I had to put this book down multiple times just to catch my bearings. This book is so chilling that I was afraid to go to sleep.

I won this ARC through Instagram, along with another book and a tote, and I am so glad that I did. This was the second thriller book that I have read, which may come across surprising to a lot of Y’all. At first, I was on the fence. Like, why would I want to read a thriller book in the first place? So, I put on my big girl pants and womaned up.

This book centers around twins, both teens, but one girl and one boy. The girl is named Ruby, and she is heartbroken over her older brother Dashiell’s death. She couldn’t believe that he would overdose after just coming clean from drugs. So she chose to believe that someone had murdered him. She was the closest one to him, and she was the one who was most affected by his death.

Unfortunately for Dashiell though, he gets into some trouble in Hell. So, he takes over his sister’s body without her knowing. This is where Everett comes in. He finds out about Dashiell controlling his sister, and he gets more than angry. He is furious with his older brother, and to save his sister, he offers up his body for whatever Dashiell needs to do.

This book will teach you about the love a sister has for her brother, the protectiveness brothers hold for their sisters, and the strength a father puts up for his children. I have never read a book about a family so broken down, yet so held together. The ending truly broke and warmed my heart at the same time, and I am confident that all of Y’all will love this book. Don’t worry! It comes out soon! Until then, go ahead and preorder it! ( )

*I won this as part of a Goodreads Giveaway.*

This book was awful. It took me 30 days to drag myself through it. I could probably stop right there and that would be enough of a review.

I honestly should have DNF'd it, but I thought it might redeem itself. It didn't.

I think the underlying message was probably something to do with you shouldn't hold people up on pedestals, and people are never what they seem. But this story took a ridiculous, stupidly long way to get to that with no real resolution.

The premise was what reeled me in, because I thought it would be a creepy read, good for going into fall. And it sounded like a fresh twist on a ghost story.

It's creepy alright. But not in that "ooh i've got chills" feeling. More in the "ew really?" way.

There are hints of incest-like devotion between Dashiell and Ruby (siblings). Dash kisses her at one point and I think I literally groaned out loud and muttered something about this. Ruby's love/devotion to Dash is just strange because Dash is a huge douche, both living and dead.

Everett is way too nerdy throughout most of the story, and Ruby seems like a whiny baby of a character. She's constantly crying.

And the supporting cast of characters is no better. They're all there to fill shallow bits of time in the story but play no major part.

The end of this wraps up far too neatly, and Dash's character "evolution" is not believable in the slightest. ( )

DNF @ 14%

"People almost never believe things because they're objectively true. They just believe in whatever made-up reality hurts them the least."

I wanted to like this, I really did. I was excited for the gritty mystery and dark paranormal elements to the story, but I did not like the characters or the writing - specifically the dialogue. I found the dialogue to be very juvenile. For me, it didn't fit with the tone of the story and the harsh threats that were present. I also didn't like any of the characters.

Ruby is incredibly naive, frustratingly so, and is completely blinded by her brother, only seeing him through rose-color glasses where he was a misunderstood genius, who was thoughtful and more lovable than she could ever hope to be. Her father is also kind of a psychopath, who readily admits he wish that Dash had died as an infant to prevent the taint of his influence from reaching Ruby and Everett. Everett was probably the most likable, but it seemed like even his chapters were focused on Ruby, not on his feelings or mindset.

This book just wasn't for me. I liked the idea of the books more than the actual book itself. The characters, Ruby especially, made it difficult to get into. I couldn't appreciate the dark elements of the story because of Ruby's personality and the dialogue's immaturity.

Hopefully other's will love this book, but it wasn't for me.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Following his overdose, Dash begins visiting his sister Ruby in her dreams in an attempt to possess her and return to the world of the living, but Ruby's twin Everett is intent on saving Ruby from Dash's clutches. ( )