***Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing an advanced copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

I’m not really sure what to say about We Can Never Leave. This is a hard book to talk about without spoilers, but I’m going to try my best. This book was weird and intriguing and horrifying and beautiful. The structure of the story was unique. It bounced between many different POVs in the past and present, and I enjoyed trying to piece together all of the clues to the mysteries. I don’t recommend skimming this story because it definitely required a bit of concentration to keep up with everything.

I enjoyed the writing in We Can Never Leave. It was extremely poetic and relied heavily on metaphor. At times, the whole thing felt like a puzzle, the writing and characters and setting. The narrator was never super reliable, either, which added another layer of WTF to the narrative. The plot was intriguing, but it did drag a bit in the middle. The interpersonal conflicts between the characters became tiresome after a while, and so much of the story centered around them once the group was forced onto the road together. The beginning and end were super fascinating, though, and I did like where things ended up. Ultimately, the mystery of the disappearances, as well as the secrets of each character, were what drove me to finish the book.

Pretty much all of the characters in We Can Never Leave were unlikeable. They all had secrets and a tumultuous history with one another. Over the course of the story, their backgrounds and traumas were slowly revealed, and I appreciated the nuances of each character more and more as I got to know them better. They were all horribly broken by the adults in their lives, but I’d like to think that by the end of this story some parts were beginning to heal thanks to the connection built between them.

We Can Never Leave had so much great thematic content. I won’t dive into all of it here, but it is safe to say that there is plenty to sink your teeth into. The portrayal of what it is like to grow up in a cult/religious fundamentalism was so striking. The exploration of what it means to love and be loved was also something that stood out to me. I liked all of the queer representation, as well, and appreciated that the story illustrated that queerness exists even in spaces where there have been no words to describe it. Bird’s journey showed this brilliantly when they finally learned the language used to describe their internal experience of their gender.

All in all, We Can Never Leave was a great read. The mysteries kept me hooked even when the interpersonal drama became a little too much. I loved the way the author used the story structure to slowly drip out clues about the characters. It didn’t hurt that the writing was beautiful, too, with many layers to consider. Therefore, I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

When suddenly everyone else in their community vanishes, a group of teenagers try to figure out what's next one trauma response at a time. This book is delightfully comfortable sitting in the characters' discomfort and anger, and because of this presents a truly messy collective that could generously be described as trying their best, but more accurately trying not to be their worst. The dueling desperation to leave behind the community that none of them have ever really felt safe in and to cling to the trappings of the world they've known was wonderfully balanced. A lot of this book felt like a character study rather than traditional story telling in the best way. I did find that I wanted to see more of the world of this book, but that wasn't the point of the story.

2 stars
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DNF @ 30%.

This just didn’t work for me. The reader is thrown into a story then backtracked through the world building and character introduction. The writing was off to me and there were way too many character POVs to follow, while also accounting for the backtracked chapters from no specific POV. The whole thing was a little messy and I just couldn’t get myself to want to pick this one up.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really wanted to like this book. There were a lot of things I liked, but SO many things I didn't like. I loved the representation and how different the "people" were. And the twist put on the mythological aspects was done really well in my opinion. I liked the concept a lot and I can tell what the author was trying to accomplish.
However, the format/writing could've used some work I feel. The flashbacks were extremely confusing. The repetitiveness of everything was annoying. There was no showing, only telling, and then the telling was told over and over and over and over again. I know the group dynamics by now ok. And the breaking of the fourth wall? Made everything even MORE confusing. My head hurt half the time reading this, and it took away from the things I actually enjoyed. I like previous works by this same author, but this sadly fell flat for me.

How to describe this book…it was sad and infuriating and SO fantastic.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC copy of this. Getting to know these characters and unraveling the mystery of their lives was an adventure I won’t soon forget.

One day, a group of kids wake up, and the group of people they were living with, called the Caravan, were gone. Now, these five misfits have to find out what happened and find their missing family.

This was not quite what I was expecting…I also don’t really know what I was expecting.

I was expecting I suppose some sort of adventure these kids go on, who also don’t get along, and become the best of friends 😆

It’s not like that. At all.

And I love that the author shoved a narration in here telling us that, and also speaking to me the reader about what’s going on, sort of, not really, but speaking me to me nonetheless.

It made for an interesting and unique read. The whole book seems to shroud around the mystery of this so-called Caravan and these people that were like those in the series Sweet Tooth(FANTASTIC SHOW by the way), who are not accepted by humans, but are by the Caravan. And yet, they seem to be hiding something, we don’t know what, and so the whole book I’m just tying to understand what is happening, and it’s like a very twisted ending, in that, it’s not what you expect. It’s a twist.

None of the characters are truly appealing, except for Felix and Eamon, until the end, and my whole perspective changes about certain people, like Hugo. It’s like the people I didn’t like had a redemption arc, and I love a good redemption arc. It’s well done. That being said, none of these kids were truly nice to each other, and I think it was simply tension because everyone seemed to like each other or knew something the others didn’t and took it out on everyone. So, a lot of drama, but I still enjoyed the end.

There’s a lot of back and forth with the timeline, probably to give hints as to what is happening or what happened, and also why it happened.

I felt bad for these kids because they were all pretty messed up and it wasn’t their fault. It was this weird community they were a part of that seemed to brainwash these kids into thinking everything’s fine when it’s not, or when something is odd or wrong. It’s a bit frustrating to read when as the reader I can something is wrong, but I can’t do anything about it.

This was definitely a different read from what I normally read and I enjoyed it, but that ending is what really made the whole book for me. Definitely worth the read just for the ending. 3.5-4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Wednesday Books for the e-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I'd like to thank H.E. Edgmon, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

We Can Never Leave is a queer ya contemporary fantasy with horror elements that follows 5 teens as they travel to find their vanished community. All around the world inhuman kids wake up, with no memory of who they are or whaere thay came from, with new animal mutations in their faces and mouths and ears. The Caravan-- a group of mobile homes that constantly travel the states-- exists to be a refuge for those creatures. Made up of creatures, they travel the world to find more like them and save them from being found out by humans. One night, the morning after the New Moon celebration, everyone has vanished.

There are only five creatures left: Bird, a half human, has returned from three years of having gone to visit and live with their father in the human world. Their mother, the runner of the Caravan after their grandparents. Hugo and his little brother Felix, one with unbridled rage boiling inside, and the other who believes everything will be just fine. Calliope, a venomous wolf girl with a bloody past, but wanting nothing more than a family. Eamon, a mystery, the newest addition to the Caravan, a shadow in the shape of a boy with glowing red eyes. The five have to work together to figure out where everyone went as they unleash each others secrets and slowly come to the realization that nothing happened to their people, something happened to them.

We Can Never Leave was a wild ride, I was left looking around my living room in open mouthed shock asking "did you read what I just read??" to the ghosts in my house, to nobody, to my dog. I sent shocked "what the eff" gifs to my husband just in the other room, never being able to explain what in the world was going on in whatever chapter I was on. I was so enthralled with the ride this book was. I laughed, I cried, I got angry, exasperated, slightly annoyed (I'm looking at you Hugo). I love these characters so much, I want a Bird and a Cal in my life, they both need a hug. Some things Cal says, and Eamon too, they just make you laugh out loud with the dang audacity of the stuff they say. I want to read this again, I want to experience the ride of this book again for the first time. I think one sentence that really describes it to people is "It's like a messed up Breakfast Club if they were all stuck in an RV together."

I think what I'm most impressed with, is the way Edgmon wrote. They wrote each chapter in SUCH an interesting way. The way Bird sees themselves is different than how the others see them, so in the others chapters Bird changes personality a bit to match how the person the chapter is showing the viewpoint of views them. I have never seen writing this way, and I absolutely enjoyed that. What amazing art.

Make sure to check We Can Never Leave out when it's released on June 10th! It's available to pre-order at Barnes and Noble and on Amazon!

"We Can Never Leave" by H.E Edgmon is a book for the misfits, the outsiders, the "others." This book is where the characters and plot will resonate for readers who've always felt like they were on the outskirts and never managed to fit in or find a place where they belonged.

Inhuman creatures wake without remembering who they are or where they came from, and the Caravan exists to help them. The Caravan is a travelling community of these creatures who have acclimatized to their situation by finding refuge in each other. One day, five teens wake to find the entire Caravan gone, seemingly having disappeared overnight without a trace.

It is up to those who are left to work together and find the Caravan and, potentially, uncover their lost memories. The only problem, other than not knowing where to begin to find their travelling family, is that not all of those left behind get along. And not all of them trust one another.

Edgmon's writing is beautiful in its lyrical prose and visceral details, bringing to life the words on the page. This bleeds into the characters, who quickly feel tangible and relatable as their vulnerabilities are laid bare throughout the book. Yet, there's still much to learn about these characters, a kind of mystery that slowly unspools throughout the story. Each of the five teens has secrets they refuse to share, ones that make it seem as though any one of them may be responsible for the Caravan's disappearance. But what they have to gain remains to be seen.

Centring the story on those who are inhuman adds to the intrigue of who these creatures are and how they came to be. Each of them is trying to figure out who they are and how they fit into the world around them--if it's even possible to find a place to call their own within it. Some are content to forever travel on the outskirts, to never amalgamate with the humans they deem average at best.

