Review: Nothing Left to Burn by Heather Ezell

The autumn morning after sixteen-year-old Audrey Harper loses her virginity, she wakes to a loud, persistent knocking at her front door. Waiting for her are two firemen, there to let her know that the moment she's been dreading has arrived: the enormous wildfire sweeping through Orange County, California, is now dangerously close to her idyllic gated community of Coto de Caza, and it's time to evacuate.

Over the course of the next twenty-four hours, as Audrey wrestles with the possibility of losing her family home, she also recalls her early, easy summer days with Brooks, the charming, passionate, but troubled volunteer firefighter who enchants Audrey--and who is just as enthralled by her. But as secrets from Brooks's dark past come to light, Audrey can't help but wonder if there's danger in the pull she feels--both toward this boy, and toward the fire burning in the distance.

I picked this book up because I thought the premise was intriguing. I admit I'm a sucker for any story set in a natural disaster. The first chapter starts off with a bang -- firefighters knocking on Audrey's door early in the morning. The pace of the book doesn't let up from there. It takes place over the course of one day, with every other chapter skipping back in time to fill in the story of Audrey and Brooks. The book has a very strong sense of place (something I always love!), great supporting characters (my favorite was Audrey's best friend),  a flawed main character, and secrets that'll keep you reading. Nothing Left to Burn is a compelling page-turner with a satisfying ending.