Creepy and well-paced, and I really liked the main character. 

 

Energy: Assertive. Intuitive. Compassionate. 

 

🐕 Howls The writing leans to the younger side of YA (the tone, not the topics!), but it still worked for me. The very end was a little predictable, but that’s probably because I’m an adult reading a YA book 🤓. 

 

🐩 Tail Wags Relatable main character and feeling how horrifying her life situation has become. The insufferable stepdad character. Mix of creepy paranormal elements and real-life horrors. The spooks. The pacing. How Rachel sticks up for herself. Subtle but powerful commentary on how women’s fears and anxieties are often brushed off as overreactions. Commentary naturally woven through the story. Darker moments I was not expecting. 

 

Scene: 🇺🇸 Old Victorian-style home near the town of St Marys, Virginia, USA

Perspective: A 3rd year high school student spending the summer break adjusting to life in their new stepparent’s home after their bioparent’s whirlwind romance. 

Timeline: Current (2010s or 2020s). Over the summer break from school.

🔥 Fuel: The romance, the family life, the basement visions, the missing girls, the situation with Geoff's past and the house history.

📖 Cred: Supernatural/paranormal realism

 

Thai restaurant. Furniture polish. Must. Cozy bookstore. Creepy basement. Black hair dye. Cemeteries. Coffee. 

 

Content Heads-Up: Loss of parent (as toddler; child; preteen). Body shaming (appearance, hair dye, style). Blood, death. Alcohol (underage; provided by adult). Dietary shaming (vegetarian). Home invasion, gun violence (brief, on page). Murder. Night terrors, sleepwalking. Sexual content (consenting; make out, first time, birth control; on page). Infidelity (recall). Abusive relationship (physical assault, obsession, stalking). Confinement. Fire (building).

 

Rep: American. Hispanic or Latin American peripheral character. Cis. Hetero. Pale and dark skin tones.

 

📚 Format: Advance Reader’s Copy from BooksGoSocial, Parliament House Press, and NetGalley