An exploration of grief and ghosts with a magical realist undercurrent.

Veronica is a strange girl. She sees ghosts. She's grieving the death of her mother, and facing the likely possibility of her own death, in the throes of the same brain tumor that killed her mother. But her house seems to be haunted by more than just one spirit. She doesn't fear death; but before she goes, she wants to prove that her ghosts are real, and she may leave a ghost of her own in her wake.

Sawyer seems to have a perfect life of popularity, athleticism and wealth. But when his family moves into the downstairs apartment in Veronica's house, it becomes clear that his life is haunted too, by pain and sadness and secrets.

I really enjoyed the interplay between realism and ghost story in this book, and how blurred the lines could be, especially as characters viewed the world through the lens of trauma and gaslighting. The love story was sweet, and the relationships between Veronica and her friends were so tender and sweet.

I didn't find Sawyer's world to be as well constructed, and his friends kind of seemed like oblivious assholes, not just to Veronica, but also to Sawyer. Though they shaped up by the end, it didn't feel like a satisfying resolution.

I was also a bit frustrated by the book's lack of diversity. The text made it clear that Veronica, Sawyer, and Veronica's friends were white. Sawyer's friends showed a little more diversity in a surface way, but their identities didn't seem to have much depth beyond "yes she is a lesbian" and "here, he'll say a word in Spanish. It felt a little painted on, when it could have been really interesting to see how these elements of marginalization impacted their experiences of popularity.

As a ghost story and a romance, and an exploration of trauma and residual haunting I thought this was an engaging, beautiful read. But I would have liked to see a richer world and community where these elements could really take on the full dimensions the author was exploring.

CWs: grief, ghosts, cancer, illness, loss of life, death-planning ideation, alcoholism, addiction, trauma, gaslighting, and implications of potential assault or sexual abuse of a child.

I love Katie McGarry, fellow Kentuckian who write such deep, emotional contemporaries with characters I adore rooting for. I enjoyed this book just as much as her others, and really like how she is adding touches of paranormal to her romances which further makes them stand out from the YA romance pack. The emotions were honest and real, making it easy to connect to the characters, I could definitely relate to the father daughter with relationship with Veronica and living life to the fullest despite odds because that's what my dad taught me. Sawyer reminds me a lot of my sister is loving the adrenaline rush and being fiercely protective of those they love. Of course there are some tough moments that made me cry but only because I was so invested in their lives. I love how these characters love and it shows me that I'll continue to read anything this author publishes.

I’m sad this book didn’t come out when I was younger, because middle-school-me would have absolutely *adored* Veronica and Sawyer’s love story! I would’ve read this a billion times (barely exaggerating) and died swooning over the kiss scenes each time. Now that I’m older, though, it all seems a bit cheesy and overly predictable. (Not to say it was bad, though, because it definitely wasn’t.)

I enjoyed the more serious themes of it— illness, death, personal accountability, and battling addiction. It’s also a Christian novel with mentions of God and prayer, which kind of worried me at first. The last time a book sprung religion on me unexpectedly, I was preached at up the wazoo and it ruined the story. Thankfully, though, Echoes Between Us stayed preach-free.

Overall, it was a cute read that I was able to breeze through, filled with characters that you automatically root for. I recommend!

While I am familiar with Katie McGarry in name as an author, (and have had more than a few of her books sitting on my iBooks shelf just waiting to be read for the longest time now if i’m being honest) I had not yet gotten around to reading anything of hers until I came across “Echoes Between Us” on Netgalley.

Initially the cover art drew my eye, and I was further pulled in when I read that the main female protagonist, Veronica, not only sees ghosts (i’m both a sucker and believer in the supernatural) but also suffers from migraines, as I am someone who battles with constant headaches and migraines. I needed little more information than that to be intrigued, and know that I wanted to read this book.

I wasn’t sure what exactly to expect from this novel, because as I’ve already stated, I wasn’t familiar with Katie Mcgarry’s writing prior, but I fell more and more in love with her style of writing the deeper I delved into the story, and I was impressed enough that I will certainly have plans to finally pick up some of her prior books that have been sitting on my bookshelves for ages.

Katie Mcgarry writes with such a beautifully unique raw and unfiltered flair. The way in which she penned the romance that takes place between the two main characters in this novel is realistic and beautifully woven.

