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Forever Girl
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Expected 2 Oct 26"Forever Girl is one of the most unique ghost stories I've ever read. Brian McQuilkin brings both his characters and the South Jersey setting to vivid life, then wraps them all in a damp, moldy blanket of dread."
--Gregg Podolski, author of The Recruiter
It's October, 1997, and Arlo Merrin spends his time driving an ambulance through the back streets of South Jersey with his co-workers, Corinne and Buddy. When he's not at work, he's holed up at a corner bar, smoking too many cigarettes and drinking too much Guinness. Then people close to Arlo start meeting violent, nightmarish ends. At the same time, Arlo witnesses the impossible -- a woman standing across the street from a murder scene, a woman who too closely resembles his wife, Julie, who died from cancer six months earlier. When the police play a 911 call recorded at the scene of the murder and Arlo hears Julie's voice, his life spirals as he becomes convinced that the woman he loved has returned from the dead. And she wants him to join her in her grave. In order to protect Corinne, the one woman who offers him an escape from his grief, he needs to make a gut-wrenching decision that could destroy him.
--Gregg Podolski, author of The Recruiter
It's October, 1997, and Arlo Merrin spends his time driving an ambulance through the back streets of South Jersey with his co-workers, Corinne and Buddy. When he's not at work, he's holed up at a corner bar, smoking too many cigarettes and drinking too much Guinness. Then people close to Arlo start meeting violent, nightmarish ends. At the same time, Arlo witnesses the impossible -- a woman standing across the street from a murder scene, a woman who too closely resembles his wife, Julie, who died from cancer six months earlier. When the police play a 911 call recorded at the scene of the murder and Arlo hears Julie's voice, his life spirals as he becomes convinced that the woman he loved has returned from the dead. And she wants him to join her in her grave. In order to protect Corinne, the one woman who offers him an escape from his grief, he needs to make a gut-wrenching decision that could destroy him.
206 pages, Paperback
Expected publication October 2, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
First thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. My review is based on my own opinions after completing the book.
I was definitely a tad confused on this book.
The beginning it talked about domestic violence. While there might have been a flash back. There really wasnt any.
But Forever girl is set in the 90's and details around a man and his coworkers that he grew up with and his grief of losing his wife. The supernatural side of things was very different. It definitely kept my interest trying to figure out the story as to why, how and everything in between.
This book still has me confused as I've finished it. I loved the ending however I still want to know what happened and why. I understand the aspect of "if i cant have you no one else will" but, where did he go? Why was she killing everyone around him, alot of it just doesnt make sense. in the middle it explains the memory of her friend and the dog leash, but did she do it? or some part of her? was there something underlying that we didnt get told or made aware of?
And maybe thats the point to this book is to make you wonder and have that unsetting feeling. Which, if it was great job.
As for the horror/supernatural genre - great job! Definitely had great eerie parts that sends shivers down the spine.
I was definitely a tad confused on this book.
The beginning it talked about domestic violence. While there might have been a flash back. There really wasnt any.
But Forever girl is set in the 90's and details around a man and his coworkers that he grew up with and his grief of losing his wife. The supernatural side of things was very different. It definitely kept my interest trying to figure out the story as to why, how and everything in between.
This book still has me confused as I've finished it. I loved the ending however I still want to know what happened and why. I understand the aspect of "if i cant have you no one else will" but, where did he go? Why was she killing everyone around him, alot of it just doesnt make sense. in the middle it explains the memory of her friend and the dog leash, but did she do it? or some part of her? was there something underlying that we didnt get told or made aware of?
And maybe thats the point to this book is to make you wonder and have that unsetting feeling. Which, if it was great job.
As for the horror/supernatural genre - great job! Definitely had great eerie parts that sends shivers down the spine.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
📖 BOOK REVIEW: Forever Girl by Brian McQuilkin
🗓️ Release Date: October 2, 2026
⭐ Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟✨ (4.5/5)
Looking for your next spine-chilling, emotionally devastating read? Put this one on your radar immediately!
🖤Set in the moody backdrop of October 1997, we follow Arlo Merrin, a grieving ambulance driver in South Jersey who is trying to survive the loss of his wife, Julie. But when horrific, nightmarish murders start happening around him, Arlo spots a woman who looks exactly like Julie standing at the crime scenes. Then comes the real kicker: her voice is captured on a 911 call from beyond the grave.
😳This isn’t just your standard ghost story. It’s a brilliant, gut-wrenching blend of atmospheric 90s nostalgia, deep psychological grief, and pure supernatural horror. McQuilkin crafts a slow-burn dread that asks a terrifying question: what do you do when the person you love most returns from the dead... but wants you to join her in the grave?
🪦The tension is real, the writing is beautifully literary, and the emotional stakes are incredibly high as Arlo tries to protect those around him from a vengeful entity. Perfect for fans of dark, small-town horror and emotional ghost stories!
Pre-order this debut horror novel now so you can dive in the second it drops on 10/02/2026! 🩸
🗓️ Release Date: October 2, 2026
⭐ Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟✨ (4.5/5)
Looking for your next spine-chilling, emotionally devastating read? Put this one on your radar immediately!
🖤Set in the moody backdrop of October 1997, we follow Arlo Merrin, a grieving ambulance driver in South Jersey who is trying to survive the loss of his wife, Julie. But when horrific, nightmarish murders start happening around him, Arlo spots a woman who looks exactly like Julie standing at the crime scenes. Then comes the real kicker: her voice is captured on a 911 call from beyond the grave.
😳This isn’t just your standard ghost story. It’s a brilliant, gut-wrenching blend of atmospheric 90s nostalgia, deep psychological grief, and pure supernatural horror. McQuilkin crafts a slow-burn dread that asks a terrifying question: what do you do when the person you love most returns from the dead... but wants you to join her in the grave?
🪦The tension is real, the writing is beautifully literary, and the emotional stakes are incredibly high as Arlo tries to protect those around him from a vengeful entity. Perfect for fans of dark, small-town horror and emotional ghost stories!
Pre-order this debut horror novel now so you can dive in the second it drops on 10/02/2026! 🩸
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Forever Girl was an interesting mix of grief, supernatural horror, and mystery. Set in 1997, the story follows Arlo, an ambulance driver who is still struggling with the death of his wife, Julie. When strange and disturbing things begin happening around him, including seeing a woman who looks exactly like Julie, Arlo starts questioning what is real and whether his wife has somehow returned.
I really liked the 90s setting and the ambulance driver aspect of the story. Arlo’s grief plays a huge part in the book, and I thought the author did a good job showing how difficult it was for him to let go of his past while also being given the possibility of moving forward.
The supernatural side kept me curious, especially as the mystery around Julie slowly developed. It was dark and unsettling at times, but there was also a surprisingly emotional side to the story.
Overall, this was a quick and unique horror read about grief, love, loss, and learning to move forward.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I really liked the 90s setting and the ambulance driver aspect of the story. Arlo’s grief plays a huge part in the book, and I thought the author did a good job showing how difficult it was for him to let go of his past while also being given the possibility of moving forward.
The supernatural side kept me curious, especially as the mystery around Julie slowly developed. It was dark and unsettling at times, but there was also a surprisingly emotional side to the story.
Overall, this was a quick and unique horror read about grief, love, loss, and learning to move forward.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Netgalley, Victory Editing and Brian McQuilkin for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!
I loved this book! It might be weird to say you love a horror story but horror as a genre was and will always be my first true love. This is a ghost story about love and grief and it was beautiful, but don't get me wrong it was quite gory sometimes as well. The best horror stories have a message to convey and this story did that very well. The exploration of grief in horror stories is done very often but in this book it was done so very right, this is what horror is about and that is one of the reasons I loved this book. If you love horror as much as I do I highly recommend this book!
I loved this book! It might be weird to say you love a horror story but horror as a genre was and will always be my first true love. This is a ghost story about love and grief and it was beautiful, but don't get me wrong it was quite gory sometimes as well. The best horror stories have a message to convey and this story did that very well. The exploration of grief in horror stories is done very often but in this book it was done so very right, this is what horror is about and that is one of the reasons I loved this book. If you love horror as much as I do I highly recommend this book!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews