By: Patty Blount
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release date: August 4, 2015
Pages: 336
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Synopsis
Reece’s father hasn’t spoken to him since the car wreck that killed Reece’s brother. Desperate for forgiveness, Reece joins the Junior Cadet program at his dad’s firehouse. But the program is grueling, and Reece isn’t sure he can make it through. Then he meets Amanda.
Amanda understands wanting to belong. As a foster kid, the firehouse is the only place that feels like home. She agrees to help Reece, but falling for him wasn’t part of the deal. And when a string of arsons suddenly point to Amanda, their relationship could go up in flames.
Quotes
I asked her once if my dad knew about me. She snorted once and said he left the second he found out. Just as well. I'd rather not have a dad at all than one who looked at me the way John was looking at his kid right now.
"I wasn't staring at your... at your ass. I just like to watch you walk." Oh God. The words that left my mouth sounded so much better in my head than out in the real world. I snapped my teeth together, resolved to never speak again until I was thirty.
You made me. But you could never be proud of me, could you? I was different. Alien. And that only made you mad.
Oh crap! I couldn't. I really couldn't. I was a fraud a total lie. I wasn't brave. I hadn't even fought in an actual fire. I was a pretender a pretend kid to pretend parents pretending to be a firefighter in a pretend squad.
Review
Patty Blount is new to me. I have wanted to pick up so many of her books and yet have never had the pleasure of doing so. Picking up Nothing Left to Burn I really wasn't sure what to expect, and what I got wasn't anything I could have expected. Blount has a unique writing style that brought the characters to life and made this a book that I could dive into.
What I enjoyed the most about this plot was that it was different. Yes, these teens were damaged in their own ways, and yes they just happened to meet, but it was different. Blount's writing took this story and made it realistic, and easy to believe. There were a few questions that I had, that made Reece and his fathers non-relationship hard to understand but was relieved that it came out in the end. There was also an extremely diverse set of characters to back up the main ones, make everything a little more interesting. Many times without these characters I don't think that the story could have been what it was. Though the pacing wasn't always at a speed that I loved, the plot and characters more than made up for it.
Reece knows loss. Reece also knows what it is like to be different. In fact Reece knows a lot of things that most people don't, due to an eidetic memory. I liked him as a characters because of his experiences and his reactions. There was a tragic note to Reece that he carried in almost everything he did, but his loss was so much more than I could ever explain. I didn't fault him for his decisions or his inability to talk to anyone, because he had spent most of his life feeling that way and lost the one person that didn't make him feel that way. This book was really his journey to freedom. Well, not really freedom but the ability to speak about his feelings.
Amanda was both typical and not. I was at first irritated but her seeming like the typical female character that has a rough past. Amanda being put into foster care was tragic, but it was how she reacted and how she had been treated that made her different. Sure Amanda was guarded, but honestly what book heroine isn't. To penalize her for this would be to cut apart the majority of books. What I liked about Amanda was that her guard was there for a reason, but she was not above wanting things to be different. I enjoyed her as a character by the end and learned to feel for her.
The romance was of course both at the front of the story and in the shadows. There was no denying that Reece and Amanda had chemistry, but there was also no denying that they would do everything in their power not to admit it. For each it was a different reason, but ultimately they were meant to be. Admittedly everyone gave them warnings or made them question what they felt, but there was no denying that there was something. I wanted to scream at each of them so many times, but I also kept in mind that neither of them were used to having someone actually want them. This being said the romance was not the front of the story but it was nicely developed from start to finish.
Nothing Left to Burn was a good introduction to Patty Blount's writing I believe. This book has me excited to pick up more and find out what else this author has to offer. Nothing Left to Burn is a contemporary read that brought twists, romance and all around growth. I would recommend it to people that enjoy a good contemporary, and yet want something with a little more depth.
About the Author
Powered by chocolate, Patty Blount is the award-winning author of novels for teens including Some Boys (2015 Firecracker Award winner, 2015 Rita Award Finalist, 2015 Bookseller's Best Award Finalist), TMI, and SEND, as well as contemporary holiday romances, A Match Made at Christmas and its sequel, His Touch.
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Giveaway
Roni O’Connell lives with her husband and two dogs high in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
She finds inspiration in the forest, wildlife, and lakes around her home.A former English teacher, Roni enjoys the company of young adults, their spirited opinions, great enthusiasm, and outrageous humor.When Roni isn’t writing novels, you can find her hiking in the forest or contemplating the wonders of nature.
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