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I’m a sucker for a good ghost story, and when I came across Paige McKenzie’s debut novel, I knew I had to give it a try. Apparently, the book is based on an eponymous Youtube series that describes itself as “Gossip Girl” meets “Paranormal.” I don’t know much about Gossip Girl, but one thing’s for sure — this novel was pretty spooky.
Sunshine and her mother, Kat, move from sunny Texas to dreary (and, in Sunshine’s words, “creepy”) Ridgemont, Washington. As soon as they enter their new house, Sunshine can tell something is off. She feels cold all the time, and soon she starts experiencing what she determines to be a legitimate haunting. At first, the spirit (or spirits) seem friendly, but soon things turn dangerous. As the story unfolds, Sunshine learns there is more to her ghosts — and herself — than meets the eye.
I really enjoyed this book. Though the clumsy, “adorkable” teenage girl trope is at times a bit heavy-handed, Sunshine’s inner voice was fun and relatable. I loved that at several points in the story, I thought I knew where things were headed, but I ended up being dead (ha!) wrong. The haunting itself was pretty scary — not late-night reading, if you’re alone and/or in a dark house.
The book is clearly setting itself up as one in a series, as it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. I’m looking forward to tuning in to more of Sunshine and her paranormal adventures.
Rated: Mild. No swearing, no sexual content, some light violence and a bit of blood.
Click here to purchase your copy of The Haunting of Sunshine Girl on Amazon.
