Doe by Rebecca Barrow Review

 Title: Doe

Author: Rebecca Barrow

Age Group: Teen/Young Adult

Genre: Horror

Series: Standalone

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

I received an e-book advanced reader’s copy of this book from Netgalley–thank you to Netgalley and the publisher!

Doe is a horror story unlike any I’ve ever read: a group of lonely girls, their cheer captain, angry and furious and fierce and full of life, and a mysterious, natural horror looking for community and perhaps something altogether more sinister. The tone was sparse, poetic, lovely and haunting, and I was immediately immersed in the narrative. Just who or what is Doe? And what does it desire? These high school girls, full of petty squabbles and teenage rage, are looking for trouble, and what should they come upon but an ancient, unknowable being, tied to the natural world and perhaps with its own score to settle? What soon follows is something that cannot be undone, and that has reaching consequences. What will happen to Maris and the girls? Not everyone will make it out alive…

 This horror story had me captivated from its first spare, sparse words: There is the cheerleading team, and there is their fearless leader: Maris. Brash, beautiful, and wild, she leads the squad to victory under Coach’s careful tutelage. But everything changes when Coach brings in a brand new girl: Genivieve, and she has no intention of bowing to Maris’s rule. Thrown into a tailspin, Maris and the squad plot to get rid of the usurper. When a mysterious being calling itself only Doe appears in Maris’s dreams, she suddenly sees a way out. But Doe has plans of its own, and has Maris in its sights. I loved the way the book was written, in punchy, short bursts. I loved the characters, but especially Doe! I have been obsessed with horror these past couple years, and Doe really scratched that itch. I was trying to make it last because I didn’t want to finish it too fast. But regardless, I flew through the book. I loved Maris and the squad, and the tension with Genivieve. I was breathless by the time I reached the book’s conclusion. I had a feeling I knew what was going to happen, but I was still shocked by the ending! What a haunting treatise on grief, found family, and the lengths we go to honor those we care about. Such a great book, and one of my favorites of 2026! Haunting, dark, and full of teeth!