What We'll Burn Last

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?

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 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.

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.