Thank you @amyhagstromauthor @brilliancepublishing for my gifted alc.

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.
Terri Schnaubelt did a fantastic job with the narration. Her characterizations were perfect. Perfect for this thrilling suspense.
Could not put this one down!

"Smoke Season" offers plenty of action, with a generous serving of crime. Mel is a fire chief stationed in a small community in Oregon when disaster strikes — the small fire sparked by lightning has turned into a raging forest fire that now threatens their town. As Mel grapples with coordinating a firefighting response, she's weighed down by concerns for her medically fragile daughter — and by the choices she's made in order to be able to afford her medical care.

Living in a state that also experiences fire seasons, I found Amy Hagstrom's writing and descriptions quite genuine. For fans of Peter Heller, there's much to enjoy here with a similar atmospheric and environmental tone. There's a certain "Breaking Bad" feel to Mel's choices that will feel familiar to many readers as well. I didn't always agree with Mel's choices and other readers likely won't either, so expect a decent amount of internal cringing. Still, it's fast paced, engaging, and largely believable.

4.5 stars rounded up. Content notifications: LGBTQ representation, medical fragility, illegal drugs.

Thank you to Brilliance Publishing, NetGalley, and Amy Hagstrom for providing an advance copy for honest review.

I wanted to be pulled into the story and to not be able to put it down. Unfortunately, that was not my experience. I wasn’t a fan of Mel as a character. Many bad decisions were made by her and her friend True. Mel is a fire chief and True is a whitewater rafting guide. Together they have a side gig of drug trafficking. Both were unlikable in my opinion. I wanted more of the story to be about the wildfire experience in Oregon and not the drug trafficking. I listened to the audiobook and was very confused as to whose POV it was as it switched often. Some stories just are not for me, this seemed to be one of them.

This high-stakes story takes place in and around a small town in Oregon. Meg, a river outfitter, takes a new client and her transgender son out on a multi-day excursion when a lightning strike starts a conflagration that threatens the town and everyone on the river. Meg’s best friend is the town’s fire chief who is in a marriage crushed by the weight of medical bills for their very ill younger daughter. She, her husband, and Meg take lots of risks and have to think fast under pressure as the fire rages and their options narrow.
The fire and rafting part reminded me of Peter Heller’s novel The River.
The details of caring for a very ill child are not something I typically encounter in a novel. There were very detailed descriptions of the health equipment needed and decisions about how long a drive they could take with what powered equipment etc. The author threw so much additional stuff into this book to make a little point here and there. For example, the child on the rafting trip is transgender and a big deal is made about that in the beginning, but it ended up not being that important to the story. More like it was thrown in to gain LGBTQIA readers, but also not essential as Meg is a lesbian. But who cares about that when the town and hillsides are in flames?!?! I still liked the book; I just thought it was over the top in places.
My thanks to the author, publisher, producer, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook for review purposes. Publication date: Nov. 19, 2024.

An uber fast action thriller. A wildfire rages. Lives are in danger. This is a story of loss and rebirth. Mel is a fire chief, True is a river guide, they are best friends. What starts out as a normal rafting trip for True ends up in a race against nature to protect her customers and a "side gig" that she runs with Mel. The side gig involves making a drop off for an unscrupulous drug dealer. Mel's estranged husband is taking care of her respiratory compromised daughter, as he is making plans to evacuate, the fires get dangerously close. An edge of your seat thriller that leaves you breathless.  A great story of the family and community coming together. There is also a queer and trans subplot intricately woven into the story.

4 stars

The narrator Teri Schnaubelt, does a wonderful job with narration. I was able to listen at 1.5x speed with no problem at all. Thank you to Brilliance Audio for the advance listener copy.

So, I thought the drama in this would be more regarding the wild fire, not the drug trafficking. The fire is a complication, not the focus. Kind of disappointed in that.

This is not what I expected, so I spent a lot of it annoyed. I likely would have enjoyed this a lot more if my expectations were different.

As for the characters, <spoiler> I kind of hoped they would all die. They are terrible people. Selfish people. Like, I get that Mel is doing what she can for her daughter, but it doesn't justify her actions. </spoiler>

As far as the audiobook aspect, there are multiple POVs and one narrator. While I always prefer multiple narrators, sometimes it is a preference, sometimes it is necessary. This is one of the necessary. There were no pauses at all between POV changes sometimes. It made it get confusing. Had it been clearer- whether the author stated their name or the narrator paused, it'd have been better. Other than that complaint, the narration by Teri Schnaubelt was fine.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book very much. The realism of a fire taking over a community was on point. Made me feel like I was in the movie “only the brave” the courageousness of the main character and their love for one another made this book a fantastic read. I highly recommend this fantastic thriller,