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The Lingering Spirits
West Brook General Hospital closed its doors for good over a decade ago, but the halls were far from empty even before Sam Gilbert arrived. Hard living in New York sends the broken photographer back to her small hometown to serve as the hospital’s new caretaker. Everyone tells her the building is haunted. But the job comes with free room and board, plus a little extra cash to help her get back on her feet. Not to mention, it isn’t her old bedroom at her parent’s house. She soon finds life back in West Brook isn’t all that bad. New friends emerge to make her days less lonely. Then an old love resurfaces in Shelby Walker, forcing Sam to face her past mistakes. Just as life starts to look brighter, her new abode gets darker and darker. Will Sam brave the growls, footsteps and phantom voices that surround her to figure out what happened at West Brook General? Or will she succumb to her own demons along the way?
406 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2019
7 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 6, 2020
When you're asked by a friend who clearly knows your love for dark reads if you're interested to read a book set in an abandoned, haunted, hospital, what should you not do? Lie by omission and ask your partner who hates the horror genre and currently under quarantine in a hospital to read it. I'm a sucker for movies/books set in old hospitals or asylums, there's just something about them that invoke all sorts of excitement and fear for the terrifying unknown.
Gothika - 2OO3
Woodward Penitentiary
Shutter Island - 2O1O
Ashecliffe Hospital
The Lingering Spirits - 2O17
West Brook General
2 movies and one book, all involving haunted hospitals. However, the most crucial element is the LOCATIONS of the hospitals. They have to be isolated, if you place the main attraction of your story not far from a gas station and a driving distance to the lead's childhood home, you take the biggest part of the story away.
Samantha Gilbert - 33 years old photographer, recovering alcoholic + druggie had to return home to the South to restart her life. Her parents were decent enough in my book. They loved her to bits and pieces despite Sam's bottles, powders, and sexuality. Her new home was the Hospital's basement/morgue where she got a job as the new caretaker. Upon moving in, Sam was informed that the hospital was indeed haunted but she had no other choice, it was either it or her parents'. Along the way, Sam became friends with some really nice people, reconnected with her first love, fought her inner demons and experienced an abundance of spirits' disturbance.
Why I couldn't slap 5 stars and joined Maria on top of the hill and sing my heart out.
- There were scenes in the story that made me bring my tab closer to my face as my heart beat a lil faster but they weren't that many and the author kept them short, huge bummer there.
- Sam's love interest [ mighty fine lady, no complaints whatsoever ] had a son, a 12-year-old going on 32. He was obsessed with the supernatural world, he sounded way more mature than his age, he was rude 9O% percent throughout the story and he was given plenty of page time.
- Sam struggled with alcohol and drug addiction. Before leaving for home, she was worried about how she was going to survive the place she ran away from. Surprisingly, her headspace was so much clearer, positive when she returned home..Yes, it was a good thing but not for this genre. Sam needed to be out of sorts first before putting on her heroine costume.
- The author went all out with the build-ups until she ran out of space and had to tie every loose points within a few pages. Sam was denied from giving the " you would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for my meddling willpower " speech.
- The motif.
Why do I still enjoy the book?
- The secondary characters [ minus the kid ] are extremely fun and lovable.
- Tonnes of conversations.
- Fried chicken, potato salad, ice cream sandwich, after Church barbecues and sweet tea.
- A beautifully written romance.
- A bisexual love interest whose ex-husband wasn't a dick.
Many thanks, Young Padawan for this and for inspiring the name of my new bookshelf.
3⅞ for this do check it out book.
Gothika - 2OO3
Woodward Penitentiary
Shutter Island - 2O1O
Ashecliffe Hospital
The Lingering Spirits - 2O17
West Brook General
2 movies and one book, all involving haunted hospitals. However, the most crucial element is the LOCATIONS of the hospitals. They have to be isolated, if you place the main attraction of your story not far from a gas station and a driving distance to the lead's childhood home, you take the biggest part of the story away.
Samantha Gilbert - 33 years old photographer, recovering alcoholic + druggie had to return home to the South to restart her life. Her parents were decent enough in my book. They loved her to bits and pieces despite Sam's bottles, powders, and sexuality. Her new home was the Hospital's basement/morgue where she got a job as the new caretaker. Upon moving in, Sam was informed that the hospital was indeed haunted but she had no other choice, it was either it or her parents'. Along the way, Sam became friends with some really nice people, reconnected with her first love, fought her inner demons and experienced an abundance of spirits' disturbance.
Why I couldn't slap 5 stars and joined Maria on top of the hill and sing my heart out.
- There were scenes in the story that made me bring my tab closer to my face as my heart beat a lil faster but they weren't that many and the author kept them short, huge bummer there.
- Sam's love interest [ mighty fine lady, no complaints whatsoever ] had a son, a 12-year-old going on 32. He was obsessed with the supernatural world, he sounded way more mature than his age, he was rude 9O% percent throughout the story and he was given plenty of page time.
- Sam struggled with alcohol and drug addiction. Before leaving for home, she was worried about how she was going to survive the place she ran away from. Surprisingly, her headspace was so much clearer, positive when she returned home..Yes, it was a good thing but not for this genre. Sam needed to be out of sorts first before putting on her heroine costume.
- The author went all out with the build-ups until she ran out of space and had to tie every loose points within a few pages. Sam was denied from giving the " you would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for my meddling willpower " speech.
- The motif.
Why do I still enjoy the book?
- The secondary characters [ minus the kid ] are extremely fun and lovable.
- Tonnes of conversations.
- Fried chicken, potato salad, ice cream sandwich, after Church barbecues and sweet tea.
- A beautifully written romance.
- A bisexual love interest whose ex-husband wasn't a dick.
Many thanks, Young Padawan for this and for inspiring the name of my new bookshelf.
3⅞ for this do check it out book.
January 28, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. Probably more like a 4.5 stars as sometimes the introspective-musings of Sam where a little long but I really enjoyed the ghosts, the relationships, and the overall mystery found in this book. Will definitely read this again.
December 13, 2019
Highly recommend this book
Really good book the characters are well developed. Ghost story,mystery,romance perfect combination. Thanks for a really good book. Loved it
Really good book the characters are well developed. Ghost story,mystery,romance perfect combination. Thanks for a really good book. Loved it
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews