There Are Ghosts Here

by Adrienne Tooley

Willa has no memory of anything before arriving at Dorsey House, and when she meets two sinister girls who seem to already know her, she slowly begins to lose her grip on what is real . . . and what is a lie. A haunting contemporary speculative thriller for fans of Kill Creatures and We Were Liars.

Willa Childs doesn’t know why she’s at Dorsey House. The tragic accident that banished her to the mysterious reformatory perched at the edge of the sea is lost in the recesses of her murky memory. The Dorseys themselves offer no answers, and the only other wards, Caroline and Ivy, seem intent on keeping Willa in the dark—and on the outside of their obsessive friendship.

Yet as the days pass, it begins to feel like the sinister twosome know
Willa better than she knows herself. And as her memories gradually return to focus, the girls become even stranger, doing their best to convince Willa that she’s been at Dorsey House before. Only, that’s impossible.

Or is it? If they’re telling the truth, Willa can no longer trust her own mind. The line between reality and nightmare begins to blur. Willa is certain Dorsey House is haunted, but by what? And if she can’t remember leaving, how will she ever escape?

Genres: Young Adult, Horror, Thriller, Lesbian, Ghosts

Hardcover

Expected publication August 11, 2026

About the author

Adrienne Tooley grew up in Southern California, majored in musical theater in Pittsburgh, and now lives in Brooklyn with her wife and dog, six guitars, and a banjo. In addition to writing novels, she is an occasional singer/songwriter who has currently released three indie-folk EPs. Find her @adriennetooley.

author photo by Jaclyn Le
https://www.lejaclyn.com

Reviews

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the kind of book the crawls into your head and makes its home there. It is both haunting and gorgeous about equal measures, about digging through pain and what it means to endure it. It is absolutely stunning all around.

[MJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

three queer girls by the sea fueled by emotions?!? GIVE IT TO ME NOW AND MY LIFE IS YOURS 😭😭😭

[Wendi Nunnery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn, this is one excellent book! Tooley managed to write a ghost story that is at once chilling, subversive, and hopeful in a way I would never have imagined when I first requested to read it. The underlying themes of girlhood and the dynamics at play between young women of the same age is exaggerated for effect, but rings so true to the experience of what it means to be a friend, and a girl, in the teenage years. As someone who experiences anxiety and intrusive thoughts that plague even my happiest moments, Tooley's portrayal of our fear as ourselves is poignant and tender, masked behind the guise of ghostly apparitions and supernatural dreams. In the end, this is a book about the lies we tell ourselves and the hope that comes from facing the truth. I cannot recommend it enough!

Thanks so much to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

No AI was used in this review.

[Mystyc Metrik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book - it's a twisty kind of mystery where our protagonist, Willa Childs, finds herself in Dorsey House after starting a fire that burnt down her family home. While there, she encounters two other mysterious girls, Caroline and Ivy, who seem to be fast friends with little room for a third. Willa doesn't trust them, especially when they tell her that she's been there before. Willa is more confused than ever when they give her a note she wrote in her own handwriting. She struggles to determine who she can trust (and if she can trust her memory), in this suspenseful tale of regret, heartache, and how grief colors our memories.

[Laura Kruger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well written book with an interesting story and well defined characters. I would describe this as a mystery with a touch of supernatural. Although I would describe this as a mystery, there wasn’t a single time I was surprised. I think it was fairly obvious throughout the book how it was going to end, but it was a quick read and I did enjoy it. I think this is a perfect read for young adults who are wanting to get into thrillers.

[Elia]

If you pay very close attention you will figure out what is happening here very quickly. However, that does not mean that this is an excellently crafted, introspective book touching on themes of grief and loneliness.
Also, Willa's mother is the effing WORST and I don't forgive her for one second.

[mikeyandherbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

e-arc provided by Netgalley

My favorite Adrienne Tooley to date! This was so gut-wrenching and important to me. The development of these characters and they way they have to come to terms with events in their lives was so well done. I do wish there was something that got wrapped up in a different way but I understand why it didn't

[Clare Edge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will never recover from the olive brine scene. And I don't want to.