I enjoyed this book! It had some good and bad moments.

Ghost Hunters, a teen ghost and queer love, are everything I needed from a book. However, it didn't all pan out as I had hoped.

When Cara, an aspiring ghost hunter, encounters the ghost of Aiden, a popular guy from her school who died and whom she can only hear, she is ecstatic and determined to share this knowledge with others. But Aiden also has a mission at hand so he can pass over: to make sure his sister is happy.

So, when Aiden suggests that Cara take his sister to prom and help her become happier again, Cara initially refuses but reluctantly agrees when she realises that to prove that ghosts exist, she does need a ghost's cooperation.

As a lover of watching ghost-hunting videos and reading queer stories, this one hit the mark for me, and I enjoyed it. I listened to the audiobook version while travelling to college and work. The narrator took me a bit to get used to, but as soon as I got used to the voice, I was glued in on the story.

Unfortunately, I did have some downsides I wanted to talk about, such as how sexualised the lesbian relationship was. I was hesitant to read this story as a male writer wrote it. However, I hoped to push it aside and enjoy it for the ghost hunting and sapphic relationship. Cara read more like someone in their early teens rather than being eighteen with how she dealt with situations and talked with the people around her.
This also made me feel uncomfortable in the sexual scenes and even how Aiden talked about Cara and Meredith.

I, unfortunately, probably won't be promoting this book to my audience just due to how parts made me uncomfortable.

I found this YA supernatural romance really compelling, despite not really warming to Cara as a main character very much (she was very well drawn, I just couldn't get over her selfishness and frequently wanted to shout at her). Cara's relationship with Aiden was funny and sad and I didn't expect to read such a sexually charged rock climbing scene- that really was a first! A fresh, compelling and interesting YA supernatural romance.

This book was a really different concept for me. I don’t usually read books that are more supernatural but this was really intriguing to me. I’m not sure how far my belief of ghosts goes but I can say this peaked my interest on it as a concept more than it was before. I loved cara’s determination around what she believed in and even if it wasn’t the most ethical start the love story between her and Meredith was really lovely and watching the walls come down for both of them was written really endearingly. I never expected to become as attached to someone who wasn’t really around other than his voice but when Aiden started fading it broke my heart, him just wanting his sister to be happy was a beautiful reason that moved the story along. My only downside is I wish there was an epilogue showing what Cara did after, if she stayed in the town, what her and Meredith’s dreams together were.

This is a hard one to review. The writing itself is very good and the plot is pretty enjoyable and easy to follow, unfortunately, I hated the main character. I couldn't relate to or connect with her at all and that unfortunately coloured my whole experience with the novel. It just wasn't for me.

First half was really good, but I found myself starting to dislike the main character during the second half for how she started acting when things weren't going her way

For this year's Pride Month, a man releases a lesbian romance with the same tone as the sort of guy in the smoking area at nightclubs who yells at you to kiss your female friends because "it's really hot!". Groundbreaking.

The Ghost of Us follows eighteen-year-old Cara, an aspiring ghost-hunter who's dreading having to stay in her small hometown after high school graduation since the college she applied to didn't accept her - not to mention that her only friend, Holly, will be leaving to go to a Bible college miles away. However, Cara's luck begins to look up when she encounters the ghost of Aiden, an ex-student at her high school who died tragically while exploring an abandoned factory. While Cara is excited to reveal her huge discovery on her youtube channel, Aiden will help her on one condition: he can't pass on until he knows his younger sister, Meredith, is happy, so he wants Cara to take her to prom.

As someone who was a huge fan of Buzzfeed Unsolved during the height of its popularity, so the youtube ghost-hunting trend is really close to my heart: consequently, while I was excited to read this book - after all, the cover is truly gorgeous - it fell completely and utterly flat. The use of paranormal investigating barely transcends its position as a setpiece: since much of the conversation around grief is filtered to us through Cara, much of the potential here is lost.

As you might know from my reading habits, I read a lot of horror, which means I'm used to protagonists who are unlikeable at best, and horrifying to read at worst. The difference with our leading lady Cara is that the narrative never fails to (try and) hit you over the head with how much you *should* like her. Cara is self-centered (not helped by her insufferable first-person narration), whinging, and borderline narcissistic: nothing she does is ever her fault, even when it pointedly is, because wouldn't you believe it, she's unpopular in high school. Her only friend, Holly, is repeatedly made the subject of narrative eyerolls because she's a Catholic who doesn't believe in intimacy before marriage (she and her boyfriend Elvis don't even kiss, something viewed through a lens of humour rather than Cara's tolerance of the one person who comes close to tolerating *her*). She even manages to make love-interest Meredith's depression following her brother's death about her, for on their rock climbing date, Cara goes off on a grotesque tangent about how depressed girls don't shave their legs and that her calves must be "like the Black Forest" - but maybe she shaved for *her*? I'll also repeat the fact that Cara is eighteen. She doesn't read her age, and instead oscillates between sounding like she's twelve or like a thirty-year-old: during one of the scenes in which she is obnoxiously horny, she starts going on about her "No-No Zone" (ew), insults someone by referring to them as a "douche-nozzle" when it's already established that characters swear in-text, and in the very first chapter, she describes her outfit as 'snatched', which I don't think has been used unironically since 2019. Her meme references are about as unbearable:

"'I just think they're neat.' Great, now I was the Marge Simpson potato meme."

Wow. Should we invite Big Chungus along too?
About half of the book is just cultural references which are already in the process of aging like milk: a novel's editorial and marketing processes take a while, and nowhere is this clearer than in the references. We establish that Cara's horny for Maya Hawke from Stranger Things before we learn much else about her (being horny is one of her very few character traits), and we also get all sorts of pointless references to Disney's Frozen, Euphoria, Game of Thrones, and pretty much every other 2010s franchise in existence - Holly is even described as having a "Grumpy Cat scowl" at one point - which gives the novel the sense of being already outdated, and will only get more outdated as time goes on. It's much more effectively done with the fictional band that Meredith likes, which not only allows readers to learn about the constructed world through Cara's eyes, but gives it a bit of substance. By relying on constant cultural references, this only succeeds in flattening the characters, and giving the novel the impression that it's unable to exist by itself.

In the grand scheme of the novel itself, one of the most egregious aspects is the sapphic relationship itself. I'm not saying that every YA queer romance needs to be soft and sweet like Heartstopper, but it's so grossly oversexualised that it reads as almost disgusting in numerous places, which isn't helped by the juvenile tone (I must unfortunately remind you of the "No-No Zone" comment), while I genuinely think Meredith's backside gets more on-page references than her face. We also get the narrative device of 'Voyeuristic Perverted Teenage Boy", since Aiden's ghost, despite his parroting that he loves Meredith and wants her to be happy, makes such comments as "You sure seemed on a mission earlier. A bold expedition to the bottom of my sister's panties." (WHAT) Even the youtuber Cara is determined to work with insists on wearing fictionalised Google Glasses in case any of his fans try to utilise the MeToo movement against him. Seriously.

If there was a part of the book that might have been almost compelling, it's the tiny amount of references to Meredith's backstory that we get. Previously homeschooled, Cara jumps at the chance when classmate Sophia expresses interest in her via Snapchat, only for Sophia to save the sexualised images she sends and spreads them around the school. Is this an issue currently facing YA readers, especially in the age of AI and deepfakes? Yes. Does this place us in a position to understand Cara's relationship with her sexuality? Yes. Is this issue promptly solved when Meredith insults Sophia about soiling herself at the age of about 6, only for Sophia to storm off and never feature on page again? Also yes. Again, these characters are eighteen, about to graduate and head to university: not to speak for everyone, but when I finished school, we were more focused on university applications and visiting campuses than slinging primary school era insults, and were more socially aware than to mock victims of online abuse (something which happened at several schools near me). It's a compelling issue to tackle in a YA book, but in the same way as the paranormal investigation, it never goes any further than set-dressing.

Overall, while I went into this with an open, even excited, mind, I was disappointed almost from the beginning. Characters are flat, the plot relies on miscommunication which can be easily resolved on numerous occasions, and almost every part of the romance feels sleazy. Even if this book wasn't being released during Pride Month, I can wholeheartedly say that young sapphic girls deserve better than tone-deaf stories with little substance.

Thank you to Andersen Press and NetGalley for an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Anderson Press and NetGalley for my digital review copy.

I enjoyed this book!

Content warnings for: drug use, sexually explicit content

This book follows Cara, an amateur ghost hunter, who realises ghosts are real on the from of Aiden, a guy who died a year prior who wants to help his sister move on from his death (by getting herbal girlfriend).

The plot was exactly what I expected it to be. Full of lying and dealing with the consequences of your actions. It was messy and explosive (in the best way possible). However, the inevitable explosion happens very close to the end and I would have liked more chapters dealing with the fallout as I was waiting with anticipation for that moment to happen.

This book made me laugh out loud at some of the lines of dialogue. The wholesome parts of a friend group being formed through unlikely circumstances.

What a story, this was gripping and excuse the pun 'haunting' from start to finish. This story battles grief both past and present, friendships, romance, trust and more. Our leading character is a bisexual ghost hunter by the name of Cara, whos best friend is a devout catholic called Holly. Having been friends through the good and the bad it begins with them helping each other with their respective Youtube chanels, but Cara's escapades ghost hunting uncover something neither could expect - Cara can communicate with the spirit of Aiden, a teen who died at the site of her last ghost hunt. Trying to find out more and bring him some closure, the chaos leads Cara to his sister Meredith in an attempt led by Aidens ideas to try and make her happy as she has been depressed since his passing. Focusing on character development this story battles trust issues, maturing, being truthful with themself and others and more and although there was some bumpy parts i am glad that overall that closure and happiness was achieved for all.

3.5 ⭐️

This was a super sweet young adult romance, with a bit of a twist. The premise was so interesting and the writing was very engaging.

I liked watching Cara and Meredith’s relationship blossom, and I seriously loved the exchanges between Cara and Aiden. Although I wasn’t so keen on Cara as a character overall - she was too selfish for my liking - I could appreciate the teen angst for what it was.

The main criticism that I have is that I never got to really revel in any serious emotion. The story would have had more impact if the book had chapters from Meredith’s point of view; losing her brother would have been a heartbreaking event to go through, yet the vibe of the story was more lighthearted and playful then deep and emotional.

Nevertheless, it was a lovely book and a very easy young adult read 🥰

Thank you to NetGalley and Andersen Press for the advanced copy.

The Ghost of Us, James L. Sutter's latest YA offering after the wonderful Darkhearts, introduces us to Cara, a damaged, stand-offish loner of senior. Well, almost loner, as she has a solitary friend in the permanently chipper Holly. Cara, for various reasons, is determined to prove that ghosts exists and dreams of becoming a famous ghost hunter as a way of escaping her town. It's on one of these ghost hunting expeditions that she discovers she can speak to the ghost of Aiden, a local teen who died in an accident the year prior. Convinced his sister, Meredith, is the reason for him not moving on, he persuades Cara to help him with his unfinished business by attempting to date her.

I'm going to address the elephant in the room, because I've seen a few reviews that have mentioned this. Cara is not a particularly likeable character. There were times where I was downright disgusted with her and the decisions she makes. But Cara is, at least to me, a decent depiction of a damaged teenage girl who's been ostracised and relentlessly bullied by her peers for the majority of her teenage years. I've worked with these young people who make the wrong choices, who throw up walls to keep everyone pushed out, and who can sometimes be really, really unlikeable. But, just like these young people, beneath that shell of bad choices and selfishness, is a lovely person who just wants someone to pick them for once. For those readers who enjoy their main characters being squeaky clean and endlessly likeable, this might not be the book for you. But those of you who want a more realistic depiction of a teenager and to maybe recognise ourselves in some of Cara's behaviours, you'll definitely enjoy her story.

Speaking of characters, Aiden is just a sweetheart! I'm a sucker for a soft-hearted popular jock, especially when the person they're all soft and gooey for is a sibling. Cara's and Aiden's moments together were my favourite parts of The Ghost of Us. I could've read an entire book just filled with their interactions.

The Ghost of Us is an interesting look at grief and its many forms (losing a loved one, friends moving on, grieving the teen years you should've had but were denied by others) as well as having a fab sapphic romance at it's heart.

I look forward to seeing what James L. Sutter has for us next!

I'm not a big contemporary romance reader, but the supernatural elements really brought it all together for me. I found this really heartwarming. It was a comfort read for sure!

DNF @ 46% - contemporary sapphic romance with a slight paranormal element.

Cara, a teen ghost hunter uses an ouija board at the mill in her town where a teen boy died. The board doesn’t seem to work until later Cara hears the voice of Aiden. He is just a voice in her head - no physical form, cannot be seen by Cara nor anyone else. Cara makes a deal with Aiden to try and prove him as a ghost for her channel, if Cara helps Aiden help his sister Meredith, who he think is his unfinished business. Cara then begins to fall for Meredith as they go on a number of dates.

I didn’t realise this would be a mostly contemporary teenage romance. I thought it would have more supernatural / ghostly elements to it. I found it boring and slow and the characters unlikeable.

Cara spends most of her time complaining and doesn’t actually believe in her ghost hunter work and is only using Aiden to help her get into college / university. Aiden is the typical popular jock and even though he’s the main reason for the romance he doesn’t really add anything to the story. Meredith at least has an excuse for being unlikeable as she’s closed herself off since the death of her brother but she’s also kind of bland. Cara also has a best friend called Holly who is a “cool” religious everyone likes me type of person because I’m so nice and quotes bible passages which is just not for me.

Would recommend for a younger YA audience who prefers contemporary romance and not for those looking for a more paranormal story with a side romance story.

I was so excited to read this and I loved the relationships between Cara, Aidan and Meredith. I found to be heart-warming and poignant at times.

Thank you Anderson Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Cara, a determined ghost hunter, is on a mission to uncover proof of the supernatural. When her path crosses with the ghost of Aiden Reyes, a boy who recently died in a tragic death, she sees this not only as a chance to prove the existence of spirits, but also as her ticket out of her hometown.

Meredith, Aiden’s grieving younger sister, has been struggling since the loss of her brother. Aiden determines that he is stuck because of unresolved business - he needs to make sure that his sister will be okay. And thus a pact is struck between Cara and Aiden - if Cara assists in coaxing Meredith out of her shell and accompanies her to prom, Aiden will help Cara prove that ghosts are real.

Cara’s actions often left me frustrated as I progressed throughout the book; her occasional selfishness grated on me. However, I recognise that this portrayal reflects the complexities of teenage life, and I appreciate the growth she undergoes throughout the narrative.

Meredith provided a welcome balance to Cara’s character. While I enjoyed her presence, I wished for a deeper exploration of her struggles with grief and inner thoughts like what we saw from Cara. Incorporating her point of view could’ve been a nice addition to the overall story.

Among the characters, Aiden stood out as my favourite. I enjoyed his dynamics with Cara, and how they shared both light-hearted banter and profound, deeper moments.

While the plot maintained a good pace, I yearned for more moments set within the high school environment, and specifically where we witness Sophia facing consequences for her mistreatment of Cara. This aspect felt somewhat unresolved, leaving me wishing for further exploration and closure.

I would suggest this book for older teens and young adults, typically ages 16 and up. While it delves into themes like friendship and personal development, it also includes some sexual content that might not be suitable for younger or more sensitive readers.

Overall, I found this book quite enjoyable, and I'd happily recommend it to fans of 'Cemetery Boys' or those interested in paranormal, sapphic, or young adult literature.