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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've never read Northanger Abbey, so I'm not sure how this adaptation stands against it. I really loved it, though.
This is a story about grief and loss disguised as a rom com, and it felt so honest and Kit was so great and I related so much to Hattie.
This is a story about grief and loss disguised as a rom com, and it felt so honest and Kit was so great and I related so much to Hattie.
lighthearted
Fresh. A great take on modern teens without going off-the-rails-Euphoria-woke. Not really related to Jane Austen other than a few cute nods in the naming of people and places.
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Hattie attends a haunted private school, for someone who no longer wants to think about ghosts, that can be a little difficult. She has been trying to fit in and be perfect since her first day at this school, but the new guy is about to make that a little bit harder. I loved Kit and how fun and laid back he was, he’s such a good match for the real Hattie.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Grief, Toxic friendship
Minor: Death of parent
Honestly, the one word I'd use to describe this book is underwhelming. Ghosted is a Northanger Abbey retelling centered around Hattie, a 17 year girl in the midst of college applications who does not believe in ghosts. After her father died four years ago, the magic of the world seemed lost to her. Enter Kit Moreland, a boy with a ghost-hunting passion who Hattie gets thrown together with at school, who could change her life. Honestly, for majority of this book, I felt like there was no plot to this book. It felt like going thorough the motions, and there was no driving force. Also, for all the focus on ghosts and ghost hunting in the aesthetic and marketing of the book, there was hardly any of that in the actual book. The relationship between Hattie and Kit grew so quickly that it felt forced, and the antagonistic characters of this book were so blatant. The writing was a lot more telling instead of showing, and that took a lot away from the book. I was initially quite excited for this book, but it just felt like such a forced read in the end. There was hardly any build up in any character and the conflict resolution felt like a simple way to tie up loose ends. The conflict itself felt quite forced, because there wasn't any driving force to the book. I would likely not recommend this book to other people.
I'm quickly becoming a HUGE fan of Amanda Quain and her creative reimagining of classics in relatable YA romances with a great deal of emotional depth. While I really enjoyed her last Jane Austen retelling, this latest Northanger Abbey remake raised the bar even higher. Perfect for fans of Emma Lord or Kara McDowell and good on audio narrated by Laura Knight Keating. Many thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Not quite 4 stars for me but I rounded up.
I was anticipating a fairly lighthearted, ghost-centric YA romance. And believe me, this is not lighthearted! It tackles themes of grief, losing a parent, family disfunction, achievement pressure/stress, and how we each cope to get by.
This is inspired by Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. I'm hesitant to say it's a retelling because while it has been a long while since I read Northanger, I'm pretty sure this book deviates from the original quite a bit. I basically ignored the fact that it's remotely Austen-related and enjoyed it for what it is.
The reason I rounded up is because the author does a brilliant job of depicting grief and how we all process it differently. When I was in high school, I lost a grandparent who lived with us for years (not the same, I know) and some people in my family gave me a lot of crap for how I processed my grief. So I felt everyone's pain here.
Quain also did a lovely job of capturing the voices of high schoolers. Not once did I think the characters sounded too old or too wise or too young. They were just the right amount of kid / young adult and it was so refreshing to read!
I did have some issues with the pacing, though. There were parts that really dragged. Because the topics are so heavy and because Hattie is our narrator, you start to feel like you're drowning in her pain and grief and assumptions and masks. It's hard to live in that and there were so few moments of levity that everything gets bogged down. I wanted to know what would happen but I had to really buckle down to get through it.
All in all, I still recommend this book!
Not quite 4 stars for me but I rounded up.
I was anticipating a fairly lighthearted, ghost-centric YA romance. And believe me, this is not lighthearted! It tackles themes of grief, losing a parent, family disfunction, achievement pressure/stress, and how we each cope to get by.
This is inspired by Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. I'm hesitant to say it's a retelling because while it has been a long while since I read Northanger, I'm pretty sure this book deviates from the original quite a bit. I basically ignored the fact that it's remotely Austen-related and enjoyed it for what it is.
The reason I rounded up is because the author does a brilliant job of depicting grief and how we all process it differently. When I was in high school, I lost a grandparent who lived with us for years (not the same, I know) and some people in my family gave me a lot of crap for how I processed my grief. So I felt everyone's pain here.
Quain also did a lovely job of capturing the voices of high schoolers. Not once did I think the characters sounded too old or too wise or too young. They were just the right amount of kid / young adult and it was so refreshing to read!
I did have some issues with the pacing, though. There were parts that really dragged. Because the topics are so heavy and because Hattie is our narrator, you start to feel like you're drowning in her pain and grief and assumptions and masks. It's hard to live in that and there were so few moments of levity that everything gets bogged down. I wanted to know what would happen but I had to really buckle down to get through it.
All in all, I still recommend this book!
Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the digital ARC of Amanda Quain’s Ghosted!
Amanda Quain’s Ghosted, a YA retelling of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, far exceeded my expectations. Quain uses her source material creatively but isn’t beholden to it, instead finding an emotional core that (I must admit) I found missing from Austen’s novel.
Hattie Tilney attends Northanger Abbey, a ritzy private boarding school her family can afford because her mother, Dr. Tilney, is the headmaster. Despite the fact that her school is notorious for being haunted, Hattie is entirely anti-paranormal, convinced that those who hope to find a ghost are deluding themselves.
Then, along comes Kit Morland, a handsome, quirky new student who is decidedly pro-paranormal. Normally, Hattie would avoid Kit completely, but her mother has assigned Hattie to be his ambassador, so she resigns herself to a few tours, some friendly chats, and that’s it.
As the layers peel back on Hattie’s story, it becomes clear that this is really a novel about grief and healing. Immediately before her family moved to Northanger Abbey, her beloved father died of a cancer that killed him quickly. Hattie decided that her new school offered a chance at a fresh start, so she rejected the study of history, of hauntings, of ghosts that had so captivated her and her father. She makes new friends, does what she needs to do to be successful and moderately popular, and blends into the background.
Until Kit.
Kit immediately gets under Hattie’s defenses, and when they’re assigned to work together for their journalism class on a semester-long project focused on the ghosts of Northanger Abbey, Hattie realizes that everything she had suppressed is coming to the surface.
Quain crafts brilliant, complex characters. Hattie, whose first-person narration drives the novel, is vivid and empathetic and sad. It’s clear that, while she looks out for her younger brother, Liam, and tolerates her older sister, Freddie, she’s not really connected with her family, particularly her mother, who she most often calls Dr. Tilney. As Hattie works through her college applications (she’s a senior), it becomes clear that she’s also not connected to the college path she’s committed to. Even her friends see only her surface. It’s only Kit who begins to see who Hattie really is and could be.
I absolutely loved this novel, which so beautifully delves into both Hattie’s healing but also into the inevitably difficult transitions that all teenagers at this age must undertake and, of course, into the relationship that grows between Hattie and Kit. Watching her again feel her feelings is an incredible journey.
Amanda Quain’s Ghosted, a YA retelling of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, far exceeded my expectations. Quain uses her source material creatively but isn’t beholden to it, instead finding an emotional core that (I must admit) I found missing from Austen’s novel.
Hattie Tilney attends Northanger Abbey, a ritzy private boarding school her family can afford because her mother, Dr. Tilney, is the headmaster. Despite the fact that her school is notorious for being haunted, Hattie is entirely anti-paranormal, convinced that those who hope to find a ghost are deluding themselves.
Then, along comes Kit Morland, a handsome, quirky new student who is decidedly pro-paranormal. Normally, Hattie would avoid Kit completely, but her mother has assigned Hattie to be his ambassador, so she resigns herself to a few tours, some friendly chats, and that’s it.
As the layers peel back on Hattie’s story, it becomes clear that this is really a novel about grief and healing. Immediately before her family moved to Northanger Abbey, her beloved father died of a cancer that killed him quickly. Hattie decided that her new school offered a chance at a fresh start, so she rejected the study of history, of hauntings, of ghosts that had so captivated her and her father. She makes new friends, does what she needs to do to be successful and moderately popular, and blends into the background.
Until Kit.
Kit immediately gets under Hattie’s defenses, and when they’re assigned to work together for their journalism class on a semester-long project focused on the ghosts of Northanger Abbey, Hattie realizes that everything she had suppressed is coming to the surface.
Quain crafts brilliant, complex characters. Hattie, whose first-person narration drives the novel, is vivid and empathetic and sad. It’s clear that, while she looks out for her younger brother, Liam, and tolerates her older sister, Freddie, she’s not really connected with her family, particularly her mother, who she most often calls Dr. Tilney. As Hattie works through her college applications (she’s a senior), it becomes clear that she’s also not connected to the college path she’s committed to. Even her friends see only her surface. It’s only Kit who begins to see who Hattie really is and could be.
I absolutely loved this novel, which so beautifully delves into both Hattie’s healing but also into the inevitably difficult transitions that all teenagers at this age must undertake and, of course, into the relationship that grows between Hattie and Kit. Watching her again feel her feelings is an incredible journey.
