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The Way You Burn
When David approaches his New Hampshire cabin one cool October night to find it engulfed in flames, he knows his girlfriend Hope set the fire. At least, he’s pretty sure he knows.
David first decides to upend the creature comforts of his post-collegiate life and try roughing it for a year after he inherits two acres of land and a rustic cabin from his deceased grandfather. Life at the cabin proves to be more difficult than expected, however, and it all starts with the woman he loves—Hope—whose dark past is written in the twisting pink scars covering her body. Their relationship is challenged after his car slides through an intersection one dark night and, later, his realization that someone is out there, watching him through the trees
Over the course of five seasons, David struggles to maintain his relationship with Hope. Ultimately, in an attempt to understand the sacrifices she has had to make, he decides to rewrite their story. In doing so, he explores the lessons he’s left with--after everything he thought mattered is gutted or burned away—and the surprising bits of wisdom he finds in the ashes.
David first decides to upend the creature comforts of his post-collegiate life and try roughing it for a year after he inherits two acres of land and a rustic cabin from his deceased grandfather. Life at the cabin proves to be more difficult than expected, however, and it all starts with the woman he loves—Hope—whose dark past is written in the twisting pink scars covering her body. Their relationship is challenged after his car slides through an intersection one dark night and, later, his realization that someone is out there, watching him through the trees
Over the course of five seasons, David struggles to maintain his relationship with Hope. Ultimately, in an attempt to understand the sacrifices she has had to make, he decides to rewrite their story. In doing so, he explores the lessons he’s left with--after everything he thought mattered is gutted or burned away—and the surprising bits of wisdom he finds in the ashes.
256 pages, Paperback
First published April 14, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 10, 2020
Thank you so much to Books Forward for the advanced copy of The Way You Burn by Christine Meade! The book was received in exchange for an honest review, and all opinions are my own
Those years right after college are when a large percentage of new adults are off in the world learning how to be successful and happy humans. As a 30 something year old this is my favorite coming-of-age group to read about, as it is easier for me to relate to. David is the main character and he decides to leave his parents house to go live in the New Hampshire cabin that his recently deceased grandfather left him.
David has recently met a young woman named Hope, who has some obvious physical scarring caused by burns. Before too long he gets glimpses of her inner issues in the form of small manipulations, but he lets her get away with it due to a certain level of naivety. A large portion of the book is about David learning some of Hope’s past, then he has to balance her traumas with the need to set boundaries with her behavior. This is difficult for adults of ANY age and eventually… well … you can see in the description that she burns his home down. She's completely insane and I felt like David made {mostly} good decisions as he learned his lessons.
The first most obvious thing that I encountered in the book was Meade’s use of the second person narrative. It was a bit hard to get used to reading David’s letters in this form but it put me right into his head as he tried to do his best with the situations he encountered.
I am going to brush over the setting too and just say that David’s land sounds absolutely gorgeous. Meade does a great job describing the changing colors of the leaves, the pond’s eco system, and the other sights, sounds, smells, and weather phenomena of the woods. I grew up by a river and can relate to the effects of water and a fishing hole on the soul.
The book has a small suspense element as well which I really enjoyed. David keeps finding a mysterious horse tied up in the woods among other small oddities, and he is convinced that someone else is living in his proximity. This is actually a great storyline, no spoilers though. I believe that this storyline is used to show how David’s maturity level grew to allow such a tasteful handling of tbe situation.
So obviously the relationships in the book are David’s catalysts in personal growth. My absolute favorite one is with an old man named Harold that David meets, befriends, and ultimately becomes the caregiver for. Harold is an old timer full of stories and no judgement, who teaches David what love truly looks like. Harold’s stories about women in the insane asylum, and his wife’s devotion to caring for them, gives David insight into some major historical women’s issues and a tool for understanding his own family’s secrets.
I can’t discuss Hope too much without spoilers but I just never liked her, despite the traumas of her past. Even with institutionalized years she never developed good coping skills. She drove me nuts controlling David in small ways, and my little nurse brain is over here thinking “this woman is a CNA? Is she hurting or controlling her patients like this?” It didn’t seem like a good idea for her to be a caregiver at all. Speaking of: Hope’s mother is a nurse, and at one point the book states “two generations of nurses” – technically wrong, as it is illegal for non-licensed personnel to call themselves a nurse. Small details but she should have written “two generations of caregivers” or something similar.
Last but not least let me use that thought to segue into the infamous OneReadingNurse medical talk portion of the review: actually … Kudoes to Meade on her portrayal of the hospitalized character. A fat embolism is a huge risk of orthopedic surgeries and she nailed it as far as a logical death. The staff acted pretty realistically as well, although I was surprised that no one took down next of kin contact info. I might have teared up during the funeral portion. I also think Meade did an amazing job portraying Harold’s descent into dementia and the additional services he needed, from basic forgetfulness to the lowest possible moment in the bathroom with David. I don’t want to touch the mental health portions but it seems like it was handled tastefully, and I hope that Hope did or does actually get the additional help that she needed.
Whew, that was a tough review because the book is so deep! Let me pull back and say that while the book handles some tough themes, it is superbly well written. I would recommend it for anyone out of college at least, anyone that enjoys a good coming of age tale, and men or women alike trying to understand life’s complexities.
Thank you so much again to Jackie at Books Forward for the advanced copy! It releases 4/14 through She Writes Press so add it to your TBR now!
Those years right after college are when a large percentage of new adults are off in the world learning how to be successful and happy humans. As a 30 something year old this is my favorite coming-of-age group to read about, as it is easier for me to relate to. David is the main character and he decides to leave his parents house to go live in the New Hampshire cabin that his recently deceased grandfather left him.
David has recently met a young woman named Hope, who has some obvious physical scarring caused by burns. Before too long he gets glimpses of her inner issues in the form of small manipulations, but he lets her get away with it due to a certain level of naivety. A large portion of the book is about David learning some of Hope’s past, then he has to balance her traumas with the need to set boundaries with her behavior. This is difficult for adults of ANY age and eventually… well … you can see in the description that she burns his home down. She's completely insane and I felt like David made {mostly} good decisions as he learned his lessons.
The first most obvious thing that I encountered in the book was Meade’s use of the second person narrative. It was a bit hard to get used to reading David’s letters in this form but it put me right into his head as he tried to do his best with the situations he encountered.
I am going to brush over the setting too and just say that David’s land sounds absolutely gorgeous. Meade does a great job describing the changing colors of the leaves, the pond’s eco system, and the other sights, sounds, smells, and weather phenomena of the woods. I grew up by a river and can relate to the effects of water and a fishing hole on the soul.
The book has a small suspense element as well which I really enjoyed. David keeps finding a mysterious horse tied up in the woods among other small oddities, and he is convinced that someone else is living in his proximity. This is actually a great storyline, no spoilers though. I believe that this storyline is used to show how David’s maturity level grew to allow such a tasteful handling of tbe situation.
So obviously the relationships in the book are David’s catalysts in personal growth. My absolute favorite one is with an old man named Harold that David meets, befriends, and ultimately becomes the caregiver for. Harold is an old timer full of stories and no judgement, who teaches David what love truly looks like. Harold’s stories about women in the insane asylum, and his wife’s devotion to caring for them, gives David insight into some major historical women’s issues and a tool for understanding his own family’s secrets.
I can’t discuss Hope too much without spoilers but I just never liked her, despite the traumas of her past. Even with institutionalized years she never developed good coping skills. She drove me nuts controlling David in small ways, and my little nurse brain is over here thinking “this woman is a CNA? Is she hurting or controlling her patients like this?” It didn’t seem like a good idea for her to be a caregiver at all. Speaking of: Hope’s mother is a nurse, and at one point the book states “two generations of nurses” – technically wrong, as it is illegal for non-licensed personnel to call themselves a nurse. Small details but she should have written “two generations of caregivers” or something similar.
