Publishing Date: March 13, 2018
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Pages: 336
Young Adult Contemporary
The Premise from the Publisher: The autumn morning after sixteen-year-old Audrey Harper loses her virginity, she wakes to a loud, persistent knocking at her front door. Waiting for her are two firemen, there to let her know that the moment she's been dreading has arrived: the enormous wildfire sweeping through Orange County, California, is now dangerously close to her idyllic gated community of Coto de Caza, and it's time to evacuate. Over the course of the next twenty-four hours, as Audrey wrestles with the possibility of losing her family home, she also recalls her early, easy summer days with Brooks, the charming, passionate, but troubled volunteer firefighter who enchants Audrey--and who is just as enthralled by her. But as secrets from Brooks's dark past come to light, Audrey can't help but wonder if there's danger in the pull she feels--both toward this boy, and toward the fire burning in the distance (Penguin).
My overall thoughts and review: I just finished reading this a book about an hour ago now and when I closed the book, I sat there for a few moments trying to process and digest it all. I knew I wanted to write my review shortly after that while everything is still fresh in my mind, but damn, I`m still having a time trying to wrap my head around everything. I feel like I will be thinking about this book for a while. I will say one thing and if you have been following me on twitter you`ll know.. this book surprised me. I thought I knew where the story was going and it completely pulled the rug out from under me. From the premise alone, I thought this would be following Audrey and her life, as she comes to terms with possibly losing her home to a wildfire. What you get in addition to that is the intensity of first love and a destructive first love at that. It reminded me a lot of Roz Nay`s Our Little Secret in some ways and gosh, I really loved that book as well. The book is told in two timelines: one with flashbacks and learning more about Audrey and her relationship with Brooks, and then the really current time of the morning when firefighters knock on her door asking her to evacuate. Ezell writes in a really unique way where there is a heavier emphasis on dialogue, but she gives you just the right amount of information you require to follow along the story, but also want to turn the pages quicker and quicker to find out what really happened. This book covers so many topics such as family relationships, first loves, death of a loved one, and grieving. It surprised me in many ways and if you are looking for a fast-paced interesting YA book, this is definitely the one for you.
My rating of the book: ✮✮✮✮ (4/5 stars)
Available for purchase at:
Amazon, Kindle, Chapters/Indigo, Kobo, and Book Depository
Disclaimer: I received an advanced readers copy of this book from Penguin Teen Canada in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
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