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brennakoko's review
adventurous
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book! I knew as soon as I read the description that I NEEDED to read it
I really liked this book. I wasn't expecting a book about a ghosts to be anywhere near as funny as this was.
I liked watching Cara's relationship develop with Meredith, but I find myself wanting more. I wish we had gotten more of Meredith's relationship/conversations with Aiden after she found out about his ghost. Or some chapters from her point of view to get a better idea of how she was feeling. I expected a book about a boy helping his grieving sister to make me cry alot more than this book did, and I think it would have been more emotional to get Meredith's (or even Aiden's) POV for at least part of the book.
I'd say my biggest issue with the book was Cara's selfishness. I was really annoyed with her when everything went down after Meredith found out about Aiden's ghost, both with how she made everything about her and the fights with Holly and Aiden afterword. I wish we had gotten to see the resolutions to the fights with Holly and Aiden.
In spite of the couple issues I had, I did enjoy the book. I was hard to put down and it made me laugh alot
I really liked this book. I wasn't expecting a book about a ghosts to be anywhere near as funny as this was.
I'd say my biggest issue with the book was Cara's selfishness. I was really annoyed with her when everything went down after Meredith found out about Aiden's ghost, both with how she made everything about her and the fights with Holly and Aiden afterword. I wish we had gotten to see the resolutions to the fights with Holly and Aiden.
In spite of the couple issues I had, I did enjoy the book. I was hard to put down and it made me laugh alot
jadehusdanhicks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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
What a story, this was gripping and excuse the pun 'haunting' from start to finish. This story battles grief both past and present, friendships, romance, trust and more. Our leading character is a bisexual ghost hunter by the name of Cara, whos best friend is a devout catholic called Holly. Having been friends through the good and the bad it begins with them helping each other with their respective Youtube chanels, but Cara's escapades ghost hunting uncover something neither could expect - Cara can communicate with the spirit of Aiden, a teen who died at the site of her last ghost hunt. Trying to find out more and bring him some closure, the chaos leads Cara to his sister Meredith in an attempt led by Aidens ideas to try and make her happy as she has been depressed since his passing. Focusing on character development this story battles trust issues, maturing, being truthful with themself and others and more and although there was some bumpy parts i am glad that overall that closure and happiness was achieved for all. Additionally, this had great representation with both queer and asian characters present in our main characters and their friends.
thecorkedreader's review against another edition
3.5
š»The Ghost of Usš»
The Ghost of Us was described as One Last Stop meets Cemetery Boys which immediately caught my attention as I enjoyed both of those books. Cara is a 18 year old high school outcast who spends her time dreaming of being a famous ghost hunter. She spends her free time with her best friend trying to find proof of the supernatural. Much to her surprise, she stumbles upon Aidan, the ghost of a popular upperclassman who had tragically passed away the year prior. Aidan left behind his younger sister, Meredith who has been a recluse ever since his passing. Realizing he hasnāt passed on because his unfinished business is his sisterās happiness, he makes a deal with Cara. If she can get Meredith out of her shell and take her to prom, he will help Cara prove that the paranormal is real.
This was a fun, quick read that definitely had the vibes it promised while being different enough to be its own thing. The story was light and funny despite its heavy subject matter (a dead teen and his grieving sister). The idea of being a teenage girl with the ghost of a teenage boy inside her head added the perfect amount of comic relief to the story. It also was quite sweet at times and reminded me of how precious teenage love can be.
My favourite character was Meredith, she is complicated and fiercely loyal. She only got more and more interesting as the story progressed. Cara, on the other hand, the single POV of the story, kind of drove me crazy at times. She is definitely meant to be a bit unlikeable, selfish teenager but damn, there were times I wanted to give her a good shake. The way she treats her only friend, Holly.... She did not deserve her most of the time. However, I give props to the author for writing her so well that it elicited such a response. Though frustrating at times, I much prefer when teens are written like real teens. Aidan, while frustrating in his own way, was kind of forgiven for that given that he is working through being dead and is still at heart a teenage boy. Iāll never look at a bluetooth speaker the same, IYKYK š
Overall, The Ghost of Us was an enjoyable queer paranormal YA story. I think if you enjoyed Cemetery Boys you may enjoy this one too (though they are quite different so set expectations accordingly).
Thank you to @WednesdayBooks & @netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! The Ghost of Us is out on June 11th!
ā3.5/5 starsā
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
4.0
As a teen ghost hunter, Caraās goal is to find proof of the supernatural in order to get out of her small Washington town. So when she accidentally finds the ghost of Aiden, a teen who had died a year earlier, she thinks her dreams have come true. Little does she know that Aiden has an agenda of his own.
