Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Tor Books for a review copy of this one.

Unfortunately I was the wrong reader for this. I called it at 30%. I felt like the emotional moments weren’t hitting for me and I picked it up and put it down multiple times across the last month and no matter the mood I go in with, I can’t connect with it.

I liked the narrators that were used and they were what kept me in this as long as I did. Mara Wilson and Lindsey Dorcus are both extremely solid narrators.

If I could describe this book is one word, it would be "haunting".

Fortunately I have room for a few more so I'll say this book just about destroyed me. Dealing with a recent loss myself, this book intensified my grief. I couldn't help but imagine my own loved one, passing through the veil, on the boat with his dog escort. (Read the book, it will make sense... or not.) The aspect of the dogs as chaperones was so heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. In fact, that's how I would describe this book is I only had two words, heartwarming AND heartbreaking. I truly can't decide which it was for me. But I'm haunted by it.

Give this book a few chapters, if you feel confused at first. I was. And then I just let it take over and I was transported to this mythical station for those crossing to the other side. The ferryman is so heartbroken he can't face his own grief and wants to forget his earthly life and his daughter just wants to live a life. And Charlie, the only human to ever enter the station sees the dead, everyone but her own sister who was lost in a tragic event. I can't imagine the frustration of that.

I listened to the audio version and very much enjoyed the narration. The narrator did a great job portraying the ethereal feeling of this novel.

A fantasy novel set on the shores of Lake Michigan that explores life, death, and grief. I appreciated having two audio narrators, one for each of the POVs. The story progresses a bit too slowly for my personal tastes, but I did find it to be interesting.

J.R. Dawson's The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World is a thought-provoking exploration of life, death, and grief, offering a hopeful and joyful perspective. The dual narration is particularly noteworthy, with Lindsey Dorcus and Mara Wilson delivering standout performances that bring the characters to life.

Such an interesting take on the Orpheus tale. I enjoyed all of the dog guides, I loved that they all had little personalities. There was a lull in the story right around the middle where I wasn't sure where this story was going and then the last act kicked in. Loved all the representation, it's so beautifully woven together.
The narrators were amazing.

Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Tor Books for providing me with an ALC of
The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World by J.R. Dawson, read by Lindsey Dorcus & Mara Wilson.

The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World is a moving and emotional story of magic, family, and those who leave us alone - but who might not remain lost.

While I enjoy the storyline and the narration, the level of coziness was more than expected. The audiobook was beautifully done with two narrators. This is definitely a “me” problem, not a problem with the book by any means. I was under the impression there would be higher stakes and more suspense, but it was not. This was truly a magical queer love story between Charlie and Nera. This book is perfect for fans of Hadestown and Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune.

I truly believe this book will be a 5-star favorite when read by the right audience; sadly, that was not me.

{4.5 stars}

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for gifted access to this audiobook. All opinions below are my own.

Nera's father keeps the light at the edge of Lake Michigan which sits at the veil between the living and the dead. She watches day after day as he guides the ferry and the doggies that lead spirits from one world to the next. But she never questions it until one day a woman who is not yet dead arrives on the dock and she begins to pull at the threads that make up her world.

Gosh, I loved this story from the very start. Both women are searching for something and each quest is different but how they come together and enlighten one another is really heartening. I loved the mythology of death which felt cobbled together from several different religions. I like a fantasy story which immerses you in a unique setting with themes that are really relevant in day to day life, this one dealt with grief, self acceptance and found family.

I found The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World to be both inspirational and deeply emotional. Experiencing Charlie’s grief after losing her sister Sam was heart-wrenching and put both Charlie and me through the wringer. Yet, amidst the pain, there was beauty in the way the story unfolded—especially through Nera’s perspective, as she saw the world with fresh eyes.

One of my favorite elements was the guardians—dogs who could communicate with the main characters. They were the best kind of companions: wise, kind, and unfailingly helpful. Their advice often brought moments of warmth and clarity in a story full of challenges.

I listened to the audiobook, which included lovely touches of music at the beginning of certain chapters that tied into the book’s themes. The dual narration was an interesting choice, and while I appreciated the attempt to differentiate between Nera and Charlie, the narrators’ voices were quite similar—without the chapter name cues, I might have been confused. Still, the performance was immersive enough to draw me into the ethereal, otherworldly tone of the story.

Thank you to J.R. Dawson, Macmillian Audio, and NetGalley for the ARC!

What a refreshing plot this was! This is the tale of the River Styx, but make it urban and throw in a live person who finds herself able to see the crossing and ghosts. The ferryman who transports souls has been training his daughter to one day take over his job, her destiny. But when a living person finds her way to them while searching for the ghost of her loved one, their otherworldly routine is thrown for a dangerous loop. My favorite part of this plot are the dogs who are spiritual guides to the souls finding their way to the River to cross over. I just love the idea of the dogs having a higher purpose! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ALC in exchange for my honest opinion. Great listen!

3⭐️

Thank you to MacMillan Audio, J.R. Dawson, and NetGalley for a chance to preview this title.

I really wanted to like this book. It's about a Ferryman and his apprentice in Chicago that ferry dead souls to the Veil so they can cross over. They run a station made of memories where the souls can wait until they are ready to cross. A grieving sister is searching for sister among the dead and meets, then falls in love with, the stationmaster. Sounds like it would be good story, right? It absolutely falls flat.

This book is unbearably long. It is a bleak and depressing story (which is fine, I like a good guy punch book now and again), but it drags like it is trying to drive home just how depressing it is. There are "excerpts" between quite a few chapters, and while some, like diary entries add to the story, most just bring the plot to a screeching halt. It is beautifully written but it tries too hard. I cannot really say there is character development because you do get to know every intricate thought of the two main characters, you really learn little else. The full story of how the sister dies is not told until nearly 3/4 of the way through. And, honestly, by that time, it felt like the grieving sister was just whiny, wallowing in self pity, and focusing her entire being on the loss of her sister. Once I found out that it was pretty tragic, I did not actually care.

This would have been 2⭐️ except the narration was absolute perfection. The voices that they got for both Mira and Charlie were exactly how I would have imagined them. I can honestly say that I do not know if I have listened to an audiobook with better narration.

I know that some readers have found this book to be lyrical and beautiful but it fell completely flat for me.

3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for an ALC of The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World in exchange of my honest opinion.

This is a very touching story about grief and self-discovery. Nera works with her father, welcoming souls to the veil once they parted. She mimics her father and do not get too close to the souls, as her job is just to take them to this other side. Thus, she lives in this in between worlds, not really living but also not dead.

Charlie is a girl who is deeply suffering from the passing of her sister. so much that she follows a song and end up to this lighthouse where she will beg for Nera and her father to let her see her sister.

This is a story centered in character development. How their believes change when confronting things that are beyond their control, how they can grow and embrace the new status quo.
Although it's a beautiful story (and quite sad in most parts), the pacing was a bit too slow for me, and that unfortunately pulled me out of the narrative.
The narrator did a good job bringing emotion to the characters, but the pacing issue and sometimes lower tone of voice made me really doze off at moments.

However, I will encourage to give this book a try because THE DOGS!!! The dogs saved it for me! Everytime they interacted with the main characters I was giggling and cheering. It was such a nice touch and it gave some little comic relief to such a sad story.

I loved the concept of this contemporary fantasy with a slow-burn Sapphic romance, but the pace dragged and it felt too long. I liked the ending, but I struggled to get there. I found Nera relatable enough, and I liked some of the secondary characters (especially the dogs). However, I found Charlie difficult to comprehend, which made it difficult for me to root for them as a couple.

The audiobook production was good, and Lindsey Dorcus and Mara Wilson did fine with narration. They have good pacing and clear pronunciation, distinctive voices to suit each character, and the ability to convey mood and emotion effectively. Their performances didn’t blow me away, but they certainly didn’t detract from my enjoyment.

I received a free advanced review copy of the audiobook through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

This feels like a YA paranormal romance even though I know this was supposed to be aimed at adults. This blends a waystation of the dead story with what ultimately feels like a "what if Hadestown was capable of ending happily" take on two girls who have been in mourning (one by experience and the other via her father) find a future in each other. There's Jewish tinged mythos throughout, and the description is gorgeous enough that it sells the setting of Chicago. Mara Wilson and Lindsey Dorcus do an amazing job on the narration here as well. Great library read.

