This story was more a slow burn (no pun intended). I really enjoyed the setting and the impending wildfire added a nice touch of suspense. Some of the story was predictable, but I still really enjoyed the journey. If you like family and neighborhood drama and/or fires this will be a really enjoyable one for you!

Thanks to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Sixteen years ago Grace and her boyfriend disappeared. Her sister saw her one last time before she ran off. Her sister, Leyna is still obsessed with finding out what exactly happened to her. Did her boyfriend, Adam kill her? Did she kill Adam and run off? Did they run away together? What happened to Grace and Adam?

Then one day a strange young girl shows up at Leyna’s restaurant where she waits tables. She only had a brief chat with her that was suspicious and then the girl leaves. Shortly after that, Leyna discovers that same girl has disappeared just as her sister did sixteen years prior. Leyna heads back to her old neighborhood to play detective. The girl, Ellie is missing and who is she really?

Man, this story was pretty slow. Most of this is neighborhood drama and dialogue. I wished there would have been some more tension written in. I didn’t really find this all that suspenseful. Oh, but there is definitely some fire written in. I did appreciate how the author told her personal experience of a fire that affected her and her family years before and how it inspired her to write the story.

I’d like to thank Mulholland Books, NetGalley and Heather Chavez for the opportunity. All opinions are my own.
Publication date July 23, 2024
3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Posting to Instagram closer to publication date @nikkileethrillseeker

Three women - all seaking

A slow burn of a thriller (!) What We'll Burn Last centers around 3 different women: Leyna, a young woman still scarred by the disappearance of her sister 16 years prior; Olivia, the other of the man who was last associated with Leyna's sister Grace before she disappeared, and finally Meredith, mother to Leyna and Grace and somewhat estranged.

The story starts off with Leyna serving a young woman who reminds her of Grace in a restaurant. When the woman disappears, Leyna becomes obsessed once again with what happened to Grace. She returns to her hometown and takes up with Grace's boyfriend and potential killer's brother and leaves no stone unturned. But in this case, some secrets may best be kept.

As a wildfire sparks and families need to flee, Leyna comes face to face with her worst nightmare but also a chance to find out what happened to Grace. #mulhollandbooks #whatwellburnlast #heatherchavez

What We'll Burn Last is a slow burn mystery which I was sure I would fall in love with but the pacing is extremely slow, the second part picks up. It is still a good story, the characters were truly hard to like and to just grab onto which made it hard for me to root for anyone, I did not really care for any of them.

Sometimes I read a book and want to gather all the characters together and tell them: My god, you are all a bunch of weirdos. This can be a good thing (The Secret History!) or it can be a thing where all of the characters are either horrible or tedious, and I don't understand why they act the way they do to the point that it's difficult to engage in the narrative because there isn't anyone sympathetic enough for me to grab onto.

What We'll Burn Last, unfortunately, fell into the latter category. In fact, we got a few slightly odd interstitial chapters that were actually from the POV of the fire itself, which as a character at least made decisions that I found reasonable. This actually made the fire the most relatable character for me. Instead of constantly getting caught up in questions about what the hell all the other characters were even doing - why doesn't the main character get therapy? why does the mother hate her children so much? why don't the neighbors move? are they all supposed to be rich? why did the MC think it was a good idea to break into that house? what on earth was the husband thinking? - I could just be like "yes girl! burn that brush! jump the highway! do it!!! hell yeah" which made me feel bad because per the author's notes this book seemed to be a bit of a working through the trauma moment for her.

2 stars plus one guilty half-star I'll round up.

My thanks to Mulholland Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

What We'll Burn Last is a mystery that shows how secrets and lies linger for years and destroy families. It unfolds slowly, so slowly that I almost gave up. I'm glad I stuck with it, the second half of the book moves at a much better pace. This is an enjoyable read for a rainy afternoon. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.

This was a well-written book, but the end was a little slow. It kept me interested enough to keep reading to find out who did it and why. Decent read

📚 PRE-PUBLICATION BOOK REVIEW 📚

What We'll Burn Last
By Heather Chavez
Publication Date: July 23, 2024

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (I'd rate it higher if I could!)

📚THE SYNOPSIS:

A teenager and her boyfriend disappeared when she was sixteen years old. Her younger sister, twelve at the time, never gave up hope she might still be alive. All these years later, their childhood neighborhood remains shrouded in secrets. Another teenage girl with an eerily similar appearance has gone missing. And a Sierra Nevada wildfire threatens to bring its fury at any moment. That's my BRIEF synopsis. If you want the full synopsis, you can read it online...I had way too much to say. 😉

📚MY REVIEW:

This book was a really slow burn (no pun intended) at the start. I love thrillers with multiple POVs, but the first third of this book had so many characters to keep track of that I had to work to remember how they connected. But each chapter simply laid the groundwork for the intricacies of the story being told, piece by piece. About halfway in, as each character revealed bits and pieces, it took all my willpower not to take the day off and just finish this book! I was enthralled and furiously turned the pages, trying to figure out the truth behind this story's intense mystery.

After its slow burn beginning, this book was gripping, on-the-edge-of-your-seat thrilling. The plot twists just kept coming and coming...Some of them were so unexpectedly shocking, I had to physically take a moment before continuing. The fact that the book was - in part - inspired by Chavez's real-life experience with a California wildfire, only adds to its emotional intensity.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review! I waited and waited to get approved to review this book... And it was everything I'd hoped it would be -- and then some. When you have a chance to read this one, don't hesitate - get it in your hands and read it. What We'll Burn Last will be one you won't want to put down. And will stay with you long after you've finished. Heather Chavez, this was BRILLIANT.

#WhatWellBurnLast #NetGalley #bookreviews
#fivestarreads #thrillerbooks #bookstagrammers

Two families separated by mistrust and grief over their missing children from 16 years ago. Did they run away, kidnapped, killed by one of them. A sister determined to find out what happened, helped by her ex boyfriend and brother of the other one. All while a dangerous wildfire is closing in. Fast moving, I think my students will like the complicated plot and the family issues as well as relate to the danger of fire

This was an intense book especially with the impending fire happening in the setting. I did not see some of the twists coming. What an excellent read

Thanks to @netgalley and @mulhollandbooks for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I love @iamhrchavez’s books, and this one was no exception. So fast-paced! It was kind of like reading an action movie. I don’t know much about forest fires, so the information about them was interesting too. I was not expecting any of the twists in this book, and while I’m not so sure that I liked one part of the ending, I appreciated how everything came together. Chavez wrote the multiple points of view so well, and I really felt as though I was reading different characters. A ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 read in my books. Definitely add this one to your wish list when it comes out in July. #avivaandfriendsrecos

Good book with a well done story inside. I really enjoyed the story as a whole and all the characters were well done.

This was a decent read. Not my favorite by the author. The pacing was off i started losing interest but still wanted to figure out what was going on. I liked the characters and I think the author deliver a solid ending.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Heather Chavez is a top-notch author of mysteries and psychological thrillers.

In this novel, the resolution of an interlocking mystery involving multiple missing persons are all shockingly revealed during a tragic and terrifying fire that threatens the lives of almost everyone involved in hidden or attempting to discover the truth of what happened a decade and a half ago.

The fire not only symbolizes destruction, but it also represents renewal and eventual redemption.

This captivating story had me reading from the first to last page, all in one sitting.

Chavez is a writer of novels who fans of,authors such as: Frieda McFadden, Kiersten Modglin, Riley Sagar and Shari Lapena will greedily love, although there is something uniquely special in the talent Heather Chavez that gives her books a unique and an addictive literary weight.

5 stars from this grateful fan.

At twelve, Leyna Clarke watched her older sister Grace run away from their Northern California home with her boyfriend Adam Duran. They were never seen again. Sixteen years later a woman who looks like Grace shows up at the Reno restaurant where Leyna works. She then vanishes. It turns out Leyna was one of the last people to see her…other than the people in Leyna’s old neighborhood.

Now Adam’s brother Dominic wants Leyna to come home. No one, including Leyna’s mother, Meredith, and Adam and Dominic’s mother, Olivia, has been able to get over the loss of Grace and Adam. And where is the missing girl?

Chapters are told from the perspectives of Leyna, Meredith and Olivia. There’s a lot going on here, and a lot of it falls largely into your standard thriller territory, but the book is a bit better than that.

This was an overall past faced thrilled, but I did feel it lacking in some parts and I was starting to lose interest. Overall, the book was good and would recommend it.

This is a solid thriller with lots of twists. The pace and plot are solid. I would have liked a bit more character development but the plot still works without it. The story is told from multiple POV's but is easy to follow.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview What We’ll Burn Last. I loved Chavez’ last book. This one is quite a departure.
The story of a missing sister and the one who sees her face everywhere she goes.
Written in many voices the reader is taken through the backstory of two families who have destiny and familiarity.
Characters are interesting and the backdrop to a fire burning that can devastate the land.
Some parts were long and I lost traction but it is a good book and Chavez delivers a solid ending
3.5 stars

If I want to guarantee a 5 star read I go directly to Heather Chavez.

My well nurtured obsession began when I discovered No Bad Deed, many moons ago. I fed this obsession along the way with Blood Will Tell and Before She Finds Me

And then I got my greedy little paws on What We’ll Burn Last, and my life has never been the same.

Shook..

That was one heck of a twist!!!!

Is that what the kids are saying these days? That’s exactly how I am feeling. How is it even possible that each book blows my mind but the one to follow is even better !

If you haven’t read a Heather Chavez, book I actually envy you, you have so many incredible books that you will be able to enjoy for the first time .

Teaser :

From the acclaimed author of Before She Finds Me comes a sharp and surprising thriller about two entangled families in a California neighborhood who must race to find answers about a missing teenage girl as a wildfire crackles to life nearby . . .

Three women.

When she was twelve, Leyna Clarke watched her older sister, Grace, walk away from their Sierra Nevada foothills home with her boyfriend, Adam Duran. Neither was ever seen again. Sixteen years later, a stranger who looks like Grace shows up at the restaurant where Leyna works—and vanishes soon after. When it comes out that Leyna was one of the last people to have talked with the young woman, Leyna’s childhood crush Dominic, who is also Adam’s brother, pleads with her to do the last thing she wants to do: come home.

Three secrets.

But Leyna isn’t the only one who hasn’t been able to leave that fateful night behind. Her mother, Meredith, still lives in the family’s old home—even if she claims to believe the police’s theory that Grace and Adam were willing runaways. Down the street, Adam and Dominic’s mother Olivia has also stayed, determined to be there when her son finally returns. . . and to prove that Meredith and Leyna have been hiding something all these years. But the past isn’t the only threat to the two families, or the missing girl. As a wildfire sparks, tempers flare and intentions turn deadly. Because someone in the neighborhood knows what really happened that night—and just how good the forest is at keeping its secrets.

Who will you trust?

I really enjoyed this! I couldn’t put it down and loved every second of it. This is one that sticks with you. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.