“Despite the title and eerie cover art, this is not a ghost story, nor is it much of a thriller, but actually a twisted drama. First we meet Cramer, a young man trying desperately to keep his mentally disturbed mother from falling to pieces. We sense that his mother’s emotional abuse and crazy demands to support her attempts at art has warped his life. Next we meet our main character, Mimi, whose first year at NYU turned disastrous when the married professor she hooked up with became possessive and stalker-like. Seeking to get away, she takes up her artist father’s offer to stay alone at a remote cottage in Canada. Upon arrival, she finds Jay, a young musician working to find his muse in the solitary location which is not too far from his regular home. Initially highly attracted to each other, the two quickly figure out that they are half siblings via their famous father, unaware of each other until that moment. Although some strange desire remains between them, Mimi and Jay began to build a tentative brother and sister bond as they share the cottage and fend off some unknown intruder who leaves threatening messages. Could the intruder be Cramer, whose first glimpse of Mimi drives him to obsess over her or the lecherous old neighbor anxious to get friendly with Mimi? Add in the additional threat of a woman scorned by the viral artist father plus the amorous professor and you’ve got a muddled story that needs serious editing help. The language, age of the characters, and weird family dynamics, not to mention the constant lust experienced by all males within a certain radius, make this book best for late high school or early college readers. Not a priority purchase, but an addition to consider for libraries with high demand for thrillers, particularly Flowers in the Attic style.”
