Title: Just Us, Here

Author: V.S. Lawrence

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Just-Us-Here-V-S-Lawrence-ebook/dp/B0GSZ1MVNG

Summary

Wren built her life to be watched. She saw the next shift coming and got there first — a farmhouse, a beautiful family, a life that looked perfect on camera. Fresh bread, quiet mornings, a cottage that sells the image. Online, it looks exactly right. Offline, it’s starting to come undone.

There are gaps in her memory. A cold she can’t shake. And the barn at the edge of the property keeps pulling her back.

The woman tied to this house never really let go…and she’s not planning on leaving.

My Review

5/5 Stars

When Wren, a tradwife influencer, and her family move to a countryside farmhouse, she has dreams of a simpler life. And better content. The longer they’re there, the worse Wren starts to feel. Things happen that she can’t remember, and the things she can remember make her feel worse. Except it might not all be in her head. Someone is watching. And she wants what Wren has.

This is one of those books that I absolutely didn’t want to put down. It had so many compelling elements, the strongest of them being female rage, which is one of my absolute favorite tropes.

This was my second read by V.S. Lawrence, the first being 80’s ghosts. It’s clear that she knows what she’s doing when it comes to creating fully creepy ghost stories. [Spoiler alert] The element of Wren slowly losing her mind was so well done. The gradual shift from who she started out as to who she became was mixed together so well throughout the story that by the time the book was over, it was easy to forget who she was at the start. [end spoilers]

There are moments in this book that were admittedly bleak. Any book potentially dealing with PPD can be. I thought it was an interesting twist of horror to add into an already powerful arc. Wren felt like such a real character. Doting on her family and working to become an influencer all the while feeling like she ultimately wasn’t good enough. I felt so much for her.

This is such a beautifully haunting book. I can’t sing it enough praises. I really don’t want to give too much away, so just take my word when I say you won’t want to miss this one.