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Eden in Entropy
Ghosts meets the romantic and speculative self-discovery of Emily Henry’s A Million Junes, from the author of That Wasn’t in the Script and Almost Infamous.
Seventeen-year-old Eden Shannon is haunted. Not just by grief. But by actual ghosts.
After the accident that killed her parents and nearly ended her life, Eden is sent to live with a grandmother she’s never met in a coastal Maine town she’s never heard of. Her new home? Directly across the street from the cemetery where her parents are buried.
Kingfisher is picture-perfect weird: pastel shops, cryptic locals, and a psychic grandmother whose ghost-whispering business might be more scam than supernatural. But when Eden sneaks into the graveyard one night, everything changes—because the dead are still here. And they’re not quiet.
A child without a family. A charming gravedigger from the 1900s. A girl who died last spring with a secret she never told. A boy with fury in his eyes and something left to say—they all want Eden’s help.
As Eden starts unraveling the truth behind the ghosts, her family, and a boy who might mend her heart in more ways than one, she must decide how far she’s willing to go to help the dead move on… and whether she’s ready to do the same.
Seventeen-year-old Eden Shannon is haunted. Not just by grief. But by actual ghosts.
After the accident that killed her parents and nearly ended her life, Eden is sent to live with a grandmother she’s never met in a coastal Maine town she’s never heard of. Her new home? Directly across the street from the cemetery where her parents are buried.
Kingfisher is picture-perfect weird: pastel shops, cryptic locals, and a psychic grandmother whose ghost-whispering business might be more scam than supernatural. But when Eden sneaks into the graveyard one night, everything changes—because the dead are still here. And they’re not quiet.
A child without a family. A charming gravedigger from the 1900s. A girl who died last spring with a secret she never told. A boy with fury in his eyes and something left to say—they all want Eden’s help.
As Eden starts unraveling the truth behind the ghosts, her family, and a boy who might mend her heart in more ways than one, she must decide how far she’s willing to go to help the dead move on… and whether she’s ready to do the same.
330 pages, ebook
Published September 30, 2025
1 person is currently reading
1131 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Ainslee
3 books87 followersSarah Ainslee has worn several hats. Nanny, barista, social media manager, and occasional band wrangler (don’t ask.) Through it all, ‘writer’ is the only title that has ever stuck. Telling stories is what she always comes back to.
She’s a YA contemporary author with a penchant for awkward encounters and whimsical adventures—a dash of romance never hurts either. She writes stories for the teenager inside all of us who still doesn’t know what they want to be when they grow up.
Sarah currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee.
She’s a YA contemporary author with a penchant for awkward encounters and whimsical adventures—a dash of romance never hurts either. She writes stories for the teenager inside all of us who still doesn’t know what they want to be when they grow up.
Sarah currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 14, 2025
This is my unhinged ghost book about life, death, and love.
You probably won't like it.
Five stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
You probably won't like it.
Five stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
November 13, 2025
WOW. Sarah has done it again. Eden in entropy is a beautiful,
funny, heartwarming, tear jerking gift to the world.
Sarah has managed to create a book that looks at the magnitude of grief and loss, and the way it can haunt (get it?! 👻 ) us, while inviting us to find meaning and joy even in our brokenness.
I laughed and cried throughout this book and will definitely re read it. I’m hoping Eden finally let Murph watch the rest of season 6 of Survivor so he could move on…
Disney channel, you NEED this storyline for an upcoming movie!
funny, heartwarming, tear jerking gift to the world.
Sarah has managed to create a book that looks at the magnitude of grief and loss, and the way it can haunt (get it?! 👻 ) us, while inviting us to find meaning and joy even in our brokenness.
I laughed and cried throughout this book and will definitely re read it. I’m hoping Eden finally let Murph watch the rest of season 6 of Survivor so he could move on…
Disney channel, you NEED this storyline for an upcoming movie!
November 16, 2025
Have you ever been in the worst grief of your life when someone says exactly the wrong thing? This book is the opposite of that.
If you’ve ever experienced loss of any kind, the keen edges of loose ends, Eden in Entropy is for you. The most emotionally weighty of Sarah Ainslee’s works so far, this book doesn’t just tug on the heartstrings: it plays them like that perfectly-timed ballad that makes you feel immediately less alone.
