The Beast You Let in

By Dana Mele

Everyone in the rural town of Ashling knows the tale of Veronica Green, a teen who was murdered in the woods. But did a party trick bring her back to claim her revenge? A fast-paced, suspenseful YA horror from the author of Summer's Edge and People Like Us.

There is no one Hazel trusts less than her self-centered twin, Beth. So when Beth abandons her at a party she didn't want to attend in the first place, Hazel decides not to let it ruin her night. She throws herself into flirting and telling ghost stories over a Ouija board. Hazel might not be the popular twin, but she is going to have fun if it kills her.

Except Beth doesn't come home that night, and Hazel's anger morphs into anxiety. It only sharpens when Beth reappears a day later, disoriented and claiming to be Veronica Green, a teen who was murdered in their small town years before. If it isn't a possession, Beth is really good at faking it. Did they accidentally release a vengeful horror during the party?

Hazel must uncover what happened to Veronica all those years ago if she's going to save Beth. But the truth may destroy them both--if they don't destroy each other first.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1464237018
• ISBN13: 9781464237010
• Release Date: April 2026
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 14 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 9 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

"The Beast You Let In" ARC Review from The Nerd Cave Library

~~Reviewed by Toby Palevsky Smith of Toby's Nerd-Cave Library~~ Thank you to my sister, Ari, at the Cuyahoga County Public Library, for providing me with a free paperback Advance Readers Copy. As an identical twin myself, where one of us is trans, I heavily related to the siblings in this story - to a point. My twin and I have always been close unlike Beth and Hazel. I think Hazel really should’ve given Beth the benefit of the doubt, and I also think she was a little self centered. The change in POV halfway through the book was really what made it a fully rounded story for me. It included POVs from both twins, sometimes telling the same anecdote from their childhoods, but from each of their own POVs giving us both sides of the story. This was a ghostly murder mystery with a hint of gore and some delightfully colorful language. I also really like the fact that romance was not the main focus of the characters, that it is a very plot driven story with well developed characters. I feel like the rules of magic could have been more clearly defined, but overall I think the world building keeps the setting and plot pretty clear. The themes of isolation from the LGBT+ community really hit hard for me as a transman. I absolutely need to see more representation just like this in other books. A+ for the author for also including a list of Trans positive resources at the back of the book. I would recommend this story to anyone who likes a good murder mystery with a hint of fantasy attached.