Doe by Rebecca Barrow

e-ALC, 05:40:44
Narrated by: Imani Jade Powers
Release Date: June 23, 2026
Published by: Books on Tape
Read from: May 4-8, 2026
Stand-alone
Source:  PRH Audio App (I received this e-ALC free from the publisher and Libro FM. This did nothing to influence my review. I also received this as an ARC from the publisher. I read them at the same time.)
Content Warning: Death, Violence, Toxic Friendship, Self Harm, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Adult/Minor Relationship, Sexual Harassment
For Readers of: 2sLGBTQ+, ARC, Audio, Contemporary, Holy Crap, Horror, Sparkly Cover, Most Anticipated, Multiple POV, Own, Paranormal (Demon), Racial/Ethnic Diversity, Novel in Verse

      Thrilling crossover YA Horror perfect for fans of Krystal Sutherland and Tiffany Jackson, where the captain of a high school cheer team is caught in a bitter rivalry and turns to an ancient, supernatural creature for help, not knowing she’s just made a deal with a devil and could lose everything that matters, including her life.
     Maris Larsen is the captain of the West Eaton High cheer team. She’s Coach’s favorite and the team worships her. Being on the team makes her feel special—powerful. When she’s leading the girls on the mat, Maris doesn’t have to think about her dead-end life in a dead-end town. She can forget about her depressed mother and absent father and the fact that her girlfriend doesn’t really love her. But when newcomer and Coach’s new golden girl, Genevieve Ray, joins the team, the only thing going right in Maris’s life is suddenly in jeopardy. A bitter rivalry develops between the two, but Maris is determined to take Genevieve down. The knife she needs to wield comes to Maris in her dreams.
     While sleepwalking, Maris is visited by a monstrous, decaying beast in the shape of an enormous deer. Doe is an ancient, tired creature who has been wandering, trapped in her current form for decades. She cannot die, but she cannot go on living as she has. Only a girl related by blood to those who bound her in this form can free her, but those girls she loved died years ago—murdered in a fire.
     But Maris is somehow linked to Doe’s beloved girls—linked by blood—and so she has the power to free Doe, to unleash her immense power. In Maris’s dreams, she and Doe form a bond, but Maris doesn’t know the creature from her dreams is real. Maris doesn’t understand the danger she’s in. She only knows Doe has promised her a way to win her battle with Genevieve. But for Maris to win, someone has to die, and the only real winner in the end will be Doe.

*MY THOUGHTS*

I actually read the synopsis of this one and I knew from that alone i was going to love it. This had all the makings for a Nikki book and it actually was! Almost everything was perfect. Definitely was enjoyable. And I think I have a TfT pairing for it too!

So when I said it was almost perfect, I meant the pacing. At the end it was over when it started getting good! I wanted to see how it would be with that thing coming to change everything. Like why would you end it right after that? I wish she had done it more towards the middle or at the very least padded it a little at the end. It was a novel in verse, I think it could have been a bit longer.

The premise tho was on point. I was locked in! I usually don’t like novels in verse because it can’t go too much into depth of like details and places or whatever, but this one was good. Everything was laid out and didn’t go too much inro detail, but it was easy to follow and an interesting story. It made it an easier read that I think many will enjoy. I had so many questions tho! Like why a doe and not a different animal? And why did you decide to make them cheerleaders?

I also loved the different POV’s in this. It was short, but you got the story on all sides, from the FMC, to the other FMC, to the Doe, to the other girls on the cheer squad. I loved that they were all telling the same story, just in different ways. And reading from Doe’s POV definitely ticked up the spooky factor.

I was so invested in this for no reason LOL I enjoyed reading this and learning more about the squad. It truly was a one in lifetime type of story. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like this before.

Overall, I give this