Leigh Howard and the Ghosts of Simmons-Pierce Manor

Product Information

This novel appeals to both YA and Adult audiences. The main character, Leigh Howard, has lost her parents to a brutal murder. She has had difficulty dealing with the loss, even attempting suicide at one point. Now, Leigh has been placed with a wealthy family of relatives that she doesn’t know and is determined to solve her parents’ murder. To complicate her life – she discovers that she is also living with two ghosts! There are twists and turns in this light-hearted mystery and Leigh is a very likable character. I love supporting smaller and indie authors. I promise, I do. Hopefully, I’ll be able to amend this review if the author edits and reworks his book to tighten and clean things up. I really wanted to love this book, I really did love little Bodie and even eventually big Bodie, It had a really good plot line. A little exaggerated but hey it is a story.

Navigating through everything wasn’t so lonely thanks to two or should I say multiple people lol one of them being her cousin Myra who was the sweetest. I loved that Leigh had her to lean on as Myra’s support contributed largely to Leigh feeling safe and comfortable. I commend the author for writing the tone for her character so maturely and empathetically.Please, let me preface this review. I know this book is receiving tons of hype and love. I, too, was introduced to this book by the viral TikTok video of the author selling his books at a grocery store. I read this in good faith. I feel it’s important to give an honest review and include a few content warnings to help parents decide if their child should read this as the intended age range feels like 13+. The suicide trope was thrown around loosely, which I did not appreciate, it was made fun of and often held against the MC to make her feel bad. Ok this is going to be a very, very unpopular opinion. Like everyone else, I heard about this book via Tik Tok. I was very excited to support a debuting author and so, so badly wanted to like this book.

There are a lot of great plot points in this book. There are also several problems that could be solved with more in-depth editing.Myra (19) describes going skinny dipping in a nearby river at age 10, which really didn't add to the plot and felt weird and unnecessary. The bad: I was once told by a mentor, writing a story is like flying a plane. You need a great takeoff, a smooth flight to the destination, and a safe and smooth ending that satisfies. This book did the first two, but the plane came out of the sky. The reason for my two stars is quite simple: 1) the dialogue is “cheesy” to the point of being unrealistic. A 16 year old gets chewed out by someone who’s not a parent and she…admits her wrong and accepts her punishment??? Since when!? It also felt like a Scooby Doo episode where the bad guy, having the characters dead to rights, pauses to dialogue about their plan, conveniently giving the characters a chance to regroup and thwart the plan. 2) given the Scooby Doo trope, the characters could have easily avoided the whole ending had the multi-million dollar business tycoon asked himself “does this situation make logical sense?” Ty, Leigh's father's friend, describes being disappointed in Leigh and having the urge to "put her over his knee and spank her" which again I think was weird, unnecessary, and added nothing to the plot. Again, she's 16 and her response to this is a sheepish "Oh I'd deserve it" which is both unrealistic and creepy. I enjoyed seeing Leigh’s growth throughout the story as well as her internal dialogue shift from the initial thoughts she had upon arriving at the manor. I saw this book on Tiktok as many others have, I even sent it to my own book club and friends to read (before reading) because come on the story of Shawn was touching and heart warming.

It’s been so many years since I’ve read a YA mystery book and this was nothing short of that but more. Leigh is a 16 year old teenage girl who after her parents are murdered, is taken in by a wealthy distant uncle and his family to the Simmons-Pierce Manor. While she does her best to adjust to her new life and deal with her grief — shes unable to let go of not knowing what happened to her parents and embarks on discovering the truth no matter how difficult it is. So first of all, congrats to Mr. Warner on his debut novel and getting published. That is no easy task, and only a few ever complete it. That being said, here’s my honest opinion.

Study Pack

From first glance the cover was a little misleading, I see a woman with curves leaning over a bike - that was one of the biggest issues for me while reading this book. the main MC was 16 years old - but her age got lost in the writing, a lot of times I kept thinking she was older than she was, I think the author did not hit the thinking/characteristics of a 16 year old girl. More research on that would’ve been appreciated since that was his leading character. The name and way the character "Nacho" is written is strange and feels like an insensitive and unnecessary depiction. Come on, Nacho?? Seriously?? I had to show support as a fellow book lover and avid reader, I loved the traction and the love the book community, as well as the world was showing Shawn. Now I can’t forget the ghost with severe split personality issues — Bodie. They equally made me laugh and feel so spooked. Their story was truly intriguing to read about as it felt so real and honest and I can’t say much else without giving it away. There are lines that would not be included in a middle grade book, like the one I have highlighted.