Ask Grace

by S.E. Reed

Grace Everly might be a lot of things; like a podcaster, K-popster, sort-of-popular girl at Richmond Hill High in southern Georgia. But let's get one thing straight. She is NOT friends with Gloria Sanchez, her next door neighbor. So when Gloria goes missing, and the only clue leads back to Grace, tensions run high! Especially since the police can't get it through their thick skulls that Grace had nothing to do with Gloria's disappearance.

Then Seth, Grace's boyfriend, goes missing, putting an even bigger target on her, and she starts experiencing stress-induced flashbacks of a kidnapping scene right out of some campy horror flick. The kind her and her friends spoof on their weekly podcast, What's in the Woods?

Confused and angry aren't a great mix of emotions-but they fuel Grace into unlocking her memories, while boxing at her dad's gym. Armed with new clues, Grace and her friends race against time to find Gloria and Seth before the rotten-faced man from her memories turns Richmond Hill into a real-life horror movie. One they can't spoof on their podcast.

226 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 15, 2025

About the author

S.E. Reed is an award-winning multi-genre author. She grew up in the Pacific Northwest, but longed to see the rest of America. After living in all five regions, she finally settled in Florida–nestled between the swampy Everglades and Atlantic Ocean. Many of her stories have a strong contemporary southern theme, but she also dabbles in the strange, bizarre, and fantastical.

Reviews

[Adele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wild ride. I’ve enjoyed all of S.E. Reed’s books, so I was excited about this one. I intended to pace myself and read this much slower than I did, but I had to know what on earth was going on with Grace and Gloria, so I devoured it pretty quickly.

The mystery between them is unique. It’s also…disturbing. I was legit uncomfortable reading some parts, which was obviously intentional. If you don’t find it uncomfortable, I have some concerns about you.

If you love an unreliable narrator as much as I do, then Grace is your girl. I don’t want to give spoilers by sharing all the things I thought were really going on with her, but I was off on so many possible paths with her.

I kind of hope this has a sequel because I still have questions!

Thanks to the author, Wild Ink Publishing, and StoryOrigin for the ARC.

[Bruce Buchanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

S.E. Reed’s first three novels are some of my favorite YA stories…well, ever. And I’m hardly the only one. Her work has been recognized in Florida Book Awards and Book Blogger Novel of the Year Awards competitions. Reed’s fourth novel from Wild Ink Publishing, ASK GRACE, retains the elements that make her previous novels so beloved, while also stretching her narrative muscles.

ASK GRACE is the author’s first YA thriller. But she clearly understood the assignment. When high school student Grace Everly’s classmate and neighbor Gloria Sanchez disappears, the police suspect Grace knows more than she’s letting on. So Grace and her podcasting friends decide to solve the mystery herself.

However, when more kids disappear, the net draws closer around Grace. And as she gets deeper into the mystery, she unlocks dark secrets from her own past. Can she trust her own memories?

The stakes are high in this tense, fast-paced story. But in Grace and her friends, Reed creates the same realistic, likable teenagers that mark her first three books. Grace is the type of kid who can stun you with a brilliant, mature observation one minute, then do something silly and eye-rolling the next. You know, like a real teenager!

However, Reed also explores new ground as a writer. An unreliable narrator can confuse the reader. But she pulls it off superbly. Even when Grace is at her most confused, the story remains clear to the reader—even if we aren’t sure how it’s all going to turn out.

In other words, ASK GRACE deserves a spot on your bookshelf alongside Reed’s previous novels. I absolutely loved it!

[Regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m confused - is this the first book in a series?

The blurb sounded promising, and I’m sad that I didn’t like the story as much as I thought I would. While I found the slow reveal of bits and pieces of Grace’s history intriguing (and terrifying), some things in the story didn’t add up for me. One of those (and this one’s a doozy) was Grace’s mom. I do not understand why she acted how she did, both in the past and in the present. Some events happened for no apparent (to me) reason while some questions never got resolved.

More often than not, at one point in the story, the title makes sense and things fall into place, but this didn’t happen for me (YMMV). Is this supposed to be the first book in a series and the open question will be answered later?

[Diane Billas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all of S.E. Reed's books so I couldn't wait for this one and I loved it! It's super twisty and angsty. I also didn't see the end coming at all. If you love thrillers featuring teens you'll love this one.