Last but not least let me use that thought to segue into the infamous OneReadingNurse medical talk portion of the review: actually … Kudoes to Meade on her portrayal of the hospitalized character. A fat embolism is a huge risk of orthopedic surgeries and she nailed it as far as a logical death. The staff acted pretty realistically as well, although I was surprised that no one took down next of kin contact info. I might have teared up during the funeral portion. I also think Meade did an amazing job portraying Harold’s descent into dementia and the additional services he needed, from basic forgetfulness to the lowest possible moment in the bathroom with David. I don’t want to touch the mental health portions but it seems like it was handled tastefully, and I hope that Hope did or does actually get the additional help that she needed.
Whew, that was a tough review because the book is so deep! Let me pull back and say that while the book handles some tough themes, it is superbly well written. I would recommend it for anyone out of college at least, anyone that enjoys a good coming of age tale, and men or women alike trying to understand life’s complexities.
Thank you so much again to Jackie at Books Forward for the advanced copy! It releases 4/14 through She Writes Press so add it to your TBR now!
July 3, 2020
This one had me gripped from the beginning and then quickly fell flat. I didn't really like any of the characters (except for Harold) and didn't find them believable, maybe they needed more background to understand them better. The relationships between them left me confused and wondering why they were even together. The book kept me going because I thought big things were going to happen but honestly felt like the plot was pretty slow and what twists there were, were quickly glossed over and unexplained.
May 14, 2020
"The Way You Burn" thrusts us into a scene where our main character, David, is watching his grandfather's house burn to the ground. David now lives there in rural New Hampshire after his grandfather gave it to him in his will. David looked at the cabin as a fresh start, both for him and his girlfriend, Hope. Fresh starts don't always come so easily though and David is beginning to see that the proverbial writing on the wall may have been there with Hope the whole time!
First off, I love the way this story unfolded. I love that we initially get to see the aftermath of the other events in the book. Arriving at the fire right away really made for a good entry point into figuring out where the characters stood with each other. I found myself wondering how everything collapsed so spectacularly! Talk about leaving you wanting more!
As the story rewinds, we see how David is desperate for a new start. He can't figure out why his grandfather gave him the cabin in the first place but he recognizes that it may give him the independence he is seeking just entering adulthood. Enter Hope. She's witty, funny, and she makes David feel so very happy... at first at least. Hope is hiding a lot of things from David and she may not be who she says she is. I really loved watching the relationship between them unfold. The author gives us a lot of small details to keep us going throughout the book and I couldn't wait to see what dropped next.
I also really liked the family secret at the center of the book. Between the mystery of David's grandfather and the relationship between David and Hope coming together and then falling apart, you have a really great thriller that kept me reading!
First off, I love the way this story unfolded. I love that we initially get to see the aftermath of the other events in the book. Arriving at the fire right away really made for a good entry point into figuring out where the characters stood with each other. I found myself wondering how everything collapsed so spectacularly! Talk about leaving you wanting more!
As the story rewinds, we see how David is desperate for a new start. He can't figure out why his grandfather gave him the cabin in the first place but he recognizes that it may give him the independence he is seeking just entering adulthood. Enter Hope. She's witty, funny, and she makes David feel so very happy... at first at least. Hope is hiding a lot of things from David and she may not be who she says she is. I really loved watching the relationship between them unfold. The author gives us a lot of small details to keep us going throughout the book and I couldn't wait to see what dropped next.
I also really liked the family secret at the center of the book. Between the mystery of David's grandfather and the relationship between David and Hope coming together and then falling apart, you have a really great thriller that kept me reading!
June 27, 2020
Thanks to booksforwardpr for the gifted book.
3.5
This was an interesting debut. I didn't realize until the end that the use of second person (which seems so rare in books) narration were David's letters to Hope.
David finds out he inherited his grandfather's cabin which throws him as he didn't feel he got along too great with his dad's dad.
David is working at a job for a Boston news station. He meets Hope walking by on the street during an assignment and gets her number. They start dating.
