It's rare for me to find a mystery or thriller that really engages me and makes me try to solve it along with the main characters. This book did that. I read it in one day and could not put it down. The characters are compelling, as are their emotions and relationships. The only thing I didn't love about it was all the POV switches. I understand why they were necessary but it did throw me at times.

This was a very engaging mystery. The pace was good, I liked the characters (especially Eli First Kill), I kept changing my mind about what the end result would be, and it shared important cultural messages. I didn’t LOVE the ending, so I could only give it 4.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy of Looking for Smoke.

Mara is an outsider on the Blackfeet reservation, despite being Blackfeet herself. She didn’t grow up there, she’s not like them, she doesn’t get *it* according to her peers that did grow up there. But when she is included in a giveaway to honor an acquaintance’s missing sister, she thinks she may be starting to fit in. However, bigger issues arise when one of the girls from the giveaway is found murdered.

Being the last ones to see Samantha White Tail alive, everyone who was included in the giveaway is now under scrutiny. What’s worse, everyone involved has a history with Samantha that could pin the motive on them.

This was a heavy read. The themes are deep and complicated, and whether you can directly relate or not, there are moments that most people can take from this story and apply to their own experiences. Feeling uncomfortable in your own skin, imposter syndrome, addiction, and missing persons issues are some difficult topics you can expect to find.

It’s rare that I read a YA novel and actually enjoy every character. Mara had all of the normal teenage angst and emotions that I typically find annoying in books but with her, I just didn’t. I felt myself empathizing with her through everything and really enjoyed taking the journey with her.

I truly can’t wait to see what else K.A. Cobell comes up with after this. An incredibly strong debut that can resonate with a variety of readers and open their eyes to things they may have been previously unaware of.


*MMIW is a great resource to learn more about the missing and murdered indigenous women in the US and Canada. There are also tons of podcasts that discuss some of these cases. I encourage people to look into this important, yet very overlooked, topic.

**3.5 Stars**
This was an interesting read with some important messages about missing girls always needing a voice. I will admit that the ending of the book was a big surprise and I appreciated the twist. Overall this was a very emotional, angsty YA mystery about a missing girl who should never have been overlooked

Looking for Smoke is a beautifully crafted, thought-provoking novel that will appeal to readers interested in stories of personal growth, cultural identity, and the emotional depth of family dynamics. K.A. Cobell’s debut is a compelling and moving work, and it establishes her as an author to watch in the years to come. Highly recommended for anyone interested in narratives that bridge the personal with the cultural, and the traditional with the contemporary.

However, while Looking for Smoke is an emotionally rich novel, some readers may find the pacing a bit slow at times. The introspective nature of the story, combined with the novel's occasional shifts in perspective, might challenge readers who prefer a faster-moving plot. That said, the slower pace allows for a deeper, more reflective exploration of the themes at play and a more intimate connection with the characters. I would recommend it for fans of There There by Tommy Orange or Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books | Heartdrum for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I did enjoy this book, but it did feel a little slow to me. I still would recommend this book.

This book was an immersive experience into indigenous culture on a Blackfeet Nation reservation during an Indian Days celebration, while a close-knit community is dealing with the loss of missing and murdered indigenous women. The timely book expresses current concerns through the lens of a high school friend group struggling to figure out their places in their native culture, in their community and their futures as they deal with drug addiction, poverty, abandonment, hopelessness, betrayals, and grief. The friend group reminds me of the teens in the TV series Reservation Dogs (which I absolutely LOVED!), but without the humor. They test each other, challenge their circumstances and eventually come together to support each other and their community. The book is beautifully descriptive, heartbreaking and hopeful. I highly recommend it and look forward to reading future works by this author.

This YA mystery/thriller was very engaging. Though definitely written in a YA style that would make it very accessible to younger readers, I still enjoyed it a lot as an adult reader. It takes place on a Blackfeet reservation in Montana and initially focuses on bi-cultural teen Mara, who has recently moved to the reservation and is trying to find a place to belong. At the beginning of the book, a young Native woman, Rayanne, is missing. Her family has a traditional giveaway at a pow wow to honor her, and Mara and several other people are included. As the book progresses, more tragedy strikes, and everyone seems to qualify as a suspect, including each of the giveaway recipients. Despite an escalating situation, Rayanne's family feels like law enforcement is not doing enough to solve her disappearance and other crimes that have occurred. As Mara, Rayanne's sister Loren, and other classmates try to find answers on their own, they get too close to the truth and put themselves in danger. The journey to the resolution has lots of twists and turns and kept me guessing, which was a definite plus. I know it's somewhat common for a thriller to end with a confession monologue, as this one did, but I don't love that device- so that was a negative for me. I appreciate the author's impactful way of bringing attention to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, which unquestionably needs more recognition and resources. I really enjoyed the rich cultural representation. Reading this book during National Native American Heritage Month made it even more special. I'd love to see more books by Native authors with similar cultural aspects included in the story - it's really welcome and impactful. Thanks to NetGalley and Heartdrum Publishing for an e-arc.

3.75 stars out of 5

This pulled me in and was an easy read. I was interested in the mystery; however, I easily guessed part of the mystery from almost the beginning of the book. It also felt like they just kept throwing everyone around as suspects.

The author shone a light on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement through podcast excerpts in the book and the book’s mystery that the friend group tries to solve. The police investigation and a lot of the character actions felt unrealistic and crazy. More of the author’s focus seems to have been spent on character growth and the portrayal of life on the reservation, which I found interesting.

Overall, I enjoyed this and would recommend to someone wanting to read a YA mystery and willing to overlook some issues with the story line.

I was so excited for this one - it feels like novels regarding the MMIW issues are few and far between. Unfortunately, this one just fell flat for me. There were some great descriptors regarding the culture but the overlying storyline of the missing girls just wasn’t great.

Reese's choices are always really strong so I was looking forward to this one and it delivered! tysm for the arc, 4 stars.

So so good. Going into this one and knowing that one of the main four POVs could be the killer, I didn’t expect one of them to be the killer. The romance owner was sweet and loved how the characters and community came together in the end.

The last chapter also had me open-mouthed in shock.

A gripping story of a group of four teens trying to solve two mysteries, the disappearance of Loren's sister and the murder of Samantha. As they each become the focus of the investigation, secrets come out as they try to clear their names and ultimately find out what happened to their friends. Overall, an emotional story as each of the teens is dealing with their own family situations and their pursuit for the truth leads them close to home. Although this is a work of fiction, it raises awareness for the very real crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

Looking for Smoke by K. A. Cobell is a gripping and atmospheric mystery that delves into themes of loss, survival, and secrets buried in a small town. The story follows the protagonist’s search for truth after a loved one disappears, leading them into a world of unexpected dangers and revelations. Cobell’s writing is tense and evocative, keeping readers on edge as the mystery unfolds. With its sharp character work and suspenseful plot, this is a must-read for fans of emotionally charged thrillers.

This was absolutely incredible! I felt connected to this one because it was set in my home state. MMIW is an important topic and I found the author did an amazing job of centering this in the story while also creating well developed characters.

This was a great thriller and mystery featuring the MMIW movement which is important for teens to read about. I thought the characters were well done and I felt like the POVs were well done.

This isn’t a happy story. In fact, it’s deeply sad. But it is so incredibly well written with wholly developed characters and important dialogue that I couldn’t help by rate it five stars. There are trigger warnings aplenty to be aware of when diving into this novel. I saw it was now a Reese Witherspoon book club pick so it will definitely get a ton of traction. I’m glad to know this will open the door for more people to understand the challenges Indigenous people experience, in particular related to MMIWG.

I loved the characters and their different quirks and intricacies. I loved Mara’s inner dialogue about what it means to be Blackfeet even though she didn’t grow up within the culture.

There’s so much with this book that was done so well, even through the sensitive topics and the immense sadness of the story. I would definitely read more from K.A. Cobell.

I found this story thoroughly captivating, particularly impressed by the author's ability to immerse readers in Blackfeet culture. The narrative opens with the annual Indian Days celebration, a multi-day festival that highlights the tribe's rich cultural traditions. I was immediately drawn into the powwow, where the vivid descriptions of the dancers and the lively atmosphere painted a striking picture of the festivities.

The story is told from the perspectives of four teenagers: Maura, Loren, Eli, and Brody. As the plot unfolds, readers will find themselves suspecting each character, along with various supporting figures. The unfolding mystery maintained my intrigue, keeping me guessing about the identity of the culprit until the near conclusion. I appreciate when a narrative skillfully conceals the resolution without leaving the reader feeling deprived of essential information, and this book accomplishes that masterfully.

While fictional, this work addresses pressing issues faced by the Native American community, including the phenomenon of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, drug abuse, violence, and systemic flaws within the justice system. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend it. It is suitable for teen readers due to the absence of graphic content, yet I believe it will resonate with audiences of all ages. Overall, this was an engaging read, and I would certainly recommend it to others.

A powerful, emotional, and gripping book that brings more awareness and attention to an incredibly important issue.

Even though I don’t live in the US, as a Canadian living on Treaty 7 land, which is traditionally land belonging to the Blackfeet, the setting of this story felt like home, and the story itself of girls going missing is one we don’t hear enough about.

Once this book got going, I couldn’t put it down. I needed to know what happened to those girls because feeling those emotions from their friends and families made me so invested.

Everyone should read this book and learn more about Mossing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

Read for Book Committee 2024 (DNF - 0 - 1 - 2)
Rep: Indigenous (Blackfeet) - Canadian
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
4 different POV’s can be hard to keep straight for me but after I made a little chart of how everyone was connected I was able to follow along. I also listened to the audiobook and so appreciate the effort of casting 4 different voice actors, it really added a lot to the story! I did not guess who did everything but the ending was as fulfilling as it could be with a story like this one. It was well written, I liked the podcast episodes that added a different voice/perspective to the reading of the book and allowed the author to give some basic statistical information. It touches on tough topics such as MMIW ( Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women), the immense poverty some people face when living on reservations and the people struggling with substance use disorder (such as Eli & Cherie’s dad).

I really liked the authors note where Cobell talks about wondering if this was her story to tell, as a fellow biracial person It can be hard feeling like you are taking up space knowing that so many others dont get the opportunity to tell our stories. Her inclusion of Mara and how that character somewhat mirrored her own experience as a biracial indigenous woman helped tell the story from a genuine place.