Book Review: A Catalog of Burnt Objects by Shana Youngdahl

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 368 pages

Published: March 18, 2025

Publisher: Dial Books

Genre: Teens & YA, Coming of Age

Today is my stop on the Colored Pages Book Tour, and I’m looking forward to talking about my current read, A Catalog of Burnt Objects by Shana Youngdahl. 17-year-old Caprice is desperate to put the pieces back together with her family, especially now that her older brother has returned home from rehab. However, there is a part of her that still resents him for causing the rift in the first place. So Caprice is a busy teenager, dealing with family drama, the prospect of new love and designing an app that will win her a college scholarship and a tech job; Caprice has a lot on her plate right now. Suddenly, a wildfire strikes Caprice’s small California town, Sierra, and she faces a future far different than she could have imagined. It will be terrifying and heartbreaking for Caprice to face, but she must endure it.

As the description on the back of the book says, “A Catalog of Burnt Objects” is a love story of many kinds. It is not just a budding romance you read about, but also the sibling love relationship between a sister and brother and the love of the town you grew up and lived in slowly disappearing before your eyes. So much realism and engaging storytelling will essentially tug at your heartstrings right from the beginning. This was a love story of a small town where true and tragic events occurred. However, through tragedy, there is a sense of resilience and inspiration, and Youngdahl portrays that beautifully in this YA novel. If you are looking for an emotional coming-of-age novel to read for this month, this title has to be on the top of the pile.