A review by thecorkedreader
The Ghost of Us by James L. Sutter

3.5

 

👻The Ghost of Us👻

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 hasn’t passed on because his unfinished business is his sister’s 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. I’ll never look at a bluetooth speaker the same, IYKYK 😅

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!

⭐3.5/5 stars⭐