How (Not) to Renovate a Haunted House

1. Reading age 12 years and up 377 pages Publisher Delacorte Romance Publication date July 21, 2026

ABOUT THE BOOK

In this spooky Summerween romance, an amateur ghost hunter and a supernatural skeptic team up for a haunted home renovation project. But is their relationship the real fixer upper?

Amity Callaway is sick of being known as the weird girl. As annoyed as she is that her recently divorced mom just moved them across the country to the tiny, quirky town of Harlow’s Rest, Massachusetts, it could be the fresh start she needs.

Until Amity discovers their absolute disaster of a new house is supposedly haunted.

Theo Hargrave, amateur ghost hunter and son of the local general contractor, is a true believer. When he shows up on their property with his EMF reader in hand, Amity is ready to debunk all his theories. She’s definitely not staring at the small scar through his eyebrow or his ridiculously soft lips.

But even Amity can admit their home renovation is doomed. Nothing is going right, from the paint that refuses to dry to the fixtures that keep coming loose. So Amity and Theo strike a deal—his family’s construction expertise for her help investigating the house’s supernatural secrets. Even scarier than ghosts, though? Amity’s growing feelings for Theo.

MY THOUGHTS

Our plus sized fmc is anxiety ridden when her Mom tells her they’re moving away from all she knows and her best friends right before her senior years starts. Tired of feeling like the “weird one” she knows it’s not going to get any better when they move in the towns known haunted house.
When a known teenage ghost hunter turns up at her new house ready to prove it’s haunted this nonbeliever has to put a stop to it and prove him wrong once and for all.
He seems to always be around at her house though because her mom hires his dad for the renovation job on their house.
It was great seeing a lot of different groups/types of people represented in such a natural way.
The book moved along at a steady pace and did start to get spookier vibes towards the end.
Small town fun Summerween romance before the holiday kicks off.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

MEET THE AUTHOR

About the author

Jenny L. Howe first started scribbling stories into black-and-white composition notebooks with neon pink pens when she was in junior high and never really stopped. In college, she decided to turn her love of books into a career by pursuing a Ph.D. in literature, where she spent the next few years studying bizarre and entertaining medieval romances. Now, as a professor, she teaches courses in college writing, literature, and children’s media. When she’s not writing and teaching, Jenny spends her time buried under puzzle pieces, cross-stitching her favorite characters, and taking too many pictures of her rescue dogs, Tucker and Dale. The Make-Up Test is her debut novel.