Hope is mysterious about the burns on her body and it takes David so long to get the truth out of her. She was very manipulative and when a few strange things start happening around the cabin, he's quick to blame her.
David befriends an old man Harold and helps take care of him.
Through both Hope and Harold, he unearths the secret his family has held onto for so many years.
3.5
This was an interesting debut. I didn't realize until the end that the use of second person (which seems so rare in books) narration were David's letters to Hope.
David finds out he inherited his grandfather's cabin which throws him as he didn't feel he got along too great with his dad's dad.
David is working at a job for a Boston news station. He meets Hope walking by on the street during an assignment and gets her number. They start dating.
Hope is mysterious about the burns on her body and it takes David so long to get the truth out of her. She was very manipulative and when a few strange things start happening around the cabin, he's quick to blame her.
David befriends an old man Harold and helps take care of him.
Through both Hope and Harold, he unearths the secret his family has held onto for so many years.
April 24, 2020
What a great debut! When I started reading it before bed, I told myself I would only read a few chapters, but I couldn’t put it down. The author’s character development was top notch. Of course, all of us of a certain age can recall those formative first years of actual, post-college adulthood... but I also saw a bit of myself looking back at me from inside multiple characters. It was easy to relate to their plights. The New England setting was a character in itself, and as someone who’s spent a fair bit of time in the area, it rang true and brought forth the nostalgia. Meade deftly maneuvered through numerous subplots, leaving us with an intriguing story with just the right amount of mystery and fully believable stakes. Can’t wait to see what she writes next!
April 11, 2020
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My feelings about this book are somewhat ambivalent. There were parts of the story that I enjoyed, and parts of the story that I thought fell flat. I really liked David and his friendship with Harold. I felt like the synopsis of this book is somewhat misleading, as I feel like the author kind of glossed over David's relationship with Hope. Maybe I have read too many thrillers with psychotic girlfriends (lol); even though there were definitely a few things that Hope did that absolutely made me think she was a little off the rocker, I've read books about crazier girlfriends. I left the book with a better understanding of David's friendship with Harold than I did of his relationship with Hope, and that makes me feel like the author missed the mark here a bit. This was an okay read for me- I didn't hate it but I also didn't love it.
May 1, 2020
The main character, David, pulls you in as he rewrites the story of his relationship, as he saw it, with Hope, who has a past that haunts them both. He inherits his reclusive grandfather's cabin in rural New Hampshire. He moves to the cabin and his life changes dramatically after a series of events in which he ultimately loses a friendship, his girlfriend and his home.
The book is fast-paced and suspenseful. It's very easy to follow and keeps you fully engaged. You won't want to put it down!
The book is fast-paced and suspenseful. It's very easy to follow and keeps you fully engaged. You won't want to put it down!
April 10, 2020
I raced through this book in a single weekend because I could not put it down. A complicated love story, a dark, tragic secret that threatens to tear the couple apart, and a mystery lurking in the forest at night all had me racing through the pages. The author builds her characters so carefully, and with such precision and humanity that this novel achieves what all the great ones should – it lets the reader live inside its pages, completely captivated by the author’s spell.
April 16, 2020
This was an intriguing read, the kind that really makes you think. It is written as a letter from David to Hope in which he tries to explain himself, where he was in their relationship, and what was going through his mind throughout it all in regards to her bizarre behaviors. While their relationship fell flat for me and I didn't care for Hope, I enjoyed David's growth, the back story involving his family, and his relationship with Harold. Overall, it was a great read!
April 23, 2020
This one had me hooked from the beginning! The first chapter introduces David returning to his New Hampshire cabin after celebrating his 25th birthday, only to find it burning to the ground. He is pretty sure his girlfriend, Hope, did this. The story then goes back a full year to the moment they met and explains how he was immediately in awe of her. This story is dark and twisted and I enjoyed every page of it.
May 5, 2020
THE WAY YOU BURN by Christine Meade ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is an interesting debut novel. The story is a narrative by David, the main character. He recounts his tumultuous relationship with his girlfriend, who has a haunting past. Though some of the characters are a bit quirky, the book moves along steadily and draws you in and keeps you reading. I received a copy of this book from the author. All opinions expressed are my own.
This is an interesting debut novel. The story is a narrative by David, the main character. He recounts his tumultuous relationship with his girlfriend, who has a haunting past. Though some of the characters are a bit quirky, the book moves along steadily and draws you in and keeps you reading. I received a copy of this book from the author. All opinions expressed are my own.
May 24, 2021
I so enjoyed this! Although it took me longer than usual to finish reading this, it was not because of the book -I blame it on work. Blah! Anyway, I loved how it felt like the story was going in one direction and then it was like, nope, and went in another. What a gift! The characters and the settings were written so well, I can actually see them. I highly recommend this; it lifted me up, it made me cringe, and left me smiling.
April 18, 2020
The Way You Burn is a captivating and unpredictable novel. The character development is beautifully written and makes you feel like you really know the people....they grab at your heartstrings, for sure. I could not put the book down....I read it in 2 days. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading other novels by this incredibly gifted new author!!
April 20, 2020
This book is intriguing and I read it over two days, wanting to see what happens. The point of view takes some getting used to and made the action feel distant. The relationship between David and Harold is what made me love this book. Hope is a little flat and I struggled to care about her. It's a great read and I'll add Meade to my list of authors to follow.
April 19, 2020
I could not put this book down. It hooked me from the first chapter and is the first book I’ve ever finished in 2 days. I was torn between wanting to devour it to learn more of the mystery, and wanting to slow down to absorb every word, every detail. It’s incredible!
February 23, 2021
This is a difficult review to write because it concerns mental problems which only the patient can really understand.
David appears to suffer from mild depression until he encounters a beautiful redhead, Hope. She has been horribly burned and you get the impression that has traumatized her and affected her behavior.
Obviously, you say? Yes, but there is more too it. They are good together for awhile, but ...
A difficult read because it drags at times. Why? His depression gets worse. A lot of important non-action. Of course, there is so MUCH more in the story than that. Family stuff galore.
I would recommend it, but do NOT expect to finish it with a warm and glow-ey feeling.
David appears to suffer from mild depression until he encounters a beautiful redhead, Hope. She has been horribly burned and you get the impression that has traumatized her and affected her behavior.
Obviously, you say? Yes, but there is more too it. They are good together for awhile, but ...
A difficult read because it drags at times. Why? His depression gets worse. A lot of important non-action. Of course, there is so MUCH more in the story than that. Family stuff galore.
I would recommend it, but do NOT expect to finish it with a warm and glow-ey feeling.
April 26, 2020
I loved this book. Vivid characters, so many twists and turns throughout the book. I could not put this book down.
April 30, 2020
3.5 stars. It kept my attention and was very readable. I didn’t feel good reading this book, though not in the good way that I like. I also disliked probably all of the characters, except Harold, and didn’t find them particularly believable. Didn’t believe their motivations or that they actually existed. I’m now possibly talking myself into bringing this down to 3 stars. But it was a decent read and I needed that right now.
June 8, 2020
Engaging, quick read. Suspense and characters you immediately connect with. Would recommend!
July 25, 2020
Loved this book- the characters, the plot, the writing. Really enjoyable novel.
January 20, 2021
Almost a 5 star....so just read it!
February 23, 2021
Great book! Definitely would recommend and keeps you interested
May 5, 2021
The story was not that bad but there was way to much "off the beaten path" description for me. I probably skipped half of the book trying to get to the meat of the story. Just my opinion!
June 25, 2020
Great twists and turns
As I read this book and got into the life of the main character I could actually feel his insecurities and anxieties. It was great following his path into the past.
As I read this book and got into the life of the main character I could actually feel his insecurities and anxieties. It was great following his path into the past.
November 19, 2024
Excellent read, with an unexpected ending!
April 10, 2020
Such a page turner! Best book I’ve read in a long time, with characters and imagery that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews