Small town scary story, haunted woods, a ghost bride.. umm yes please!!

Rena’s small town thrives on the story of what they call an Urban Legend. The story of the Ghost Bride who died on her wedding night under the moonbow, same night her secret lover dies in a house fire. Her grandmother Malice loves telling the scary story, but little dose Rena know that she’s connected to the ghost and cursed. Rena has plans to travel with Malice over the summer, when her parents hotel is popular for tourist coming for the ghost story, so she decides to see if the curse is real. Family secrets start to reveal themselves.

I love a good small town ghost story and this one was adventurous. The lore of the story was really neat and there was times I couldn’t tell if it was real or if she was punked. The characters were interesting especially the side characters. I wasn’t a fan of her mother, she seemed toxic and a bit controlling, but I also didn’t mind it because some parents are like that. It was a good read for spooky season!

I am such a sucker for any thriller novel, but there were a few points in this book where it got a bit confusing and kind of fell off the tracks. I loved the whole eerie ghost idea, and I was definitely on the edge of my seat for a few portions of the book. Some more detail would have been great, and the writing style wasn't my favorite. But overall a very spooky read; perfect for the Halloween season!

Unfortunately this book just didn't hold my interest. Its a ghost story, sure, but honestly its pitched as a teen trying to solve the mystery of the ghost haunting her town. What it really is about is how a teen girl is fighting with her whole family and her boyfriend. She does eventually stumble on what happened to the ghost but the in-between stuff is a little repetitive, mostly angsty door slamming, foot stomping teenager stuff.

If teen detective/family drama stuff is your jam, you will love this one!

Where Echoes Lie is a cozy spooky mystery with compelling twists and atmosphere, but what I enjoyed the most about it was the coming-of-age narrative at its heart. Protagonist Rena Faye is easy to relate to and root for as she tries to juggle her love for photography, a toxic family environment, conflicting romantic feelings, and a haunting to top it all off. I do think if she had not been such a well-written character, I may have lost interest as the mystery of the ghost bride legend isn’t half as spooky as the blurb promised.

There were a couple surprising twists concerning the identity of the ghost bride and what happened to her, which kept the narrative engaging. But while that aspect of the story felt wrapped up by the end, I was disappointed in the lack of closure concerning Rena Faye’s familial issues. Her parents were quite controlling and emotionally abusive toward her and although she did find courage to stand up to them on a couple occasions, in the final chapter Rena Faye just seemed to say “oh well, that’s how it goes.” The combination of this unhealthy message for teens and the underwhelming ghost story ultimately made this a forgettable read for me.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Where Echoes Lie is a contemporary young adult novel set in rural Kentucky which features all the trappings of a horror story, but surprisingly its focus is more on exploring feminist themes about reclaiming your power, controlling your own narrative, and unpacking how generational trauma is passed on unless someone breaks the cycle.

Rena Faye is a remarkably responsible teenage girl who has been brought up to do her duty by her family without question, tirelessly working away in the family motel. While she chafes at the double standards and inequality in how her parents treat her compared to her brother, she’s not one to rock the boat. But when her long-awaited vacation away with her beloved grandmother is callously cancelled and she’s expected to slave away for free at the motel over her summer break, Rena Faye begins to chip away at her family’s stranglehold on her and rebels to find her own path.

If you’re wondering where the horror elements come in, be warned that the actual scares are a long while coming—it takes a third of the book before we finally have a sighting of the ghost bride! Rena Faye is an engaging protagonist with a relatable struggle and the injustice of her parents’ treatment of her makes it easy to invest in her efforts to stand up to them and fight for her independence. It’s an excellent coming-of-age narrative, but unfortunately way too sparse on spooky encounters for a horror novel. Rena Faye also seems a bit too credulous in assigning certain events to the curse’s influence for someone as practical and level-headed as she’s been portrayed. Without going into spoilers, it’s the equivalent of deciding on impulse to gorge on an entire chocolate cake and then blaming her decision to indulge on the curse!

Where the novel shines is in its examination of urban legends and delving into the way that stories are transformed into urban myths. Before we ever meet the ghost bride, we’ve heard a few different renditions of her story which each teller swears to be the real and true version, and each reflecting more about the individual quirks of the teller instead of the truth. Fearing that her grandmother’s claim of a curse on their family is true, Rena Faye fervently digs into the history of the ghost bride to try and discover what really happened to her and comes to a startling, life-changing discovery in the process.

While she’s dealing with tyrannical parents and ominous portents, Rena Faye thankfully isn’t on her own—she has the staunch unwavering support of her cousin and best friend Daisy who is a fun vivacious character that livens up every scene she’s in. The closeness between the two girls is a highlight of the story, and as someone who was very close to her cousins as a teenager, I always love to see strong bonds between cousins depicted in YA. It’s an especially nice touch that the girls are given the majority of the focus throughout the book as opposed to Rena Faye’s on-and-off-again boyfriend Chance and stealth love interest Arden.

Mature readers looking for thrills and chills this spooky season will need to adjust their expectations going into this to avoid disappointment; the intermittent sprinkling of mildly scary scenes is more suited to readers on the younger spectrum of the YA audience. However the universal themes of breaking free from restrictive expectations, knowing your self-worth and working to achieve your dreams make this accessible to readers of all ages, and its focus on feminine strength, reconciliation and healing provide a heart-warming, feel-good arc. If you like the sound of a ghost mystery with fun, nuanced characters, and complicated family dynamics that conceal murky secrets, this is the book for you!

"I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own."

I loved the whole urban legend in a small town and how it became a tourist place. Our main character Rena wants to explore the world; how hard can it be to grant this young adult this request? Well, her trying to convince her parents it is like pulling teeth. Her parents are very controlling and strict. It is like they are terrified for her to leave the nest, even with her grandmother. They have a hotel that brings in money because of the moonbow arc near the falls every month, and there is the ghost story. The one that truly brings in the money. Yet, Rena is tired of working in the hotel every day for free she has a camera that she can use to capture the most beautiful pictures, but she needs to leave this small town, and her family does not make it easy for her. As she fights with them on this, she starts digging deeper into this whole ghost story and getting close to the neighboring owner's son, whose hotel could put them out of business. What she uncovers is something a bit deeper than just a ghost story. It is something that affects her family and theirs. I loved the ending and how it wrapped everything up. Now, if you are looking for something scary, this was not it. This story felt like an old ghost story we tell people.

This was a fantastic and spooky ghost story. But it was more than that; it's also about a teenage girl trying to find herself. To make decisions based one what she wants and not what others tell her is best for her, or easiest for them. I was immediately sympathetic to Rena Faye and on her side as I watched her be pretty manipulated by her family. Now, I understood their need for help as they struggle to pay the bills and keep their business afloat. But the fact that they refused to pay her or let her earn any money of her own, and the sexism her dad treated her with (re: her brother and boyfriend) angered me so much. I was so proud of her for learning to stick up for herself.  I also really loved Daisy and how much she supported Rena Faye and never treated her as immature or silly.  They had such a sweet friendship to read about.  Also, Rena Faye's relationship with Malice was so lovely and endearing and I could see how the tricky family dynamics really played out.

The ghost story was complicated and twisty and even though I had guessed what was going on, I loved the way the reveal played out. Watching Rena Faye and others try and piece together the ghost's story; even at their own possible peril, was really intriguing.  The setting of the town and the backdrop of Moonbow days was just the perfect eerie setting for this all to play out.

I highly recommend this book, especially during the spooky season!

Thanks to the publishers for a netgalley copy!

Where Echoes Lie is a great book if you're looking for a new spooky read. Rena's town has thrived under the legend of the ghost bride. Everyone has a different version of the story but they all agree a woman fell over the falls to her death. When Rena's summer trip gets canceled, her grandma warns her of a curse the bride put on the women in her family.

I liked the spooky aspects of this book. At the beginning, I really couldn't tell if there were actually paranormal things happening or if Rena was being pranked, and I liked that questioning. The lore behind the ghost story was so cool and hearing each person's way of telling it made them all seem unique. I found it so hard to read the parts with her parents since to me they seemed pretty awful. Rena was essentially being forced into child labor which made it impossible for me to feel for the mother at all in the end. Her family was definitely toxic and I wish they had been made more dimensional instead of just unbelievable. For me, this was a 3.5/5.

If you like local ghost rumors, have ever rebelled to gain some freedom, or want a good haunting, this is the one for you.

I received a digital copy of this book free from Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a Kentucky girl myself, I was SO EXCITED to start this one, and it did NOT disappoint! This was easy to read, filled with fun local urban legends I grew up hearing about, and some spooky ghost brides! This is a great fall read and I highly recommend! If you're a fan of mysteries, creepy stories, and fall reads, pick this one up.