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Rainsong
Not yet published
Expected 23 Jun 26In a small town haunted by unsolved disappearances, a teen with a secret ability must unravel a deadly mystery—before she becomes the next victim.
Mendocino is not the quaint coastal California town Zayn Pereira imagined. It's shrouded in a fog that never lets up. Posters of a missing teen girl are plastered everywhere, and just offshore is an island called Rainsong, rumored to be haunted.
At her new school, everyone is tense and suspicious of each other. So when charismastic Ollie takes Zayn under her wing, it's a relief—but is her charm hiding something? People assume brooding Tiago, the missing girl's ex-boyfriend, is responsible for her disappearance... but Zayn can't keep her eyes off him. Is he really who everyone says he is?
Besides, Zayn has a secret of her own. And when Tiago is struck by a car one night, she is forced to reveal it to save him. In doing so, Zayn discovers her connection to a generations-old feud that still rages today. Can she break herself from the grip of Mendocino's past tragedy? Or will she become the next girl on the missing poster?
Filled with angsty romance, supernatural powers, murder, and vengeance, this is a chilling and propulsive listen.
Mendocino is not the quaint coastal California town Zayn Pereira imagined. It's shrouded in a fog that never lets up. Posters of a missing teen girl are plastered everywhere, and just offshore is an island called Rainsong, rumored to be haunted.
At her new school, everyone is tense and suspicious of each other. So when charismastic Ollie takes Zayn under her wing, it's a relief—but is her charm hiding something? People assume brooding Tiago, the missing girl's ex-boyfriend, is responsible for her disappearance... but Zayn can't keep her eyes off him. Is he really who everyone says he is?
Besides, Zayn has a secret of her own. And when Tiago is struck by a car one night, she is forced to reveal it to save him. In doing so, Zayn discovers her connection to a generations-old feud that still rages today. Can she break herself from the grip of Mendocino's past tragedy? Or will she become the next girl on the missing poster?
Filled with angsty romance, supernatural powers, murder, and vengeance, this is a chilling and propulsive listen.
- GenresYoung AdultParanormal
336 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication June 23, 2026
54 people want to read
About the author
Lila Riesen
2 books43 followersLila Riesen is the author of Rainsong (2026) and Free Radicals (2023), which Publishers Weekly called “an emphatic and empathetic debut.” The daughter of Afghan and Australian immigrants, she lives in Irvine, California with her husband and son.
https://www.lilariesen.com/
https://www.lilariesen.com/
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you so much NetGally and the author of Rainsong for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book!
4.5 stars rounded up!
Review
----------------
Age rating: 14+
Language: 3/10 (present but not frequent)
Romance: 3.5/10
Violence: 4.5/10
Trigger warnings: Missing people, death, cheating
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO. THIS BOOK ARE YOU KIDDING ME? AAAAABHABDUEWQFVWVRVYFE
Dude. I did not expect it to be a SAD book. I thought it would be a mystery and no more. I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR THE ENDING 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
What's great also is this normally isn't my genre- like, I expected tohis to be 3 stars- but omg was I mistaken.
PLOT:
Imagine you lived in Newport Beach, South California. You move a LOT, and after your uncle dies, you move again to a town called Mendo, California (I was shocked to see this is a real place on earth and not made up). However, the new town is... different. There have been a lot of missing persons reports, and you aren't sure who to trust or what to do. You saw one poster for a missing girl, Charlie. Apparently, a rumor started, and now everyone in the town things that Tiago, an attractive and sad, introverted, devastated student, who may or may not be kind of hot (TRUST ME HES REALLY FREAKING HOT YOU'RE GONNA FALL IN LOVE (😭)) was the person who killed Charlie. AKA his ex-girlfriend. But there's a lot more to the town and the situation that Zayne, our main character, leads on. Everyone has their secrets, and in the town of Mendo, it's important you keep them or it could be your doom.
CHARACTERS:
- Zayne: Our FMC with a deadly secret she's kept hidden for years, trying to figure out the secrets of the new town she lived in and trying to uncover why it feels so off.
- Tiago: My book boyfriend. Guys- AAAAAHHHHHHHHH. From the second I met him, as an alleged murderer, I was in love (what can I say? I've always loved the villains. Besides, he may not be as villainous as everyone thinks... 😭😭😭😭😭😭😥😢😢😢😢😥😥😥😭🙁)
- Mania: Zayne's little sister. I love her so uch. She's seven years old, turning eight, and she's the sweetest little thing and very outspoken. Calls Zayne "Peach" 'because she has a BIG BUTT!' lol
- Charlie: Tiago's missing (presumably dead) ex girlfriend
- Ollie: Frick this byotch. Loved her at first, and- mmh 😡
- Benji: Friends (?) with Ollie. I didn't mind her, but liked her less and less as the story went on.
