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THE YELLOW BUS
Austen is seeing ghosts.
If he can keep that secret at home, he is a normal 15-year-old boy climbing the social ladder.
On his first date, a story is told about a local legend when a small group of students were entombed in a school bus and drown during a terrible rainstorm. After learning about the legend, he is pulled into what starts out as a simple truth or dare game. Following the game, he can no longer keep the paranormal contained.
As experiences heighten, pieces of his life unravel to the point of questioning his own sanity. Trying to figure out what’s real and what’s not, hidden family secrets are revealed. Secrets deliberately kept from him.
To what lengths will his family go to stop Austen from finding the truth?
If he can keep that secret at home, he is a normal 15-year-old boy climbing the social ladder.
On his first date, a story is told about a local legend when a small group of students were entombed in a school bus and drown during a terrible rainstorm. After learning about the legend, he is pulled into what starts out as a simple truth or dare game. Following the game, he can no longer keep the paranormal contained.
As experiences heighten, pieces of his life unravel to the point of questioning his own sanity. Trying to figure out what’s real and what’s not, hidden family secrets are revealed. Secrets deliberately kept from him.
To what lengths will his family go to stop Austen from finding the truth?
- GenresMystery
311 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 3, 2024
5 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 24, 2024
Great first novel
This is a solid little paranormal mystery with compelling characters. It was a fast, enjoyable read. Looking forward to the sequel.
This is a solid little paranormal mystery with compelling characters. It was a fast, enjoyable read. Looking forward to the sequel.
July 1, 2024
5⭐️
This book was SO GOOD! It kept my attention for the duration of the whole story and left me wondering who the heck the purple girl is and why Austen is seeing her. I need book two ASAP
This book was SO GOOD! It kept my attention for the duration of the whole story and left me wondering who the heck the purple girl is and why Austen is seeing her. I need book two ASAP
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2024
Overall a phenomenal book and very well written. I’ve read my fair share of teen/horror/thrillers and I always walk away disappointed. The big reveal at the end of them never makes much sense and never leaves me wanting more. So I was thrilled when I didn’t feel that way at the end of this book. And I’m even more excited to know that there is a second book on its way.
“The Yellow Bus” kept me intrigued throughout it, and even had me thinking about it when I was not reading. I love how the supernatural plays a role in it because it doesn’t feel dark and I didn’t walk away feeling disturbed.
I feel like this is an excellent book for all ages, and I think it is especially fun for teenagers. Austen is a very relatable character and I feel the social situations he finds himself are realistic. There were a few points where I laughed out loud from things that were said and done.
The characters were wonderfully developed and accurately depicted what it’s like having sibling and divorced parents.
I don’t want to reveal too much, because ghost stories are more fun to read when you don’t know too much about them! But I promise this won’t be a book you regret reading!
“The Yellow Bus” kept me intrigued throughout it, and even had me thinking about it when I was not reading. I love how the supernatural plays a role in it because it doesn’t feel dark and I didn’t walk away feeling disturbed.
I feel like this is an excellent book for all ages, and I think it is especially fun for teenagers. Austen is a very relatable character and I feel the social situations he finds himself are realistic. There were a few points where I laughed out loud from things that were said and done.
The characters were wonderfully developed and accurately depicted what it’s like having sibling and divorced parents.
I don’t want to reveal too much, because ghost stories are more fun to read when you don’t know too much about them! But I promise this won’t be a book you regret reading!
May 25, 2024
This is a book you don’t have to even try to convince yourself to finish. I’m not even a big thriller reader, but something about this book reached out to me. Jennie Durkee certainly has talent and I can’t wait for the sequel it teased!
Y’know after some thought, I’d be hard pressed to find a bus that isn’t yellow
Y’know after some thought, I’d be hard pressed to find a bus that isn’t yellow
May 30, 2024
An excellent paranormal thriller that will leave you begging for a sequel. It excels both at capturing the realities of being a teenager and at intriguing readers with thought-provoking paranormal occurrences. It is a perfect blend of spooky, funny, and relatable. You won’t want to put it down!
July 19, 2025
In The Yellow Bus, Jennie Durkee crafts a compelling and emotionally honest dynamic between Austin and the two girls drawn to him. Rather than falling into predictable love, triangle tropes, the tension feels rooted in real teenage uncertainty and emotional baggage.
Austin’s struggle to connect, while grappling with his own grief and guilt, adds layers to his interactions with the girls. One offers comfort, the other challenge, and neither is reduced to a simple role. Their connection to Austin reveals more about him than them, and that’s what makes the triangle feel so deeply human rather than romanticized.
Austin’s struggle to connect, while grappling with his own grief and guilt, adds layers to his interactions with the girls. One offers comfort, the other challenge, and neither is reduced to a simple role. Their connection to Austin reveals more about him than them, and that’s what makes the triangle feel so deeply human rather than romanticized.
July 14, 2024
Five stars!! Loved this book!!
I don't usually read this genre but the cover and the story captured my attention. Then once I dove in, the suspense had me hooked. Miss Durkee has created a cast of unforgettable characters and I couldn't help but fall in love with Austen and his adolescent struggles amidst an unforeseen darkness that haunts him. As the story unfolded, so did my attachment to it. I couldn't put this book down.
I don't usually read this genre but the cover and the story captured my attention. Then once I dove in, the suspense had me hooked. Miss Durkee has created a cast of unforgettable characters and I couldn't help but fall in love with Austen and his adolescent struggles amidst an unforeseen darkness that haunts him. As the story unfolded, so did my attachment to it. I couldn't put this book down.
July 17, 2025
What I loved most is the tone Durkee strikes: gentle, humorous, and surprisingly philosophical. There’s a charm in imagining the bus as a character, independent, resilient, curious. The closing scenes gently unpack the bittersweet truth that endings can spark the most beautiful new beginnings.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews