Quirky, kooky, funny and spooky. A quick and entertaining read that has everything you need to pass a pleasant few hours, including a friendly demon!

Because of problems with my computer and e-reader my I didn't read the book and my copy has expired.

I Ain't Afraid of No Ghosts!

This paranormal vision, with the insouciance of the Hitchhiker's Guide, takes place on planet Earth and involves ghostbusters. Plan to laugh your way through some truly imaginative and unexpected twists and turns. You'll never view the afterlife the same way again.

I loved Gabby Hutchinson Crouch’s Darkwood series, but I love this new Rooks series even more!

The action and humour are more aimed at adults here – think Douglas Adams, Tom Holt, Robert Asprin – as the Rook family visit a haunted seaside island to find and ‘deliver’ the spirits there, and instead find themselves faced with ghosts, demons and an impending apocalypse. Good job they brought their accountant with them!

All of the characters here are brilliant and the interplay between them is witty and touching, as the family secrets gradually start to spill out. Add in plenty of action and some lovely worldbuilding details about how the family’s skills work, and these literary Ghostbusters shot straight onto my favourites list – I already have my eye on the upcoming sequel, Out of Service!

This is a perfect light-hearted romp of an urban fantasy read and I have to warn you, it ends on more than one cliffhanger, so you’ll end up as desperate as I am for more… 25th September, so not long now!

This book was provided to me by netgally in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, it was different and the characters were very interesting. I loved it, it did find it to be slow paced in areas but I will definitely read the next book in the series when it comes out!

I really couldn’t connect with this book and I usually love Gabby’s books, I’m so sad, I may try again in future as it could be me

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Couldn't finish the book, I just didn't care enough for the characters. Premise was strong enough to me to request the book but it just didn't meet my expectations.

Wish You Weren't Here is the first book in an urban fantasy mash-up series by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch. Released 7th Oct 2021 by Farrago, it's 240 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a completely bonkers full-bore action UF comedy which reminds me of the comedy/horror aspects of Buffy and Supernatural, but not derivative at all and with its own British self-deprecating humour. The ensemble crew of ghost hunters are fundamentally a family with the rich comedic possibilities that entails, alongside each having their own particular talents (clairvoyant, telekinetic, possessed by ancient mostly benignly cooperative demon, accountant, etc). The world building is by turns complex and comedic including an apocalyptic fight in an abandoned Tesco store on a possessed island.

The humour relies heavily on sight gags and slapstick, but happily, the author's up to the task of writing quite cinematically, so it never drags or bogs down. The entire book is a potty, very trippy, out of control end-of-the-world extravaganza. The author even manages some sly foreshadowed twists which she ties up into a satisfying denouement and resolution.

I've been a fast fan of her Darkwood series, and this is both a departure with different settings and themes, but also resonant with the same bouncy repartee and humour as her other series (but alas, no Trevor the spider to liven things up here).

This book includes positive representation of LGBTQIA+ relationships, family/sibling relationships, British (and Polish) pluck and esprit de corps and I frankly loved it to bits. I'm waiting on tenterhooks for more. It's weird and funny and wonderful. It might require readers to be in a particular mood for fantasy humour, but otherwise is very well written, immersive, and engaging.

Four and a half stars. More, please.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

As a fan of the Darkwood series, I was really keen to read this book. Gabby Hutchinson Crouch delivers a dark tale of a ghost hunter family with her usual witty irreverence. The story of The Rook family in action is very much that - pure action. The concept is amazing and face-paced and the action is totally enjoyable. The only drawback is that I really didn't like The Rook family at all - Janusz (married to one of the Rook adult-children) is really likable, but not truly a Rook. The others all seem to have so many flaws, with no redeeming features between the lot of them. Despite that, the action definitely keeps you reading and I am hoping that my like of the Rook family will develop more in the next installment of their adventures, because Gabby Hutchinson Crouch is truly a talented writer.

The storyline kept me glued to my Kindle through the whole book! I definitely recommend reading this book! Its well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Gabby Hutchinson Crouch does it again! I loved "Wish You Weren't Here". The opening chapter had me hooked with such a clever way of introducing the premise and the wonderfully constructed characters made me fall in love with all of them. My only complaint is that it felt like it was over too soon and I found myself desperately wanting more! Roll on Book 2!

