I received this as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley as well as Thomas & Mercer for this fantastic 5 Star read!

Kara Thomas can we be best friends?! I just loved this book! If you're a "crime junkie" this has a very "ripped from the headlines" feel. The past crime/ current investigation storytelling reminded me of the real life storytelling on the Counter Clock podcast. This was fast paced from the start and I did not want to put it down.

+1 Star: Excellent relatable writing style. It wasn't forced and didn't try too hard to be flowery with language. Which is great because the main character was not a flowery person (for good reason).

Main Character (no spoilers):

Sam is clearly intelligent and she endured so much trauma she seems stuck in triggered mode and acts accordingly with good reason. She is intensely perceptive as an adult of others and it's clearly a trauma response, but it's also what's driving her to put the pieces together about what really happened to her family. Sam is every Millennial who has seen some shit. She is perfectly flawed and her questionable behavior matches her character's life.

+1 Star: Plot:
If there were any plot holes I didn't notice because I was just enjoying the story and main character so much. Fast paced, quick read that I didn't want to end though I was desperate to know the answer.

+1 Star: The Perp & Ending. No spoilers here. It's too good to ruin. There were so many directions this could have gone. This was a masterpiece of a story.

Trope Talk:

The MC returning to a small hometown full of people with a complicated history trope was executed with perfection. I was there with Sam in Carney.

+1 Star: World Building:

The author's ability to sew so many nuances of literally everything in current political/social/pop culture into this story to make me feel and relate to the environment was beautifully done.

I so much appreciated the attention the mc (a nurse) brought to how the opioid crisis and chronic pain affect people. Specifically an explanation of a character's rheumatoid arthritis and the conversation between two characters about chronic pain was so well written. Anyone who has chronic pain or has in any way been impacted by what that can lead to will feel seen and understood.
A++ for accurate modern world building.

+1 Star The Unexpected:

I did not expect this book to be funny but certain lines had me crying from laughing so hard. I AM the target audience for this book for sure. I cackled when Sam was working a shift and the author describes "a Mary Kay scented hand" touching her. Something about this nurse who is into MLM products was just hilarious, there's at least one on every hospital floor so this just perfectly set the scene and is probably the most funny way I have ever heard a character described. Another line about over-priced stitch fix clothes sent me. The adoration of cinnasticks. 🤣 Little quips about Millennial behavior were spot on. The political jabs and calling out the "Thin Blue Line" bullshit were *chef's kiss*.

Miniscule Gripe:

Every person with a scar/tattoo was described the same: "a crescent shaped scar/shape from XYZ". It was just repetitive enough to slightly irritate me by the 3rd+ time.

Trigger Warnings:

Heavy on the topic of parental/sibling loss and death by fire. Also for OD'ing/drug use disorder and sexual assault. All are absolutely necessary topics for the story and handled with no judgment and great care and by the author.

Overall: I would recommend reading this and when it comes out I will be purchasing for my shelf and a re-read. I will be adding Kara's other titles to my "To Read" pile.

This book was absolutely amazing. It had me on the edge of my seat all the way until the end. I loved and lived for all the twists and turns throughout this story. At one point, I even had my heart racing trying to find out what happens next. I love all the story lines to keep guessing until the end. My favorite storyline was about Dani Burkhardt. I would love to read more from Kara Thomas. My only suggestion would be to limit the confusion with so many characters. It can be difficult to keep up with all their names throughout the different storylines.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this early e-arc copy!

I have been a huge fan of Kara Thomas since reading the cheerleaders, and I was eager to try this book. To my expectations, I really enjoyed this story as it was her first delve into adult thrillers, which she nailed! I have been enjoying this trend of previously YA authors turning to adult fiction!!

At the core this book is following a cold case and a main protagonist that has to confront her past. It was filled with intrigue, mystery, heart, and just pure pleasure for the reader. Highly recommend checking this book out.

Loved this! A twisty, pitch-black thriller exploring the darkness that hides in small town communities. If you enjoy Gillian Flynn's books you will love this. Highly recommended.

Out of the Ashes is another amazing book by Kara Thomas. It had me addicted. It had me changing my mind on who murdred Samantha's family all the way through. The only thing I would change is that there are too many mysteries. There are missing girlls that don't have much to do with Smanatha and that got a little tedious. The side main characters such as Travis Meacham, Taylor Edwards, Rhiannon and Mitch added so much to the story and were fleshed out really well. I would recommend this book.

Out of the Ashes is an adult mystery/thriller book by popular young adult author, Kara Thomas. Samantha’s family was murdered 22 years ago. Now as an adult, new information regarding the case is coming to light and Samantha is to figure everything out. The more she uncovers, the more dangerous things become.

I was so excited to read this book. I have read two of this author’s previous books and I really wanted to see what she would do with an adult book. I feel like it’s been a trend this year for young adult authors to branch out and come out with adult books and it has been very hit or miss. A lot of them have still kept that YA feel and didn’t feel very adult. This one is almost the opposite for me. It’s like it was written so differently from her previous books that it felt weird to me. The writing style was hard to get into. I felt like it took so long for this story to really hold my attention. I usually finish thrillers in a day or two but this one took a lot longer than that.

I do think this book will work for some people because there are a lot of moving parts to help keep the plot moving. It was just almost too much for me and I kept having to go back and read parts because I was confused.

I will still try the next book this author puts out. This one just wasn’t the best for me which happens sometimes and it’s fine! I know this book will find its audience.

Out of the Ashes is Kara Thomas's first foray into the adult thriller world. Her YA thrillers have been incredible with these jaw-dropping twists. This one had plenty of twists throughout and a satisfying conclusion. The story follows Sam whose family was murdered 22 years ago and then the house was set ablaze leading to an unsolved crime. When she returns to her hometown and learns her baby sister survived the fire, it's just the start. Filled with twists and solid writing, Out of the Ashes is one not to be missed. Highly recommended!

So excited to see Kara Thomas writing specifically for adults. She's given us a great read (as usual) with this one....

A 20 year old family murder, a country town with people who've lived their whole life their and secrets aplenty. Sam our main character got under my skin and I really wanted it to work out so she'd get closure and maybe be happy. Too hard to give more without spoiling the plot.

I lost it with the writing about 2/3's of the way in, but Kara Thomas turned it around and got me back engaged. Definitely recommend for an engaging read. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Out of the Ashes is a gripping search for answers. This novel doesn’t come out until next April, so I was excited and grateful to NetGalley that I could read it now! After reading Kara Thomas young adult novels, I started reading with two questions. Could this be any darker than the YA reads? And would it have her signature extra punch at the end?
Sam Newsom has nothing good to return to in Carney, New York. As a child there, she lost her parents and sister in a fire. Now she knows that her sister could have survived, only to be carried away. Sam’s still-burning questions drive her to dig for answers in Carney. It’s not just a matter of finding out if her sister made it out alive, it’s about finding out who set the fire and why they were covering up murder. Everything brings her back to the people she grew up with. Sam doesn’t know who was involved, and that suspicion taints every relationship.
Kara Thomas didn’t hold back. Yes, she did write something darker than her YA books. I was disappointed not to get the extra punch in the end. I did find out what happened, to my satisfaction, but the end felt grown-up bleak.
More than anything, this is a book that will keep you turning pages, feeling the same hunger to know that Sam did. Kara Thomas’ books have a driving mystery, and no one makes it more personal or more vivid than she does. Five stars and highly recommended.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I need a sequel already!
I thoroughly enjoyed this read! The writing is so good! I felt like I could really picture the main character throughout the entire book, the small town, the shoddy police work, and the family drama all kept me on edge! I really enjoyed the many twists and turns, and the guessing until the end. I had decided early on who I thought the responsible party was in the murders, BOY WAS I WRONG!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for allowing me to read Out of the Ashes in advance in exchange for an honest review!

