The Pools

by E. Lockhart

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the We Were Liars series comes a love story full of simmering darkness and astonishing twists, following two teenagers whose lives are shattered by a shocking transformation.

Once, in a small New England town known for its hot springs, something terrible happened. Something that should have been a warning to stay away from the pools, if the stories were to be believed.

But no one is afraid of the water anymore, even if they should be.

When new girl Lexie meets golden boy Chester, their chemistry is undeniable. She’s running from a glittering life she won’t speak about. He’s hiding secrets of his own. Their connection feels bigger than both of them, despite their damage.

One frigid winter morning in that small New England town, five people go for a swim in the pools. Five people, including Chester. What happens there sends shock waves through the town—and changes life as Lexie knows it forever.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Poetry, Contemporary, Fiction, Magical Realism

384 pages, Paperback

First published October 6, 2026

About the author

E. Lockhart is the author of Again Again, Genuine Fraud, We Were Liars and Family of Liars, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, and several other books. Whistle: A New Gotham CIty Hero is a graphic novel. We Were Liars is also a TV show on Prime Video, June 2025. We Fell Apart, book 3 in the We Were Liars universe, publishes November 2025.

website: www.emilylockhart.com
Instagram, Threads & TikTok: elockhartbooks

Reviews

[Nilufer Ozmekik]

I think this is one of those books that will definitely divide readers, especially those who aren’t usually into fantasy or magical realism elements. Honestly, when the huge twist involving the five people who chose the absolute worst possible time to swim in the springs finally happened, my first reaction was literally: what the heck did I just read? I went into this almost completely blind because I genuinely enjoyed the author’s previous works. She has always been great at creating authentic YA voices, and as someone who never joined the anti-We Were Liars crowd, I trusted her storytelling enough to dive in without knowing much.

So when the supernatural elements suddenly entered the story, I was caught completely off guard. And yes, I’m trying my hardest not to spoil anything because I refuse to be the person who ruins the experience by spilling all the beans! At first, I truly thought the story was about to spiral into complete chaos in a way that wouldn’t work for me. But instead of giving up, I kept reading with patience and curiosity, and honestly, I’m so glad I did. Even when the story became messier, stranger, and much more fairy-tale-like than I expected, I found myself completely absorbed by its eerie, dreamlike atmosphere. The folkloric influence, especially the haunting “Seven Ravens” fairy tale vibes, worked surprisingly well for me, and the ending ultimately won me over emotionally.

In my opinion, this isn’t simply a whimsical YA romance wrapped in fantasy aesthetics the way some readers may initially assume. Beneath the magical elements, this is very much a story about depression, grief, guilt, fear, and emotional survival. Two of the main characters struggle deeply with depression, but they react to it in completely different ways: one fights while the other runs. Their choices, coping mechanisms, and emotional responses ultimately shape the paths they take by the end of the story. The novel also explores themes of finding your voice, learning to stop silencing yourself for the comfort of others, and realizing that procrastinating your life can become its own form of self-destruction. At its heart, it’s about family, freedom, belonging, and the desperate human need to feel like part of something bigger than yourself.

The story takes place in a small New England town famous for its healing hot springs. Seventeen-year-old Lexie arrives there with her depressed mother, younger sister Orly, and aunt in hopes of starting over. After years spent sacrificing her own childhood as a musical prodigy to financially support her struggling family, Lexie is emotionally exhausted. Losing her father and becoming the emotional caretaker of her mother at such a young age has left her carrying far more than any teenager should. The move feels like her chance to finally breathe again and maybe reclaim pieces of herself she lost along the way.

Then she meets Chester, the town’s mysterious golden boy whose body is covered in scars and whose charm hides much darker emotional wounds beneath the surface. Their connection develops quickly, but both of them are carrying secrets they don’t know how to share. After an argument between them, Chester makes a reckless decision and swims in the springs during the coldest day of the year alongside four others, including Lexie’s little sister. And from that moment on, the story transforms into something much darker, stranger, and emotionally devastating.

