This review first appeared in Booklist on April 1, 2026.

Death has been on Eleanor’s mind a lot lately, particularly since her beloved grandmother passed away at the height of the pandemic. It permeates her thoughts so thoroughly that she isn’t especially surprised when, for one brief, impossible moment, she meets her grandmother’s ghost. And it’s on Eleanor’s mind when she dies herself, alongside her best friend, Justin, in a drowning accident soon after. Now Eleanor finds herself at Eventide House, a sort of spiritual boarding school where she can stay until she’s prepared to move on. But her soul isn’t ready for the afterlife just yet. Eleanor sets out to explore the mysterious house and its ominous surroundings, determined to find both her friend and a way back to their grieving families. In this imaginative and poignant reinterpretation of Orpheus and Eurydice, Fox transforms the tragic tale of loss into an evocative and endearing celebration of life, love, and lasting hope. The story’s thoughtful exploration of death will resonate with readers of books like John Connolly’s The Book of Lost Things (2006) and Neal Shusterman’s Everlost (2006).