When I see a cover like this, I'm immediately intrigued. Kudos to the cover designer.

Lola has mixed feelings about moving across the country to Colorado. She'll miss her best friend, but she's excited to relocate to the family estate she inherited from the late father she never met and learn more about him in the small town where he grew up. She just wishes her mother's new husband wasn't part of the deal.

Small towns with secrets get me every time, and Claret Creek is hiding significant ones. After meeting friends of her father, Lola learns her mother hasn't been entirely honest about him or the situation surrounding his death. Strange happenings around the house only add to the tension. Lola is sure someone's sneaking in.

An undiagnosed illness has changed Lola's life significantly. She's no longer able to compete on the track team, and her chronic lethargy resulted in her being homeschooled at her former school, which isolated her even more from friends and social activities. Fortunately, she's able to attend school in Claret Creek and meets several new friends - some of whom provide emotional support and others who are a little mysterious. But a new symptom appears soon after she arrives in Colorado - visions from another time. Soon Lola begins to piece together the disturbing visions with what she's learned about her family and the town. As a science nerd, I was fascinated at how epigenetics is incorporated into the story.

I'd recommend this novel to readers who enjoy slow-burn mysteries, a touch of science and the supernatural, and small town secrets.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Lola returns to an old house left to her by her late father with her recently remarried mum due to financial issues. Her chronic illness worsens and she begins to suffer from hallucinations that feel too real. The plot evolves into a mystery surrounding the town, its history and its inhabitants. The plot is paced well and the cast of characters feel well developed. I was slightly disappointed by the ending after such an intriguing plot but would still recommend this, particularly for YA readers wanting something a little different to a murder mystery.

Where do I begin with this book?

The prose was fine, and the atmosphere was nicely creepy on occasion. But the content? Oh, the content.

Let’s ease in a little bit. One of my biggest problems with this book might have been a marketing mistake rather than an authorial one. I can’t find a single place where <i>Water in Her Veins</i> is marketed as speculative fiction. It’s listed solely as Teens/YA on NetGalley; Teens/YA and Mystery/Thriller on Goodreads. And yet, the protagonist experiences flashes of direct, specific memory from others in the past, akin to reincarnation recall tropes. The narrative presents this as an offshoot of epigenetic memory.

That… is not how epigenetic memory works. I didn’t think I’d have to spell that out for anyone, but here I am.

And don’t get me wrong. I love spec fic. Most of what I read is spec fic. But if you say this isn’t spec fic, then suspension of disbelief is gone. Just gone. Nothing to hang it on.

But okay, I’d let that go if I really loved the characters. Unfortunately, the characters present an even bigger problem. The supporting cast ranges from bland to inconsistent. A few quirks with no real depth. They’d be serviceable in a schlocky horror movie from the ‘oughts, maybe. But not a book from the year of our lord 2025.

And Lola herself? Well, I noted as of finishing chapter 1 that she wasn’t off to a great start. She was petulant, entitled, sulky, and deliberately passive-aggressively cruel to her mother, to the point of making her cry. Gentle reader, she did not improve.

Lola’s illness was ripe to earn her some much-needed reader sympathy and interest, but Schuren shot herself in the foot two-fold.

First of all, Schuren’s portrayal of what she calls ‘Myeloproliferative neoplasms’ is absolutely out to lunch. In real life, MN is a kind of blood cancer. It is rare but diagnosable by competent medical professionals. It’s treated with stem cell transplantaition - not bloodletting, what the extra-fuck.

I’m not an expert. It took me two minutes to look up all of that online. (Source: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24144-myeloproliferative-neoplasms) Just because you use the name of a real thing, be it MN or epigenetic memory, doesn’t mean you’re absolved about putting in the tiniest bits of effort to portray those things with a crumb of accuracy or at least believability.

Secondly, while an ill person being ignored and disbelieved is relatable and sympathetic, the elements which make others disbelieve Lola are <i>supernatural in nature</i>. Her saying she’s seeing others’ memories is not believable in her world or ours. It’s <i>reasonable</i> for other characters to doubt. Which bleeds away sympathy real fast.

And don’t think I didn’t notice, the way Schuren put all the bad things I thought about Lola into her shitty stepfather’s mouth, pairing it with his claiming that she was faking her illness. That part was obviously, assholishly untrue, so clearly the reader would feel guilty about sharing his opinions. Except this reader is not that dumb.

Moreover, don’t think I didn’t notice the inherent racism of <spoiler>presenting one of the characters of color as a supporting villain and leaving that uncommented-on.</spoiler> And don’t pretend that shallow, pseudofeminist statements peppering the text make up for a decided lack of deeper feminism in the narrative.

I’m not even going to go into how stupid the ending was. It, and its revelations, were extremely stupid.

This book gave me a migraine.

One star.

Thank you Viking Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions within are my own.

🩸 This book is such a good YA read, I’m very surprised I haven’t seen it on bookstagram yet!

🩸 Lola moves to Colorado to live in a house her dad left to her after he died, but that her mom never told her about. Starting over anywhere new is already hard, but the guy her mom recently remarried isn’t making anything easier, especially with the unknown illness that’s been affecting Lola.

🩸Both the small town of Claret Creek and the house have dark secrets. Lola is desperate to find out what is causing her disturbing visions of historical events happening in Claret Creek…and why so many people believe the water in the creek could magically heal anyone.

🩸 I loved how the story explored the thin line between history and folklore, and science and the unexplained. Lola has to advocate for herself to get answers about her illness AND to learn how generational trauma can affect her own family.

🩸 Some of the shifts between the present and the spooky historic visions Lola has are a little hard to understand sometimes. Following two timelines and more characters is also a little confusing, but I enjoyed the ending and how everything connected, even if it felt a bit rushed and some solutions seemed a little too convenient.

🩸 Overall I loved the interesting characters Lola meets and how she handles her own medical mystery. I always love seeing good representation for teens struggling with chronic health issues since that was also my experience as a teenager (though different diagnosis).

🩸 The discussions about science and genealogy and historical folklore are all topics I adore reading about and this story explores them all in such interesting ways!

Overall rating: 4⭐️

Another atmospheric thriller read to add to your tbr, this one set in a small isolated town with secrets. Seventeen year old Lola is suffering from an undiagnosed chronic illness that causes her ongoing headaches, brain fog and fatigue. Her mom has just remarried and to improve Lola's health they move her to her father's ancestral home in Colorado, where strange things start to happen and Lola starts to hear voices and have hallucinations. But these aren't just any strange visions... they appear to be memories from the family lineage of her past.

Told in first person narrative, this is a slow-burn mystery that gradually unfolds. Lola's dad died in a accident before she was born, but it's clear that something more happened that her mom just isn't telling her about. The truth is teased out in pieces, adding to the suspense.Tensions also flow between Lola and her new step-dad Kurt, the type who thinks he's a good guy when he really isn't.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the book was its exploration of epigenetics and inherited memory, layered with a subtle touch of the supernatural. With a large cast of characters, it was often hard to know who to trust, or whether the strange things Lola was experiencing were people-made or something more ghostly. While the story kept me hooked, the ending felt a bit rushed. Given the length of the book, I wish the final revelations had been more fully developed.

This book sits firmly between adult and YA territory, so I think it could appeal to readers of both categories. As for me? I love an atmospheric mystery that really makes you think.

I was so excited to open Water in Her Veins by Shannon Schuren.
A compelling small town mystery with supernatural elements.
The mystery itself is intriguing.
The inclusion of the well-crafted plot helped to keep things moving. Schuren skillfully blends suspense with supernatural folklore, creating a narrative that’s as interesting as it is entertaining.
The storyline kept me completely hooked all the way through making this book almost impossible to put down.

Thank You NetGalley and Viking Books for Young Readers for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This is definitely a gothic horror mixed with thriller/mystery. However, if someone picked up the title thinking it was a true horror with ghosts and hauntings, they will be disappointed. The main character, Lola was a very sick teenager, prone to fatigue, and fainting. When I first started reading, I was worried that Lola would be a whiner or someone who wallowed in self-pity. However, Lola became a very likable and believable character. Under the dire circumstances she was facing, she tried the best she could. There were moments where Lola had a very strong backbone, which was a driving force for the plot. I did think the ending was rather predictable, I had already guessed who the perpetrators were about halfway through the book, although I did not see how they were connected until the plot-twist at the end. I think I may have gasped. Overall, I liked the book and would recommend it others. 3.5 stars!

Love this cover but the story itself was only okay. I was really expecting a lot more from the cover - it;s so gorgeous!

📖 Water In Her Veins by Shannon Schuren
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sixteen year old Lola Boyd has been struggling for the past year with unresolved health problems. Maybe a new start, a change of scenery will help things? At least that’s what her mom hopes for when they decide to move to Colorado to the home Lola’s deceased father left to her. Instead things seem to get worse, followed by visions of a past she doesn’t understand. And who is she supposed to trust in this new town? Who can help her uncover the past and secrets of the town?

This Young Adult thriller/mystery was fun! Figuring out who to trust was tricky all the way to the end. I think this book would be well suited to high school and young adult readers who would relate to the main character more, especially with her social life. The story of the history of the town and the visions Lola had were a bit hard to follow at times and fluent a bit rushed to pull together at the end. Overall it was a fun read and kept me coming back to find out what happened!

Thanks to @netgalley @penguinteen for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.

#book #bookstagrammer #booksbooksbooks #shannonschuren #netgalley #penguinteen #youngadultfiction

2.5 stars. This was an ARC from NetGalley. This took a while to get into, but once the plot was established I became more invested in the story. The ending was a little rushed and lackluster. Given the unique plot, there were a lot better options on the table. It felt a bit like a copout. #netgalley #waterinherveins #ya #mystery

Thank you Netgalley and Viking Books for Young Readers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

In “Water in Her Veins,” Shannon Schuren delivers a captivating story filled with mystery, supernatural intrigue, and generational trauma that is wrapped in a small-town gothic atmosphere. At the heart of this twisty, emotionally charged story is Lola Boyd who is a teenage girl battling a debilitating, undiagnosed illness and a past that refuses to stay buried.

After inheriting a sprawling estate in Colorado from the father she never knew, Lola moves across the country with her mother and controlling new stepfather. But what begins as a fresh start soon turns ominous. Lola’s symptoms worsen, including nosebleeds, fatigue, and haunting visions, and even the house seems alive with secrets. The local legend of healing waters and a mysterious doctor who once “cured” a town during an epidemic only deepens the mystery. Is there truth in the myths, or is something darker coursing beneath the surface?

One of the book’s strengths lies in its nuanced portrayal of invisible illness. Lola’s chronic fatigue-like condition, which is dismissed by doctors and ignored by her new stepfather, makes her a deeply relatable character for anyone who has struggled to be believed. The medical mystery is handled with empathy and authenticity, adding depth and urgency to Lola’s journey. Her strength and determination make her easy to root for, even as she’s repeatedly gaslit and sidelined by the adults in her life.

Schuren’s writing is richly descriptive, especially when portraying the eerie, supernatural elements. There’s a creeping sense of dread as Lola uncovers the secrets of her family history like the visions passed down through generations, a mansion that may or may not be haunted, and an unsettling conspiracy surrounding the ownership of the house. The book brings together themes of epigenetic memory, inherited trauma, and the burden of legacy in a way that feels fresh and thought-provoking.

The cast of supporting characters adds variety to the story, though not all are equally fleshed out. Lola’s new group of friends, particularly Clare, Sage, and Fletcher, introduce found family themes, moments of levity, and a hint of romance. Fletcher, the son of the estate’s caretaker, brings both emotional support and romantic tension to the story, while Bryn, Lola’s best friend, adds some welcome LGBTQ+ representation. That said, some relationships felt underdeveloped, and a few side characters kept significant secrets for a bit too long. Open communication would have solved a lot of problems in this book.

The story leans into mystery and thriller territory with unexpected twists, including a satisfying reveal about who’s been breaking into the mansion and why. The town’s obsession with healing waters and the tangled motives around the property’s deed add layers to an already multi-threaded plot. While a few reveals feel slightly implausible, the final resolution ties up the threads well, delivering closure without undermining the emotional journey.

Overall, “Water in Her Veins” is an engaging and genre-blending YA novel that mixes small-town secrets, supernatural folklore, and the deeply personal fight to reclaim one’s identity and truth. It’s especially resonant for those interested in stories where the past bleeds into the present—sometimes literally.

