How the Light Gets In by Katy Upperman

ABOUT THE BOOK

Katy Upperman’s How the Light Gets In is a haunting YA novel about a teen coping with the loss of her sibling.

Since her sister’s tragic death, seventeen-year-old Callie Ryan has basically given up. Her grades have plummeted, she’s quit her swim team, and she barely recognizes the people her parents once were.

When she returns to her aunt’s run-down coastal Victorian one year after Chloe’s death, Callie resigns herself to a summer of guilt and home renovations. She doesn’t expect to be charmed by the tiny coastal town or by Tucker Morgan, a local boy brimming with sunshine.

But even as her days begin to brighten, Callie’s nights are crowded with chilling dreams, unanswered questions, and eerie phenomenon that have her convinced she’s being haunted. Will Callie be able to figure out what her sister is trying to communicate before it’s too late?

MY REVIEW

It’s just too hard. I get it—I do. It’s torture for my parents, looking at me every day, an older, blonder version of the daughter who was taken from them. No wonder Dad’s exhausted, losing weight, tense. No wonder Mom can’t wade out of her merlot sea. They lost one daughter, but that doesn’t mean they won’t set the other loose for the family’s greater good.

Callie is shutting down and her father has sent her back to her aunt’s home in Sitka, Oregon, to see if she can heal from what happened to her sister last year. When mysterious things start happening in a house full of secrets and death, can she deal with her guilt and figure out what her sister is trying to tell her?

I enjoyed the relationship between Callie and Tucker. His patience and understanding is just what she needs to open up about the tragedy that happened a year ago. Also, Aunt Lucy is a quirky character who has suffered a loss as well and her struggles to help her niece is commendable.

The death of a loved one is a difficult subject to cover and the author does an exemplary job describing the emotions and thoughts of the characters. This young adult novel is a one-sitting read. Recommend highly!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katy Upperman is a wife, mama, author, reader, baker, and wanderer. She writes novels for teens and teens at heart. She’s a Washington State University alum (go Cougs!), a country music fanatic, and a makeup stockpiler. She loves the ocean, pedicures, sunshine, Instagram, Dirty Dancing and The Princess Bride, Jelly Bellies, true crime documentaries, and Friday Night Lights.