It took me a little while to get into this book I found the prose style of writing quite difficult to get into but once I did I found the rhythm of the writing quite beautiful. A lovely story.

(3.5) It makes so much sense that this book has a violinist at the core of its story, because R.M. Romero’s writing is truly musical. Her phrasing is lilting, and the cadence in these pages is near-perfect. The language is light and airy and makes it feel like magic is flowing throughout — with certain phrases that strike exactly the right chord. And, just like any good symphony, the book builds up to an ovation-worthy climax. But there’s more to like about this book than just Romero’s writing. The magic system is sweet, and it’s diverse, and the addition of traditional folklore really rounds the book out nicely and contributes something quite different and wonderful. The setting is vibrant and had me ready to book a ticket to Prague just so I could wander around the city that is so powerfully described — even if it is haunted by lost souls. And Ilana, the book’s main character (and the violinist), is exactly who you want as your heroine — she’s brave and kind and thoughtful, and she’s interesting, which makes being inside her head a delight.

I haven’t read a book written in verse prose like this since 9th grade — and didn’t know this book would be written in it until I opened the first page (oops!) — but I found myself spellbound by the medium and the way it wraps you up nice and tight inside the story. Because I don’t read much verse prose, though, I’m not sure if the disconnect I felt from the story at times was more a case of the style itself or more a case of this book, but I often felt like I was observing the story from afar, not that I was part of it. I wanted a stronger connection, both to the characters and the action. I also feel like the romance here was a tad shoe-horned in and wasn’t necessary to the story (and wasn’t all that believable).

I flew through this book (I once looked down and realized I was already 65 percent of the way in), and I found myself enjoying every word and every page. I just wished this book had a little more oomph to really connect me to the characters and their beautiful story. But this is certainly a sweet and inventive book — and the writing absolutely sings.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Peachtree Teen, and R.M. Romero for proving me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I have read several novels in verse, but to this day not a single one gripped me like this lovely exemplar. When you want to underline every other line and mark every single page, that's how you know a book is great. The intersectional representation in The Ghosts of Rose Hill works especially well because you can tell the author speaks from her own experience - and does so in beautiful sentences that convey both the deep sadness and hope that lies in diaspora of any kind. Can't wait to read more, and for longer, and just more!

Ghosts of Rose Hill is one of the most beautiful, well written pieces that I have read this year. The poetry is incredible and drives the feeling from beginning to end. It is cleverly separated into Movements, a nod to 16 year old Ilana's passion for music.

Ilana wants nothing more than to spend time with her friends and her vioin. Ilana's parents, one Cuban and Jewish and one Austrian, both still reeling from a life spend under the thumb of Communism, send Ilana to spend the summer in Prague with her aunt, hoping that the time away from Miami will encourage her to focus on her studies and build discipline and abandon her dreams of a life in music. At the top of the hill near her aunt's house, Ilana stumbles upon a Jewish cemetery in disrepair and sets about cleaning it up. It here that she meets her first ghost, Benjamin.

Ghosts of Rose Hill honors the history of Prague and all that happened there in the 20th century. It is beautiful and haunting and nostalgic. It is a coming of age story, a love story, an adventure. It is dark, it is emotional, it is pure sadness in an absolutely existential way, and it is love. I cannot stop thinking about it.

Thank you to Peachtree and Netgalley for access to an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I did enjoy the story. I love Prague, and it felt really anchored in the place. Ilana's <i>Oh no I want to do something different from what my parents expect me to do</i> is not the most original (YA) tale but it was easy to understand why her parents were the way they were and didn't turn them into some facless monsters.

However, the verse prose didn't do much for me. Oh, there were beautiful lines like:
<blockquote>Maybe
my father is still running from Prague.
Maybe
my mother is still fleeing Havana.
Maybe
my entire family is still trying to escape history.

(But if that's true, what am I doing here, drowning in it?)</blockquote>

But even those were a lot more about <i>what</i> was said and not <i>how</i> it was said and in a whole book written in verse, you inevitably get very mundane things described in verse and well.

That's when you
begin to
wonder if inserting
line breaks in random
places makes poetry.

And that gets tiring after a while.

*Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of The Ghosts of Rose Hill in exchange for an honest review!*

This is a 4.5-star read for me, rounded up.

First, I must say that this story is unique, vibrant, mystical, and warmth-bundled-in-prose. It is every bit as captivating as the cover art and the synopsis promise. I've personally never read a novel written like poetry before, and as someone who really likes poetry, this was wonderful and I want to read more novels like it. Prague is one of those cities that seems like a fairytale when you're raised in the Midwest of the United States, and the poetic style really adds to that effect. This makes magical realism seem totally possible. And I love that this story was inspired by grave restoration, as I have spent hours on TikTok watching videos like it. What I'm getting at here, is this book had everything going for it in my opinion and I was not disappointed.

Starting with Ilana, I think she fits the mold of a sixteen-year-old perfectly. There were moments where I was wondering why she would make a certain decision, be so trusting of Wassermann at times, or feel so strongly so quickly, and then I remembered her age and how I felt when I was sixteen. Everything feels so crucial, especially when you're experiencing love, no matter what form it comes from. I can see how some people might think her bond with Benjamin would be weird, but it reminds me a lot of how so many teenage girls fell in love with vampires from Twilight. You simply don't care if it makes a lot of sense and just leans into how you feel, and I think that is the foundation of who Ilana is. Everything in her life in regard to her parents, her love for music, and all her other interests are all founded on feelings rather than typical logic. To me, it makes a lot of sense.

Benjamin was a lovely character, and I did adore him, but I do think he could have been fleshed out a bit more. He seemed a little <i>too</i> good and kind. I get what his "dark" side is meant to be, but it would have been beneficial to show a bit more friction between him and Ilana to make him a little more two-dimensional. Then again, he isn't the main character, so it didn't bother me too much.

What's impressive is how much the author was able to flesh out these characters in the style she chose to write this novel. The first couple of chapters made me wonder if it was possible because it was so fast-paced and all information we were presented was spoken so blatantly, but it came together impressively. There weren't any moments where I felt like information was missing or like I didn't know the characters or their backstories or who they are.

My only hesitation for giving a full five stars is that I wish the stakes would have been a little higher, and the confrontation would have been either a bit longer, or a bit more difficult. Without giving too much away, I also found it a bit odd how someone so evil and brutal could be so casual about their parting ways. That I think was the only part that made me wonder if it could have been done a little differently. I'm also someone who really likes conflict, tension, and struggles in my novels so I notice I always want just a little more.

This is a promising read, with a unique storyline and unique characters. I love that Ilana is a biracial Jewish girl, just like the author, because it adds some really wonderful cultural perspective that is heavily placed in the story. The extra meaning it adds to the story in regard to her family and how that impacts the choices they make for her, and the choices she makes for herself, is also wonderfully done. It adds so much more to the whole "my parents are strict and are deciding my future for me" trope. There is generational trauma trickling down and I think a lot of people in similar positions will find a lot of comfort in Ilana's story because of it. There is always some comfort in knowing you're not alone.

Thank you to R.M Romero, Peachtree, Peachtree Teen & Netgalley for the opportunity to do this ARC review.

The amazing cover art attracted me at first but then I started reading & all I can say is… Wow, what an amazing story.

The author's writing is beautiful, the book is written in prose which was a first for me.
I can’t lie, it took me some getting used to but the story is so intriguing and insightful that after a while you don’t notice how the book is written.

This story has a lovely and fascinating premise.
Ilana, a biracial Jewish girl, who is sent to live with her aunt in Prague for the summer and here she finds herself in a city of ghosts and learning about the history of what it was like to be Jewish in Prague all those years ago. There are so many different emotions behind each word it just pulled me into the story right away but I must advise you to take note of the content warnings as there are mentions of antisemitism, child abuse, child death, kidnapping.

Rating 4.5/5

The Ghosts of Rose Hill was the first book I ever read in verse, but it won’t be the last. I blew through this book in a few hours, despite the length. I think the author did a wonderful job representing both parts of Ilana’s heritage. The writing was beautiful, but I did not think it was particularly enthralling. After finishing the book, I felt no connection to any character. I did not believe the romance between Ilana and Benjamin and did not think the author showed us how they were in love, just told us. Honestly, I think the biggest problem with this book was that it told us a lot, but never showed us anything to back it up and make it believable.

Thank you net galley for sending me an arc!


A beautiful adult novel that often reads like a lyrical fairy tail, the ghosts of rose Hill is the kind of book that will make it to most people's best reads of the year when it's released.


This beautiful tragic story includes a biracial mc often exploring and using the knowledge of her history as a source of power. The undertones of feminism in the writing and injustice of modern girlhood make this story even more of a gem that belongs to everyone's bookshelves.



Although I was a bit hesitant of the writing I was pleasantly suprised to find how much I liked it and how easy it was to follow along. The book feels way shorter than 400 hundred pages and is the perfect read to get you out of a reading slump.

I was really excited to read a story in verse and I thought it worked great for this book! It did take me a while to read because the pacing was a bit slow. This surprised me since I thought it would be a quick read. I really loved the magical realism in this book. I thought the different cultures and folklore were portrayed very well in this. I also felt so connected and intrigued by the tragic love story and relationship.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

At a first glance, the unique book layout looked like a cross between a free verse poetry and opera lyrics with classical music elements. This made more sense the deeper I got into the story. I actually enjoyed this aesthetically pleasing style very much. Ilana, the biracial protagonist (Latina and a Jew) was a fierce and kindhearted soul whom I instantly liked. She was very mature for her age, yet she kept her childlike sense of wonder. The story took place in my hometown and it felt like coming home on so many levels. Many authors use Prague as their story background or a marketing tool for their books, but it often feels like a tacky souvenir that’s out of place. However, R. M. Romero captured the essence of Prague perfectly, from the complicated and often painful history to the beautiful, gothic fairy tale like atmosphere. I enjoyed the mythology and folklore aspect as much as I enjoyed the love story and learning more about Jewish traditions and history. It was a heartbreaking yet heartwarming story and I read the entire book in one day and night. I felt homesick during the entire time I read it, but I also felt like I was wrapped in a cozy, fluffy blanket. It was delicate, raw, beautiful, and poetic.
Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was not too enthusiastic on the idea of reading the format of this book, but. I was really happy that it did not disappoint and it made me love magical realism genre more. I loved it so much and I am really interested in sharing this wonderful novel to others.

The cover is also a plus for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for allowing me early access to the book for an honest review*

This book follows Ilana Lopez a Cuban-Jewish girl who is sent from Miami to Prague to live with her Aunt Zofie by her parents to improve her school work and stop her from pursuing music. However, this is a story of growth and Ilana soon realises that what she wants to do with her life is her own decision and instead of studying she continues to play music while also cleaning the Jewish cemetery she can see from her Aunts house. This story, written in prose, follows Ilana's time in Prague and her relationship with her music, religion, and the ghosts of the cemetery. It is steeped in folklore and history that I had never read about previously, I find this book highly important as an introduction to Judaism and Eastern European folklore than should be taught.

However, even though the story was filled with mysticism and intrigue there was something lacking for me. I have had issues with prose writing before, and even though I thought this was well done I do sometimes it takes away from my reading experience. As well as this, some areas of the book I found lacking and didn't stand up to par with the rest of the story.

Overall, I think this is an important novel in the teaching of Judaism and the history and folklore of Eastern Europe and should be read by anyone who wants to learn about these areas more. However, if the style of prose writing is not for you this is more accessible than others I have read but may not be for you.

4.5 I think. I enjoyed this, even if it took me a month to read.

This story being written in verse made it so much more profound. I'm not a huge fan of verse, but I really think it worked for this story. The pacing felt a little slow at times, which is why it took me so long to get through, but overall it was a great read.

I did not entirely care for the "relationship," but that comes with me not being the biggest fan of magical realism.

I loved watching Ilana explore her identity and heritage.

2.5/5 stars

The poetry is well written, but the story and characters really fall flat. Ilana is very two-dimensional, her prime conflict against her parents, who want her to become a doctor rather than a starving violinist, being something I've seen in fiction time and time again, but this particular instance of the tired trope I felt hit the same beats without doing anything nuanced. The romance she shares with Benjamin is not only rushed but kinda weird (It was explicitly said at one point she was born in 2006 and he in 1902. I mean, Benjamin is forever stunted at 16 years old because he's dead, but acknowledging the 104 year age gap is a strange choice). She remained really bland throughout the book, but her personality shifted near the end where she got really stupid heroic when she decides to face the big baddie. The only slightly interesting thing besides the writing was Rudolph Wassermann, who has interludes littered throughout that were really chilling and made him feel more threatening whenever Ilana interacted with him.

Overall, I'm kinda disappointed with this one, since I loved Romero's debut so much. I would say I probably would have enjoyed this more if it was written in prose, but I did like the poetry.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

5/5

Typically, I don’t tend to read books that are written in this format, verse prose, but I was wanting to expand the diversity in my reading so I thought I would give this book a chance. And it did not disappoint!

The story follows Ilana Lopez as she moves to Prague after her parents told her to stay with her aunt to focus on schooling and cut out other distractions, partying with her friends and playing the violin. On her second day there, Ilana is walking around in the area behind her house when she stumbles into an old Jewish cemetery, where she also sees this blue-eyed boy who backs away when she tries to talk to him.

Ilana decides to take care of the cemetery and to help restore it to what it was before. Day by day she slowly gets closer and closer to Benjamin, the boy she saw when she was first there who turns out to be a ghost, and they develop an unlikely friendship.

This story was such a great read, I finished it within a few hours of starting. The writing was beautiful and I loved all of the twists and turns that unfolded in this tale.

(Spoilers)

The unlikely friendship turned romantic-tragedy between Ilana and Benjamin made me cry at one point. I loved the tragedy of their love. It gave me Romeo and Juliet where “Juliet doesn’t die but moves on because Romeo was already dead” vibes, him being dead and needing to pass on with her not wanting him to leave but also wanting him to be at peace.

Wow. Just wow. The Ghosts of Rose Hill is everything I needed and then some. This book is written lyrically and beautifully as it follows Ilana's summer stay with her aunt in Prague. Ilana is a talented violinist that encounters Rudolph Wassermann's promise of music when her family had taken her music from her. Through Wassermann and his cohort of young followers, Ilana is exposed to new relationships, old tales, and the magic of music.

I usually have a hard time connecting with books written in verse, but The Ghosts of Rose Hill was the best exception. R. M. Romero blew it out of the water with this book. The characters were dynamic and wonderful, the plot was well-paced, the worldbuilding was phenomenal, and each page pulled the reader further and further into the story. It's nostalgic, beautiful, and haunting. I'm at a loss for words to try to encapsulate just how The Ghosts of Rose Hill made me feel in the best way possible. This is a must-read (and maybe even re-read) for all those looking to experience the power of masterful writing. I have no critiques apart from wanting this story to never end. There are so many great lines to take with me. It's emotional, it's dark, and it's unlike any other. Just wonderful.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House/Peachtree/Pixel+Ink for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I like books with ghost themes, so this book intrigued me. It turned out to be a very easy read. I liked the plot, but I think it could have been developed more. The pacing seemed a bit off, I think it should have been more evenly split for each portion. I liked that it was in Prague, and how the history of the city was incorporated into the story.

Such a unique and interesting book! So much beautiful imagery, and really thoughtful engagement with the nuances of Jewish history and experience. I would have liked to see a little more detail/depth to some of the characterization, but on the whole I thought it was wonderful. My only other criticism is that I think I might have enjoyed it more as an audiobook--I often think novels-in-verse work particularly well that way, and that's definitely how I felt about this one. But oh well, that just means I'll have to revisit it when the audiobook comes out, which I'm certainly not complaining about!

I’ve never read such style, i fell in love with the words, the writing and Ilana, my snarky fierce girl who can be as monstrous as the monsters mama used to tell us.
The Ghost of Rose Hill is a beautiful story about our past and our future ❤️

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC