Out of the Ashes
- Downloads：4003
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-04-02 21:21:36
- Update Date：2025-09-13
- Status：finish
- Author：Kara Thomas
- ISBN：B0B3HS4VGQ
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
C。M。 Guidroz
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I enjoyed this book， but the number of characters and things going on was a little overwhelming。 I really liked the character Sam and the setting of the book。 The writing was for the most part fast-paced but drags a little in the middle。 I overall enjoyed the book and would recommend it to thriller fans。
Kara Monroe
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My first by this author and she can definitely build suspense！ Samantha is a nurse who must return back for a short visit with her ill uncle， some mystery already starts with this storyline。 Hometown where her family was murdered and never solved， a new state detective is looking into the case and gets Samantha wondering and questioning several characters in the town。 Even her own family members at one point。 I didn’t figure out the end and it threw me for a loop。 Excellent writing， builds well， My first by this author and she can definitely build suspense！ Samantha is a nurse who must return back for a short visit with her ill uncle， some mystery already starts with this storyline。 Hometown where her family was murdered and never solved， a new state detective is looking into the case and gets Samantha wondering and questioning several characters in the town。 Even her own family members at one point。 I didn’t figure out the end and it threw me for a loop。 Excellent writing， builds well， flows well， weaves together superbly。 Enjoyed the main character。 Romance without trashy sex scene， clean language。 Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Mercer for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
book_withquotes
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First of all， thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing an arc of the book。 This book was released on 1st May 2023。Samantha Newsom’s family was murdered when she was thirteen years old， and their Catskills home was set fire in an unsolved homicide that left nothing but ashes。 Sam returns to Carney， New York， where she was born and raised， 22 years later， under the shadow of a terrible catastrophe she will never forget or be able to forgive。 Officials handled the evidence improper First of all， thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing an arc of the book。 This book was released on 1st May 2023。Samantha Newsom’s family was murdered when she was thirteen years old， and their Catskills home was set fire in an unsolved homicide that left nothing but ashes。 Sam returns to Carney， New York， where she was born and raised， 22 years later， under the shadow of a terrible catastrophe she will never forget or be able to forgive。 Officials handled the evidence improperly， false allegations about her family were spread， the suspects provided no leads， and the investigation was closed。 no more。 Sam receives some good news from the case’s assigned investigator， Travis Meacham: a prisoner has come forward with a startling revelation。 That evening， Sam’s infant sister， who was thought to have perished in the fire， was found outside。 Not all of Sam’s preconceptions about the crime and her family are confirmed， though。 Yet Carney keeps its mysteries to itself。 Sam might not be able to survive the town this time。I’m reading a book by a well-known author for the first time right now。 Hence， I was torn between having too many high expectations and approaching the book naively。 And I’m delighted I got to experience the excitement the narrative offered。 Another novel that was able to let you feel the vibe of the area was this one。 It had a small-town claustrophobia and seediness that was gritty， and filthy， and made you feel like you wanted to take a shower。 Sam is one of the kind of strong female characters I love to read about。 She is tenacious in her quest to learn what transpired on that night， 22 years ago。The supporting players were good。 Indeed， there were quite a few。 I occasionally lost track of who was who， but I thought the author did a nice job of bringing their names to the reader’s attention when necessary。 When you thought you understood what occurred in this novel， something else would appear and it would take a different turn。 It had so many clever turns。 This book will compel you to keep turning the pages because you share Sam’s desire for knowledge。 Nobody renders the mysteries in Kara Thomas’ books more vivid or personal than she does。 I like the book overall， and I’ll read more of her writing！ 。。。more
Kristi Housman Confessions of a YA Reader
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RTCThank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my earc。
Leslie Zemeckis
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I could not put this one down - Samantha’s family were killed years ago。 When her Uncle Gil asks for her help in ending his life because he is dying Sam returns to where she grew up in Carnaby。 A detective is snooping around and thinks not all of her family were killed。 Samantha begins to search for the killer amongst her past friends and family。 Excellent characters， story and development - loved it
