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Calling Leah
"This is how you die."Five simple words.One plotline for death.
Leah Abernathy lives a normal life every seventeen-year-old dreams about. She has two loving parents who support her every move, she's on track to be one of the next bestselling authors, she has a close-knit group of friends, and she has an amazing boyfriend. But on a hot summer day at the lake, her life changes forever.
An innocent selfie turns into a nightmare as a video pops up on her phone screen. A video that shows her being killed. At first, she thinks it's a sick prank one of the other Briarwood High School seniors is playing on her. But when her friends start receiving their own cryptic video premonitions and creepy messages start to surface related to a terrible event that happened at last year's Harvest Festival, she knows someone is out for blood.
As this year's Harvest Festival looms closer, Leah and her friends must race against the clock to figure out who is sending the videos before each of them meets a tragic end.
Leah Abernathy lives a normal life every seventeen-year-old dreams about. She has two loving parents who support her every move, she's on track to be one of the next bestselling authors, she has a close-knit group of friends, and she has an amazing boyfriend. But on a hot summer day at the lake, her life changes forever.
An innocent selfie turns into a nightmare as a video pops up on her phone screen. A video that shows her being killed. At first, she thinks it's a sick prank one of the other Briarwood High School seniors is playing on her. But when her friends start receiving their own cryptic video premonitions and creepy messages start to surface related to a terrible event that happened at last year's Harvest Festival, she knows someone is out for blood.
As this year's Harvest Festival looms closer, Leah and her friends must race against the clock to figure out who is sending the videos before each of them meets a tragic end.
278 pages, Paperback
Published March 13, 2024
2 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Shaley Dehner
3 books5 followersShaley Dehner writes books about murder, mayhem, and madness. She has a master's degree in publishing from George Washington University. She impulsively and unapologetically corrects people's grammar, pets all the cats she can, and learns anything to do with the supernatural.
Calling Leah is her debut novel, and the first in the Black Obsidian series, which is an interconnected series of standalone books.
Calling Leah is her debut novel, and the first in the Black Obsidian series, which is an interconnected series of standalone books.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
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August 28, 2024An excited and tense story!! Readers who enjoy YA thrillers will like this one. It's an interesting premise and keeps you turning pages.
June 29, 2025
Showing the truth of teenagers in different ways, with love and loss, and twists you wouldn't expect.
April 7, 2024
Great read! It was fast-paced, easy to read and full of surprises. The author isn't afraid to take chances with her characters. In fact, don't get to attached because you never know how long they'll be around. It was a great who-dun-it with a nice supernatural twist. It's a young adult novel with all the usual teenage fan fare; like young love, parties, pop culture and high school drama. But it's also a great read for anyone of any age!
May 4, 2024
Calling Leah is a wonderfully spooky debut novel. The characters were very realistic for a YA setting, and I definitely didn’t see that twist coming! Shaley does a great job building suspense and keeping readers on their toes. I’m excited to read the next book in the series!
March 25, 2024
Calling Leah was a fantastic read! Not my usual theme that I typically read, however it fits perfectly into the style of YA with very likable high school aged characters. The friendship between the two main female characters was probably my favorite part of the book. They were both so unique in their personalities, but both very memorable and super relatable. All the characters felt like high schoolers just trying to live their lives. I enjoyed how the story built slowly at first setting up the world they live in and really ramped up as the harvest festival approached and more clues started to show up for the girls to decipher. I personally loved the twists and turns near the end of the book and can't wait to see where the author takes us next!
July 15, 2025
4.5 ☆
I actually really enjoyed this book! The storyline was fast past and kept me captivated! I like that we had SOME survivors because it's always more fun when you can end the story somewhat happy.
I think my only complaints would be pop-culture references. There were a ton and if you don't follow those media's, some lines didn't make a whole lot of sense.
Would 100% recommend this book to someone who enjoys ominous death threats, ghosts, and crows!
◇♧SPOILERS♧◇
I kind of hated how chill everyone was with the fact that they basically killed Hanah. While they didn't stab her or anything, they WERE the ones to dare her to hang from a freaking ferris wheel.
I actually really enjoyed this book! The storyline was fast past and kept me captivated! I like that we had SOME survivors because it's always more fun when you can end the story somewhat happy.
I think my only complaints would be pop-culture references. There were a ton and if you don't follow those media's, some lines didn't make a whole lot of sense.
Would 100% recommend this book to someone who enjoys ominous death threats, ghosts, and crows!
◇♧SPOILERS♧◇
I kind of hated how chill everyone was with the fact that they basically killed Hanah. While they didn't stab her or anything, they WERE the ones to dare her to hang from a freaking ferris wheel.
