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A review by bookcheshirecat
Ghost Roast by Shawneé Gibbs, Shawnelle Gibbs
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
3.0
➽ Ghost Roast sounded like a fun ghosthunting story, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. The story follows Chelsea who used to be known as the 'Ghost Girl' because her father is a 'paranormal removal expert'. Tired of being mocked by her peers, she's been hiding her dad's job at her new school and is finally part of the cool girls. However, when she's forced to take on a summer job at her father's business, Chelsea is once again confronted with the paranormal. I loved the idea behind Ghost Roast, as Chelsea doesn't believe in ghosts like her father, but ends up being the only person with the gift to see them. Even though she resents working for her dad and getting outed as the 'Ghost Girl' once again, Chelsea gets invested in their latest case.
➽ The ending was pretty slow, but the second half was much stronger. Chelsea discovers her powers and communicates with a young ghost boy who died on a former plantation. I liked that she was trying to help him and try to reason with the spirits. Her father intends to exterminate them since they've hurt his family in the past, so both of them have very different approaches to ghost hunting. I loved the discussions about racism and how it still affects places like the estate where a lot of black people have been wronged.
➽ Unfortunately, I feel like the story didn't utilize its potential. The beginning was all over the place and I was sure we'd be focusing on Chelsea's difficult relationship with being the 'Ghost Girl' and how it affects her new friendships. In the end, it is quickly pushed aside and everyone keeps ignoring how mortified Chelsea is. I felt bad for her, as her secret was outed by one of her 'friends' and no one cares that she used to be bullied for it and is still sensitive about it. In the end, the story had too many things going on and didn't properly wrap all of them up. The ending was SO abrupt and rushed.After all the angst of Chelsea falling for a ghost, he simply tells her to move on with her life and that's that???
➽ Chelsea's friends were also horrible to her and never got their comeuppance. One of them leaked a video about her dad that revealed she was the daughter of a ghosthunter ... because she was bored. Chelsea immediately forgives her even though this is literally her worst nightmare. Her friends were always so judgmental and dismissive, I was waiting for Chelsea to ditch them or stand up to them. However, that never happened and they remained awful until the very last scene. It was disappointing to see their toxic behavior and the class differences being ignored.
➽ The ending was pretty slow, but the second half was much stronger. Chelsea discovers her powers and communicates with a young ghost boy who died on a former plantation. I liked that she was trying to help him and try to reason with the spirits. Her father intends to exterminate them since they've hurt his family in the past, so both of them have very different approaches to ghost hunting. I loved the discussions about racism and how it still affects places like the estate where a lot of black people have been wronged.
➽ Unfortunately, I feel like the story didn't utilize its potential. The beginning was all over the place and I was sure we'd be focusing on Chelsea's difficult relationship with being the 'Ghost Girl' and how it affects her new friendships. In the end, it is quickly pushed aside and everyone keeps ignoring how mortified Chelsea is. I felt bad for her, as her secret was outed by one of her 'friends' and no one cares that she used to be bullied for it and is still sensitive about it. In the end, the story had too many things going on and didn't properly wrap all of them up. The ending was SO abrupt and rushed.
➽ Chelsea's friends were also horrible to her and never got their comeuppance. One of them leaked a video about her dad that revealed she was the daughter of a ghosthunter ... because she was bored. Chelsea immediately forgives her even though this is literally her worst nightmare. Her friends were always so judgmental and dismissive, I was waiting for Chelsea to ditch them or stand up to them. However, that never happened and they remained awful until the very last scene. It was disappointing to see their toxic behavior and the class differences being ignored.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Murder
Minor: Toxic friendship