I read this book as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours. Special thanks to Razorbill for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 3 stars

CW/TW: Murder, abuse, suicide, arson, immolation, house fire, self-harm, hurricane/flooding, incest (step-siblings)

I don’t read a lot of mystery/thrillers so for the most part I enjoyed this book. It was a very fast and easy read and surprisingly, didn't have many scary paranormal or supernatural elements in the way the synopsis led me to believe! As The Ultimate Chicken™️ when it comes to that kind of stuff, it was a big relief for me and I think it allowed me to enjoy this more! To its credit, Dark and Shallow Lies didn't go in the direction I thought it would go based on the synopsis and despite having guessed many of the twists at the beginning, I did enjoy the reveals as they came. That said, the ending was a bit anticlimatic and I felt the overall execution of the story could've been done better.

I loved the Deep South setting. The author did a great job of building this intense and spooky goosebumpy atmosphere from the beginning. It makes you question whether you know what's going to happen next or not—is a ghost going to appear or is there some other terrifying supernatural monster that's going to jump out? The bayou town of La Cachette was described really well and it was easy to picture the scenes, not to mention that I enjoyed how the author used the town's exterior, with its yearly upkeep to mask the actual rot underneath, as a metaphor for the dark festering secrets the townspeople keep hidden beneath their friendly and welcoming demeanour. La Cachette is the self-proclaimed "Psychic Capital of the World" and I actually really enjoyed reading about the different psychic powers that everyone has. It lent the story a more "lite paranormal fantasy" vibe because it was more than just reading tarots or seeing the future. Again, I don't read too many paranormal books so the powers were mostly "new" to me, but I was particularly intrigued by Case's bilocation ability. Who wouldn't want that power?!

The story is told through Grey's POV and we get flashes of another person's POV between chapters. I liked those flashes because it worked to amp up the tension in the mystery. Grey interacts with very few townsfolk and mostly spends time with her grandmother, Honey, the "Summer Children", and Zale. The "Summer Children" are the ten babies who were all born in the same year and who grew up together in La Cachette but we learn that two of them were murdered when they were young, and when Grey was still living there. I did hope that we'd get more scenes with the friend group—I was intrigued by what little we learn of the characters, but sadly we don't get more. There is also a bit of a love triangle that doesn't come to be in the story. I'm not a fan of love triangles so I'm glad it didn't become one because it would've been unnecessary, but I also feel like the "fake love triangle" wasn't needed either. I wasn't particularly sold on either love interests and found Grey's "wishy-washy" attitude towards them a bit irritating.

The deeper Grey gets into investigating the disappearance of her best friend, the more disturbing ties to the past are discovered and the more lies there are to unravel. While I did find the mystery intriguing, it was predictable, and I say that as someone who is quite terrible at guessing whodunit in mysteries. I was able to guess 95% of the twists very early on but the author did keep me on my toes and really made me question if any of my guesses were right, and despite being right, there is some good build-up to the reveals. As there was a lot to unravel, there were still elements of surprise to me and I enjoyed how the author tied in the past to the present. That said, I found the actual reveal of the perpetrator and their justification for why they did it fairly anti-climactic…

There were also some supernatural elements that were introduced and then just "left" there without an explanation for how or why, and it was as if the author was trying to include too many elements, making the story feel a bit unfinished/undone. At close to 500 pages though the story itself was very drawn out and didn't need to be that long. Although I did finish this in a matter of hours, I found a big chunk of the middle was a slog to get through and I found myself skimming details as the pace slowed considerably and not much happened.

Overall though, this was an interesting mystery that made me appreciate books set in the Deep South even more, and I enjoyed the author's writing and how they brought the setting to life. There were some great mysterious vibes to this story and I liked how the author intertwined the past into the present and how the twists were revealed towards the end. While I'm disappointed the ending was anticlimactic I'm glad I read this one and would recommend it to those who don't often read paranormal mysteries but would like to read them more!