A really great young adult read. I loved the character development as well as the storyline, which did a great job of connecting the past to the present.

Water in Her Veins by Shannon Schuren is a beautifully written, emotionally rich novel that flows with quiet power. Schuren masterfully weaves together themes of family, legacy, and the invisible currents that shape us, all set against a backdrop that feels both intimate and mythic.

The prose is elegant and evocative, with a rhythm that mirrors the story’s elemental heart—water as memory, water as inheritance, water as transformation. The protagonist’s journey is both deeply personal and universally relatable, exploring what it means to belong, to break away, and to return to what matters.

interesting and well done dark-ish fiction with some interesting discussions of healing, fraud, and coping with the history. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

WATER IN HER VEINS by Shannon Schuren

Thank you Netgalley and PenguinTeen for the earc (Aug 12)

Lola is sick...a medical mystery of sorts---her doctors can't figure out what's causing her fatigue, headaches, and when she moves to Colorado with her Mom, they can't figure out what's causing her new symptoms: nosebleeds and visions. As Lola does research---working to piece together said visions and why she's seeing them as she researches the town and its founder---Lola becomes more suspicious. As she grows closer to the truth, Lola doesn't know who to trust.
I absolutely loved this book. There was something about it that drew me in and made me want to keep reading like my life depended on it. I was hooked.
WATER IN HER VEINS is dripping conspiracy and mystery---the two were a combination that worked well together, playing off one another as they created a thrilling story with a whodunit that left me shocked. Like, I'm generally good at seeing twists---especially ones that should be so obvious---from a mile away. For some reason, my brain never made the connection so when [REDACTED] was revealed as the "perpetrator" it was like a "really?" "what?" that quickly turned into an "a-ha" moment once our main character explained how she put it together.
One of the things I liked most about WATER IN HER VEINS was the medical mystery representation. It's seldom that you see representation beyond what is generally in literature, and I love how Lola fought despite doctors and [REDACTED].
WATER IN HER VEINS is a solid read. I wouldn't describe it as perfection---I really wasn't a fan of what happened in the epilogue, I thought it was too much too soon (iykyk)---I would describe it as a top-notch mystery that weaves past with present and conspiracy with what's real and what's not, with unlikeable characters, creepy atmosphere, and a Colorado town with its fair share of secrets.

Some pacing issues emerge midway—especially as the mystery builds slowly—but the payoff is worth the wait.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for accepting my request for an ACR of this book!
3/5
Now it's only me, and I feel empty and alone, like that stupid plastic bag in that Katy Perry song.
To start off the review, I will say the plot was very fun. I enjoyed the characters, and their journey through the mystery that unfolded. Though, there were some times throughout the book where I didn’t know if I liked the analogies or not. I will admit, some of them had me on the floor laughing. This book, though it had some tense scenes, never really sold me on the book as a whole being spooky. I also wish there was more revealed about some characters.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy.
I really enjoyed this book. The characters and the storyline were well put together and the ending was unepected and finished the story very well. I had avhard time putting this book down. I will look forward to read more from this author!!
Joell Swope

Lola Boyd, her mother and new stepfather decide to leave Michigan and move into the house (mansion) Lola inherited from her father. Lola and her mother were always close. With a debilitating, undiagnosed condition, Lola is now forced to return to school in Colorado but more symptoms are evolving. New friendships form with Clare, her brother Sage, Emory and Fletcher, son of Dominic the caretaker and dear friend of her father. The town has a disturbing history boasting, Dr. Clarett, a physician who saved many during an epidemic and healing waters on the property. Is someone trespassing at her new home or is the house really haunted? A clever story that is part mystery, part thriller but all about the relationships and friendships that the characters surround themselves with. Sometimes you have to look into the past to secure your future. Pages turn easily and would recommend. Thank you NetGalley!

This was my very first advance reader copy, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! The writing was descriptive, and the plot was both captivating and full of mystery. The twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat and made it hard to put the book down at times. I loved the main character, Lola, with her unwavering determination, and I was rooting for her and Fletcher the whole time. The inclusion of Bryn, the best friend, added some LGBTQ+ representation, which was a nice touch. While there were a few repetitive moments, overall, it was an engaging and enjoyable read.