Kenzi's Grief vs The Ghosts of Esperance

By Josh van Reyk

Eighteen-year-old Kenzi has run out of places to hide from her grief. In the wake of recovering from a suicide attempt, Kenzi's Grandmother, Sarah passes away, and her family uproots their lives for a fresh start in Sarah's old coastal home. But the ghosts of Kenzi's past don't stay buried-figuratively or otherwise. Kenzi drifts through her days with sarcasm as armour, determined not to let anyone close. That begins to shift when she meets Jo-Sarah's lifelong best friend-whose warmth, stories, and unexpected connection to Kenzi's family feel like a doorway back into the world. Through Jo, Kenzi discovers something impossible: Tom, the ghost of Jo's first love, still tethered to the living by heartbreak and unfinished business. Helping a ghost wasn't part of Kenzi's plan. Neither was letting him help her. As Kenzi spends more time with Tom, she uncovers pieces of her family's secret history, repairs a shattered family car, and slowly begins mending parts of herself she thought were permanently broken. But healing means confronting what she's been running from-every memory, every loss, every truth she's been unwilling to face. In a town full of echoes-some whispered, some haunting-Kenzi must learn that letting go isn't losing, and that the people we love never truly leave us. Heartfelt, hopeful, and threaded with soft magic, Kenzi's Grief vs the Ghosts of Esperance is a contemporary YA novel about family, friendship, grief, and the courage it takes to open the door again.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1764313100
• ISBN13: 9781764313100
• Release Date: January 2026
• Publisher: Sparkly SLP
• Length: 318 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"