My The Haunting of Brynn Wilder Book Review - No Spoilers
Plot Summary
The Haunting of Brynn Wilder by Wendy Webb follows Brynn Wilder, an English professor who’s suffered major losses—a long-term relationship, her own sense of purpose, and the death of her mother. Hoping to recover, Brynn spends the summer in Wharton, a small, lakeside town on Lake Superior. She checks into a century-old boardinghouse, finding herself among quirky and haunted guests: gentle Alice, the inn’s eccentric owner LuAnn, and Dominic, a tattooed stranger with a dark past. The inn whispers with secrets: room five is locked after a winter tragedy, and Brynn is drawn to its mysteries. As she settles in, she starts seeing things others don’t—visions in the night, voices that urge her to open old doors. Her connection with Dominic intensifies while the blurred lines between reality, grief, and the supernatural slowly unravel, leading her toward healing and revelation amid a deepening mystery.
Why I Love This Book
I love how this story blends heartbreak and hope. The entire atmosphere wraps me up—small-town lake life, cozy boardinghouse rooms, and the ever-present hint of something otherworldly just out of sight. Brynn feels real: she’s cracked open by loss and struggling, not some perfect heroine, but someone learning how to piece herself back together. Even when the supernatural steps in, at the core, it’s about moving through grief and daring to love again.
The romance surprised me—I felt pulled in by Brynn and Dominic’s connection. Their chemistry and shared brokenness make their moments together matter more. The book isn’t really a ghost story in the scary sense; instead, it made me think about the way loss and regret haunt us, and how sometimes the path to healing is weird and twisty. There’s a quiet hopefulness running through it all: new friendships, strange dreams, and the chance to start fresh, if you can unravel the past.
Some parts are achingly sad, and others are gently funny or filled with kindness. I loved meeting side characters who carry their own burdens but offer support, acceptance, and warmth. The ending left me stunned—shocked and genuinely moved. By the last page, I was holding back tears and thinking about how life circles back on itself in the most unexpected ways.
Who Will Like This Book
If you want a book that sits somewhere between romantic drama, literary fiction, and gentle paranormal, this is it. You’ll appreciate it if you like stories about grief, found family, and small-town life with a slice of supernatural mystery. This is for anyone who enjoys an emotional journey—a novel that’s sad, warm, and quietly clever instead of scary. If you’ve gone through loss or like books about picking yourself up after heartbreak, Brynn Wilder’s story will hit home.
⚠️ Trigger warning: This novel explores grief, death of a loved one, trauma, and emotional pain. The supernatural elements are mild, but the themes can be heavy. There’s nothing graphically violent or truly frightening—just emotional depth and the ache of saying goodbye.
Tagged As
paranormal romance, grief, healing, summer romance, small town, boardinghouse, found family, gentle ghost story, emotional romance, trauma recovery, contemporary, gothic elements, literary fiction, supernatural mystery, mental health, dual pov, slow burn, second chance, standalone, indie romance, LGBTQ+ side characters, open-door romance
Steam Level
The romance is warm, with a few intimate scenes and a focus on emotional closeness over explicit details. The connections are simmering more than sizzling—the real heat is in the hope, comfort, and gentle healing.
This novel is #6 on our list of 8 Best Ghost Romance Novels. View the full list.
