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megh_'s review against another edition
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail
kevinscorner's review
4.0
The Other Ones is a contemporary YA queer romance and ghost story. Sal is a bit strange, least of all because he lives in a notorious haunted house in his small English town. Pax is the new kid in town and also kind of weird. They form an unlikely friendship that soon turns into more. But between the haunting and a shameful family secret, their romance may not pull through.
This was a very charming and atmospheric autumnal read. Told from Sal’s perspective, we follow him as he navigates being the town misfit, a budding attraction to Pax (even though he has always considered himself straight), his complicated friend group in school, and a dark family secret. Pax is delightfully weird and brings a cosy sunshine to Sal’s grumpy nature. Their slowburn romance was sweet and endearing and develops naturally as they go from strangers to haphazard friends to each other’s first loves.
It is hard to describe the ghost story aspect of the book as it is very low-key and talking about it can be spoilery. Let’s just say it is very personal (to Sal) and I really liked the twist. The haunted house part never gets dark or creepy, and this is in now way a horror with a tense oppressive environment. It focuses instead on Sal’s family dynamics with his older sister who has had to step up after their father’s death and their checked-out mother while living in a notorious haunted house.
The Other Ones is a cosy and queer romance with some light fantastical elements and a strong focus on its characters.
This was a very charming and atmospheric autumnal read. Told from Sal’s perspective, we follow him as he navigates being the town misfit, a budding attraction to Pax (even though he has always considered himself straight), his complicated friend group in school, and a dark family secret. Pax is delightfully weird and brings a cosy sunshine to Sal’s grumpy nature. Their slowburn romance was sweet and endearing and develops naturally as they go from strangers to haphazard friends to each other’s first loves.
It is hard to describe the ghost story aspect of the book as it is very low-key and talking about it can be spoilery. Let’s just say it is very personal (to Sal) and I really liked the twist. The haunted house part never gets dark or creepy, and this is in now way a horror with a tense oppressive environment. It focuses instead on Sal’s family dynamics with his older sister who has had to step up after their father’s death and their checked-out mother while living in a notorious haunted house.
The Other Ones is a cosy and queer romance with some light fantastical elements and a strong focus on its characters.
leightonlawliet's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Not the book I was expecting not that I was sold on. Honestly if my expectations of this book had been managed better I probably would have enjoyed it more.
crimsonnclover's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
3.75
elsreads's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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
4.5
really loved this book!!!! not muchhh plot wise happened tbh and some of the secondary characters could have been developed a bit more but this was the book that got me back into reading and I found the main characters so so loveable! Was such a cosy and easy read and I just really loved everything about it! Wish it was marketed better (less of a Halloween spooky book and more of a queer, found family, spiritual, mental health kind of book) cause I really think a lot of people would enjoy it. was really heart warming and I thought the way pax was there for sal through everything with his mum in hospital as well as the relationship with his sister was really beautiful and I think a lot of people would relate to it. Yes there were some flaws but they didn’t at all take away from my enjoyment of the book. my fave book of the year <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Abandonment
Moderate: Car accident, Mental illness, and Death of parent
maybeamy's review
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
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
4.25
ellelainey's review
3.0
The Other Ones, by Fran Hart
Triggers: death of family member, grief, (hinted at) depression, grief, mild violence, slut shaming, teen drinking/smoking and implied teen sex (off page)
While I thought the story had potential, my biggest issue is that ALL of the promotional material - from snippets, the blurb, even the cover - bill this as a spooky Halloween mystery.
It is NONE of these things.
~
As another reviewer pointed out, most of the plot reads like a well written but drastically predictable fan-fiction.
I was sold a story of haunted houses and teen romance. I was promised something akin to Aiden Thomas' Cemetery Boys. What I got was a family drama that just happened to take place around Autumn, that was more reminiscent of Mason Deaver's The Ghosts We Keep, without any of the originality and heart-wrenching emotional impact.
I won't spoil the plot by saying too much, but this is what I can safely say:
* the pacing was slooooow
* NOTHING happened for what felt like forever
* editing issues (eg. for ever instead of forever)
* the romance is not well formed and takes HALF the book to be anything but an awkward friendship
* the entire plot lacks purpose and direction until the last third, after the "big reveal"
* the advertising and blurb are insanely misleading
* Sal, as the MC, isn't engaging. He's socially disinterested, awkward with even his own family, and doesn't seem to ever really care about anything until the final few chapters, which makes him hard to connect to.
* Pax is, by far, the MOST interesting character, who isn't given enough page time.
* Dirk is a great friend, but isn't well utilised.
* We were promised a group of misfits finding their own "normal" together, but the plot was extremely biased towards the whole Pax/Sal romance, without the friendships being explored as I'd hoped.
* Unnecessary and pointless repetition of EVERYTHING Sal eats or drinks being hotter than Hell. Why? What's the point?
* Sal is stupid enough to eat a post-it note. I mean...was that really necessary?
I expected Sal to be secretly bisexual or to get an awakening towards being bi, but I was immensely disappointed by the bi-erasure of this little nugget - "It explained why he had never enjoyed kissing girls much." *sigh*
~
As I said, the story had potential and should have been billed as a contemporary YA family/teen drama with a more Autumn than Halloween slant. Because they tried to capitalise on the wrong aspects of the book, they had me expecting something they had no intention of delivering, which left me both confused and disappointed. This wasn't the book I signed on for when I bought it.
Pros : Pax, Dirk, a semi-realistic high school experience, Asha being a strong female who values art and herself more than romance, and Pax's relationship with his mum.
Sadly, none of that was strong enough to push past the negatives. The fact it began like a "There once was a haunted house..." Harry Potter-esque story with too much floral purple prose only added to the problem. When you're told the story is one thing, but never shown the truth until the end - and it's revealed like you/the other characters must have been some kind of gullible idiot for not knowing better - it really doesn't inspire my forgiveness for the lingering and deliberate deception.
In the end, this book - and all the ways it was advertised and portrayed on social media - deliberately sold a lie to get me to buy this. So, who can really be surprised that it wasn't the book I wanted/planned/hoped to read?
Triggers: death of family member, grief, (hinted at) depression, grief, mild violence, slut shaming, teen drinking/smoking and implied teen sex (off page)
While I thought the story had potential, my biggest issue is that ALL of the promotional material - from snippets, the blurb, even the cover - bill this as a spooky Halloween mystery.
It is NONE of these things.
~
As another reviewer pointed out, most of the plot reads like a well written but drastically predictable fan-fiction.
I was sold a story of haunted houses and teen romance. I was promised something akin to Aiden Thomas' Cemetery Boys. What I got was a family drama that just happened to take place around Autumn, that was more reminiscent of Mason Deaver's The Ghosts We Keep, without any of the originality and heart-wrenching emotional impact.
I won't spoil the plot by saying too much, but this is what I can safely say:
* the pacing was slooooow
* NOTHING happened for what felt like forever
* editing issues (eg. for ever instead of forever)
* the romance is not well formed and takes HALF the book to be anything but an awkward friendship
* the entire plot lacks purpose and direction until the last third, after the "big reveal"
* the advertising and blurb are insanely misleading
* Sal, as the MC, isn't engaging. He's socially disinterested, awkward with even his own family, and doesn't seem to ever really care about anything until the final few chapters, which makes him hard to connect to.
* Pax is, by far, the MOST interesting character, who isn't given enough page time.
* Dirk is a great friend, but isn't well utilised.
* We were promised a group of misfits finding their own "normal" together, but the plot was extremely biased towards the whole Pax/Sal romance, without the friendships being explored as I'd hoped.
* Unnecessary and pointless repetition of EVERYTHING Sal eats or drinks being hotter than Hell. Why? What's the point?
* Sal is stupid enough to eat a post-it note. I mean...was that really necessary?
I expected Sal to be secretly bisexual or to get an awakening towards being bi, but I was immensely disappointed by the bi-erasure of this little nugget - "It explained why he had never enjoyed kissing girls much." *sigh*
~
As I said, the story had potential and should have been billed as a contemporary YA family/teen drama with a more Autumn than Halloween slant. Because they tried to capitalise on the wrong aspects of the book, they had me expecting something they had no intention of delivering, which left me both confused and disappointed. This wasn't the book I signed on for when I bought it.
Pros : Pax, Dirk, a semi-realistic high school experience, Asha being a strong female who values art and herself more than romance, and Pax's relationship with his mum.
Sadly, none of that was strong enough to push past the negatives. The fact it began like a "There once was a haunted house..." Harry Potter-esque story with too much floral purple prose only added to the problem. When you're told the story is one thing, but never shown the truth until the end - and it's revealed like you/the other characters must have been some kind of gullible idiot for not knowing better - it really doesn't inspire my forgiveness for the lingering and deliberate deception.
In the end, this book - and all the ways it was advertised and portrayed on social media - deliberately sold a lie to get me to buy this. So, who can really be surprised that it wasn't the book I wanted/planned/hoped to read?
morgankai's review
3.0
this was such a sweet book I absolutely love Sal & Pax’s relationship. but I was disappointed in the lack of character development for Elsie & Dirk, and I was hoping there’d be more queerness in the book. other than that it was okay
katie_byrne3043's review
5.0
Absolutely amazing one of my favourite books now, was not expecting the plot twist. And Pax is the best character idc what anyone else says he is amazing and I wanna be friends with him, hes so open and himself and I love him for it
cecilieloeth's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
- 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