Reviews with content warning for Chronic illness - The Girls Are Never Gone

I'm not generally a horror fan, but I couldn't pass up a sapphic mystery with a diabetic mc. Also, her service dog is the true star of the whole book ♡

The dog does Not die!!

Even though the romance wasn't the most profound or anything, there were definitely tender moments that had my heart in a chokehold. More than the romance though, the mystery aspect is what got me through the book. I'd probably reread, if only to catch more specific clues.
This wasn't a perfect book, with some underdeveloped areas, but it was still a fun and interesting read! I have mixed feelings about the ending, because

there were unanswered questions about Holly's fate, and I don't really like vague endings. However, I do appreciate Dare and Quinn's maturity to give themselves time to recover from the events of the book before going into a full relationship with each other. I'd love to see them reunite eventually and tie up some loose ends though.

With those things said, I could definitely see there being a sequel, and would love to read it if that happens!

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aspring's review

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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

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monicalaurette's review

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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

5.0

“Leave, Dare. She won’t save you either.”

This book is not one of my normal ones in a few ways. Yes, it’s YA & gay, but it’s also paranormal and ghost hunting, the first book of it’s kind to land on my ‘read’ shelf in my room. Besides it being YA & Gay (that’s a fun rhyme), I got this book because of the author. I love Sarah’s work so much that I knew that I had to try this one out. This book is even inspired by her ancestral home with it’s own haunting history (and an episode on Ghost Hunters!).

“I’ll reach out into the darkness, safe in knowing nothing ever reaches back.”

The Girls Are Never Gone follows Dare, a young teen with Type 1 Diabetes and a passion for uncovering the truth around ‘hauntings’. She doesn’t believe in ghosts and a month-long trip to a famously haunted house in Virginia is just another haunt, and a chance to show her own skills away from her past YouTube show. However, while at the famous Arrington estate, researching the death of one of it’s past residents, things start to change the way Dare has always thought the world around her to be.

I loved the different aspects of this book so much. The Type 1 rep was nice to see, it was something that was weaved in through the whole book and not just something mentioned at the beginning and forgotten about (like some other books, shows, and movies do with stuff like that). My family history falls more on Type 2, but I always grew up knowing about both and it was nice to see that as something that never hindered Dare, but instead helped her to remember that she was always strong. “Type 1 diabetics are like Girl Scouts….”

Then there’s the Bisexual rep that I obviously loved. While Dare being Bi wasn’t like a main plot point, it was nice to have it there. She was mainly exploring & navigating those feelings during this book after a recent break-up from her ex-boyfriend. And it was nice to have the different texts from Dare’s friends who just didn’t care that Dare was bi, just letting her know that they still cared about her and how much they loved her podcast so far.

Moments in this book, some of the twists and reveals I found myself figuring out along with the characters

like when they found out Hettie was killing her ‘sisters’ at the same age, I had picked up on that when they found Atheleen’s list and read the next chapter I felt so smart

. But then there were other moments that I just did NOT see coming at all. However, that made for the book to be enjoyable so I wasn’t guessing everything happening before it did; Sarah and the Arrington Estate kept me on my toes.

With all that said, I give The Girls Are Never Gone 5 stars. I wish there was more that I could learn about it all or even hear the podcast that Dare created while in the house. Either way, I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good ghost story and unsuspecting twists.

I knew the second that Holly fell into the lake that it was going to want her, and then Quinn with the sleepwalking I was so torn on how it was going to end.

Atheleen being like a fellow ghost hunter/true crime lover was really cool and I think a way to help Dare realize that some ghosts are in fact real

ROSE AS GUSSIE I JUST DID NOT SEE COMING I AUDIBLY GASPED

I thought that at the end, Hettie/the lake did accept Rose both because she gave her ‘sister’ a hug and Rose was probably the same age as Hettie’s mom when she died so it was like her mother was healing her.

Okay but WHERE IS HOLLY? Part of me is like, oh she never left the estate and is now just hiding in the dilapidated building waiting for someone to find her/allow her to drown them in the lake next. I know that is crazy but she left the story so oddly and abruptly I just want her to be okay.

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melaniereadsbooks's review

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dark 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

5.0

Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for the arc of this book!

This is a dark and twisty queer ghost story following Dare, a bi teenage paranormal podcaster as she investigates the mystery around Arrington Estate and Atheleen Bell's mysterious drowning 30 years prior. She gets to the house as an intern for Rose, who is restoring the estate to become a museum. and is joined by Rose's daughter, Quinn, and Holly, another intern. Dare expects to spend her summer debunking the ghost myths surrounding the estate, and instead is forced to confront the dark mysteries of the house that started long before Atheleen Bell's death.

I adored this book! It kept me up late because I could not put it down. It is so atmospheric and creepy and spine-tingling. The sapphic relationship is to die for (hah, no pun intended) and I love how off-kilter I felt while reading! It seemed like anyone could be a suspect and something creepy and sinister was around every page.

The ending also absolutely blew me away. I won't spoil anything here, but it took a turn I did not expect but absolutely loved!

I thought the character development was quite good and I will say this is hands down the best ghost story I've read!

Pub date: September 7, 2021

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foreverinastory's review

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The MC has a service dog and I'd like you all to know that the dog does survive.

Rep: Bisexual chronically ill female MC (type 1 diabetes), sapphic Bourican/biracial love interest.

CWs: Animal death (not on page, but skeletons are found), blood, chronic illness (type 1 diabetes), death, ghostly haunting, medical content, murder, stalking, toxic relationship, violence, vomit.

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