The Narrow by Kate Alice Marshall

e-Audio, 10:42:27
Narrated by: Jeremy Carlisle Parker
Release Date: August 1, 2023
Published by: Books on Tape
Read from: August 3-6, 2023
Stand-alone
Source: PRH App (#PenguinPartner! I received an early e-Audio copy of this book from the publisher. This did nothing to influence my review.)
TW: Homophobia, Death, Drowning, Murder, Assault
For Readers Interested In: Horror, Ghosts, Possession, LGBTQ+ (Sapphic), Paranormal, Romance, YA

      A deliciously terrifying novel about a ghost who uncovers a teen girl’s best kept secrets while haunting her boarding school, perfect for fans of Lost in the Never Woods and The Haunting of Bly Manor .
     Everyone has heard the story of the Narrow. The river that runs behind the Atwood School is only a few feet across and seemingly placid, but beneath the surface, the waters are deep and vicious. It’s said that no one who has fallen in has ever survived.
     Eden White knows that isn’t true. Six years ago, she saw Delphine Fournier fall into the Narrow—and live.
     Delphine now lives in careful isolation, sealed off from the world. Even a single drop of unpurified water could be deadly to her, and no one but Eden has any idea why. Eden has never told anyone what she saw or spoken to Delphine since, but now, unable to cover her tuition, she has to make a her expenses will be paid in return for serving as a live-in companion to Delphine.
     Eden finds herself drawn to the strange and mysterious girl, and the two of them begin to unravel each other’s secrets. Then Eden discovers what happened to the last girl who lived with she was found half-drowned on dry land. Suddenly Eden is waking up to wet footprints tracking to the end of her bed, the sound of rain on the windows when the skies are clear, and a ghostly silhouette in her doorway. Something is haunting Delphine—and now it’s coming for Eden, too.

*MY THOUGHTS*

Y’all know that I prioritize books based on how diverse they are… Well I didn’t know this one was Sapphic until it was already out. But of course when I found out, I downloaded it immediately. And let me tell you, I’m as basic as it sounds, I’m glad I didn’t allow myself to miss this!

The Narrow is a legend that’s known by everyone that attends this boarding school. But still, everyone still takes the leap into it for the sake of tradition. They know that it’s dangerous, because no one ever falls in and survives. Well except one person. And only Eden knows that. Delphine has been isolated in another dorm on campus ever since she fell in and survived. But now things are a lot different than what her life looked like before. A single drop of water could kill her. Or so she’s been told. But once Eden moves in to help out with her, they both start to look at things differently…

So off top, the main thing I liked about this was the spooky vibes it gave off. I have been complaining since I’ve been reading horror lately and I wasn’t finding any of them actually scary, so this was a nice surprise. It wasn’t like jump scares scary, but it was like “Oh man what’s going to happen now?” type scary. It kept me on my toes! And let me just say, “The Drowning Girl” is not anything to play with lol The way she kept coming up while they were sleeping, had me thinking I was going to open my eyes during the night and she’d be right there lol Kate Alice Marshall is amazing. And I also liked the way Eden was part of the mystery. They tried to keep everything from her, but she did what needed to be done and she found out what all the other people before her couldn’t. She’s the real OG.

When everything was revealed was a WTF moment for me. I thought I had it figured out, but then when the real thing came out, I was shocked! I was so wrong, and I was so happy about it lol But let me tell you, once the killer is revealed, there is still more story! Don’t think it’s over, because it’s just beginning. And it gets weirder. This book has twists all over the place and I loved it so much.

It’s also a lot more heavy than I was expecting too. I’m just going to say, her family is shit. Like literally everyone. I wanted to jump in that book so bad and choke all of them. And the way she was so scared to even say anything? I was so mad at them. I wanted so much more for her.

The romance was… Cute? I don’t know how to explain a romance between these two…. People. It was cute tho. I thought it was actually cute. I was reminded that this wasn’t a romance at the end tho because of how it all pans out. Small spoiler: You’ll be disappointed if you’re looking for an HEA.

This was a lot more creepy than I thought it was going to be. Which obviously meant I enjoyed it more than I was expecting as well! I haven’t read too many of Kate Alice Marshall’s books, but this one made me go look at her backlist. I won’t lie, I wasn’t expecting to like this as much as I did. (As basic as that sounds) But it was so creepy and so good. I hope y’all read and love this too!

Overall, I give this