This is more of a reflective contemporary fiction with some dark happenings. The slow pacing and informative writing style were dull and I couldn’t get invested in the characters. I think this works better if you personally resonate with what the characters are going through or are learning about/looking for cathartic reflection of healing from emotional abuse and the benefits of therapy. Also, if you like Jennifer McMahon’s character-driven slightly supernatural vibe-this reminded me of her plots. 

 

Energy: Quiet. Melancholic. Enervated. 

 

🐺 Growls: The synopsis was a little misleading…the mystery of the visions/hallucinations is solved early on; this is a quiet, slow-paced contemporary fiction about personal healing and how different generations coped with trauma. 

🐕 Howls: It’s heavy on symbolism for repressed childhood memories and how they impact adulthood, but it felt like over-explaining because the situation was obvious, then the symbolism around it was obvious, then the therapist’s explanation of it and character unpacking it was stating the obvious; it was just too much of an extended exploration of every little topic (but this approach could be healing/helpful for others). The plot was meandering too much during the reflective parts. 

 

🐩 Tail Wags: Great audio narration. Writing is easy to follow. 

 

Scene: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Manchester, England

Perspectives (2): A single parent of a teen who is seeing ghostly visitors in their home, but trying to hide that they are. The teen who is crushing on their bestie while managing concern for their parent’s mental state. We also get brief perspectives of the sister/aunt and mother/grandmother.  

Timeline: Current (2010s or 2020s). Spring. Linear + Then & Now

🔥 Fuel: Are "the guests" visions or hallucinations? Will Tamsin be able to keep it together for her daughter? How will therapy & digging up the past affect her? How will Tamsin's healing journey unfold? Will Summer confess her crush?

📖 Cred: Paranormal realism

 

Kitchen window. Tea and biscuits. Family gatherings. Wine. Cartoony socks. Therapist’s office. 

 

Content Heads-Up: Ableism (from parent). Alcohol (self-medicating blackouts). Classism (prejudice, hatred). Domestic abuse (parents fighting, violence, emotional abuse). Generalized anxiety disorder (medicated). Hallucinations. Loss of parent (distant relationship; as child). Mentally ill parent. Misogyny. Neonatal brain injury. Spousal, parental abandonment (as teen). Stigmas around mental illness. Toxic masculinity. Toxic relationship. Vomit. 

 

Rep: British. Second generation Ghanian. Cis. Hetero. Lesbian. Pale and ambiguous skin tones. Cerebral palsy. 

 

📚 Format: Kindle Unlimited