Ghosted is a story that had me, at times, wondering what I was reading. Part romance, part thriller, Emily Barr has created a most unusual story.
We follow two teens, Joe and Ariel, who meet one day and get on very well. At this stage I wondered if it was going to be a relatively straightforward romance, but it quickly becomes something very different. Ariel tells her friend Izzy about this amazing boy she’s met, only to learn that the number he gave her doesn’t work. None of the things he told her seem to be true, and she thinks she’s been ghosted.
Ariel is coping with a lot of potential trauma. The one year anniversary of her mother’s death is approaching, her sister is pregnant and they have been abandoned by their father. Her not being fully in control of herself would be understandable, but the reality of her situation is far stranger.
What Ariel soon realises is that while she is alive in 2019, Joe lives in 1999. Joe went missing on the eve of his school trip to France and nobody knows what happened to him. While Ariel lives her life, Joe is destined to relive the same day over and over again.
Naturally, Ariel takes it upon herself to investigate. She falls in love with the idea of Joe and wants to restore peace to his family. There’s a lot of coincidences to this story, but they don’t take away too much from what is played out in front of us.
I received a copy of this from NetGalley and can only thank the publishers and the author for creating something so unusual.

Ghosted is about a young girl who falls for a boy who is not actually alive - and only she can see. The whole book had a tinge of melancholy about it that was interesting to read, but overall it wasn't a vibe that I loved. Simply a personal preference, but this book wasn't for me.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

*This is not a personal attack but in fact an honest review*

I didn't like this book. It really wasn't for me. In my opinion, the writing was stilted and felt more like fan fiction than actual writing. I did not finish this book.

I'm a huge fan of Emily Barr, having read all of her travel themed books, and I really loved her most recent book, Things to Do Before the End of the World. Obviously, for me Ghosted was a no brainer choice. I picked it without even reading the blurb, knowing it would be a great read. If I had read it, and wasn't so blindly trusting of the author's writing, I may not have chosen this book. The premise is kind of a ghost story, which is a genre I usually avoid reading.

Ariel is a teenager who lives with her pregnant sister, Sasha, who is just a few years older than her. Their mum passed away and their dad left for a new job in Scotlsnd, leaving his daughters by themselves in the family home. Ariel is under a lot of stress, and starts to see people that other people can't see. She meets Joe, and they develop feelings for one another. And it turns out that Joe is not in this life.

I got really invested in the characters of Ariel and Joe. I wouldn't say I'm a ghost story convert, but really appreciate that Emily Barr finds some original and interesting points of view to write about. Will continue to recommend to everyone, and read everything she writes!

Ghosted follows the parallel lives of Ariel and Joe, teenagers growing up in the same small town, whose chance meeting alters the course of their destiny, provoking life changing and heart-breaking revelations. Covering issues of abandonment, teen pregnancy and death with a believable narrative voice. Barr's effortless prose keeps the reader guessing as the plot switches narrator and timeline all resulting in a bittersweet conclusion.

Exploring the truth that we choose to remember and perpetuate in order protect ourselves, Ghosted is a book that will live long in the reader's memory.

This was a really heart-warming YA romance/mystery, with tear jerking moments and a surprise twist nearing the end. I really enjoyed.

One of the things that draws me to Barr's books time and time again is her snappy concepts. In Ghosted she blends a supernatural romance with a kind of 'Ground Hog Day' concept where a modern day teenager discovers the ghost of a teenager from 1997 who is 'glitching' on account of his unsolved death and is stuck repeating his final day over and over. As the romance between them is supernatural (no actual contact!) this fits neatly into that 'Tween' area of my collection as 11-13 year olds will find the subject matter compelling but the content is still on the younger side of YA. I admit I had a little cry at the end and didn't see the twist coming, even though as a fan of Barr's writing I knew a twist would be coming!

A totally ridiculous YA love story/mystery, but one that is also weirdly endearing! It’s a good book if you want to lose yourself in something easy and heartwarming for a while.

Not for me. I definitely have a hit or miss relationship with Emily Barr’s books. Sadly, this one was a miss. I couldn’t get into it at all but that’s not to say that other people shouldn’t give it a go.

I loved the prologue of this book. I was instantly hooked in and thus had really high expectations of the whole story. Sadly these weren't fulfilled. I'm in my mid-fifties so not the target age range but I usually enjoy YA books. The opening chapters were confusing - I can't say more than that without giving some of the plot away. I kept having to flick back. And then I didn't really engage with the main protagonist. Sorry to say I ended up speed-reading quite a lot of it. It's a great idea - it just didn't do it for me.

Wow! Where to start?

Ariel is struggling to come to terms with her mother’s death, her father’s abandonment and her big sister’s pregnancy, all while studying for her GCSEs. When she meets Joe, she thinks things might be starting to look up, but when he gives her an unrecognised phone number she realises she’s been ghosted.

Joe is not what he appears to be. Without giving too much away, Ariel and Joe are drawn together and what follows is the sweetest love story.

The beginning of the story is a little odd but once you realise what is happening, it all begins to make sense. I’m so glad I stuck with it through these few confusing opening chapters. The story then turns into a fabulous mystery story with plenty of twists and turns. Although this is not a genre I would normally be drawn to, I couldn’t put it down.

The story covers the complexities of teenage and family relationships and the difficulties of navigating high school.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author but I will definitely read more.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It was the easiest five stars I’ve given this year.

This book is completely different from what I normally read. I normally don't like many romance novels as they are really just not realistic in my head. This book really felt real. It was everything I assume you would want in a romance novel. I mean it was what I would want. I loved the writing of this book as well. I will definitely pick up more from this author.

This is a YA book and I’m a woman in my 50’s, so not really who this book is aimed at. But forget about my age I did love it, it was clever and imaginative. If I read that as a teen I would have been crying and obsessed with the whole story. I will be getting my daughters to read. I only gave it 4 stars because I’m a bit more cynical but my teen self would have given it 5. Well worth a read.

This was such an amazing read! Emily Barr never disappoints! I absolutely loved the plot and how it ended. The twisty plot was beautifully complemented by the amazing writing. This is the next We Were Liars! I can't wait to read more from Emily Barr.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the free e-arc!

I received a review copy of this book on Netgalley. This book hurt me and I was so not ready.
When Ariel's toxic, hot-tempered father turns his back on their family, Ariel retreats to an abandoned store-room in a corner of the mall. But then she encounters Joe and the two of them exchange numbers.
Joe is on his way to France and he knows he should be excited but he just feels dread.
Ariel tries to text Joe but it turns out that his number is disconnected. Hurt, Ariel goes back to where she met him. There he is, with no memory of her or their meeting. And he still claims that he is leaving to France that afternoon.
Soon Ariel and Joe realize that Joe is reliving the same day over and over. Ariel promises to solve the mystery of Joe but eventually starts to turn her back on her reality in order to fix Joe's.
I actually have no words to adequately describe this book. It was engaging, it was gripping, it was emotional. IT WAS EVERYTHING!
This book was alot but in the best way possible.
Ariel and Joe are adorable and by the end of the book, I was ugly-crying. If you want a book that is thrilling and will not let you go, I recommend this one.

I loved this book! Such an unusual premise and for a while I had NO idea what was going on. A very easy, nice read. There were a couple of things that bugged me (no spoilers) as it was so obvious that they should have done things differently. But overall a really good story and lovely read. Can't say too much more without spoiling it for the new readers.

This started good but got a little messy. I had to DNF after the female main character got a bit hysterical accusing the male of lying to her...when they had met twice for about ten minutes. It just read a bit too much like bad fanfic for me

Ghosted is the sort of book you love, but don't want to say too much incase you give away the amazingly woven story telling within.

What can be said is that it is amazingly well written. The world develops around you and is as tangible as the comfy chair you'll want to be sitting in for this read. The characters are well rounded and believable.

Grab this book for a binge read, because you won't want to put it down.

A Gripping five-star read. I have been so lucky recently to read some amazing stories, and this one was a stand-out, I know it’s mainly for teenagers, but honestly, I think everyone at any age would get something out of it, Ariel, Joe and the rest of the characters may be teens, but they face battles and challenges that many adults wouldn’t be able to get through. There is so much going on that it could sweep you under, but the author has a great talent of keeping you afloat and helping you unravel this whole story. I was shaken when we got to the end of this one, it pulled the rug well and truly from under my feet. I felt like I needed time with a pink blanket in a storeroom, just to get my thoughts together. What a compelling and gripping story, do pick this up, even if it’s not something you normally would, as it will surprise you at every turn.

I enjoyed this book and found myself becoming more and more intrigued as the story unfolded. I found the concept of both protagonists being able to communicate whilst belonging to differ time periods baffling but also wonderful. I love the way Barr weaves each of their family members into the narrative too. It’s not over complicated. A little bit left unexplained at the end but still a really good book!