I’ve been reading Bovalino’s books since the beginning and this has to be my favorite! I, in the Shadows is an emotional and thrilling story about loss and love. We love the mistakes, learning, and development! Keep reading this book review of I, in the Shadows for my full thoughts.
Summary
Liam has been dead for ten months, haunting the house he used to share with his family, and facing intermittent and terrifying encounters with an eldritch entity called The Beast, who seems determined to consume his soul. Besides that complication in Liam’s new existence, he’s actually adjusted well enough to boredom. But all of that changes when a new family moves in and Liam finds himself sharing a room with Drew Tarpin, who is all of the things Liam never was when he was athletic, queer, and effortlessly cool.
Except, Liam and Drew do have something in their hopeless attraction to Hannah Steward, the nerdy captain of the school mock trial team. After Drew stands in to protect Liam from the Beast, he agrees to help her win Hannah over if Drew keeps Liam from spending the entirety of his afterlife as demon food. It shouldn’t be hard, since Liam was in unrequited love with Hannah for his entire natural life, and her best friend until his untimely death. But the Beast will not be satisfied no matter how much Drew fights back on Liam’s behalf—and when Hannah catches on that Liam might not be totally gone, it puts all of their lives at risk.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
I, in the Shadows is an emotional work of art. It’s fragile, vulnerable, and not afraid to showcase its flaws. I loved how quickly Drew’s character and narrative voice is established. Drew feels adrift and is so used to leaving first so she doesn’t have to be left behind. As someone who identifies with that, I, in the Shadows felt like a gut punch. It’s scary to meet new friends, to feel like we have to find connection all over again. I get that. And this latest release from Bovalino examines the mistakes we make when we are scared, when we are adrift, and what we do to make amends. It’s about unexpected friendship, trying to tackle something on our own, and hurting the people we love.
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Within I, in the Shadows is the mystery of death and how we process it. There are chapters from Liam’s perspective and these were – it feels like an understatement to say – emotional. Everything we wish we could say and how we can feel like we are left and are leaving people behind. This is an exploration of the emotions of guilt, grief, loss, and love all at once. It’s an emotional and intimate book about processing, friendship, and love. About family and being vulnerable. One of my favorite reads this year for sure! Find I, in the Shadows on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop. org, & Blackwells.