Aiden canāt move on until he knows his sister, Meredith, is okay. So in exchange for his help proving that the supernatural exists, Cara agrees to ask his sister to prom. But as Cara gets to know Meredith, she realizes that there might actually be something between them.
Thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Ghost of Us by James L. Sutter to review! The summary of the book kind of gave me Cemetery Boys vibes, so I was excited to pick this one up. Plus Sutterās debut, Darkhearts, was a favorite of mine last year!
The relationships in this book are so well done. We have Aiden and Caraās budding friendship, Caraās friendship with Holly, and Caraās slow burn romance with Meredith. Thereās a wide variety of relationships here, and I think Sutter nailed them on the head. They felt authentically teen, and made it difficult to put down the book.
Despite the subject matter, this book didnāt feel too heavy or dragged down by grief. Partly because we donāt get Meredithās point of view; we donāt get to see much of her grieving process for her brother. A dual POV could have been cool in this instance, to pull more of those emotions into the story.
Thereās a nod to Sutterās previous book in here as well, which I always find so fun. Plus, the cover of this book is absolutely gorgeous. If youāre looking for a romance to add to your TBR this summer, definitely pick this one up!
Aiden canāt move on until he knows his sister, Meredith, is okay. So in exchange for his help proving that the supernatural exists, Cara agrees to ask his sister to prom. But as Cara gets to know Meredith, she realizes that there might actually be something between them.
Thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Ghost of Us by James L. Sutter to review! The summary of the book kind of gave me Cemetery Boys vibes, so I was excited to pick this one up. Plus Sutterās debut, Darkhearts, was a favorite of mine last year!
The relationships in this book are so well done. We have Aiden and Caraās budding friendship, Caraās friendship with Holly, and Caraās slow burn romance with Meredith. Thereās a wide variety of relationships here, and I think Sutter nailed them on the head. They felt authentically teen, and made it difficult to put down the book.
Despite the subject matter, this book didnāt feel too heavy or dragged down by grief. Partly because we donāt get Meredithās point of view; we donāt get to see much of her grieving process for her brother. A dual POV could have been cool in this instance, to pull more of those emotions into the story.
Thereās a nod to Sutterās previous book in here as well, which I always find so fun. Plus, the cover of this book is absolutely gorgeous. If youāre looking for a romance to add to your TBR this summer, definitely pick this one up!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death and Sexual content
tfstepakoff's review
4.0
This book was so close to being my first 5 star of the year. Like, up until the last 20 pages. āThe Ghost of Usā had me laughing out loud, cringing, and crying (itās a book about grief - youāre gonna cry). The characters are realer than most - both likable and dislikable, all just teenagers figuring it out. The writing was great, I love Sutterās style and even though we all knew the end the whole time, it was an enjoyable read.
Why I took off a star - the ending was so abrupt. I felt like everything happened so much faster than the rest of the novel, there were some loose ends I wanted answers to (maybe the point is that we donāt get all the answers to things we want?). It felt a bit like whiplash. It was a good ending, it was just sudden and rushed. Overall though, I loved this book and will be recommending it to others
Thank you to NetGallery for this ARC.
Why I took off a star - the ending was so abrupt. I felt like everything happened so much faster than the rest of the novel, there were some loose ends I wanted answers to (maybe the point is that we donāt get all the answers to things we want?). It felt a bit like whiplash. It was a good ending, it was just sudden and rushed. Overall though, I loved this book and will be recommending it to others
Thank you to NetGallery for this ARC.
bookstosoothethesoul's review
4.0
Wow this definitely lives up to the Cemetery Boys comparison! It has all the heart of that story that I adored so much. The main draw of the book for me was Aiden's relationship with Cara. In Cemetery Boy's the connection with the ghost is romantic, but I found Cara's platonic connection with Aiden to be just as compelling. Watching Cara's excitement about meeting a ghost turn to sadness as she becomes close friends with him and realizes that helping him means losing him was so emotional. Especially since she's a bit of an outsider, her making a close friend who understands her so well only to watch him get closer to moving on was incredibly angsty. The sapphic romance plot was also adorable. I loved watching two queer teens navigate their first relationship. YA can be hit or miss for me because sometimes the characters feel too immature to be relatable for me. However, that wasn't the case at all with The Ghost of Us. Watching Cara struggle with the change that will come when her only (alive) friend graduates high school and leaves her felt so similar to my experience. That anticipatory grief during senior year is painfully relatable and I really felt for her as she tried to build a network of people only to realize that she couldn't keep them and was guaranteed to lose at least one. I 100% recommend this book and now I'm really excited to read more from this author!
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!
teganbeesebooks's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Child death, Death, Outing, and Sexual content
brightbelladonna22's review
emotional
funny
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
3.0
Before the actual review, let it be 100% known that this is my favorite cover of the year. Drew me in instantly. 10/10. Whoever drew this absolute masterpiece needs to know that this is perfection, and actually what drew me to The Ghost of Us! Spooky, sapphic, and tender -- utterly stunning.
As for the book said masterpiece cover belongs to...it was, sadly, a bit of a miss for me.
Let's start with the good:
-I adored the premise. A contemporary rom-com with a touch of paranormal? Amazing
-I felt that Cara's voice was on point. Sutter perfectly embodies bitter, standoffish Cara and manages the transitions between more lighthearted moments and more serious with ease. I also loved Aiden, her ghostly bestie. Their friendship is realistically drawn and I love the push and pull between both their motives; it makes for delicious narrative tension and also leaves the narrative ripe with opportunities for Cara's and Aiden's growth
-Meredith's grief is captured very well without overwhelming the narrative. I think this goes back to how Sutter balances heavy and light
-I liked Cara's whole family dynamic and also liked her friendship with Holly. It was refreshing to have a queer YA romcom where the MC coming out is not the main conflict (although there are certainly mentions of homophobia--more on that later)
-Sutter's prose flows very nicely
So, what has The Ghost of Us hovering at 3 stars for me?
-the main thing was that the depiction of Cara's sexuality did not feel authentic. Even though I appreciated that Sutter mentions a couple sensitivity readers in the acknowledgements, there were parts that made me, a bisexual woman, uncomfortable. Namely, Cara's coming out story (trigger warning: involves cyberbullying and sexual harassment by a former friend). I also didn't like the way that Cara sexualizes Meredith. It feels...male gaze-y.
-the other thing is the relationship between Cara and Meredith. By the end, I liked them, but the pacing was off for me. Felt too fast in the beginning and lagging in the middle
-the motivation for Cara's ghost hunting is never fully clear to me? It felt like it vacillated between "connecting to Grandma" and "wanting to leave this dead end town." In the end, I'm not sure the motivation ever mattered, but it definitely weakened her arc
I would give another one of Sutter's books a try, but this one just didn't click for me like I was hoping!
Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books, and James L. Sutter for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!
As for the book said masterpiece cover belongs to...it was, sadly, a bit of a miss for me.
Let's start with the good:
-I adored the premise. A contemporary rom-com with a touch of paranormal? Amazing
-I felt that Cara's voice was on point. Sutter perfectly embodies bitter, standoffish Cara and manages the transitions between more lighthearted moments and more serious with ease. I also loved Aiden, her ghostly bestie. Their friendship is realistically drawn and I love the push and pull between both their motives; it makes for delicious narrative tension and also leaves the narrative ripe with opportunities for Cara's and Aiden's growth
-Meredith's grief is captured very well without overwhelming the narrative. I think this goes back to how Sutter balances heavy and light
-I liked Cara's whole family dynamic and also liked her friendship with Holly. It was refreshing to have a queer YA romcom where the MC coming out is not the main conflict (although there are certainly mentions of homophobia--more on that later)
-Sutter's prose flows very nicely
So, what has The Ghost of Us hovering at 3 stars for me?
-the main thing was that the depiction of Cara's sexuality did not feel authentic. Even though I appreciated that Sutter mentions a couple sensitivity readers in the acknowledgements, there were parts that made me, a bisexual woman, uncomfortable. Namely, Cara's coming out story (trigger warning: involves cyberbullying and sexual harassment by a former friend). I also didn't like the way that Cara sexualizes Meredith. It feels...male gaze-y.
-the other thing is the relationship between Cara and Meredith. By the end, I liked them, but the pacing was off for me. Felt too fast in the beginning and lagging in the middle
-the motivation for Cara's ghost hunting is never fully clear to me? It felt like it vacillated between "connecting to Grandma" and "wanting to leave this dead end town." In the end, I'm not sure the motivation ever mattered, but it definitely weakened her arc
I would give another one of Sutter's books a try, but this one just didn't click for me like I was hoping!
Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books, and James L. Sutter for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!
libraryofamisfit's review against another edition
the writing style isn't for me. the dialogue is too "gen z" and i always find it difficult to get lost in a narrative like that. it's a me thing, and not at all the book's fault. maybe it's better suited for its target audience!
wanderingsierra's review
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0