Book Review: Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi

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Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi  was published on March 11, 2025 by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Bantam. It opens with Claire finding out that her fiancé, Noah, isn't working where he said he was and is now ghosting her. Claire must find out why. Book Review: Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Bantam for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Claire Darling by Callie Kazumi for free in exchange for my honest review. I was absolutely thrilled when my request for a copy was approved because the synopsis was so good. From the beginning, I absolutely loved the main character of Claire and her work friend named Sukhi. Throughout the novel, we learn about Claire's past and how terrible her mother was towards her. I kept hoping that somehow we would learn who Claire's father was and would eventually connect with him. It's really no wonder Claire had no self confidence as an ad...
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Book Review: The Doll in the Garden, A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn

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book review the doll in the garden

The Doll in the Garden, A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn is a ghost story about ten year old Kristi and her mother moving into the upstairs apartment of Miss Cooper's house. Miss Cooper is an elderly woman who dislikes children and warns Kristi to stay out of the garden or there would be consequences. When a white cat that casts no shadow appears in the garden and a little girl crying could be heard coming from there, Kristi decides to investigate.

I discovered Mary Downing Hahn's books at my middle school library and decided to check one of them out when I couldn't find any books I wanted to read. The Doll in the Garden was one of the first books I read by Mary Downing Hahn and contributed to my love of reading books in the horror, suspense, and thriller genres. In my quest to reread my way through my childhood, I decided it was time to find out if this story was as good as I remembered. Although I remembered the basic storyline of the book, I didn't recall all the details, and I'm glad that I didn't remember everything.

book review the doll in the garden a ghost story
What I loved about this book as an adult is that it deals with some heavy themes in a way that younger children can grasp. These subjects include death of a parent and a friend, cancer, consumption, and friendship. The depth of these topics for such a short book was phenomenal, and by the end of the story, I was actually crying. As a child, I remember The Doll in the Garden being very spooky but not scary and not being able to wait to read more spooky books. There are no negative things I can say about this book, even as an adult.

Five out of five stars is what I rated The Doll in the Garden, A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn. If you enjoyed this book, I recommend Mary Downing Hahn's Wait Till Helen Comes, A Ghost Story.


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