I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Every year horror-loving Simone Washington throws an epic Halloween party for her classmates. Party-planning is her favorite escape from the dark secrets in her past, and this year, she’s taking things up a notch with an invitation-only event to celebrate her eighteenth birthday—something that will leave the halls of Pinegrove Academy flooded with gossip about the big ghoulish bash. The overnight stay at Doll’s Head Lake will be filled with spooky pranks and scary stories told by the fire—including the legend of a local witch named Regret.

But those dark secrets from Simone’s past are forced to the surface at the party when her best friend Kira dies under questionable circumstances. The witch appears and offers Simone a deal: if Simone can figure out how to release Regret from the curse trapping her at the lake within fourteen days, all of Simone’s regrets will be erased. If Simone accepts, Kira’s life will be immediately restored. But if she fails, Kira will die again—and Simone will be the one to kill her.

Short and Sweet Review

Every year Simone has a Halloween party that ends up being the talk of her high school, but this year she decides to throw a birthday party and only invite a select few. Simone has the party at Doll’s Head Lake and she plans on having the night be full of pranks and just overall spooky vibes, there’s also a local legend at Doll’s Head Lake by the name of Regret. When Simone’s best friend Kira dies at the party, Regret shows up and offers Simone a deal, if Simone can figure out how to set Regret free within 14 days, Kira will have her life back and Simone will have all of her regrets erased, and if she fails Kira will be alive and Simone will be the one to kill Kira when time is up.

They Call Her Regret was a pretty interesting book. Our main character is Simone and she loves Halloween but this year is a little different instead of her normal Halloween party she decides to have a birthday party. Simone picks Doll’s Head Lake which is just plain creepy but she loves it. That night she ends up in a quarrel with her best friend Kira and Kira’s boyfriend and Simone ends up pushing Kira in the lake. Kira dies and that’s when Regret shows up with her offer of bringing Kira back to life in exchange for another and Simone has to set her free within 14 days. Simone trades Kira’s life for someone else and immediately the clock starts ticking. What’s interesting her is that Simone is the one who remembers the nights events exactly as they happened both times and we can tell she loves Kira that’s her best friend but after Kira comes back to life Simone ends up avoiding her for most of the book because something just isn’t right about her. Simone knows Regret isn’t playing around because she reminds her everyday how much time she has left. Simone ends up asking Cory for help, childhood friend and also very into local legends. I liked Cory, he was always there to help Simone and he was able to point Simone in the right direction in terms of who she should be talking to for more information on Regret. I liked seeing Simone go around town and talk to people and learn some of the darker history about the town. Simone was a good character you can tell she has some baggage from her past that she has to come to terms with and we eventually see that happen. She’s also fiercely protective of those around her. I will say one thing I didn’t like was how she would snap at people especially when they were just trying to help her.

Overall, this was a good book. They Call Her Regret will keep you reading trying to see if Simone will succeed or if Regrets second option will win out. This book releases on 2/17/2026 but I feel like this would be a great read during October.