Plot Summary
Storms and Homecomings
Collins Cartwright's return to Sweetwater Peak is marked by a literal and emotional storm. Her car breaks down on a mountain road, forcing her to confront her reluctance to come home. She's rescued by her twin sister Clarke and Brady Cooper, a quiet upholsterer with a painful past. Collins's homecoming is fraught with tension—she's broke, her career as a photographer is in shambles, and she's hiding the fact that her ability to communicate with ghosts has mysteriously vanished. The storm outside mirrors the turmoil within, setting the stage for a journey of reckoning, healing, and rediscovery.
Sisters and Secrets
Collins and Clarke's relationship is both a comfort and a source of friction. Their dynamic is shaped by years of shared secrets and diverging paths—Clarke is rooted in Sweetwater Peak, while Collins has always run from it. As they settle into their routines, the sisters' differences become clear: Clarke is the responsible one, the anchor, while Collins floats, haunted by her failures and the silence of the ghosts she once heard. Their banter is laced with love and resentment, and the tension between them simmers, threatening to boil over as family and town pressures mount.
Ghosts in the Walls
Sweetwater Peak is a town where the dead linger as much as the living. Collins, once able to see and hear ghosts, now finds herself surrounded by silent specters—her gift has faded, leaving her isolated even among the supernatural. The apartment above Brady's shop is teeming with ghosts, but none will speak to her. This loss is a wound she can't share, not even with Clarke. The ghosts become a metaphor for Collins's own sense of disconnection, her inability to communicate, and her fear that she's lost the most essential part of herself.
The Upholsterer's Offer
Brady Cooper, the town's upholsterer, offers Collins a place to stay and work in exchange for help with his business. Their first meeting is disastrous—Collins accidentally pepper-sprays him—but a tentative partnership forms. Brady is reserved, haunted by heartbreak and a need for a fresh start. Collins is prickly, defensive, and desperate for distraction. As they navigate the rhythms of work and cohabitation, an awkward camaraderie develops, laced with mutual curiosity and the slow burn of attraction.
Haunted Beginnings
Collins tries to find her footing in Sweetwater Peak, balancing work at Brady's shop with family obligations. Dinners at Toades, the family antique store, are filled with warmth and nostalgia but also the pressure of looming financial trouble—a developer wants to buy the family's properties. Collins's parents are loving but oblivious to her struggles, and Clarke is frustrated by her sister's evasiveness. The ghosts in the shop and apartment remain silent, deepening Collins's sense of loss and alienation.
Shadows and Silence
Nights are the hardest for Collins. She's plagued by insomnia and haunted by the absence of the ghosts who once filled her life with noise and purpose. Her attempts to reconnect with her abilities are futile, and she spirals into self-doubt. Brady, too, is lonely—his fresh start in Sweetwater Peak has left him isolated. Their shared solitude draws them together, and a fragile trust begins to form as they each sense the other's pain, even if they can't name it.
Family Ties Fray
The tension between Collins and Clarke erupts into a bitter argument. Clarke accuses Collins of emotional distance and selfishness, while Collins feels misunderstood and unsupported. Their fight exposes the cracks in their relationship and the ways they've both been hurt by Collins's absence. Meanwhile, the family's financial woes deepen, and the threat of losing Toades becomes more real. Collins is forced to confront her own role in the family's struggles and the possibility that she may not be able to save what matters most.
The Church and the Void
Collins takes Brady to an abandoned church, one of her secret hideaways. The church is a liminal space, filled with ghosts and memories. As they explore, Collins briefly hears a ghost's voice for the first time in months—a moment of hope that her abilities might return. But the floor collapses beneath her, and Brady saves her from falling. The near-disaster brings them closer, and their vulnerability in the aftermath deepens their connection. For Collins, the fleeting return of her gift is both exhilarating and terrifying.
Unspoken Longings
The aftermath of the church incident leaves Collins and Brady more attuned to each other's pain and longing. They begin to share more of themselves—Collins opens up about her lost abilities and her fear of being unmoored, while Brady reveals the heartbreak that drove him to Sweetwater Peak. Their conversations are laced with flirtation and vulnerability, and the boundaries between friendship and something more begin to blur. Both are drawn to each other's brokenness, finding solace in shared understanding.
