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ezwolf's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This gets three stars for the diabetic rep but otherwise it would be 2.
By about 30% in I had lost interest and started skimming. I skipped multiple chapters and didn’t feel like I was missing any information at all by the end.
The pop culture references were unnecessary and completely removed me from the story each time. The way Dare spoke about things with similes also felt very clunky.
I knew Rose was the younger sister from the second it was hinted that they were going to look for her. It was not at all a surprise. Also how did Quinn not know about her mother? When she was fighting with Dare about leaving to meet the police officer, she specifically calls Athleen “family”? Dare kept saying she thought Quinn might have been in on it with her mother, so why even have us have evidence that she probably is for it to turn in to nothing? So how can she not have known? The thing with Holly probably being dead was also weird and unfinished.
By about 30% in I had lost interest and started skimming. I skipped multiple chapters and didn’t feel like I was missing any information at all by the end.
The pop culture references were unnecessary and completely removed me from the story each time. The way Dare spoke about things with similes also felt very clunky.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Vomit, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Animal death and Dementia
ghostlyprince's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Vomit, and Medical content
Moderate: Child death, Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Dementia, and Alcohol
whatthegayle's review
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The book started out a bit on the slow side but by the time I reached 40 or so pages I was invested.
I loved the overall mystery and how the story developed. The main three characters were enjoyable even though I was aggravated at how long it took Dare to realize there were in facts ghosts in the house.
I love any type of story to have to do with old haunted houses so this was right up my alley. I loved the final conclusion and thought it wrapped up nicely.
I loved the overall mystery and how the story developed. The main three characters were enjoyable even though I was aggravated at how long it took Dare to realize there were in facts ghosts in the house.
I love any type of story to have to do with old haunted houses so this was right up my alley. I loved the final conclusion and thought it wrapped up nicely.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Vomit, and Death of parent
Minor: Dementia and Kidnapping
obsetress's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
if i had a nickel for every time i consumed a sapphic love story about a vindictive lake ghost who trapped other souls on the grounds with her i'd have two nickels. which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death
p_izag's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I really enjoyed reading this book. Maybe half way in I started to feel scared and a little sad reading it. I hope to continue reading about Dare's adventures and I really hope she and Quinn end up together
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Child death
Moderate: Death of parent
thereadedit's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75
Unsettling: 😬😬
SCARY: 👻👻
DEATH: 💀💀💀
INTRIGUE: 🧠🧠🧠🧠🧠
TW: Drowning, Death, Gore
Sapphic Romance Meets The House on Haunted Hill on a Lake
The girls are never gone was definitely a journey through time and circumstances much different than our own. It explored the 1800s all the way through today. With time comes people and conflict. And people choose conflict over resolving what issues may lie.
We all know that teenage girls can have a mind of their own. It's a time when you feel as if you may never come across a time and space where you aren't safe or could fathom the worst happening to you. But also exploring who you are to find you and what makes you feel happy. Until you are thrust into such a situation, you have no way of knowing unless you follow the history of people before us.
I'm this instance there is a beautiful home that is being restored to become a museum to show how much of a time capsule it is. You have a very wealthy family with 10 kids who lived there and while there were many there was one who perished. She built the strength and power over the years and chose to take a girl her age each time one moved into the home. The town refused to do anything about it so they just pretended it didn't happen. Until it made it impossible for the girls coming there to have a dream summer of working in the house. Three girls are there to be in an internship to help restore the home into a museum. All three go through this time to find who they are in life. A sapphic romance between two of the girls begins just when things start happening in the home.
Vengeful spirits always wants the last say in everything yet they can't even speak. The girls in this book go through so much and yet are stronger for everything in the end.
I would highly recommend reading this book if you want to go on a ghost filled haunted house tour!
Unsettling: 😬😬
SCARY: 👻👻
DEATH: 💀💀💀
INTRIGUE: 🧠🧠🧠🧠🧠
TW: Drowning, Death, Gore
Sapphic Romance Meets The House on Haunted Hill on a Lake
The girls are never gone was definitely a journey through time and circumstances much different than our own. It explored the 1800s all the way through today. With time comes people and conflict. And people choose conflict over resolving what issues may lie.
We all know that teenage girls can have a mind of their own. It's a time when you feel as if you may never come across a time and space where you aren't safe or could fathom the worst happening to you. But also exploring who you are to find you and what makes you feel happy. Until you are thrust into such a situation, you have no way of knowing unless you follow the history of people before us.
I'm this instance there is a beautiful home that is being restored to become a museum to show how much of a time capsule it is. You have a very wealthy family with 10 kids who lived there and while there were many there was one who perished. She built the strength and power over the years and chose to take a girl her age each time one moved into the home. The town refused to do anything about it so they just pretended it didn't happen. Until it made it impossible for the girls coming there to have a dream summer of working in the house. Three girls are there to be in an internship to help restore the home into a museum. All three go through this time to find who they are in life. A sapphic romance between two of the girls begins just when things start happening in the home.
Vengeful spirits always wants the last say in everything yet they can't even speak. The girls in this book go through so much and yet are stronger for everything in the end.
I would highly recommend reading this book if you want to go on a ghost filled haunted house tour!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, and Death of parent
beholderess's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Vomit
Moderate: Child death and Death
Drowning Death of wild animalsbetyplush's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Not superb, but I enjoyed it.
The hints of diet culture and orthorexia are basically entirely dropped, for better or worse, after the first quarter of the book and it ends up being a very minor feature of a character. I feel like the book wouldn’t have lost anything editing it out and could have gained some nuance focusing on it further, and the degree to which it was involved was just in an awkward space.
I think my favorite part was incorporating the diabetes in a way that characterized the MC and her relationships and was plot-relevant without using it in a damsel in distress way.
I also felt the bisexual rep was honest and realistic. It didn’t feel queerbaity or male-gazey to me. Also no SA and incorporated request for verbal consent which I liked.
The hints of diet culture and orthorexia are basically entirely dropped, for better or worse, after the first quarter of the book and it ends up being a very minor feature of a character. I feel like the book wouldn’t have lost anything editing it out and could have gained some nuance focusing on it further, and the degree to which it was involved was just in an awkward space.
I think my favorite part was incorporating the diabetes in a way that characterized the MC and her relationships and was plot-relevant without using it in a damsel in distress way.
I also felt the bisexual rep was honest and realistic. It didn’t feel queerbaity or male-gazey to me. Also no SA and incorporated request for verbal consent which I liked.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Child death
aspring's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
i ADORED this. it was creepy and sapphic and all around a whirlwind of emotions. also waffles the service dog??? owns my heart. what an angel.
but also, i found this ending really disappointing and abrupt, the book was going so well and this ending just didn’t fit the narrative that was set up for it. i would’ve liked to see a bit more closure and more of a final ‘boss battle’ at the end.
also also! the plot twists! i did not see any of them coming! (if you actually think about it, you probably will but i didn’t and i loved it) <3
but also, i found this ending really disappointing and abrupt, the book was going so well and this ending just didn’t fit the narrative that was set up for it. i would’ve liked to see a bit more closure and more of a final ‘boss battle’ at the end.
also also! the plot twists! i did not see any of them coming! (if you actually think about it, you probably will but i didn’t and i loved it) <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness, and Death
collinsd's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death
Minor: Animal death