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jacemchale's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
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? No
3.75
judeinthestars's review
3.0
This story feels like a teaser for something. It efficiently sets the scene but it’s way too short to be satisfying.
Laren is a promising MC. She’s just out of what sounds like an emotionally abusive relationship, which left her insecure on many levels. She’s an artist and works in customer service to pay the bills, and she seems level-headed enough to not believe in ghosts. So when she starts worrying about the house she’s now living in being haunted for real, I trust her.
I’m not sure what to think of the other MC, Casey. They don’t get enough page time for me to get an idea of who they are, beyond being nonbinary, an electrician, and apparently very much the kind of person Laren is attracted to. I hope we get a follow-up soon in which their character isn’t as fleeting.
I received a copy from the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Laren is a promising MC. She’s just out of what sounds like an emotionally abusive relationship, which left her insecure on many levels. She’s an artist and works in customer service to pay the bills, and she seems level-headed enough to not believe in ghosts. So when she starts worrying about the house she’s now living in being haunted for real, I trust her.
I’m not sure what to think of the other MC, Casey. They don’t get enough page time for me to get an idea of who they are, beyond being nonbinary, an electrician, and apparently very much the kind of person Laren is attracted to. I hope we get a follow-up soon in which their character isn’t as fleeting.
I received a copy from the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
mari_mendoza's review
5.0
This was a lovely short but satisfying read. It was my first time to read fiction that used they/them pronouns, I was honestly a little confused at first BUT quickly got the hang of it. I really appreciated the representation and hope we'd see more.
This wasn't too scary, if you're not into horror but wanting to get into it or would just like to try and read something spooky and atmospheric, this book would be a good starting point. The romance wasn't overwhelming in the story, I would need the next book in the series to form a solid opinion on them. What I really loved about the book is the writing, it was very well written and it was light and at the same time a little creepy. I thought it was the perfect balance for a quick rainy day read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This wasn't too scary, if you're not into horror but wanting to get into it or would just like to try and read something spooky and atmospheric, this book would be a good starting point. The romance wasn't overwhelming in the story, I would need the next book in the series to form a solid opinion on them. What I really loved about the book is the writing, it was very well written and it was light and at the same time a little creepy. I thought it was the perfect balance for a quick rainy day read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
elementarymydear's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
After a disastrous break-up, Laren takes a room at Harrington House, notorious for being haunted. At first she doesn’t believe it, but even though the house is kept in top condition mysterious things keep happening. On top of dealing with actual ghosts, she has to deal with her ever-increasing feelings towards her room-mate and landlord Casey…
📚Read this and other reviews on my blog!📚
This was such a fun read, and perfect for this time of year! It’s quite a short novella, coming in at about 50 pages, so is perfect for an evening curled up while it’s raining outside. This book has its own complete story while still setting up a series and I’m very excited to see where it’s going to go next.
J.P. Noether found the perfect balance of light-hearted and spooky, with plenty of atmosphere without it feeling too heavy. Even the chapter headings felt very true to life, capturing what the average person would actually think if they lived in a haunted house – for example, “Chapter 6: believe me, I know it sounds weird". Laren is a great character to read from, and the way the author set up her relationship Casey was really interesting – just enough to get us invested, without giving too much away! It’s clear that this romance is going to be a slow-burn across several books, and that’s a really nice contrast to the shorter, episodic ghost story in this first volume. I think it’s going to be a great story-arc to span across the future instalments.
If you’re looking for a cosy, spooky read, complete with great sapphic and non-binary representation, this is the book for you!
Thank you to the author for providing me with a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.
📚Read this and other reviews on my blog!📚
This was such a fun read, and perfect for this time of year! It’s quite a short novella, coming in at about 50 pages, so is perfect for an evening curled up while it’s raining outside. This book has its own complete story while still setting up a series and I’m very excited to see where it’s going to go next.
J.P. Noether found the perfect balance of light-hearted and spooky, with plenty of atmosphere without it feeling too heavy. Even the chapter headings felt very true to life, capturing what the average person would actually think if they lived in a haunted house – for example, “Chapter 6: believe me, I know it sounds weird". Laren is a great character to read from, and the way the author set up her relationship Casey was really interesting – just enough to get us invested, without giving too much away! It’s clear that this romance is going to be a slow-burn across several books, and that’s a really nice contrast to the shorter, episodic ghost story in this first volume. I think it’s going to be a great story-arc to span across the future instalments.
If you’re looking for a cosy, spooky read, complete with great sapphic and non-binary representation, this is the book for you!
Thank you to the author for providing me with a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.
anidharker's review
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
(This was an ARC kindly provided by the author, who is a friend)
So this is a perfect choice for a cozy night in, and here's why:
1-It's brief, and super long books are just not as cozy, it's a scientific fact.
2-Slowburn Romance (so slow that it does not in fact get established in a single book, this point is ongoing)
3-It's a cozy read itself, as in there are no big saving-the-world stakes (the stakes are really "will Laren and Casey kiss?" and "will Casey admit the ghosts are real?"), and it's not too scary (there's really only a couple of moments that could be classified as jumpscares but that's it) so non-fans of horror are safe here.
4-It's kinda classified as mystery-romance, but it's not super mysterious, we know it's ghosts from the beginning, it's just the characters are in denial.
In addition to that, the chapter titles were very amusing to me, and I'm really looking forward to seeing Casey fall from gruff eventually.
So this is a perfect choice for a cozy night in, and here's why:
1-It's brief, and super long books are just not as cozy, it's a scientific fact.
2-Slowburn Romance (so slow that it does not in fact get established in a single book, this point is ongoing)
3-It's a cozy read itself, as in there are no big saving-the-world stakes (the stakes are really "will Laren and Casey kiss?" and "will Casey admit the ghosts are real?"), and it's not too scary (there's really only a couple of moments that could be classified as jumpscares but that's it) so non-fans of horror are safe here.
4-It's kinda classified as mystery-romance, but it's not super mysterious, we know it's ghosts from the beginning, it's just the characters are in denial.
In addition to that, the chapter titles were very amusing to me, and I'm really looking forward to seeing Casey fall from gruff eventually.
Content Warnings
Minor: Toxic relationship
The toxic relationship is the bad breakup mentioned in the blurb.
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