Linda
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Samantha Newsome returns to the small town where she grew up， where if you don’t get out the dark and ugliness of never going anywhere is just too too prevalent。 Yet return she must to put her uncle to rest and deal with what is left behind。 What was never resolved is the mystery of what really happened the night her parents and baby sister died in a fire when she was only 13。 Sam goes on a quest to find answers to what was a mishandled case that is topped off with the possibility that her baby Samantha Newsome returns to the small town where she grew up， where if you don’t get out the dark and ugliness of never going anywhere is just too too prevalent。 Yet return she must to put her uncle to rest and deal with what is left behind。 What was never resolved is the mystery of what really happened the night her parents and baby sister died in a fire when she was only 13。 Sam goes on a quest to find answers to what was a mishandled case that is topped off with the possibility that her baby sister was stolen away and could be alive。 The cast of characters seems to have never left high school， even Sam’s behavior is juvenile。 Her risk taking is dangerous and you wonder if she will survive。 Yet when the last words her mother said to her after she misbehaved is stuck in her mind and going forward and solving what happened is the only thing Sam can do。 Mystery and suspense abounds and the ending - just didn’t see it coming。 Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the Arc。 。。。more
Chelsea
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I might have to give up on this author。 This is the fourth book I've read by her and I've only liked one of them。 The writing and plot was slow， boring and disjointed。 It felt like random things were happening only to introduce characters that I didn't care about。 I might have to give up on this author。 This is the fourth book I've read by her and I've only liked one of them。 The writing and plot was slow， boring and disjointed。 It felt like random things were happening only to introduce characters that I didn't care about。 。。。more
Dennis
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Kara Thomas is a very popular YA thriller author， so I'm excited for her jump to adult crime-fiction。 That being said， OUT OF THE ASHES is a bit too straightforward for me。 I'm giving it a 3-star middle of the road type of rating as I felt that the narrative was a bit unoriginal。 That being said， the ending is a tearjerker！ I'm excited to see what this author has in store for readers next。 Kara Thomas is a very popular YA thriller author， so I'm excited for her jump to adult crime-fiction。 That being said， OUT OF THE ASHES is a bit too straightforward for me。 I'm giving it a 3-star middle of the road type of rating as I felt that the narrative was a bit unoriginal。 That being said， the ending is a tearjerker！ I'm excited to see what this author has in store for readers next。 。。。more
Leann
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Review to come soon
Jennifer
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I've read other books by Kara Thomas， but I think this is the first one that isn't a YA thriller。 Sam's family was killed 22 years ago when their family home went up in flames。 Now， a man claims that he saw someone leave the home with Sam's 20-month-old sister Lindsay。 Sam goes back to her hometown to reconnect with her roots and see if she can find out exactly what happened the night her family was killed。 She ends up finding out a lot more than she bargained for。 I thought this was a fast-pace I've read other books by Kara Thomas， but I think this is the first one that isn't a YA thriller。 Sam's family was killed 22 years ago when their family home went up in flames。 Now， a man claims that he saw someone leave the home with Sam's 20-month-old sister Lindsay。 Sam goes back to her hometown to reconnect with her roots and see if she can find out exactly what happened the night her family was killed。 She ends up finding out a lot more than she bargained for。 I thought this was a fast-paced psychological thriller。 The author did a great job developing Sam's character; she had a lot of flaws， but was still pretty likeable。 The author has a great writing style - she is descriptive， without being overly so; she made the story dark， but also added some humor and lightness; the twists were well-thought out and realistic。 This is an author I enjoy reading！*Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book to read and review* 。。。more
TheGeekishBrunette
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Rating: 3。5 starsRTC。Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a complimentary earc to read！ All opinions are my own。
Elizabeth