As tragedy strikes the town, Lexie desperately fights to protect the people she loves while trying to undo what has happened. But once she becomes trapped inside what feels like a living nightmare wrapped in fairy tale rules, she must confront a terrifying question: how much is someone willing to sacrifice to reverse tragedy and save the people they love?

Overall, Lexie was absolutely the standout character for me. I loved her resilience, emotional exhaustion, bravery, and heartbreaking patience as she tried to hold herself and her family together while everything around her unraveled. Her struggles felt painfully real even within the fantastical setting. I do wish Chester’s depression and emotional backstory had been explored with a little more depth because his character undergoes significant emotional shifts, and at times I wanted a stronger connection to his internal struggles rather than primarily viewing him through Lexie’s perspective. Still, the lyrical writing style, emotional intensity, and unique atmosphere kept me fully invested. The author clearly took a creative risk stylistically here, and for me, it mostly paid off. The blend of dark fairy tale energy, emotional realism, and YA fantasy romance created something memorable and genuinely unique within the genre.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books | Delacorte Press for sharing one of the most unusual, emotional, and thought-provoking YA fantasy romances of the year in exchange for my honest thoughts.

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[jo ❣︎]

thanks to negalley + the publisher for an advanced copy

in which i read this not by a pool

i think reading this book
by a pool might enhance the reading
experience, because reading this book
inside of a cold house
felt like i was reading
at the top of mt everest
although i wonder with the characters
if e lockhart
was doing a metaphor for suicide
and self harm, with the birds
because when people you love
die fly away
you wonder what you could do
to get them back, for there's no swan
and there's no cure
not even if olivia rodrigo wrote a song about it

there's my cutesy review. i enjoyed it! if you've read the book, you'll hopefully get my review

[Jasmine from How Useful It Is]

Thank you PRHAudio for the complimentary audiobook!

This audiobook experience was excellent! It ends with real singing voice. The singing and the narrator's golden voice got me teary eyed. I listened to the songs many times! Audiobook definitely made storytelling and listening experience fantastic for bookworms recently.

This story was good and different. Readers followed two main characters: Lexie and Chester. Chester's family is wealthy while Lexie's is not. Lexie and her mom along with younger sister just moved into town living at their aunt's house. Three to a bedroom, even at motel during their road trip. Chester may seem to have it all but he's suffering from self harm. He tried to seek help but doesn't feel better until he met Lexie. It was love at first sight.

Lexie's mom was suffering from depression. Lexie took care of her sister and her mom. They moved into this community with a lot of pools. Lexie met Chester at the pool. They got together after that. They met each other's family. They attended school. They have had their fights. They refused to share their secrets with each other.

Then the transformation happened. Five people at first, including Chester and Lexie's younger sister. Thought provoking to follow Chester's thoughts. Later, more people transformed. Lexie felt desperate to do something to help even though she did actively do something all the time. Finally, she took a chance to bring out her golden voice once more.

The book organization is different.. I am reading and listening to the audiobook again.. I actually listened to this audiobook twice!

[Collyn Bradley]

read if you like:
📖 poetry
🦄 fantasy stories
👩‍❤️‍👨 abstract love stories

summary:
I have loved E. Lockhart’s other books including the WE WERE LIARS series, but this one was a little too abstract for me. It is a strange, sharp, almost poetically written love story between Lexie and Chester, who meet when Lexie moves to town and the two immediately realize the chemistry between them. The town, known for its hot springs, has a history of lore, but no one is afraid of the pools anymore, and instead they serve as the centerpiece to the small, remote town. That is, until a cold winter day, when five people go for a swim, and five birds emerge from the pools.

