Name: Crossroads
ISBN: 9780578723563

Laurel Hightower

How far would you go to bring back someone you love? When Chris's son dies in a tragic car crash, her world is devastated. The walls of grief close in on Chris's life until, one day, a small cut on her finger changes everything. A drop of blood falls from Chris's hand onto her son's roadside memorial and, later that night, Chris thinks she sees his ghost outside her window. Only, is it really her son's ghost, or is it something else-something evil? Soon Chris is playing a dangerous game with forces beyond her control in a bid to see her son, Trey, alive once again.

Crossroads

This story really reminded me of Pet Sematary and Bring Her Back with its eerie atmosphere and raw exploration of grief. It’s a compact but powerful read that dives deep into the pain and desperation that comes with loss. I appreciated how the theme of grief was handled. It was honest and haunting, making the horror feel personal and emotional rather than just spooky.

The tension builds steadily and the ending stayed with me long after I finished. It’s a dark, unsettling story about how far a mother might go for love and it definitely left an impact. I recommend reading if you like your horror with emotional depth.

Essence

This story really reminded me of Pet Sematary and Bring Her Back with its eerie atmosphere and raw exploration of grief. It’s a compact but powerful read that dives deep into the pain and desperation that comes with loss. I appreciated how the theme of grief was handled. It was honest and haunting, making the horror feel personal and emotional rather than just spooky.

The tension builds steadily and the ending stayed with me long after I finished. It’s a dark, unsettling story about how far a mother might go for love and it definitely left an impact. I recommend reading if you like your horror with emotional depth.

Alexis Donahue

Definitely shows the lengths a parent is willing to go for their child. However, the ending was a little confusing for me.

Dave | Storyphoria

Full Review at:
https://aicpod.com/review/crossroads-...

If you are a fan of horror, especially horror that comes not from the monsters in the dark but rather the monsters within each of us, I highly recommend you check out Crossroads by Laurel Hightower. It’s an emotional, impactful, read that does a beautiful job of building tension until the very end. Especially if you are a parent yourself as you can so easily picture yourself in Chris’s shoes as this story unfolds.

Jasmine

Another book where grief and loss take center stage. Chris has lost her son, Trey, due to a tragic car accident. She frequently visits his roadside memorial and wishes for nothing more than to hear or see her son again. On one visit, a cut on her finger drips onto the ground. Later that night Chris thinks she sees the ghost of her son outside her window. Is it his ghost or is it something malevolent? Does it matter when it comes to your kids? Crossroads and Remains have the same subject matter but both of these mothers go about things in a completely different way. Both are tragic, but are honest in their emotion. This is another 5 star read, though I did prefer the darkness of Remains to this.

Molly

Skimmed most of the book because it was so awful. I couldn’t wait for it to be over with. 

Wasn’t a fan of the writing. And how she couldn’t see what was happening, who knows. I get she’s blinded by grief but idk.

Becca Futrell

This was a buddy read with Reg!



Content Warnings: Suicide Ideation, Body Harm 

Before I get started, I want to remind the world that 3-stars is still good in my book. I still recommend reading this if it's something that intrigues you & I still think Laurel is an amazing human that deserves all of the love.

What’s wrong? Don’t you know your own son?

Now that I got that out of the way -- 

It's obvious, right away, that there is something special about Crossroads. The writing is hauntingly beautiful & right from the start, we are forced to feel the heartache of a grieving mother. Very sad, but always love an emotional punch. 

I also must mention that this book is one of the few books that made me actually cringe. Yes, I'm looking @ you Chris & your wild acts of sacrifice. & this! is such a good thing! If a book can make me react, then it's 100% doing its job! 

Like my good friend Judd says, "sometimes, dead is better." I've seen enough movies & episodes of Supernatural to know not to fuck with the dead. & this story puts more emphasis on this lesson. So, if you're into stories where you just know something will go wrong because dead is better -- this is one for you. 

Chris' self-destruction was done so well & I loved watching this character fall apart, even though she truly believes things are going for the better. Am I a fucked-up individual? When it comes to fiction, yes. I love suffering while I read. 

After all of these compliments, you may be wondering why I didn't score it higher. Again, remember 3-stars is still good in my book. I just had a bit of an issue with pacing; it's such a short novella, but there were a few moments where I just felt meh & felt that it was going a bit slow. Crossroads is a good book, I just didn't truly fall in love with it.

If you're a fan of grief horror, I do still feel confident in recommending Crossroads.