*4.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"Every soul is its own universe."

"Music was more than sound. Music could carry the power to beckon the living to the dead."

"...we say the names of the dead...They're not forgotten ever because there is power in a name. It is the shape of who a soul is."

We all have our beliefs. Even not believing is a belief. But we all grieve. The wondrously written The Lighthouse At The Edge Of The World, by poignant author J.R. Dawson, is a contemporary fantasy that guides us through the journey of grief when our souls go to the other side. It's also a queer love story. Actually two. One hidden. One discovered. Both forged in grief.

Nera is the daughter of the Ferryman, leading the dead souls through the veil that separates them from the living. But on this night for the first time the lighthouse guiding the boat is flickering and nothing will ever be the same.

After her sister Sammie's tragic death, Charlie sees ghosts but not Sammie. She searches for her and hears a song only her sister would know. Following the song she finds herself at the lighthouse where the living can't be...she can't see Sammie but she does see Nera.

Voice actresses Lindsay Dorcus and
Mara Wilson break our hearts with the visceral pain their voices evoke. They also make us smile through the tears with their hard won revelations.

This story is a gift. Dogs lead our souls to the veil...the best. We get the gift room. A soul gets to send a gift to a loved one to let them know they are ok. A butterfly, a bird, even a song. There's an elderly husband who wants his wife to know, "I want her to know I will know her when I see her...I hope they let me remember her on the other side."

There's grief, but joy. Anger but love. And always hope. Let The Lighthouse At The Edge Of The World guide you through it.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from MacMillan Audio via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

This story was interesting and fresh. I'm not entirely sure quite how I feel about it even after finishing it. There were parts of it that just grated on my nerves and I can't fully explain why. I do know that sometimes, listening to the audiobook, I had issues differentiating between which POV I was listening to, both narrators had similar voices and spoke in a similar cadence, maybe I have ear blindness or whatever because this isn't the first audiobook with two narrators that I had issues differentiating between. I feel like I would have enjoyed this a lot more in print instead of listening to it, which I might just have to do because it was good!

This was supposed to be a warm grief fantasy and I couldn't be brought to any single emotion.
The point of the story was learning what it is to truly be alive but that point was very barely focused on. The relationship felt very forced and like Charlie needed someone else to lean on other than Marcus and used Nera. Hiding the story of what happened to Charlie's sister until the end felt weird.
It felt like the book wanted to go too many places and there were multiple half-baked plotlines

Thank you, @JRDawsonWriter, @macmillan.audio, and @TorBooks for my free audiobook and ebook. #MacAudio2025 #macmillanaudio

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World by J.R. Dawson
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 301
Genre: Ghost Fiction
Audiobook Narrator: Lindsey Dorcus and Mara Wilson
Duration: 13 hours 37 minutes
Release Date: July 29, 2025
🥳#HappyPubWeek!🎉

Nera has spent her life living on a waystation for the dead, watching her father ferry souls on Lake Michigan and through the Veil. Although she’s technically alive, living this in-between existence has Nera caught in a limbo life—not eating, not feeling, not really living. Then Charlie arrives looking for her sister. Although she’s alive, for some reason she can see the dead and Nera. She shows Nera what it’s like to truly live and love.

Watching Nera really experience life for the first time was a lot of fun. And I especially loved the dogs who helped shepherd the dead on their way. What was mostly a sleepy but beautifully written sapphic romance, was also infused with a threat by malevolent ghosts to keep us on our toes. I really enjoyed it.

Lindsey Dorcus and Mara Wilson did a fantastic job narrating the audiobook.

I was unfamiliar with J.R. Dawson before The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World but the premise practically jumped out at me, so much so that I put everything else to the side to start it when I received my ARC. It was such a beautiful story and I cannot wait to read more of Dawson's work.

Nera is helping her father, a lighthouse keeper, leading souls to the afterlife, when somehow Charlie, who is very much living, lands in her boat. Mixed up in early aughts vibes, J.R. Dawson has written a contemplative consideration of life and death, and a beautiful love story to boot.