I loved the concept of this book, but struggled with the overall structure. Each of the five teens shares their story through snippets of past and present, which often causes confusion and information overload. It would've been effective to have their pasts as a prequel (or first novel) from which the present story evolves. Learning about the characters' pasts before the present action allows for the dynamics and tensions between them to develop so that the present story can flourish without being hindered by all the exposition. Even if the book was divided into two parts (past and present), this would allow a closer and more intimate connection with the characters and, perhaps, a better understanding of their powers.

"We Can Never Leave" by H.E Edgmon is a deep dive into a world of fantasy, mystery, and belonging, expected to be published on June 10th. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press (Wednesday Books) for providing me with a free e-arc and the opportunity to share my honest opinion in this review.

We Can Never Leave by H.E. Edgmon completely blew me away. From the first chapter, I could tell this wasn’t going to be your typical YA fantasy. It’s raw, intense, and emotionally honest in a way that hit me hard. The story dives deep into identity, power, and belonging, all wrapped up in this eerie, atmospheric setting that gave me chills more than once. The characters felt so real and messy and complex, and I found myself rooting for them even when things got dark. It’s not always an easy read, but it’s the kind that sticks with you long after you finish. If you're into stories that are unapologetically queer, a little haunting, and full of heart, definitely give this one a try.

This was such a wild ride.

Caravan is a cult that collects non humans and builds a community for them until one day 5 of their teens wake up and the whole community has vanished.

This flips between timelines, characters and places so quickly it’s a little hard to find your footing but absolutely worth it in the end. It delves into identity, sexuality, family/found family relationships and finding your place in the world. At times I was confused and a little put off by the disjointedness of the novel but overall it’s a great read

Thanks to netgalley and st martins press for an eARC.

We Can Never Leave follows a group of teens who wake up to their whole camp missing and proceed to take a road trip where everyone hates each other but not really but maybe they do. There are some fantastical/paranormal aspects to the story that never felt well explained to me. The chapters jump around in time and sequence. I wanted a bit more solid ground to stand on as much of the book is vague. There were parts and sections that I liked and wanted more in that vein. The last about 20% was the part that kept my attention the most and I wish we could have had a bit more of the fallout and aftermath of the situation.

I'm a fan of H.E. Edgmon's books, and have read their two prior YA duologies. This was definitely along the same veins of nebulous and vague with symbolism and characters with messy trauma to unpack. This book follows five teenagers as they've been caught up in a toxic cult-like "sanctuary" for nonhumans. The chapters bounce around quite a bit and I found it hard to follow at times, and while I think it was intentional to have more questions than answers throughout the book, I think I would have enjoyed more solid background and establishing of the characters. As the reader, we discover things as the characters do, and even then the discoveries bring up more questions. I think it goes out what it sets to do, which is an examination of teens experiencing religious trauma and not having the tools to process or understand what's going on, and the narrative reflects that. Overall, a quick read and the last few chapters did tie up into a fitting conclusion of this tale.

A huge thank you to the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts as well as Colleen for buddy reading this with me!

DNF at 20%

I really tried to like this but unfortunately it was too slow for me. Each chapter being from a new POV was also very hard to follow and unfortunately didn't keep my attention.

Thanks Negalley and Wednesday Books for providing this ARC to me!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

We Can Never Leave is about a group of inhuman kids who wake one day to find the people of their home (the caravan) are missing. The Caravan has provided safety and security and so many secrets throughout their life that none of the kids get along and now they have to try and find a way to survive without them. Not only is the caravan missing, but where did they go, why did they leave, and what secrets have they been hiding from their children along the way?

This was such a different story and I loved learning each of the different perspectives of the kids growing up in the caravan as they navigated the world without the adults. I loved the cult-like feel of their upbringing, how Bird wanted to escape but ended up back with the caravan. I loved the LGBTQ+ representation. The relationships and complicated feelings between characters was so well written.

I was not a huge fan of the fourth wall break in some of the character chapters where the author took it as an opportunity to ask the reader questions/tell the reader snippets to help further the plot. It felt a little disjointed and I would have rather it be it's own separate chapter or an epigraph - almost Lemony Snicket style.

Overall this was a solid book - I think if you like dark YA mysteries like Don't Let the Forest In, you'll really enjoy this!

We Can Never Leave by H.E. Edgmon is a ferocious, genre-defying masterwork of queer horror, searing emotion, and blistering truth. It’s the kind of book that doesn’t just sink its claws into you, it drags you into the depths of its world and dares you to look away.

Edgmon has crafted a story that is as eerie and unsettling as it is empowering. Set in a seemingly quiet town with secrets pulsing beneath the surface, the novel explores identity, trauma, and survival with razor-sharp clarity. The tension simmers from page one and escalates into a crescendo of chaos, revelation, and transformation.

The characters are vividly rendered, flawed, fierce, and achingly real. Edgmon doesn’t shy away from the messiness of emotion or the complexity of queer identity, and that raw honesty is what makes this book so powerful. Every scene pulses with urgency, every choice matters, and every moment feels earned.

There’s a lyrical violence to Edgmon’s prose, beautiful, bold, and unflinching. The horror here isn’t just supernatural; it’s systemic, internal, emotional. Yet through it all, the story is grounded in resilience, community, and a desperate, determined kind of hope.

We Can Never Leave is not just a story, it’s a scream, a mirror, a reckoning. It’s a must-read for fans of horror that means something, for readers who crave stories that refuse to stay silent. H.E. Edgmon has delivered something unforgettable: a haunting anthem for the misfits who refuse to disappear.

This is the kind of book that stays with you, long after the last page, long after the last scream, long after the last breath.

I wanted to like this book, but I found it boring and confusing at times. I was kind of in a slump for a bit while trying to finish reading it. I didn't get what We Can Never Leave was truly about until the end of it, I honestly don't know though if that's on me or if it's the writing. It also seemed liked H.E. Edgmon was trying to write for an older audience instead of YA, like this book is categorized.

"Sometimes, Felix stares at Bird like he's watching some higher power remake the world right in front of him-like the very act of creation sits in the palm of Bird's hands and he's scared and confused and breathless with awe."

I do see the appeal of this book, it just wasn't for me. There were parts of this that were very beautiful, like the quote above, and kept me reading. The ending was absolutely amazing, I just wish more of the book gave me the same feelings.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

We CanNever Leave by H.E Edgemond was a book I was absolutely looking forward to having loved Merciless Saviors and Godless Heathens by the author. for the most part it is a book of vignettes about the different members of the group after the adults go missing and although I love shape shifters or like these teens not so normal species I found it was grasping for a plot or maybe I just wasn’t picking up what the author was putting down. either way I found the book at best boring and that worst pointless. I hate not to like a book especially by an author I love and I know I’ve read this is one of his favorites and that makes me feel even worse but the last I don’t want to lie I just didn’t like the book.#NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #H.E.Edgeman, #WeCanNeverLeave,

A group of kids wake up in the morning and find their campsite empty of all adults. They aren't typical teens, they have traits both their personality and physically of animals. They woke up one day and were just, suddenly, part animal and part human with no memory of any time before. So these missing adults are a really big deal in their world - they provide money, guidance, and community. They decide to pack up their RV and head to the only place they know their adults might have gone - to another group in WA just like them.

But this group of kids are a mess with each other. The story tried to say that these kids had known each other for a while but they seemed to barely know each other. One of their party, Hugo, was nothing short of a bully and he said awful, horrible, hateful things to them the whole time.

I liked the idea of this story. The premise was interesting and the curiosity as to what was going on drove me until about the 50% mark, But by then, there had been multiple weird occurrences with not a single one of them even trying to figure out what was going on. They were just drama. They were just Hugo flying off the handle and being mean to everyone. It was so hard to read and so hard to keep going, knowing they had no defense against him and that he would just do it again and again, hurt them over and over. By 75%, there was still no progress and their arguing and hurting each other just wasn't fun anymore. I wish I'd liked this one more but I couldn't take how awful they were to each other with no real guidance of a plot or exploring the mystery until the last 10%.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Surreal, heart-wringing, and suspenseful, We Can Never Leave is Edgmon at their most stylistically subversive and character-driven. In Edgmon's usual fashion, the prose is evocative, and the complex characters work to move through their confusing and occasionally horrific circumstances with a lot of anger and a lot of compassion. The abstract nature of the story was occasionally challenging to navigate, but Edgmon wove everything together satisfyingly by the end.

If you're looking for a character-driven YA with suspenseful surreality, multiple POVs, fractured perspectives, and a (literally) visceral exploration of religious trauma— this may be THE book for you. It certainly was for me.

We Can Never Leave has a bold concept and some genuinely powerful moments, especially in how it explores queer identity, rage, and the edges of reality. H.E. Edgmon clearly has a unique voice and vision.

That said, the story didn’t quite hook me the way I hoped. There were simply too many characters and shifting points of view for me to stay grounded. I often found myself losing track of who was who, which made it harder to connect emotionally with the characters or become fully immersed in the plot.

It’s a thought-provoking read with strong themes, but the crowded narrative made it difficult to fully enjoy.

Thank you, NetGalley, and the publisher for the ARC. This is my honest review.