Synopsis:
Liam has been dead for ten months, haunting the house he used to share with his family, and facing intermittent and terrifying encounters with an eldritch entity called The Beast, who seems determined to consume his soul. Besides that complication in Liam’s new existence, he’s actually adjusted well enough to boredom. But all of that changes when a new family moves in and Liam finds himself sharing a room with Drew Tarpin, who is all of the things Liam never was when he was athletic, queer, and effortlessly cool.
Except, Liam and Drew do have something in their hopeless attraction to Hannah Steward, the nerdy captain of the school mock trial team. After Drew stands in to protect Liam from the Beast, he agrees to help her win Hannah over if Drew keeps Liam from spending the entirety of his afterlife as demon food. It shouldn’t be hard, since Liam was in unrequited love with Hannah for his entire natural life, and her best friend until his untimely death. But the Beast will not be satisfied no matter how much Drew fights back on Liam’s behalf—and when Hannah catches on that Liam might not be totally gone, it puts all of their lives at risk.
Content Warning: grief, trauma, death
Genre: Young Adult, Horror
Publisher: Page Street YA
Publishing Date: January 13, 2026
Rep: queer, LGBT+
My Review:
I, in the Shadows by Tori Bovalino gave me Cemetery Boys vibes, which immediately made me love it, since that’s one of my all-time favorite books. At this point, I think characters who can see ghosts might be one of my favorite tropes, and this book does it really well.
The characters were great. I loved the mystery around Liam’s death, which is the main plot. Drew, the protagonist, felt so real to me. She makes mistakes, doesn’t have answers to every problem, and there are moments where she genuinely has no idea what to do next. I loved that about her. That realism made me connect with her.
I also loved how the author portrayed Drew’s crush on Hannah. It felt natural and sweet, not forced. Surprisingly, Drew’s stepmom is one of my favorite characters. She’s so understanding, kind, and good-hearted, and her presence added so much warmth to the story. Every character felt well-written and meaningful.
The climax was perfect. It made sense, wasn’t over-the-top, and felt emotionally satisfying in the best way. I recommend this book to those who love YA contemporary with mystery and ghosty vibes.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5
Thank you Toppling Stacks Tours for providing me with the arc of this book.
Click here for Tour schedule to see more reviews.
Book links:
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
MOOD BOARD:
About the author:
Tori/V.L. Bovalino (she/her) is an internationally bestselling author of horror and fantasy fiction for young people and adults. She is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and now lives in the UK with her partner, their very loud cat, and their puppy. She holds a PhD in English and still dabbles in academia. Tori loves scary stories, obscure academic book facts, and impractical, oversized sweaters.
Tori is represented by Maddy Belton at Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV & Film Agency.
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