While I'm a fan of Tiffany Jackson's work, this particular book fell short for me. The plot didn’t really hold my attention, but the ending delivered a satisfying payoff. I struggled to connect with the main character, Marigold. Her frequent references to her guru and repetitive mantra of "change is good" grew tiresome. Additionally, her overall demeanor came across as whiny, making it difficult to root for her.

Note: I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Not my favorite Jackson book at all, but still a fun read. I was a little less engrossed in this one than I was in her other work; however, it's been about a year since I read it and I do still think about many aspects of this book. Mostly the bedbugs.

Beautiful Cover!

I wanted so bad to like this book. It's one that had me completely invested in the first half and the build was phenomenal, only to quickly and abruptly finish at a crazy fast pace. The writing style is so beautiful too, it's the pacing that killed me though. I may not have fallen in love with this book, but overall I did like it.

3/5 (+ 1 for writing style)

I’m a big fan of Tiffany Jackson’s writing but this book was not my fav. I struggled to finish it and debated DNF’ing it several times. My main issue with the book was that I didn’t like the MFC. Marigold’s constant referencing to her guru and desire/need for pot and her repetition of “Change is good, change is needed, change is necessary” was annoying after a while. I found her to be whiny and not someone I was rooting for. The plot was what kept me reading and the ending did make it somewhat worth while.

White Smoke by Tiffany D Jackson was an amazing story.

I do not know how she does it but no matter what book she writes she does a brilliant job in crafting and thought provoking story.
She was able to do a beautiful job in constructing a thriller while discussion important topics of mental health and addiction, gentrification, and environmental racism. her storytelling really makes you, the reader that makes feel every possible emotion that is expressed by the characters, making you feel even more connected to them throughout the read. I will say it was hard from me to read this book at night because of how scared i got with the creepy aspects of the story as well as at times angry during painful movements.

Overall, this book was a wild ride that I was happy to hop onto. i loved every moment of this book it felt like a movie unfolding in front of me

Trigger Warnings regarding the book: Addiction, Blood, Drug use, Mental Illness, Racism

After so many, another fantastic book by Tiffany D. Jackson…I will read every spooky story this author writes!

I wanted to like this title, but personally it was not something that kept my interest. The concept behind the story was stunning, but to me the execution was not something that I was enjoying.

I love this book so much. Everything she writes is brilliant! Normally I would NOT be into anything this scary but I hang on Jackson’s every word.

I really like Tiffany D. Jackson's books. I love the way that she centers black characters and discussions of racism in horror stories. It feels so natural and is so welcome. This book reminded me a lot of one of my childhood favorites -- The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton.

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

White Smoke is one of my all time favorite reads. Jackson immediately establishes an atmospheric novel and a creepy mystery that leaves readers begging to find out what’s really going on.

TIffany D. Jackson is a storyteller unlike any other. She is one of those authors whose stories leaving my jaw hanging open at the end of the book. If you're looking for a horror story that both creeps you out and gives you a true view of this country we live in, look no further than White Smoke.

Marigold’s family moves to a new home in Cedarville, surrounded by abandoned houses on Maple Street. The free housing for her mom’s new job seems like an offer that’s too good to be true, and Marigold soon finds out that it is. Strange occurrences and unusual sounds convince Marigold that the house is haunted by a spirit that wants all of them gone - all of them but her little stepsister Piper, who has a new imaginary friend. But after Marigold’s previous mental breakdown and overdose, no one believes her.

The horror elements of the story were perfectly executed, and I was on the edge of my seat. The characters’ depth and connections to each other were clear from the beginning, amping up the tension as the situation became worse for Marigold, her family, and her new friends in Cedarville. The twist took me completely by surprise, and then the book doubled down on its twist by revealing that the real monsters were not in the house at all. Using the haunted house setting as a stage to discuss the insidious specter of gentrification and the slow and fast destruction of Black neighborhoods was a brilliant angle, and this is definitely my favorite of Jackson’s works so far. I only wish the ending was not so abrupt with little glimpse into where the characters go from there.

This haunting story was incredibly captivating. I could hardly set it down. I hope that there will be more to come in this world.

This reminded me very much of Wait Until Helen Comes, just a more grown up version. It really annoyed me how shitty of a step father Alec was, and why Marigold's mom never really stood up for against him. The plot twist was slightly underwhelming and definitely not what I was expecting. It felt spooky and was a great October read.

Don't read this book if you are creeped out by bugs! I really liked the mental health and anxiety rep of this book. Possibly also OCD? Doesn't name the mental health issue, but it felt really relatable and added to that horror factor of her brain not working the way it should be. The ending was abrupt and not my favorite, almost like the author was just rushed at the end. But overall, still fantastic!

I was excited to pick this one up because I love Tiffany D. Jackson's writing but this one just didn't coalesce for me. It had a lot of great elements, but they weren't really fully fleshed out. Regardless, I will always pick up a Tiffany D. Jackson title.

White Smoke begins with Marigold moving with her blended family to the outskirts of a fictional, burned out city that's clearly seen better days. Her mother has won an artist residency and the family moves into a renovated home--the only habitable structure on an otherwise totally burned down Maple Street. It's creepy and wrong and soon enough strange things start happening in the house that suggest the family isn't alone. But is the house haunted? Or is something else happening? Something bigger?

At its core, this is a horror novel about gentrification and the history of mid-western cities like Detroit and Cleveland. It focuses on addiction and the roles people play in the active destruction of their own neighborhoods at the benefit of others (primarily rich, white men) who will happily step in "improve" urban areas that have decayed. It's an interesting novel, which walks a fine line between hauntings and social commentary. It does become a bit frantic at the end, which comes to an abrupt halt. I wish there had been a clearer through-line concerning the leaders of the town, because it does come off feeling too complicated. The plan is too convoluted when you finally see what's really happening, and it's hard to keep that suspension of disbelief when gentrification happens just fine on power and money alone.

Overall, though, I really enjoyed this. There are some genuinely creepy moments. The best YA horror I've read this year.

So So spooky! This was a great read and I can't wait to share it with my library students! I loved the twists and turns of this book, and I have no doubt this will be a popular one amongst my students.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children’s, NetGalley, and author Tiffany D. Jackson for the opportunity to read and review this novel!

White Smoke is a young adult horror novel that touches on gentrification, blended families, drug use/abuse, mental health, and the criminal justice system.

Marigold’s mother thinks it’s a blessing when she lands a writing fellowship that will give their family the fresh start it needs. When they get to their new home in the midwestern city of Cedarville, Mari starts to think their blessing is more of a curse. Marigold already suffers from acute anxiety, but she really thinks she’s losing her mind when things start going missing, doors open and close on their own, and strange smells fill the house.

Honestly, the horror aspect of this novel genuinely freaked me out. With that said, I had a hard time relating to Mari and felt frustrated that it didn’t seem like she was getting the help she needed to handle her mental health challenges. In the novel, Mari smokes weed to help combat her anxiety, and her reliance on it definitely makes it more of an addiction. Unfortunately, the writing simply seemed repetitive rather than garnering sympathy or understanding about why a person may turn to drugs for escape.

Overall, it wasn’t my favorite of Jackson’s novels, but it was still an enjoyable read that has valuable messages about systemic issues of gentrification and incarceration.