I’m kind of a baby. I get scared really easily. Like, so easily. I’m not jumpy, but more scared of the atmospheric scares. Movies like The Strangers and The Conjuring terrified me beyond belief because of how scary the atmosphere was. The horror that scares me the most is about homes. Haunted houses, home invasions, anything where something or someone unwanted is in the house.

Mine by Delilah S. Dawson is that kind of horror.

Lily, the lead star of the story, is the most dramatic 12 year old in the world. She loves musicals and telling huge stories that may or may not be exaggerated (it really depends on how much of it she can act out). Her parents are moving her to Florida, America’s armpit. She’s not thrilled with the move.

She’s definitely not thrilled by the new house. It is packed wall-to-wall with stuff. Boxes, garbage, clothes, everything. It’s an old hoarder’s house. But, it’s right next to a forest/swamp and on a lake surrounded by McMansions. Lily checks out her room and finds it still completely intact with all of the old tenant’s belongings. It was a little girl named Britney’s room.

Lily starts cleaning out all the old stuff, throwing everything she can away. She moves her bed and starts making it her own room. Then, after visiting with her mom and heading back up to her room, she sees the bed moved back to the original spot and the whole room torn apart. On the mattress, written in ash, is the word “MINE”.

This is a catalyst for a really creepy and cool haunted house story. The story unfolds at such a great pace, filled with scares all along the way. You do eventually learn why Britney is haunting the house and it’s such a tragic story.

One thing I really want to point out is how well Dawson portrayed a 12 year old drama queen. As someone who was a 12 year old drama queen, it is nice to feel seen. The parents are written so well in that aspect as well. You can really see how close to the end of their rope they are with her. Of course, Lily has a dark secret as well as to why her parents are so fed up with the dramatics, but I really hated the explanation. I felt that her dad was really overreacting to something that wasn’t truly her fault. Anyway, that is literally the only bad thing I have to say about this book.

Mine by Delilah S. Dawson is a good, scary read. I literally read it lying in bed in about two hours and that’s something I never do. I can’t remember the last time I read something in one sitting like that and I’m glad I did. Definitely recommended for young horror fans. 5/5, 10/10.

Thanks NetGalley for the eARC! Always happy to read Delilah Dawson.