They Stay

They Stay Series, Book 1

By: Claire Fraise

Narrated by: Elizabeth Phillips, Tristan Fraise

She never believed in ghosts. But now they might be her only hope to find her missing brother.

Shiloh Oleson loves her six-year-old brother more than life. So the headstrong teen’s world shatters when he goes missing after tee-ball practice and her abusive father gives up the search.

When Shiloh is approached by a classmate who claims to know where the little boy is, she's ecstatic. That is, until she finds out that there is something seriously weird about how her classmate got this information:

She was told by a ghost.

Armed with her wits and courage, Shiloh teams up with her quirky classmate Francesca who sees dead people, her nerdy boyfriend Miles, and bad boy Jonah to solve the mystery behind her brother’s disappearance. But the closer she gets to the truth, the more disturbing secrets she uncovers about her family, the school… and an undead force on her tail.

Can Shiloh and her friends bring the little boy home before it's too late?Content Warning: Contains scenes of physical and mental abuse, alcoholism, and kidnapping.

Publisher's Note: This audiobook is unabridged and contains bonus content not found in the print or e-book versions.

©2021 Claire Fraise (P)2024 Claire Fraise

Exceptionally intriguing and enthralling.

I was not expecting to love this story so much. It is not my usual genre. There were so many unexpected twists and turns and intriguing ideas woven into the story. There were big thought provoking questions about life and death that left me pondering what ghosts are… and the teens themselves are so believable. They all become very real, their struggles and fears. It was action filled and I jumped right into its sequel They Whisper as I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen next. Claire Fraise is a genius world builder. I could see the story as it played out and felt I was in the scene as a witness. This should be a movie or show. I would love to see it on the big screen. Also a wonderful audio performance.

Wow

This book had me hooked! I’ve never read (or listened to) a book about ghosts before. The storyline was really fun and I think it was pretty unique. I really hope this series is around for a long time. This audio book is definitely worth listening to, a “must” for any paranormal fans imo.

I don’t want to post any spoilers, but when I read/heard what the true danger was to her missing brother…it was so intense at the last half/end, I couldn’t take a break until it was over. But even then…there’s a twist you didn’t see coming.

The narrators are also very good and easy to understand/listen to. I could easily differentiate between characters.

a good compelling story

it kept me compelled and wanting to know what happens! It well written, well narration and kept me coming back for more

Fast-paced and heavy-hitting

Don't let the young adult category steer you away--this book takes an unflinching look at loss, love, and our greatest natural fears. Shiloh, Francesca, and the Ghost Helpers feel like real kids trying to save a little boy in a world where they feel powerless and so much is still beyond their understanding. The ending is a roundhouse kick to the face and I super pumped to experience the next one.

Held my interest until the end...wanted book 2 now

Loved the different story lines that meld together unpredictably - finally something unique with awesome narration. It was easy to develop interest & concern for the main characters. That's definitely something I struggle with personally. I found the plot, characters, and relationships very intriguing and was anxious to hear how it all played out. Some police procedure, sleuthing, and a bit of paranormal - all my favorites. There were some possible "trigger" topic. However, the author did a great job using those topics to build the characters without divulging too much uncomfortable detail.
I can't wait for book two.

This book had me flying through it!!

This YA Paranormal with a bit of Romance was so good!! A real page turner. It is book one and leaves off with a bit of a shock that makes you want to dive into book two. The characters are so awesome, they are all different in ways, but they’re all in the same grade in school. There’s the girl who lives in an abusive home, the girl who sees ghosts, the boy who lives in foster care and the boy who has loving parents and lives in a nice home. There’s a mystery, lots of suspense, the development of good friends, emotional at times and a little romance (not sure where that’s going). I loved it and recommend it if you enjoy YA books.

Best in a long time

I cannot express how much I liked this book. It kept me engaged all the way through. I am so excited that there are 3 more books after this one! I will be buying those and will look for more from this author afterwards. Incredible work.

I wasn't the targeted audience.

The narration was great and they made the characters separate enough to keep track (3 total chapter narrations of 2 girls 1 boy).

The story was amazing and I really liked the spin with the supernatural. I wish there would have been more involvement but it was a nice change. I also liked the mystery of the book as ot keeps you wondering amd guessing.

I, 25 year old male, didn't seem like the targeted audience which is why I still gave it a high rating as well as with narration and unique story. The book follows mainly two young 13ish year old girls. The author did a great job in being in their mindset but it was like watching a movie and saying "why would you do this and not that?" over and over. Again, I don't believe I am th targeted audience so it's understandable.

My only other complaint is that the main protagonists, specifically the two girls and one of the boys are not relatable. They have several flaws/challenges in their life but rather than just one or two it seems they have a long list. This does make them the underdogs but also keeps the reader from being able to put themselves in the protagonists shoes. One to two challenges/flaws I believe would be perfect but anymore and it pulls away from the main story. I enjoyed supernatural and mystery on finding the missing child (vague for small spoilers) but then we would stop that to go into each protagonists life and how hard they have it and so on but then be pulled back into the search.

Overall, excellent book and excellent narration. Ms. Claire you did an amazing job with the book and I loved that you incorporated your own unique ideas into it. I just believe I wasn't the targeted audience.

Suspenseful and keeps you on your toes!

"They stay" was full of action packed, ghost hunting and a lot of team work to find out what happened to Shilohs brother. I was on edge for a lot of this book and kept wanting to know what happens next! Throughout the book I was able to picture the scenes and what the characters look like with ease and that matters to me because I feel like a lot of books lack this and I love attention to detail. What threw me off a little bit and why I couldn't give 5 stars was because of Jonahs POV. I felt like his POV sort of came out of left field and it was pretty short. He is a very interesting character and I think attention to detail on his past (even though we do get a little insight) would have been really cool to read about. I also just wanted more of max in the book or maybe his POV being captured? Either way I do highly recommend you all picking up this book and seeing for yourself why you need this in your life! This book gives you an appreciation for your loved ones and is an eye opener that anything can happen to them so make sure to give them a big hug! Also, to not judge someone right away because they may just be your biggest help!

Great listen can't wait for book two.....

This was a good find I stumbled a pond and for those listeners who like listening to a good YA ghost story I highly recommend this one for you I am getting ready to listen to book two in this short series my only problem with this series is that it wasn't longer it's worth the credits all I can say is great author and good narration don't wait grab this book now you won't be sorry you did😁👍.....