Scheduled to post 10/5/21.

Holy crap THIS BOOK. Blew me away. It sucked me in right from the beginning and I could not put it down. Could not. WHITE SMOKE is one of those books you can devour in one go because you absolutely have to find out what's happening. You have to know. You have to. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, because I knew it was coming. You don't compare a book to Get Out and don't have that shoe drop. And drop it did.

It's very much a classic haunted house story. This blended family that's being held together with gauze and gum moves into this too-good-to-be-true house only to have it start slapping back almost immediately, and Mari's not having any of it.

She's such a good character. So relatable and I couldn't help but feel bad for her as this horrible part of her past keeps getting held over her head by her white step-father and step-sister, immediately drawing this divide in the family that only gets deeper as the story progresses. The attacks on the house are not only for Mari specifically, but they also target her mom and brother, leaving her step-family alone, further driving that wedge between them.

Where the story goes, where it circles around to, I did not see coming. AT ALL. It's so horrific and psychopathic that it's hard to believe, but if you think about it for a minute, it's really not. All things considered, and that's what makes it all the more horrifying. I won't say any more than that so I don't spoil the ending, but the story just builds and builds and builds and has you holding your breath the whole time.

Jackson threaded this story together magnificently. I was thoroughly creeped out through much of this book, the horror subtle but dragged throughout the whole story, living in the corners, just waiting for you to see it. It's everything I love about a horror story, and a haunted house story to boot.

If you're looking for a spooky story this Halloween that'll have you looking in the dark corners of your room more closely, then check out WHITE SMOKE. You won't be disappointed.

5

Oh, this book creeped me out! I could see the explanation of the ending, but was shocked as it was unfolding. I liked Jackson's move into horror, but do not see this as her strongest story.

I received an early review copy of this text from NetGalley and Katherine Tegen Books and as an audiobook through Libro.fm's ALC program. All opinions are my own.

Tiffany D. Jackson doesn’t disappoint me with her characters or her writing. As usual her characters were fully fleshed out, the writing and pacing were quick and kept me engaged and not wanting to put the book down. And of course, it was fully of creepy twists and turns.

I did want a bit more at the ending, but I feel like there was a societal point that she was trying to make here and it was made! I just was looking for a bit more direct closure than I got.

This book was incredible! Super creepy and had me guessing whether or not the ghosts were real or not. Definitely a perfect Halloween read!

White Smoke Book Review 📚

I wanted to love this book. It took me awhile to get in to it and I felt like there were too many things going on. It took a minute for things to pick up and then it ended abruptly.

I struggled to connect with the main character, Marigold. She is very complex and I feel like we don’t truly get to know her.

This book definitely gives off haunted house vibes if that’s what you’re looking for.

Thank you NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC.

Tiffany Jackson does it again. She never disappoints. Jackson really goes all out on the horror while weaving in issues around neighborhood gentrification

Okay, I tried to pretend like this book didn't scare me at first, but this book is scary. Anyone who's ever lived in an old home or a home that creaks will get freaked out by this book. If you're scared of bugs, this book will also freak you out. From a review I'd read about it before diving in, I thought this book was about a girl scared of bugs (she is), but that's definitely not the whole story. This was a great fall read.

I’m a mix of content, confused, and annoyed. While the story was interesting and kept me entertained, I also just kind of didn’t like it over all. The horror aspect was cool and spooky at times. However, the whole corporate conspiracy storyline was slightly useless? What was the point of that whole part of the story if it wasn’t fully explored? I really felt like that was going to be a major plot point and it wasn’t……at all.
The twist was great, but everything from the reveal to the end was bad in my opinion. It just sort of ended and I felt no resolution.

Sammy was probably the best character, Mari had her moments, but part of her backstory sometimes just felt like an exaggeration.
I did enjoy the book, but so much was left unanswered.

I don’t fully know how I feel about this one, but one thing I can say for sure is that that was an experience. I love a good ghost story and this one had all of the classic ghost story elements (until the end when we took a sharp twisty turn) with an edge. It also brought up a lot of really great social and mental health issues, which was refreshing to see within the genre. While I loved almost everything about this book, like the writing style and quality, the eerie vibes, and how well it flowed, what ultimately brought it down a bit was the ending.

Thank you so much to Harper Collins Canada and HCC Frenzy for gifting me an electronic ARC of White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Now, if you’re looking something that will honestly give you the creeps, chills, and make your heart race when you’re reading alone at night—then look no further than White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson because it is the perfect book for you to read this spooky season.

White Smoke was published on September 14, 2021 - OUT NOW! 

White Smoke is a YA horror and thriller novel about a family who moves to a neighbourhood which appears to be an abandoned ‘ghost-town’ that the city is trying to rehabilitate.  Their new house is beautiful and has been fully renovated in order to welcome them, but when the lights go out at night it becomes clear that something is very wrong—things go missing, doors open and close, there are loud booming footsteps, creepy shadows, and a foul odour in the air.  As much as the family doesn’t want to admit it, they know that the house is haunted.  The entire novel is told through Marigold’s (17) perspective as she grapples with her creepy new surroundings (home, school) and anxieties from her past that have moved along with her.

The atmospheric and spooky elements of this book are amazing and deserve ALLLL the stars.  I cannot tell you how creeped out I was for most of the book.  However, I’m going to be honest and say that I struggled to get through some parts because of how heavily focused they are on marijuana and being high.  I don’t think the amount that it’s mentioned is necessary for the story, whatsoever.  I have never been too keen to read books that are heavily focused on drug content—especially in a YA book—but that could also just be the inner teacher in me cringing? Nonetheless, it did hinder my reading experience.  If you aren't bothered by that in your books, then you won't have any problem enjoying reading this.

However, what redeemed this book for me (and why I’m giving it 4 stars) is the last 20% of the book.  It is absolutely WILD and terrifying and will have you on the edge of your seat.  I was SO creeped out that part of me wanted to stop reading it but I also felt SO compelled to continue.  The revelations happen in quick succession and just as you've wrapped our head around one, another will have your jaw dropping to the floor.   I can't stress this enough: the ending really makes the entire read worth it.

There were parts that were not as neatly tied together in the end as I had hoped they would be—but it also leaves it very open for a sequel, which would be SO exciting.

If you are looking for a spooky book to give you chills this spooky season, then I can't recommend White Smoke enough.

Tiffany D. Jackson is an amazing storyteller. This book will keep you engaged and wanting to keep going until the very end...

After reading the synopsis and then hearing the author herself talk about this book during a publisher event, I just knew it was going to be incredible. But I still managed to be completely blown away by it!!! Sure, this book sounds amazing, but I knew it would all come down to the execution and atmosphere. I read Allegedly by this author a few years ago so I knew that she was more than capable of making this story what it could be. Even though I knew this, she STILL made my jaw drop!

So we have Marigold and her family as they move away from their home town in California. Her mom was offered a new job and, as long as she was working for them, they got to live in a newly renovated house, free of charge. The offer was too good to pass up! Marigold also seemed to have some troubling things going on at the moment so it was a fresh start for all. Nothing about it seemed “right” though. Their house was the only one to be renovated yet. All the others were falling apart, partially burned, and housing squatters. And then there’s the fact that things were being “lost”, doors opening on their own, shadows in the night, and putrid smells at 3am. There’s also the imaginary friend her step sister mysteriously manifested….. is it anxiety? Change in routine? Or is something actually happening? You’ll have to read it to find out!

Like I said, the atmosphere had the power to make or break this book…. And it 100% made this book what it was! The scenes were so vividly described that it was easy to feel like you were experiencing it yourself and could picture it in your mind….. which was freaking terrifying! Not the kind of thing you want to feel as though you’re a part of but, if you’re into books that creep you out, then you’re in for a real treat! This had all those classic haunting elements only elevated….. and repeatedly! Seriously, if you’re easily freaked out by things that go bump in the night and you may not sleep well because you’re afraid someone is hiding in your closet, you might want to read this one with the lights on!

What I thought was really fascinating about the way she wrote this was the fact that our main character Marigold had a past. Something happened when they were living in California that she clearly wanted to forget. She did something that seemed to be haunting her to this day (no pun intended…. actually I DID intend that!) and we have no clue what happened. As the story goes on, we learn a little more but, in the meantime, we have to sit there and wonder if those events have something to do with what’s happening now. After reading Allegedly, I knew that this author likes to play mind games with the reader. Has that lead to trust issues? Probably. But it kept me on edge the whole time, wondering what was real and who was responsible.

It’s that mystery and suspense that kept me flipping pages! This book is so fast paced and makes you question literally everything. I’m the type of person that can spot a plot twist a mile away normally. Not with this author! This is the second book I’ve read of hers and I haven’t even come remotely close to figuring it out! I finished the last 25% of this book in the bath tub. It was the last 5% and there was no way I was stopping, even though the water was now freezing and I was shivering. I HAD to know and I had to know NOW! The reality of this ending creeped me out far worse than my own imagination….. and if you know how twisted I can be, that’s really saying something!

I absolutely LOVED this book more than I thought possible! I’m so used to reading YA horror novels that hold back the punches for fear of taking things too far and going too dark. Tiffany D. Jackson holds no punches and cares not for your anxiety! It’s all here; dark and dirty, just waiting to seek you out in the dark. Beware friends: your sleep will be disrupted from this one but it’s so worth it!

I was so spooked by this movie that I had to keep the lights on--something I've NEVER had to do for a horror (book or movie) before. White Smoke was so nearly a five star read, I'm almost hurting to knock it down, but as you'll see, the ending just...didn't do it for me.

The thing I enjoyed most about the book was how our narrator, Mari, weaves the story. We're guided by her words, forced to trust her, as we see the chaos going on in her new home. Are we supposed to trust her? Are we supposed to believe that what she's seeing is real?

You know you should, but when things get scary, you almost want to believe it isn't so.

Seriously. The spooks are REAL. And they don't let up!! Every chapter you're given something to send chills all down your arms, and oh man, it was just so good.

Now, the ending. I'm not going to spoil it, but I will say I really liked the twist. I actually didn't see it coming--I was expecting another thing, for sure--so that was a pleasant surprise! I feel like the ending was unfinished, though I wonder if that's because there's maybe a sequel in the works. How that'd work is super interesting to me, so I'm excited to see what happens next. If this is all we see, though, I'm a little disappointed.

Overall a strong, scary book perfect for fall!

The field of YA horror is small. So small that the number of books that have been published in the past few years can be counted on one hand. Tiffany Jackson can literally do it all. After reading some of her realistic fiction, we know she's good at it! But when you hear a generally realistic based author is writing a horror novel, you have some hesitations. But White Smoke does it WELL. More than well...the jump scares hit strong and the moments feel as if you're reading a movie, they're that vivid. You can feel it all playing out on a screen in front of you.

Jackson hits at several major things. The fear of bedbugs, the usage of drugs, the heavy way anxiety underlies everything, moving to a new town, finding new love, and the merging of two families. There's so much involved, but it's handled so well. Every moment Mari feels as if she sees a bedbug, her worst fears are realized and a panic spiral begins, dragging us down along with her. We feel her nerves as she does and it only heightens our need to read faster, to get the moment over with, just like Mari wants it to be. And so we read, we devour, even as the horror builds and the moments get close to a climatic high.

I'm keeping this short a) because it's done after the publish date and b) because the enjoyability factor of this book comes from the place of being thoroughly spooked and loving every minute of it. If this isn't made into a movie soon, I'd be surprised. It's the kind of thing Netflix would love and binge in a heartbeat.

I'm hoping for a future with more YA horror, that's for sure!

Thank you HCC Frenzy for the advanced copy of this book! This was my first book by Tiffany Jackson and my first horror book. I was not let down! This book was incredible. I couldn’t put it down I had to know what was going on! Things kept disappearing, creepy little kid, and talks of ghosts! Amazing! I think the book also did a very good job of portraying what it’s like to deal with mental health issues. Very well done!

I was disappointed in this book. I’ve loved Tiffany D. Jackson’s writing in the past, but the writing in this book was disjointed and often failed to hold my interest.

One of my biggest problems was the reoccurring focus on Marigold’s pot addiction. While as a whole drug use and abuse doesn’t bother me in YA literature, it seemed forced and unnecessary here. Every time it was brought up, I rolled my eyes and hoped to get back to the mystery of the Maple Street house sooner rather than later.

Mari’s brash and abrasive nature (especially when it came to her procurement of the pot she wanted) made her a hard character to root for. I wish more focus would have been placed on her mental illness. Seeing her in her counseling sessions or even seeing more of her trying to solve the mystery of the foundation would have made this book so much more enjoyable.

I have it three stars because in the end, I did really like the answer to what was going on in the house/town, but I just wish this story would have focused on the more interesting/important pieces.

So you like to read horror books, you say? But are you prepared to be shook by the queen of plot twists? We shall see. Since I want to avoid spoilers, I decided to take a different approach to my review of White Smoke by TIffany D. Jackson. So, check out my five pieces of advice on reading the new thriller White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson. Do this and you will be prepared for the awesome scary, horror-filled experience that is <em>White Smoke
5 Pieces of Advice for Reading White Smoke
1. Are You Afraid of the Dark? Keep Your Night Light ON
This book is spooky, Twilight Zone, what-was-that-noise scary. I last two nights of reading before I declared that to be a done deal and that I would find time to read before the sun set in order to finish the book.
2. Shaking Up My Reading Schedule
The only reason I took as long as I did to read this book is because I had to switch up my reading schedule. The plot was written so well that I decided it was too intense for me to read at night. I mean all the spooky scary things happen to Mari at night. I was like, you chick I have to catch you in the daylight before I start thinking something is about to grab my ankle or something while I'm lying in bed reading about you. No ma'am I am too old and at risk of having a scary book heart attack.
3. Buddy Read Recommended
You will need the support! I didn't have anyone to read it with so when I saw a few fellow reviewers tweeting about it I joined in the conversation. I felt so much better because I thought I was the only one taking a long time to read it because I just couldn't bring myself to read it at night anymore. Don't have a buddy to read it with?
4. The Queen of Twists
I walked into this book afraid of Ms. Jackson's penchant for twists. I have not read her other books yet, but I have definitely heard of her reputation for making readers throw books at the wall. So I don't know why I decided to start my reading of her work with an actual scary story, but here I am. And yes, I am currently a bona fide scaredy cat.
5. Be Prepared to Be Shooketh
Even though I was scared, I got so into the story that whenever I got shook by something I was like, Whew! What in the world?! (nervous laughter, looks around.) I got into the story of Mari and her plight with bed bugs, moving to a new town and dealing with a blended family with a super creepy step sister. Every turn had me hooked.
Scaredy Cats and Thriller-Lovers Will Both Love This Book
Now that you have some advice to help you out, you should know that this BOOK WAS GOOOOOOOODDDDD!!!!!! If you like scary spooky stuff you will love it. If you are a scaredy cat, you will still love it. A lot of my anxiety came from knowing that the author was going to lay down a twist that was going to catch me off guard. But it was worth it. I have another grey hair, but it was worth it I tell you

I don't know how to say this politely, but I'm being generous with 3 stars. I was looking forward to this new title by Tiffany D. Jackson for months! I love her work and have never been let down until now.

It took a LONG time for me to get into this book, and it wasn't until 60% into the book that it actually got "good." When you have to force yourself to finish a book, there's your red flag.

Mari is dealing with a lot of issues for a kid her age, and when she's forced to move into a new/old house in a new neighborhood with her newly blended, multiracial family, she struggles to adjust in more ways than one. Mari is a paranoid recovering drug addict. I learned way more about weed and bed bugs than I ever cared to know about.

Although there were a few creepy elements, I expected more based on descriptions and other reviews and was grossly underwhelmed. Please Mrs. Jackson, stick to what you're good at and leave this genre alone.

I received an ARC of White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is a combination of horror and psychological thriller. Jackson's writing and characters drew me in from the very first page. There is so much in this much--difficult non-biological family dynamics, gentrification on steroids, drug use, for profit prisons--but it's all wrapped up in a wonderfully scary, creepy, and gross horror story. The ending did feel a little abrupt and less resolved than I prefer, but I hope to see more horror books from this author.

"Change is good. Change is necessary. Change is needed."

The author chose violence when she decided to end that book without an epilogue. 😂 Just kidding, but holy abrupt and I-need-a-sequel ending. I'm so glad I was able to chat with a friend about all things White Smoke, and I highly recommend you find a support buddy to do the same.

I've come to think of Tiffany D. Jackson as a modern classic author; her books aren't stuffy literature, but her thematic content is timeless, necessary, and beyond important. Her writing style is accessible and welcoming, but she doesn't shy away from the hard facts and preaches the truth with the unabashed confidence that we need more of in this world. I don't want to really get into the specific plot here, but there are themes of gentrification, criminalization and ostracism of marijuana users, and the specific targeting of Black people in these intertwined topics.

Side note: if you have a phobia involving bed bugs, this book IS NOT for you. *shudders*

Final verdict: Tiffany Jackson has done it again! Highly recommended, especially for spooky season.