The bird element feels….random. It feels like it must be symbolic for something, but I was struggling to make any connection that made it feel less weird. I wanted to really believe in their love story, but the abstract nature of the symbolism made it really hard for me to get hooked. The style itself is unique — almost a staccato poetry, which I thought I would struggle with, but actually got easy to follow along with as you went. It helps add more description and shift away from dialogue, so if you’re someone who likes a dialogue-heavy book, this might not be for you. I also didn’t feel like it gave us enough character development, and since we didn’t get enough first hand insight into Lexie or Chester, it made me feel a little more detached from their story.

I really wanted to like this one, but it was just a little too out there for me.

[Elle G. Reads]

I didn’t go into this book expecting much but I was sure surprised that it completely surpassed all my expectations in a positive way! Overall, I really enjoyed it especially the way the eerie, and magical atmosphere was mixed with heavier themes. The whole idea behind the pools and what happens to the people who enter them was so interesting and unique and I didn’t want to put the book down. Some of it broke my heart though so be sure you’re in the mood for a book that will tug on your emotions before reading it.

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Molly Larson]

The Pools is a haunting and unique read that stayed with me long after I finished it. I especially enjoyed how quickly the story moved while still feeling thoughtful and layered. The use of old folklore and myth-inspired storytelling gave the book an eerie atmosphere that made it stand out from a typical teen novel.

One of the most interesting parts of the book was the way it was written in poem and song form. The lyrical style made the emotions feel more intense and personal, almost like reading someone’s private thoughts or listening to a ballad being told around a fire. While the format is unconventional, it worked well with the mood of the story and made it easy to read in a short amount of time.

The novel also tackles serious topics like depression, loneliness, and complicated teen relationships in a realistic way. The characters felt emotionally raw, and their struggles added depth beneath the folklore-inspired surface. Even when the story became dark or unsettling, it remained engaging because of the emotional honesty woven throughout it.

Overall, The Pools is a beautifully written, atmospheric novel that blends folklore, poetry, and emotional realism into a memorable quick read. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy books that are a little different in style and that explore deeper emotional themes.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Children’s Books for an advanced readers copy in exchange for a honest review.

[Amanda Doherty]

I’ve read other books from this Author and LOVE all of them!

The way the author ignites you into this book with thrill and curiosity is amazing! It starts off with a cute love story and then has a twist you don’t see coming! I cannot share the secrets in or about the pool, but I suggest you read it to see for yourself!

I would highly recommend this book & Author, & cannot wait to read more by this author! 5+⭐️’s!

Thank you E. Lockhart, Delacorte Press, & NetGalley for allowing me to read this amazing Arc!

[Lauren DV]

I hesitated between four and five stars, because I did have some gripes with this book, but ultimately I found the story beautiful enough to settle on five. This is a very hit-or-miss book, depending on your own reading preferences. It’s a quick read, though not necessarily an easy one.

If I had known how the writing was structured before getting this book, I likely wouldn’t have bought it. Evidently, I didn’t regret it, but it’s not for everyone.

I also feel like the blurb of the book is kind of misleading. Nowhere does it mention the magical realism that hits around the third chapter. From reading the blurb, you’d expect something more in the vein of We Were Liars, maybe even a bit of a thriller.

My main issue with this, however, was that compared to the rest of the book, the ending felt very rushed.

I also had my doubts about how Lexie’s mother was portrayed. Of course, we only see her through Lexie’s eyes and it makes sense for her to have complicated feelings about her mother, but there’s no counterweight to this. No one to remind Lexie “hey, your mother is chronically ill, maybe you shouldn’t judge her the way you do”. Obviously the mother was far from perfect, you could even say far from good, but still. It would’ve been nice to see Lexie receive some pushback in how she views her mother.

Lexie as a whole annoyed me at times. She had a tendency to think she had the moral high ground when she really did not. In most of their arguments and fights, Lexie winds up blaming Chester. And sometimes she’s right and it is his fault. But there were definitely times where she should’ve been the one to apologise. I also found her to be quite hypocritical. She was blaming Chester for not telling her every little thing about himself, whilst she was literally keeping secrets from him. And it would be one thing if she had come to realise this, but she truly believes she has nothing to apologise for.

The beautiful way this is written is what, to me, makes it worthy of five stars despite its flaws. But after this, you can be damn sure I will be checking the way the writing is structured in every book I want to buy from now on 🤣

[Aurora]

Read the full review with representation information and trigger warnings on my blog.

Lexie moves to a small town with her mother and sister so that she can go to school instead of having to provide for the family. There, she meets golden boy Chester, and is caught between becoming the girl he wants and the girl her family expects until tragedy strikes.

This book is a very different type of book than those previously written by E. Lockhart, although if you enjoyed the aspects of We Were Liars where Cady speaks in poetry and metaphor in order to describe her life, you may be a fan of this book as it’s entirely in verse and a magical realism novel. The writing is beautiful in most of the poems, and that’s the most complimentary thing I can say about this book. The author describes it as a fairy tale at the end of the book, but unfortunately, it seems that it falls into some of the same pitfall as the Brothers Grimm had in their fairy tales—namely, antisemitism.

“Pools” is described as a love story/romance, but Chester does not strike me as a particularly romantic love interest. It could be said that he has the same realistic flaws as many teenage boys, and maybe that’s true, but his biggest fight with Lexie is about whether she will or won’t go caroling with his religious group for Christmas. Lexie tells him she doesn’t want to because her family is Jewish, and he doesn’t drop it. He keeps on pushing the issue, and the narrative almost seems to punish Lexie for setting this boundary with him, which is unfortunate.

I was also concerned by the way Lexie’s mother’s chronic illness was depicted in this book. She’s a one-dimensional character who is always sick with something or other, and doesn’t want to get better. It’s not a good message to send, especially since there’s no counterbalancing representation in Lockhart’s other books. One of the characters in We Fell Apart, Lockhart’s previous book, had similar issues, but it’s a lot more blatant in the case of Lexie’s mother in this book.

Lexie loses all of her Jewish relatives in this book in one way or another, and this is ultimately depicted as a good thing. She and Chester have their happily ever after, at the expense of her losing all of her ties to her roots. Her mother effectively commits suicide, and it’s depicted as a selfish choice, but also like Lexie is no longer burdened by the woman and can now move on with her life and romance. Authors can of course write whatever they want, but if you’re looking for positive representation of mental illness or Judaism, you won’t find it in The Pools. Despite the positive ending of a sort for Lexie and her boyfriend, it reads to me as more of a tragedy than a romance.

The Pools releases October 6 from Delacorte Press. Thank you to NetGalley, E. Lockhart and Random House Children’s Books for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

[gracie]

not what I expected at all but I didn’t hate it… probably bc it is written in verse so it went very fast

[Vår]

Arc received from PRH International

After visiting the Pools one cold winter night, five people are turned into birds. This includes Lexie's sister Orly and Lexie's boyfriend Chester. Lexie begins looking for a cure. But can she save the new birds?

I was reading some of this while at the doctor's office, and I nearly cried. When I got home afterwards and finished reading, I was straight up sobbing the entire time.

At first I wasn’t convinced. I struggled with the writing style and wasn’t fully engaged with the story. But after a while I got into it and could not put it down.

The book deals with themes such as chronic illness, mental health, young love, and being a next of kin to someone who’s struggling. It’s about doing everything for the ones you love, and it still not being enough. Sometimes you just can’t fix everything, and you have to find peace with that.

Sometimes love isn’t enough to save someone.
But sometimes it is.

«The Pools» is beautiful, tragic and sad. It’s a ya novel, but I feel like everyone could read this and enjoy it. It can be a bit difficult to begin with, but it’s definitely worth sticking through.

I highly recommend checking it out when it’s released in October. Thank you so much to PRH International for the opportunity to read this.

