This Stays Between Us

By Margot McGovern

Penguin 2026

Reviewed by Alison McCaffrey

This Stays Between Us is a creepy horror throwback to the 90s and 00s era that does not disappoint. The second novel from multi-award winning South Australian author Margot McGovern, this book has been shortlisted for the 2026 CBCA Book of the Year for Older Readers, won the inaugural John Marsden Prize for Writing for Young Adults in the 2026 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards, and was shortlisted for several other awards.

Where should a teen slasher book take place other than school camp? School camp at an abandoned mining town where the ghost of Smiling Jack already has a foothold, with stories of his longtime haunting of campers running rampant, of course.

Shelley is the new girl, joining school at the end of term to attend Retreat (what her new, posh school calls camp) because her mum thought it would be a good way to make friends. Mack, Priya and Raffi have been friends for years, but things are a bit awkward after an unwanted kiss between two of the friends. Mack offered to be Shelley’s buddy, which means now the four girls are spending two nights together in a secluded, derelict cabin with a door that won’t lock.

But hey, ghost stories are just made up to scare kids, right? And a silly séance is nothing but a game, right? And that ghost all the stories are about – he’s not real either. Right?

The tension will have you coiled tight from so early in this book that you’ll be torn between wanting to put it down for a moment’s release and pressing on to find out what happens in the end. Toeing the line between thrasher gore, heart-racing thrills and mystical unknowns, This Stays Between Us is a shining, eerie example of what a truly great YA horror should be. Alongside the suspense you’ll find the hidden strength of girls, acceptance of friends in any style, shape or size, and the incredible bonds they can form in the face of even the most brutal circumstances. Highlighting girls’ endurance, trust in one another, and the bases of feminism, McGovern ticks a whole lot of boxes with this fantastic read.

But readers beware, there’s a big content warning with this one. As noted in the book, it contains mature themes, violence, details of trauma and psychological distress, so it’s better suited to older readers and those comfortable with that level of discomfort.