Each one of the characters that populate the small town setting feels uniquely, exactly themselves (including the ghostly ones). There are countless conversational moments that anyone who has suffered a loss will recognize, the well-intentioned platitudes that hurt more than they help, the sting of being the constant object of sympathy, the weirdness of being seen only for what you’ve lost, not for the person you still are in the wake of it.
The plot itself moves at the perfect place as Eden wrestles with her own grief while trying to resolve unfinished business on behalf of the crew of ghosts she accidentally ends up having in her orbit. This book will have you questioning everything you think you know about what it means to find closure and catharsis— and likely deliver those exact things to you in the process.
If you’ve ever experienced loss of any kind, the keen edges of loose ends, Eden in Entropy is for you. The most emotionally weighty of Sarah Ainslee’s works so far, this book doesn’t just tug on the heartstrings: it plays them like that perfectly-timed ballad that makes you feel immediately less alone.
Each one of the characters that populate the small town setting feels uniquely, exactly themselves (including the ghostly ones). There are countless conversational moments that anyone who has suffered a loss will recognize, the well-intentioned platitudes that hurt more than they help, the sting of being the constant object of sympathy, the weirdness of being seen only for what you’ve lost, not for the person you still are in the wake of it.
The plot itself moves at the perfect place as Eden wrestles with her own grief while trying to resolve unfinished business on behalf of the crew of ghosts she accidentally ends up having in her orbit. This book will have you questioning everything you think you know about what it means to find closure and catharsis— and likely deliver those exact things to you in the process.
September 8, 2025
Grief isn't one size fits all. It's tailored, individual. And occasionally, you outgrow it and bust a few seams.
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This is not the first book I read about communicating with ghosts and helping them settle their unfinished business, but maybe it's the first time I read a YA contemporary non-horror novel with this theme. We have Eden who just moved to Kingfisher, Maine to live with her psychic grandmother after her parents died. Who knew the gift of seeing the unseen is also inherited to her? And so she has Beau, Lucy, and Diggs begging her to set them free from the in-between prison. The problem is, how?
Eden's sarcastic voice was really fun to read. She doesn't hold back—she cries, she laughs, she throws tantrums (at times, and her crash out is valid), she snaps back at Beau, she lets herself falls for Hayes despite everything. Her relationship with her family is endearing and heartbreaking, and the way her grief is written is reflective and done respectfully. All the loose ends are tied well, and honestly the ending with Grandma made me giggle a bit. It somehow reminds me of 2000s teen movies in a good way, like a kind of film I would play in a sleepover with my friends, all comfy and cozy and spooky and happy-sad bundled into one.
The romance part takes a pretty big portion on this story, both for Eden and the ghosts. I liked that Hayes and Eden's relationship is not the grand one, but rather a book nook-warm kind. But as much as I liked Hayes, Beau captivated me more. His dynamic with Eden was so enjoyable which is basically snarks-apologies-snarks again but in the end they work it out together. Charlotte is also interesting as a tween for decades who possesses both innocence and wisdom. She's one of the characters whose backstory and fate piqued my curiosity.
A little thing that hindered (but not much) my reading experience was Eden's pop culture reference. The story is set in today's world (there are mentions about Covid, teen Eden's mom in Y2k fashion, and Blossom's love for Party Rock Anthem), but the reference isn't that old so it felt more outdated than classic. I don't think young people now would still hype MCU as much as five years ago.
For your next fall/Halloween read, if you vibe more with contemporary rather than paranormal or horror and like contemplative novels, you can pick Eden in Entropy. By the way, how soft and enchanting is the cover (really like the shade of blue, the moon in the corner, and the tombstone-shaped border)? This book also quenched my YA drought and I hope I can read more works from this author in the future.
August 26, 2025
After dying for two minutes in the car accident that killed both of her parents, Eden is sent to live with her estranged grandmother who makes a living as a medium who helps people connect with their deceased loved ones. Eden doesn't believe that for a second, but then she realizes she can see and communicate with the ghosts who inhabit the cemetery across the street from her new home. Eden might just be the only person who can help these ghosts find eternal peace and pass on the things they never got to say, but how can she help them when she can't even manage her own grief? And what happens when passing on one message might threaten the only happiness that she's been able to find since losing her whole world?
