Meet Me At The Crossroads By Megan Giddings Book Review

I’ll be honest, I stayed up way too late flipping pages of Meet Me at the Crossroads by Megan Giddings. The story of two sisters facing eerie doors and a strange new world pulled me in. Fans of speculative fiction and deep family bonds will find this dazzling, critically-acclaimed novel worth a read.

Key Takeaways

Meet Me at the Crossroads is about two sisters. They find strange doors. These doors test their choices, sadness, and hope.
The book shows real family problems. The characters feel real. Their struggles are strong and easy to understand.
Megan Giddings writes in a poetic way. She mixes magic with normal life. This makes the book special and makes you think. The story stays with you.

Overview

Premise

I have to admit, this book hooked me from the first chapter. The premise feels both strange and familiar. Two sisters, Ayanna and Olivia, stumble across a set of mysterious doors after their mother’s death. Each door promises something different—maybe a second chance, maybe a new pain.

I kept asking myself, “Would I open one?” The story blends speculative fiction with real-life struggles. It’s not just about magic or the unknown. It’s about choices, grief, and the wild hope that things might get better.

Tip: If you love stories that mix the everyday with the supernatural, this one will grab you.

Main Characters

The heart of the book beats in its characters. Here’s who stood out for me:

Ayanna: She’s the older twin. I felt her pain and her stubbornness. She wants to protect Olivia but can’t always save her.
Olivia: The younger sister. She’s curious, sometimes reckless, and desperate to find answers. Her hope made me root for her.
Supporting cast: The girls’ mother, their aunt, and a few mysterious figures behind the doors. Each one adds a layer to the story.

I have to give props to Megan Giddings for making these characters feel so real. Their bond feels messy and true. I saw pieces of my own family in their fights and their love. If you like character-driven books, this one delivers.

Plot

The Seven Doors

I have to admit, the seven doors in this story gave me chills. Each one felt like a dare. I kept asking myself, “Would I open that?” The doors show up after Ayanna and Olivia lose their mother. They don’t just stand there looking spooky. They seem to whisper promises and threats. Some doors offer hope. Others feel like traps. I could almost hear the creak of the hinges in my head.

Each door stands for a different choice or fear.
The sisters argue about which to open. Their fights felt real.
The doors push them to face things they want to avoid.

Note: If you love stories with a bit of the unknown, these doors will keep you guessing.

Key Events

The plot moves fast. I found myself flipping pages, heart pounding, wanting to know what would happen next. Here’s what stood out to me:

The sisters’ first big fight about the doors. I felt their pain.
Olivia’s decision to open a door alone. That scene left me gasping.
Ayanna’s struggle to keep her family together. She tries so hard.
The moment they realize not every door leads home.

The story doesn’t slow down. Every choice the sisters make changes everything. I couldn’t put it down. The tension between hope and fear kept me hooked until the last page.

Themes in Meet Me at the Crossroads by Megan Giddings

Family and Sisterhood

Family sits at the heart of Meet Me at the Crossroads by Megan Giddings. I felt the push and pull between Ayanna and Olivia in every chapter. Their bond reminded me of the saying, “No one will love you more or hurt you more than a sister.”

The story shows how sisters can fight, forgive, and still stand together. Sometimes, their love feels like a lifeline. Other times, it stings. I saw both sides in their arguments and hugs.

The twins argue about which door to open. Each fight feels real.
They share secrets and fears, even when they don’t agree.
Their mother’s memory shapes every choice they make.

This book made me think about my own family. The messy, honest moments between the sisters felt true. I have to give props to Giddings for showing how family can be both a comfort and a challenge.

Note: If you’ve ever had a sibling, you’ll see yourself in these pages.

Faith and the Mystical

Faith weaves through the story like a quiet song. The sisters face the unknown, and sometimes, all they have is hope. The doors in Meet Me at the Crossroads by Megan Giddings feel magical, but they also test what the girls believe about themselves and the world.

The doors seem to promise miracles or dangers.
Ayanna and Olivia wonder if something bigger is guiding them.
The story asks: Do you trust what you can’t see?

I found myself questioning what I would do in their place. Would I trust the doors? Would I believe in something I couldn’t explain? The book doesn’t give easy answers. It lets faith and doubt live side by side.

Tip: If you like stories with a touch of the supernatural, this one will keep you guessing.

Loss and Strength

Loss hits hard in this novel. The sisters lose their mother, and nothing feels safe after that. I felt their sadness in every scene. But I also saw how they found strength in each other.

Grief pushes Ayanna and Olivia to make tough choices.
The doors force them to face their fears.
Sometimes, strength looks like holding on. Other times, it means letting go.

Meet Me at the Crossroads by Megan Giddings doesn’t shy away from pain. Still, it shows how people can grow stronger, even when life feels impossible. I finished the book thinking about the ways we carry on, even when we feel lost.

Callout: This story left me thinking about my own strength and the people who help me find it.