When you need a ghost hunting, who do you call? The Rook family. When their newest client, a priest in the nearby seaside town of Coldbay, asks for help,bthe Rook family are expecting a quick job. But these spirits are restless and numerous, unlike the off season town, and weirdness abounds.

The stand outs for me have to be the Rook family. They're an eccentric bunch to say the least, with two clairvoyants in the family, a ghostbusting daughter and demon possesses dad. Combine this with son Darryl's husband, the rather wry and 'normal' Janusz, and you get a heady mix of humour and banter. They're a great team, constantly bickering and bouncing off each other, all the while trying to actually do their job of banishing ghosts and rescuing people from evil. Special shout out has to go to daughter Charity, who has a sepxiao place in my heart for her constant desire to have a hidden secret past and supernatural origin story, when in actually fact she's just a bit average.

The plot is really fast paced, with high stakes and a lot of drama. Although at times I think it tried to focus too much on the humour and the family dynamics over the actual plot itself, I could forgive this a little due to the strong development and relationships of the characters. This is definitely more a family saga than a plot driven story. It's just that the saga also involves the supernatural. I also liked the descriptions of the desolate seaside town. I think it really helped set the scene of this miserable, run down and depressing little part of England that offset the atmosphere created by the ghosts well.

Funny and lighhearted read with an injection of the supernatural and great family dynamics.

Could not finish this. It was just way too much, all of the time -- the excitement & exhilaration level was permanently stuck at 11. I felt like I couldn't breathe, much less get to know the characters. There might be a fun story hidden inside this over-caffeinated hyper-cray cray circus show of a novel, but I'm much too exhausted to try and find it.

I have read a whole other series by the author and loved the approach to describing characters and relationships, and with that background, I must say that this is another intriguing start.
I did not look at the blurb just before I started reading and first encountered a family cooped up in a car, the physical proximity getting on their nerves as they travel to a new location for work; I did not know what I was getting into. I think this is the best way to meet the Rooks. Of course, the mention of paranormal activity being at the centre of all the events probably needs to be mentioned for the more discerning readers, but for me, it came up unexpectedly (and I felt this was also fun), and I took it in my stride just like the characters tend to do with any weird thing that their day literally throws at them.
There are tales of dysfunctional families quarrelling and snapping at one another, but it is more fun to watch a functional family that works well as a unit snap at each other. It provides a running gag behind the actual events, and that was my favourite part about the book. The family unit, their day jobs and the strange pieces of things that lead them to a remote location and the chaos that follows should be first introduced to a reader as they progress through the narrative and not before. If any information is provided in a different sequence, the book will lose its charm. And charm is what made me like it in the first place. The plot itself is nothing brilliant, although it might progress into a more convoluted exciting thing in later stages/sequels, it is the way it unfolds and the seriousness of the situations bundled up in trademark nonchalant delivery. My rating reflects how much more I expect from the sequel(s).
I would recommend it as a quick read for someone on the lookout for something different and for whom casual inclusion of otherworldly beings as a standard in regular life is not a hurdle.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review si entirely based on my own reading experience of this and other books by the author.

"Think about life. Think about a family –spouses, parents, children…a new friend.
This story ends with life –ugly, painful life, full of secrets and loss and regrets, full of questions left unanswered and unreliable memories. Full of growth, and change, and new chances.
This story ends with the family knowing that it is not the end".

In Coldbay strange things happen, people dying in weird circumstances, pile up cars, freak waves, and Seagulls attack! Nobody comes to church, so the priest decides to call the expert!
Richard and Brenda Rook, their son Darryle, their daughter Charity, and their son-in-law Janusz, Darryle's husband, not Charity run a ghost hunting family business. A specialist cleaning service for ghosts had gone quickly, mostly young.
Father has a demon inside him (Murzzz), mother and son are clairvoyants, daughter is a Ghostbuster. She likes to mention "adopted" every time, secret tragic backstory, probably Harry Potter with a nicer room!

Rook family expected an angry ghost in church. One of the family members is trapped in the color picture window (some people get ghosted into a picture for decades, even forever), they understand the problem is bigger than only one ghost! The first mission, the urgency of trying to rescue over the window. Second, do something for the town, all those funerals and lots of ghosts on a bridge!

Seems Charity's imagination to be like Harry Potter and a ghost inside from age seventeen make some sort of difficulties. Now, when there is a town full of ghosts, demons, and a Hell Hole, they also should deal with Charity's unknown past and their son with no tail and all (Murzzz was always in Richard, didn't he?).

Supernatural activity who believe in such bonkers?? As a Winchesters fan, this is a 5-star book. I enjoyed this hunter family, loved family members, and very like to read more on this series!

Many thanks to Duckworth Books and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read Wish You Weren't Here (The Rooks Series #1) by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch, I have given my honest review.

„Saving people, hunting things – the family business”. Most people probably know this line from one of the most famous ghost and demon-hunter family, the Winchesters. In this book we follow another family of ghosthunters with a set of special skills to banish ghosts from this world.

This was an okay read for me. It had some things I enjoyed, Darryl and Janusz and their relationship especially, but there were also a lot of things I didn’t enjoy, like the whole character of Brenda for that matter. She reminds me of a woman I know in real life, who I really dislike, and it reminded me so much of her, that I couldn’t get the connection out of my head. I know this is a me-problem, but it made it hard for me to enjoy this book.

The mystery and story behind it were okay, in the end it got a little too much for me, but it wasn’t too bad. I didn’t really care for the other characters; they were just there.

I felt a lot of things were quite repetitive. Spreadsheets were mentioned a lot, also food and carbs. I think it was meant to be funny but for me that felt flat and in the end when one of those things was mentioned, I really had to roll my eyes.

The motley Rook family is the premiere ghost exorcising outfit in England. Called upon to work in a remote island church stretches their talents to the maximum.

The author relies on humor and the book is a fun read. Let's see what happens in the next one.

I received an ARC. I am leaving my honest review.

A pleasant surprise- at least to me since I haven't read the author's earlier works. The Rook family- a family of ghostbusters,- find more than they bargained for when they take on the case of a priest on a creepy island. Creepy yes but funny too. This is less about the ghosts (and demons etc) than it is about the family and their relationships. It seemed initially as if there were too many characters but that wasn't a worry for long as each is distinct. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, A fun entertaining read.

I really wanted to love this one as I enjoy a paranormal mystery and it had a great synopsis but unfortunately that was one of the best parts.

I did enjoy the characters, I thought they were a great bunch that complimented each other well but I just found the story boring (which is surprising considering it’s about end of the world apocalypse)

I don’t think it’s a series I would continue with.

The Rooks travel the country, eliminating ghosts. They are a family, and their latest contract is at the church at Coldbay Island in England. Spending even a little time with family makes it obvious that their dynamic isn't the healthiest, with mother Brenda always looking for her next drink, father Richard pacifying any arguments, son Darryl never being taken seriously, and adopted daughter Charity often saying things just to be contrary or get a rise out of Darryl. Rounding out their family is the utterly sweet and kind Janusz, Darryl's loving husband.
The family arrives at the church to find Reverend Grace Barry hiding outside, while something takes the inside apart. Working quickly, the Rooks each play a part in figuring out what's going on, and dealing with it.
Unfortunately, instead of the nice and easy single ghost/poltergeist they expected, it turns out it's multiple ghosts and demons. (Did I forget to mention Richard has a rather intimate understanding of demons?)
Things go from bad to worse, to even worse, to really terrible pretty quickly, with the Rooks finding the island deserted, and oh, a little something with truly dire implications for the island. And for the Rooks.
Once I got accustomed to the family dynamic, I could see that though there were some amusing things going on (Charity's constant need for her Chosen One moment and hope for a superhero origin story), there were some real problems with Brenda's need to overindulge in alcohol and consequent behaviour, and no one taking Darryl's sensible suggestions seriously.
I did enjoy this fairly short book; the action is frequent, and I kind of loved Janusz, and how much he and Darryl were in love with each other, even after being together for years. Charity becomes more interesting as the story evolves, and learning how she was adopted was pretty tragic. And Murzzzz! Yeah, he's a demon, but something about his and Richard's relationship just made me smile, and then hurt a lot for Richard. Though I didn't really like Brenda at the outset, I was able to understand her a little better as the book progressed, and it became clearer what she had been living with all her life – I'd probably have taken to drink myself if I had had to deal with the same!
I also liked the narrator who injects their view on the proceedings periodically – I loved the mystery of this person and why they had the perspective they did on the family.
I liked Grace a lot, and her strange, growing understanding of the evolving dangerous situation on the island was curious, evoking questions in me and the Rooks, hopefully to be answered in the next book. Which I want to read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Farrago Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.