Ghosted is the first book in the new Northanger Abbey series. Hattie Tilney doesn’t believe in ghosts, or at least that’s what she keeps telling herself, but when Kit Morland transfers to Northanger on a ghost hunting scholarship will he be able to change her mind?
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I pick up this book, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised. Ghosted is a retelling of a Jane Austen story with the gender roles reversed. I enjoyed this book and connected well with the main characters. Some of the supporting characters weren’t my favorite, but that only added to the story. I found this to be a well written, quick read that was hard to put down. I enjoyed this book from beginning to end and look forward to seeing what else might come in this series. If you are looking for a high school aged romance full of ghost hunting, give this a try!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC version of this book!
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I pick up this book, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised. Ghosted is a retelling of a Jane Austen story with the gender roles reversed. I enjoyed this book and connected well with the main characters. Some of the supporting characters weren’t my favorite, but that only added to the story. I found this to be a well written, quick read that was hard to put down. I enjoyed this book from beginning to end and look forward to seeing what else might come in this series. If you are looking for a high school aged romance full of ghost hunting, give this a try!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC version of this book!
Of all of Jane Austen’s novels, Northanger Abbey is not one of my favorites. That being said, I was excited when I saw this book was coming out because it is the Austen novel that is retold the least, and I was anxious to see what Amanda Quain would come up with. I really liked how deep she dove into the feelings of the main character, Hattie, to show why she feels the way she feels about “ghosts”.
The decision to make this a gender-bent retelling was a bit inspired, in my opinion. It helped to make this story truly its own, but it also allowed for some more hard-hitting internal and external struggle. Hattie Tilney is cast in the non-believer role, who is trying so hard to be someone she is not in order to run from her past. Kit Morland is a dreamer and a paranormal believer. I loved his open, cuddly self, and how he was able to peel back the layers of Hattie’s self-protective shell.
I liked the decision to make Northanger Abbey a school – it brought some fun life to the story. The shenanigans that the students were able to get up to made sense within the confines of the setting, and still paid homage to the original story.
I enjoyed the family dynamics in this book. The parent was present in body, but not in spirit. This is something that lots of teens have to deal with, so I was glad to see it represented here. I also liked that the siblings had some struggles to work through together too. It gave the story some realistic tension that had nothing to do with the paranormal investigation side of the story.
Speaking of the paranormal investigation, I loved that take on the ghost story from the original novel! It was such a fun way to incorporate a real phenomenon from our modern culture to make this story feel present in our current time. I am actually a big fan of YouTube channels like Watcher, Sam and Colby, and CelinaSpookyBoo who do paranormal investigations in real life. Such a fun way to bring Northanger Abbey into the 21st century!
All in all, I thought this was a fun retelling of an Austen novel that doesn’t get as much attention as her others. I am excited to see what Amanda Quain comes up with next!
My Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I gave Ghosted 4 Stars!
https://whitreadslit.com/2023/07/24/book-review-ghosted/
The decision to make this a gender-bent retelling was a bit inspired, in my opinion. It helped to make this story truly its own, but it also allowed for some more hard-hitting internal and external struggle. Hattie Tilney is cast in the non-believer role, who is trying so hard to be someone she is not in order to run from her past. Kit Morland is a dreamer and a paranormal believer. I loved his open, cuddly self, and how he was able to peel back the layers of Hattie’s self-protective shell.
I liked the decision to make Northanger Abbey a school – it brought some fun life to the story. The shenanigans that the students were able to get up to made sense within the confines of the setting, and still paid homage to the original story.
I enjoyed the family dynamics in this book. The parent was present in body, but not in spirit. This is something that lots of teens have to deal with, so I was glad to see it represented here. I also liked that the siblings had some struggles to work through together too. It gave the story some realistic tension that had nothing to do with the paranormal investigation side of the story.
Speaking of the paranormal investigation, I loved that take on the ghost story from the original novel! It was such a fun way to incorporate a real phenomenon from our modern culture to make this story feel present in our current time. I am actually a big fan of YouTube channels like Watcher, Sam and Colby, and CelinaSpookyBoo who do paranormal investigations in real life. Such a fun way to bring Northanger Abbey into the 21st century!
All in all, I thought this was a fun retelling of an Austen novel that doesn’t get as much attention as her others. I am excited to see what Amanda Quain comes up with next!
My Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I gave Ghosted 4 Stars!
https://whitreadslit.com/2023/07/24/book-review-ghosted/