I didn't love this, and I didn't not love it either. I'm kind of feeling middle of the road-ish. It's a tough subject to approach, and it was done respectfully. I can't, however, decide what this story was trying to be. There is some romance for sure. Jess and Dex meet up 10 years after Dex unexpectedly and quickly left town without word. They were in a relationship in high school, seemingly very much in love, and Dex just left. Jess runs into him during a fundraiser back at that same school, which recently had a fire in its Arts building. Some secrets come to light, and she learns why Dex left so suddenly. They rekindle their relationship and Jess tries to help Dex come to terms with his past. There is some intrigue as to the fire at the Arts building at the school and whether it was arson, but that is never really answered. Everything was just kind of gentle. That's it, it's a gentle love story with a gentle look at a potentially very heavy subject.

Jess has always held a candle for Dex so when he comes back into her life after a school reunion, she couldn’t be happier. But something happened to Dex before he mysteriously left the area all those years before something that still gives him terrible nightmares and makes him seem cold and distant.

And then there are the rumours - rumours that Jess can’t bring herself to believe. But when the truth finally comes out, can Jess be the one to help Dex fight the demons from his past before they consume him completely?

Definitely not for the faint of heart, there is quite a bit of violence and graphic description. I thought it had a good story line and good characters. I really liked the cover art, which is what made me want to read this book in the first place. I'm glad I got the chance to read it, but I probably wouldn't read it again.

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC of #Burn
Pub Date: 07 May 2019

Jess attends her school reunion when Dexter walks in. This is 'the' reason she is there. They were very close when they were in school ... it's been years since he, for some unknown reason, moved out of the area without telling her goodbye. This is the first she's seen him since that time.

But Dexter isn't the same boy she knew. The man, Dexter, is quieter, withdrawn in a lot of ways. He has nightmares and won't share with Jess.

And then come the rumors ......

This is an interesting story with a sensitive subject handled gently. There's not a lot of mystery except for the school fire, which doesn't seem to be a large part of the story. The characters are what drives this tale. From the young people, to the parents, to the teachers .... not all are likeable, but all carry important voices.

Many thanks to the author / Choc Lit / Netgalley for the advanced digital copy of BURN. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

A slow burn perhaps that one that occurs with the aide of accelerant but stick with it as it does pick up. There is definitely an (overuse?) of violent and graphic material so it is definitely not for people who are easily squeamish. The relationship between Jess and Dexter is explore well and from the reading this book I would be interested in reading further books by this author.

Jess has always held a candle for Dex so when he comes back into her life after a school reunion, she couldn’t be happier.

But something happened to Dex before he mysteriously left the area all those years before something that still gives him terrible nightmares and makes him seem cold and distant.

And then there are the rumours - rumours that Jess can’t bring herself to believe. But when the truth finally comes out, can Jess be the one to help Dex fight the demons from his past before they consume him completely?

It was ok. Not one I could really get into. Seemed to be a story told over. I ended the book and felt it was flat.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy for review.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

There’s not a lot of mystery or characters development here. There’s not even a full narrative arch. Pass