Member Reviews
A wonderfully disturbing book about a girl who is invisible! This one was a very unique story and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
there were several scenes that felt like they were just included to make the book unnecessarily longer, and there were also several aspects that didn't seem to be resolved and questions that lacked answers by the end of the book.
This is a haunting, unforgettable book that will stick with me for a long time. I love horror and this didn't disappoint!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.
3.5. I definitely expected this book to be more of a horror story, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it! The concept was unique and its roots in friendship and queer desire were so lovely. Such a sweet and thought-provoking read!
I found the premise of this book super fascinating, and with a sapphic main character, I knew I had to read it. Like with her previous book, I have a feeling this won't be for everyone. The style is unique and plays with aspects of magical realism. Overall I enjoyed reading this and will pick up future books by this author. Review more like 4.5 stars.
Truly one of the most unique books I've read in a very long time! I feel like the premise of this is something that is done in middle grade work, but rarely tried in YA and Adult. When fleshed out I think this kind of book can be really tricky, but I think the author did a great job! I was totally immersed, and was able to suspend my disbelief and really like this one. It falls solidly in the YA category. The teens act like teens (unlike some books where they are teens who act like adults)
[4 Stars]
A surprisingly great read.
I loved the themes of self-identity, relationships, body image, etc which were presented through an innovative and refreshing premise. Pie was an adorable mc who I really rooted for throughout the book. She made multiple blunders but they always made sense to her character and didn't feel forced in order to move the plot ahead. I think the romantic relationship was adorable and well-paced, and Pie's relationship with her parents was realistically complex.
I'm really happy I picked this one up and will watch for more from Maria Romasco Moore in the future.
it was okay. i didn’t really get into it for a while and when i did i wasn’t wowed by the story. maybe it was just not my cup of tea
I am the Ghost in your house is one of the books I read during the October Spookathon Binge (this doesn’t exists, I created it lol). Anyway, IMO houses-ghosts is a classic combo that can never go wrong. So my review might be slightly partial. This isn’t your usual ghost story, this is a story of a girl whose is invisible to people around her, things she touches disappears and she can see mysterious objects floating around that no one else can see! Mother and daughter have this invisibility condition. One day when the mother disappears whole, the daughter navigates her life. Truly a brilliant reflection that there is so much more to anything / any person than what meets the eye.
Its an interesting concept that is queer rep, layered, synonymous, and unique! Only minus is for a YA book, I felt it was a bit dense to get hooked to the story. But that could be just me. Also, slowest burner of paranormal books I’ve read.
Thank you Delacorte Press via Netgalley for the e-arc.
Truly one of the most unique books I've read in a very long time! I feel like the premise of this is something that is done in middle grade work, but rarely tried in YA and Adult. When fleshed out I think this kind of book can be really tricky, but I think the author did a great job! I was totally immersed, and was able to suspend my disbelief and really like this one. It falls solidly in the YA category. The teens act like teens (unlike some books where they are teens who act like adults) Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
This is a story about an invisible girl.
I wanted this to be scary & it was not. It was; however, a beautiful book about queer teenage love…. With a protagonist who just happens to be invisible & has to navigate a world that she’s functionally not part of. Definitely a solid YA option if you’re looking for a little magical realism.
Thank you so much @prhaudio @netgalley & @delacortepress for the e & audio copies
3.5 stars, rounded up (it's all about that quality prose).
There are parts of this I really, really liked. Some of the descriptions were, as the characters put it, like 'invisible needles' - visceral and interesting and with great, echoing cadence. The concept overall, with the invisibility as a physical manifestation of trauma and dissociation, leaning heavily on the concept of generational trauma and how a child can feel the effects of their parents' trauma keenly without fully understanding it or having experienced the trauma directly. And also the invisibility itself was clever - it was consistent and specific, full of all the little workarounds and weirdness that an actual person would do to live life that way.
Things that I wasn't so fond of: pacing mostly. The first 20% or so was just... boring set-up. There were also a lot of times where one facet of the plot would totally override another; the author was at least self-aware enough for the MC to be like "oh wow, it's been a long time since I thought about X" but it still felt a little unbalanced that way.
More so than the plot, I was really reading for the little vignettes. Almost every chapter (at least in the first 75% or so of the book) included a tangentially related little side story. This is often where the author would flex with good prose and clever turns of phrase to keep a reader engaged.
This was a really quick and fun YA novel! I was sold just from the title alone but the story was gripping. The main character felt very isolated from the world because like her mom, she is invisible. I enjoyed the BIPOC representation, but the main character is pretty unlikeable so it brought down my enjoyment a lot. Looking forward to reading this author's other book and anything she publishes in the future!
I was a bit disappointed with this book, not because it wasn't good, but because it wasn't at all what I anticipated it would be. I was deceived a bit by the marketing for the book as it was pressed as a horror/thriller when it wasn't anything like that. Paranormal coming of age story would be the way I would have described it. If I had known this going in I feel I would have liked it more but for what it was, I enjoyed it. Pie represented all of us trying to adjust to new people and new places trying to fit in and find our place in the world world. Trigger warnings would also be advised.
This book was amazing. I coudn't put it down. It was magical. Higly recommended! The characters, the plots, the writting: wonderful and perfect.
I think teenage me would have felt seen in this book. I was a quiet and unspectacular kid and kind of felt invisible sometimes. Except for that small group of a few friends who were everything to me. I never really put words to that feeling until now, so thanks to the author for the therapy.
This story has some adventurous traveling in the short chapters of Pie’s history and current stories of teenagers getting into trouble of course. I enjoyed the explorations into what friendship really means and how the MC moved around on the edges and inside her world. And the writing style is just fantastic. I’ve already recommended this book to several friends who I think would really enjoy it!
~Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review~
An amazing story about what it truly feels like to be unseen, unheard, and like you don't even exist told through the eyes of a 17-year-old invisible girl named Pie. From the very beginning, I was hooked to the complexities of Pie's character: the way she cares for her mother, while being wary of her mother's many secrets; the way she craves her father's attention, while condoning his con-artist ways and the way she both yearns for and shies away from human interaction yet faces her insecurities head-on, while still trying to be a good person. All of these traits of hers, I related to in some way and the fact that this book takes place in my hometown of all places made this all the more relatable to me. This book has everything: incredible, reflective, mature writing; an adorable queer found family; a mysterious "ghost hunter"; a "magic" system; and a YA WLW romance to top it all off!! While I understand this story might not be for everyone (as it really strays from the "horror" element that this book was originally marketed as), it certainly was for me and I loved exploring every square inch of Pie's life. Thank you, Maria Romasco Moore, for writing this.
I simply couldn't get into this book despite the interesting premise. There was something about the characters that I just couldn't connect with enough to want to keep up with the journey. The writing though was decent.
This cover might actually genuinely kill me. LOOK AT IT. Jeez Louise. Anyhow, this is definitely marketed as horror (see: the COVER,) and there are some tension-filled parts, but it’s more fabulist than it is horror. What did I just compare to “burn our bodies down” by Rory Power? I think it was “Queen of Junk Island”. Not to reveal that I only read like 12 books two years ago before I started this book blog, but I would ALSO like to compare this to “burn our bodies down”. Big on the mom trauma, or the mauma, if you will.
It’s a slow read and it’s full of aching loneliness and isolation. It’s a sadder, more sapphic readalike to “Things Not Seen” by Andrew Clements.
We’re gonna go for 3.5 stars, rounded up for NetGalley.