Metamorphosis: Grove Hollow

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Author(s)

Shelby Nicole

Publisher

Delacorte Press

Genre(s)

Age Range

12+

Release Date

July 07, 2026

ISBN

979-8217234875

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The year is 1985, and seventeen-year-old Jade Whitney is about to discover that her family holds a dark secret that will change her life forever. Sent to live with her great-aunt Ruth, Jade moves into Blythe House, her family's sprawling, gilded mansion—but picturesque Grove Hollow, New York, is anything but welcoming.

At Jade’s new private school she’s shunned by everyone except the Misfits, the school’s outcasts, who spend their weekends exploring abandoned haunted mansions and listening to The Cure. But Jade’s eye keeps wandering back to Brad, the charming, handsome rugby captain—and the only other kid at school to welcome her.

Everything changes when Jade finds a cursed locket in a derelict estate. The locket is connected to a Victorian ghost named William, who desperately needs Jade’s help, and who Jade feels an undeniable attraction to. The closer they grow, the more urgent it becomes for Jade to decide where her heart truly lies—and if she’s willing to let Will go.

Editor review

1 review

Metamorphosis: Grove Hollow

June 09, 2026 (Updated: July 07, 2026)

Overall rating

4.3

Plot

5.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

Seventeen-year-old Jade finds out about her mysterious family after the death of her beloved grandfather. It's 1985, and Jade ends up moving to her wealthy great-aunt Ruth's house in Grove Hollow, New York. While there, she encounters something spooky about the huge mansion. Only to find an attractive ghost named Will, who died one hundred years ago in the abandoned mansion next door. While she and the Misfits-her new friends at the academy- trespass the mansion, she finds a mysterious Egyptian locket. A locket that somehow is linked to the mystery behind Will's death and more.

What worked: Stranger Things meets a ghost and a mysterious Egyptian locket. Jade is more of an outcast and quickly makes friends with the kids considered The Misfits. One of the more popular boys at her new school, Brad, is friendly to her. Allison, his off-and-on girlfriend and resident Mean Girl, dislikes Jade right off the start. Allison's family is wealthy like Jade's. Unlike Allison, though, Jade's aunt is seen as a crazy witch. So when Brad shows interest in Jade, Allison isn't too happy. The high school tropes of Mean Girls, Jocks, and the outcasts run throughout this story. Add a 1985 flare.

What is more intriguing is the mystery behind Will's death and why he hasn't passed to the Other Side. There's hints woven throughout that include the locket that has what appears to be an Egyptian curse.

I really liked the chemistry between Will and Jade with its bittersweet romance angle. I didn't trust Brad at all. Maybe because of his relationship with Allison, who is over-the-top nasty and mean to anyone who isn't in her circle.

I wanted more on the Egyptian subplot. How did Will get the locket? Why was it hidden for one hundred years, and why did Jade find it? There has to be a link there somehow? There is a second book in this series, so I'm excited to see where it goes. Especially after that big cliffhanger ending.

Paranormal romance between a ghost and a girl in 1985, and the Egyptian mystery that links them together.

Good Points

1. Stranger Things meets ghosts and a mysterious Egyptian locket
2. 1985