I thoroughly enjoyed Lyla Sage’s Rebel Blue Ranch books, with each book getting better and better as the series progressed.
So, when I saw that she had a new release I was very excited, to say the least. And from reading the blurb, I thought that it might have similar vibes to one of my favourite books of all time, The Dead Romantics. However, that wasn't really the case.
Let’s start with the good.
It was a quick and easy read and I liked seeing Collins reacquaint herself with the town and her family.
Brady was a pretty solid male lead and I appreciated the nods to Meadowlark, too.
But, after hearing that we’re in Sweetwater Peak once or twice, I got it. So, to sometimes see Sweetwater Peak written four times on the same page was insane. It must have been mentioned well over 100 times and quickly got so frustrating to see again and again. I ended up skimming every SP mention from then on.
And why were two grown adults who don’t have a stammer stuttering so much?
Did Collins properly get her ability back either? The ending felt a bit rushed.
Maybe this will be similar to the Rebel Blue series and the books will get progressively better, but this wasn’t quite what I was hoping for.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A news series from Lyla Sage meant an immediate request for an ARC.
Soul Searching delivers a close proximity, small town romance with some paranormal elements thrown in. Collins has just come back to Sweetwater Peak, where she stays with Brady and works for him too in his upholstery shop. She was born and raised there, but Brady has only moved to the town recently. Collins is struggling with her relationship with her family and her career, but she finds solace in Brady - who's drawn to her from the first time he actually lays eyes on her (iykyk).

I really enjoyed the first third of this and whizzed though it, but then it just felt like everything happened so fast. Plus Collins' character completely changed? I thought she was almost unrecognisable from the protagonist in the first chapters by about 75% in. There was a definite lack of consistency in her character.

The romance got a little sickly sweet for my tastes - and that's coming from a hopeless romantic. I saw someone refer to it as a slow burn, and no hate, but this is 100% NOT a slowburn.

Often in romance books I love the side characters as well, but this didn't really offer much in the way of fleshed out side characters - not even Clarke, Collins' twin. Perhaps that's because Sage is saving it for later books though...

The paranormal elements didn't feel particularly thought out or relevant to the story, sadly it seemed they were more of an afterthought than a true focus of the book.

I feel like I'm being quite negative but I just know Lyla Sage can write better than this! Despite the above, I did enjoy reading the book, it was a fun time and I'll definitely read the next books in the series.

Soul searching was weird but also wonderful. I absolutely love Lyla Sage's writing, and this combined her incredible ability to write addictive small town romances, with paranormal magical realism. It is cozy, cute and charming.

Collins is a cool, tattoed, black cat FMC that can see/ talk to ghosts. I loved her humour and her gentleness. Brady gives golden retriever vibes, he is nerdy, a fantasy lover, and sweet as hell.

The romance between Collins and Brady is a perfect example of soft love. It developed slowly and naturally, they found themselves when they found eachother. There were so many sweet and tender moments between them.

I loved Collins and Clark's realistic sibling relationship, they fight and they sometimes 'hate' eachother, but they are always there when push comes to shove.

I love that Lyla is trying out new genres, I will honestly read anything that she writes. I loved this sweet, magical and unique take on a small town romance.

👻 Magical realism/ ghosts
🤍 Small town romance
👻 Forced proximity
🤍 Workplace romance
👻 Slow burn

I really enjoyed this, more than I expected to. The concept felt well thought out and detailed, which really added to the depth of the story and characters. There’s also some interconnectedness with the Rebel Blue cast which was such a fun treat.
This book feels like a love letter to small towns, and an ode to the strength of community and the power of being seen and known.
I was disappointed the end came so suddenly and abruptly, another 50-100 pages would’ve been great with everything so unresolved, but I’m really looking forward to the rest of this series!

I can not thank Netgalley and Quercus Books enough for my ARC copy of this book. I knew as soon as I saw it on there that I needed to read it. I'm a massive Fan of Lyla Sage as an author and adored the Rebel Blue Ranch series, but this is so different. I loved this so much and instantly fell in love with Collins and Brady. I love that we got to here about a couple of characters from the RBR series and cant wait for more from the Sweetwater Peaks guys. I will 100% be recommending this to everyone.

If you are a fan of Ashley Poston then you will absolutely love this book. This follows Collins who is moving back to her hometown after losing her connection to the dead and her job. With nothing else to do she goes back to where she grew up to see if she can find what she is missing. While there she meets Brady, who also ran away from his life to start over. Both keep to themselves but develop a friendship and understanding quite fast. This is one of my favorite books by Lyla and I can't wait till the next one.

I have loved the other books by this author...and this one is no exception.
Brady is perfect!!! From the moment he and Collins meet, it is evident he is going to change her life for the better. I love the special and unexpected appearances. Hoping for Clarke's book soon.

I’m torn writing this review. I’ve read all of Lyla’s books and adored them, they’re devoured in a day and I cannot put them down, they make me laugh, they make me cry, I’m in love with the Rebel Blue Ranch books.

So maybe I went into Soul Searching with rose tinted glasses - but - while I may not have had the same emotional connection to this book, I still read it in a day. I smiled, I’m left with a happy heart and I’m eager to read book 2 - that’s a big summary to say, this book isn’t a typical Lyla Sage book, but that’s not actually bad thing!

I loved the dynamic between the characters, Collins is returning to town after working away and stepping into established relationships, rather than staying at home her twin Clark has arranged for her to work for and live with Brady, the town upholsterer because why not?!

The characters are awkward, but so incredibly relatable! Have you ever met someone that you felt instantly drawn to, but they made you this awkward, stuttery, bashful version of you that left you thinking “what was that?!” after each interaction - that’s our Brady, he sees (?) Collins after she’s just pepper sprayed the sight out of him and he is instantly heart eyed for her.

Collins is tough, she’s spiralled into herself after a really sh*tty work situation and has withdrawn into a shell of her former self. And the worst part is, she’s no longer seeing her beloved ghosts - yes you read that right, ghosts - this is a paranormal-y romance, but it doesn’t go heavy, the ghosts are charming, funny and a little cheeky. The sisterly-bond between Clark and Collins is exactly what you’d see in real life, they squabble, they fall out, but they always work it out, it’s heartwarming and beautiful. Their parents are naive and the girls really step up to support them.

The town of Sweetwater Peak is charming and the perfect scene for the series, I’m already intrigued for Clark and Leiths story (it has better be Leith!?)

Also, finally, my last thought of this book - reuniting Earnest and Adeline had me welling up, the story behind the lady in white, poor Brady’s run in with her, the fact poor Adeline is waiting on that hill for her beloved while he can’t get to her as if he leaves Toades he fades 💔.

I really didn’t expect to come out of this book loving it as much as I did, and I’m so relieved to maintain my 5 star ratings on all Lyla Sage books! 🥰 there’s definitely a slower pace to this story, there’s less spice, less angst, but it’s cozy and warm, and delicious in its own way.

they say home is where the heart is … and this one is haunted …

I cannot express how much i enjoyed this, Lyla Sage is already a queen of small town westerns, but the added spooky vibe took this to a whole new level. Lylas ability to set tone and atmosphere is next level in this, it’s creepy yet cozy and homely at the same time.

Our FMC Collins goes through a beautiful journey of self rediscovery whilst our MMC Brady the upholsterer is right along side her, learning and growing as well.

This is my new favourite Lyla Sage story, with the sweetest references to Meadowlark and Rebel Blue, if you love a small town romance, plus a lil bit of ghostly atmosphere and a slow burn romance … you HAVE to pick this up in September.

a few lil quotes, although i could’ve highlighted the whole book :

“But it sounds like we could both use a little soul searching?”

“You are bad for my blood pressure, trouble”

“Most of all, I liked the way he looked at me like I was a puzzle he was dying to solve instead of one he wished he could put back in the box.”

Lyla! What are you doing to me! I'm so conflicted after reading Soul Searching...
I enjoy when authors try something different so praise to Lyla for branching out and I'm sure lots of readers will enjoy.
I'm not a supernatural or sci fi girlie so I was a bit apprehensive to read SS from Lyla after loving Rebel Blue Ranch.
On the whole, I did like the storyline, it was different to my normal reading choices but not necessarily in a bad way. I did enjoy the relationship journey that Collins and Brady were on and I love the forced proximity trope therefore based on the books potential I have decided on 4 stars as I did enjoy and would recommend for readers to make their own minds up.
HOWEVER I really struggled with the writing style here, so many repeated phrases like Sweetwater Peak mentioned far too many times as if they forgot where they were living. The constant hyphens and stuttering of words by all characters just didn't work for me. The wording and explanations felt too drawn out and over explained to me and made it difficult to read.
With a writing style much more akin to her previous books this would have scored higher for me - I'm so sorry!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Quercus and Lyla Sage for the free copy. All opinions are my own and are left voluntarily.