[Aggie]

I honestly thought this book was an elaborate prank. It got so wild that I had to stop and double-check the cover just to make sure I actually picked up the right title and author.

So, it turns out people in this town are inexplicably transforming into wild birds, and what's wilder is how quickly the community just... accepts it and moves on. The plot focuses on Lexie, who is already dealing with an ailing mother, only for her younger sister to get caught up in the avian transformation. Instead of looking for a logical cure, the local humans start consulting shamans and resorting to old-school apothecaries just to soothe their feather-bound loved ones' suffering. On top of the bizarre premise, the dialogue is completely surreal. Lines like 'Chester is getting birdier each week' or 'Does she have a good cat life?' left me wondering- am I the only one completely tripping here?

The plot reminds me so much of the Filipino folklore called Ibong Adarna. I grew up loving this in school. So, so weird!

So, it's official: this book feels like a complete multiverse trip. Kidding! But out of all the mind-bending surrealism, it was Chester who ultimately grounded me back in reality with his words: 'Humans have the capacity for magic, but also have the capacity for logic.'

[Kärt]

Lockhart is known for her twists - at least for me - and this was no different. The twist itself though? Quite unique and something I didn’t see coming at all. I feel like it’ll stay with me for a while. Thought provoking and hauntingly beautiful and sad.

[Ashley Wilson]

As someone who doesn’t tend to read a lot of sci-fi/fantasy this really was one of the strangest books I’ve read. But I kinda loved it?

[Nicole]

I had no idea what to expect from this one and, from the cover, it was something completely different than what I got. If you want to go into this one blind, don't read any further.

This book is told in poetry/prose form. It might be the format of the digital ARC I received that it made it hard to tell that at times, though, because the link breaks weren't always like poetry but more like narrative. The flow of a book in this type of format is harder for me personally to follow, to keep up with characters and their lines and the flow of the storyline. It had really strong moments but when the fairy tale part comes into play, I struggled with the believability factor and had to try to shift my mind frame from what I thought this book was (a YA romance) to the magical realism/fantasy aspect and I struggled to catch up and appreciate where the author was going with the plot. It was hard to really get the depth of both Lexie's and Chester's back-stories and families and friends in this format. I feel like the "a love story" on the front is deceiving to the reader. I also feel like the audience being intended for young adult or even new adult is also deceiving (there are some moments that are very heavy, not many, but enough that I wouldn't recommend this as being appropriate for my high schooler). Knowing where the book goes does make the cover art make sense, but for me it still is deceiving in what to expect from this book. I wanted to like it a lot more than I did (this was my first book by E. Lockhart), but it didn't quite work for me. I can appreciate the author's prose and descriptions and attempts at magical realism and moving the plot forward, but the execution overall wasn't for me, unfortunately.

Content: Some violence; discussion of suicide, depression, autoimmune health issues; YA sex (closed door and implied but you know it's what happened). I'm at the point that I don't even remember if there was any strong language and I just finished this earlier today; if there was foul language, it wasn't memorable.


***I received an advanced digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.***

[Rachel]

I did not enjoy the poem like writing of this book. It was challenging to find a rhythm in reading and the book felt disconnected to me because of this. That being said, if you love poetry or rhythmic writing styles, you may enjoy this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[kay]

I received an arc of this book from Penguin Teen Canada and, having read and enjoyed a few of E. Lockhart’s other books, I was excited to pick this one up. The format immediately grabbed my attention; I believe it's a novel in verse, but it reads easily like a fast-paced regular novel. It flows really well and doesn’t feel like it’s too short of a story —E. Lockhart somehow captures everything in the short pages of this book.

