A remarkable thriller - keeping one wondering what will happen next!

Angst of being a teenager, unhealthy fixations, mixed with severe anxiety, add in a stepfather, a hellion of a stepsister, and a move to an unusual town where nothing is as it seems, what could possible go wrong?

I was very excited when granted an ARC of “White Smoke” as it peaked my interest from the very start. The cover alone is phenomenal, with T. Jackson delivering a fast-paced thriller; being one I did not put down.

My only criticism would be the ending felt abrupt. The need for more resolution such as Mari’s parents search for Piper, Buddy, the members of the Foundation, and most importantly Erika along with the other prisoners at the Big Ville. One can only hope for a follow-up book, however, I felt the ending here needed to have more resolution or begin setting the stage for a book #2.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed “White Smoke” and highly recommend to others. While this was my T. Jackson read, it will surely not be the last!

A sincere thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins Children’s Books, and Katherine Tegen Books for providing me an advance copy (ARC) of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read this story and leave my review voluntarily.

Tiffany D. Jackson is at it again with a riveting new tale. This time, it’s with her first horror book. We have this wonderful, exciting horror story, but there is so much else going on and more phantoms that Marigold is running away from than just the ghost in her family’s new house, which is the only one on their street that anyone even lives in now.

Recommend this one to horror fans, mystery fans, and realistic fiction fans alike.

Tiffany D. Jackson is brilliant again. This book is a horror novel about a haunted house, but Jackson weaves in a tale of a teenage girl who has issues from the past that are haunting her as her family moves to a new home to escape that past and look for a fresh start. When they move into their new home strange things begin to happen and the town's legend about her house makes her believe something paranormal is happening.

Jackson ties both parts of the story in seamlessly and you can't wait to see what is really haunting Mari's family and if her past issues will continue to pose a problem to her life and the relationships she is creating and avoiding.

I enjoyed this more than I was expecting. It was fun to read because I live outside Detroit and I loved catching references to the city that only someone who lives here or who has visited would know. The story is fantastic and I really love how the different storylines wove together. There were some parts that felt repetitive in diction and it bothered me, but most people probably would not notice. I am not a huge horror fan but this was so much fun and I had a hard time putting it down. It seemed to end in the middle of the climax so I'm not sure if my digital copy was missing some pages or if that's just how it ended but I wanted more! There are some loose ends that I need tied up! As a teacher, many of my students love the horror genre and I can't wait to tell them about this one, especially because of the setting!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was fast-paced, creepy, and the characters had real, consistent perosnalities. I cared about what happened to them and I wanted Mari to be a better person by the end-the story didn't disappoint!

Things I loved: it's fast paced. Great character development. The twist about the ghosts was unexpected and very cool. By the end, I loved that Mari had essentially managed to keep her addictions, anxieties and obsessions at bay without drugs, but through connections with other people and keeping busy with other stuff. I also loved, on the flip side, that we got to see a couple times the kind of person her addictions and anxiety made her, through the bedbugs freakout and her friend Tamara calling her out for being self centered. I also loved that once she realized how self-centered she was, she was able to realize that hers was not the only trauma-that she couldn't justify what she was doing with weed and the way she acted because she had a problem-other people have trauma too. For example: Piper finding her grandma dead and having to chill with her for five hours before anyone came home, seeing Mari OD, and not having any friends-that's what she's an asshole, not just because she hates Mari. There was also the trauma of how weed had affected all her new friends in town..

Things I did not love: The ending! I really wanted a takedown of Sterling, and thought the book ended too abruptly. Laying the groundwork for releasing everyone from the for profit prisons, or a hint that other townspeople realized what was happening and turned on Sterling, or something like that would have been great. I love that Mari had a new resolve not to leave, but wished a little more had happened.

I picked up this ARC on NetGalley because I read anything Tiffany Jackson has written as fast as I can get my hands on it! I enjoy reading books by smart authors and Tiffany Jackson is a genius. The way she ties racism, gentrification, corrupt city leadership, marijuana, privatized jails, the Bible, and a ghost story into one highly developed psychological thriller BLOWS MY MIND! And then, the book doesn’t end the way you expect it to! I’d give her 10 stars if I could!

The author of this book described it as a cross between the movie Get Out and Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House. She was not lying. I read this book with every light on, TV on, phone charged and next to me, golf club as a weapon beside me....I WAS SCARED. This book is so different from her others but some of the same themes were there: friendship, being true to yourself, no one is defined by their mistakes and racial tensions. In Maplewood, which conjures up images of Greenwood after the Tulsa Massacre, Maple street has been allowed to become a deserted burnt out hull, while the jails are filling up and there are new plans for the town that don’t seem to include the old residents. Marigold and her family move there to escape their own demons, but they have moved into a house filled with actual demons, the scary fire breathing smelly kind. As they all fight their demons, literally and figuratively, there seems to be no hope or end in sight. This book ends with a cliffhanger and I am desperately hoping for a part 2!

Definitely going to have nightmares of people living in my house now. This was creepy and well played. I thought the ending was a bit rushed at the end--I wanted a bit more follow through, even thoguh I appreciated the open-endedness of some things.

4.5 stars

I was so pleasantly surprised by this!

Having read several of Jackson's previous novels, I assumed I'd enjoy this work for the style alone, but I am constantly impressed by the kind of variety Jackson demonstrates in characters and subjects; Mari, the m.c. of this piece, only adds to Jackson's already awesome list of characters.

Mari moves with her blended family - mom and brother and step-dad and step-sister - to a creepy little town where it's apparent immediately that a lot is wrong. Mari is coming off of some personal challenges, including but not limited to addiction, rehab, public humiliation, and some truly disturbing bedbug-related concerns, so she is the perfect narrator for a work in this subgenre. Readers aren't sure if she can be trusted, and her family members are even less certain. When Mari begins to notice terrifying instances in the family's new home and in the neighborhood at large, it's easy to get scared and question what is and is not real right along with her.

I did find the beginning to be a little slower moving than I'd like for a YA thriller, but the action and creep factor pick up, and the payoff is so good. This is one of my favorite YA thrillers in a LONG time, and I hope it gets the buzz it deserves. Recommended!

Whewwww Tiffany D. Jackson did the damn thing with this horror story. It’s classic haunted house vibes and so spooky with a really eyebrow-raising kind of ending. I love that horror and thriller novels with Black main characters have been cropping up more and more lately. People can always benefit from seeing themselves represented in a story, even when the plot is a situation you’d never want to be in lol. In this case, Marigold and her family moving to a new town and into a creepy old house.

It, of course, wouldn’t be a Tiffany D. Jackson book if it didn’t tackle current issues, which it did. But it’s a lot less heavy on them than her backlog. Marigold has an unhealthy fixation, on bedbugs specifically, and it causes her extreme anxiety. She is addicted to weed because it eases her anxiety. I think the author did a really good job at showing kids that although weed as a substance isn’t inherently addictive, that the way weed makes you feel can be addicting. It’s not preachy, but it is a subtle warning to not let it take over your life.

Marigold, her brother Sammy, and their mom are all Black. Marigold’s new stepdad and stepsister, Piper, are both white. This is a source of some tension in the story, as well, but it sort of makes you wonder if it’s just tense because they’re new family members or if it’s something more. Piper has always been kind of a little shit, but a lot of the spooky stuff in the house starts pointing back to Piper, and it causes family tension to rise.

I think this story was genuinely creepy at times, but had enough depth to hold its own outside of the scary moments, too. There’s character development, of course, as Marigold learns things about the type of friend and family member she’s been over the course of her mental illness and addiction. There is NO pet death in this story although Marigold’s family has a family pet which I was very grateful for. The very ending was quite rushed, I could have handled at least 20 more pages. But I understand the decision to leave it a little less closed as well. Overall I’m excited about seeing more representation in this genre and I appreciate the conversations this book brings forth. I’ll absolutely be recommending it to teens.

Creepy. Terrifying. So so good! This book is a page turner!

When Mari and her family move into a town where it's clear something bad is going down, Mari is on the case. Her voice leaps off the page. She is funny and relatable with family struggles and a serious fear of bedbugs.

The book did feel a bit fast at times, especially with the number of things happening around the house from the moment Mari and her family arrive. Strange noises, possible ghosts, a fowl smell, a locked basement, shower creepiness, a sickness. These are just within the first few chapters and the spookiness only intensifies. Jackson does a good job of increasing tension and stakes throughout the book. This makes it a fast read without a lot of "down time." I do wish it was a little slower at some points, at least leading up to the midpoint, but overall, this book was a great read and the movie, Get Out, is definitely a perfect comp title.

I want to start with trigger warnings for this book: addiction, incarceration, drugs, overdose, bedbugs.

Mari and her blended family move to Centerville where they are hoping for a new start following Mari's troubled past and Alec and Raquel's joining of families. Mari has a younger brother named Sammy and a stepsister named Piper. They move into a rundown neighborhood, for free, in exchange for living there and begin advocates and artists for the community. However Mari begins to notice strange appearances, urban legends from the neighborhood, and "Ms Suga."

I so badly wanted to give this book 5 stars. There were so many great things about it. I loved the characters and their development. I loved how Jackson gave just enough details, but still kept you guessing and on edge for the truth. There were twists and turns throughout the book, but also some predictable storylines. This book reminded me of When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole. I did find it to be creepy in just the right amount for YA readers. I also really liked how each character had their own issues and personality that appeared in pieces, while hinting at the truth in the past.

The only thing that kept me from giving out the full 5 stars was there were loose ends for me. For example, Erika's storyline was never reviewed. The ending felt very abrupt. I liked the ending with Mari's interactions, but what happened next? Also the storyline with the Sterling Foundation was there, but did not evolve enough to go further with that line for me. The book also focused a lot on weed and Mari's need for weed, which ties into the city's prisons, but doesn't seem to go further.

Tiffany D. Jackson has done it again. At first glance you might be thinking is the narrator reliable? Is she sane enough to know what is happening or is she sober enough to be trusted? So while Mari (the narrator) questions herself at every turn, the suspense builds. Mari tries to write off the strange noises, smells, and horrid history of the town she and her family recently moves to, and chalk it up as her over active imagination and anxiety. But ss the story unfolds, it is clear something is going on in the house (ghosts? demons? burglars?). The happenings become more aggressive and unexplainable until she's face to face with the most unexpected turn. A fast paced thrilling story, filled with twists and turns that leave you holding your breath.

This book dealt with several topics all wrapped up in a ghost story. Mental health issues, divorce, blended families and drug use are a few of the issues in this book. The MC and other characters are dealing with issues all the while being caught in the ghost story. Anticipate twists and turns and unexpected events. This book is a little long, but a good read.

Tiffany Jackson does it again! I have been accustomed to her psychological thrillers but this book added another layer with the elements of horror. Jackson is a master of building suspense in each chapter which kept me up late at night wanting to read. I also appreciated the greater issues at hand (gentrification). Jackson tackles this issue with authenticity, causing the reader to want to help the characters save their town.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Tiffany D. Jackson delivers another wonderfully written story and handles heavy topics with care and honesty. I'm a bit of a baby when it comes to paranormal horror but I'm also a huge fan of the author, so I opted to read slow and savor this one. It is wonderfully creepy and twisty and even when I (mostly) guessed correctly, I still kept second, third, and fourth guessing myself. I loved this book, but I have to say that the end felt very abrupt and I feel like at the very least the story needed an epilogue. I went back and checked the file a few times to make sure I hadn't missed anything because the end came so suddenly. It would have easily been a five star read with a more fleshed out conclusion.

I enjoyed this book and, in typical Tiffany Jackson style, it had a twist ending with some pretty intense ideas and themes. I felt it ended a bit abruptly, but beyond that, it kept me really interested and compelled to finish it. I could see students really enjoying this book!

4.5 out of 5 ✨s - Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC of White Smoke. This was yet another Tiffany D. Jackson that I could NOT put down.

There was something about the characters in this book that I especially loved — from Mari and Sammy to more minor characters, I found myself appreciating the way that each of them were created and interacted within the novel. Sammy especially though — I loved this kid.

The town of Maplewood has its own ghosts: the (fictional) history of this town was intriguing. The world building reminded me of Peele’s attention to the worlds he creates in the horror genre as well. It was built in a way that ties in a history of power and suppression and the effect that that has had on the community.

All in all, I think this book was really well done. The suspense built at the right pace for me, I had a really hard time putting it down (hence why it was a two-sitting read). I can’t wait until this is published and I can talk about it with students, colleagues, and friends.

It's difficult to say no to a Tiffany D. Jackson book. We already have several in our collection, and this is going to be the newest one. It's said to be a mashup of Get Out and The Haunting of Hill House, and you know what, I can't agree more. It is so much more than just a horror book though, as it also presents social commentary on the community and its members. Fans of Jackson will not be disappointed.

The Marigold's family just moved to midwestern town, Cedarville from California. She is not happy with the move or her new stepfather and stepsister, Piper. Marigold is a recovering addict with very high anxiety. Mysterious and even dangerous incidents escalate the longer they live in this house. Piper blames her new friend, Ms. Suga, for all the issues. Marigold must rely on her brother, Sam, and her new friend, Yusef, for help to save her family and herself from more danger. This is another great book by Ms. Jackson! Even thought the main plot deals with Marigold's family and the potential haunted house, the bigger picture is unscrupulous officials who would rather scorch older family homes in poorer neighborhoods rather than help build community.