I enjoyed this one but if you're someone who has a hard time suspending belief for the sake of a plot... this might not be the one for you.

Immersive and on spot with todays happenings. You wont want to put this book down. Full lf heart, and adventure!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

A unique take on a down and out teen trying to help her family. I feel like the premise behind it (Vietnam Vet dad, PTSD, a girl who wants to help her family) is very universal. I think a lot of young adults can relate Honor in some way, shape, or form, even if the events of her story seem unrealistic. While it may not be a book to teach with, it’s definitely one I can promote for independent reading.

Like other reviewers I found his book a little too hard to believe and I kept comparing it to an Ozark like plot which is similar in how unbelievable the plot is

Thank you so much to net galley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book. It was a breathe of fresh air.

Welcome Back!

It’s been a busy month and somehow we are at the start of August! As far as reading July had some highs and some lows (I believe a DNF or two as well) but it’s a new month and I am looking forward to reading many more stories! I technically finished the Smoke audiobook towards the end of July but I had not yet had the chance to write this review. So without further ado, let’s jump into Smoke!

SPOILERS AHEAD

Honor is an amazing student, great daughter, good sister, and an all-around nice person, however, her family is experiencing some hard times. Honor tries to help out as much as she can by working at the greenhouse with her aunt, however, one day Honor finds out some things she shouldn’t. Honor learns that the VA will be cutting her father’s benefits and they will definitely not have enough every month. On top of that Honor learns that the greenhouse is in massive debt and they are already on their last chance to pay it. Her father is also experiencing awful PTSD that she and her brother try to help him with as much as they can. Honor has her plate absolutely full but she can not let her family lose everything. So she comes up with an idea. She is going to grow and sell marijuana just for a little while to help her family. With a plan in hand, Honor finds two unlikely people to help her and things seem like they could actually work out. But what if this is not as simple as it seems? What if someone is trying to push them out of the market before they are even in it?

I really enjoyed Smoke. I think Honor’s story was very unique. She did not want to do something that was considered a felony or wrong but she felt she needed to slide in and save her family. Her father is already dealing with so much and she knows there is no other way for him to really take care of this problem. Outside of the story, I loved the characters but special mention for Honor, her brother, and their friend who helps them out! (He was my absolute favorite character I think)! I am excited to see what this author writes next!

Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars

I was provided a copy of Smoke by netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoy Darcy Woods' voice in YA. Smoke is an interesting story as a teen, Honor, finds themselves in the midst of family financial ruin and turns to growing weed to get them out of their crisis. I found the story a *bit* hard to believe which wouldn't have been a problem except it felt like I was supposed to believe the story all the way through particularly with the author's note at the beginning speaking to Darcy's connection. It was a fast read that made me want to keep turning the page. I read it in two sittings!

I was such a fan of Darcy Woods' debut novel and I was excited to dive into this one! It had a different feel from her first, but it was just as heartfelt. I found the story compelling and high stakes and I can't wait to see what the author has in store next!

This book was just okay. I don't think this book was bad, it just wasn't for me. I found myself getting uninterested throughout the story. I did not care for the characters especially the main one and I didn't really care for the ending either.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was a little turned off by the teen wanting to grow cannabis to help this family out of financial problems. I felt like this idea might have come from watching either weed or break bad because it seems to have the same premise but for a younger crowd. Overall the book is decent and a quick and easy read—one of the first endings that I did not imminently know. Trigger warning of committing a crime & PTSD

Thank you to NetGalley & the publishers for an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. While I did appreciate the author's note in the beginning of the book, detailing the personal connection to this story, I had some problems with "Smoke" by Darcy Woods. The depictions of the "stoners" in the book seem to be overwhelmingly shifty, red-eyed losers, even though her own father uses marijuana for treatment of PTSD. The depiction of pot users as burn-outs seem to be outdated and more people than you think use pot on a recreational basis and are extremely successful. Honor starts off extremely anxious and school focused or problem oriented, then loses sight of all of that when Cole comes into the picture. I just wasn't buying the major personality changes. Or the gang of weed suppliers that came out of nowhere.

This one straddles a weird line for me. I struggle to reconcile the details of the premise, the notion of illegally growing marijuana to sell to a legal dispensary. I find that hard to believe. Now, the rest of the details make sense. I can see how their particular interests and personality types would allow them to grow a strong, high yield crop. But the threats to their enterprise are thin and hard to follow. I don't fully accept the eventual reveal of the "villain". There isn't enough evidence or motivation. Too much attention is paid to the red herring so that we get basically no actual clues. I don't love the ending either.

I have so many good things to say about this book. The first being is the unique idea of a teen being inspire by classic poetry to grow pot to help her families financial problems. The characters were not stereotypes even the minor characters had distinct personalities. The ending was unexpected and tied up very nicely. The subtle romance story line was refreshing and flowed in the story well without being too gushy and mushy. Ms. Woods portrayal of PTSD is both respectful and realistic.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

4.0 out of 5.0 stars

I was honored to receive an advanced copy of Smoke and dove in not knowing what to expect. The forward by the author is a MUST read. It really set the tone for the book to know a bit of why she wrote this and where the themes came from.

Smoke uses a family backdrop of trauma and PTSD as a set-up for teenagers establishing a pot farm, aka a marijuana growing business. Honor (that's her name - it's so great), works for her family greenhouse. It's in trouble financially, as is her father who experiences severe reactions to past war trauma. She aims to save the family by secretly growing weed. Credit to the author, she addresses the serious themes with thought, and care. The characters have a lot of personality and quirks with many funny moments and lighter touches to offset the deeper themes.

I loved the sibling relationship between Honor and her brother. Honor has a complicated relationship with her mother, and a fractured friendship that are explored here, as well as a subplot involving bullying. I was at the edge of my seat SEVERAL times not knowing what would come of this business venture and where the story would lead.

Highly recommend this book for older teens with content warnings for bulling and PTSD/mental health.

A surprisingly fascinating and complicated YA novel about a studios teenager who decides to grow weed in order to help her family gain financial security. Thought-provoking and rife with mental illness, bullying, young love, and the complexities that come with moral dilemma, this is a refreshing and unique read about growing weed and growing up!

Honor always follows the rules, but when she finds out her former military father with PTSD may lose everything, she gets the bright idea to grow marijuana for profit. With the help of a few friends and family, Honor may just pull off the biggest criminal act of her life.

Going into this one I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with the characters and the writing style as much as I did. There is a lyrical quality to the words. I loved the added sweet romance and the in depth descriptions about growing weed. I felt like I learned from this book and walked away satisfied and enlightened on a relevant and timely topic! A romantic and interesting spin on the classic coming of age story!

This is a really dramatic story and I love the cinematic air that added to the tale. There was a great edge to the story that keeps you on your toes and the climax was insane. This was well balanced by the heart of the main characters. They still felt like relatively normal teenagers and the drama of their drug business blurred into regular teen drama. The book also had some great unexpected humor that perfectly lightened the tone when needed. This is certainly still a heavy book though and features PTSD, drug use, sexual harassment, and some violent scenes. I do think that and the teens being in the later years of high school puts this firmly in the older end of YA but as long as the reader is prepared for this subject matter I highly recommend this book.

I truly loved this book. I tried to savor it as long as I could but I flew through it completely hooked and needing the next chapter. What an awesome and wonderful story about how far you’ll go to save someone you love. Way to go, Darcy!

I was lucky enough to snag an ARC of this story, and HOLY WOW did I love it! It's brimming with heart, hope, family, and love. Cannot wait for this beautiful book to hit the shelves!

This was such a great read! I requested Smoke because I love Breaking Bad, and this book definitely lived up to the comparison! Honor is such a great character: she’s smart, ambitious, and will do anything for her family. Even while dealing with her father’s PTSD and her family’s financial situation, she keeps a level head. I loved her relationship with her brother, especially how they became closer by the end of the book.