Dark and Shallow Lies
by Ginny Myers Sain

Quick Stats
Age Rating:
Overall: 5 stars (I rounded up because it’s so good.)
Characters: 4.5/5
Plot: 4/5
Setting: 5/5
Writing: 5/5

A special thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.

I loved this book! I’m not always the biggest fan of thrillers—I’m squeamish and when books dip into disturbed and graphic, my enjoyment level tends to dip—but I adored Dark and Shallow Lies. It was the perfect mix of creepy and atmospheric with such an incredible backdrop and characters. I felt fully immersed in the lush world of La Cachette. I could never decide if I liked the romance, and yet I was still swept up into every touch and flirtation and kiss.
I had a bit of a gut feeling about “whodunnit” but Grey’s theories and the things she kept uncovering distracted me from it so that when the person behind Elora’s disappearance was revealed, I felt like simultaneously screaming “I knew it!” and “What the hell?!?!?!?!” in the best way possible.
All of the characters were well written and interesting. I grew to care about each and every one, but Grey was by far the strongest character, with Hart also being a much more well rounded character than any of the other side characters. Most of the rest of the Summer Kids could have used a bit more time on page and characterization. What I saw of them was well done, but there were so many of them, that it was impossible to feel the full effect of them that I wanted to.
Zale was a bit hard for me to connect with. His back story was interesting, and his characterizations were all well and good, but I just couldn’t get behind him. I think he was simply too otherworldly. He didn’t feel real within the context of the story. He didn’t fit.
What made this book truly special, however, was the setting and atmosphere. Ginny Myers Sain is an incredible writer when it comes to creating a world that encapsulates the essence of the story so completely. The town was wonderfully dark and crooked and yet homely in many ways as well. The execution of that aspect of the story was masterful.
I’ve seen a lot of hype around the book from others who received ARCs, and I can honestly say, it was well deserved and I’d definitely recommend it.

***ARC Review***

“In La Cachette, the line between what’s real and what isn’t gets blurry sometimes.”

This line, plucked from the beginning of this book, colors the entire rest of the story, making for a darkly atmospheric read. This little Louisiana town, adequately named “the hiding place,” has mysteries tucked in every nook and cranny and secrets that’ll have you hiding under your blankets if you read too late at night. There are monsters waiting to jump out at you in the form of werewolves, ghosts, crocodiles, and people who tell lies. Sain manages to layer mysteries in such a way that the reader can never quite tell what could even possibly be real and the constant suspense keeps the pages turning as you ask more questions than there could possibly be answers for.

While some of this suspense gets resolved with answers that will shock you, some of it is anticlimactically dismissed, and some plot points are dropped entirely, which is quite disappointing. Regardless, there aren’t many lulls found within this story and I flew through this book. It felt much shorter than it is.

The main plot line is not only creepy and suspenseful, it is also emotional and meaningful. Given that this is mainly a story of grief, I did not understand why the author chose to involve a love triangle. Something that to me felt like petty drama seemed jarring and out of place within this storyline. If you take this out of consideration, though, the romance is written fairly well and I did like how it all fell into place in the end. And given that I’m generally extremely anti love triangle, this one wasn’t particularly annoying in comparison to most.

The characters in this book don’t show much development but they’re all extremely interesting and the dynamic between them is unlike most anything I’ve read before. The cast could stand to be a bit more diverse but other than that, I do quite love them.

Overall, Dark and Shallow Lies is a fascinating story with puzzles, lies, and horrors woven throughout. It’s perfect for fans of Forget This Ever Happened and anyone looking for a book that will stick in their minds and get their hearts racing.

I couldn't put this book down!! It had me guessing until the end! Definitely would recommend to others to read & will be purchasing for our library!

Seventeen year old Grey spends summer with her grandmother in La Cachette. and the place where Elora Pellerin, Grey's best friend, disappeared six months earlier.

Grey can't believe that Elora vanished into thin air any more than she can believe that nobody in a town full of psychics knows what happened. But as she digs into the night that Elora went missing, she begins to realize that everybody in town is hiding something - her grandmother Honey; her childhood crush Hart; and even her late mother, whose secrets continue to call to Grey from beyond the grave.

When a mysterious stranger emerges from the bayou - a stormy-eyed boy with links to Elora and the town's bloody history - Grey realizes that La Cachette's past is far more present and dangerous than she'd ever understood. Suddenly, she doesn't know who she can trust. In a town where secrets lurk just below the surface, and where a murderer is on the loose, nobody can be presumed innocent--and La Cachette's dark and shallow lies may just rip the town apart.

It is really well written and tragic story but I enjoyed it so much. It's dark, spooky and quite an experience for me.

La Cachette, Louisiana is a town of 106. The only time that number changes is when someone is born or dies but never because people choose to come here. It’s a close knit town and proclaims itself to be the ‘Psychic Capital of the World’. Being less than 2 hours south of New Orleans, La Cachette, gets it’s fair share of tourist too which help to keep the town alive. La Cachette is also a place where magic lives and has lived for generations.

17 year old Grey, one of ten kids known as the Summer Children and born during a single summer, is home for the summer holiday. During the year she lives with her dad, but come summer she’s back home with her grandmother Honey. This summer is different though, as one of the Summer Children and Grey’s twin flame, Elora is missing. Grey is determined to figure out what happened to Elora this summer, but must uncover secrets that have been buried for 17 years to find the truth.

I don’t know what I was expecting, but I was not expecting to absolutely love pretty much everything in this story. From the witchy vibes to the cajun reference, this supernatural mystery was phenemonal. I honestly can’t believe this was a debut book.

I adored the small town setting, with Sain’s writing making me feel like I was there. All of the characters were well developed, unique, and complex. Especially our Summer Children, who all have such distinct psychic gifts. I appreciated that Sain steered clear of too many New Orleans cliques but really bother the Cajun aspects out through her writing. I really don’t have a negative thing to say about this story.

If you enjoy YA mysteries, or are in need of a witchy and atmospheric read for the fall, than this is the perfect read for you. I can’t recommend it enough!

Dark and Shallow Lies comes out September 7, 2021. Huge thank you to Penguin Random House and Razorbill Books for my advanced copy for my honest review. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof_books.

A dark and atmospheric YA, this book starts and finishes strong but the long middle drags it down.

Grey spent her childhood in the teeny tiny bayou town of La Cachette, Louisiana, one of several children all born within a few months of each other, surrounded by psychics of various (though never dubious) talents. She now lives in the Midwest during the school year and only returns to the island in the summer. This is her first summer back since the mysterious disappearance -- and probable death -- of her charismatic best friend, Elora, whose absence is felt so strongly that it's like a character in itself, everything and everyone swirling around it.

As with many YA books, there is next to no adult presence. Elora's supposedly strong relationship with her psychic grandmother is mostly told-not-shown, and the other teens' parents are largely absent, trotted out a little bit at certain moments of narrative convenience. Grey and the others are left to loll about the island, moping and drinking and exhibiting wildly varying degrees of character development. This is a place so small that everybody knows everybody else's business, and yet they're all so good at ignoring things that it starts to seem plausible that there could be a stranger literally living undiscovered among them. This is a book where the setting is ostensibly the star of the show, but I'd argue that it's the atmosphere, the idea of the setting rather than the details of the setting, that come through. I felt that close swampy atmosphere so strongly that I am willing to handwave so much else.

The middle of the book dragged considerably, mired in Grey's grief (which seems almost like that for a lost lover, though it's never made explicit) and her confused desires for two different boys. The way the side characters popped in and out was also frustrating to me. But just as I'd really begun to think this book would drag itself all the way towards a silly ending, the resolution stepped up its game. No spoilers here -- I'll just say that I found the conclusion quite satisfying, in a New Southern American Gothic kind of way.

