I am a huge fan of Tiffany Jackson and White Smoke did not disappoint! I was legitimately scared but could not stop reading. I enjoyed the horror aspect of the book and of course the twists! The ending was a bit abrupt, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed this one and will absolutely be buying copies for my classroom.

4.5 stars

White Smoke tells the story of a struggling teen, Mari, dropped in the middle of stark urban blight as her family attempts a ‘new start’ in the Midwest. The degree to which Mari’s personal struggles and the struggles of the town around her are exacerbated by some sinister external force are something Mari must discover during her time on Maple Street.

As a protagonist, Mari is everything I could want in a character to follow. She is smart, interesting, and genuinely cares for her friends and loved ones—but she’s also selfish, angry, scarred by trauma of the past and coping in a mixture of healthy and unhealthy ways. She does not always extend the same charity to others that they extend to her, and yet we feel for her when she is unjustly blamed or mistreated. She’s complicated, and she’s human.

As a horror story, this is an admirable foray into the genre. The atmosphere is suitably spooky, the characters appropriately genre-aware but not too meta-knowledgeable, the plot elements well-paced and the narrative elements of Mari’s family life, friendships, and possibly-haunted-home very nicely balanced. The pacing gets muddied for me at the end of the book, but that’s not uncommon for the genre, and while I find the ending a little abrupt, it did not impede my enjoyment of the book as a whole. Although this story is told in a single timeline, rather than multiple, the plot and history reminded me of No One’s Home by D. M. Pulley, in a very good way; fans of that book can feel good about picking this one up.

I am not a habitual reader of YA, and often, conventions of YA writing bother me as a reader. I am delighted to say that this was not the case in reading White Smoke. While the prose is certainly YA-appropriate, being simple, readable, and believably attached to our protagonist, it nonetheless remained engaging, suspenseful, and evocative.

I have no idea how Tiffany D. Jackson has escaped my radar for this long. This book was excellent, and I am determined now to go and read her backlog!

Thank you HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC. Tiffany Jackson is one of the top suspense/thriller young adult writers today and her newest, White Smoke does not disappoint. Billed as the Haunting of Hill House meets Get Out sets the up to be a horror book, but it is hard to place it in one genre. This is full of twists and turns as the events of the story unfold. I had a hard time putting this book down.

Marigold is recovering from many addictions and to get a fresh start their family is moving from California to a small Midwest town. Her mother had won an artist’s fellowship that allows her to live in a historical home. The home comes with creaks and noises that are creepier than most old homes. Mari swears she feels as if someone is in her room while she sleeps.

Fighting her panic attacks, anxiety, and constant need for marijuana Mari can barely stand to live in this house without WiFi or cell service. Her annoying stepsister and stepfather do not help the situation. The only bright side is the cute young man at school who also loves gardening- the only way she can relax. The reality of their neighborhood is bleak as all of the homes aside from theirs is dilapidated and run down with no neighbors. The more Mari learns about her town and neighborhood the more her jitters seem less like anxiety and more like a horror story. As the event in her home become violent, her nightmares begin coming true.

As is always the case with a book from Tiffany, this was masterfully crafted and touched on many important topics and issues. I'm not even sure where to begin, there's so much to process. The twist was something I did NOT see coming, and was so much more disturbing than what I even thought was going on. My only complaint is that the ending seemed very abrupt, but as I read an ARC, maybe it'll be fleshed out a bit in the final version. Or maybe we could get an epilogue. I just need to know what happens next - where a few things are concerned!

I am a fan of several of Tiffany D. Jackson's books, so I was excited to read this advanced copy of #WhiteSmoke. This book does not disappoint.--I cannot recommend it enough! On the surface, it is an excellent horror novel. But it's also *more than* a horror novel. Jackson weaves together a YA storyline of a young girl whose family/step-family has relocated due to some situations in her past alongside trying to navigate a new school and new friends.. But there are also historical explanations of modern day Detroit, a main character itself in the novel, as well as real life social criticisms, all culminating in the end, which I promise you will not see coming. Many thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for this advanced copy!