Goodreads Monday (10/4/21) – The Girls Are Never Gone

Happy Monday, bibliophiles!

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme created by Lauren’s Page Turners. All you have to do to participate is pick a book from your Goodreads TBR, and explain why you want to read it.

For this October, I’m shifting my focus to horror/paranormal reads for spooky season! This first one is from an author I’m excited to see more from – I bet she’ll handle horror very well.

Let’s begin, shall we?

GOODREADS MONDAY (10/4/21) – THE GIRLS ARE NEVER GONE by Sarah Glenn Marsh

Blurb from Goodreads:

Dare Chase doesn’t believe in ghosts.

Privately, she’s a supernatural skeptic. But publicly, she’s keeping her doubts to herself—because she’s the voice of Attachments, her brand-new paranormal investigation podcast, and she needs her ghost-loving listeners to tune in.

That’s what brings her to Arrington Estate. Thirty years ago, teenager Atheleen Bell drowned in Arrington’s lake, and legend says her spirit haunts the estate. Dare’s more interested in the suspicious circumstances surrounding her death—circumstances that she believes point to a living culprit, not the supernatural. Still, she’s vowed to keep an open mind as she investigates, even if she’s pretty sure what she’ll find.

But Arrington is full of surprises. Good ones like Quinn, the cute daughter of the house’s new owner. And baffling ones like the threatening messages left scrawled in paint on Quinn’s walls, the ghastly face that appears behind Dare’s own in the mirror, and the unnatural current that nearly drowns their friend Holly in the lake. As Dare is drawn deeper into the mysteries of Arrington, she’ll have to rethink the boundaries of what is possible. Because if something is lurking in the lake…it might not be willing to let her go.

So why do I want to read this?

My main draw to The Girls Are Never Gone is Sarah Glenn Marsh herself. I loved the Reign of the Fallen duology, which was more paranormal fantasy, and had all things spooky and undead within. Marsh is a master of the creepy, and I’m sure she’ll do a terrifying job with horror in a more contemporary setting!

Plus, like Reign of the Fallen, we’ve got paranormal sapphics! Dare is bisexual, and her love interest is a lesbian. Always makes me happy to see queer relationships in books that are something other than realistic fiction – lovers of all genres deserve to see themselves represented, whether it’s in fantasy, sci-fi, horror, or anything else.

The Girls Are Never Gone was published just under a month ago as of now, so I should check if it’s available at the library…

Today’s song:

That’s it for this week’s Goodreads Monday! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!