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.

It's never been safe for Fern, Jaq, or Mallory to come out to their families. As kids their emerging identities drove them into friendship but also forced them into the woods to hide in an old, abandoned house when they needed safety. But one night when the girls sought refuge, Mallory never made it back home. Fern and Jaq did, but neither survivor remembered what happened or the secrets they were so desperate to keep.

Five years later, Fern and Jaq are seniors on the verge of graduation, seemingly happy in their straight, cisgender lives—until a spirit who looks like Mallory begins to appear, seeking revenge for her death, and the part Fern and Jaq played in it. As they’re haunted, something begins to shift inside them.

They remember who they are.
Who they want to love.
And the truth about the vicious secrets hiding in their woods.

Short and Sweet Review

It’s not safe for Fern, Jaq, or Mallory to come out to their parents, so one night they go into the woods and make a wish to the Patron that things will be okay. Only things aren’t okay in the way the girls thought it would be, only Fern and Jaq make it out of the woods and they don’t have any memories of that night or of even being friends. It’s been five years since that night and Jaq and Fern are seemingly happy living their lives as straight women, but when a spirit that looks like Mallory starts haunting them, they slowly start regaining their memories. Fern and Jaq realize that they need to confront face what happened in the woods that night to be able to live their lives the way they truly want to.

First and Foremost, this book was different, but in a good way. Fern, Jaq, and Mallory all know that they’re gay but they also know that their parents will not accept this. After Mallory is caught doing something her parents find unacceptable and they’re about to send her away. Which is why the three girls end up going to the woods and making a wish to the mysterious patron. Fern and Jaq have no memories of that and it was interesting to see this mystery unravel. Mallory was strong enough to have her ghost get out of the woods and find Fern and Jaq and that’s when the girls remember that their gay, but this patron is having none of that and he makes certain things happen, which I won’t spoil. We get the POV of Jaq, Fern, and Mallory but only Mallory from the past which allows us to piece things together. We get to see Fern try out for the school play which is supposed to be all inclusive and she has a romance with the other lead Kaitlyn. Jaq has had a boyfriend for a while but after she gets her memories she knows this isn’t right, which is when she meets Dev and gets in her comfort zone. The girls try to live life but when they realize that the patron is sabotaging them the girls have no choice but to go back into the woods. I will say the ending is bittersweet but still good because we get to see that even if you’re not accepted by everyone there’s still someone out there that will love you.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. If you’ve read Natalie C. Parker’s other books I do think this one holds up and we have a horror theme with the message of self discovery and acceptance.