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helynalc's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I wanted something spooky and heartfelt and I got something spooky and heartfelt. :)
This novel is the first of the survivors of my so-called "First Chapter Culling" (related to the BBNYA contest of indie books this year) that I read. Which basically means I knew almost nothing about the book beforehand but I loved the first chapter so much that it placed on my TBR pretty high. I have my own interest in Ghostbuster/Phasmophobia/Supernatural-inspired stories, so I was looking forward to it a lot.
I had a great time with this book. Adrian was a character I immediately was interested in...a young man out of a traumatising experience, newly able to see ghosts and paranormal creatures. He is shy, a bit awkward, but loveable--I just wanted to protecc, you know? He joins a team of paranormal investigators who are pretty famous online, catches feelings for one of his colleagues, and ends up facing a foe that terrifies the entire ghosthunting community. It's packed with ghosthunting cases, the dynamic of the team is great (shoutout to Hunter and Julian), there are cozy and spooky and action-y moments everywhere, and we even get regular updates from the team's fandom in the form of forum conversations. I just loved these. I love looking at fandom and its behaviours and whatnot, so these were so interesting to me, very funny, plus, very craftily worldbuilding too! There's a subtle mystery building through the whole book which you can catch pretty early on, but since Adrian knows nothing in the beginning, it only gets revealed as significant gradually. And by the time you could be like "hey...so what's going on" we're already squaring up for the final fight. Which is...a doozy!
A large part of the book is the slow-burn romance which was done really well. I'm not a romance person at all and the story was almost too spicy for my tastes, but the important thing, the emotional bond was solid. The love interest is a gentle, adoring, protective person and they were just so good to each other with Adrian. It's all very sweet. There's only a bit of drama which was *popcorn-eating.gif*--enjoyably messy, but not too much.
I sometimes wished we could spend a bit more time on the ghost cases themselves, the ghost/demon lore, spooky scenarios and the bonding of the whole team--everything was understandable, these were just my favourite things so I wanted more. But the story is more personal to Adrian, and it worked really well on that level. I even shed some tears at the end. There's a strong theme of grief and loss which resolves in a bittersweet, satisfying way.
The author weaves an exciting, heartfelt tale of spooky ghosts, old scars and new-found love in a novel packed with mysteries, wholesome moments and a bit of spice. I'll be there for any possible sequels for sure. ;)
This novel is the first of the survivors of my so-called "First Chapter Culling" (related to the BBNYA contest of indie books this year) that I read. Which basically means I knew almost nothing about the book beforehand but I loved the first chapter so much that it placed on my TBR pretty high. I have my own interest in Ghostbuster/Phasmophobia/Supernatural-inspired stories, so I was looking forward to it a lot.
I had a great time with this book. Adrian was a character I immediately was interested in...a young man out of a traumatising experience, newly able to see ghosts and paranormal creatures. He is shy, a bit awkward, but loveable--I just wanted to protecc, you know? He joins a team of paranormal investigators who are pretty famous online, catches feelings for one of his colleagues, and ends up facing a foe that terrifies the entire ghosthunting community. It's packed with ghosthunting cases, the dynamic of the team is great (shoutout to Hunter and Julian), there are cozy and spooky and action-y moments everywhere, and we even get regular updates from the team's fandom in the form of forum conversations. I just loved these. I love looking at fandom and its behaviours and whatnot, so these were so interesting to me, very funny, plus, very craftily worldbuilding too! There's a subtle mystery building through the whole book which you can catch pretty early on, but since Adrian knows nothing in the beginning, it only gets revealed as significant gradually. And by the time you could be like "hey...so what's going on" we're already squaring up for the final fight. Which is...a doozy!
A large part of the book is the slow-burn romance which was done really well. I'm not a romance person at all and the story was almost too spicy for my tastes, but the important thing, the emotional bond was solid. The love interest is a gentle, adoring, protective person and they were just so good to each other with Adrian. It's all very sweet. There's only a bit of drama which was *popcorn-eating.gif*--enjoyably messy, but not too much.
I sometimes wished we could spend a bit more time on the ghost cases themselves, the ghost/demon lore, spooky scenarios and the bonding of the whole team--everything was understandable, these were just my favourite things so I wanted more. But the story is more personal to Adrian, and it worked really well on that level. I even shed some tears at the end. There's a strong theme of grief and loss which resolves in a bittersweet, satisfying way.
The author weaves an exciting, heartfelt tale of spooky ghosts, old scars and new-found love in a novel packed with mysteries, wholesome moments and a bit of spice. I'll be there for any possible sequels for sure. ;)
tag_gregory's review
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
<strong>Super Enthusiastic Recommendation!</strong>
This was exactly what I wanted to read right now. Sweet, funny, and exciting, with just enough compelling drama to keep you obsessively reading. I’m not really sure what genre to describe this book as because it hits on so much: Ghost story, M/M Romance, Reality TV spoof, maybe even RPS fanfic third-wall-breaking comedy? Seriously, what more could ask for from a book?
Mari is a new author to me so I came to this story with no expectations. I’m not even sure where I found the rec or why I bought it; maybe it came up in one of my random searches for indie authors? I even forgot I purchased it until I came across it a few days back, waiting in my e-reader library. I am so glad that I bought it though!
