This is a difficult book to review. There is so much happening here--make sure to check the trigger warnings if you need them, because there is a wide variety of dark stuff in this book, despite the fun cover. It's difficult to summarize because so many things happen, but the general story is Dani, a trans teen, is able to communicate with ghosts, and begins trying to set up a kind of ghost shelter along with his ghost friend, Sarah. No, I do not want to try and describe what a ghost shelter is, or why the ghosts need it.

There was good stuff in this book--the emotional stuff is strong, and there are certain scenes that are going to stick with me. Dani was a good main character--flawed, confused, but strong despite his constant struggles. I loved his ghost mom Patricia, but Sarah.....the relationship between Dani and Sarah gets TOXIC, to the point where it is uncomfortable to read. Not necessarily a bad thing because it is obviously meant to be a disturbing depiction of a bad relationship, but on top of everything else that is going on in this book, an abusive relationship with a ghost just feels like a "....what ELSE can go wrong??" moment.

There are just so many things going on in this book. Dani has complex relationships with multiple characters--his mom, Sarah, Patricia, Seiji, and all of these characters have their own complex/dark backstories, and then there are multiple other ghosts that pop in with their own issues. Dani has a lot of baggage from being abused as a child, as well as struggling with being a trans teen in the early 2000s. There is a whole unique ghost lore that has to be introduced and sometimes is a little inconsistent (ghosts can't touch/move objects, except when they can, and also teleportation is randomly introduced and then never mentioned again). Most of this stuff is pretty good, but there's not a strong enough central plot to carry everything--it's mostly just Dani wandering around, making friends with ghosts.

But I did like it, and I think that has to do with the uniqueness of the story. It did occur to me recently though that the bare bones of the story (trans teen talks to ghosts) does sound an awful lot like what I know about Cemetery Boys. I haven't read Cemetery Boys yet, so I don't know how similar the stories actually are (if at all), but it is something I've been wondering about.

To summarize all that rambling, there was good stuff here, but the story was missing a strong central plot to carry all the dark stuff that was happening.

*eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 stars

Thanks to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this to review! I’ve enjoyed the other Leah Thomas books I’ve read, so I was excited to dig into this one. Just be warned, this book does deal with a lot of heavy topics like: sexual assault, domestic abuse, rape, murder, addiction, suicide, deadnaming, child abuse, and child death. And just death in general. This is definitely one of those books that you’ll want to pay attention to trigger warnings for.

Despite the heavy nature of the book, the characters stand out to me. Not only does Dani have depth, but so do the two ghosts he befriends. One of my favorite things in the book was his evolving relationship with Seiji. Like Dani, Seiji is just misunderstood and accepts Dani as Dani figures out who he is. Their relationship grew into such a supportive one, and I loved seeing it unfold in the book.

While I loved the characters and the relationships, the pacing did feel a bit off to me. The beginning felt especially slow, and it took me a while to really get into the book. Once we meet Patricia and start getting into ghost mystery solving, the book picks up its pace. It doesn’t necessarily get easier to read, but the story feels more engaging.

As far as the representation goes, I will leave that to trans reviewers (you can read one here). Most of the time, it wasn’t explored a lot unless it related specifically to the plot.

All in all, I’m here for the relationships and the ghostly-ness of this book. I would probably only recommend it to certain people, due to the trauma involved, but it can be a helpful metaphor for that.

In this book, we meet Dani, who's having a rough time of things. As the new kid, school/social life has been a struggle, of course, and friends are nowhere in sight. Except, however, Sarah, who lives under the bed. Sarah died decades ago, but she's hanging around because her murder remains unsolved. Sarah becomes a bit of a crutch for Dani, who relies on their relationship in lieu of having friendships with, well, living kids.

As the story goes on, it's clear that Sarah and Dani aren't really good for each other, but neither is willing or able to let the other go. More ghosts join the band, and frankly I think Patricia was one of my favorite characters. I also adored Dani's former (alive) enemy Seiji, and found his story to be one of the biggest highlights of the book. Dani has to come to terms with his own past trauma, and some of the things he had done to Seiji because of said trauma. And, Dani is terrified for Sarah to find out that he is a trans male. Which kind of says a lot about Sarah, frankly.

So, there's quite a bit going on here, between the trauma and abuse that both the living and the dead have experienced (and in some cases, continue to experience). Added to the mix is Dani trying to balance the world of the living with the world of the dead, all while being worried what his best (ghost) friend will think of him when she knows his truth. While I enjoyed the story for the most part, I will say that it took a lot of suspension of disbelief for me, which is something I am maybe not the best at.

Bottom Line: Deals with a lot of heavy issues in a very unique way, and if you can suspend some disbelief (or believe in ghosts I guess) and handle the content, then it's definitely worth it!

I received this book in exchange for an honest review courtesy of Bloomsbury YA and NetGalley.

First off, as a trans person I find it very distasteful to learn a trans characters birth name in general when reading. It just feels like such a disservice to the character and is just slightly offensive. Possibly instead just say “they called me by my birth name or dead name” instead of straight up telling the audience what it is.

Also for a book that is describing itself as a trans book, the trans elements are somewhat strange. Like not thoroughly explored or only used to create tension? I’m not discounting Dani’s trans identity I just wish we saw more of their struggle with it instead of it just being used as a plot device to come between Dani and Sarah.

I had a hard time grasping the world building of this book, specifically in reference to the ghost characters. It seems that they can basically do anything and had no limits. No rules were ever set up or explained to us and it kind of felt like the author was pushing how much the reader was just supposed to blindly accept.

Both the main characters were just so unlikable. I had a hard time reading the book because I hated them both and didn’t care what happened to them. Dani is slightly more likable than Sarah but also I didn’t understand why the entire plot could have been resolved if Dani and Sarah actually were honest with each other. The whole ghost climax was a little rushed and felt thrown in at the last minute.

Please for the love of god never include a Harry Potter reference in a queer and especially in a trans book.

I enjoyed the writing style, and the book was pretty fast paced, but the plot was just so hard to understand and the tone was everywhere. One moment it’s a light hearted coming of age story, the next it’s basically hardcore horror, I just don’t understand who the audience is?

The amount of triggers in this book is astounding and it would have helped if there was a warning for readers in the beginning. I honestly wish this book had both a sensitivity reader and another round of edits because it feels more like a first draft.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of Violet Ghosts!

Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me in a lot of ways. The idea of the book really worked for me, and I was excited to read about a trans boy who helps ghosts find peace. However, I found the plot of the book to be not very exciting, and I had trouble connecting with the characters. I also found the themes of the book to be way too heavy-handed, and I felt like the author was really hitting readers over the head with the idea that men/boys are evil and hurt women/girls. I didn't find a lot of nuance in the portrayal of any of the characters, and I especially disliked the main ghost character, Sarah. The only thing that saved the book for me a bit was the character of Seiji, who is misunderstood throughout the book but eventually becomes Dani's love interest. I wanted to get to know Seiji a bit better, and I think perhaps the book would have been better if it had been told from his perspective or in alternating perspectives. I really wanted to like this one, but unfortunately, it just wasn't for me

Violet Ghosts by Leah Thomas sounded like it was going to be right up my alley. The description had so much potential to become one of my favorites, but unfortunately it didn't end up working for me. Based on the description, I was expecting something just different from the final product. The reading experience wasn't an enjoyable one. I will say that I appreciated getting to know Dani and that his character is well written. Overall, though, the story as a whole wasn't quite for me.

This book was really hard to read as it is to review. First of all, take the trigger warnings seriously in this book- they happen on and off page. This is an intense book about serious issues.

This book follows Dani. Dani can see and communicate with ghosts. After meeting and bonding with a ghost named Sarah over mutual trauma, they become very close. But Dani has a secret, and that he is trans, and knows this won't go over well with Sarah. When Dani and Sarah discover more ghosts, they get the idea of avenging and saving other ghosts haunted by trauma, but their efforts drive Dani and Sarah apart more and more.

I started this book over a month ago, but wasn't really enjoying it for several reasons- so I put it down. But I couldn't really get it out of my head so I decided to get through it recently and get my thoughts out.

Not all books are supposed to be fun and likable. This book is about trauma, and how to effectively overcome trauma. If someone is going to take trauma seriously in fiction and make it a happy story, I have no idea what that would look like. And I feel it's incredibly important to tell those uncomfortable stories- but to say I had a good reading experience with this book wouldn't be true. I didn't enjoy it.

I'll start with the good. Dani was a fascinating and nuanced character. I liked him a lot. He wasn't perfect at all but he really did have a big heart and was just trying to figure his shit out- and has so much going up against him. I liked him as a character a lot.

I also really liked the metaphor with the ghosts and trauma. I feel like making the "dealing with your ghosts and demons" metaphor into something real worked very well and was powerful. And the message of this book is truly important and good.

The romance of this book started a little annoying to me and it took me a while to warm up to it, but by the end of the book I did start to like Seiji and Dani together, and they could compliment each other well.

As for what I didn't like. I didn't like the trans part of this storyline really at all. And that sounds strange coming from me as I'm usually dying for more trans stories in fiction (as a whole 2021 has actually been pretty great for that). And a lot of this book is about Dani's identity as a transman, dealing with that, and figuring out how to tell Sarah.
But to me it really seemed that a major part of Dani being trans in the story is so we could see Sarah cast as the villain to be both a "man hating lesbian" and expose terf talking points. And the book pretty clearly tells you both of those points are wrong and gross, there isn't ambiguity there. But a lot of Sarah's storyline is about how some close bonds change into toxic relationships. Dani's being trans arc felt to me like more of a way to discuss other narratives through Sarah than to explicitly tell a trans based story.

I tried to find information on the author but I couldn't see anything indicating she is trans or nonbinary. So this whole part of the book really gave me a weird vibe. I could very well be off base and misinterpreting everything. I'm trying to be very careful with how I am phrasing this criticism, but this was the impression the book left on me in my read.

This book has important things to day about trauma and an interesting story to tell it. But some parts of this book just didn't sit well with me. 2.5/5

Thank you to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyable, above average paranormal mystery. I especially enjoyed the relationship between the two main characters, one of which was a spirit. Had a unique way of discussing sensitive subject matter. I really enjoyed it.

When Dani discovers the ghost of Sarah under his bed, he's not scared. In fact, she becomes his best friend. But Sarah hates men, having been murdered at the hands of one, and Dani is scared to tell her he's trans. When the pair discover another ghost in the woods years later, the new trio decide to convert the old lobby of Dani's apartment into a ghost sanctuary. But seeking out ghosts of violent deaths means running into a few more dangerous beings, too.

TW: sexual assault, rape, murder, toxic relationship, sexual abuse, physical abuse, suicide, transphobia, homophobia, dead-naming

This book was nothing like what I was expecting. The blurb made it seem a bit more mysterious, a bit more high energy. But Thomas has written an expressive, impactful story about a trans boy who can never seem to escape his own ghosts, literally and figuratively.

Violet Ghosts was a quick read! It had a handful of complicated characters, characters who have all been traumatized by something, either in life or death. Readers get the wisps of a thrill, a darkness to the book, but unfortunately, it never feels too fully formed. I can't speak on it too much, as I am not a victim of trauma in the ways that Sarah, Patricia, and Dani are, and everyone processes their past in their own ways, but the book felt almost.... passive on the atrocities that these characters face. It focuses more on trying to exorcise evil ghosts than to make any sort of commentary about what our characters are going through. Perhaps this was the point. All I know, is I was left for wanting.

I think this could have made a really great thriller if Thomas had chosen to take it in that direction. As it stands, it felt a bit lacklustre for me.

DNF 40%

The writing in this really turned me off. Alot of scenes were under explained and left me confused. And while nothing was problematic of what I read, it felt like the MC was written by a cis person. His character centered around his trans identity and the process of him coming out and discovering himself felt very unauthentic and stereotypical

Violet Ghosts by Leah Thomas has all the problems one could want, social issues, gender issues and ghosts. All of these are handled well in a story that is not like any other I have read. This is one to put on the shelves for sure.

Dani met his best friend Sarah, when she’d already been dead for 20 years. Sarah was murdered by a man, and Dani is not allowed to ask anything about it, but he is well-aware of her hatred for men, and that, along with the fact that Sarah is from a less progressive time, makes Dani fear letting Sarah know his true self, he’s a trans boy.

This book explores topics of abuse, sexual abuse, murder, transphobia, suicide, and a very large theme of violence against women. Dani and Sarah meet their friend Patricia, another murder victim, in their teens and decide to open a kind of shelter for wayward ghosts. Sarah insists it be all-female, believing that men can’t be victims. Dani, Sarah and Patricia have a dysfunctional little ghost family, and Sarah is frankly quite abusive (with reason, and it’s acknowledged).

I enjoyed this book, it was unique, with great ghost lore and explorations of trauma and trans identity with just a little dash of queer romance in there. The heavy themes are important to note, but it was a great read.

Words cannot describe how much I loved this book. I absolutely adored Dani and his internal thoughts and how he interacted with people. We see his journey with other people and interacting with them. I loved his mother/son relationship with Patricia and how accepting and loving she was towards him. I also loved how he and Seiji interacted and how their relationship was so platonic until the end, which was something I found amazing. Dani found himself a friend, a queer friend, way before a romantic relationship, and that really showed the importance of platonic relationships. I also really enjoyed Dani working through Sarah's TERF ideas, and how he grapples with the fact that not all men are bad, and while it's fine to not trust any man immediately, being a man and forming important relationships with men isn't terrible. I thought that it was amazing for Dani to go through since I had also had struggled with TERF rhetoric and realized that it is perfectly acceptable to not be a woman and to desire relationships with people who aren't women. I thought this book was incredibly powerful and amazing, and I'm so glad I got the arc for this book.

This is a book that I would only recommend with heavy content warnings, and an offer for continued conversation/dialogue. Mind you, I would definitely recommend it to some readers, but not without a heads up on the amount of violence in this book! Reading this reminded me of my first time reading SPEAK in middle school–incredibly important, moving, and utterly devastating. There are moments of fun, of lightheartedness, but woof. This is a heavy read!

It's been interesting to see other readers focus so much on this being a trans story – being trans is important to Dani, it shapes his relationships, but this is not a story about self-discovery of gender. I really appreciated how well Thomas writes about gender and about the adolescent stumbling blocks of figuring your stuff out while the world feels like it's falling apart. Additionally, this is the first time in a long while I've read a book with an unhealthy friendship wherein the characters... acknowledge that their relationship is toxic! I can't imagine what this book would have meant to me if I had been able to read it in high school.

This book is going to stick with me for a long time, in large part because of how mundane the violence is throughout. Don't mistake this for saying that VIOLET GHOSTS doesn't give abuse and assault weight and understand its affect on people; rather, Thomas manages to capture the sense of being a young person who has grown up surrounded by violence, has learned that most people can't be trusted... and still wants to try and find honest and restorative connection in the world.

I would definitely hesitate to recommend this book to a younger YA reader (even though, as I opened with, I read SPEAK and other similar books at a very young age!), but I would strongly recommend this book to teachers, to people who interact with kids on the edge of their teenage years, and to teens who have an understanding of how bleak this world can be.

I love finding an book that incorporates interesting fantasy elements with LGBTQ+ representation. This is comparable to Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas (it was THAT good).

If you are looking for a a book about friendship, ghosts, and righting misdeeds, look no further than this.