SHE HAUNTS ME STILL

Coming August 11, 2026 from Dutton/Penguin Books


Illustration by InnGreen Art

Book Summary

These violent delights have violent ends.

After surviving a shadowed childhood, Mallory Webb is ready to start fresh as a theater major at her mother’s alma mater, a sanitarium turned liberal arts university in Rhode Island. Landing the lead role in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet feels like a dream—until the blood-soaked wraith that caused her mother’s death resurfaces after years of quiet. With nothing to go on but cryptic symbols in an old college notebook, Mallory hopes the reason behind her mother’s haunting lies somewhere on campus, and resolves to find answers before she meets the same fate.

She’s surprised to make an unexpected ally in Ezra Pierce, the magnetic fourth year directing the play, and takes solace in their undeniable chemistry. But Ezra is a master secret keeper, and it’s clear he knows more than he’s letting on about Saskia Garin, Mallory’s elusive understudy whose past eerily mirrors her own.

When an ancient, bloodthirsty evil calls to collect a bargain that dates back to the New England vampire panic, Mallory, Ezra, and Saskia will have to untangle the tragic ways in which their histories are linked—and face the devastating consequences of their own star-crossed love story.

An author-created list of content warnings can be found here.


Advance Praise

She Haunts Me Still is, in a word, gorgeous. Elizabeth’s deft character work, breathtaking prose, and messy heroines are a highlight of her first Adult novel, and this bloody theater gothic cements her as an auto-buy author for me.”
Kamilah Cole, USA Today & national indie bestselling author of An Arcane Inheritance

“A hazy fever dream of a book, Elizabeth stitches together the classic staples of genre horror with the irresistible drama of some of the messiest queers I’ve had the pleasure of reading. She Haunts Me Still will have you racing through the pages as the story twists and turns to its shocking ending.”
—K.M. Enright, Sunday Times bestselling author of Mistress of Lies

“Fate of Ophelia, meet the fate of Juliet. De Elizabeth casts vampires, a bisexual love triangle, and a doomed Shakespeare production in a tense adult debut that’s equal parts haunting and sensual. The next addictive fix for fans of Mike Flanagan and dark romance alike—and for those looking for a story where women fight to reclaim their own endings.”
—Wen-yi Lee, author of When They Burned the Butterfly

“A gripping tale of passion, panic, and generational curses. De Elizabeth deftly weaves the unsettling with the tantalizing, luring readers into a story that is darkly beautiful filled with characters who will haunt you for days.”
Alysha Rameera, author of Her Soul for a Crown

“A riveting, blood-soaked tale of grief, love, and female rage. Imbued with echoes of The Bard himself, these pages will speak to anyone who has sat under the glimmer of a ghost light and wondered where they belong. De Elizabeth has crafted a story that will haunt bookshelves and hearts for ages to come.”
—Teagan Olivia King, author of Spit Back the Bones and Bitterbloom

“Terrifying and thrillingly romantic, this is horror romance at its absolute best: steamy, haunting, and sharp. The aughties vibes are immaculate, and the entire feel is very cool: it’s giving The Secret History but more romantic and dripping with New England vampire panic lore. De Elizabeth is one to watch.”
Molly O’Sullivan, author of The Book of Autumn

“Riveting. A powerful story for haunted girls everywhere, Elizabeth crafted a rallying cry on power, autonomy, and grief with an inexorable thread of beauty and sparkling verve. By turns unsettling, seductive, and rageful, She Haunts Me Still is easily one of my favorite reads of the year—and is sure to become part of our collective canon on the enduring power of love and loss. I was left thinking about Mallory, Ezra, and Saskia long after they took their final bows. A must read.”
Taylor Grothe, author of Lethal Kiss and Hollow