River of the Lost
Collins and Brady venture to a hidden spot on the Sweetwater River, a place steeped in local legend. There, they encounter the Lady in White, a ghost whose longing and sorrow mirror Collins's own. The ghost latches onto Brady, trapping him in place, and Collins must use her intuition and empathy to free him. In the process, she hears the ghost's voice again—a sign that her abilities are returning. The experience is harrowing but transformative, cementing the bond between Collins and Brady and reigniting Collins's hope.
Breaking and Mending
A devastating storm floods the Cartwright family's home and Toades, threatening to destroy everything they've built. The family rallies to salvage what they can, but the damage is extensive. The crisis forces Collins and Clarke to reconcile, and the sisters begin to heal the rift between them. Brady steps up to help, proving his loyalty and deepening his place in Collins's life. The fight to save Toades becomes a symbol of the family's resilience and the power of community in the face of loss.
The Cartwright Curse
The threat of the developer becomes real when Collins discovers her mother has unknowingly signed a binding contract to sell Toades and other properties. The family is devastated, and Collins is wracked with guilt—her own photography feature brought attention to the town. Brady's past collides with the present when it's revealed that his ex-fiancée's family is behind the development scheme. With the help of Boone, a gruff family friend, and a savvy lawyer, the Cartwrights hatch a desperate plan to freeze their assets and fight back.
Love in the Dark
Amidst the chaos, Collins and Brady finally give in to their feelings, finding comfort and passion in each other's arms. Their intimacy is both physical and emotional—they share their deepest fears and hopes, and for the first time, Collins feels truly seen and anchored. Their love becomes a source of strength, helping them face the battles ahead. Together, they begin to imagine a future that is not defined by loss or running away, but by choosing each other and building something lasting.
The Developer's Shadow
The fight against the developer intensifies. Collins and Brady confront painful truths about their pasts and the ways they've been complicit in their own unhappiness. The family is forced to consider drastic measures—filing for divorce to freeze assets, rallying the community, and exposing the developer's predatory practices. The battle is exhausting and uncertain, but it galvanizes the family and the town, reminding them of what's worth fighting for.
Truths and Reconciliations
Collins finally confesses to Clarke the truth about her lost abilities and her reasons for coming home. The sisters reconcile, forging a stronger bond built on honesty and mutual support. Collins's abilities return in full, allowing her to help reunite two lost ghosts and bring closure to a decades-old tragedy. The family, with the help of friends and allies, finds a way to outmaneuver the developer and save Toades. The experience transforms them all, teaching them the value of vulnerability, forgiveness, and community.
The Fight for Toades
With the help of Boone's family and a determined lawyer, the Cartwrights mount a legal and public relations campaign to save Toades. The town rallies around them, and Collins uses her photography to document the fight and tell the story of Sweetwater Peak's resilience. The battle is hard-fought, but the family's determination and the support of the community turn the tide. Toades is saved, and the family emerges stronger and more united than before.
Ghosts Set Free
Collins's abilities are fully restored, and she is able to help the Lady in White and Earnest, two lost souls, find each other at last. The reunion of the ghosts is a moment of profound healing, both for them and for Collins. She realizes that her gift is not a curse but a source of connection and meaning. The ghosts become a symbol of the past that must be honored but not clung to, and Collins learns to let go of her guilt and embrace the present.
Home Is a Person
In the aftermath of the battle for Toades, Collins and Brady choose each other, deciding to build a life together in Sweetwater Peak. Their love is rooted in acceptance, vulnerability, and the willingness to face the darkness together. Collins rediscovers her passion for photography, using her gift to tell the stories of the living and the dead. The family is whole, the town is safe, and the ghosts are at peace. Home, Collins realizes, is not a place but the people who anchor you—and for her, that person is Brady.
Characters
Collins Cartwright
Collins is a gifted photographer and a reluctant medium, able to see and hear ghosts—until her abilities mysteriously vanish. She's fiercely independent, sarcastic, and emotionally guarded, shaped by years of running from her small-town roots and the weight of family expectations. Her relationship with her twin sister Clarke is both a lifeline and a source of pain, as Collins struggles with guilt, envy, and the fear of not measuring up. Her journey is one of self-acceptance, learning to embrace her gifts, her flaws, and the love she finds with Brady. Through loss, vulnerability, and the fight to save her family's legacy, Collins transforms from a woman adrift to one who chooses to stay, love, and belong.
Brady Cooper
Brady is an upholsterer with a quiet strength and a wounded heart. Fleeing a broken engagement and a life that no longer fit, he comes to Sweetwater Peak for a fresh start. He is reserved, kind, and deeply empathetic, drawn to Collins's fire and pain. Brady's own struggles with loneliness and self-worth mirror Collins's, and their connection is built on mutual understanding and the slow, careful work of trust. As he helps Collins and her family fight for their home, Brady finds purpose, love, and a sense of belonging he never thought possible. His journey is one of healing, courage, and the realization that home is not a place, but the people you choose.
Clarke Cartwright
Clarke is Collins's twin sister and emotional opposite—grounded, responsible, and fiercely loyal to Sweetwater Peak and her family. She is the glue that holds the Cartwrights together, often sacrificing her own needs for the sake of others. Clarke's frustration with Collins's distance and avoidance masks a deep longing for connection and support. Her journey is one of learning to ask for help, forgive, and trust that she is not alone in carrying the family's burdens. Through conflict and reconciliation with Collins, Clarke emerges as a leader and protector, determined to preserve the family's legacy.
Joanie Cartwright
Joanie is the heart of the Cartwright family—a loving mother, sensitive to the energies of people and places, and the owner of Toades. She is vibrant, creative, and endlessly supportive, but also prone to worry and self-sacrifice. Joanie's belief in her daughters' gifts and her commitment to the family's legacy drive much of the story's emotional core. Her vulnerability in the face of loss and change is both poignant and inspiring, as she learns to accept help and trust her family to fight for what matters.
Dex Cartwright
Dex is a long-haul trucker and the family's rock. He is practical, loving, and deeply devoted to his wife and daughters. Dex's calm presence and unwavering support provide a foundation for the family, especially during times of crisis. His willingness to do whatever it takes to save Toades, including filing for divorce as a legal strategy, demonstrates his selflessness and commitment. Dex's love is quiet but fierce, and his belief in his daughters never wavers.
Boone Ryder
Boone is a reclusive rancher and a surrogate grandfather to the Cartwright twins. He is gruff, blunt, and intimidating, but beneath his tough exterior lies a deep well of love and loyalty. Boone's wisdom, practical skills, and connections prove invaluable in the fight to save Toades. His relationship with Collins is especially meaningful—he challenges her, supports her, and helps her see the value of home and family. Boone's presence is a reminder that family is not just blood, but the people who show up when it matters.
Earnest
Earnest is a spirit anchored to Toades, a friend to the Cartwright twins since childhood. His tragic love story with Adeline Bennett, the Lady in White, becomes a central mystery and emotional touchstone. Earnest's presence is comforting and familiar, a link to the past and a symbol of unfinished business. His eventual reunion with Adeline, facilitated by Collins, brings closure and healing—not just for the ghosts, but for the living as well.
Adeline Bennett (The Lady in White)
Adeline is a ghost whose sorrow and yearning haunt the Sweetwater River. Her story of lost love and tragic death mirrors Collins's own feelings of isolation and longing. Adeline's interactions with Collins and Brady are both chilling and poignant, and her eventual reunion with Earnest is a moment of catharsis and hope. She represents the power of unresolved grief and the possibility of redemption.
Jackie Sullivan
Jackie is Brady's ex-fiancée and the daughter of the developer threatening Sweetwater Peak. She is driven, pragmatic, and emotionally distant, embodying the forces of change and loss that threaten the town. Jackie's presence forces Brady and Collins to confront their pasts and the ways they've been shaped by betrayal and disappointment. Her eventual decision to help the Cartwrights, despite her own interests, adds complexity and nuance to her character.
Sweetwater Peak (The Town)
Sweetwater Peak is more than a setting—it is a character, shaped by history, loss, and resilience. The town's ghosts, secrets, and traditions are woven into the lives of its inhabitants, and its fate is inextricably linked to the Cartwright family. Sweetwater Peak is a place where the past lingers, the dead walk among the living, and the fight for home is both literal and symbolic. It is a testament to the power of place, memory, and community.
Plot Devices
Dual Narration and Shifting Perspectives
The novel employs a dual narrative structure, alternating between Collins and Brady's points of view. This allows readers to experience the story's emotional arc from both sides, deepening empathy and understanding. The shifting perspectives highlight the characters' internal struggles, misunderstandings, and growth, while also building tension and intimacy. The use of first-person narration creates immediacy and vulnerability, drawing readers into the characters' minds and hearts.
Supernatural as Metaphor
The paranormal elements—ghosts, haunted spaces, and lost abilities—serve as metaphors for the characters' emotional states. Collins's inability to hear ghosts mirrors her sense of disconnection and loss of purpose. The ghosts themselves represent unresolved grief, unfinished business, and the ways the past shapes the present. The supernatural is not just a source of fear or wonder, but a lens through which the characters confront their deepest wounds and desires.
Small-Town Setting as Crucible
Sweetwater Peak is both sanctuary and prison—a place of comfort, tradition, and belonging, but also of stagnation, gossip, and the weight of history. The town's insularity and resistance to change create both obstacles and opportunities for the characters. The fight to save Toades becomes a rallying point for the community, forcing characters to confront what home means and what they are willing to sacrifice to preserve it.
Family Dynamics and Sibling Rivalry
The relationship between Collins and Clarke is central to the novel's emotional arc. Their twin bond is both a source of strength and a site of conflict, shaped by envy, guilt, and the struggle for individuality. Their reconciliation is hard-won, requiring honesty, vulnerability, and forgiveness. The family as a whole is depicted with warmth and complexity, highlighting the ways love and obligation can both heal and hurt.
Romance as Redemption
The slow-burn romance between Collins and Brady is the heart of the story. Their connection is built on mutual understanding, shared pain, and the willingness to be vulnerable. Love is not a cure-all, but it is a source of strength, comfort, and hope. The relationship challenges both characters to confront their fears, let go of the past, and choose each other—again and again.
Legal and Social Realism
The threat to Toades and the family's properties is grounded in real-world issues—predatory development, legal loopholes, and the vulnerability of small towns. The novel weaves together personal and collective struggles, showing how individual actions and community solidarity can make a difference. The legal battle is both a plot engine and a metaphor for the fight to preserve identity, memory, and belonging.
Foreshadowing and Symbolism
The novel uses storms, silence, and supernatural phenomena to foreshadow emotional and narrative turning points. The return of Collins's abilities is signaled by subtle shifts in the environment and her own internal state. The ghosts' stories parallel the living characters' journeys, offering lessons in loss, forgiveness, and the possibility of new beginnings.
Analysis
Soul Searching is a luminous exploration of grief, belonging, and the redemptive power of love—both romantic and familial. Lyla Sage crafts a narrative where the supernatural is not just a source of mystery, but a profound metaphor for the ways we are haunted by our pasts, our losses, and our longing for connection. The novel's small-town setting is rendered with affection and realism, capturing the beauty and claustrophobia of places where everyone knows your name—and your secrets. At its core, the story is about the courage to return home, to face what we've run from, and to choose vulnerability over avoidance. Collins's journey from isolation to intimacy, from silence to song, is mirrored in the restoration of her gifts and the rekindling of her relationships. The fight to save Toades is both literal and symbolic—a battle for memory, identity, and the right to define one's own story. In a world that often feels transient and uncertain, Soul Searching reminds us that home is not a place, but the people who anchor us, the love we choose, and the stories we dare to tell.
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