* Thank you Penguin Randomhouse for an eARC in exchange for an honest review *

I was even more pleasantly surprised with this book when you reach the main twist than I already was with the initial plot and set up. Following a girl who is keeping secrets from her friends at school, we know Eden doesn't have the perfect home life and the fancy dorming high school is her safe haven. She doesn't think she compares to her fancy friends who all have it together as they enter senior year. Especially compared to the fact that her parents won't even bother to pay her tuition after dealing with her brother's inappropriate behavior back home.

Luckily, there's a way to stay at school using the opportunity made available to room at Abigail House where Delphine stays because she's too sick to leave it. Taking on the position of Delphines one companion means she can stay at school without bothering to ask her parents to bother with her.

But unfortunately, there's a ghost out for Delphine. Or Eden. Maybe both.

The reasons that I loved this book definitely land in the spoiler category so here's the warning. I also have some content warnings here that will include spoilers.


This book is about gaslighting and relationship abuse. And the book basically gaslights the reader as it's gaslighting the main character. I loved how it played out. I feel that this book is SO important to the YA audience. Because gaslighting and manipulation can certainly look like love if you're not paying attention and before it gets to whatever the breaking point is. I thought this book showed that so incredibly well.

Kate Alice Marshall can do no wrong such a good author this was definitely out of my comfort zone! I wasn't sure how I would feel about the paranormal aspect but I ended up liking this book overall.

The Narrow should be used as a textbook example of how to deliver a tense, twisty thriller in the YA genre. Marshall creates a fascinating and deadly world and packs some twists I never saw coming. I highly recommend this spooky read.

It took me awhile to get into The Narrow, but I really enjoyed this novel once I did get into it. This has a slower opening but it does eventually pick up.

Kate Alice Marshall can do NO WRONG. I have yet to give a single book anything other than 5 stars!

The Narrow is a spooky, creepy, dark academia YA thriller/horror and I absolutely loved it. It always takes a bit to get invested in the story, but the payoff is always amazing.

I was 100% into this book and once I go about 20% in, I knew I was going to be finishing it in one sitting. Marshall has to be one of the best authors for creepy horror that has you wanting to sleep with the lights on!

I always love the characters and love how fleshed out and realistic they are and once again I really enjoyed the cast of characters!

I can't wait to read more from this author!

No one who has fallen into the Narrow behind Atwood School has survived, except one - Delphine, who hasn't been the same since. She now has to live in a isolated, sanitized building, as a small drop of unfiltered water could kill her. Six years later, Eden, Delphine's former roommate is asked to move into the building to be her companion. As they spend more time together, Eden discovers the secrets Delphine is hiding, and what truly happened to her that night at the Narrow.

Although the pacing was rather slow, I was very intrigued by this ghost story. I'm almost always a fan of creepy boarding school setting, so I enjoyed my time at Atwood school. I liked the mystery of The Drowning Girl, and trying to put the pieces together about what was happening to Delphine. Eden was a character that you couldn't help but root for, and my heart broke every time she spoke about her difficult home life. The relationship between Eden and her brother was so complicated, I just wanted to protect her. I do think that at times the abusive relationships in these were glossed over a little, and excuses were made for them, which rubbed me in the wrong way. The friendships in this were probably my favourite part of the story. I loved how supportive and caring Veronica, Zoya and Ruth were when it came to Eden and what she was going through. You could tell these four girls truly cared for one another and just wanted the best for each other. The sapphic romance between Eden and Delphine was sweet, and I did really enjoy them together. The ending broke my heart, but it did make sense why it happened.

This one was interesting and I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it.

I did like most of the plot but I did get a bit confused with some stuff. It felt like too much was happening. It got overwhelming fast.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝘼 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙜𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡'𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙠𝙚𝙥𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙤𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡.

I’ve read a few books by this author at this point, and I can definitely say I’m a Kate Alice Marshall fan. I went into this one completely blind and I’m glad I did. I was quite impressed with how much I enjoyed this considering it’s YA.

I absolutely loved the setting of this book, it’s set in a boarding school and has paranormal elements to it. The mystery behind these secrets had me hooked from early on. I honestly just love this author’s way of writing such detailed characters and interesting plot lines.

“The Narrow” is a well-known thing in this book. It’s the river behind the Atwood school, it’s said that no one who has fallen in has survived. However, there is this one girl who somehow managed to survive… and secrets begin to reveal themselves.

I love paranormal mysteries and this one was no exception. I enjoyed the characters and the romance subplot as well. I do feel like the book dragged a bit at times, but that didn’t take too much away from my enjoyment. I honestly can’t wait to read more from this author.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you PenguinTeen for the earc in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoy Kate's writing. She’s an automatic request to review or buy author for me.
So this book did not disappoint. I did find it to be slower paced than her previous books but it was still and interesting read.
A ghost at a boarding school surrounded by secrets. I mean what else do you need to know to jump into this book.

Kate Alice Marshall is one of those authors where I either really love the book or I just.. don’t. But in the case of The Narrow, it’s whatever. It sits in the middle of the scale. I didn’t dislike it. I didn’t love it.

And everyone knows those whatever books are the hardest to review because we have no strong opinions. The book is fine.

The creepy factor is there. The sapphic romance is there. But, it’s unfortunately another book that won’t stick with me for a long period of time.

This one wasn’t for me. For some reason I didn’t connect with the characters and didn’t like the creepier aspects.

Thanks to NetGalley for this gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

The Narrow is prob the my fav recent dark academia reads. At first I thought it’s just a thriller/mystery, but I was pleasantly surprised with the supernatural elements in the book. I really enjoyed the first half of the book, but I think it dragged and lost some steam later on. The ending also felt like there’s some loose ends that didn’t add up.

It’s a quick read and I’d still recommend to those that enjoy YA horror!

3.5 ⭐️

Marshall's books can be hit or miss for me. This is one of the hits. The Narrow is a thriller that had me on the edge of my seat from the very first page. Marshall has created well-crafted characters, heart-pounding suspense, and a plot full of unexpected twists and turns, this book is a must-read for fans of the genre. The plot is a rollercoaster ride of suspense and mystery. As our MC delves deeper into the enigma at the heart of the story, the tension escalates, leading to a climax that will leave you breathless. What I appreciated most about this thriller is its ability to keep me guessing. Just when you think you have it all figured out, the author throws a curveball that completely changes the game.

The Narrow started off incredibly strong, but the pacing as we moved into the second and third acts made it difficult to stay engaged. I love the story being told, particularly the struggles Eden faces and how those are influencing what she's experiencing at school. I love the lore of the Narrow and Del, and how that all comes back to haunt literally everyone. However, the reveal of "who" Del is/was I didn't find particularly engaging. It felt like that entire scene should've been a surprise and made me feel emotional or really invested, and it didn't. It isn't that I didn't like the characters or wanted to, I think it just may not have been written as effectively as it could've been. I do think the story told, particularly when it comes to the teacher-turned-headmaster, is incredibly important and topical today.

This book is definitely a must read for spooky season if you enjoy a good YA book! I loved the characters, the ghost story as a whole, and all of the little twists within the story. It was a fast and intriguing read for sure. There were a few parts I thought were kind of meh, but I don't want to list them here to give the book and part of the story away! If you like a little paranormal romance then this one's for you!

The Narrow by Kate Alice Marshall is a thrilling new YA book. The main character, Eden, navigates past traumas while also attempting to keep secrets from her friends. Eden’s secrets lead to a new role within the school where she uncovers even more secrets.

The story is complex and interesting without becoming overly complicated or overwhelming. There are quite a few characters in the book, but I feel like the author did an excellent job of focusing on a select few and allowing the others to have recurring minor roles. I felt that they effectively added to the story without overshadowing the main plot.

This is a book that I’m excited to share with my high school students…in fact, I have one that has eagerly been waiting for me to finish my physical copy so they can read it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking for the opportunity to review an eARC of this title.

I've been pretty iffy on Kate Alice Marshall's YA pretty much every time I read it now. Which begs the question... why are you reading it?? She always has the best pitches!!! But I just felt very detached from this story and did not end up coming back to finish reading it, which makes me know that the mystery could not have been THAT compelling...

"The Narrow" initially took a bit longer to grip me than this author's usual works, but it eventually paid off splendidly. While it's a ghost story, it delves into themes of love, obsession, abuse, and queerness, defying expectations. Addressing sensitive topics such as sibling abuse, parental neglect, and abuse in queer relationships, it's a chilling and important narrative in a YA setting.

The Narrow had me hooked from the very first page. It has a wonderful spooky undertone to it and brings lots of things to the table, including representation and paranormal mystery/intrigue as well.

A girl with secrets is haunted by a ghost at her boarding school and everything begins to unravel...

The Narrow took me a little bit longer to get into than books by this author usually do, but the payoff was excellent. Yes, this is a ghost story, but it's also a book about love, obsession, abuse, and queerness. This didn't go quite where I expected, but Marshall weaves story elements together really expertly so it all hits home by the end. This is one where I don't want to spoil anything and you should go in without knowing too much.

The Narrow is an infamous river crossing near Atwood School. Officially it's forbidden to students because of the risk of drowning (and there is a story about the ghost of a drowned girl...) but unofficially the students begin each year by leaping across to the other side. They say that no one has ever survived falling in. But six years ago Eden and her best friend watched as Delphine Fournier fell in, only to reappear wet and shivering in the dormitory later that night. But then she developed a deadly reaction to un-purified water and lives in strict seclusion in order to remain alive. But no one else knows what happened that night. Now in order to cover tuition, Eden becomes a live-in companion to the beautiful Delphine, not knowing that she is about to be haunted by a ghost and by her own secrets....

This was a creepy and satisfying story that addresses some really important aspects of abuse that aren't often talked about. Namely, [ sibling abuse, parental neglect, and abuse in queer relationships between women. (hide spoiler)] I really appreciate how the author approaches these sensitive topics and love seeing it in a YA book. Overall a very good novel, even if it's not my favorite book from this author. I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.