Writing Style

Prose and Tone

I have to say, the prose in Meet Me at the Crossroads feels almost hypnotic. Megan Giddings writes with a dreamy, poetic touch that pulled me in and kept me floating through each chapter. The sentences sometimes feel like they’re singing—soft, strange, and a little haunting.

Critics have pointed out how her style stands out, and I get it. The writing feels artful, almost like each sentence was chosen with care. I noticed:

Short, sharp sentences that hit hard when the story gets tense.
Long, flowing lines that slow things down and let me breathe.
A mix of simple words and surprising images that made me pause.

I read that books like Artful Sentences and The Artful Edit talk about how sentence structure and editing shape a writer’s voice. I saw that here. Giddings avoids anything too sentimental. She lets the story’s pain and hope speak for themselves. I never felt pushed to cry or forced to feel. The emotion just sits there, quiet and real.

Narrative Approach

The story uses a third-person perspective, but it still feels close and personal. I could see inside Ayanna and Olivia’s heads, but I never felt trapped by their thoughts. The book lets me watch their choices and feel their fears without telling me what to think.

The narrative feels flexible, letting me see different sides of the story.
I noticed how the story uses metaphors and symbols, like the doors, to talk about big feelings.
The book never gets preachy. It trusts me to figure things out.

I read about how stories can help people talk about tough stuff, like grief or hope. This book does that. It lets the reader sit with hard questions and find their own answers. I liked how the narrative never rushed. It gave space for me to react, to laugh, or even to cry.

Characters

Ayanna and Olivia

I have to admit, these sisters felt so real to me that I started thinking about my own family. Ayanna and Olivia are twins, but they see the world in totally different ways. I found myself rooting for both, even when they fought. Here’s what stood out:

Ayanna tries to protect Olivia, but she struggles with her own fears. She wants to keep her sister safe, but sometimes her stubbornness gets in the way.
Olivia is the risk-taker. She’s curious and sometimes acts before she thinks. Her hope and need for answers made me want to hug her.
Their bond gets tested by the seven doors. I saw how their love and faith in each other changed as they faced loss and the unknown.
When one sister disappears, the other’s journey to find her left me gasping. I felt their pain and growth with every page.

Supporting Cast

The side characters add so much to the story. I liked how each one brought something new:

The girls’ mother shapes their choices, even after she’s gone. Her memory hangs over every decision.
Their aunt steps in, but she has her own secrets and struggles.
The mysterious figures behind the doors kept me guessing. I never knew who to trust.

I have to give props to Megan Giddings for making even the smallest characters feel important. Every person in this book matters, and their actions ripple through Ayanna and Olivia’s lives.

Strengths & Weaknesses

I’ll be honest, I lost track of time reading this book. I kept telling myself, “Just one more chapter,” until I realized the sun was coming up. That’s the kind of pull Meet Me at the Crossroads has. But no book is perfect, right? Here’s what stood out to me—both the good and the not-so-good.

What worked for me:

Unique premise: The idea of seven mysterious doors felt fresh. I haven’t read anything quite like it.
Emotional depth: The sisters’ relationship hit me hard. Their fights and hugs felt real, not forced.
Writing style: Megan Giddings writes with a dreamy, almost hypnotic touch. The prose made me slow down and savor certain lines.
Pacing: The story moves fast. I never felt bored or stuck.

Where I struggled:

Some confusion: A few scenes with the doors left me scratching my head. I wanted a bit more clarity about what was real and what wasn’t.
Supporting characters: I liked the side characters, but some faded into the background. I wished for more time with them.
Abrupt ending: The last chapters felt a little rushed. I wanted more closure for Ayanna and Olivia.

Uniqueness

Speculative Elements

I have to say, the speculative side of Meet Me at the Crossroads by Megan Giddings really set it apart for me. The seven doors didn’t just feel like a plot device—they felt alive. Each one seemed to hold a secret, and I found myself holding my breath every time the sisters got close.

The doors act like characters. They tempt, warn, and sometimes even comfort.
I loved how the story mixed real grief with strange, almost magical moments.
The line between what’s real and what’s imagined stays blurry. That kept me guessing.

I kept thinking, “Would I open a door if I could?” The book never gives easy answers. It lets the weirdness breathe. That’s rare in most coming-of-age stories.

Tip: If you like your fiction with a side of the unexplained, this one delivers.

Comparison

I’ve read a lot of speculative fiction, but this book felt different. Most stories with magical doors or portals go big on world-building. Here, the focus stays tight on the sisters and their pain.

Reminded me a little of Coraline or The Ocean at the End of the Lane, but with more family drama.
The writing style feels softer and more poetic than most thrillers.
The emotional stakes matter more than the rules of the magic.

To be fair, some readers might want more answers about the doors. I liked the mystery. It made the story stick with me long after I finished.

Meet Me at the Crossroads by Megan Giddings left me thinking about family and tough choices.
I loved the emotional punch and the strange doors, but I wanted more answers.
If you like stories that mix real feelings with a little magic, give this one a try.
I’d call it a solid 7/10.