I hadn't heard anything about this book so thus went into it blind, and I could’ve never guessed where the plot was going. I can see how this is the kind of book that some people will hate, but I surprised myself by how much I truly enjoyed it. Chester and Lexie’s relationship was so endearing and realistic and their story hooked me in from the very first page. Then, when the plot made a drastic shift, I thought my feelings on this book were going to change as well, since it goes down what seems like an unconventional path and becomes a very different sort of book. However, I really liked where this book went and again surprised myself with the range of emotions I felt while reading. This is a strange strange book that I will probably think about for a while, even just to try and figure out what E. Lockhart was doing. I recommend this one!

Thank you Penguin Teen Canada for sending me a copy!

[B]

This is a weird one so I’ll break it down in parts.

Things I liked:

1. The style. Not quite in verse (my least favorite) but also not a full story. It felt like I was in someone’s thoughts and I actually really enjoyed it. It was like a poem but not an obnoxious one.

2. The love story. Honestly the reason I gave it the extra star. Despite the rest of it, I was just…rooting for them.

3. It was sad, and that’s not what I expected. But it was a beautiful kind of sad.

Things I didn’t like:

1. The actual Thing. Usually in these types of books, there’s at least some kind of message (see These Bodies Between Us by Sarah Van Name or The Only Girl in Town by Ally Condie as examples of how to do this right). But I did not feel there was a point to the Thing.

2. It was quick. It only took me like…an hour and a half to finish, so I feel like it didn’t get fleshed out? But that may be unfair because of the style and type of story it was.

3. When the Thing happened, I stopped caring. I felt annoyed enough to almost put it down, but I had come that far so I stayed.

All in all, not the worst book I’ve ever read by a mile. It was interesting and unique and well written. I guess I just…don’t get it. And I don’t like books I don’t get.

[Lara]

This is a beautiful and poetic story about depression and love and loneliness and healing. It has aspects of fairytales woven throughout, and also elements of magical realism.

The transformation of people into birds is a really interesting way for the author to explore deeper themes - how people can choose to deal with difficult situations (by flying away and leaving everyone else behind), and also how people will react to people who are struggling or different or having mental health issues.

I found most of the story really haunting and sad, and it also made me think about how as a society we treat people who are vulnerable or can’t defend themselves (or in this case literally can’t speak/communicate properly).

I usually don’t read poetry, so I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this as much as I did - I would highly recommend it to people who don’t usually read poetry because it is still a very easy read. A whole range of different literary devices are used to create different types of experiences for the reader, and I found that really enjoyable as well. It would be fun to listen to as an audiobook as well.

Thanks so much to Allen & Unwin for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[TheNextGenLibrarian]

A YA magical realism story from e. Lockhart.
🏊‍♂️
In a fading New England spa town, an old legend becomes reality when five people enter the town’s hot spring pools and wake the next morning transformed into birds. Among them are Lexie’s younger sister and Chester, her first love. When no one can explain or reverse what happened, Lexie becomes determined to save them.
🦢
This was so uniquely E. Lockhart: strange, lyrical, and destined to emotionally destroy readers. The magical realism and short, poetic chapters, especially the exploration of love, grief, identity, depression, and sacrifice, made this the most unique YA book I’ve read in a while. This was a quick read that packed a surprisingly big emotional punch.

CW: depression, hospitalization, self-harm, death, grief, medical content, illness, parental abandonment, parental death (off page)

*This was just a bit too weird for me.

[Liza Buss]

I LOVED THIS BOOK. 🥹

This was unlike anything I’ve read before. It’s written almost like a poem, a song, or a collection of rhymes, and somehow it works SO well. At first, it feels like this sweet, almost whimsical love story… and then the plot twist hits.

And I genuinely did not see it coming. 👀

I was SO scared this was going to end badly. If you’ve read If We Were Liars, you know exactly what I mean. 😂 I spent the rest of the book bracing myself for emotional devastation.

But the ending?! I actually loved it. It’s happy and sad at the same time, and somehow that made it even more perfect.

I also genuinely could not put this down. The writing style made it such a quick and unique read, and I just had to know what was going to happen next.