I was fortunate enough to receive both an audio and digital version of this book and I adored the multi-narration of the audiobook, I found it fit the story perfectly. What an exciting bonus to find out that Mara Wilson, THE MATILDA, now does audiobook narration. She did an excellent job and I will be on the lookout for more of her narration.

I received a gifted copy of THE LIGHTHOUSE AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD by J.R. Dawson from Tor Books and a gifted audiobook from Macmillan Audio.

THE LIGHTHOUSE AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD follows Nera and Charlie, two women both grappling with a lot in life. Nera is the daughter of the man in charge of the lighthouse, a place where souls come on their way to passing through the veil. They may pass over quickly or the may spend some time processing their life and death, but it is a safe place to reconcile oneself to death in the meantime. Outside the lighthouse are haunts in search of unprotected souls and the darkness grows stronger and closer every day. Nera isn't dead, but she's really had a life either.

Charlie lost her sister in an act of violence and her family fell apart. She has the ability to see spirits, but has yet to find her sister's. She arrives at the lighthouse alive, an event that is unheard of before this time, she enlists Nera's help in finding out what happened to her sister's soul. In exchange, she begins to teach Nera about life and rewrite some of her understandings about death as well.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7591031315 have had some mixed results in reading books about grief this year, but this one really worked for me. The atmosphere can definitely be heavy at times (and please do check out trigger warnings), but I also found it an uplifting story. I loved that the dogs in this book are the soul's protectors as they are guided from life to their time beyond the veil. But also they are dogs who love to be loved and scratched and played with.

I also loved the relationship that forms between Nera and Charlie. It isn't always perfect and I really loved how things wrapped up for them in the end. I loved the exploration of Chicago (and the pizza!) as well as it is definitely a city I need to visit! Not everyone in the book got a perfect happily ever after and there were consequences tied to mistakes made, but there was learning and growth there as well.

THE LIGHTHOUSE AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD just hit shelves and I would definitely recommend it!

There is a lighthouse located on the shores of Lake Michigan, and it is a waystation for the dead. Each night, dogs of the city guide the ghosts of the newly dead to the lighthouse, where they are taken across the lake by the Ferryman.

But, one night, Charlie, still deeply grieving her sister Sam's death, and who can see the dead, stumbles across a dog, whom she can understand. This intrigues her so much, she follows the dog to the lighthouse, where she meets the Ferryman and his daughter Nera.

Charlie wants to find her Sam's ghost so she can say goodbye properly, but the Ferryman won't help her, as he wants no contact with the living. Nera promises to help Charlie, and together, she and Charlie learn about the world of the dead, filled with benign ghosts, and the malevolent haunts.

Nera also learns of her father's past, and together she and Charlie piece together what the haunts mean, while Nera gets ready to assume the role of Ferryman.

While I really enjoyed J.R. Dawson's previous title, "The First Bright Thing", I found this story less compelling. It's nothing to do with the elements: ghosts, talking dogs, grief, romance, and the weirdness of the waystation, but for whatever reason, these never really came together for me in a way that left me moved and totally engaged.

I think I was a little surprised that Nera had little curiosity about the wider world. And, even though I knew she and Charlie would become involved, I did not feel their connection as much as I think I was supposed to.

I did love how music is inextricably tied into this story, and how Charlie's playing of Sam's piano seemed to settle and strengthen the power of the lighthouse. I also loved the dogs (dogs!) who were guides to the dead--what a great idea, especially as I was reminded of how dogs have worked as sheepherders for centuries.

I think that because I very early on guessed the identity behind the major haunt that the revelation much later in the book did not surprise me.

I did, however, appreciate how the author wove so much real world heavy stuff into the story (loss of a child to violence, homophobia, guilt, etc.) into what I thought was going to be a more dreamy story, instead grounding it and giving it some real darkness and heft.

I listened to this story, and liked the voice work by Lindsey Dorcus and Mara Wilson, with each inhabiting the two main characters. I liked the emotion they brought to the roles, and the essential silliness and enthusiasm of the dogs.

I wish I had loved this book, but I'm eager to read what this author comes up with next.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Macmillan Audio for this ARC in exchange for my review.