Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC of this book via BookOfMatchesMedia in exchange for an honest review!

They Stay is a book about Shiloh, whose little brother Max goes missing. When her detective father doesn’t really do anything to find him, she decides to find Max herself with the help of some friends.

We follow two different POV’s from two characters, but I fail to see how these two will intertwine. The point is finding out where Max is, so the ghosts and everything feel a bit weird and added on. Later on in the story it becomes clearer what is happening and why the ghosts are needed, but it doesn’t take away from the weird and confused parts in the beginning.

The different POV’s also followed different sub plots which were a bit harder to navigate at the beginning, once everything came together it was easier to read. A lot happens in this book that is quite heavy to read, but the feeling you got while reading fitted with what you were reading about. Nothing was sugar coated, something I really appreciate.

It feels very juvenile. I’m not the biggest fan of the characters as they feel childish and immature. Shiloh especially felt a bit immature in the beginning. She just did everything she wanted to do and didn’t really think things through. On the other hand, I loved the vulnerability we got to see from her and the growth all the characters went through. I also liked how all the characters interacted with each other.

Overall, it was a good book that dealt with some pretty heavy topics. I am curious to see what a sequel will bring to this world.

Trigger Warnings: This book contains physical and mental abuse, death, kidnapping, gun violence, alcohol abuse, references to suicide, bullying, fade-to-black intimacy, implied sexual abuse (non-graphic), and mild adult language.