Read this if you like:

📖 Poetry / lyrical storytelling
🦄 Fantasy stories
👩‍❤️‍👨 Abstract, unconventional love stories
👀 Unexpected plot twists
🥹 Endings that make you feel EVERYTHING

[Georgia]

ARC review via NetGalley & Bonnier Books UK!

I didn’t initially love the poetry writing style although I definitely warmed to it as the story progressed

I really enjoyed the fantasy/magical realism vibes and found the whole premise strangely intriguing

On the other hand I do feel like alot of the meanings and metaphors completely went over my head? I’m not sure they landed for me in the way they were intended to and would have loved abit more development of chester and lexie

Despite this there defo was something about this book that kept me curious and invested (even when I wasn’t entirely sure what I was taking from it haha)

I wish I could rate this higher, but ultimately I think it simply went over my head and I just dont get it in its entirety

[Ahaaha4]

The Pools by E. Lockhart is nothing at all like her other book series We Were Liars. In fact it is nothing like anything I have ever read. It is definitely not for everyone. I kept an open mind while reading it. How often do you read a book where people become birds?

This is a quirky book, part fairytale, part love story wrote in a poetic format. There are some extremely lovable charachters. I thought the ending was perfect. All in all an interesting read.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books, for an ARC of The Pools in exchange for an honest review. If you are looking for something very different and a quick read give it a try.

[Jaclyn Brill]

Very abstract but very surprisingly emotional. look up triggers ahead of time, but enjoyed the poetry & story telling through fantasy & friendships. Thank you PRHaudio for my free listen!

[Adena J]

This is definitely on my favorites list. This book made me cry. I loved the format, and I feel like the poetry just enhances all of the whole book because it's such a different way of expressing emotion than regular format books.

[Sheri]

2.5 stars rounding up. This is a book written in verse which was unexpected. I enjoy books written in verse but for some reason this one just didn’t have the right rhythm for me. It also kept TELLING us it was a love story which I felt was kinda pressing the point. The bird storyline was also a bit unexpected but interesting and I’m sure as others have said, it’s probably some kind of symbolism that I missed. Because this was a quick read, I didn’t feel a real connection to the characters. Maybe I missed why the singing didn’t work for Orly or Mom when it worked for someone she’d only known for a few months??? Oh right, it was a love story.

[Jasmijn]

I loved it.
I want to give more stars.
I cried.
It deserves more stars.

[Alli Law]

I wasn't sure what to expect from this one but I ended up really enjoying it. I think the YA audience will like how fast paced this is. It has a bit of romance and a bit of magical realism. Overall I would recommend this for people who need a break from the normal but don't love high fantasy. It's also a quicker read as it's written in verse.

[Adumbteenreader]

I genuinely had no idea what to expect with this book, I didn’t even read the description and just started reading it cause I’m a big fan of the author. This I think is one of E. Lockarts best works (in my opinion), it was not at all what I was expecting but it was emotional and I was so invested in it because I had no idea how it would go. It’s a heavily character driven story so if your not into that as much you may not enjoy it, but I’d say it was one of my favourite releases of 2026 so far

[abi]

[3.5] i don’t know how, but i had no idea this was a novel in verse before reading this, so although it took a bit of getting used to (even though i have read novels in verse before), i actually think it worked really well for this book. i was intrigued by what i did know going into this, and e. lockhart definitely delivered on the writing again, it flowed so well and almost felt haunting at some parts. the plot definitely got more ~~sad~~ profound the further into the storyline we got, and i was a lot more emotional, thinking over what i had just read, than i expected to be. i did find the length to be a little bit awkward - this was almost too long to be a short story, and too short to be a full-length novel, which meant it wasn’t snappy enough to be done in any less pages, but because the length was still limited, some of the themes and characters arcs weren’t as fleshed-out as they perhaps could have been. still an interesting one though!!

thank you to netgalley and bonnier books uk for the advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.