Book Synopsis

Maybe this is possession; maybe this is truly what it is to be haunted.

There's a ghost haunting Drew Tarpin's new room. Liam Orville has been dead for ten months and has no idea how to move on. But the longer he stays, the more likely it is he'll degrade into an energy consuming husk--which Drew is more concerned about than her grades or her inability to make meaningful connections with other students.

Drew is everything Liam never was when he was alive, but they do share some common ground: Drew finds herself hopelessly attracted to--and completely tongue-tied around--Hannah Sullivan, who happens to be Liam's former best friend.

After a run-in with a ghost-eating monster leaves Drew and Liam desperate for answers, they strike up a deal: In return for Drew investigating why Liam is still around, he'll help her talk to Hannah. But Liam's time is running out, and if Drew doesn't help him move on, he risks becoming a monster himself.

Review Quotes

"A haunting meditation on loss, guilt, and the ghosts we create from our own desperation."
--Kirkus

"An impressive balance of creepy chills and swoony sighs."
--BCCB

"[G]enuine and believable; a thorough exploration of familial bonds underscores a creative, compelling narrative."
--Booklist

"[I]n this pensive horror novel by Bovalino [...][, ] charged romantic chemistry and [...] sparkling banter brighten a sometimes somber narrative that thoughtfully and sensitively addresses issues of grief and loss."
--Publishers Weekly

"Bovalino has reeled me in once again with her loving and nuanced character work--two flawed, emotionally complex teenagers trying to make sense of the strange tangle of life, death, and love. She deftly folded all-too-real topics like addiction and complex family dynamics into the otherworldly elements, offering readers a story that is engaging, funny, and bittersweet."
--Erica Waters, author of The River Has Teeth and All That Consumes Us

"I, In the Shadows made me feel so much! Drew, Liam, and Hannah are charming and complicated, and their story is haunting, healing, and imbued with deep emotional truths."
--Vanessa Len, author of the Only a Monster series

"I, in the Shadows is a deeply moving exploration of grief and love in all its forms--and I swallowed it whole! Drew and Liam are heartbreakingly compelling, as they try to grapple with the messy aftermath of death. It's gloriously haunting and human, all at once."
--Georgia Summers, #1 Sunday Times-bestselling author of The City of Stardust

About the Author