A review by probablyjenna
While We Were Burning by Sara Koffi

3.0

While We Were Burning has a great premise, but unfortunately missed the mark for me in quite a few ways. 

1. Melodrama: We dip into Lifetime movie territory, and that’s just not for me…especially when dealing with serious topics like race and privilege. The silliness of some of the relationships just detracted from the overall point, in my opinion. This is maybe a me problem and might not bother all readers. 
2. Stilted dialogue: The way characters speak to each other felt really unnatural and uncomfortable most of the time. People were also calling each other by name like every other sentence, which just…felt weird. 
3. Unlikable characters without clear purpose: Nobody in this was an enjoyable character, and while that sometimes works, in this case it just felt draining. The two main characters were so over the top that I found it grating to be in their respective POVs. 

I think this could be a good fit for people who enjoy popcorn domestic thrillers; as long as you take it at face value and don’t expect more than a quick & engaging read, you’ll probably like it! Due to the comparison to Such a Fun Age - a book I found really thoughtfully well done - I think my expectations were just not quite right. As this is a debut, I will likely pick up whatever this author writes next and see how things to from there. 

Thanks to the publisher for a free eARC I’m exchange for an honest review!