This book had a great concept, of a ghost detective who is starting to not believe in ghosts anymore because she’s only ever found evidence of what she’s investigating not being ghosts. But I thought that the aspects of the haunting in this book are not tied together in any kind of well thought out way, and it could have been a lot better. It did end in a way that’s kind of creepy, though, where not everything is resolved, and it makes me want to know what happens after the story is over.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to read this early. Review has been posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

I enjoyed this story for the most part. Lots of creepy aspects, and as someone who comes from a family with a history of diabetes, I appreciated the rep. I’m also a sucker for podcast elements and liked the fact that the mc was starting out on her own. However, I think the the story became a little cheesy for my taste toward the end, and the twist didn’t completely do it for me.

Spooky with we'll diverse characters. Thrilling and well organized plot. Will recommend if you're into a conjuring type of read

Thrillers aren't normally my thing anyway, and I just couldn't get into this book. I pushed myself to finish, because I am trying to clear my Netgalley queue, but this isn't one I would recommend.

As I've said many times before, YA isn't exactly my genre, so when I picked up "The Girls Are Never Gone" by Sarah Glenn Marsh I thought It's attention grabbing ability would be limited for me, but boy was I wrong. This novel had me sitting at the edge of my seat, was way scarier than I would have expected from a YA horror, and had characters you actually love.
The story follows Dare, who is working on a horror podcast called Attachments, where she will be investing the Arrington Estate, a manor rumored to be haunted by the spirit of a girl who drowned in its lake 30 years prior. Dare herself is skeptic of all things supernatural (something she doesn't share with her podcast listeners) and believes the drowning was connected to an unsolved murder, but things are happening at Arrington that are pushing the boundaries of everything Dare believes to be true.
I absolutely loved Dares character in this book!!! She was naturally a likable, strong and dedicated. Struggling with type 1 diabetes, she never lets her disability hinder her desire to do what she puts her mind to, like staying in a possibly haunted house hours from home with a group of strangers she's never met. She's a character a reader can take inspiration from, and Sarah Glenn Marsh did an exceptional job at making you feel like you know Dare in real life. Her other characters were equally likable, diverse, and interesting, which was something I enjoyed so much when reading.
There is also some romance Forming between Dare and another girl staying at the Arlington Estate named Quinn, and let me tell you, I rooted for those two the entire book and loved there dynamic as much as I loved the horror. I will forever be team Dare and Quinn
For a YA book it actually had me pretty scared too!! There's

dnf @ 625

i was super excited for the premise of this book because a bisexual girl with type 1 diabetes who runs a panoramal podcast sounds right up my alley. however i'm not a fan of ghosts too much and i thought that maybe the rest of the story would make up for it or that the way it was done would be better but i just got bored as i do with most ghost stories. it also got a little cheesy and overall i didn't have the best time to i decided to dnf.

thank you to razorbill, sarah glenn marsh, and netgalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review

It's horror workout being too scary it's like The Conjuring meets Sadie with a queer ghost story, mixed in. Seventeen-year-old podcaster Dare finds herself in a life-or-death struggle against an evil spirit.

I LOVED this book. As a type 1 diabetic, I never see any books about it, let alone referencing it throughout the book in a casual nature. The spooky mystery was amazing and the podcast angle was very appealing as I love spooky podcasts. The whole thing seemed like it was made for me and my tastes and I adored the book and would recommend to anyone who loves a good spooky haunted house mystery.

Horror isn’t my normal go to genre, but I wanted to give The Girls Are Never Gone a try. This was the perfect spooky read for this time a year. The only thing missing for me was more of the podcast mentioned. Other than that I highly enjoyed this one.

I absolutely adore Sarah Glenn Marsh's Reign of the Fallen duology. Like to the point where reading this book was both a top priority and also the most terrifying task of all time. It is safe to say, however, that I should have just trusted my gut with this one in that I would absolutely adore it.

It is the perfect levels of spooky and Marsh does an excellent job of creating diverse, realistic characters without making them feel shoe-horned. Consider me a repeat reader.

This cover is so creepy and I love it so much! Loved the main character, Dare, who is a bisexual diabetic girl with a cool paranormal investigation podcast. I think this is a fun book to pick up during Halloween season.

This was such an interesting story! I really enjoyed most of it, though parts definitely dragged. But perfect for anyone looking for a suspenseful story!

This was so freaking creepy and perfect for spooky season! I loved the Bi Rep, Diabetic Rep and Podcast parts. This was a winner across the board.

Characters: 3.5 out of 5 stars!
Writing: 3.5 out of 5 stars!
Vibes: 3.5 out of 5 stars!
Plot: 3.5 out of 5 stars!
Enjoyment: 3.5 out of 5 stars!
OVERALL: 3.5 out of 5 stars!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review! This did not affect my opinions in any way. This review is completely spoiler-free.

When going into this book, I didn’t know the main character had anxiety. It made for such an interesting twist on the ghost story trope, especially since Dare’s anxiety wasn’t the thing you usually see in horror: a recklessly screaming girl. Not at all even! Sarah Glenn Marsh portrayed anxiety pretty close to how I personally experience it, and I loved how it influences Dare’s vision of life — and ghosts — a lot.

At the start of The Girls Are Never Gone, Dare is a supernatural skeptic. Even when things that can’t be explained by her logic start happening, she refuses to believe in ghosts. She has reasons for that, but I won’t spoil that for you! That was definitely another interesting part, but it did slow down the pacing a lot.

It takes a while for this to really delve into the horror aspects and though I can see why this would make a big part of this novel boring for some readers, I also saw the charming part in that. Dare is our POV character and it’s almost as if we as readers slowly accept what’s happening along with Dare.

“After all, ghost stories are human stories, brimming with life, with history, drama, and personality. They’re as enduring as we are.” - Sarah Glenn Marsh, The Girls Are Never Gone (quoted from an advanced copy)

If you’re looking for a fast-paced, action-packed horror novel, I don’t think this one will be a good fit for you at the moment. The creepiness only really gets through at the ending, and though it was worth the wait (in my opinion), I don’t want anyone going into this novel expecting something it isn’t.

I think what would’ve made the first half of this book better was some deeper insights into the characters. Just something that would make me immediately connect to them, something that made them more memorable, I guess. They had interesting arcs and were fun, but as someone who prefers character-driven books, I noticed I cared more for the plot of the book than for the individual characters. That’s why I think this was plot-driven, which is not a bad thing since the plot was explosive at some points!

The ending really is where it’s at though! There was action and creepiness and twists and I was living my best life reading all of it, to be honest. It was fun and the way the pieces of this story came together made me so happy, especially since it was creative in my opinion! I’d honestly go back and reread the last 30% or so because it was good stuff.

The last chapter of this book, the actual ending, though… I see a lot of sequel potential here, to be honest. I’ve seen the author say there’s nothing planned (yet?!) but I would love to know what else there is to this story!

“Faith and denial, they cut deep if you hold on too tight. Both can be fatal, preventing you from seeing what’s true until there are hands around your throat, wringing out your last breath.” - Sarah Glenn Marsh, The Girls Are Never Gone (quoted from an advanced copy)

If I had to rate this for the last half only, I think this would be a 4.25-star read, but unfortunately I can’t judge a book solely on its ending. Nonetheless, I had a great time reading this and if you don’t mind some build-up, I’d recommend it for sure! It’s fun, creative, and takes some interesting twists on ghost stories in general!

So basically, this was a very enjoyable read of which I definitely want a sequel!

One-sentence pitch: Dare believes in a logical explanation for everything, not ghosts, no matter how ironic that might sound as she is the voice of a paranormal podcast investigating the death of a girl that drowned thirty years ago—a girl whose spirit is supposedly still lingering at the lake and the house Dare will stay in for an internship—but as Dare and her two new friends delve deeper into the mystery surrounding the girl’s death, clinging to her own beliefs won’t spare her from being haunted.

Definitely read it if: you like ghost stories, want more sapphic horror or chronically ill characters getting their stories, or you’re someone who loves staying up to watch investigation shows!

Maybe skip it if: you are easily creeped out, don’t want to have anything to do with paranormal things, or you need action constantly.

This didn't quite keep my attention as much as I had expected it to. I enjoyed the main character and her personality. I did have higher expectations due to the fact that this was compared to "The Conjuring," it was not even on the same level as "The Conjuring." Quick read though.

This book was so much fun and I managed to snag an ARC for a live chat that I hosted with my book club, Words & Whimsy.

Sarah is always so much fun to talk to and I enjoyed how spooky but accessible this book is for younger readers. Our chat focused on the books inspiration (a possibly haunted manor that used to be owned by Sarah's ancestors) and I loved being able to compare the story with her inspiration.

I also enjoyed that it focused on platonic relationships which is a nice detour from the romance on offer this fall. I will be reading again!

3.5 stars. BLESS THIS BOOK AND IT BEING AN ACTUAL GHOST STORY AND NOT JUST A PERSON IN THE WALL. I really enjoyed the representation present in this book. The MC has Type 1 Diabetes (and a precious service dog that alerts her to low blood sugar; the dog survives FYI) and is also bi. The way in which the author wrote the MC was believable given the situation she was in.

I thought the atmosphere was eerie and really well written. You felt "damp" the entire time reading about this old, broken house near a lake. The horror elements/moments were creepy and they didn't hold back which I appreciated.

Overall I just wasn't completely drawn to this story. I thought it was an entertaining enough read but it didn't suck me in entirely.

A few weeks ago I finished The Girls are Never Gone by @sarahmarshauthor and I completely adored it. It's definitely a great choice for October if you are looking for more spooky books for your TBR. Ghosts, sapphicness, creepy old house, doggo, what's not to love? I gave it 👻👻👻👻.5/5 stars so I highly suggest checking it out!

I’ve been on this creepy book mode.. this is perfect for horror lovers and for spooky season. I enjoyed the unraveling of this story. The mysterious and dark atmosphere made it even better. And the characters were intriguing for sure! Can’t wait to add more of these to my tbr for Halloween!