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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
monicalaurette'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
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Medical content
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit
wanderingthepage's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Vomit
Moderate: Body horror, Medical content, and Death of parent
malomegh's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Blood, Vomit, and Murder
beforeviolets's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thank you so much to Penguin Teen for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review!
what a fun spooky read! I had the pleasure of getting to read this haunted horror while on a weekend trip to VA (where the book is set) which made reading it all the more fun :) I felt so immersed!
I loved the representation in this book! our MC is bisexual and has diabetes and our LI is sapphic (obviously) and half-Puerto Rican! and they’re both such incredible nerds, I felt like I would be friends with them in real life.
this was such a wonderful classic haunted house story! fascinating complex lore! relatable and interesting characters! overall a great time while also being a really quick read.
the points are lost where I felt like this book missed a lot of opportunities. I would’ve loved to see more of the multi-media style writing throughout rather than used just as bookends! I also felt like I often found myself being told things instead of being showed them, especially earlier on. I ached for more descriptive atmospheric choices (where were the dark clouds rolling in? the hoot of an owl deep in the trees? each omen felt like a planned plot point instead of an aid to the tension as a whole). not disappointing enough to take away from my reading experience but it kept the book from going above and beyond for me.
what a fun spooky read! I had the pleasure of getting to read this haunted horror while on a weekend trip to VA (where the book is set) which made reading it all the more fun :) I felt so immersed!
I loved the representation in this book! our MC is bisexual and has diabetes and our LI is sapphic (obviously) and half-Puerto Rican! and they’re both such incredible nerds, I felt like I would be friends with them in real life.
this was such a wonderful classic haunted house story! fascinating complex lore! relatable and interesting characters! overall a great time while also being a really quick read.
the points are lost where I felt like this book missed a lot of opportunities. I would’ve loved to see more of the multi-media style writing throughout rather than used just as bookends! I also felt like I often found myself being told things instead of being showed them, especially earlier on. I ached for more descriptive atmospheric choices (where were the dark clouds rolling in? the hoot of an owl deep in the trees? each omen felt like a planned plot point instead of an aid to the tension as a whole). not disappointing enough to take away from my reading experience but it kept the book from going above and beyond for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Stalking
lou_sam's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death
werewolvesnotswearwolves's review
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Medical content and Grief
Minor: Animal death
melaniereadsbooks's review
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
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Vomit, and Medical content
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Violence, Blood, Stalking, and Murder
foreverinastory's review
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Chronic illness, Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Stalking, and Murder
sunshinestark's review
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, and Vomit
The dog does not die (in case anyone else is worried about that like I was the whole time reading)