- Padar: Zayne's dad.I don't like him.
- Jonas: a student at the school. He's... eh. Not horrible but also bleh. Idk. I'm indifferent about him.
- Renato: Jonas' dad. I hated him and then at the ending I hated him a little less but still hated him.
WRITING:
The writing style was good. I'm not gonna lie, the first 25% of it I was bored out of my mind and it took me over a week to get through it, but after that I cruised through the other 75% in one sitting as I sit at home, right now, sick. 😛
OTHER THINGS:
THE ENDING. WAAHAHFBK3QERYICRYTVUYGTFCGVHBYGTFRCVGVRYUGFTWYS NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NO NO NO. GUYS I am literally gaslighting msyelf about how it ended. I won't spoil anything but, be warned, this is a SAD BOOK. Not all books have a happily ever after. THIS ONE DOES NOT HAVE A HAPPY ENDING IN THE SLIGHTEST. Maybe in a global standpoint but YOUR HEART WILL BE RIPPED TO SHREDS. I'm sick and my throat hurts and I did not physically cry, BUT, I did feel like I could cry because NO NO ON. We love gaslighting ourselves that the end of a book was not real right? This ended happily and we'll get a sequel with more romance right? RIGHT? 😭
Oh yeah the other thing is, I usually don't like realistic books with fantasy. I mean... realistic books in general aren't my area, but when you add in monsters and powers and stuff? Usually I hate it. I won't spoil anything, but I will say that this book is REALLY realistic in the modern world, and it does have a fantasy element to it, but... I didn't hate it. Actually, unlike most books under this description, I loved it. So yeah that was cool. A genre/trope I usually hate ended up being not bad and actually really cool.
CONCLUSION:
IF YOU WANT A HAPPY BOOK, DONT READ THIS.
IT
IS
SADDDD. SAD SAD SAD NO NO NOOOOO.
But lowkey overall this book was really really good and I def recommend it to everyone so we can share book trauma together!
Thank you again, NetGally, for the ARC of this book. I loved it! Had low expectations coming in, was heartbroken and loved it coming out. :)
4.5 stars rounded up!
Review
----------------
Age rating: 14+
Language: 3/10 (present but not frequent)
Romance: 3.5/10
Violence: 4.5/10
Trigger warnings: Missing people, death, cheating
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO. THIS BOOK ARE YOU KIDDING ME? AAAAABHABDUEWQFVWVRVYFE
Dude. I did not expect it to be a SAD book. I thought it would be a mystery and no more. I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR THE ENDING 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
What's great also is this normally isn't my genre- like, I expected tohis to be 3 stars- but omg was I mistaken.
PLOT:
Imagine you lived in Newport Beach, South California. You move a LOT, and after your uncle dies, you move again to a town called Mendo, California (I was shocked to see this is a real place on earth and not made up). However, the new town is... different. There have been a lot of missing persons reports, and you aren't sure who to trust or what to do. You saw one poster for a missing girl, Charlie. Apparently, a rumor started, and now everyone in the town things that Tiago, an attractive and sad, introverted, devastated student, who may or may not be kind of hot (TRUST ME HES REALLY FREAKING HOT YOU'RE GONNA FALL IN LOVE (😭)) was the person who killed Charlie. AKA his ex-girlfriend. But there's a lot more to the town and the situation that Zayne, our main character, leads on. Everyone has their secrets, and in the town of Mendo, it's important you keep them or it could be your doom.
CHARACTERS:
- Zayne: Our FMC with a deadly secret she's kept hidden for years, trying to figure out the secrets of the new town she lived in and trying to uncover why it feels so off.
- Tiago: My book boyfriend. Guys- AAAAAHHHHHHHHH. From the second I met him, as an alleged murderer, I was in love (what can I say? I've always loved the villains. Besides, he may not be as villainous as everyone thinks... 😭😭😭😭😭😭😥😢😢😢😢😥😥😥😭🙁)
- Mania: Zayne's little sister. I love her so uch. She's seven years old, turning eight, and she's the sweetest little thing and very outspoken. Calls Zayne "Peach" 'because she has a BIG BUTT!' lol
- Charlie: Tiago's missing (presumably dead) ex girlfriend
- Ollie: Frick this byotch. Loved her at first, and- mmh 😡
- Benji: Friends (?) with Ollie. I didn't mind her, but liked her less and less as the story went on.
- Padar: Zayne's dad.I don't like him.
- Jonas: a student at the school. He's... eh. Not horrible but also bleh. Idk. I'm indifferent about him.
- Renato: Jonas' dad. I hated him and then at the ending I hated him a little less but still hated him.
WRITING:
The writing style was good. I'm not gonna lie, the first 25% of it I was bored out of my mind and it took me over a week to get through it, but after that I cruised through the other 75% in one sitting as I sit at home, right now, sick. 😛
OTHER THINGS:
THE ENDING. WAAHAHFBK3QERYICRYTVUYGTFCGVHBYGTFRCVGVRYUGFTWYS NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NO NO NO. GUYS I am literally gaslighting msyelf about how it ended. I won't spoil anything but, be warned, this is a SAD BOOK. Not all books have a happily ever after. THIS ONE DOES NOT HAVE A HAPPY ENDING IN THE SLIGHTEST. Maybe in a global standpoint but YOUR HEART WILL BE RIPPED TO SHREDS. I'm sick and my throat hurts and I did not physically cry, BUT, I did feel like I could cry because NO NO ON. We love gaslighting ourselves that the end of a book was not real right? This ended happily and we'll get a sequel with more romance right? RIGHT? 😭
Oh yeah the other thing is, I usually don't like realistic books with fantasy. I mean... realistic books in general aren't my area, but when you add in monsters and powers and stuff? Usually I hate it. I won't spoil anything, but I will say that this book is REALLY realistic in the modern world, and it does have a fantasy element to it, but... I didn't hate it. Actually, unlike most books under this description, I loved it. So yeah that was cool. A genre/trope I usually hate ended up being not bad and actually really cool.
CONCLUSION:
IF YOU WANT A HAPPY BOOK, DONT READ THIS.
IT
IS
SADDDD. SAD SAD SAD NO NO NOOOOO.
But lowkey overall this book was really really good and I def recommend it to everyone so we can share book trauma together!
Thank you again, NetGally, for the ARC of this book. I loved it! Had low expectations coming in, was heartbroken and loved it coming out. :)
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
⭐⭐⭐⭐
RAINSONG by Lila Riesen (June 23, 2026)
Thank you Netgalley, RHC, Knopf books, and GetUnderlined for the eArc
After Zayn and her family move to Mendocino, she's drawn to Tiago---accused girl-friend killer. When Tiago is hit by a car, Zayn reveals her secret to him. Soon, she discovers that she isn't the only one like that, and that there is a feud among those who are and those who aren't. One that goes back generations, ending in d*ath.
RAINSONG is a YA supernatural thriller with disappearances, mysterious d*aths, and powerful people.
The description was a tad confusing, so all I really gathered was "the m*rder part". Because of that, I wasn't sure what this was going to deliver. What was delivered? A story with so many twists and turns coupled with eeriness and atmosphere.
RAINSONG is different. It was intriguing, gripping, and I had to know what was happening and would happen. And what happened? OMG, those last few chapters...I feel like they took something from me. I was hoping it was a fluke. That there would be something after that would prove what happened wrong. My heart is broken for Zayn, for Mania, and everyone affected by this crazy town.
RAINSONG by Lila Riesen (June 23, 2026)
Thank you Netgalley, RHC, Knopf books, and GetUnderlined for the eArc
After Zayn and her family move to Mendocino, she's drawn to Tiago---accused girl-friend killer. When Tiago is hit by a car, Zayn reveals her secret to him. Soon, she discovers that she isn't the only one like that, and that there is a feud among those who are and those who aren't. One that goes back generations, ending in d*ath.
RAINSONG is a YA supernatural thriller with disappearances, mysterious d*aths, and powerful people.
The description was a tad confusing, so all I really gathered was "the m*rder part". Because of that, I wasn't sure what this was going to deliver. What was delivered? A story with so many twists and turns coupled with eeriness and atmosphere.
RAINSONG is different. It was intriguing, gripping, and I had to know what was happening and would happen. And what happened? OMG, those last few chapters...I feel like they took something from me. I was hoping it was a fluke. That there would be something after that would prove what happened wrong. My heart is broken for Zayn, for Mania, and everyone affected by this crazy town.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This book is an intriguing and completely engrossing story set in a somewhat spooky Californian coastal town. The inhabitants have secrets and the new arrivals want the truth. I had a hard time putting the pre-publication copy down and enjoyed trying to figure out what would happen next! It’s choc full of surprises and would appeal not only to the YA (14+) set but the more mature readers as well who enjoy a well-crafted mystery story.
With highly descriptive visual scenes this book certainly lends itself to a film adaptation.
With highly descriptive visual scenes this book certainly lends itself to a film adaptation.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This book is unlike anything I've read before and I LOVED it. The characters? 10/10. The setting? 10/10. The plot? 10/10. There wasn't a single thing I didn't enjoy. Reisen has proven herself to be a very capable writer.
Review of advance copy received from Indie Reviewers
This book definitely kept me on my toes!!! Scared,Crying, Happy all of it !
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews