Robin’s Rave Reviews 2026

     FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS/MULTI-GENERATIONAL – MAGICAL REALISM – DARK ELEMENTS – ATMOSPHERIC – OLD MANSION – FAMILY SECRETS – SMALL TOWN SOUTHERN FICTION

PAPER GHOSTS by Sarah Addison Allen is a story about the search for love, the consequences and regrets caused by reactionary choices and actions, and how secrets follow us, impacting future generations. It revolves around cyclical family dysfunction.

Book Summary

Alice Wester, the matriarch of the founding family of Hen Town, North Carolina, has an unnerving knowledge of the sins of the people who live there, and she uses it to her advantage. When she whispers into someone’s ear, everyone knows she’s manipulating them through blackmail. But how does she know? Whether her “knowing” is a gift or a curse, the small community has nicknamed her the Witch of Wester House as a result of it.

The story begins in the mid-1970s with Alice and her granddaughter, Willamena. Alice is raising her granddaughter with an iron fist of control. The exception is that Willamena is allowed to choose her own friends. In high school Willamena is part of The Feathers (a group of girls who were the first in their school to feather their hair, a nice nod to the time period). Alice tries to control Willamena’s future, expecting her to take Alice’s place as she ages. Alice expects Willamena to stay in town after graduation, marry the man of Alice’s choice, live in the family mansion, and inherit the family money. Willamena falls for a travelling musician who represents a different life with freedom and adventure. She plans to run away with him…but Alice knows everything. The conflict between them escalates, and Willamena realizes her friends have betrayed her.

Years later, Willamena is now the matriarch, alone in her mansion, but with the same “gift” as her grandmother. After Willamena’s son graduated from high school, she sent him away to escape the trap of this small town. Unfortunately, when his wife dies, he’s left a single parent. Willamena agrees for him to come home with his five-year-old daughter, Bailey. Willamena keeps her distance, not wanting to repeat the actions of her grandmother. However, she does interfere by controlling Baileys’ circle of friends right away. She doesn’t want her to experience the betrayal she did. Bailey wants to know her elusive grandmother better, but she only sees her once a week for tea, even though they live in the same house.

Willamena has kept the secret behind her gift, not wanting Bailey to follow her path, but Bailey suspects she’s different. Bailey has a difficult time fitting in and ends up hanging on the edge of the mean girl group at school. Although she isn’t mean, she doesn’t stand up for anyone being targeted either. People leave her alone because her grandmother is the Witch of Wester House.

Bailey, who never dated, dreams of being in love. She makes a mistake on graduation night at a bonfire, setting off a series of traumatic consequences, not all of her own making. Her choices lead her into trouble when she discovers the boy she’s fantasized about is more like his reputation than the idea she created of him. The consequences of her mistake matched with her gift have the potential to be more of a true, dark curse, so her grandmother sends her away to protect her.

Bailey returns eight years later because her grandmother is ill. Bailey has questions she needs answered before it’s too late to ask. Her grandmother reveals she chooses to be tied to the house because of her first love. Bailey’s tie would be much darker, but Willamena has a plan to free her granddaughter.

My Thoughts

I’m a big Sarah Addison Allen fan, so I was excited to read the ARC of her newest book, PAPER GHOSTS. The story hooked me and kept me hooked. I devoured it in two days, which would have been one if I’d had more time. I love how she uses cozy, small-town settings but sprinkles in magical realism. She has a wonderful way with words, creating descriptions and comparisons that are often poetic and always observant. For example, she writes, “…she knew she wasn’t sophisticated, knew it the way you can know the meaning of a word but not how to pronounce it.” I even enjoy her little details like describing a car parked on the curb, “ticking as the engine cooled.”

I loved the first portion about Willamena growing up. However, I felt jarred when the story suddenly switched to Willamena being the grandmother. I wasn’t expecting the time jump. I was so involved in Willamena’s teen story and simply wanted more. After a bit, I connected with Bailey’s story and enjoyed it as well. Although Willamena’s story is tragic, Bailey’s adds a darker element. I kept reading, wondering about the “gift” and how these women know what they know. When the story finally disclosed the how, it made total sense (in a magical realism sort of way).

Willamena talks to Bailey about an old photo and tells her, “Photographs are paper ghosts. They’re the only ghosts everyone can see.” It wasn’t until I finished the book and considered that photos didn’t play a big role in the story that I looked at the quote again. It hit me that I needed to place the emphasis on the word ‘everyone.’ The explanation was right there the whole time, once I knew where to look. The book already explained the “gift,” but the quote made sense in a different way by the end.

These aren’t characters you’ll love to love, but they grow on you as you see why they make their choices based on their experiences. Sometimes you want to shake them and yell, “No! Don’t do that!” Friendship and the pursuit of love seem to create chaos and disaster in this family. So if you like a good family drama with a touch of the supernatural (without the scare factor), PAPER GHOSTS may be for you. Although it reaches toward gothic, it’s lighter than a true gothic tale.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this novel. The opinions are my own.

PAPER GHOSTS by Sarah Addison Allen came out September 1, 2026. I suggest ordering through Bookshop.org. I’m an affiliate because I love their mission to support small, independent bookstores across the country. I may received a small commission from your order, but it doesn’t increase your cost AND you’re helping small bookstores! Win-win! You can order PAPER GHOSTS HERE. And check out my Bookshop page with other great recommendations HERE.

About the Author

A native of Asheville, North Carolina, Sarah Addison Allen is the author of The Peach Tree Keeper, The Girl Who Chased the Moon, Garden Spells, The Sugar Queen, Lost Lake, First Frost, and more recently, Other Birds. This New York Times and USA Today bestselling author has brought Southern Magical Realism into the mainstream. Her novels dive into family dynamics with a supernatural slant while subtly showcasing her romantic, lyrical prose.

If You Like…

If you like the description of PAPER GHOSTS by Sarah Addison Allen, you may enjoy her other novels listed in the About the Author section above. Also, check out my past reviews on these recommendations: OTHER BIRDS by Sarah Addison Allen, THE STORY KEEPER by Kelly Rimmer, THE UNMAKING OF JUNE FARROW by Adrienne Young, THE KINDRED SPIRITS SUPPER CLUB by Amy Reichert, and MIDNIGHT at the BLACKBIRD CAFE by Heather Webber.

 

Would you be so kind to share my book reviews with a friend? 

My book reviews can be conveniently delivered directly to your email box whenever I post  (1 – 2 times per month)! Sign up here.

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram!

@author.robin.shelley