This book is such a beautiful look at the way we process grief as well as a reminder that we must keep on living even when those that we love don't - specifically that guilt is not the living's burden to bear. It also shows how we all process grief in different ways, and it's okay to not be okay sometimes. We see Eden barely functioning at times as she deals with the guilt she carries surrounding that fatal car accident, but we also see her grandmother appearing mostly unaffected on the outside and the woman who was her mother's childhood best friend looking for ways to connect with the girl who looks almost identical to the friend she lost. Another character clings to a composition notebook and wears the same sweater every single day like a security blanket, and another bottles everything up inside and acts as if he never lost anyone at all.
This book has such a vibrant cast of characters that I adored from the lesbian couple that respectively ran the town's bookstore and cafe to the diverse cast of ghosts that Eden is tasked with helping. Each one feels like a real person which only makes you feel for them even more.
While I found myself laughing out loud at times, this book can also be extremely dark. Ainslee provides a list of trigger warnings at the beginning, and these shouldn't be skipped over when deciding if this book is the right one for you. But, even with its dark moments, it ends beautifully, and the last couple chapters had me holding back tears.
This is a story that will stay with you for a long time if you choose to read it, and I can't recommend reading it enough.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
This book is such a beautiful look at the way we process grief as well as a reminder that we must keep on living even when those that we love don't - specifically that guilt is not the living's burden to bear. It also shows how we all process grief in different ways, and it's okay to not be okay sometimes. We see Eden barely functioning at times as she deals with the guilt she carries surrounding that fatal car accident, but we also see her grandmother appearing mostly unaffected on the outside and the woman who was her mother's childhood best friend looking for ways to connect with the girl who looks almost identical to the friend she lost. Another character clings to a composition notebook and wears the same sweater every single day like a security blanket, and another bottles everything up inside and acts as if he never lost anyone at all.
This book has such a vibrant cast of characters that I adored from the lesbian couple that respectively ran the town's bookstore and cafe to the diverse cast of ghosts that Eden is tasked with helping. Each one feels like a real person which only makes you feel for them even more.
While I found myself laughing out loud at times, this book can also be extremely dark. Ainslee provides a list of trigger warnings at the beginning, and these shouldn't be skipped over when deciding if this book is the right one for you. But, even with its dark moments, it ends beautifully, and the last couple chapters had me holding back tears.
This is a story that will stay with you for a long time if you choose to read it, and I can't recommend reading it enough.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
October 21, 2025
3.75 ⭐
This is a story of grief and the journey toward healing. Eden is in a car accident that kills her parents, and she herself is pronounced dead for two minutes before being revived. She had to move to Maine to live with her grandma, whom she's never met, and directly across from her new home is the cemetery where her parents are buried. She soon discovers she can see ghosts. She's tasked with helping them cross over, but they can't move on until they resolve their unfinished business.
Understandably, Eden struggles to process everything. She wrestles with survivor's guilt and constantly wonders if she could have done something differently to save her parents. At times, her fear and judgments made it hard to root for her, especially when her choices affected others who depended on her. I understood her dilemma, but seeing the ghosts' frustration and how ignored they felt made me sympathize with them. It was more about how she went about it than anything. Communication was key in these situations, and she was pretty poor with it. But she did redeem herself by the end when she finally came through, helping both the living and the dead. It did get emotional seeing them getting their happy endings and the journey it took to get there.
The romance was really sweet. Hayes helps bring Eden out of her shell with witty banter and an understanding of what she's going through. He knows what it's like to lose someone you love and how hard it can be to heal.
This is a great YA read full of life lessons and heartfelt moments. All the characters bring the story to life and make you root for them.
Thank you NetGalley and Sarah Ainslee for the ARC.
This is a story of grief and the journey toward healing. Eden is in a car accident that kills her parents, and she herself is pronounced dead for two minutes before being revived. She had to move to Maine to live with her grandma, whom she's never met, and directly across from her new home is the cemetery where her parents are buried. She soon discovers she can see ghosts. She's tasked with helping them cross over, but they can't move on until they resolve their unfinished business.
Understandably, Eden struggles to process everything. She wrestles with survivor's guilt and constantly wonders if she could have done something differently to save her parents. At times, her fear and judgments made it hard to root for her, especially when her choices affected others who depended on her. I understood her dilemma, but seeing the ghosts' frustration and how ignored they felt made me sympathize with them. It was more about how she went about it than anything. Communication was key in these situations, and she was pretty poor with it. But she did redeem herself by the end when she finally came through, helping both the living and the dead. It did get emotional seeing them getting their happy endings and the journey it took to get there.
The romance was really sweet. Hayes helps bring Eden out of her shell with witty banter and an understanding of what she's going through. He knows what it's like to lose someone you love and how hard it can be to heal.
This is a great YA read full of life lessons and heartfelt moments. All the characters bring the story to life and make you root for them.
Thank you NetGalley and Sarah Ainslee for the ARC.
September 12, 2025
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book!!
This book was a crash course in dealing with the immense grief that comes with losing those close to you. It was such a great blend of ghosts, humour and grief.
The entropy within the title was what drew me in first, and I feel like it was an amazing description of what Eden felt- the loss of control and everything spiralling until equilibrium is reached, where she accepts everything happening. Her conversations with Hayes were such a nice thing to experience- the bonding of two people so intrinsically connected.
The discovery of herself through the interactions with the ghosts and just the ghosts themselves made me tear up. All of the characters were so complex and so involved within the entire story, I fell in love with all of them. Despite the heavy topic it is based on, the way Ainslee introduces humour to lighten the mood but not make light of the matter is a great literary inspiration.
It is an absolutely essential book for everyone to read, and I can not recommend it enough. It imparts important life lessons paired fantastically with Ainslee's writing.
This book was a crash course in dealing with the immense grief that comes with losing those close to you. It was such a great blend of ghosts, humour and grief.
The entropy within the title was what drew me in first, and I feel like it was an amazing description of what Eden felt- the loss of control and everything spiralling until equilibrium is reached, where she accepts everything happening. Her conversations with Hayes were such a nice thing to experience- the bonding of two people so intrinsically connected.
The discovery of herself through the interactions with the ghosts and just the ghosts themselves made me tear up. All of the characters were so complex and so involved within the entire story, I fell in love with all of them. Despite the heavy topic it is based on, the way Ainslee introduces humour to lighten the mood but not make light of the matter is a great literary inspiration.
It is an absolutely essential book for everyone to read, and I can not recommend it enough. It imparts important life lessons paired fantastically with Ainslee's writing.
September 19, 2025
This book is my favorite read of 2025. Yes, I know the year isn't over yet, but no, I don't think that opinion is going to change.
It has everything you could want. Characters that feel real and relatable, an intriguing storyline, ghosts, gut punches, and hilarity. I cried no less than eight times, and possibly more, but I lost count after eight.
I laughed way more than that. Sarah Ainslee is a master of blending heartache and humor. I feel like I say that in every review of her books I write, but it is true and deserves to be stated again.
This book is charming, healing, and devastating all at once. I loved every moment of it, and every page. I recommend it to everyone who knows what it is like to hurt, who loves YA, who loves sweet romances, or who loves gently haunted stories.
And also that cover? Absolutely flawless! Still crossing my fingers for a physical copy one day!
It has everything you could want. Characters that feel real and relatable, an intriguing storyline, ghosts, gut punches, and hilarity. I cried no less than eight times, and possibly more, but I lost count after eight.
I laughed way more than that. Sarah Ainslee is a master of blending heartache and humor. I feel like I say that in every review of her books I write, but it is true and deserves to be stated again.
This book is charming, healing, and devastating all at once. I loved every moment of it, and every page. I recommend it to everyone who knows what it is like to hurt, who loves YA, who loves sweet romances, or who loves gently haunted stories.
And also that cover? Absolutely flawless! Still crossing my fingers for a physical copy one day!
September 30, 2025
Happy official pub day to Eden in Entropy!!!
This was such an incredible ARC experience — dare I say, one of my best ever?? Sarah does such an incredible job of writing stories for the inner teen who still lives in us all, and this was no exception.
Even when the scenarios aren’t necessarily relatable (sadly, I cannot talk to ghosts), the emotions and the way our characters experience them ARE, and they’re so, so well written. Unsurprisingly, the characters in this were incredible and relatable on every level. I feel like that’s just kind of how Sarah does things, though!
As emo as it made me, this book still felt like putting on a warm, cozy sweater (maybe even an ugly cardigan) on a chilly fall night. It was a warm hug to that inner tee again, who I so wish had stories like this when she was younger.
