Disclosure:
I received an Advance Reader copy of It Will Just Be Us from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. They give me no money, nor do they in any way influence my thoughts. Those are 100% my own for better or worse.
Synopsis:
Sam Wakefield’s ancestral home, a decaying mansion built on the edge of a swamp, isn’t a place for children. Its labyrinthine halls, built by her mad ancestors, are filled with echoes of the past: ghosts and memories knotted together as one. In the presence of phantoms, it’s all Sam can do to disentangle past from present in her daily life. But when her pregnant sister Elizabeth moves in after a fight with her husband, something in the house shifts. Already navigating her tumultuous relationship with Elizabeth, Sam is even more unsettled by the appearance of a new ghost: a faceless boy who commits disturbing acts—threatening animals, terrorizing other children, and following Sam into the depths of the house wielding a knife. When it becomes clear the boy is connected to a locked, forgotten room, one which is never entered, Sam realizes this ghost is not like the others. This boy brings doom. As Elizabeth’s due date approaches, Sam must unravel the mysteries of Wakefield before her sister brings new life into a house marked by death. But as the faceless boy grows stronger, Sam will learn that some doors should stay closed—and some secrets are safer locked away forever.
Edition:
E-ARC
My Thoughts:
Ok, let’s all make fun of me forever – this was an ARC for a book that came out back in…uhhh…
September…that I’m just now posting. Oops.
This book is fascinating. The story is told in parts. And while part one occasionally felt a bit laborious, everything after that had me thoroughly invested. Sam is a likeable character, and her reactions to the family’s notoriety around town are really relatable. She doesn’t feel good about their reputation, but she also likes to use it to her advantage when she’s feeling frustrated or maybe even a bit mean-spirited. I get that.
And the way the house itself holds onto echoes was a fun and unique take on a ghost story. So, there are ghosts, yes. But there are also moments in time that replay themselves – meaning even those currently living may make an appearance.
I can’t imagine what it would be like to live like the Wakefields do! Everything is just a big tangle of memories that are pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant, just forever playing out around them.
And the faceless boy, and the female specter that has haunted Sam since childhood were super creepy. There is also a swamp witch. If you know me, you probably know I’m a tad obsessed with swamp witches as a concept for some reason, so this was really right up my alley.
Honestly, if I were to wish for one thing, it would be to spend more time with the swamp witch. Although the amount of time that was devoted to her fit perfectly into the story – I just want more.
About the Author:
Jo Kaplan writes and teaches in the Los Angeles area with much encouragement from her husband and two cats. Her fiction (sometimes as Joanna Parypinski) has appeared in Fireside Quarterly, Black Static, Nightmare Magazine, Vastarien, Haunted Nights edited by Ellen Datlow and Lisa Morton, Don’t Turn Out the Lights: A Tribute to Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark edited by Jonathan Maberry, and the Nightscript series. Her most recent novel, It Will Just Be Us, came out September 8, 2020. She teaches English and creative writing at Glendale Community College. (from the author’s website)
Rating:
If you want a spooky, atmospheric, traditional, but also non-traditional gothic ghost story, this might be just the thing.
It Will Just Be Us By: Jo Kaplan Crooked Lane Books ISBN: 1643854496 Published: September 8, 2020 Hardcover, E-book 272 Pages Author's Website