CW: mention of suicide and self-harm, domestic violence, emotional and physical abuse, graphic murder, death of children

I don't know what it is, but I've found myself drawn to darker and darker material as of late and ever since I read the blurb of this supernatural YA thriller, I knew I was going to love sinking into this world. Rich in atmosphere and magic, it still takes a while until you find your footing. While it's a very interesting setting and concept, the beginning is a bit messy as you don't completely understand what has been happening. Grey, our main character and narrator, is a decent guide though and introduces us to all the key players one by one ... and there really are quite a few.

I think Dark and Shallow Lies did an amazing job in portraying Grey's confusion and grief due to the disappearance of her best friend and "twin flame" Elora. Not every decision will be rational when your heart is broken and reeling, so I decided to not be too harsh on her for her constantly changing feelings towards people. 
Seen as she is the only one who lives away from La Cachette outside of the summer season, it felt natural that there was a bit of distance between her and the events of the past months. However, the story focused a lot on her potential love interests as well as her dependancy and need for certain people and not so much on the other "summer children", which would have been a bit more interesting for me. They all have different powers and are supposedly inseparable, but we were mostly told about that instead of it being shown. No matter how often they said they loved each other more and in a different way than they could ever love anyone else, they sure didn't seem as distressed about their dwindling numbers as they should have in my eyes.

The build up of the mystery was great and left you wondering about what happened for quite a while. Sometimes you might feel like you would want a quicker progression in the case, but I was so sucked into the story, I flew through it either way and just loved exploring every new page. Ultimately, everything does make sense! When the puzzle pieces eventually fit together and everything falls into place, you can't help but think "of course, what else could it have been!?", which I think is always a satisfying experience. More than anything, this book seems to be a lesson on trusting your gut instinct when you think something isn't quite right. I still wish that some aspects were explored further and I'm missing one key explanation about a certain character, but I also wasn't massively disappointed in the end.

Fazit: 3.5/5 stars! I decided to round up because of the atmosphere, although I think it could have dug deeper.

I've read a lot of paranormal thrillers lately and was a little worried going into this one that it would get lost in the mass. But I knew from the very first chapter that this book was going to blow me away. Ginny Myers Sain's writing is so captivating and dreamy. I was sucked straight into this haunted bayou town.

And the beautiful writing led to a setting that completely transported me. I felt the heat and rain. I felt the character's pain and grief and every emotion in between. Everything about this story held me captive until the last page.

This also perfectly executed unlikeable characters. Everyone in here is dealing with deep grief as well as personal secrets and the every day struggles of being a teenager. And because of that they make some not-so-wise choices are act irrationally. But I loved them all anyways. Every character felt individual and realistic and I was rooting for them even through the bad.

I also loved that the lush world and characters held my attention so fully that I completely missed the final reveal. I love reveals that you don't guess but seem so obvious once they happen. I 100% should have seen this coming, but I was too wrapped up in the story to spend a second building plausible conclusions. And I love that feeling in thrillers!

Overall I'm just obsessed with this magical, haunted story and I can't wait to read more from this author as soon as possible!

Dark and Shallow lies is a dark and atmospheric mystery. Grey has returned to La Cachette Louisiana the summer after her best friend vanished and she is determined to find out what happened to Elora. However, the town has more secrets hidden than just psychic abilities.

I really enjoyed the writing, but it was hard for me to get into the characters. The imagery and scenery just came alive through the descriptions. The whole time I didn’t know who to trust and everyone was suspicious. Grey’s obsession with her crush was awkward for me to read, and I wasn’t a huge fan of how she jumped between crushes without any self-reflection in between.

If you’re a fan of thrillers or mysteries, this book is for you!

I loved this magical story about a girl who has gone missing in a bayou town full of psychics and the friends she left behind.

Grey is returning to the small Lousiana town of La Cachette for the summer as she does every year. Only this year her best friend, her twin flame, born on the exact same day and laid as a newborn in the exact same bassinet, is missing. And no one knows why, or what could have happened. But Grey doesn't have any psychic gifts. She not a medium like her grandma, she can't hear the dead like Evie, and she's not an empath like Hart. But she's determined not to leave La Cachette until she finds Elora.

This little town seems so magical, but not everything is as it appears. Beneath a fresh coat of white paint the pier is rotting. Despite their gifts no one knows what happened to Elora. And there are so many secrets, more than Grey could ever have imagined.

I had a great time reading this, and managed to devour it in just over 24 hours. The characters are interesting and relatable and the story moves along at a good pace. I had multiple theories about what happened to Elora and in the end I got it pretty much right--but I was also just wrong enough that the ending was still surprising. This was such a solid novel--I really enjoyed it.

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending this title my way! I was caught by surprise with how much I enjoyed this book! I’d never dove into anything about psychics mixed with mystery and thriller. The atmosphere was eerie and mysterious. The author kept me guessing the whole time about the next step in the plot, I seriously thought I had the mystery solved half way but alas I didnt! It was such a great mystery to solve! The characters were I retesting and the development of their character and traits were great to follow! I was blown away with how this kept me on my toes and i couldn’t put it down!I look forward to reading more by this author.

This book was good and I definitely recommend this book. Twas an adventures and had many twists ans turns

"Don't allow what you can do to change who you are."

Quick Synopsis: Grey returns to La Chachette, Louisiana - a place she grew up and also the place where her best friend or twin flame, Elora, mysteriously disappeared six months ago. As Grey begins her own investigation on Elora's disappearance, the more she realizes that this small town possesses many secrets of its own.

My thoughts: I absolutely loved the setting of the story! Small town with secrets is my favourite kind of story and this story delivered that! I liked how the atmospheric and descriptive writing transported me to this small community. It was well done!

This is a genre-bending story that blends mystery and magical realism. This tiny town of La Chachette is known as the Psychic Capital of the World. So yes, the characters here possess different kind of psychic abilities - clairaudient, colour auras, psychic artists, bilocation, etc. This was super interesting and it makes the plot really suspenseful!

The plot was a twisty and intriguing one and I wasn't able to figure whodunit! I liked the slow pacing of the story which worked well with the small town dark secrets setting.

Overall, I enjoyed this debut novel more than I expected and definitely looking forward to reading this author's next book!


Pub. Date: 7th Sept, 2021

***Thank you Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group, Razorbill, author Ginny Myers Sain and NetGalley for this gifted review copy. All opinions expressed are my own,***

While this book employed a lot of tropes of the paranormal thriller genre, it still felt fresh. A group of teens living in the bayous of the Mississippi River Delta has been close since they were all born the same summer 17 years earlier. When Elora goes missing, her best friend Grey can't rest until she finds her. Each of the teens has some kind of psychic ability, as do most of the residents of La Cachette. But that doesn't make it any easier to find out what happened to Elora. As the summer goes on, Grey uncovers one secret after another about the community she thought she knew. A page-turner from start to finish.

3.5 stars. I enjoyed reading this book! It's about a teen girl who goes missing and now her best friend is looking for her. I'm a huge fan of mystery and when I found it that it's perfect for fans of Karen M. McManus and Natasha Preston, I knew this book was for me. I enjoyed the mystery in this book and how suspenseful it was especially by adding a powerful hurricane. I enjoyed how the setting is in Louisiana which is super neat for a special reason and also I enjoyed how the alligators played a role in it! The pacing was a little slow and hard for me to get into in the beginning but once all the mystery hunting starts, that's when the story gets better.

I enjoyed the main character, Grey, in this book. Her friendship with Elora shows how much she cares plus she is a brave girl! She had great character development in the book and I would say that she could have been a better person if she didn't let her crush get in her way. There are also many minor characters that play a role in the book to help find the kidnapper but I do have to say that I easily figured out who it was and I was a little disappointed to know it wasn't so hard. There is also romance in this book but it's not the main factor of the story but the theme is mostly family and friends.

The ending was well done for this book and I enjoyed how it was ended. Even though I figured out who the kidnapper was and wasn't surprised, I still enjoyed this book. I did have some minor problems with this book but overall it was a great read. I will most likely be reading from this author again in the future. I recommend this book to fans of Harrow Lake and I Killed Zoe Spanos.

If there's one thing about me, it's that I don't know anything about Louisiana. I've never been, though I would love to visit New Orleans, and so I'm a little clueless to some of the nuances there. Thankfully, we get a good insight into the different cultures there, the languages, and other things native to Louisiana.

On the small island off the coast of Louisiana sits La Cachette - the psychic capital of the world. Grey spends her summers here with her grandmother and the rest of the year with her father in Little Rock, Arkansas. When she returns this summer though, nothing is the same. 

A part of the Summer Babies, Grey was born the same summer as nine other babies, including her best friend, twin flame, and birthday twin Elora, who's currently missing. Determined to find Elora, Grey plays detective for the past and the present to find out what happened to her and if anyone is next. 

Grey's character is interesting. I liked her overall, but I had some issues with certain personality traits and parts of her as a character. No spoilers, but she's not great at decision making. And also happens to be way too trusting. As she's trying to figure out what happened to Elora, it's clear that the town doesn't really care. They care enough to be sad that she's gone, but they've all just accepted that she's dead, and completely move on with their lives. Huh?? How is it that this town is just content with the mystery of a missing girl and doesn't even care to solve it?

The only people who actually care are Grey and Hart, Elora's step-brother, but even Hart starts to give up and accept whatever they think happened. I mean, you would think someone knows what happened. Unless they're trying to cover it up?

The mystery aspect of this book was pretty cool. I like how the events of the past tied in to the events of the present and it just made the mysteries more dark and interesting. And we get Grey's flashes of what happened to Elora, which I loved, and I loved the formatting for. The other characters were interesting, though it made me cringe to think about some of the things that these teenagers do or are done to them. One girl is abused by her uncle. One guy chain smokes. Another guy is a possessive, jealous boyfriend. One of the father's was also physically abusive to his wife and child. While I know that these things happen to people or they learn these things, it still hurts my heart to think about this even happening fictionally. 

If you're triggered by any of these things, I will warn you, there's mentions of: death, murder, torture, physical abuse, child abuse, sexual abuse, narcissism, narcissistic parents, and other things I can't even put into words. This is not a happy book and, especially as a thriller and mystery novel, messed up stuff is going to happen, so be warned. 

Speaking of the mystery and what happened to Elora, I was so positive I knew what happened. I was so sure that I knew exactly who did it and why, but no. I was fooled, just like everyone else. Though I did get some things correct, this book left me guessing up until the last moment and the ending is a whirlwind! I honestly didn't expect what happened at all and I love that! I want to be surprised by these thrillers, not guessing all the details as they come up. This story does a great job of building up suspense and giving us that satisfying mystery reveal at the very end!

Overall, while this book is intense and sad, if you like paranormal thrillers, psychics, psychic powers, mysteries, and creepy supernatural vibes, then you need to check out this book!

"Everyone has at least one secret that'll break your heart."

And in the town of La Cachette, the self-proclaimed Psychic Capital of the World, those secrets are bloody and well-kept, despite nearly every resident having some sort of magic. That is, except for Grey, who lives in Little Rock with her father during the year and comes down to the most south you can get in Louisiana to visit her grandmother and friends for the summer— but ever since her best friend and twin flame Elora went missing six months ago without a trace, Grey's powers have been awakening, and the town she considers home hasn't been the same. No one is being honest with each other, and just when Grey thought she might get close to figuring it out, a mysterious blue-eyed stranger shows up that throws everything out of balance and starts raising questions about the town's dark history.

"How do you keep a secret in a town full of psychics?"
"You tell the truth. At least part of it."