I love Kara Thomas and sell her YA books all the time. I expected this to be a similar style of unraveling the story but it wasn’t. She has this way of adding an extra bit of information at the end that changes how you see the story but didn’t do that here. It took a long time for me to like the main character so it dragged a bit for me in the beginning. And then, by the end, I was underwhelmed with the whole king. I wanted this to be my next big push at the store but I don’t think I’ll recommend it at all. It wasn’t bad but it isn’t great like Little Monsters or Darkest Corners.

First of all, I’d like to thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first time reading anything by Kara Thomas. The synopsis drew me in and sounded extremely interesting; New York nurse Samantha Newsom returns home to Carney after the death of one of the few family members she has left. Her parents, sister and uncle were brutally murdered when she was only 13, a murder no one has been convicted for despite the killer being obvious to everyone. However, when investigator Travis Meacham shows up at her doorstep, all hope might not be lost. Samantha’s sister, young baby Lindsay, might even be alive.

The writing was pleasant and details of Samantha’s rocky childhood were scattered all throughout the book, which made for a greatly enjoyable read. Samantha and the home she left behind was really intriguing to read about, and the beginning of the novel left me very excited to continue reading. If the book had gone on to have the same quality as the beginning, it would have gotten a higher rating from me.

However, following a really strong beginning, the middle dragged a bit. A lot of characters - both major and minor - were introduced and it honestly got a bit difficult to keep track of them at times; I didn’t read the book in one sitting, which certainly didn’t help. For instance, Samantha’s aunt Mitch was occasionally referred to as Michelle, her birth name. The mix of these two names caused me to stop for a few seconds, having been away from the story for a few hours, and I can’t help to think that the character would have been better off just being referred to as Mitch.

After a slightly dragging middle, the book picks up towards the end, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that I was very excited to find out who the killer was. At times it felt like Sam created issues when there weren’t any, or at the very wrong time. Honestly, a lot of the conflicts would have been resolved quicker if the characters had simply communicated and Samantha made a lot of rash conclusions after receiving information from characters that perhaps had no business being trusted.

Nevertheless, it is easy to sympathize with Sam, who lost her entire family at a very young age, and the reader can also see why she acts the way she does, even though this can definitely be frustrating. Despite this, Sam is an easy character to like for the most part of the book and she was the most well-written character. Following her through some very difficult revelations and discoveries was pretty emotional, even though some of the discoveries felt a bit too convenient and a tad too farfetched, a certain tattoo springing to mind. Also, Samantha mentions reddit throughout the novel. This is just a minor detail, but in my opinion, it honestly cheapens the novel a bit and definitely dates it, even though random internet sleuths discussing tragedies as if it were entertainment is very much a thing.

Despite my issues with the novel, I enjoyed reading it and do not regret picking it up. I will definitely check out the author’s previous works. The slow-burning middle, slightly overwhelming amount of characters along with a slightly unsatisfactory ending leaves me rating this book a 3 out of 5.

This book was a page turner for sure! It centers around Samantha, whose family was killed in a murder/arson at their family home. She suspects a police officer who had problems with her uncle as the person who did it, and she is approached by a state officer who is looking into the case. The book follows from there with twists and turns to a really interesting (and not in a bad way) ending.

I knew right off the bat that the police officer was not responsible because he was made a suspect way too early. But watching Samantha discover secrets from her past with all of the demons she tried to escape was enthralling. Once I got a couple of chapters in I found it hard to put down. The ending was satisfying! Definitely pick this one up if you like a quick, page turning read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had never read anything by Kara Thomas but I have heard she has got a way with words. After reading Out of the Ashes I can only confirm this widespread opinion.

From the first chapter, this (psychological) thriller brings us into a very peculiar moment of Samantha's life. This nurse whose family was mysteriously killed and burnt when she was a teenager, finds herself in the past again when her family's cold case is reopened. The details of this unsolved crime are slowly revealed as Sam investigates and the apparent culprits who have long tormented Samantha's thoughts join the narration.

In this gripping story, where nobody is what they seem, I love how Kara Thomas takes the wraps off the feelings, deep thoughts and relationships of a protagonist who is a real person, with real problems, a down-to-earth woman shaken by trauma, not an unrelatable invincible and fearless heroine.

Sam Newsome's family was murdered and their house was burned to the ground when she was 13. 22 years later, she's back in town to clean out her uncle's house and put it on the market, but the state police have decided to reopen the case.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I've read some of Kara Thomas' other books, but they were YA. She's made the leap to Adult books gracefully. This book is full of twists and turns, but they're never outlandish or far-fetched. And she really captures the atmosphere and tone of this backwater, kind of malevolent town..

I really enjoyed this book. I hope the author continues to write more Mystery/Thrillers for adults.

WOW! I read this book in one day because I could not put it down. This was my first book I read by Kara Thomas, so I had no idea what to expect out of this one. I was sucked in from the first page and it held my attention until the end.

It is beautifully written. I loved the humorous descriptions the protagonist gave people and situations that were sprinkled throughout the story. The characters are all unique and well-developed. The pacing was solid, but for me it did get a little slow at the very end after the big climax. Didn't get in the way of my overall enjoyment of the book though. Very interesting storyline, with plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing, and the big reveal did not disappoint.

Five stars from me, and I will definitely be checking out more of Kara Thomas's books in the future.

Just okay for me. The writing was decent but not amazing; same with the plot/story. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thank you to the Author, Publisher and Netgalley for an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review
I went into this book already in love with Kara Thomas's writing and I leave this book still in love, if possible even more so!
Right away the story and our lead Sam draws the reader into her world of grey morals and a cast of characters you can never be sure is trustworthy or not. 22 years ago Sam lost her family in a murder/arson case and now a troubled adult full of questions and past demons she gets the first clue in years that might finally tell her what happened to her family that night.
I loved how flawed Sam was, but still so compelling that I wanted to see what she would do next and know what happened those 22 years ago as much as she did. The story is fast pace and full of twists and turns. I never really knew where the story was heading, which for a mystery thriller is always the best.
This is now one of my top Kara Thomas novels and can't wait to see what she has to come next!!

Out of the Ashes by Kara Thomas is an quixotic mystery with many plot twists. Samantha, who was 13 when, as far as she knows, everyone in her family was burned to death in a deliberate house fire, is approached by detective Travis Meacham who is working on cold cases, and the tragedy that befell Samantha's family is one of them. Is it possible that Samantha's baby sister actually survived the fire? Who is responsible for the other family deaths? The people of Carney, New York, in most cases know more than they are telling, and the obvious and not so obvious sequences of events keep readers on their toes. Readers who like well-formed mysteries will like this one.

Thanks to Net Galley and Thomas and Mercer Publishers for the opportunity to read this book.

Samantha Newsom's family were murdered when she was a teenager. The small town police deduced that it was her father that killed his wife, brother and youngest child while Sam was staying with a friend, and then he set the house of fire and killed himself.

The case has been reopened, and investigator Travis Meacham is gathering evidence to prove that the 2 year old sister was kidnapped when the family were killed, a prison inmate has come forward saying that he witnessed a man walking out of the house with the child.

Samantha does investigating of her own, and uncovers lies and secrets.
Sam finds out much more than she expected to, but is misled many times by the lies told to her.


Unputdownable. Gripping. Edge of the seat...... all of these apply.
I loved the story, the rebelliousness of Samantha, the conviction that there was more behind her family's deaths, the doggedness when she ran into a brick wall in her investigation, and I was so sad when she found what some of her family members are really like, and what they have hidden from her.

The chapters were a little long, but otherwise this book was fantastic. I hope to see more adult thrillers from Kara Thomas, I have not read any of her Y/A books.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.