“Echoes Between Us” mainly revolves around two characters, Veronica and Sawyer, who become intertwined after Sawyer moves into the three story house that Veronica resides in with her father.

Veronica and Sawyer are both struggling with their own inner turmoils and demons. Veronica suffers from migraines and sees ghosts, thought to be caused by her migraines. Veronica’s deceased mother often appears alongside these other ghosts, and it is unclear whether these ghosts are truly there or merely hallucinations. Veronica of course, desperately wants to believe that her mother truly is there in the form of a spirit in order to watch over her. As if the migraines and ghosts/hallucinations aren’t enough to deal with, she also has a benign tumor, but in face of it all, no matter how debilitating it can all be, she still does her best to live her life fully.

Sawyer, too, has his own battles and struggles. He grows weary of his mom’s controlling nature and out of control drinking, and in the midst of all of this heart wrenching turmoil, both he and Veronica seek solace in each other to help one another with their struggles and a romance develops.

“Echoes Between Us” is essentially a story about loss and love, with supernatural elements woven into it. This book explored and featured a lot of controversial and hard hitting topics including: chronic pain, addiction, enabling, medical marijuana, etc. As a book aimed a young adults, I feel that many teens will embrace this book and perhaps learn something from it.

This book was a beautifully haunting story that definitely took me on an emotional journey throughout its pages.

I will certainly be reading more of Katie McGarry’s work and highly recommend this one to anyone who loves being taken on emotional rollercoasters! (with some supernatural along for the ride!)

A nice teenage romance with a bit of the paranormal included. The characters are well developed and having the story told from two points of view adds depth to the novel.

I enjoyed this! The ghost portion was fun, and I enjoyed it and I liked the characters. Veronica was interesting and I liked seeing Sawyer and reading more about him. I also liked the family aspect, as well as the addiction aspect. It really dived into the effects addiction has on people, and on their families. The family aspect was great too, and it showed different families, and the way family can hurt and help people.

Katie books never fail me. They are always everything i expect in a great teen drama. They have the romance and the tears. Every time I read a book by katie, i am just blown away with a mix of feelings. katie has this way of making you feel the character as a real human being. I will always read, review and recommend any katie book ever

Katie McGarry has a way with writing YA contemporary romances that leave a lasting impression. This story did not fail.

This novel follows Sawyer and Veronica (who we were introduced to in Katie McGarry's last novel). Sawyer is the popular kid and his family recently moves into the apartment on the first floor of Veronica's house. Veronica has always been known in their community as "the weird kid", but she is exactly what Sawyer needs at this point in his crazy life. Together they both have a lot of obstacles to navigate through, but in true Katie McGarry fashion they work together and face the challenges that meet them head on.

I enjoyed this book. It also has an element of the supernatural that I enjoyed. It was different than your typical YA romance, which I found refreshing. I liked both of the main characters. Sawyer and "V" were both flawed, lovable people.

I can't wait to read Katie McGarry's next book.

**For more book thoughts visit me at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/

Why must Katie always rip out my heart? Maybe one book doesn't need to be a crazy roller-coaster of emotions that leaves me hurting and on the verge of tears, yet cheering and thrusting the book on everyone else to read. And I will come back for more, every single time, because her stories hurt so good I can't resist.

Should you read this book?
yes, 100 times yes! But be aware that there are a lot of complicated hard topics such as alcoholism and addiction, death, illness, and loss- but there were also some great emotions like love (in all it's magical forms), devotion, resilience, strength, self-discovery, forgiveness, acceptance, friendship, courage. (sniff sniff). Read the book. Just maybe have a box of tissues nearby.

This is technically a standalone ya contemporary romance but set in the same world as a previous book where you get to meet Veronica. Her group of friends is fantastic (even though Sawyer is the king after this book- the way he loved his sister and Veronica melted me) and I loved getting to see snippets of Jesse and Scarlet together (but I would have loved more, yes I know this was not their story but I still love them). I hope the next book in this series has mysterious Nazareth finding his love.

Echoes Between Us is an interesting novel. Its not quite what I was expecting when I started it but I loved it. While it isn’t considered a sequel or part of series, there are character crossovers from a previous novel. It took me a few chapters to catch the references and connections.

Echoes Between Us is a story of loss and love. The main characters Veronica and Sawyer are so different from each other. Veronica has so much spunk, while Sawyer is the popular boy with secrets of his own. Add in Veronicas condition and you have the perfect storm for a romantic novel. However, this story feels deeper than most romantic novels by bringing awareness to veronicas condition and struggles to make it feel more realistic.
If you liked Only a Breath Apart you will not want to miss Echoes Between Us. I definitely loved it.

Controversial issues and thought provoking!
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Teen, Edelweiss and Bookish First for the opportunity to read and review Echoes Between Us by Katie McGarry!
Veronica has an awesome father who drives trucks and makes waffles. Sawyer moves into the three story house that Veronica lives in. Veronica and her father live on the third and second floor. Sawyer lives with his little sister Lucy and their mom on the first floor. Supposedly the house is haunted. Veronica gets migraines and ghosts often accompany her headaches. She’s unsure whether the ghosts are truly there or hallucinations. Veronica’s deceased mother often appears and she wants to believe her mom's ghost is watching over her. Veronica has a benign brain tumor but she does her best to live her life despite the wrenching headaches that disable her. Sawyer is tired of his mom controlling his life and he’s sick of her drinking. The two of them develop a relationship and help each other deal with their struggles.
Several controversial topics are explored in this book, the use of medical marijuana, if ghosts are real or not, choosing or denying treatment for an illness, addiction, enabling addiction and self-care.
4 thought-provoking stars!

I’ve been waiting for this story for ages! I adore Katie’s books and characters. She builds and builds and then it all just explodes. I describe her stories as 75% slow burn and 25% hold on tight. The love feels real—no Insta love here—and that’s a selling point to my students and to myself. I can’t wait to share this with them!

Veronica sees her mother’s ghost all over her house. She’s not sure if it’s real, given the other ghosts that seem to roam downstairs, or if it's a symptom of her brain tumor. What she does know is that it’s getting worse...and she can’t tell her dad who is still grieving from her mom. Sawyer may be the golden boy at school, but his home life is a wreck. His mom just moved them into a lower floor apartment of the weirdest girl in school, she can’t seem to quit drinking on the weekends, and his crave for adrenaline is putting him in more and more dangerous situations. When Veronica and Sawyer team up for a school project together, their chemistry is undeniable, but with their demons breathing down their necks, can they make it work?

In traditional Katie McGarry fashion, ECHOES BETWEEN US doesn’t hold back the emotional punches. Veronica and Sawyer are both trying to keep their worlds from falling apart, and they know a romance could wreck it all. I love their journey in really getting to know each other beyond the surface level impressions they had before. They seem like such an unlikely pair, but as you dive deeper into their worlds and mindsets, you see that their hearts are entirely similar.

One of my favorite aspects of Katie McGarry’s YA romances is the conflicts. There is always a unique blend of external and internal conflicts that leave you frantically flipping the pages to see how on earth the characters could overcome them. Above all, they send the message that love (of any kind- romantic, platonic, familial) is not the enemy but often the saving grace. In the middle of emotional hurricanes, it’s all too tempting to push that love away for fear of ruining it, but Sawyer and Veronica show that love can be given space if needed without being pushed away.

Katie McGarry is an author whose writing style I have always admired. She writes with such raw, unfiltered emotion. I am not a big fan of romance, but I love the way she does it. It's realistic, and that's what I love about her books, the relatability.

This is raw and edgy. You have Veronica, a girl who suffers from the effects of her brain tumor and ghost sightings. Yes, she sees ghosts. She also believes that the ghosts haunt her home. Then we have Sawyer, the adrenaline junkie. He lives in the same home and doesn't share Veronica's idea of their home being haunted.

We have two different personalities, who are both going through things they wish to conquer, come together and form a beautiful relationship. Through all the hardships they stuck together and found solace in one another.

I highly recommend this book. I would recommend it anyway from the author alone, but this book is a gem.

* I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *

It’s clear pretty much from the very start of the book that Veronica sees ghosts, one of them, her mother. But it’s also obvious there’s more to the story than just her somewhat unusual personality and social status.

Veronica’s small, benign tumor, isn’t so benign. Her migraines become worse and worse, and her friends are very worried about her and shelter her as best they can.

At this point, Sawyer, the class most popular boy enters the scene. He’s never actively participated in with the kids making fun of Veronica, but hasn’t exactly tried putting a stop to it, either. But when Veronica approaches him to work on the final project for English class with her, he agrees.

Sawyer and Veronica get involved in the sweetest romance. He realizes how special she is and Veronica slowly discovers Sawyer’s unique family situation, the fact that he is basically raising his little sister in the mental absence of their mother.

Veronica’s health takes a severe turn for the worse right after Sawyer finds the truth about his mother and his sister is put in danger. Which brings them all to extreme paths and big decisions.

McGarry, as always, finds a way to end the story with a positive outlook, but this one was rough emotionally almost through the finish line.

I enjoyed it, though. And if you’re one to enjoy a somewhat dark story – go for it. You’ll love it.

Oh, and the nod to previous works with Glory in the mix – that was awesome.

Okay, so I was a little nervous about starting this one. I absolutely adore Katie McGarry's books, but so far all the ones I've read have been YA contemporary romances and this one comes with supernatural elements. To be honest, I was worried that I wouldn't like it as much as I've loved her books in the past.

But I really shouldn't have worried.

This book was gorgeous and amazing and heartbreaking and everything that I have come to expect from this author.

There's no corny instalove here, just a beautifully realised and perfectly portrayed developing love between two damaged characters. Sawyer and Veronica are both precious little marshmallows and I feel like I could fight the world to keep them safe.

As always, McGarry focuses a lot on friendship too, something I really appreciate, because I never feel like I get enough of it in YA books. The romance in this book might be the focus, but Veronica and Sawyer's relationships with their respective friends are just as important in their own way, and they are portrayed as beautifully as the romance itself.

Recommended for everyone!

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me an advance copy.

Title: Echoes Between Us

Author: Katie McGarry

Genre: Teen fiction

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher: Tor Teen

What would you do if you were seeing your dead mother's ghost? That's the question that popped in my head as I was reading Katie's newest book Echoes between U. I don't know what your answer would be, but mine would be to call and make an appointment with my doctor because of myself like the main character Veronica suffers from migraines and I too also have a deceased mother.

I've been a fan of Katie's since I read her first book back in 2012 Pushing the limits and I've enjoyed every book of her since even this one. Echoes between Us is slightly more paranormal elements than previous books and though not a sequel to Only a Breath Apart it does read like a companion novel as characters from that book make an appearance in this one. So I recommend reading that one first.

What I like most about Katie's books besides being set in my home state of Kentucky is that she's not afraid to write about teenagers facing hardships and tough decisions and other issues they go through in a real way, she writes the kind of books that I wish were available when I was a teenager.

And in this book apart from her medical issues, Veronica is a teenager who believes in ghosts and in the process drags Sawyer along for the ride. There are three places that are mentioned including a TB hospital that are pretty famous in Kentucky that I had always wondered if Katie was ever going to find a way to work them into her books and she managed to do that with this book. I enjoy reading her books and finding Easter eggs from places I visited in my own teenage hood mentioned.

If you've read Katie's books in the past I recommend picking this one up. And even if you haven't but like to read YA I recommend picking this one up. And as always I look forward to Katie's next book.


I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

This book was about a girl who can see her mother's ghost. Echoes Between Us has multiple POVs between characters Veronica and Sawyer. This book touches on a lot of sensitive subjects such as bullying, alcoholism, illness, relationships and death. There is the element of the paranormal, so if you're interested in ghosts then this would be the book for you. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and give it four out of five stars.

I didn’t read the companion novel Only a Breath Apart before reading this so I can’t wait to go back and read that. I feel in love with Veronica, I loved her spunky attitude. The story between her and Sawyer was adorable. Once I stated I couldn’t put it down.

This companion novel to Only a Breath Apart gives us insight into Veronica’s story.
Veronica’s brain tumor is growing and she just wants to live her life until it’s over--enter Sawyer. Sawyer, who coasts through life to all appearances, but really is shouldering the burden of taking care of his mom and sister, while battling his need for adrenaline rushes. There are some supernatural elements in this story, V (Veronica) sees ghosts, and her house is haunted. Glory, Jesse’s psychic cousin, plays a small part in the plot. As usual with a Katie McGarry romance, this is not a fluffy read. But the emotional journey is worth the tears.