What a fun paranormal romance! Great for fans of The Dead Romantics. Daniel was such a great love interest and was so well-written. I loved Jillian's development throughout. Such a great, lighthearted read, 4,5 stars!

Actual rating: 3.5/5

Though not really in the top 10, this book is definitely one of my favorite reads for 2023. The main reason being, it made me cry a lot. It's a story that gives you butterflies, proceeds to shatter your heart only to slowly bring those butterflies back.

One thing that made me like this book is because of its message that love is not just made from physical attraction nor is it something you can get out of it. Rather, love is made by both an emotional and spiritual connection (whether romantically or not).

(some spoilers ahead)
There seemed to be some "time travel" elements involved, but I honestly think that the time travel and ghost ituation was explored a little bit more, because I'm still confused about it until now.
(end of spoiler)

Now I just realized, there's one more thing that the book didn;t bring up again once the problem was solved, and that's Jillian's social anxiety towards men. I guess it was never really touched upon that much since it was kinda impied that her anxiety was cured after meeting Daniel. But it was a really good plot point and wished there was more time for it.

When I originally read the premise for this book I had no idea where this was going to go or how the author was going to be able to pull this off, and yet she did. I loved the quirkiness of our FMC (Jillian). I loved the ghost aspect and all the mystery around who Daniel really was and where he came from. I loved watching them develop together and see Jillian come out of her shell and be herself.

Meet Jillian. She is a star trek loving woman who has not been able to deal with the grief from a tragedy that happened earlier in her life. This makes it where she can't have a conversation with men that she is "dating." Despite that, she has let a family friend set her up for over 100 dates to find her Mr. Right. Which she somehow does meet in the form of a ghost in her new apartment that is literally covered in mirrors. Daniel shows up the first night she is there with no shirt on and displaying his fabulous body to her. At first of course she is completely freaked. Is she hallucinating? Can anyone else see the shirtless Adonis in her apartment? But what is really shocking is that she can actually talk to him, Like have a full on convo which is so freeing for her she doesn't know what to do with herself.

Daniel doesn't know anything about his past. He doesn't remember anything. He remembers being above a woman who he feels a connection with and then immense pain. He tries to stay with Jillian but sometimes gets pulled away. He realizes that he must be here in this time to help her get past this hump of men in general. So he decides to follow her on some dates to have the conversation with her so she can respond to her date, but he finds himself not liking the guys she is going out with. He finds himself having a lot of fun with her. Their relationship blossoms until they have spicy ghost scenes and then when Jillian wakes up after declarations of love- Daniel is nowhere to be found. Where did he go? How will Jillian find him? Has he passed on before she was ready? She finds out that and everything more when she runs into Daniel in the present, and in the flesh at the Met. But of course, he doesn't recognize her and so the rest of the story unfolds.

This is a book about how the right person at the right time can help you through things you maybe have never wanted to face. They make you want to be a better you. They make you feel comfortable and like you have known them for a long time. I liked how Jillian and Daniel reconnected on the other side and how she made him from a grump to the sunshine that she knew him as when he was her ghost. This was a very cute, easy read. I am excited about book 2 which involves Jillian's friend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoyed the read and the journey of Jillian and Daniel’s relationship. I requested the arc for this because I loved the film Just Like Heaven and it definitely gives off those vibes. I just think that some of the characters could do with a little more development.

This book wasn't what I expected. I thought it would be about someone ditching another, and instead, I was pleasantly surprised that it involved an actual ghost.

Jillian Nejat is awkwardly shy around men. It's to the point where she can't speak to them. Luckily, her place of employment is filled with others with their flaws. The irony is Jillian writes articles on dating and relationships, but she is failing miserably.

She moves into a strange apartment where every surface is covered in mirrors. It's close to work, which is a perk. Once her parents and a friend leave, Jillian is confronted by a shirtless man, and after she throws her prized possession and attempts to knock him in the head with a bat, he disappears. Stunned, Jillian calls her best friend, Serena, who makes three suggestions of what the man is, and only one applies.