The characters were incredibly relatable. The MC Adrian is adorable, and his shy, angsty, self-conscious demeanor, immediately pulls the reader in. His love interest, Yu, perfectly fits the handsome stoic loaner stereotype. Lukas is the love triangle guy. And the goofballs, Julian & Hunter, perfectly round out the cast. I promise, you’ll end up loving them all by chapter 3.
But the piece de resistance are the hilarious, and eminently well written, fake forum threads that the author winds through the book by way of narration. I cannot say how much I enjoyed these little snippets. As an author who got my own start in fanfiction, these passages were what won me over. Anyone who’s ever spent any time in a fandom will immediately relate to every faux post Mari writes. I was literally laughing out loud so often I lost count. Excellently done!
Yes, I enthusiastically recommend this book to pretty much anyone who likes ghost stories, romance, or comedy. You won’t go wrong.
This was exactly what I wanted to read right now. Sweet, funny, and exciting, with just enough compelling drama to keep you obsessively reading. I’m not really sure what genre to describe this book as because it hits on so much: Ghost story, M/M Romance, Reality TV spoof, maybe even RPS fanfic third-wall-breaking comedy? Seriously, what more could ask for from a book?
Mari is a new author to me so I came to this story with no expectations. I’m not even sure where I found the rec or why I bought it; maybe it came up in one of my random searches for indie authors? I even forgot I purchased it until I came across it a few days back, waiting in my e-reader library. I am so glad that I bought it though!
The characters were incredibly relatable. The MC Adrian is adorable, and his shy, angsty, self-conscious demeanor, immediately pulls the reader in. His love interest, Yu, perfectly fits the handsome stoic loaner stereotype. Lukas is the love triangle guy. And the goofballs, Julian & Hunter, perfectly round out the cast. I promise, you’ll end up loving them all by chapter 3.
But the piece de resistance are the hilarious, and eminently well written, fake forum threads that the author winds through the book by way of narration. I cannot say how much I enjoyed these little snippets. As an author who got my own start in fanfiction, these passages were what won me over. Anyone who’s ever spent any time in a fandom will immediately relate to every faux post Mari writes. I was literally laughing out loud so often I lost count. Excellently done!
Yes, I enthusiastically recommend this book to pretty much anyone who likes ghost stories, romance, or comedy. You won’t go wrong.
avoraciousreader68's review
medium-paced
4.5
4.5
Book source ~ TWR Tour
Adrian Sinclair has a life altering experience and now he not only can sense the energy of spirits, he can see and hear them, too. When weird things start happening at his house, his family calls in the Crossroads Paranormal Research Society to put a stop to it. But they do something else as well. They take Adrian on as an intern so he can learn how his new abilities work and how he can control them. This puts him on a path he could never have envisioned.
This is a story full of heart! With great characters, interesting plot, and paranormal aspects it’s a tale that kept me turning the pages. The pacing is a bit slow in spots and could probably have been trimmed a bit, but that doesn’t detract too much from its appeal.
Oh, Adrian. The things you’ve been through. The author should be ashamed! Just kidding. Sometimes characters have to be put through the wringer in order to grow. And Adrian does grow. But not without help from his new friends. This heartfelt story of loss, love, and the dangerously weird is really one that shouldn’t be missed.
elementarymydear's review
4.0
This was such a fun and gripping read! I had an absolute blast from start to finish, and I couldn’t put it down.
We follow a group of YouTube ghost-hunters, and their various misadventures in supernatural occurrences and – for some – romance. Their fandom also feature heavily as well, which was a lovely touch!
📚Blog📖YouTube📖Instagram📚
The story centres around a romance between two members of the group. It was so compelling with plenty of will-they-won’t-they, and when they eventually did it was well worth the wait. The core friendship group was also a stand-out feature of this book. It was great to see the friends develop and evolve over the course of the novel, and you know I always love a found family! They were funny but still full of heart and really grounded the story.
I also loved the addition of the fandom to the story. We got glimpses into the fan forum, and we got to know the various members of the fandom through their screen names. It felt like a love letter to fandom, with the mods, the shipping wars, the fan-fiction, and the low-stakes high-drama arguments that break out!
In the end, the supernatural elements felt secondary to the more character-driven plot lines. This was such a fun read with characters I am already obsessed with. I can’t wait for the sequel!
I received a free copy for an honest review.
We follow a group of YouTube ghost-hunters, and their various misadventures in supernatural occurrences and – for some – romance. Their fandom also feature heavily as well, which was a lovely touch!
📚Blog📖YouTube📖Instagram📚
The story centres around a romance between two members of the group. It was so compelling with plenty of will-they-won’t-they, and when they eventually did it was well worth the wait. The core friendship group was also a stand-out feature of this book. It was great to see the friends develop and evolve over the course of the novel, and you know I always love a found family! They were funny but still full of heart and really grounded the story.
I also loved the addition of the fandom to the story. We got glimpses into the fan forum, and we got to know the various members of the fandom through their screen names. It felt like a love letter to fandom, with the mods, the shipping wars, the fan-fiction, and the low-stakes high-drama arguments that break out!
In the end, the supernatural elements felt secondary to the more character-driven plot lines. This was such a fun read with characters I am already obsessed with. I can’t wait for the sequel!
I received a free copy for an honest review.
queerlyread's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, and Sexual content
Minor: Racism
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