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I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 I've loved Thomas' YA books and was thrilled that this book was a Read Now。 Getting to read this book on vacation was a bonus。 Despite some heartbreaking plot involving a young girl losing her whole family to an unknown murderer， there is hope in this book。 Samantha Newsom was 13 years old when while staying over at her friend Caroline's house overnight， her parents and uncle were murde I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 I've loved Thomas' YA books and was thrilled that this book was a Read Now。 Getting to read this book on vacation was a bonus。 Despite some heartbreaking plot involving a young girl losing her whole family to an unknown murderer， there is hope in this book。 Samantha Newsom was 13 years old when while staying over at her friend Caroline's house overnight， her parents and uncle were murdered， along with her almost 2 year old sister Lyndsey。 The house was set on fire and burned down，，leaving no survivors- although her sister's remains were never found。 Samantha was told she was too young to leave behind evidence。 Fast forward 20 years。 Sam is an ICU nurse in Long Island City and her uncle Gil is dying of cancer。 Sam helps Gil reach his end， but not before Gil confesses something to Sam。 Then she meets someone with the New York Police， Meacham， who is investigating a new lead with the case。 The suggestion of an unreliable witness that her sister survived the terrible night of September 8， 2001 is a loose string Sam can't help but pull。 Of course in the days following the murders & fire were overshadowed by September 11。 Sam， as an adult uses her nursing knowledge to pull some clues and possible wrong ones from an eyewitness。 If she starts getting more traction the danger to her increases， as she asks questions nobody wants to answer。 Unfortunately the truth is too close to home。 Trigger warning for addiction， sexual assault， murder， grief for parents and corrupt police officer。 The ending leaves the reader wondering a few things and if there will be a continuation。 I hope there is。 Samantha deserves it。 May 1， 2023 5/5☆ 。。。more
Crimefictioncritic
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When her mother’s foster brother dies， Samantha Newsom returns to her hometown and gets pulled back into a tragedy that happened over twenty years before。 When Samantha was thirteen， someone murdered her parents before setting fire to the family home， which burned down with her parent’s bodies and baby sister inside。 The police never identified the killer。 Raised by aunt， Samantha later moved away， went to college and became a nurse and tried to get on with her life as best she could。 But when a When her mother’s foster brother dies， Samantha Newsom returns to her hometown and gets pulled back into a tragedy that happened over twenty years before。 When Samantha was thirteen， someone murdered her parents before setting fire to the family home， which burned down with her parent’s bodies and baby sister inside。 The police never identified the killer。 Raised by aunt， Samantha later moved away， went to college and became a nurse and tried to get on with her life as best she could。 But when a state investigator contacts her and tells her he is reopening the investigation into the murders， she learns new information about the crimes and begins investigating on her own， determined to learn what happened to her family。Samantha’s strong emotional drive to find out what happened to her family is understandable and makes her an engaging character lead that it’s easy to feel empathy for。 But her passion to learn the truth causes Samantha to behave a little too recklessly with her own safety， a writing technique that builds tension and high suspense by design。 In Out of the Ashes， Thomas cultivates the psychological intrigue using a first-person character viewpoint narrative but offers readers more than only one vibrant and compelling character in this story told in highly accessible prose。This novel is not without its weaknesses。 Only about the halfway point did the pacing produce a strong desire to keep turning the pages， but the pacing picked up nicely down the stretch。 Overall， I found the book an engaging mix of psychological drama and mystery， which I enjoy reading， with twists that readers will enjoy and not likely see coming。I received a copy of the book from the publisher for review purposes。 。。。more
Eva Kouvari
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In this mystery book， we follow Sam while she's trying to discover what happened to her family twenty years ago。I liked the plot and the characters， but in the middle of the book， the pacing seemed slow and repetitive。I enjoyed the plot twists。 I didn't expect most of them。 But， at some point， it feels like there are way too many！ Like， I get it。 Small town， with many secrets。 But every single one is about the same family？ Every bad thing that has happened， happened to the same two individuals？I In this mystery book， we follow Sam while she's trying to discover what happened to her family twenty years ago。I liked the plot and the characters， but in the middle of the book， the pacing seemed slow and repetitive。I enjoyed the plot twists。 I didn't expect most of them。 But， at some point， it feels like there are way too many！ Like， I get it。 Small town， with many secrets。 But every single one is about the same family？ Every bad thing that has happened， happened to the same two individuals？In general， it was a quick and nice mystery read。I got an ebook copy from NetGalley for an honest review。 。。。more
Stephanie Doyle
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Close to a 4。5， so many threads to grasp at throughout。 I couldn’t put it down。 Excellent pacingThanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review
Kim ~ It’s All About the Thrill
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You know when you have like 555 other reviews to do but you just want to talk about the last book you read because it knocked your socks 🧦 off？ Well that is this book！！ Wow！！ Thank you soo much @mbc_books for putting this gifted copy in my hands。 🥰 I seriously can’t recommend this book enough！！ ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Pub date is 5/1/23！！🎉🎉🎉🎉Why was it so exceptional？？ Let me tell you…😉 First off… Dark… gritty… Suspense filled… 😳I went in completely blind and @karathomaswrites is a new to me author。 So I was You know when you have like 555 other reviews to do but you just want to talk about the last book you read because it knocked your socks 🧦 off？ Well that is this book！！ Wow！！ Thank you soo much @mbc_books for putting this gifted copy in my hands。 🥰 I seriously can’t recommend this book enough！！ ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Pub date is 5/1/23！！🎉🎉🎉🎉Why was it so exceptional？？ Let me tell you…😉 First off… Dark… gritty… Suspense filled… 😳I went in completely blind and @karathomaswrites is a new to me author。 So I was absolutely blown away when I loved this so much！！ 😍Samantha is an ICU nurse… Hey girl。。 I am an ED nurse… soooo I ✅Loved that…We have seen ALOT！！ Not much surprises us… yet Sam did manage to suprise me…😳😬Imagine this… your entire family。。 murdered and then burned in your childhood 🏡 home。。 not you… as you were spending the night at a friend’s house… now your entire family is gone… and the killer is on the loose…😳 Fast forward 22 years… you are back… you left this small town that is riddled with drugs… crime… and lots of secrets 🤫… You NEED to know what happened that night… did everyone really die in that fire？ 🔥Seriously this was so well done… I had no idea 🤷♀️ what to think！！ Who did it？ Are these cops corrupt？ The writing was so atmospheric…。。I could feel the small town feeling。。 and it wasn’t a good one… 😬 … Let me tell you… this town put the G in gritty… 😏…。 SO sketchy！！！ 🤨…。 Now let’s talk about THAT ending！！ Wow！！ 😳🤯🤯🤯I loved it！！！ I know it’s only February but this is one of my favorite books so far this year！！ I can’t recommend it enough！！ 😍😍😍 Obviously。。5 big stars ⭐️This isn’t a thriller that is so far out there that it is over the top… this was a perfect mix。。 I felt like I could be reading true crime。 I seriously can’t wait to read more by @karathomaswrites ！！ 。。。more
Prasanna
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The beginning of this novel made me think of another book，Gillian Flynn's Dark Places。 Although the tragedy involving the main protagonist is similar in both books， the way the mystery unfolds in later parts of the story is vastly different。Samantha Newsom is the sole survivor of a mass massacre， in which her entire family was killed， including her parents， her twenty month old sister and her uncle Scott。 Sam escapes her hometown， Carney， after college and she is trained as a nurse。 When she ret The beginning of this novel made me think of another book，Gillian Flynn's Dark Places。 Although the tragedy involving the main protagonist is similar in both books， the way the mystery unfolds in later parts of the story is vastly different。Samantha Newsom is the sole survivor of a mass massacre， in which her entire family was killed， including her parents， her twenty month old sister and her uncle Scott。 Sam escapes her hometown， Carney， after college and she is trained as a nurse。 When she returns back to her hometown， twenty two years after the tragedy struck her family， Samantha is beyond shocked to receive news that her baby sister might have after all survived the fire that consumed her whole family。 In a small town like Carney， where there are no secrets within families and there is evil lurking just beneath the surface， who can Samantha trust。 As Sam tries to uncover the events leading to the fire in her farmhouse， there are family members and friends from her past she had fled from and is now forced to confront。I found the beginning and end of this book really solid， I mean the intrigue and the cast of characters really grab your interest。 The middle， though， I found it to be meandering with Sam investigating the missing girls in her town and the sudden plunge into the subplot。 It felt more like a young adult book with the focus shifting to her life during her teenage years。 But the book is really well written， especially how it ended。 I enjoyed reading it。 Hope to read books from this author。 。。。more
Kristine
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Fantastic！！！ I loved the writing style and the characters were very likeable。 This is a suspenseful and thrilling ride。 Highly recommend
Amy
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Sam's family was murdered when she was 13， and no one was ever charged， although there were plenty of rumors of who could be responsible。 Twenty-two years later， after her uncle passes away， she's drawn back to her hometown。 When she's contacted by an investigator who's looking at the case again， she's shocked to hear a witness has come forward and claims that her baby sister made it out of the fire。 Could her sister be alive after all this time？ Who really was responsible for killing her family Sam's family was murdered when she was 13， and no one was ever charged， although there were plenty of rumors of who could be responsible。 Twenty-two years later， after her uncle passes away， she's drawn back to her hometown。 When she's contacted by an investigator who's looking at the case again， she's shocked to hear a witness has come forward and claims that her baby sister made it out of the fire。 Could her sister be alive after all this time？ Who really was responsible for killing her family？ Can Sam find out， or are something things left better buried。 Because whoever killed her family is still out there， and might be someone she knows。This grabbed me， and didn't let go。 There were a bunch of twists， and I thought I knew where the story was going， and I didn't。 A really smart weaving of family dysfunction， small town secrets， and characters that were multi-dimensional。Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC！ 。。。more
Roberta G。
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I really enjoyed this edge-of-your-seat thriller that leaves you wondering for the whole time who's evil。 Basically this book is comparable to a bag of chips: once you open it， you cannot put it down， every chapter is a chip and you just want one more， then another one。 The plot is nicely built， the chapters tell different POV and there are two timelines but the book is easy and pleasant to read （at first I thought that would be confusing but it turns out it's one of the elements that kept me gl I really enjoyed this edge-of-your-seat thriller that leaves you wondering for the whole time who's evil。 Basically this book is comparable to a bag of chips: once you open it， you cannot put it down， every chapter is a chip and you just want one more， then another one。 The plot is nicely built， the chapters tell different POV and there are two timelines but the book is easy and pleasant to read （at first I thought that would be confusing but it turns out it's one of the elements that kept me glued to my Kindle screen）。 The surprises kept coming and the atmosphere - the woods， the secluded cabin， the bad weather， the ghost story， red herrings here and there， the creepy and mysterious characters that you really don't know if they're going to play a part in the story - gently lead you through the chapters making you feel tense and clueless like the protagonists， well with an advantage because you can read the POV of the evil one（s） too。 。。。more
Payton
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This was deeply unsettling and had me clenching my teeth the whole way through。 And the twist at the end？ Chefs kiss， y’all。 Rarely does a twist surprise me。 I have been fortunate to have come across a few lately！As soon as Samantha Newsom could leave her hometown of Carney， NY， she fled as fast as she could。 At age 13， she lost her entire family and home in a violent crime that was never solved。 Over two decades later， she returns to Carney to help with the passing of a relative， and is immedia This was deeply unsettling and had me clenching my teeth the whole way through。 And the twist at the end？ Chefs kiss， y’all。 Rarely does a twist surprise me。 I have been fortunate to have come across a few lately！As soon as Samantha Newsom could leave her hometown of Carney， NY， she fled as fast as she could。 At age 13， she lost her entire family and home in a violent crime that was never solved。 Over two decades later， she returns to Carney to help with the passing of a relative， and is immediately drawn back into the twisted web of deceit and tragedy that drove her out all those years ago。 Because a new detective is investigating - the mishandling of evidence by the authorities， the dead ends， the lack of follow-up - but most importantly， a new piece of information: an inmate at a local prison says he saw Sam’s baby sister carried safely from the house that fateful night。 Now even more desperate for answers， Sam finds herself spiraling deeper into the dark secrets her hometown is fighting hard to keep covered。 And the further into it she digs， the less likely it seems she’ll make it out of Carney alive。 。。。more
Karen R。
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What a wild ride…I never knew who I was going to pin this on， but in a good way。 Samantha had so many crappy people in her orbit， any number of them could have killed her family。When Samantha is called home by a dying family member， she begins a journey to solve her families murder once and for all， prompted by a maybe self serving state investigators。But not even Samantha is ready to find out the truth， and maybe not knowing is sometimes better。
Bethany Blake
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I am loving this adult thriller from Kara。 I have read some of her YA books， and they were also amazing， but she can write one hell of an adult thriller as well。 My best advice？ Go in totally blind and run with it - so good。
Jamie Park
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I was consumed by this one。 I was hanging on to every single sentence。 I love books about normal women trying to untangle a family mystery。 I loved every single character in this book and by that I mean they were all fleshed out realistic people。 The ending was also perfect。
Lyndsey thelittlereadingmermaid
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 First of all， thank you SO much NetGalley for my gifted ARC in exchange for my honest review。This book had so many eerie similarities to my life。。。 I just couldn't shake it。 First of all- my name is Lyndsey and very rarely do I meet people， much less book characters， who share the same spelling。 So that was really cool。 But then there was a character named Taylor， and that's the name of my significant other。 Then a character named Kaylee， which is my sister in law's name and spelling。 Then there First of all， thank you SO much NetGalley for my gifted ARC in exchange for my honest review。This book had so many eerie similarities to my life。。。 I just couldn't shake it。 First of all- my name is Lyndsey and very rarely do I meet people， much less book characters， who share the same spelling。 So that was really cool。 But then there was a character named Taylor， and that's the name of my significant other。 Then a character named Kaylee， which is my sister in law's name and spelling。 Then there was a Dani， my best friend's name。 It was like Kara Thomas stumbled upon my instagram page or something and that's how she picked her character names。 It was so cool but so creepy。This was a slower paced thriller， but once it got going， it took OFF。 I loved how deeply atmospheric it was， I really felt like I was in that gritty smalltown， and I lowkey hated it because it reminded me so much of my own crooked hometown。 It's told only from Sam's POV， but I would have really enjoyed another POV。 Perhaps a dual timeline situation POV from a family member？I feel like there were so many secondary characters， too。 It was kind of hard to keep them all straight。 The ending had me absolutely SHOOK， and had me really hoping that Kara Thomas writes a sequel， because I need a reunion between siblings to happen。 They both deserve it， after everything。One of my new favorites from Kara Thomas！ 。。。more
Beth
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This was my first Kara Thomas book and I really liked it。 It’s well-written with lots of twists and turns and definitely kept my interest。 Samantha Newsom is a nurse working in NYC， but she grew up in the small town of Carney in upstate NY。 Her mother， father， and two year-old sister were murdered when she was 13 years old。 Their house was set on fire and burned to the ground。 The crime was never solved。 Sam was the sole survivor because she was at her friend’s house。 Twenty two years later， Sam This was my first Kara Thomas book and I really liked it。 It’s well-written with lots of twists and turns and definitely kept my interest。 Samantha Newsom is a nurse working in NYC， but she grew up in the small town of Carney in upstate NY。 Her mother， father， and two year-old sister were murdered when she was 13 years old。 Their house was set on fire and burned to the ground。 The crime was never solved。 Sam was the sole survivor because she was at her friend’s house。 Twenty two years later， Sam has to go back to Carney to see her dying uncle。 When she starts digging in to what happened to her family， many secrets and lies are exposed and Sam puts herself and others in grave danger。 Thanks to #netgalley #thomas&mercer and #karathomas for this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Viktoria
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I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley。 Thank you for the early read。 There was a lot going on in this book but it was well written。 I didn't connect very well with the main character only because I haven't experienced any loss like that character。 The book had me very hooked on wanting to know what happens。 I quickly read this and loved it。 I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley。 Thank you for the early read。 There was a lot going on in this book but it was well written。 I didn't connect very well with the main character only because I haven't experienced any loss like that character。 The book had me very hooked on wanting to know what happens。 I quickly read this and loved it。 。。。more
kendall ʚĭɞ
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Kara Thomas makes her mark in the adult thriller genre。 I enjoyed a few of her YA thrillers， so I was super excited to see what she could do with an adult book。 This was so， so wild。 It really stood out against other thrillers i’ve read that follow the same sort of theme。 It’s typical for thrillers to be about something relating to an unsolved case， and small town but Kara Thomas outdid it。 I love reading about an unhinged main character in these books， and Sam was definitely that。 She wasn’t af Kara Thomas makes her mark in the adult thriller genre。 I enjoyed a few of her YA thrillers， so I was super excited to see what she could do with an adult book。 This was so， so wild。 It really stood out against other thrillers i’ve read that follow the same sort of theme。 It’s typical for thrillers to be about something relating to an unsolved case， and small town but Kara Thomas outdid it。 I love reading about an unhinged main character in these books， and Sam was definitely that。 She wasn’t afraid of anything， and was going to find the truth no matter what it took。 The side characters were good。 Truthfully， there were a lot。 I did forget who was who a time or two， but I felt like the author did a good job reminding the audience of who it was - if they hadn’t been mentioned in a while。 The ending was So sad。 It definitely wasn’t what I was expecting， or wanting - honestly。 It makes sense though。 Especially when we see who Sam is as a character， and everything she had went through。 I would have loved to see an epilogue set 6 months to even a year later。I definitely didn’t know where there this book was going in terms of plot twist。 I thought it was figured out a time or two， but it just kept having twist after twist。 If you enjoy more small town secrecy， everyone is a bad person， drama esque thrillers - this is one you need to add to your tbr。 thank you netgalley for the arc！ 。。。more
Jenna Sfraga
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This was quite a doozy！ Kara Thomas really went in guns blazing with this adult thriller。 It did have a ton of characters， subplots and a lot to keep track of so you had to really pay attention and be fully invested。 The first half is a bit slower and more developmental but， once you hit the ground running there is no stopping until the book is completed。 You will become severely frustrated with characters and we demand book number two！！！
Catalina
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Kara Thomas definitely went there。 This was definitely written in a different voice from her YA books because obviously she wasn't constricted on what she could add in to the plot and boy did she really go dark in this。I did enjoy this one！ The plot was great but the characters were better！ I love how 'real life' Kara always writes her books。 Any of these characters could be actual people I may have met before。 The mystery bit wasn't too difficult to figure out but there were some other smaller Kara Thomas definitely went there。 This was definitely written in a different voice from her YA books because obviously she wasn't constricted on what she could add in to the plot and boy did she really go dark in this。I did enjoy this one！ The plot was great but the characters were better！ I love how 'real life' Kara always writes her books。 Any of these characters could be actual people I may have met before。 The mystery bit wasn't too difficult to figure out but there were some other smaller twists that happened to keep it interesting。 I did want more from the ending like I wanted that meet up to happen in book！ Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy！ 。。。more
tpg0
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I'm sorry， as an AI language model， I do not have personal opinions or emotions。 However， I can provide you general information about the book 'Out of the Ashes' by William W。 Johnstone。 'Out of the Ashes' is a post-apocalyptic novel published in 1990。 It tells the story of a small group of survivors navigating their way through a world ravaged by nuclear war， as they try to rebuild and defend their community against external threats。 The book is known for its depiction of survivalist culture and its exploration of themes such as individualism， community-building， and conflict resolution in extreme circumstances。 It is the first book in the Ashes series， which has a total of 36 books。
tpg1
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As an AI language model， I do not have personal opinions or book reviews as humans do。 However， "Out of the Ashes" is a post-apocalyptic fiction book written by William W。 Johnstone， who passed away in 2004 before its publication in 2017。 The story revolves around a small town after a catastrophic event that left the U。S。 in ruins， where its inhabitants face challenges presented by gang violence， power struggles， and survival in a world without modern conveniences。 It received mixed reviews from readers， with some enjoying the fast-paced action and world-building， while others criticized its predictable plot and weak character development。
tpg2
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