When Harper Collins offered the option to read Looking For Smoke by K.A. Cobell I immediately jumped at the chance. For starters, just look at that gorgeous cover, what’s not to want to read about that?! Then I read the synopsis and wanted to read it even more.

The Good:
This book pulls you in, right from the get go. There was already a mystery that required solving, but you weren’t yet given the pieces to be able to put it all together. I really enjoy when stories unfold that way. I also really appreciated the look into a culture that is not my own. I’ve had very small glimpses into Indigenous culture, and this was just another small piece, but one I am so grateful to have read. MMIWG (Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls) was something I knew of, but in the grand scheme of things something I know very little about. The stats are absolutely staggering. The more light we can shed on it the better and this book is a beacon.

Looking for Smoke is told from multiple perspectives and I honestly was very confused at first. I struggled with whose perspective I was in, especially in the beginning. It did get easier as the story went. There is one perspective though that I never quite got use to. I’m not sure if it was the wording of the person or the unknown of it, but I alway had to do multiple reads of their chapters to make sure I didn’t miss something.

The Mentionable:
Trigger Warnings to be aware of: strangulation, alcohol consumption, mention of drug use, attempted rape, MMIWG, fist fights, gun violence, violent attacks, blood, child abandonment, drug dealing, suffocation and evidence tampering.

If you get the chance to read this book please do! The messages it carries are so important. Despite my struggles with perspectives I will still be adding this to my collection when it releases on June 4th.

Big thank you to Harper Collins for the E-Arc and the opportunity to read this fantastic book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book so much. A true pages turner. I have to come back with more thoughts.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced eARC.

A solid 4, maybe even a 4.5. I love well written realistic fiction! This one includes a mystery, a nice little sprinkle of romance, and a bunch of badass women and girls. Those of us who fell in love with ‘FireKeepers Daughter’ will find another powerful voice here. I’m so ready to see more Native and indigenous writers bring good story to a worldwide audience. The characters here are great, they’re complex, with strong feelings and experiences students will relate to. I could totally teach this one in class, especially with the real issues it brings to light. And the ending, I didn’t know until I was there, and it makes perfect sense. #MMIWG #NativeAlly

Loveeeeeed this! Definitely had Firekeeper's Daughter vibes, but definitely seemed more accessible to a younger audience.

The characters all had their struggles, and you didn't know who to trust the entire time. It was so sad reading the events that happen constantly on reservations, but I loved learning about the Blackfeet culture and am making an active effort to read more Indigenous voices. This felt so real and I loved every second of it.

A searing and insightful thriller that'll keep you glued to the page (or, screen haha) until the explosive ending. An incredibly impressive debut!

This was an incredible story about four teens of the Blackfeet reservation dealing with missing and murdered girls, inspired by the devastating real-life statistics about how much more likely Native women are to experience violence.

Told in 4 alternating POVs, this story eases us into the world of teens on a reservation—and then the action starts in. We have Mara, new to the reservation and feeling like an outsider; Loren, sister of the first missing girl; Brody, who lives in the shadow of his brother; and Eli, who has a temper but is just trying to hold things together for his little sister. Through their eyes we try and figure out who is abducting and killing girls on the Blackfeet reservation. We shift from suspect to suspect, all while exploring the inner lives of these teens, some of whose have been dealt a bad hand in life. An often brutal but at times hopeful story that I hope will do as the author says she intends: shed light on the real-life injustices faced by Native women today.

WOW - what a read! I can't believe this is her debut novel, but Cobell is exactly who we need in the YA thriller genre! I loved how the writing style paired with the alternating POVs really made for a snappy writing pace. With plenty of twists (some that certainly caught me off guard!), I had a hard time putting this one down. I also appreciated the cultural context - I learned a lot that I was previously knowledgable about! This is going to be a hit upon its official release and I have my eye on future works. Thanks so much for the ARC!

I just blew through the last 50 pages of this without blinking because WOW!! This book feels like exactly what the YA mystery genre has needed for a long time. The incorporation of the author's personal background combined with the way she so expertly wove in awareness of the MMIW movement... The way some beats felt familiar, in a way that will appeal to Sadie and One of Us Is Lying fans, yet were given a whole new meaning and impact within the novel's context... Incredible stuff. The perfect balance too (for me) of being able to guess a couple twists (feeling proper smug) while also howling in shock over others. I could go on, but tldr; this was DAMN good.

I always hesitate to call a book important, but this book is absolutely important. More than that though, it's truly incredible. Cobell is definitely a new auto-buy author and I can't wait to see what she does next. The last 1/3 of this book was so impeccably paced I almost physically could not put it down. 10/10. All the stars. Highly recommend to literally everyone.

This is a book everyone needs to read and everyone will want to. I wasn’t able to put this down until the last page. A mystery entangled in the missing and murdered ingenious women MMIW this book takes you into the lives on a reservation and makes you feel and see things through a different lense. We need more of these books and more from this author.

This book is INCREDIBLE. It is a mix of the compelling multi-POV characters of One of Us Is Lying with the gritty reality of life in Sadie, all set on a reservation with traditions and culture that pulse through the text. Near the end, I could not stop flipping pages or gasping-it was one or the other. i was especially struck by the complexity of each character; they all have so many sides and angles to them, like a Rubik's cube you want to keep turning over to solve once you see them in a new light. If you like surprising twists and turns, a splash of romance, and complicated characters who will leave you wanting more, BUY THIS BOOK.

When I tell you this is THE thriller of the year, I am not exaggerating! Cobell weaves together a page-turning plot with characters who leap off the page, all combined with immersive, gorgeous prose and setting. It's a chilling and grounded reminder of the egregious issue of missing indigenous women, but with incredible characters tackling the loss they face (with lots of twists along the way). This is not a debut to miss!