We Were Never Here - by Sophia Hannan (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The remaining members of a ghost hunting show return to the haunted manor that may have killed their friend in this atmospheric, contemporary gothic debut perfect for fans of She Is a Haunting and Delicious Monsters.

Four teens went into the manor, three came out.

In July, Georgia Perry and Jules Park--secret girlfriends, covert art thieves, and cohosts of a popular YouTube ghost hunting show--step into a haunted house to steal a priceless painting. A few short hours later, there's a knife in Jules's chest and Georgia is waking up in a pool of blood with no painting and no memory of how she got there.

Now it's October, and Georgia is underwater. She hasn't been to class in weeks, and she's avoiding her old crew--and only friends--like the plague. But when the three remaining thieves get a call from the man who paid a hefty sum to keep them out of jail, demanding that they return to finish the job, Georgia has no choice but to return to her old life.

As the estranged friends scramble to steal the painting with no cover story and no leader, they quickly realize that something is very, very wrong, and it's not just the suffocating memory of Jules or the prying eyes of their viewers. Between the strange shadows that begin to trail them and the nightmares plaguing Georgia's sleep, only one thing is certain: something followed them home from De Lys manor, and it will do anything to keep them from going back.

Review Quotes

"We Were Never Here resurrects the best parts of the horror genre. Equal parts devastating and hopeful, Sophia Hannan paints a hauntingly beautiful portrait of grief and learning how to heal amongst the ghosts of the past. This is a ghost story that bravely weaves together bittersweet coming of age elements with unsettling horror and profound insight into the love that survives death."--Hayley Dennings, New York Times bestselling author of This Ravenous Fate

"Lyrical, eerie and full of voice, Hannan deftly examines the double-edged knife of being perceived, the hairline fractures left behind by grief, and how to design new futures in the face of past-shattering loss. We Were Never Here is an introspective, emotionally hard-hitting horror debut that will stick with readers long after turning the last page."--Jihyun Yun, author of And the River Drags Her Down

"With gothic touches and prose like a submerged dream, We Were Never Here paints ghostly grief for the gay Buzzfeed Unsolved generation. A delicately-wrought haunting of those who've grown versions of themselves online--about complicated love, reclaiming yourself, and the exorcising power of seeing and being seen."--Wen-yi Lee, author of The Dark We Know

About the Author

Sophia Hannan (she/her) is a Canadian author who writes young adult and adult fiction. We Were Never Here is her young adult debut. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and working as a bookseller. When she isn't writing about ghosts, she's either watering her plants or listening to "Moon Song" by Phoebe Bridgers on repeat.