Book: She’s a Doll by Barbara Truelove
Reviewed by Engie
Rating: 4/5
Okay, She’s a Doll… you definitely had my attention. 👀
The first 25% had me hooked! The story starts off gripping enough to make you want to keep reading and find out what happens next. Then… things slow down for a few chapters. 😬 Thankfully, the pace picks back up, and Lucy finally gets some character development—which Nicola does too—and I found myself getting more invested in both of them.
Now, Chapter Two… 🤔 I’m still not entirely sure why we needed you. 😂 IMO, it didn’t add much to the overall story and could probably have been skipped since it only referenced one detail towards the end with Ginger.
I really appreciated the expected ending came at about the 88-90% mark! There were plenty of buildups, and I was worried the conclusion might feel rushed. Happily, that wasn’t the case. The actual ending had enough room to unfold naturally in the last 10% for a full circle closure. The last chapter could have been a page shorter, but hey, I’ve read MUCH longer goodbyes. 😉
👻 THE GHOST LORE, THOUGH!
I thoroughly enjoyed the ghost lore and the little addendums. They brought some humor to the story and gave me that fun “wait…is this actually a thing?” feeling. Those little extras were a definite highlight for me.
📖 And book club friends, listen up!
There are book club discussion questions at the end! 🙌 And they’re credited to N. Novkovic, which I thought was such a fun touch. You’ll understand when you read it.
Overall, She’s a Doll was an entertaining read with creepy moments, interesting characters, ghostly lore, and enough twists to keep me turning pages.
Would I recommend it? If you enjoy books with a little mystery, a little creepiness, and a healthy dose of “okay…where is this going?”—give it a try. 👻📚
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own