Books like 'The Drowning Summer'
Readers who enjoyed The Drowning Summer by Christine Lynn Herman also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary fantasy mystery urban fantasy horror supernatural lgbtq wlw paranormal magical-realism
-
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
34 ratingsYadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can’t get rid of him.When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free...Categorized as:
ghosts lgbtq magical-realism paranormal spooky witches-wizards action-adventure audiobook -
Witch at Odds by Juliette Harper
12 ratingsResigned to her new life as a witch and determined to make a success of both that and her business, Jinx has a lot to learn. She sets out to both study her craft and get a real direction for her aunt’s haphazard approach to inventory. Not to mention the fact that she wouldn’t mind getting to know neighboring business owner Chase McGregor a lot better... -
Dead Man Walking by Pandora Pine
8 ratingsCold Case Detective, Ronan O’Mara is stunned to see the breaking news that a well-known mobster he helped to put behind bars, Vito “The Dragon” Dragonni, has been released from prison after his life sentence is overturned on a technicality. When prominent members involved in the original case against The Dragon start turning up dead, Ronan starts to wonder if he’s next... -
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
35 ratingsTwin sisters Jack and Jill were seventeen when they found their way home and were packed off to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children.This is the story of what happened first…Jacqueline was her mother’s perfect daughter—polite and quiet, always dressed as a princess. If her mother was sometimes a little strict, it’s because crafting the perfect daughter takes discipline... -
-
Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch
26 ratingsThe seventh book of the bestselling Rivers of London urban fantasy series returns to the adventures of Peter Grant, detective and apprentice wizard, as he solves magical crimes in the city of London.The Faceless Man, wanted for multiple counts of murder, fraud, and crimes against humanity, has been unmasked and is on the run... -
Memory and Dream by Charles de Lint
18 ratingsFrom World Fantasy Award-winning author Charles de Lint, a tale of love, courage, and the transforming power of imagination Isabelle Copley's visionary art frees ancient spirits. As the young student of the cruel, brilliant artist Vincent Rushkin, she discovered she could paint images so vividly real they brought her wildest fantasies to life...Categorized as:
classics magical-realism paranormal retellings action-adventure anthologies audiobook contemporary -
Odd Thomas: You Are Destined To Be Together Forever by Dean Koontz
18 ratingsThe singular journey of Odd Thomas is approaching its unforgettable conclusion in Saint Odd. But before Odd’s destiny is revealed, this exclusive eBook short story looks back — way back — to where it all began for Odd Thomas and Stormy Llewellyn, two souls who are destined to be together forever...Categorized as:
ghosts magical-realism paranormal witches-wizards audiobook book contemporary fiction -
Shadow Web by Yasmine Galenorn
6 ratingsThe holidays are here, and this year, they’re deadly…It’s my first Thanksgiving back in Moonshadow Bay, and everything is hunky-dory until the Witches Guild assigns me a research project for the upcoming Winter Solstice Festival. Not only do I melt down my computer, but I download a demon who ends up stuck in my house...Categorized as:
paranormal witches-wizards ghosts urban-fantasy contemporary magic mystery shapeshifters -
Crystal Web by Yasmine Galenorn
6 ratingsStrange events--stranger than usual--begin to happen around town, odd accidents and frightening encounters. The chief of police comes to Conjure Ink to ask us to investigate. As we delve deeper into what's going on, we find evidence that Moonshadow Bay is being visited by the infamous Mothman. And worse than that, he seems to have targeted my best friend Ari...Categorized as:
paranormal witches-wizards ghosts urban-fantasy contemporary fantasy magic shapeshifters -
Ghostly Attachments by Alexie Aaron
