Good afternoon, bookworms! How's life going? I unfortunately wasn't feeling great the past couple days, but that gave me an excuse to do lots of reading and relaxing! I finished Insurgent, read my buddy read chapters of Ace of Shades, and started Allegiant. And now that I'm feeling better, it's review time! I'm so so so excited to bring you my review of The Girls Are Never Gone! This is probably one of my favorite reads of the year, and I really hope that you'll give it a read when it releases in a couple days. Please tell me if you do read it, too, because I'd love to discuss it with you! Special thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! Synopsis and Book Information
My ReviewI'm not a horror fan. I don't watch horror movies, I don't read horror novels--and yet something possessed me to request an ARC of this book. (Maybe I was actually possessed by a ghost?) I have zero regrets about that choice because this book was absolutely amazing. It had some of my all-time favorites things for books: ghosts, podcasts, adorable pets, excellent diverse representation, and that feature I can't put my finger on that makes it unputdownable. I want to be Dare Chase's best friend. Seriously. She is so cool. She's got blue hair and runs her own podcast and has an adorable dog named Waffles and I really want her to exist in real life so I can hunt her down and become her best friend. Okay, maybe that's a tad aggressive, but you get the point. She's definitely a new all-time favorite character of mine. I love how she's written so authentically and seems like she could absolutely be a real person. She's also bisexual and has type 1 diabetes, and I thought both of these aspects of her character were written really well. I learned a lot about type 1 diabetes from reading this book. The author did a great job of incorporating this condition into Dare's everyday life, where she has to be conscious of her blood sugar and how she's feeling. Plus, she's got Waffles, a service dog alerts her when her blood sugar gets dangerous...or at least he's supposed to. He does his best, and he's adorable and is the best furry friend Dare could ask for. I haven't seen much diabetes representation in books, so this was truly a delight to see. The bi representation was also written so well! At the beginning at the book, Dare has just broken up with her boyfriend; then, during her time at Arrington develops a crush on one of the girls there. It was heartwarming how there wasn't any skepticism or questions about why Dare had been dating a guy and was now interested in a girl; her sexuality was simply accepted, which made me so happy. The romance was really cute! It felt very natural and sweet, and I liked how it didn't overpower the book. The ghosts were the main deal; the romance was just a cute extra. The friendship between the characters was also really enjoyable! The author did a good job of writing characters who were entirely lovable but also seemed a bit suspicious at times. I often wasn't sure who I could trust, but I adored the character all the same. The ghostly creepy vibes were perfect! As I mentioned, I'm not a horror fan, so I liked that this book wasn't too scary. Anyone going into this book expecting jump-scares and horrifying gory moments will probably be disappointed; this was more of a spine-tinglingly atmospheric type of horror. The scary stuff wasn't right in your face; it was more creepily eluded to, building up this hair-raising tension. It was almost more of a mystery than it was a horror novel, but it did have lots of creepy moments. I also loved the paranormal ghostly elements of this book; it reminded me a bit of Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. As I'm sure you can tell, I absolutely adored this book! An easy Five Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I'll definitely be rereading this one around Halloween!
Do you like horror novels? Let me know in the comments!
2 Comments
Paige
9/3/2021 02:32:24 pm
Lovely review and photo! I'll definitely have to pick this up! I don't typically like horror but if it's not too intense it's all good!
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Hey there, bookworms!My name is Rose (she/her) and I'm the creator of Books of Magic and Mystery. I love reading YA books, especially fantasy and mystery. When I'm not reading, you can find me baking, studying, or cuddling with my super-furry pets. Visit me on Instagram @booksofmagicandmystery! Archives
November 2021
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