The Worst Kind: Dear Celeste, Book 2

Dear Celeste #2

by J.R. Erickson

What began as an innocuous advice column for Celeste Cleary has transformed into an all-consuming obsession, and her former existence as a scientist now feels like a distant memory.

As she immerses herself in the troubles of others-at times solving their dilemmas with messages from beyond the grave-an ability that has invaded her life since the hit-and-run accident that nearly killed her months before, Celeste grapples with the news that the accident may have been attempted murder.

One afternoon, a disturbing letter arrives at her advice column.A young woman haunted by the ghostly absence of her birth mother begs for help in tracing her mysterious past. Celeste steps into the labyrinth of secrets, unaware that she is traveling down a treacherous road that might lead her into the clutches of a remorseless killer.

Genres: Horror, Mystery, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Paranormal, Ghosts

Audible Audio

Published November 22, 2024

About the author

J.R. Erickson writes novels that blend murder mysteries with haunted houses. Her Northern Michigan Asylum series are novels of paranormal suspense inspired by a real former asylum in Traverse City. Her current books, the Troubled Spirits series, are all inspired by real crimes, which she covers in her true crime podcast, Bitter Endings.

Jacki is a lifelong lover of all things spooky, and started penning scary stories in childhood. She grew up in Mason, Michigan and is a graduate of Michigan State University with a B.A. in Psychology. These days, Jacki resides near Traverse City, Michigan with her husband, son, and three cats.

Reviews

[Kris Frisk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book from start to finish. I love the character development, and the twists and turns that are present in each one. I also like the fact that the books are something that could happen in real life, with the added paranormal pieces. The Worst Kind confirmed some of my suspicions from Come Home Katie regarding Jonathan. I find myself so angry at him, as well as with Celeste, as I am shouting at her as to what she needs to do and that she could find someone so much better. Needless to say, I am invested and will be anxiously awaiting the next one in the series. Great job with this one, as with every other novel!

[Rose Lillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

i wish i had the time to read the next one immediately

[Stephanie Vicente · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somehow I felt like for me this book was even better than the first. This was an interesting read and I had a great time reading this one it kept me captivated from page one and I was hooked the entire way through

[•°☆ ellen ☆°• · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this a lot, but kind of triggering at times, so you might want to look up TWs for this book if you’re sensitive to "that stuff".

Honestly a great read, I just found the last 20% to be a bit rushed, when the rest of it had such nice pacing.

Highly recommend this series for anyone who likes horror/mystery/thrillers.

[Amber K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am obsessed with this series and knowing where Celeste's column is going to take us next! The suspense as this mystery unfolded was so good, and I loved the unpredictable ending. Terrific audio narration made each character stand out in this series!

[Tish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had very high hopes for this book after reading book 1 and I wasn't let down.

There's was so much going on throughout the story that it kept me hooked from the very beginning.

I wasn't sure what was going to happen from one page to the next but was always excited to find out.

I didn't want it to end but at the same time I couldn't wait to find out what happened

[AmBerGUR · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible ride!!!! Highly Recommend this !!

[Marie Wikle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew this series would be among my favorites. Book 2 did not disappoint.

The settings, the mysteries… everything is so well done! I am excited for the future of this series!

Thanks to the author for an advance copy of this book. I’m honored to have a chance to enjoy before everyone else.

[Hannah Ruth Hawley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Celeste is back with another Dear Celeste letter that she wants to ignore but there is a ghost that won't let her ignore it. This time she is helping a woman who was abandoned as a child track down her parents. We are taken on a wild ride as things aren't want they seem and the horrific truth of what happened comes to light. Left with a cliffhanger, I am anxiously awaiting the next Dear Celeste novel and found this series to be my favorite so far.

[Josette Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never been a fan of dolls. When I was a child, my mother made replica dolls of my sister and I. She even used our hair for the doll’s hair. The doll likeness of me always creeped me out. I was already a firm believer in the spirit world and I just always felt off about this doll. Whenever I saw her in the china cabinet with my mother’s other dolls I got goosebumps and felt like the dolls eyes followed me around the room. We moved a lot when I was a child and I do not remember what happened to those dolls. So this book had a very relatable story for me. This is the second book in this series and I feel it is even better. I like how the author makes the ghosts very real. They do not try to scare; they more seem to help Celeste when she needs the help most. This villain really was the worst kind. The lengths he went to in order to keep tabs on River was horrifying. Matters only became worse when he was reinforced for his bad behavior. He acted as though he was a god. He really believed he would never be held accountable for his actions. Another reason I like the books by this author is that she keeps the characters real. The characters could be people you know, pass by on the street or even people that you could have just missed being their victim. What a chilling thought that is. I had a traumatic childhood and people always ask why I read books that have potential triggers and I always say that I find hope and healing from these books. I like that the villain has to have accountability at some point. I also feel a connection to the characters and even the author. This is a definite recommendation for those who enjoy subjects about ghosts, horrific crimes, healing and finally receiving closure.
Now to wait for the next book…….oh my it will be a shocker, I am sure.

[Bitter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I keep coming back and devouring the Dear Celeste books. It’s not a fair comparison but to me it feels like Celeste is a kind, female (and not a Dr) House on paranormal steroids.

The mix of thriller and crime novels with paranormal horror elements scratches just the right itch. There’s something special and perhaps near and dear to me about Dear Celeste. I’m well on my way to read more from J.R. Erickson.

About the book itself:

Book 2 starts with Celeste receiving a message from River, a woman that has been abandoned by her father at age 5 after which she has spent her childhood in foster care eventually ending up in a commune called Be Free and finding peace, at least on the surface. The message said she wants to find her birth parents and thus requests Celeste’s help. In the midst of many such messages, our MC feels a strange pull to this case and decides to pursue it more than with just a reply in her online column. As she continues investigating, many spirits seem to reach out and strange things start happening in relation to the case as well as her personal life. In this book she starts to become closer to the other people who have had NDEs and I think they will start becoming more important with the upcoming book.

Through the lens of the scope of the series, the plot be thicknening, real quick! What if Celeste’s hit and run wasn’t quite just that? We get hints here and there there may be more to that, most of which reach a climax in the epilogue, sure to fuel (at least my) curiosity for the next book in the series.

A solid read overall, I absolutely love this author’s writing capacity and the twists and turns of the Dear Celeste arch.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Worst Kind" is the second book in the "Dear Celeste" series and is even better, somehow, than the first book. This review contains no spoilers for either book.

Celeste is a woman who had a near death experience which changed her life. Instead of going back to her old job she decides to help people. In this book a young mum called River wants help tracking down her birth parents - the mother she had never really known and the abusive father who abandoned her as a child.

The story is nicely twisty, it's never obvious and the characters are all believable and sympathetic. The supernatural elements don't feel forced in and they don't overpower the story, they simply add extra depth and mystery.

This story does touch on some hard subjects but does not go into lurid details. The way River's mind and thought processes go are very realistic for someone with that kind of trauma. Not over sensational or dramatised as is, unfortunately, often the case with fiction containing abuse victims. This was nice to see.

These books are basically a blend of mystery, thriller and the supernatural. They aren't horror books so they will be great for anyone who is a fan of any of these genres. I'm usually pretty good at guessing who the bad guy is but didn't have a clue with either of these!
I do believe that one suspicion I had is going to be somewhere along the right lines although I won't put money on it - J.R. Erickson is fantastic at leading you down false avenues.

[Alexis Flinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good, if not better than, the last.

Dear Celeste recieves another letter from a girl named River to find her birth mom.

This one packs a very dark punch and again blends true crime and the paranormal so well.

We get more of Celestes background, and at the end of the previous novel we find out her accident wasn't really an accident, it was someone hitting her with a car on purpose! This novel digs more into that insight leaving an ending that makes me desperate for the next book!!!

Her journey with River though is very complex. River was abandoned as a child by her "father" and River (or Agnes) was bounced through the foster system until she landed in a compound called Be Free and turned her life around. She's married with a (very cute) kiddo named Hope and enjoys being in a band and the farm life with her husband. But her past haunts her, metaphorically and then literally. I have never wanted to see a villain go down the way i wanted to see "tex" go down.

Also Celestes husband, what an ass. To put it lightly... and to find he might have had something to do with the hit and run! My god..

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s not easy to find an author who can scare me. I’ve been gobbling up horror novels since I was a teenager some forty years ago. I know what works for me and what doesn’t. I sort of stumbled on Erickson a year ago or so. The Troubled Spirits series was great across the board, and a couple of those books made it hard to close my eyes in a dark room!

This book is the second in what I hope will be a long line of Dear Celeste books. Erickson writes some pretty good mysteries, all with a strong paranormal bent, at least as far as I’ve been able to read. The first book, Come Home, Katie, was engaging, with some spine-tingles and a solid plot. I liked this second book better, maybe because I’ve gotten to know the character backstories. Familiarity doesn’t always breed contempt. The Worst Kind was scarier. I like that in a book. Lol.

They’re all easy reads with solid storylines. I realize this is more of a general Erickson review than a specific look at this book, but I’ve found that I can’t miss with anything she writes.

[Katy Elizabeth Life · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am hooked on Celeste and her story! Come Home Katie was amazing and this one surpassed all my expectations.
The author has a magical way of making her characters so relatable, so normal, so troubled and twisted.
The incidents that occur are things we read or hear about, things that unfortunately happen in this world we live in. We've seen these stories on the news or read about them in newspapers. It isn't a stretch of our imagination to realise that these horrors actually exist which makes these novels so addictive. We want to close our eyes and ears and pretend there isn't so much darkness around us but we keep on reading because we know monsters really do live amongst us and we want to know they get their just desserts.
I am now a huge J.R. Erickson fan and will now have to read everything she's ever written!
The writing is amazing. The characters are real. The emotions are raw. The addiction is there! What are you reading my review for? Go find out for yourself....you won't be sorry!

[Jade Hallett · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed the majority of the book, some of the decisions made by the characters were so monumentally stupid that all I could feel was annoyance.

i.e River going back to her house when she knew Ted/Tex/Roscoe was out there and knew where she lived, Celeste dismissing Harris when he was telling her that Jonathan could have something to do with her hit and run (when Jonathan has been a gaslighting asshole the last two books), and Celeste not thinking 'oh, my husband's probably been cheating on me' when she saw the receipts.

Otherwise, whilst I realised something was sus with Tex from very early on, I did not realise to what magnatude he was going to be important. I wish his other crimes were delved more into with other ghosts other than the one woman (and sometimes Fawn). Also I wish we got more of what the journalist looking into him at the end of the book was saying as I was really invested. It was interesting that Celeste interfering with Dee because of her dreams may have CAUSED Dee's death, like a self fulfilling prophecy. Anyway, like a 7/10 probaby

[Mitchp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know what to think of this series after receiving a recommendation from a close family member. While at first, I was skeptical because of the topic (near death experiences ==> psychic powers) - I am deeply impressed with the books. They are fun to read, exciting, thoughtful, creative, and innovative. The character and plot development is well done. I love that it is a series because when I vest in a character set, I like having more of it to come.

My two disappointments are that, (1) as a series, the author uses cliffhangers as motivation to read the next book (while I get it as a business person, as a reader, I am not a fan of this method) and (2) a few times, we have to suspend our belief in the Celeste's character's inability to suss out BS. Like, she is now psychic and was already a brilliant scientist, and when the wool gets pulled over her eyes or she just "misses" obvious in her face clues, it is not fair to the reader (or Celeste).

Otherwise, I do recommend and if you like this style of book - you will love Celeste's story.

[Red Book Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

"What began as an innocuous advice column for Celeste Cleary has transformed into an all-consuming obsession, and her former existence as a scientist now feels like a distant memory."
The Worst Kind is a Dear Celeste novel which is the second book in this series. This is a gripping novel but also a page turner from beginning to end. The author wrote this so well and the book is so intriguing. At times it feels like you are having a movie in your head with the way the author writes. I loved all of the characters in this. Overall this was an amazing paranormal read that I loved a lot. The ending of this book has me so excitied for the next Dear Celeste novel and I can not wait to read it. I highly recommend this book to any reader but especially to readers who love paranormal fiction. Thank you to the author for this ARC read in exchange of my honest review of The Worst Kind: A Dear Celeste Novel.

[blueyed_cntry_girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!! JR has done it again, I think this one was better than the first and that’s saying a lot. This one just gave you that eerie feeling and was creepy. The things people do and the lengths they go through to do them. Definitely one you won’t want to put down. Celeste takes on a new ‘case’ and this one will have you stumped at times. As she’s coming into her new ‘powers’ after her NDA things seem to become clearer n clearer. But can she determine what they mean before it’s too late? I love Celeste and River they were wonderful characters and very much realistic, down to earth people. I’d love to have them as friends. And Celeste’s husband, oh boy, he’s definitely something else. I can’t wait for the next book, I’m so excited for her next adventure.

Oh and her covers are always awesome!!

I received this as an ARC and this is my honest and voluntary review.

[Brianna Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Worst Kind was such a good read and a fantastic thriller, but I need to talk about Celeste’s husband. If you read the first book, you probably picked up on the vibe that something was seriously off with him and this book proves those instincts completely right.
​The way he treats Celeste after she was almost murdered is absolutely horrible. It made my blood boil! Instead of being a supportive partner, his behavior is infuriating, and it honestly made me loathe him more with every chapter. J.R. Erickson did an amazing job writing a character that you just love to hate.
​If you're following the series, this is a must-read. Highly recommend for anyone who loves a psychological thriller with high tension and a character that will make you want to scream at the pages!

[Becka · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second installment in this series is just as captivating, if not more so, than the first. In this story, Celeste is called into a new mystery that leads her on unexpected journeys. Her main goal is to bring solace to River by uncovering the truth about her biological parents, a truth that might be regrettable. The story is compelling, featuring characters that are both endearing and relatable, alongside those deemed 'The WORST' by the author. It's disheartening to know that such individuals exist and that many children are raised in comparable circumstances. This book is undeniably a page-turner, and I can't recommend it enough.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not going to write oodles on this review. Firstly make sure to read the books in order there’s one book before this in the Dear Celeste series - Come Home Katie.

I can’t write what made me so happy about this book without giving spoilers. I will just say thank god for that epilogue at the end and those last bits. Yes I’d worked that out but at last I can stop shouting at Celeste to do something about that!! Also, can we take a moment to appreciate Romeo?

These are kindle unlimited reads so free to read if you subscribe. Now i just need the 3rd book like yesterday, Dread the Night. 4 stars read in 2 sittings.

[Mary Kazen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great ride. I love this series. New characters to fall in love with. I really like Celeste. She is strong and independent. A near death experience has formed her into a different woman, a woman who she loves more. I love that she helps others. This was a very emotional one. River is on the look for her parents. Celeste delivers but it's a mystery no one expected. Again Celeste is in danger. And her husband just keeps being more against her. My opinion, Jonathan has to go! I can't wait for the next book in the series. She left us needing more answers! But she did solve River's mystery. And her own...

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second book in a promising series

As with the first book in this series, “The Worst Kind” features a strong cast of characters, not only the people who have reached out to Celeste for some help in finding their lost loved ones, but the community of people who, like Celeste, have gained a degree of psychic power after having had a near-death experience. In this outing, Celeste is trying to help a young woman find out who her birth parents were and what became of them. Sadly, hers is a dark story, and it’s nearly the death of both of them when the truth has been unraveled. Thrilling finale.

[Alyssa Butler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this one as much as the first in this series. The alternating perspectives felt jarring this time, and the reveal at the end didn't feel as earned. There was a bit too much going on and too many characters to keep hold of, and the culprit kinda came out of nowhere. That said, I'm really enjoying Celeste's story and am intrigued by the mystery of what happened to her. I want her to get away from Jonathan. And I love the descriptive detail and sense of place that Erickson creates in her books. They're well-written and intriguing, and I'm looking forward to the next in the series. This one just didn't hit me like the first one did.

[Stefanie Silvestri · Rating 5 out of 5]

J.R. Erickson has easily become one of my favorite authors. The second book in the Dear Celeste series is titled The Worst Kind. Celeste gets an email from River asking for help to figure out who her biological parents are and what happened to them.
This novel grabbed my attention right from the start and never let go, making it a chilling read. The author's descriptions were so detailed that it was like watching a movie unfold in my mind. I highly recommend this book, as well as the author's other works, to fans of paranormal fiction. I cannot wait for the next book in this series.

[Tam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a twisted, fast-paced, interesting read, that I found I did not want to put down! It had well-developed, multi-faceted characters. It was suspenseful, thrilling and addictive! My heart beat wildly with anticipation and, sometimes, even fear! I felt ALL of the "feels". I was glued to my Kindle screen from the first page to the last. If you like unputdownable psychological suspense as much as I do, you CANNOT miss out on reading this book!!!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second one is just as good as the first!

A lot of the time, I start a series of books only to loose interest because the sequels aren't always as good. But, 2 books in 2 days, and can hardly wait to start the 3rd! The series, so far, has been an easy read with lots of of plot twists and things you never saw coming. The mystery is enough to keep you turning the pages from start to finish, and the paranormal isn't so over the top to not believe. I could see this being someone's reality!!

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

2nd in series and giving it 4.5 stars. Again, very stingy with my 5 stars. Very good book. Steady pace to keep it from stalling. I was able to predict the villains fairly early in the series, either by something said (kind of gave it away) or I’m just soooooo smart 🥴. The 2nd villain in this book, I suspected from the first book in series and they were just confirmed on the very last page. I always want a twist at the very end & it provided. Now on to the 3rd in series before I forget everything I’ve read.

[Sheri Corriero · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books by JR Erickson. In this book, Celeste is drawn into the case of a missing mother. Celeste has the special ability of being able to see spirits after almost dying in an accident. I first met her in the book “Come Home, Katie”. As Celeste works through the clues, she gets into a twisted game with a killer. I love the paranormal aspect to all of this author’s books and this one doesn’t disappoint. Loved it. I received an ARC copy from the author and this is my honest review.