Quick Synopsis –Lucy McQuinn has been murdered, but she’s not about to go quietly.
If she doesn’t get to keep breathing, then neither does Kyle, her killer. Possessing the body of an antique doll, she sets out on a quest for revenge. But it’s hard when you’re eighteen inches tall and made of porcelain.

For help, she turns to Nicola, a human and fellow outsider with her own reasons to hate Kyle. But in their small idyllic town, no one wants to hear the truth, especially not about such a promising young man. If they can’t expose his crimes, Lucy will have to roll up her lacy little sleeves and teach him a lesson the old-fashioned way—as slowly and painfully as possible.

Song This Reminds Me Of – I’m Not a Woman, I’m a God – Halsey

Publication Date – Sep. 8, 2026

Bookshop Link – She’s a Doll by Barbara Truelove
(I receive a small comission if you use my link to order)

Content Notes – There is on-page death, choking, claustrophobia, sexual assault, misogyny, and a creepy little doll that skitters across the page (not literally, but the doll is a creep). There is reference to rape and sexual assault, but the scenes take place off page.

Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 out of 5

Review – I think I have a new auto-buy author, because I gobbled this novel up. This was like a funny, queer, horror novel. Our main character, Lucy, is murdered and on her way out her soul attaches to a creepy porcelain wedding doll. At first all she can do is grieve the life she’s lost. But soon the rage takes over, and she discovers she can move. She works to get anyone’s attention, but no one can hear her, and when someone sees an antique bride doll moving on it’s own they do the sensible thing and donate it. Now Lucy is stuck in a thrift shop, but she soon realizes someone there can hear her.

The book is non-stop fun and even though it’s about a ghost doll, it’s also very realistic. The second main character, Nicola, has also been hurt by the same man Kyle. Nicola is a little more of the voice of reason, trying to convince Lucy it isn’t enough to tell the truth. Nicola has been through it already with trying to get people to see Kyle is a bad guy. All she got for her trouble was shunned. I hated to see it, but it also resonated with me. So many women have a Kyle in their life, maybe he isn’t a murderer, but no one believes that he could have done anything wrong. I hope when people read this book, they don’t just read a dope piece of fiction, but realize that the struggle the women go through in this book are the struggles of so many women.

The only part I didn’t love about this book, is some of Lucy’s narration. Lucy is meant to be unreliable. The preface of the book tells you Lucy is a liar. And as you read through the book, you can definitely see where she twists the story. Side note – read the book all the way to the back cover, you’ll thank me later. Anyway, Lucy always denies really knowing Kyle at all, and I feel like this could have been fleshed out more. We see a few confrontations with Krissy, Lucy’s best friend and Kyle’s twin, and I feel like there was opportunity to expand on the three characters together. That’s obviously just my opinion and me being a little greedy for more of the author’s writing.

If you like a fun, kind of spooky, revenge story, this is for you!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bindery Books – Ezeekat Press for the advanced copy, all opinions are my own.