This was such an incredible ARC experience — dare I say, one of my best ever?? Sarah does such an incredible job of writing stories for the inner teen who still lives in us all, and this was no exception.
Even when the scenarios aren’t necessarily relatable (sadly, I cannot talk to ghosts), the emotions and the way our characters experience them ARE, and they’re so, so well written. Unsurprisingly, the characters in this were incredible and relatable on every level. I feel like that’s just kind of how Sarah does things, though!
As emo as it made me, this book still felt like putting on a warm, cozy sweater (maybe even an ugly cardigan) on a chilly fall night. It was a warm hug to that inner tee again, who I so wish had stories like this when she was younger.
September 17, 2025
this book reminded me of a disney original romcom. in a good way, of course! it was funny and sarcastic and silly, but it was also kind of serious at times. which it should be, this book is first and foremost a book about grief. it really showed that grief is not linear, and that Eden could have happy moments but also struggle with the loss of her family. there was just some personal issues with the plot that were definitely me problems but overall, it was a great read!
thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review
thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review
September 30, 2025
Sarah is a truly remarkable writer who not only implicitly understands the value of YA fiction for any age of reader, but who also refuses to conform to narrow-minded industry expectations of what these types of stories should be. I’ve had the privilege of reading all of Sarah’s books thus far, and have each and every time been blown away by her ability to craft honest, poignant narratives that range from heartwarming to heart-wrenching (or, more often than not, are a combination of the two). I can’t wait to continue to follow her publishing journey.
August 25, 2025
Thank you Netgalley and the Author for granting me this ARC!!!
This was such a sad and beautiful story. It handles death and grief and ways to be okay with everything in the end. It also addresses that it's ok to grieve and to acknowledge that it never goes away and that that's normal but you also have to live your life. Annnd there's a dash of a cute romance as well. I loved this book and the way it ended. 10/10 recommend.
This was such a sad and beautiful story. It handles death and grief and ways to be okay with everything in the end. It also addresses that it's ok to grieve and to acknowledge that it never goes away and that that's normal but you also have to live your life. Annnd there's a dash of a cute romance as well. I loved this book and the way it ended. 10/10 recommend.
October 27, 2025
3.75 stars
originally reviewed on the storygraph
the emotional rollercoaster (/positive) this book took me on!! this line from near the end feels like a good summation of what I loved so much about how this book handled grief and regret : “we allow one another to be two halves broken when the world wishes we were whole, and I think that’s worth something.”
Grief is messy, and this book made it easier to not feel ashamed about that.
originally reviewed on the storygraph
the emotional rollercoaster (/positive) this book took me on!! this line from near the end feels like a good summation of what I loved so much about how this book handled grief and regret : “we allow one another to be two halves broken when the world wishes we were whole, and I think that’s worth something.”
Grief is messy, and this book made it easier to not feel ashamed about that.
August 24, 2025
this was such a fulfilling read!! i appreciated the witty banter, heartfelt moments, and realistic depictions of grief. as an aside, i think it’s insane that Eden didn’t know who Carrie Bradshaw was, but then knew all these obscure book references?? REGARDLESS - loved this. Lucy and Beau stood out to me the most
thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for providing this arc!
thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for providing this arc!
November 21, 2025
I love anything ghost related, especially in the YA genre. this was such a raw and emotional take on the afterlife and how we handle grief. the plot pacing was a little slow at times, but I loved the ending.
I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway.
check out my YA blog for more reviews, especially if you want to learn about creative writing!
I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway.
check out my YA blog for more reviews, especially if you want to learn about creative writing!
November 15, 2025
You know that feeling when you’re crying and someone makes you laugh and you’re sad but still finding something funny? That’s this book. Tender and poignant and beautiful in every way. Sarah Ainslee is a gift to teen readers and she keeps getting better.
November 22, 2025
I laughed. I cried. Rinse and repeat.
This was a wonderful story. I enjoy Sarah Ainslee’s writing style so much, and how she makes me invested in her character’s stories.
This was a wonderful story. I enjoy Sarah Ainslee’s writing style so much, and how she makes me invested in her character’s stories.
November 23, 2025
I’ve been looking forward to reading this for a bit and I absolutely loved it. 👻
September 29, 2025
Anytime I want to read a voicey YA novel that has lots of humor and heart and MCs that feel like actual teens, Sarah Ainslee delivers.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews