4.25/5 stars! Another amazing Jane Austen adaptation. I've rarely found a Northanger Abbey re-telling but this one knocked it out of the part. The author hit the nail on the head with the balance between supernatural gothic vibes, humor, and depth.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC.

Another great Jane Austen retelling!! I honestly didn't think I was going to like this book but I kept getting sucked back into reading it. I really enjoyed the world, the pacing, characters, and the writing.

I have read quite a few YA adaptations of Austen's novels (and grew up with Clueless, so I have been primed for these since adolescence!), but most of them have been takes on Pride and Prejudice. It's probably not surprising that there aren't very many attempts at Northanger Abbey. (The only other one I've encountered was Val McDermid's, and I'll admit to quitting that one less than a quarter of the way through.) Austen's Northanger is hilarious, but it's also so deeply entrenched in Gothic literature that you have to do a lot of homework to get all of the jokes.

Quain makes a lot of, in my opinion, wise decisions in tackling Northanger Abbey for a twenty-first century YA audience. First, she switches perspective and genders, telling the story from the perspective of Henry (here Hattie) Tilney and repositioning Catherine (here Kit) as the love interest rather than protagonist. Quain also decides not to attempt the kind of parody or humor that define Austen's novel; though there is humor here, Ghosted is more interested in exploring teenage anxiety and the question of belief. Turning Northanger into a boarding school and making ghost hunting a central part of the campus culture (and the plot more generally) are both reasonable tweaks as well.

Hattie's relationships with Kit and her siblings are well developed, though her interactions with her mother feel a little rushed in terms of both establishing family dynamics and finding resolutions. The discussions of belief may also be a little too earnest, though there are some poignant moments in Hattie's reflections about her late father.

This is a text that does not require knowledge of the source material to work, but it's also one that may not necessarily enhance young readers' interest in that source material. That said, reading Ghosted now may lead to some readers getting a few extra chuckles or taking a closer look at Henry when they do eventually get around to Northanger Abbey.

"My dad loved ghosts. And that's why I didn't. Not anymore."

Thank you to Rivka Holler, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for sending me an advanced copy of Ghosted in exchange for an honest review.

Ghosted is a YA retelling of the classic novel, Northanger Abbey, centering around Henrietta "Hattie" Tilney, a senior at Northanger Abbey, America's (allegedly) most haunted high school. She has enough to worry about in the real world, being the daughter of the headmistress and maintaining her perfect reputation through her two best friends, Izzy and Priya. Enter Kit Moreland, a ghost hunter, that just might force Hattie to confront her own ghosts in his quest to prove that Northanger Abbey is indeed truly haunted.

I went into this book simply thinking that it would be another typical YA ghost story but I could not have been more wrong. Hattie and Kit are such loveable characters while also being extremely realistic in their daily struggles to survive high school. Izzy and Priya annoyed me through much of the book but by the end, the author actually had me sympathizing with them and wanting Hattie, Izzy, and Priya's relationship to improve past the end of the novel. Ms. Quain dealt with grief in children in such an interesting and relatable way while striking an incredible balance with the paranormal. By the end of the book, she certainly made a believer out of me.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Quain's first book, Accomplished, but she really upped her game in this book. The writing felt miles above Accomplished and her storytelling was extremely compelling, keeping me turning the pages until the very end and left me wanting more! I can't wait to read more of this author. Do yourself a favor and read this book! 5/5 stars!

This Jane Austen retelling was everything I hoped it would be.Highly unexpected and a fresh take on a beloved classic.The pacing was really well done as well slow burn romance,
Amanda Quain did a phenomenal job capturing the essence of the characters and carrying them into a new story while at the same time remaining true to its roots. Highly recommend for any Jane Austen fan.

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, gender reversed version of underrated gothic masterpiece of Jane Austen couldn’t be so good!

The quirky Henry Tiley turned into Hattie Tiley and the despotic general of three kids retold as headmistress Tiley: the mother of Hattie, Freddie, Liam.

Catherine Morland at the original manuscript who was naive, 17 years old girl changed as Kit Morland, a member of National Paranormal Society of Investigators, earned his scholarship to become new student at Northanger Abbey!

The headmistress’ overachiever, reserved, responsible daughter Hattie becomes his ambassador to introduce him to the school activities. They also become project partners for digging out the history of Northanger Abbey’s paranormal activity.

After losing her father to cancer, Hattie stopped believing in ghosts. Ghosts were their common interest. They read the history of the town and search for the best ghost stories by visiting the monuments and attractions they have been pressured to live. Losing her father meant losing her cheery, quirky self! She boxed everything that reminded her father and made over herself as ambitious, career oriented, regular high schooler by befriending popular girls, burying her quirky side.

She’s not the only one who is crumbling apart. Her big sister Freddie dropped out from college, lurking in the house without proper future plan and her 15 years old brother is hiding inside his shell at each day, spending his hours in front of computer to play games. And their strict mother headmistress Tiley becomes even more workaholic, barely stopping by at her house, burying herself into more school works.

Hattie’s interaction with Kit help her to pull down her barriers, embracing her old happy self at risk of losing her popular friend circle, her detailedly planned future college application.

This is sweet, genuine, absolutely enjoyable YA novel about grief, dysfunctional family, the ghosts of our pasts, friendship, self growth. Especially I enjoyed the last third which made me give extra half stars more to round up 4.5 to 5 amazing Jane Austen retelling stars!

I loved the previous book of the author which was also another great gender reversed Austen retelling. But I loved Ghosted so much more! Kit Morland is absolutely dreamy book boyfriend and ghostbuster!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

Ghosted by Amanda Quain was an absolute blast!
And here I thought I loved Quain before with Accomplished!
She outdid herself here!

I thought this was a fun and nice original retelling of Northanger Abbey.
The most clever and engaging contemporary YA novel I've read all month!
The characters are lively, well-written with amazing personalities.
Featuring a well-rounded cast of characters who are impossible not to fall for.
I thought it was nicely paced and had enough humor to make the story fun and bright.
This was a really fun YA retelling and I had the best time reading it.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved it! Amanda Quain is a genius, this is a beautiful book.

This would be easy to teach alongside Northanger Abbey, but works on its own accord as well. A ghost themed book that isn’t tied to one time of year.