December 6, 2024
An absolutely mystical and enchanting debut novel! Mystery, tarot, Supernatural references (for someone who is currently watching the series through for the first time this year, I was absolutely fan-girling!), and absolute shock ending; everything right up my alley. I loved everything about this and found myself thinking about what would happen next when I couldn't sit down to read. Knowing this was written by an individual I went to school with made me extra excited to read. Incredibly proud of the story you have created, Shaley, and can't wait for book 2! ❤️
April 14, 2024
"Calling Leah" is an engaging and delightful book that hooks you from the very first page. Dehner has crafted a story filled with vibrant characters and dynamic relationships that draw you in and make you feel like a part of their world. I couldn't put the book down—it was that captivating! The plot twists and turns keep you guessing, and the cliffhanger ending leaves you eagerly awaiting the next book! If you're looking for a fun and immersive read, "Calling Leah" is the perfect choice.
April 13, 2025
Great YA thriller/mystery/suspense! Twists and surprises that I didn't see coming were perfectly timed and gut wrenching. The characters are relatable and fully developed. The epilogue is a perfect opening for book 2.
April 3, 2024
calling leah is a great read.. i could not put the book down( started and finished in one day). I can't wait to see what happens next..
July 22, 2024
Excellent debut novel! I really enjoyed it. Can't wait for the next one.
July 25, 2024
Loved this book, it gave me all the feels. I laughed, cried, got mad and sad. It was a great read by the fire. Can’t wait to get the second book!
June 20, 2024
Roux's Asylum meets Until Dawn, Final Destination, & Mean Girls
Leah gets a video message showing her death, but she isn't the only one. Her boyfriend, bestie, and bestie's bf all get one of their own. At first, there's a little panic, but not too much taken seriously as they believe it's a prank, until the first of their group dies in a freak accident. They must get to the bottom of the mystery of who's behind these texts and murder(s) before they all fall victim.
I was intrigued and drawn in by the plot, believing I knew the outcome, but this book surprised me. It def wasn't what/who I thought. It definitely keeps you on your toes wondering who will be next or what will happen next.
My only thing is I could not stand the MC and her bestie (this is just me personally. It's hard for me to fall in love with a LOT of female MCs especially in First Person when I can read their thoughts), but I felt they were both the technical Mean Girls clique. The bestie, Henley, more than Leah. She's the territorial 'alpha' female of the group and clearly has an issue with at least three other girls. One, Hanah (SPOILER), was a new girl in town trying to fit in when Kyler (Henley's crush) invites her to the fair with their little group. Spiteful, Henley tells Hanah she must hang outside the Ferris Wheel cart to become a part of their group, to which Hanah does and falls to her death. Instead of remorse/guilt, it feels like Henley is still happy to get the competition out of the way so she can have Kyler to herself. But then, Leah has a thought that Henley "is one of the most beautiful people on Earth, inside and out", and five seconds later, Henley is hating another shy, innocent girl because she feels this girl's trying to weasel her way into her group. I know there are girls like this irl, but it's a little off that the narrator, Leah, approves of this. Maybe an unreliable narrator in ways???
But on to the real victim in this: Hanah. She was just trying to fit into the group, into a new place, and yes she did something stupid to achieve that, but she died in doing so. MORE SPOILERS, her ghost is the one haunting everyone, but she just wants an apology and didn't mean for anyone to get hurt. To which, Henley basically spits at her and tells her to burn. I almost shut this book just from that. I really can't stand Henley.
Overall, though, fun read. Twists and turns, who's who. Red herrings. The goods.
Leah gets a video message showing her death, but she isn't the only one. Her boyfriend, bestie, and bestie's bf all get one of their own. At first, there's a little panic, but not too much taken seriously as they believe it's a prank, until the first of their group dies in a freak accident. They must get to the bottom of the mystery of who's behind these texts and murder(s) before they all fall victim.
I was intrigued and drawn in by the plot, believing I knew the outcome, but this book surprised me. It def wasn't what/who I thought. It definitely keeps you on your toes wondering who will be next or what will happen next.
My only thing is I could not stand the MC and her bestie (this is just me personally. It's hard for me to fall in love with a LOT of female MCs especially in First Person when I can read their thoughts), but I felt they were both the technical Mean Girls clique. The bestie, Henley, more than Leah. She's the territorial 'alpha' female of the group and clearly has an issue with at least three other girls. One, Hanah (SPOILER), was a new girl in town trying to fit in when Kyler (Henley's crush) invites her to the fair with their little group. Spiteful, Henley tells Hanah she must hang outside the Ferris Wheel cart to become a part of their group, to which Hanah does and falls to her death. Instead of remorse/guilt, it feels like Henley is still happy to get the competition out of the way so she can have Kyler to herself. But then, Leah has a thought that Henley "is one of the most beautiful people on Earth, inside and out", and five seconds later, Henley is hating another shy, innocent girl because she feels this girl's trying to weasel her way into her group. I know there are girls like this irl, but it's a little off that the narrator, Leah, approves of this. Maybe an unreliable narrator in ways???
But on to the real victim in this: Hanah. She was just trying to fit into the group, into a new place, and yes she did something stupid to achieve that, but she died in doing so. MORE SPOILERS, her ghost is the one haunting everyone, but she just wants an apology and didn't mean for anyone to get hurt. To which, Henley basically spits at her and tells her to burn. I almost shut this book just from that. I really can't stand Henley.
Overall, though, fun read. Twists and turns, who's who. Red herrings. The goods.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews