I really enjoyed this book - it was super gripping from the off! It was certainly the definition of a page turner.
Sophie McKenzie has such a vivid way of writing, I was able to picture every moment as if it was a film. This book would make a great Netflix drama.

I was completely hooked on this book, but the reason I didn't give the book the full 5* was because I was a tad disappointed with the ending. For such a big build up, I felt things were all conveniently wrapped up and ended too quickly. Nevertheless, I would recommend to anyone looking for something they can get their teeth into, or a good book to get them out of a reading slump.

This one started off really well but unfortunately, I had no connection to the characters. There was just too many of them. It dragged on in places and I struggled with it.

Rating: 3.75 ⭐️

Burn This is a thriller where digging into your mom’s past is deadly. However, I don’t know what was more annoying the amount of time Bella brought the diary up to someone or how she somehow managed to survive every obviously terrible idea she had.

Burn This starts with a chilling premise—Bella, in her thirties, moves back home after her father is placed in memory care for dementia. While cleaning out her parents’ house, she discovers a journal marked BURN THIS in her late mother’s handwriting. At first, it looks like a mix of her mom’s creative writing, but then Bella stumbles on a disturbing “story” detailing the day her childhood friend Victoria was murdered in the woods. Bella becomes convinced her mother not only knew who the killer was, but may have actually witnessed the crime.

From there, the book follows Bella as she chases the truth, even while everyone around her doubts her theory. I found myself invested and constantly guessing who could have done it—the author does a great job of layering in misdirection and suspense. That said, there were a lot of side stories and red herrings, so many that they often felt like filler meant to throw me off track rather than genuinely deepen the mystery.

I’ll admit—I did not enjoy Bella as a narrator. She came across as whiny and her decisions often felt unbelievable or frustrating, which made it hard to connect with her. But despite that, the payoff at the end was satisfying. The reveal of the murderer wasn’t a shocking, mind-blowing twist, but it was clever and wrapped the story up in a way that felt earned.

Overall, Burn This was an engaging read that kept me turning pages, even if it dragged in places and tested my patience with the protagonist. The ending pulled it together enough for me to round up to 4 stars.

Unfortunately I have decided to DNF this one, it wasn't for me.
I will continue to check for future books from this author as I like to give author's a second chance and I won't be put off from DNF this one for my future reads.

I absolutely gobbled this up. Imagine finding out your recently deceased mother was responsible for the death of your childhood friend. This plot had me in a choke hold. I could not put this down. A small town full of secrets and twisted characters.

Sophie McKenzie’s Burn This is a gripping psychological thriller that skillfully intertwines past trauma, family secrets, and small-town suspense into a compelling, page-turning story. The narrative begins when Bella Wilkins discovers a hidden diary while clearing out her mother Barbara’s house. The diary, ominously marked BURN THIS, recounts the murder of Bella’s childhood friend Vicky, a crime dismissed by the police as fiction. From this moment, McKenzie expertly ramps up tension, drawing readers into a mystery that spans decades while keeping them guessing at every twist.

The strength of Burn This lies in McKenzie’s character work. Bella’s determination to uncover the truth and confront long-buried secrets makes her a relatable and compelling protagonist, while the story’s layered relationships—especially between mother and daughter—add emotional weight to the suspense. McKenzie’s pacing is impeccable: she balances moments of quiet tension with shocking revelations, making it difficult to put the book down.

Fans of Lisa Jewell, Gillian McAllister, and Alice Feeney will appreciate the book’s darkly atmospheric tone, intricate plotting, and relentless suspense. Burn This is a must-read for those who love psychological thrillers that are as emotionally resonant as they are twisty, blending family drama and murder mystery into an unputdownable read.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – A twisty, emotional, and utterly compulsive psychological thriller.

Nice premise but it was a bit too slow to keep my hooked.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I liked the premise of this novel. However, the narrative pace was too slow for me and I failed to finish.

A fun and unique thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire ride. This was one where I really didn’t know what was going to happen next!

An interesting concept for a plot, but it lagged a lot, and I had trouble staying connected. I liked the characters and the writing was solid. I'm just not a fan of the journey.

I was hooked from the prologue and was able to speed through this book in a day. It was a wild ride and definitely had some twists and turns that I did not expect! I wasn’t a fan of the ending, even though the title of the book is literally Burn This so it’s what they did. I get it.

Setting the scene for a mysterious life changing moment for the main character has you wondering what is real and what is fiction within this storyline. The way the author sends the main character back to the scene of a life changing event will have you on the edge of your seat wondering what is real and what is not; A who done it with a twist!

This is an enjoyable read but there's some inconsistency in the characters that frustrated me at times.

It opens with a spat between two friends, culminating in 10 year old Bella leaving her friend Vicky alone in a park and ridden with guilt when Vicky's body is later found.

Thirty years later Bella returns to her hometown moving back into her childhood home after father's move into an aged care facility. While clearing out boxes she finds a book with 'Burn this' written on the cover. Inside she finds poetry written by her long-dead mother as well as something that seems to indicate she witnessed Vicky's murder yet kept silent and Bella now wonders why. She attempts to get the police to reopen the case but fails until another suspicious death means Bella herself becomes a suspect.

In the background we spend time with Bella's family and childhood friends. Her family relationships are complex and I felt there was some inconsistency in their behaviour - particularly how they treated Bella.

There's also however a smidge of romance tipping this into romantic suspense territory which I enjoyed. Until of course she realises her love interest could be involved in some way...

I enjoyed this and certainly didn't guess at the direction it ultimately takes us.

This thriller novel starts with an intriguing concept. While I thoroughly enjoyed the first half, the second half unfortunately felt slow and dragged on. The introduction of numerous characters simultaneously was a bit overwhelming. Additionally, I was hoping for a different narrative direction. As a result, I rate this a 3-star read.

It's an interesting concept for a thriller novel. I've really enjoyed the first half of the book but the second half felt like dragging. It felt like the book had too many characters all at once. And also was hoping for the story to take a different direction. Overall, it's 3 ⭐ read for me.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was a nice mystery with some interesting characters. While it was a little slow, it kept me turning pages!

This was a fast paced read with a ton of twists. This book is filled with family secrets and drama and I loved it!!! This book kept me turning the pages and reading as quickly as possible.

This book was SO fun. A quick read that had twist after twist. Along with a mind-blowing ending. Just another thriller that kept me up way past my bedtime because I HAD to know!

This book had such an interesting premise and such a promising start. The rest of the book doesn’t live up to that, but it’s an easy one-afternoon read. I wish the characters had more depth to them. 3/5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for letting me read an ARC of this book.