Heather Ezell

I thought that this book was okay. It was one of those stories that I liked but didn't love and will ultimately find rather forgettable. I am really not sure what caused me to add this one to my reading list since the cover does nothing for me and the synopsis is only mildly appealing. I did find this book to be a fairly quick read and I was entertained but it was never a book that was hard to set aside.

This book jumped around in time quite a bit. About half of the book occurs on the day the fire comes so close to Audrey's home that she is evacuated. The rest of the book is set prior to that day. The present day events are told in a chronological manner but the flashes to the past do jump around just a bit with some happening closer to the fire and others at different times in Audrey's relationship with Brooks.

I never really connected with any of the characters. Audrey often did things that didn't make sense to me. I kind of wanted to sit her down and give her a good mom talk since she seemed to be on a rather destructive path. Brooks was a character that I never trusted and his relationship with Audrey was rather unhealthy.

I did like the fact that the story was centered around a fire. I thought that it was a really original setting and some of the descriptions of the fire were truly frightening. I did find some parts of the story to be rather predictable but I wanted to keep reading to see if things would actually work out the way I thought they would. I do have to say that I was really disappointed by the way the book ended. I really felt like the book just kind of stopped instead offering some kind of resolution.

I do think that a lot of readers will like this one a lot more than I did. This was as story that kept me turning pages. I would not hesitate to read future books by this debut author.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Penguin Publishing Group - Razorbill via First to Read.… (mais)

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

What first drew me to the book was that it took place in Orange County, California. A place I'm familiar with. I loved that it took places from that county, real places (such as Fashion Island, Balboa Island, and the Spectrum) and put them in the book instead of making a fictional version of the county.

I wasn't really a fan of the Brooks character. He felt too needy and whiny, and really selfish. I was practically shouting at Audrey to dump his butt. I didn't understand why she would stay with the guy.

I enjoyed viewing their relationship prior to the day of the fire.

All in all, this book is more for older teens.… (mais)