8 ratingsIt isn’t the chair rocking by itself that sends the young family fleeing in the middle of the night. It’s when it stops rocking and all hell breaks loose. This family needs help. Enter PEEPs (Paranormal Entity Exposure Partners) armed with the latest hi-tech gear and the ghost communication abilities of Mia Cooper. But this isn’t a normal case. Some of the ghosts aren’t playing fair... -
The Ghost of Ellwood by Jaclyn Osborn
12 ratings“I didn't believe in ghosts. Until I met him.”As a horror novelist, Ben makes a living telling scary stories. However, he's struggling in his career and fears he's lost his touch. Not only is there a disconnect in his writing, but in his personal life as well. After his relationship goes south, he decides to start over and moves to Ivy Grove, a small town with a lot of history... -
Sixteen Souls by Rosie Talbot
12 ratingsSixteen-year-old Charlie Frith has problems. His crush is dating someone else, his sisters have glitter-bombed his prosthesis (again), and he's a seer-of-spirits in York, the most haunted city in England, and all his friends are ghosts.To make matters worse, it seems that famous spirits are mysteriously vanishing from York's haunted streets and alleys... -
The Lamp of the Wicked by Phil Rickman
14 ratingsIt appears that the unlovely village of Underhowle is home to a serial killer. But as the police hunt for the bodies of more young women, Rev. Merrily Watkins fears that the detective in charge has become blinkered by ambition. Meanwhile, Merrily has more personal problems, like the anonymous phone calls, the candles and incense left burning in her church, and the alleged angelic visitations... -
The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf
14 ratingsI am a dark spirit, the ghost announced grandly. I am your inheritance, your grandmother’s legacy. I am yours to command.Suraya is delighted when her witch grandmother gifts her a pelesit. She names her ghostly companion Pink, and the two quickly become inseparable...Categorized as:
ghosts magical-realism paranormal retellings spooky witches-wizards action-adventure asian-mc -
-
Haunting Charlie by Wendy Wang
18 ratingsIgnoring the dead can get you killed... All Charlie Payne wants is to lead a normal life and to be a good mom. But Charlie’s not exactly normal. She's from a long line of witches and she can see the dead. Susan Tate has inherited a beautiful old southern mansion on the coast. Unfortunately, the property came with a million necessary repairs. And ghosts... -
Black Opal by Catie Rhodes
8 ratingsNote: This novella is the second installment in the Peri Jean Mace series. The print version is approximately 180 pages. Please be aware before purchasing that this is a short novel. "I knowed you'd be coming." The voice came from next to my arm, male but high and reedy. "You here to make things right, ain't you?" Not according to Peri Jean Mace... -
Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho
10 ratings"If you live near the jungle, you will realize that what is real and what is not real is not always clear. In the forest there is not a big gap between the two."A Datin recalls her romance with an orang bunian. A teenage pontianak struggles to balance homework, bossy aunties, first love, and eating people... -
Long Lost by Jacqueline West
14 ratingsEleven-year-old Fiona has just read a book that doesn’t exist. When Fiona’s family moves to be closer to her older sister’s figure skating club—and far from Fiona’s close-knit group of friends—nobody seems to notice Fiona’s unhappiness. Alone and out of place, Fiona ventures to the town’s library, a rambling mansion donated to the town by the long-dead heiress...Categorized as:
paranormal ghosts magical-realism spooky historical-fiction middle-grade fantasy mystery -
The Suffering by Rin Chupeco
16 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Tark knows what it is to be powerless. But Okiku changed that. A restless spirit who ended life as a victim and started death as an avenger, she’s groomed Tark to destroy the wicked...Categorized as:
ghosts historical-fiction paranormal retellings spooky 21st-century action-adventure audiobook -
The Casquette Girls by Alys Arden
16 ratingsSeven girls tied by time.Five powers that bind.One curse to lock the horror away.One attic to keep the monsters at bay.After the storm of the century rips apart New Orleans, sixteen-year-old Adele Le Moyne wants nothing more than her now silent city to return to normal...Categorized as:
ghosts historical-fiction magical-realism paranormal spooky witches-wizards audiobook book -
The Ghost of Marlow House by Bobbi Holmes, Anna J. McIntyre
18 ratingsWhen Danielle Boatman inherits Marlow House, she dreams of turning it into a seaside bed and breakfast. Since she's never visited the property, Danielle's not sure what awaits her in Oregon. She certainly doesn't expect to find one of the house's previous owners still in residence... -
The Hidden by Jessica Verday
20 ratingsA love that knows no bounds. Abbey knows that Caspian is her destiny. Theirs is a bond that transcends even death. But as Abbey finally learns the full truth about the dark fate that links her to Caspian and ties them both to the town of Sleepy Hollow, she suddenly has some very hard choices to make...Categorized as:
classics ghosts paranormal retellings witches-wizards action-adventure adaptations afterlife -
Dark Rivers: A Witchbane Novel by Morgan Brice
6 ratingsOne hundred years ago, a sheriff’s posse killed dark warlock Rhyfel Gremory, but his witch-disciples escaped, and their magic made them nearly immortal. To keep their power, each year one of the witch-disciples kills a descendant of one of the men in the posse, a twelve-year cycle that has cost dozens of lives, including that of Seth Tanner’s brother, Jesse... -
Her Loving Husband's Return by Meredith Allard
6 ratingsBook Three of the bestselling Loving Husband Trilogy - "A perfect ending to this trilogy!" (Nicole L. Vermilya)What would you risk to return to the one you loved?James Wentworth's paranormal secret is no longer a secret, and now he and his beloved wife, Sarah, have been separated... -
-
A Dark and Starless Forest by Sarah Hollowell
8 ratingsWhen her siblings start to go missing, a girl must confront the dark thing that lives in the forest—and the growing darkness in herself—in this debut YA contemporary fantasy for fans of Wilder Girls.Derry and her eight siblings live in an isolated house by the lake, separated from the rest of the world by an eerie and menacing forest... -
Never Have I Ever by Isabel Yap
8 ratings“Am I dead?”Mebuyen sighs. She was hoping the girl would not ask.Spells and stories, urban legends and immigrant tales: the magic in Isabel Yap’s debut collection jumps right off the page, from the joy in her new novella, 'A Spell for Foolish Hearts' to the terrifying tension of the urban legend 'Have You Heard the One About Anamaria Marquez'... -
Keeper of the Bees by Meg Kassel
8 ratings"Beauty and the beast like you've never imagined!" —New York Times bestselling author Pintip DunnKEEPER OF THE BEES is a tale of two teens who are both beautiful and beastly, and whose pasts are entangled in surprising and heartbreaking ways.Dresden is cursed. His chest houses a hive of bees that he can’t stop from stinging people with psychosis-inducing venom...Categorized as:
paranormal retellings magical-realism romance fantasy young-adult fiction supernatural -
Chapel of Ease by Alex Bledsoe
10 ratingsThe latest installment in Alex Bledsoe's critically-acclaimed Tufa series that Kirkus Reviews calls "powerful, character-driven drama...a sheer delight." (starred review)When Matt Johanssen, a young New York actor, auditions for "Chapel of Ease," an off-Broadway musical, he is instantly charmed by Ray Parrish, the show's writer and composer...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction lgbtq magical-realism paranormal retellings adult audiobook -
Les aventures de Johnny Dixon: Le crâne du sorcier by John Bellairs
12 ratingsWhen Johnny Dixon and his friend Professor Childermass discover an old heirloom clock, the terror begins. The professor suddenly vanishes, and Johnny is left to solve the mystery--alone.Inside the clock Johnny discovers a miniature room, a room exactly like the one in which a murder took place long ago. And from the inside the little room Johnny pockets a tiny skull with magical powers...Categorized as:
classics ghosts historical-fiction paranormal witches-wizards 20th-century action-adventure book -
The Unholy Cause by Joe Schreiber
14 ratingsA "Supernatural" novel that reveals a previously unseen adventure for the Winchester brothers, from the hit CW series Way back in April 1862, Confederate Captain Jubal Beauchamp leads a charge across a Georgia battleground... Fast forward to 2009 and a civil war re-enactment becomes all too real. When Sam and Dean head down south to investigate they find that history has got somewhat out of hand.Categorized as:
classics ghosts paranormal retellings 21st-century action-adventure book contemporary -
The Mummy, the Will, and the Crypt by John Bellairs
14 ratingsJohnny Dixon is sure that he can solve the riddle that will reveal the hiding place of wealthy Mr. Glomus's will--and net Johnny a hefty reward in the bargain. Although his neighbor Professor Childermass warns him to stay away from the Glomus mansion, Johnny can't resist a challenge. Soon he's alone in the deserted house..Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction paranormal season-summer witches-wizards 20th-century book children -
Threadneedle by Cari Thomas, Patricia Sebastián Hernández
14 ratingsWithin the boroughs of London, nestled among its streets, hides another city, filled with magic.Magic is the first sin. It must be bound.Ever since Anna can remember, her aunt has warned her of the dangers of magic. She has taught her to fear how it twists and knots and turns into something dark and deadly.It was, after all, magic that killed her parents and left her in her aunt’s care...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magical-realism paranormal witches-wizards audiobook book contemporary fiction -
The Boy in the Smoke by Maureen Johnson
14 ratingsOn a cold night, Stephen Dene went to the Eton boathouse to perform a desperate act. But someone stopped him along the way, sending his life in a new and decidedly strange direction–leading him to London, to two new friends, and to a world of shadows and mystery... -
The Hexed by Heather Graham, Luke Daniels
16 ratingsA place of history, secrets…and witchcraft.Devin Lyle has recently returned to the Salem area, but her timing couldn't be worse. Soon after she moved into the eighteenth-century cabin she inherited from her great-aunt Mina—her "crazy" great-aunt, who spoke to the dead—a woman was murdered nearby...Categorized as:
ghosts historical-fiction paranormal witches-wizards adult audiobook book contemporary -
-
Tales from the Folly: A Rivers of London Short Story Collection by Ben Aaronovitch
18 ratingsReturn to the world of Rivers of London in this first short story collection from #1 Sunday Times bestselling author, Ben Aaronovitch. Tales from the Folly is a carefully curated collection that gathers together previously published stories and brand new tales in the same place for the first time... -
Dark and Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain
18 ratingsA teen girl disappears from her small town deep in the bayou, where magic festers beneath the surface of the swamp like water rot, in this chilling debut supernatural thriller for fans of Natasha Preston, Karen McManus, and Rory Power.La Cachette, Louisiana, is the worst place to be if you have something to hide... -
The Evil Inside by Heather Graham
18 ratingsSome deaths live on foreverFor as long as it has stood overlooking New England's jagged coastline, Lexington House has been the witness to madness…and murder. But in recent years the inexplicable malice that once tormented so many has lain as silent as its victims...Categorized as:
ghosts historical-fiction paranormal witches-wizards adult audiobook book contemporary -
House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
26 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Iris Hollow has always been strange. Something happened to her and her two older sisters when they were children, something they can’t quite remember but that left each of them with an identical half-moon scar at the base of their throats. Iris has spent most of her teenage years trying to avoid the weirdness that sticks to her like tar... -
Livre de sang by Clive Barker
26 ratingsThe Books of Blood combine the ordinary with the extraordinary while radiating the eroticism that has become Barker's signature. Weaving tales of the everyday world transformed into an unrecognizable place, where reason no longer exists and logic ceases to explain the workings of the universe, Clive Barker provides the stuff of nightmares in packages too tantalizing to resist... -
Lanny by Max Porter
26 ratingsThere’s a village sixty miles outside London. It’s no different from many other villages in England: one pub, one church, red-brick cottages, council cottages and a few bigger houses dotted about. Voices rise up, as they might do anywhere, speaking of loving and needing and working and dying and walking the dogs...Categorized as:
ghosts historical-fiction magical-realism paranormal retellings spooky 21st-century adult -
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova
25 ratingsThe Montoyas are used to a life without explanations. They know better than to ask why the pantry never seems to run low or empty, or why their matriarch won’t ever leave their home in Four Rivers—even for graduations, weddings, or baptisms...Categorized as:
ghosts historical-fiction lgbtq magical-realism paranormal spooky witches-wizards action-adventure -
Took: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn
20 ratings“Folks say Old Auntie takes a girl and keeps her fifty years—then lets her go and takes another one.” Thirteen-year-old Daniel Anderson doesn’t believe Brody Mason’s crazy stories about the ghost witch who lives up on Brewster’s Hill with Bloody Bones, her man-eating razorback hog. He figures Brody’s probably just trying to scare him since he’s the new kid . . -
Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant
19 ratingsWhen the Imagine Network commissioned a documentary on mermaids, to be filmed from the cruise ship Atargatis, they expected what they had always received before: an assortment of eyewitness reports that proved nothing, some footage that proved even less, and the kind of ratings that only came from peddling imaginary creatures to the masses. They didn't expect actual mermaids...Categorized as:
lgbtq magical-realism paranormal retellings season-summer spooky 21st-century action-adventure -
Tales From the Hinterland by Melissa Albert
18 ratingsA gorgeously illustrated collection of twelve fairy tales by the author of The Hazel Wood and The Night Country!Journey into the Hinterland, a brutal and beautiful world where a young woman spends a night with Death, brides are wed to a mysterious house in the trees, and an enchantress is killed twice―and still lives... -
-
Bruja Born by Zoraida Córdova
16 ratingsThree sisters. One spell. Countless dead.Lula Mortiz feels like an outsider. Her sister's newfound Encantrix powers have wounded her in ways that Lula's bruja healing powers can't fix, and she longs for the comfort her family once brought her. Thank the Deos for Maks, her sweet, steady boyfriend who sees the beauty within her and brings light to her life...Categorized as:
lgbtq magical-realism paranormal spooky witches-wizards wlw action-adventure audiobook -
Unhallowed Ground by Heather Graham
16 ratingsWhen Sarah McKinley is finally able to buy and restore the historic Florida mansion that she has always loved, she dismisses the horror stories of past residents vanishing and a long-dead housekeeper who practiced black magic. Then, in the midst of renovations, she makes a grim discovery...Categorized as:
ghosts historical-fiction paranormal witches-wizards adult audiobook book contemporary -
The Merciless III: Origins of Evil by Danielle Vega
14 ratingsHorror queen Danielle Vega finally reveals the sinister mystery of how a teen girl named Brooklyn became the epitome of evil in this terrifying prequel to the series MTV calls "Mean Girls meets The Exorcist." Brooklyn knows that there's no good without evil, no right without wrong... -
The Revenge of the Wizard's Ghost by John Bellairs
10 ratingsCollapsed in a weird trance, Johnny Dixon is dying. Professor Childermass and Fergie soon learn the horrifying reason: Johnny is possessed by the spirit of the evil Warren Windrow. In a desperate effort to find a clue that will save Johnny's life, the professor and Fergie race to the gloomy Windrow estate. But demonic forces are waiting for them, and suddenly they're fighting for their own lives... -
The Barrow Will Send What it May by Margaret Killjoy
10 ratingsMargaret Killjoy’s Danielle Cain series is a dropkick-in-the-mouth anarcho-punk fantasy that pits traveling anarchist Danielle Cain against eternal spirits, hypocritical ideologues, and brutal, unfeeling officers of the law... -
A Natural History of Hell by Jeffrey Ford
8 ratingsEmily Dickinson takes a carriage ride with Death. A couple are invited over to a neighbor's daughter's exorcism. A country witch with a sea-captain's head in a glass globe intercedes on behalf of abused and abandoned children. In July of 1915, in Hardin County, Ohio, a boy sees ghosts. Explore contemporary natural history in a baker's dozen of exhilarating visions...
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.