Season By Amy Hagstrom
Publication Date: November 19, 2024
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
(Rounded Up To 5⭐)

📚MY REVIEW:

If you're in the mood for an emotionally intense read, one that prompts constant edge-of-your-seat anxiety, allow me to introduce Smoke Season by Amy Hagstrom.

When I say intense, I genuinely mean it. My stomach was in knots for much of the book, and most of the intensity came primarily from the unhinged and out-of-control stressor of a burning wildfire in the Oregon mountains. While it was a different kind of intensity than in the thrillers I most often read, this was an incredibly enjoyable read for me.

The story was told from the perspective of three main characters: Sam, Mel, and True. Sam and Mel have been married for years but are currently estranged and living separately, their relationship struggling due to the stresses of their youngest daughter's life-or-death medical needs and the subsequent strain on their family's finances. True is Mel's best friend, who has had an unrequited romantic love for Mel since they first met. Mel is a fire battalion chief in town and as such, is on the frontlines of the wildfire. Sam owns the town's bar/restaurant, which serves as a community hub of-sorts for the residents during the chaos of the fire. And True, who runs her own river-guide tour company, finds herself on a river tour with rookie rafters while the fire rages in the near distance. There wasn't a single storyline in this book that didn't cause heart-pounding anxiety.

I will say, some of the details of the firefighters battling the blaze felt, at times, a little too detailed, and I found myself kinda glossing over some of it. However, this 'downtime' for my brain was welcomed amidst the intensity of the rest of the book. Amidst the intensity is the background-yet-powerful LGBTQIA+ storyline involving True's blossoming friendship with Vivian and Emmett Wu, the family she is guiding down the river. Emmett is a young trans character, wholeheartedly supported in his transition by his mother Vivian, and the conversations between True and Vivian about this part of the story were a beautiful representation of acceptance within Hagstrom's book.

There was a lot to love about Smoke Season, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to be swept up in the storyline of a really, really great read. A massive thank you to Kate Rock Book Tours, Lake Union Publishing, NetGalley, and Amy Hagstrom herself for this advanced e-book in exchange for my participation in the book tour and my honest review.

#SmokeSeason #AmyHagstrom #LakeUnionPublishing #katerockbooktours #booktours #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #ARC #mustreads #booklover #bookaddict #bookreviews #bookrecs #bookrecommendations

I feel totally torn with this book, I really enjoyed Amy’s first book but this one just didn’t grab me as much.
Mel and Sam’s marriage has broken but they are held together by their daughters, one of whom has a major medical condition needing lots of medication and eventually surgery. With fiancés tight Mel and her best friend True stumble on an illegal and risky way to secure extra money for treatment.
Set in the backdrop of a major fire surrounding the town of carbon, Mel a fire battalion chief and True a whitewater rafting guide have to battle the fire and their side hustle.
Not sure why this didn’t gel with me, I do know I was expecting this to be more about the fire itself and the community and it’s efforts to beat it, rather than the danger of the illegal activity that was going on.
Consequently I did skim read some chapters but the last 1/4 of the book held my attention. This really centred on the characters and their fire experience…terrifying. Guess this was what I had expected the story to be more about.
Thanks you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read. I will certainly still seek out any more of the author’s book.

This is an enjoyable fast passed read. The characters are easy to like and feel for what they are going thru. This had me on the edge of my seat and just couldn't put it down. Thank you for NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC.

A tense topical tale where you will find yourself rooting for people who have made hard and bad choices due. Mel and Sam can't see a way to pay for their child's medications until Mel and her friend True start trafficking narcotics. Then there's a wildfire which imperils all of them in more ways than one. This has good representation, a thoughtful plot. and raises questions about so many things. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARc. A good read.

This one was tense, set against the backdrop of a raging wildfire a community battles just to stay alive but while that may be the largest obstacle they face it’s not the only one. This is told via the perspectives of Sam, True and Mel who are a close knit unit made up of everyday people who are just trying to do their best. All three were easy to relate to, normal people trying to do right by their family and I was very sympathetic to their issues. Sam and Mel’s youngest daughter has a life threatening heart condition and her story truly scared me as a parent and then add in a fire literally in their backyard and the tension was SO high. If you live in an area where wildfires are an occurrence you know how scary it can be and the author did a great job of capturing that fear and anxiety. If you like character driven suspense with likable characters try this!

This is a really fast-paced and multi-dimensional novel. Forest fires, the impact of the smoke, a side drug business, and exploring what we do for those we care about.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

Smoke Season takes you on a ride of explosive suspense. With a wild fire burning and a devastating medical diagnosis. The characters are all fighting to stay alive. The plot is intentionally atmospheric with twists and gut wrenching tension.

Amy Hagstrom delivers another heart-pounding tale of complex, nuanced characters grappling with impossible situations made even more complex by a natural disaster. In Smoke Season, we meet True, a river rafting guide; Mel, a firefighter; and Sam, her husband. The adults are trying to care for the couple's girls, one of whom has a life-threatening heart condition made more complicated when a wildfire breaks out near their hometown. Hagstrom confronts unflinchingly the complexities faced by those in the LGBTQ+ community as well as those impacted by natural disasters in an era of climate change, but the characters are always front and center: the bad judgment calls that make you want to pull your hair out, even as you understand the reasons behind them; the struggles to reconcile impossible circumstances with impossible choices. Once again, Hagstrom paints a vivid backdrop against which the drama plays out. A page turner from start to finish.