I just finished this story and I think it was a light, interesting read, a little flashing on some things that I was like (?) and very fun.

Let's see, here we meet a young woman who can see ghosts (although she has to ignore them) and suddenly, the person she hates the most dies and sees him as a ghost, and they embark together on a mission that is: return him to the life. It's not easy, they go everywhere, they meet friends and enemies, and they get to know each other more and more.

It isn't an enemies to lovers let me tell you, he is not really his nemesis either. They just like to fight with each other, all the time. The End. And sometimes that seemed very repetitive to me, taking into account that sometimes it happened well into the story when one already UNDERSTOOD what the dynamic is like and that enmity is really no longer seen as such.

Beyond this, I found this story entertaining, fun, light and that gives rise to continuations. I don't know if I'll read them, I think I'd like to stick with just this part (although it leaves several things to discover and who knows, when it's published I might get curious).

It is a read to pass the time, without great character or plot developments, something that has been seen several times, but that still attracts one.

Thank you HarperCollins UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars
TW; racial slurs
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC copy. All thoughts are my own.

It's hard to rate this one because there were equal parts I enjoyed and didn't like that kind of left me in an overall unsatisfied situation when I was done.

Cara and Zach have been bickering with each other for as long as Cara can remember, and most of the inhabitants of the small town Autumn Falls are so used to the pair being like this, that when their science teacher pairs them up to teach them how to work together, neither are prepared to find themselves on a weeklong life-or-death journey relying on each other when Zach passes away suddenly.

There were elements to this book that I really enjoyed. I appreciated the author's dive into Cara's complex relationship with her mother and grandmother who are constantly pulling her in two different directions. Cara is Chinese-American and finds navigating her identity and pleasing both her relatives quite the struggle. The discussion around her identity and the subsequent growth as a person was well-paced and delivered well.

I also liked the connection between Zach and Cara. Their feelings are very teenage-based, which I always am impressed by when the tone feels age-appropriate. The dramatic-fuelled emotion switches, deep discussions, and sweet innocence of discovering love with someone you never thought about like that before all worked great in this storyline. It was obvious Zach had been harbouring feelings for Cara for some time, so when the confession came, it was rewarding.

On the topic of the paranormal aspects, I'm torn. I loved the ghost-speaker ability Cara had, and the way things were ominous before Zach's death felt spooky and intriguing. However, once we stepped into the liminal space, I lost some respect for the world-building. It felt less paranormal and more of an adventure that would be set in a middle-grade read. If I was a younger reader, perhaps this would excite me. Think of movies like Halloweentown, but having more than ghouls and ghosts to navigate, with a timeline to fix everything. And don't get me wrong, I loved those types of movies when I was younger, so I can see where this type of storyline could appeal to a younger audience. As an adult who signed up for a paranormal, ghostly YA romance experience, this missed the mark for me, which was a little disappointing. I would have loved more of Cara's ghost-speaker ability and less time spent in a nonsensical world on an adventure that felt more strange than logical.

Whilst everything is resolved in this book, the author has set it up so this world could continue in a future book (despite no official series listing being shared yet). I have to admit, I don't think I will continue with the series, but I do like the intrigue the epilogue sets up.

This book is about two teenage enemies: one gets bitten by a magical snake and turns into a ghost, and the other must use her inherited ghost-speaking abilities to rescue him from a permanent death. Through their quest to find the antidote to magical snake venom, they fall in love.

Unfortunately, I liked the premise much better than the execution. There were so many random, cartoonish villains and monsters in this story. The dialogue often felt forced and the plot was a bit disjointed. The romance aspect felt pretty rushed at the end. I did like the ghost speaking magic and I think this book will find its readers — I’m bummed that I’m not one of them.

My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an eARC of this book.

This book surprised me in the best possible way! A super interesting tale on a ghost story that centered around female relationships. A funny adventurous ride that I recommend to all!

This was such a great twist on a ghost story. Cara is such a strong lead although I don't envy her being stuck between her overbearing mother and her dead ( but still talking to and living with her) grandmother. After years of trying to hide what she is and trying so hard to fit in, it all becomes a lot more difficult when her school lab mate goes and dies and wants bringing back.

A gently spooky, adventure fantasy with ghosts, mythical snakes and a quest through the liminal magical spaces of the world.

Cara is a Chinese-American teen who lives with her mother and the ghost of her grandmother. Her family are ghost talkers and whilst her grandmother continues to use this ability to help other spirits to pass on, her mother dislikes the ability and has suppressed it in herself and wishes for Cara to do the same. But when her school rival, Zach, dies in the woods Cara is the only one who can help him.

I really enjoyed the world - a slightly spooky, eldritch wood, ghost talkers and a river linking liminal places are all really interesting. I also liked the dynamics within Cara's family - the struggle to please different people who want different things for you.

I generally quite liked the relationship between Zach and Cara, a slow burn romance, rivals to lovers - but they was a lot of miscommunication/not communicating and assuming what the other is thinking which is one of my least favourite tropes and dragged on too long for my liking.

This reads as younger YA and I think that was down to primarily down to how perfunctory parts of the quest were- a brief description and then off to another place - and some things felt too convenient or easily achieve.

Overall, an enjoyable, fun and quick teen read that's perfect for spooky season

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This was a fun read - Cara and Zach's relationship is believable (if frustrating how long it takes them to accept it!) and the back and forth between them felt very realistic. Sun's world-building was strong. My one snag was that the journey to the snake, passing through various different worlds and invariably having to fight, felt a bit samey after a while, but I mostly enjoyed it. I'm on board enough to read the next one!

Cracking 'will they won’t they' story, with ghosts, an in between world and supernatural powers. Cara is a ghost-speaker, something her mum insists on being a secret despite the daily encouragement of her grandmother. Ghosts are searching for her, do they mean her harm or are they seeking her help? The antagonism between Cara and Zach is quite funny, it’s obvious to everyone else that they have a thing but they are too busy bickering to think about it.

Even though it has an intriguing premise that will appeal to fans of strong female leads, ghosts, supernatural situations, ghost boys, high school and paranormal romances, If I Have To Be Haunted unfortunately didn't put a spell on me. However, I cannot wait for what Miranda Sun writes next.

In the story, we follow a girl who has the ability to see ghosts and her life suddenly turns upside down when a popular guy at her school, who is now a ghost, needs her help to resurrect him.

Cara has been hiding her ability as a ghost speaker all her life, and she’s just trying to stay on top of her school work and meet her mother’s expectations. But supernatural forces are stirring in Autumn Falls, and ghosts are acting strange. When Cara finds the high school’s golden boy Zach dead in her local woods, she is the only one who can bring him back to life. Cara and Zach set out on a quest across a series of liminal spaces to try and find an antidote to the poison that killed him.

I enjoyed the autumn vibes of this book, set in the week running up to Halloween, and the main characters’ quest took them to an array of interesting worlds. The relationship between the main characters is very much one of ‘they bicker because they secretly like each other’, and I enjoyed the banter, which very slowly turned to romance.

Despite being an easy and fast-paced read, the book also addressed some more serious topics. Sun cleverly showed how the world was stacked against Cara as the daughter of a single mother and an immigrant, and I enjoyed that it was the poor immigrant girl who had to save the rich white boy in this YA novel.

Thank you to Harper Collins for my eARC through NetGalley! I really enjoyed If I Have To Be Haunted and reckon it will be a good fit for anyone who enjoys supernatural stories with a dash of mythology and slow-burn romance.

This was a struggle.

Maybe it was for an audience much younger than me, I could see my niece absolutely loving this in her spooky teenager stage but it wasn't for me.

I did really enjoy the family dynamics and how the entire thing worked around being able to see the ghosts and the trouble around that but otherwise the other relationships in the books just didn't work for me unfortunately.

Very much not the books fault, I'd have loved it if I was younger and reading it around the same time as Twilight and the Vampire Academy series!

Hm. I. Hm. To say I went into this with no expectation would be a lie because I see this book on Twitter quite regularly and every time this book appears on my tl, it's always about how someone really enjoys it.

Me personally? I felt a little bit lied to because first of all, the romance doesn't work for me. The banters felt juvenile and I kept cringing every time Cara and the blond guy had an interaction. Plus it doesn't help that the dialogues come off abrupt and stilted quite a few times. Eh idk maybe it's just not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free digital copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

Such an unusual young adult ghost story with romance and tons of teenage drama as well as complex family relationships and an unexpected fantasy element to it .. basically it's great and younger readers will undoubtedly love it!
The story moves at a good pace with the characters at the worlds they are in having time to develop and become vivid. I really enjoyed the love hate relationship between the main characters, the relationship between three generations of women and the way the book tackled prejudice and racism towards Cara and her mother.
All in all a perfect spooky, adventure filled read for autumn!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Personally, I couldn’t get into this one because it was very YA with a lot of high school drama, which is just something I don’t care for too much.
I did like the premise of the book and thought the plot was interesting. I would definitely recommend the book to a younger audience, or of course adults who don’t mind high school settings as much.
The writing was good, too.
It really was a ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ thing.

This was a really immersive and enjoyable read, it is a slow burn so I can understand why a lot wouldn't like that aspect, I'm a sucker for slow burn so this was right up my street.

This isn't a happy go lucky story and I found it to be quite emotional in places.
A good solid fantasy book and quite unlike anything I've read before highly recommend!

A really great and intriguing read but also sad in places. I loved the characters and the story. Will look out for more from this author.

So cute and touching. I had a lot of fun reading this. Exceeded my expectations. The world felt vast and the characters were genuine. I feel like I won’t read anything like it for awhile

Thankyou to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, Magpie for a free e-arc in exchange of my own opinions.

This has been pretty difficult to get my thoughts together- there's a lot I liked and a few bigger things that niggled at me!

Likes:
-The setting of this story and the the way the weather is described is beautiful... gives all the fall/ autumn vibes and I'm here for it!
-Love a ghost story and this had a bit more of a story and this had a bit more of a twist on it!
-Briefly looked into more serious topics such as race.
-Portrayed a variety of different relationships and family dynamics.

Liked Less:
-The book is advertised as a sweet romantic book. I really struggled with this as it didn't start getting to the 'Romance' part till very close to the end and i am not a slow burn girlie! In my opinion its not a hate to love romance- more of a 'you irritate the crap out of me to love'. The full on love comes out of nowhere for me as i think it was too subtle throughout the middle of the book. (could be a me thing again because i didn't connect with the characters fully)
-With this in mind, the books writing felt very low end of YA which isn't a criticism at all, its just not fully to my taste. This might be why I didn't fully connect to the characters as they did feel a little juvenile and immature to me at times.
-I would love a bit more world building in the next book (yes I'm definitely continuing with it especially because of how it ended). The beginning and end of the book was really strong for me and i found myself getting a little bored in the middle- i would have loved a little bit more flow and explanation through the different worlds they entered.

Despite sounding negative about the book I did think it was a strong debut book and a good start to a series that has a lot of promise! (elements were just not fully to my taste)

3.5 stars

Halloween is definitely on its way and what could be better than a ghost story! I know summer isn’t over but, my ghoulish heart is yearning for autumn and All Hallows Eve and If I Have to be Haunted by Miranda Sun is such a perfect read for the spooky season.

This YA ghost story is such a fabulous Lou easy read that before I knew it, I was done - read in less than 1 day. Sun delivers a ghostly adventure through multiple liminal spaces…if you don’t quite get a liminal space right now, you definitely will once you’ve read this book!

This is a modern day ghost story that merges Chinese and Greek mythology ti co-exist beautifully. If you don’t believe in ghosts, you totally will by the time you’re done. It faces into racism, prejudice, fear, and self-belief in such an empathetic and understandable way; From Cara’s belief that she has to stay passive and meek, and not respond to racism comments to her belief that Zach is untouchable and just skims through life, never doubting his right to challenge or face his nay sayers.

Cara and Zach are definitely the key protagonists in this story, class mates who antagonise each other. Not quite enemies to lovers, more fractious frenemies, neither of whom is willing to back down fir multiple reasons. I will say they are both so cute and you won’t be able to stop yourself falling for them.

They are thrown head first into a life or death journey that they must complete within a week, triggering a fast paced, action packed adventure that will totally carry you along until the end as they gave ghosts, cannibals, and an adorable rebellious teenage ghost hunter, who we definitely don’t see enough of.

Thank you so much Harper Fiction, Harper Teen, Harper Collins and NetGalley for the arc of If I Have to be Haunted by Miranda Sun. I absolutely loved this romp through ghost worlds as a stand alone and was totally intrigued by the epilogue and the temptation of more books following the adventures of Cara, Zach and hopefully Brittany, in the future.

If I Have To Be Haunted ARC
@themirandasun

Thank you so much to Miranda and @netgalley for this arc!

Ghost stories are never usually my thing but I sped through this in 2 days! It was such an easy and pleasant read which is something I needed at this moment in time!
I really loved how the author tackled issues such as prejudice and racism through the book, along with showing the difficulties Caras mother had with local people not understanding her or trying to charge her double thinking she would not notice because of her ethnicity. I think the author did tremendously in addressing this and it's something I LOVED about the book.
I loved that it incorporated Greek mythology along with making it's own! The Ouroboros is something I LOVE though and I love how it was mixed with Yin and Yang to be destruction and creation.
For me, the story was fun and quite fast paced. I would have loved to have seen more of Brittany but I assume she gets more of a role in the next book?
I don't feel like the book is enemies to lovers for Cara and Zach, more like they fight because they like like each other. It's like when you're told the boy who picks on you likes you, it's 100% true in this book. But it's super cute too.
The author sets the scenes so so well and I loved how descriptive it was!
For me, it was just a little TOO YA but nothing wrong with the book itself, just not completely my style.
If you like, ghosts, overcoming racism, family feuds, a waggy tailed golden retriever (of course you do), on a journey to save a life and "I hate you but secretly I love you and would die for you" romance... This is for you!
Did I mention mixed mythology?!
Short, fun and easy read.