The ghost, Daniel, appears again, and after some debating and a side trip to a psychic, convinces that indeed Daniel is a ghost. Daniel believes if he can help Jillian, then he can move on. He'll help her overcome her shyness and find her significant other. In the quest to do so, neither expects to fall in love.

This was a feel-good story with a surprise ending! I like how the second epilogue tied the beginning together.

I received an advanced reader's copy and voluntarily read and reviewed this book.

Jillian has just moved into her new apartment when she encounters a half dressed handsome man in her apartment who happens to be a ghost that only she can see and talk to. Daniel, her ghost helps Jillian grow and let go of guilt she's been carrying around. It is an unlikely love story that crosses into the unknown and I absolutely loved it. The love of my life passed away and I like to think he's still with me as the quote from the book says, “And I’ll love you when we’re young, and I’ll love you when we’re old, and I’ll love you when we’re gone.” I listened to this book on audio and followed along on kindle when at home.

This book was such fun! It was witty and had me laughing out loud. I enjoyed the banter between Jillian and Daniel. This story was also heartbreaking at moments. Overall, I loved it and want to read more of the authors work,

Thank you to Sarah Ready, W.W. Crown, Independent Book Publishers Association, Members' Titles and NetGalley for this E-ARC. These are my own opinions.

"You're my light, and even in the dark I'll recognize you. You're my forever and even when I'm gone, I'll love you. I'll love you, forever." -Daniel

The first few chapters had me confused about the story. The mirrored apartment? Who seriously mirrors EVERY surface in an apartment. I also had some questions: Why Daniel was half naked? How did he die? Where does he go when he disappears? Why can't Jillian talk to men?

All of these were definitely answered by the end of the book. I thought this was going to be like a retelling of the movie "Ghost" but it is more like the move "Just Like Heaven".

I absolutely loved her BFF Serena. Her "sciencing" had me laughing and then questioning everything.

The character of Fran was annoying at first, but then I learned her back story and by the end of the book I found her endearing.

This is definitely a story of fated soulmates. It was a bit slow in the beginning, but definitely picked up about half way through. There is also a side story of forgiveness. Both towards others and yourself.
I will defintely be reading the next installment in this series. " Switched".

My opinion:

I actually wanted to read this book because of the cover. I don't know, but the colors and the different 'worlds' just seemed so interesting to me. Also, I haven't really read books with ghosts in them, so this also felt like a book to read about that once.

When I started reading this book, I got into the story really quickly. It was written in such a way that it wasn't hard for me to keep up with anything, and very fast I had figured out who was who in the story. Also, the first moments when the ghost showed up for the first time made me smile a lot. It was funny to read about someone who doesn't believe in ghosts, meeting a ghost. And that it was written in a good way, not in an over dramatic way that made it seem unrealistic.

There also were a few moments I didn't like inside this book. The kinda sexual moments with Jillian and ghost Daniël felt super weird to me and I felt quite uncomfortable reading that. Also, the insta-love didn't feel right to me and it felt super rushed. I didn't even feel the chemistry between the characters at that point, and because of that I never really started to feel it either.

There were also some things with the plot in the first half that bothered me a bit, like they both just went with everything and didn't even want to figure a lot of things out that didn't make sense. Like, a ghost with no memory is following you and you don't know him, but he knows you. I would spend every single hour finding out why. Also, I just couldn't understand some other thoughts of Jillian, especially in the first half.

Also, I believe that this book could have been a little shorter, because sometimes the story felt super stretched and that slowed down the pacing a lot. And sometimes things just came out of nowhere and were super rushed (especially around side characters), I would have loved to see more about that then, instead of the slower pacing because of over-using descriptions, etc..

Anyways, I liked the second half more than the first half. Which also makes me believe that ghost stories with love between ghost and human might not really be my thing at all.

Overall, I think this story was kinda cute and because I liked the second half a lot more than the first half this story still gets three stars from. I liked it, but it wasn't amazing for me. Maybe one day I will even read the second part, because I hate to not finish series, but it won't be on top of my tbr for a while as well.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre/tropes: romance (contemporary & paranormal), forced proximity
CW/TW: memory of traumatic accident

Ready’s an author I caught onto this year. Each book has been a different experience which is why I’ll happily check out any new release.

In short, Jillian moves into her new apartment, and gets an unwanted roommate - a ghost in the form of the very hot, and very shirtless Daniel. They develop a quirky friendship, and Jillian finds herself falling for Daniel, and vice versa. But he’s a ghost. Figures the only guy she could talk to would be a ghost. But then …

the story does a jump much later, and it feels like two different segments with only Jillian connecting the two. Somehow Ready managed a compelling, heartfelt romance about two people involved in the strangest, and most unbelievable of circumstances.

𝗚𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 is a strange mash up of paranormal, and time travel in a contemporary romance. It starts off one way, but ends up in a completely different place. All the while I couldn’t fathom how it would all turn out. But it works.

Thanks to @netgalley & #WWCrown for my ARC.

Ghosted was a fantastic read. The Star Trek references are golden, but in all seriousness you have to read Ghosted!

**Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4)/5**
Fun, funny, and romantic—Ghost provides an entertaining journey of love and personal growth that many will eat up.

Our story follows FMC Jillian Nejat, a struggling journalist with a suffering dating advice column. While Jillian wants to succeed as a journalist, it’s a little challenging to write a dating column when you’re terrified of men. When she moves into a low-cost apartment in a last-ditch effort to turn her life and column around, she has her first successful interaction was a man when she meets Daniel—but unfortunately, that’s because as far as they can tell, he’s a (very hot) ghost! Daniel realizes helping Jillian improve her column and learn to communicate with men might be his key to moving on or figuring out how he became a Ghost, and she agrees to give it a try. The lines between real and fake begin to blur as Jillian and Daniel grow closer, but what future can they really have?

Ghost was full of funny and sweet moments, and some surprising twists and turns! The only thing that was a little off for me was the pacing of this book. A lot happens in this book, which I appreciate in the sense that it didn’t end where I expected. However, I felt that we spent a lot of time on the front half dwelling (a bit too much, for my personal taste) on the main character’s insecurities, and then sped through a lot of interesting development in the second half! I found a lot of the side characters endearing as the story developed, and I wish we had gotten more of them earlier on. I also could have done with a bit less drooling over Daniel—it was a little heavy-handed on the “hot/unattainable man compared to the self-reported boring/insecure women,” but I personally don’t love that character dynamic.

I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of contemporary romance, and this was a perfect read for the fall. I saw this will be the first in a series, and would certainly pick up the next book when it comes out!

**Acknowledgments & Disclaimers**
✨ Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Ready, and W.W. Crown Publishers, for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book.
✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.

★ ★ ★ ★ | 🌶.5

18+ | Check TW

!! POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD PROCEED WITH CAUTION !!

*A special thank you to Netgalley and the author for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

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Okay, this book was actually way better than I expected. I think it was everything I needed after finishing The Seven Year Slip. This book definitely scratched a similar part of my brain.

I loved how this book seemed to combine two of some of my favorite romance movies together (Just Like Heaven and the Lake House) and still remained really unique. There is an element of insta love to it, but I found that I didn’t really mind it.

The chemistry between Jillian and Daniel may have actually been my favorite thing. The way Daniel was just so obsessed with her, I swear it had me swooning. And watching Jillian grow? Iconic. I also liked the addition of the background characters. Though, I wouldn’t have minded to know just a little more about Fran outside of her tragedy.

It is, however, a bit long. I think some of the very beginning and the end could have been trimmed off and the length would have been better. Also, I would have liked more of a concrete reason as to why Daniel remembers. Why at the beach? Why not at the hospital? The lack of that context watered down the climax a bit.

Overall, a great read. Will definitely be recommending it in the future.

This one pulled my heartstrings.

As usual, Sarah brought in the rollercoaster - the humor, the feels, the unpredictability in the story, and unforgettable characters. Ned and Zelda take the award for one of the most hilarious characters I've read, while Bernardo is the scene stealer for me!

Daniel and Jillian's love story was phenomenal, and I can't wait for Switched!

The epic awesomeness that is this book hit me out of nowhere. I made the mistake of starting this book while I was deep in the midst of reading the Throne of Glass series and so at first I wasn’t able to give it the attention it fully deserves. If I had started it on its own I know I would’ve finished this book in a day.

This is a book that requires all of you in all the best ways. I thought, oh I’ll just read this light funny book to get me through my book hangover after finishing ToG. NO! I found myself, while yes laughing hysterically, also bawling my eyes out and staying up until 1am because I had to know what would happen in the end.

This story was so unique. The twists were so unexpected. The story line was so deep and meaningful. Sarah writes characters that you instantly fall for. She has this uncanny ability to make you feel like you are there in the story with them. I don’t know how she does it.

When I finished I immediately just wanted to read it again. A million stars. Everyone should read it!!

Thank you to NetGalley and W.W. Crown for allowing me to read a digital copy of Ghosted
by Sarah Ready in exchange for my honest review.

I *think* I would like to be haunted. I *know<* I am adding Sarah Ready to my must-read author list!

I was expecting this to be a fluffy read, so it took me a bit to pick it up. I was so wrong! Yes, this is a love story. Yes, this is paranormal. However, there is so much depth in Sarah's writing and descriptions, that I could feel the emotions from Jilly and Daniel.

I loved how questions were answered, pieces were tied together, and just the entire book!

I look forward to reading more from this author.

Absolutely loved this book!

The authors writing style is amazing!

I look forward to reading more from them!

I sunk right into this story and found it so endearing and fun. I love a book where I can't quite figure out how on earth they will make it work out - especially in a romance. Overall, this was a delightful sweet and unique romance with great connections between the characters and I'd definitely recommend it.

"Ghosted" by Sarah Ready is a delightful and unique romantic tale that had me hooked from the start. The story revolves around Jillian, a young woman with an affinity for Star Trek and who is unable to converse with men. Her life takes an intriguing turn when she moves to a new apartment and encounters Daniel, a stunningly handsome man who defies her social awkwardness. There's just one catch – he's a ghost.

The narrative unfolds in two distinct parts, each with its own charm. In the initial part, I was charmed by Jillian's endearing quirks and her romance advice column, which added a fresh and relatable dimension to her character.

But then, as if out of nowhere, a plot twist comes crashing in, catching me completely off guard. This unexpected twist injected new life into the story. The story suddenly accelerates, becoming a whirlwind of twists and turns that I couldn't help but get swept up in. I found myself unable to put the book down as I eagerly devoured every page, captivated by the fast-paced and unpredictable journey that "Ghosted" had become.

Sarah Ready's ability to surprise and entertain the reader is truly commendable. The story transcends the ordinary and offers a fresh take on the romance genre, thanks to its engaging characters and unexpected plot twists. "Ghosted" is a rollercoaster of emotions and a testament to the author's storytelling skills. I thoroughly enjoyed the rollercoaster ride and can wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone seeking a romance with a touch of the extraordinary.

This book definitely took me on a journey. I was hooked the first half. I enjoyed the different take on the ghost thing. Although while I understand why Daniel ends up shirtless… for me being reminding he’s shirtless as a ghost took away from the story. The middle section of the book once Jillian finds Daniel; it felt very much like second hand embarrassment/ stalker-ish and while that plays into the conflict later on I think it could’ve been toned down. What I really enjoyed about this book is that it was hard to predict what was going to happen next. Every time I thought something was going to happen, something completely else happens. I truly enjoyed the concept and would recommend the book to others.