Scan barcode
jsncnrd's review against another edition
4.0
Grief is so complex. It touches every aspect of our life. It rips apart our emotions. Our relationships. Our performance at work and school. The ability to enjoy the things we love to do. Our identities.
And The Ghosts We Keep is a book that explores all those aspects through the eyes of a non-binary teenager still reeling from the unsolved hit-and-run that left their brother dead. This story was painful. It hurt to read. It was gut-wrenching. It was raw. It was unfair. But it was also so real.
What broke my heart the most is that The Ghosts We Keep was, in large part, a story of dealing with grief with a microscopic support system. While Liam was hurting, their friends turned their backs on them, their parents were minimally supportive and punished them for the emotions they were feeling, and Marcus (though he had no true obligation to be a support) was hostile and aggressive despite Liam just wanting to help.
Liam had to be strong, and they had to find that strength within themselves as they learned to navigate life without their brother. And not only did Liam lose their brother, they lost their former life. And I think an important part of grief is that we are mourning a past that will no longer be our "normal." The book was incredibly introspective, and the use of flashbacks / the "before" and "after" format really helped emphasize that.
Liam's friends were terrible. And after all was said and done, I was glad they didn't patch things up at the end of the book. Because to me, somehow managing to make things about yourself when a friend has just had their brother killed in an unsolved hit-and-run ... shows what kind of people those "friends" were. Let's offer little to no support to our friend, get quiet whenever our friend comes around, and then get mad when we're called out on it. However, this was a good focus on a different aspect of grief -- the fact that grief is an imposition to some people. When comforting those going through loss, we also need to take time for ourselves. It can be emotionally draining. And that is valid. But when friends shame other people for feeling grief longer than they themselves may feel is necessary, and to make things personal / make it their own narrative -- that is simply you being a jackass.
Honestly, Liam's parents made me mad, as well. Taking away Liam's ability to create music, which was their special form of catharsis, because they were feeling anger -- that upset me. And to threaten Liam with not getting that form of expression back until their grades were back up? While they were struggling with school due in large part to the grief they were feeling? Forcing them to stay home and suffer alone in their room with their painful emotions instead of being in favor of them spending time with friends to help themselves take a break from the ruminating? I would never treat my child like that. And while it's understandable that their parents were also dealing with their own grief, some of that behavior was cruel. Their parents were not understanding. And it made my soul hurt for Liam.
I did see the "twist" coming (not sure if you can call a coming-out revelation a twist), but that added a new layer of complexity to Liam's grief -- moving on with new information and having a million questions come up that you'll never be able to ask someone who's passed away. Because now you're mourning a future that won't ever happen.
It broke my heart that Liam and Marcus never spoke again. When first Liam made a statement to the effect of "we never saw each other again," I thought it was speculation of what may happen -- until I remembered that the book was being told in past tense, and Liam was reliving the events as they happened. I wish they'd have been able to salvage their friendship.
I am glad that we did glimmers of hope at the end of the story. Seeing Liam reconcile with their parents, making new friends, and learning to navigate their life following a tragedy made me so proud of the progress they made as a human.
Overall, I could not put this book down. It demands emotions from the reader, and I felt that I was experiencing grief alongside Liam. It was filled to the brim with sentimental moments, regret, pure anger, and a big dose of melancholia. It was a book that made me feel so many things, and I am so happy I finally picked it up.
Also, Liam had amazing taste in music. Big Thief? Charli XCX? Soccer Mommy? FKA Twigs? Carly Rae Jepsen? A human after my own heart.
And The Ghosts We Keep is a book that explores all those aspects through the eyes of a non-binary teenager still reeling from the unsolved hit-and-run that left their brother dead. This story was painful. It hurt to read. It was gut-wrenching. It was raw. It was unfair. But it was also so real.
What broke my heart the most is that The Ghosts We Keep was, in large part, a story of dealing with grief with a microscopic support system. While Liam was hurting, their friends turned their backs on them, their parents were minimally supportive and punished them for the emotions they were feeling, and Marcus (though he had no true obligation to be a support) was hostile and aggressive despite Liam just wanting to help.
Liam had to be strong, and they had to find that strength within themselves as they learned to navigate life without their brother. And not only did Liam lose their brother, they lost their former life. And I think an important part of grief is that we are mourning a past that will no longer be our "normal." The book was incredibly introspective, and the use of flashbacks / the "before" and "after" format really helped emphasize that.
Liam's friends were terrible. And after all was said and done, I was glad they didn't patch things up at the end of the book. Because to me, somehow managing to make things about yourself when a friend has just had their brother killed in an unsolved hit-and-run ... shows what kind of people those "friends" were. Let's offer little to no support to our friend, get quiet whenever our friend comes around, and then get mad when we're called out on it. However, this was a good focus on a different aspect of grief -- the fact that grief is an imposition to some people. When comforting those going through loss, we also need to take time for ourselves. It can be emotionally draining. And that is valid. But when friends shame other people for feeling grief longer than they themselves may feel is necessary, and to make things personal / make it their own narrative -- that is simply you being a jackass.
Honestly, Liam's parents made me mad, as well. Taking away Liam's ability to create music, which was their special form of catharsis, because they were feeling anger -- that upset me. And to threaten Liam with not getting that form of expression back until their grades were back up? While they were struggling with school due in large part to the grief they were feeling? Forcing them to stay home and suffer alone in their room with their painful emotions instead of being in favor of them spending time with friends to help themselves take a break from the ruminating? I would never treat my child like that. And while it's understandable that their parents were also dealing with their own grief, some of that behavior was cruel. Their parents were not understanding. And it made my soul hurt for Liam.
I did see the "twist" coming (not sure if you can call a coming-out revelation a twist), but that added a new layer of complexity to Liam's grief -- moving on with new information and having a million questions come up that you'll never be able to ask someone who's passed away. Because now you're mourning a future that won't ever happen.
It broke my heart that Liam and Marcus never spoke again. When first Liam made a statement to the effect of "we never saw each other again," I thought it was speculation of what may happen -- until I remembered that the book was being told in past tense, and Liam was reliving the events as they happened. I wish they'd have been able to salvage their friendship.
I am glad that we did glimmers of hope at the end of the story. Seeing Liam reconcile with their parents, making new friends, and learning to navigate their life following a tragedy made me so proud of the progress they made as a human.
Overall, I could not put this book down. It demands emotions from the reader, and I felt that I was experiencing grief alongside Liam. It was filled to the brim with sentimental moments, regret, pure anger, and a big dose of melancholia. It was a book that made me feel so many things, and I am so happy I finally picked it up.
Also, Liam had amazing taste in music. Big Thief? Charli XCX? Soccer Mommy? FKA Twigs? Carly Rae Jepsen? A human after my own heart.
dhishfish's review against another edition
4.0
A heart-achingly honest perspective of grief.
This book wasn't anything absolutely spectacular, nor was it an awful book I'd never want to read again, but it was just a book, that brought a natural but open story to read. I felt so many things while reading this that I can't really describe. But idk something about this book is just so (insert word here for something I can't describe). Anyways, i loved it and y'all should go read it.
This book wasn't anything absolutely spectacular, nor was it an awful book I'd never want to read again, but it was just a book, that brought a natural but open story to read. I felt so many things while reading this that I can't really describe. But idk something about this book is just so (insert word here for something I can't describe). Anyways, i loved it and y'all should go read it.
lalexvp's review against another edition
5.0
Mason Weaver is a master at writing young adult characters who are real and who think and feel as they should for their age. You couldn’t pay me enough to return to high school, but even now, reading Weaver’s books in my 30’s, I feel so seen.
hockeyqueen's review against another edition
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
I really wanted to like this book. It had so much potential but it fell completely flat. The main character is experiencing grief, which is a beast of a topic but truth be told they're terrible. They're not nice to their friends, their family, or themselves. They're particularly awful to their brother's best friend, whom they supposedly have a crush on.
Almost nothing happens in the book. It's the very definition of filler. The beginning of the book was decent and the end was mildly redeeming, but the middle was boring and frustrating.
The writing is flat, the dialogue is boring, uninspired, and forced. The book feels like it was thrown together, with aspects of coming-of-age concepts cherry-picked halfway through the writing process. It failed to weave the concepts into previously written chapters or fully form the concepts later in the book. This book is an incohesive first draft published as a final draft.
This book would have been more interesting if we followed the POV of Marcus or if this had been written in a multiple POV style. Understanding not only Liam but Marcus, the Cooper parents, and Joel/Vanessa might have made this story more cohesive.
I listened to the audio version of the book, which possibly made the reading worse. The voice was not pleasant to my ears (Sorry to the body that enhabits the voice, I am sure you're a lovely person), the acting out of the dialogue was forced, fake, and cringy but I also don't think they had much to work with given the actual dialogue offered. I nearly DNF'd the book but instead I put the audio on 2.0 speed and let Alven the chipmonk talk me through the remaining half of the book.
Almost nothing happens in the book. It's the very definition of filler. The beginning of the book was decent and the end was mildly redeeming, but the middle was boring and frustrating.
The writing is flat, the dialogue is boring, uninspired, and forced. The book feels like it was thrown together, with aspects of coming-of-age concepts cherry-picked halfway through the writing process. It failed to weave the concepts into previously written chapters or fully form the concepts later in the book. This book is an incohesive first draft published as a final draft.
This book would have been more interesting if we followed the POV of Marcus or if this had been written in a multiple POV style. Understanding not only Liam but Marcus, the Cooper parents, and Joel/Vanessa might have made this story more cohesive.
I listened to the audio version of the book, which possibly made the reading worse. The voice was not pleasant to my ears (Sorry to the body that enhabits the voice, I am sure you're a lovely person), the acting out of the dialogue was forced, fake, and cringy but I also don't think they had much to work with given the actual dialogue offered. I nearly DNF'd the book but instead I put the audio on 2.0 speed and let Alven the chipmonk talk me through the remaining half of the book.
adrianas65's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
evelynyle_88's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Omg... this book has already been in my TBR since last year and I'm glad I decided to listen to the audiobook just now. I love the story, I love the dynamics between characters. It's deep to know that what Liam Cooper through in his life.
Trying to put myself in his shoes and I feel sad and sorry for him. But, this book is beautifully written. I could understand Liam's grief. I wanna hug him so much!
Thank you for this beautiful story, Mason! Gonna deep dive to your other books later! You are a genius!
Trying to put myself in his shoes and I feel sad and sorry for him. But, this book is beautifully written. I could understand Liam's grief. I wanna hug him so much!
Thank you for this beautiful story, Mason! Gonna deep dive to your other books later! You are a genius!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Self harm
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Car accident
Minor: Transphobia
el_libromark's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
5.0
I had to push past my love of rom-com, light-hearted and the pretty standard books I've come to keep around me to enjoy this book. I could feel the pain of the characters and after getting over my initial dislike for how the main character was acting, had to realize this was grief in all its ugly forms. It's really a beautiful story.
rorystoryhour's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Too angsty and yearning for my personal taste, and a little too “hit the nail on the head” re/ mental health. However, would be sweet and important and loved by the right teens.
kitrook's review against another edition
3.0
ah. this is hard because mason deavers acknowledgment summarizes everything. how it’s a book for them first and foremost, and how many elements of the book are not popular ones. however i still feel like i should give it a rating. so my rating is unfortunately low. it was a good book, and it was sad, but missed the mark for me. i am incredibly glad deaver was able to produce this though.
you can’t read this book without reading the acknowledgement note at the end.
you can’t read this book without reading the acknowledgement note at the end.
eleonora_fr's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0