One thing that really stood out to me about this book was the atmospheric setting and how vividly constructed the town of La Cachette was. I mistook the flowers on the cover for coral and the alligator for a tide pool rock, so I was expecting a coastal mystery when I started (no, I did not read the summary very closely and yes, I've scheduled an eye appointment). I was really surprised when the book dropped me into the Deep South bayou, but Ginny Myers Sain built the town in my mind from the ground up. Even when I was iffy on other elements of the story, I always had a clear image of the boardwalk, the gator pond, the houses, and areas like L'il Pass and Keller Island. This is, like I said, a very atmospheric book and perfect if you're craving an immersive summer mystery.

Despite this book coming out at the end of this month (Aug. 31, 2021), it was surprisingly tropey in a way I'd expect from a much older book. There is an odd love triangle with two boys who have very intense eyes, one being a childhood friend and the other being a new boy with strong powers; a lot of twins; a dead mother with a mystery surrounding her; a cast of magic kids (which I wish had been developed a lot more!); weather that matches the drama of the scene; and a predictable solution to the mystery of Elora's disappearance that involves... well, I'll let you read it.

However, there is a ton of back and forth and secrets revealed, so I did end up second-guessing myself a lot and getting really wrapped up in theorizing, especially during the final arc. I ended up being nearly exactly right from the beginning, but I still had fun reading this. I will say that this is one of those strange books where I feel like things are crawling at a snail's pace until something happens, and then I'm going a mile a minute, and then we're back to the slow crawl until something else happens. I believe my problems with the pacing came from the in-between parts feeling a little forced. The side characters and Grey's relationship with them felt underdeveloped compared to the love triangle going on, which was sad because I wanted more. I could feel the personality in the other Summer Children lying just below the surface, but there was a lot of mud in the way.

There are clear influences and old common tropes that might make you laugh a little bit, but overall I liked this debut and got through it pretty quickly. The ending is super dramatic and high-tension and the epilogue is VERY cheesy, but I look forward to seeing more of Ginny Myers Sain's work.

"Knowing is hard, but it's a thing you can survive. The not knowing will kill you in the end. It's the secrets that fester."

❧ 3 ★

*Special thank you to Penguin Teen for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!*

I loved this book! I was immediately sucked into this world of psychics and mysteries and enjoyed every moment of this book. The world-building was really effective, and the descriptions of La Cachette were vibrant and detailed so I felt like I was there with the characters. The small-town mystery vibes were immaculate! The entire book was atmospheric and haunting. I also liked how each character had unique psychic abilities; initially I worried that this would come off as clichéd or tacky, but it actually worked well for this book, enhancing that spooky mystery feeling. The idea of the Summer Children was also interesting! There were so many little details that worked to make this world seem entirely realistic.

Overall, I wouldn't say that I loved the characters, but they were certainly entertaining to read about. Many of them were actually quite unlikeable (Hart, I'm looking at you), but it added to this book's unsettling ambiance. I was suspicious of just about every single character at one point or another. Grey was an interesting protagonist, and we watched her struggle with accepting the death of her best friend, her twin flame. She felt like an entirely realistic character, flawed and struggling, often unsure, getting through life day by day. I liked her grandmother, Honey, a lot; she was a bright, warm character, and while still keeping her own secrets sometimes, I could tell how much she loved Grey.

The romance felt a bit half-baked to me. It was okay, but not much actually happened nor was there really a conclusion. There was some awkward little love triangle that I was not a fan of. It felt a little like the romance was shoved in just for the sake of having some romance when, in reality, we could have just stuck to friendship and been perfectly fine.

The conclusion to the mystery was brilliant, and I never saw it coming! I should have seen it coming--it seems so obvious in retrospect--but alas, I did not. It was a shocking, dramatic end to the book.

To conclude, I really enjoyed Dark and Shallow Lies! I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an atmospheric thriller with paranormal elements. I gave this book 4.5 Stars ​⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️​✨. Make sure to grab a copy of this book when it hits the shelves September 7th!

Content Warnings: murder, drowning of children, mentioned physical and emotional abuse, arson and death by fire, mentioned self-harm, strangulation, grief

A bit of a slow burn, but atmospheric enough that you don't mind sinking into it. Willie Nelson was something of a highlight for me.