4.5/5 stars! I love, love, LOVED this book. The cover is stunning and I always appreciate more BIPOC representation in both covers and stories. This book drew you in from the first sentence. I mean the opening line is literally: "The dead can't bother me if I don't let them in." I was drawn in by Aria and Derek, and the shock of the ghost controlling Derek that propels this storyline. I was rooting for them and following the development of their love story slowly throughout the book. Lost 1/2 star simply because the world-building needed a bit of work. It got confusing at times trying to sort through the way magic and the supernatural interact in this book.

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

When you start seeing ghosts and your ex best friend (who you have a secret crush on) tells you he is possessed, there’s only one thing to do: get down to the bottom of it. Aria Caytano is a seventeen year old girl who dreams of ghosts, she use to be able to see them but after drinking the special tea brewed by her grandfather her connection to the spirit was severed... or so she thought. After missing a cup of tea her connection is reawakened. Then a decades old rosebush suddenly dies across the street and Aria is convinced that something supernatural is happening in her neighborhood. Aria wants nothing more than to investigate but that means facing her ex-best friend Derek since the rosebush sits right in front of his law. She doesn’t to face him after the way their friendship ended and she knows he hates her now. She doesn’t want to face the reason their friendship ended but she notices that he has also started to act strange. A few days after the rosebush dies Derek has begun speaking to her again which is so unlike him... except he tells her that he believes he is being possessed. The ghost inside Marcus is focused on Aria and despite everything she can’t help but feel for him, but the feelings she has for the ghost and for Derek are being mixed. She now has to figure out how to save Derek before the ghost completely takes over his body. She’ll have to investigate her family secrets as well as her own powers that are connected to the spirit world and the real reason the ghost has inhabited Derek’s body as well as facing off what her and Derek mean to each other. I think this would be a great paranormal romance for young adult readers, the only thing is that it just didn’t work for me. It started off great but it kind of lost me and I found that I just wasn’t that interested in the story or Aria and Derek’s relationship. Honestly I think it might have been a “its not you its me” thing.

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) for sending me an arc*

I couldn’t put it down this riveting YA paranormal fantasy/ romance novel! It piqued my interest from the beginning. I have a soft spot for ghost stories and spirits’ unfinished businesses.

A young girl who sees the spirits,forced to drink a special tea each night to protect herself from the haunted ghosts realizes something ominous is about to happen that will change her entire life!

Creepy rotting tree growing at neighbor’s house as its falling leaves turn into ashes: 17 years old Aria Cayetano realizes there’s something wrong with Johnson’s house! Not only the creepy growing tree disturbs her nerves but also her ex childhood friend she fell apart: Derek Johnson confuses her mind with his weird attitudes. He lurks around the neighborhood in the middle of the night. She even caught him in her sister’s room. What does he look for?

After radio silencing her for 2 years long, he decides to talk her. He doesn’t act like himself. He takes her midnight trips to the bridge to dance with her, walking through the woods to show blazing wisteria trees, rainbow colored flying butterflies. Then the next day he tells he was not the one he walked her to the woods. He was possessed!

Aria quickly understands three things: 1)her ex friend she has harboring complex feelings is possessed by a ghost named Marcus. If he cannot stop the ghost, he will suck the life out of Derek’s body!

2)When she stopped drinking tea: a special concoction mixed by her grandpa Lolo who has magical gifts with herbs, she starts connecting with the spirits. It means her family has been hiding a big secret from her.

3)She might be more powerful than she’s imagined and by reaching her full potential she can be the only person to help both Derek and Marcus, by guiding the spirit to his resting place!

But firstly she has to find out what kind of powers she may be harboring and learn the big secrets her family is keeping from her. But she must be quick because she tells more for Derek even though she denies to confess herself. She might lose her best friend and her potential lover forever if she doesn’t act quick to reach her powers!

The open ending gave me so much hope! I think a sequel might be coming! Yesss! I’d love to spend more time with blue bird! I also enjoyed Aria and Derek’s enemies to lovers romance subplot!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/Henry Holt&Co. for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

While not as in love with this as I was with Deep in Providence, I have to say I still really enjoyed this. Riss M. Neilson has such a beautiful way of writing, and her depictions of spirits and what lies beyond the veil are phenomenal.

I loved the connection between Derek and Aria, and Marcus's story really pulled at my heartstrings.

I did feel like the book was little on the long side, but it didn't hinder my enjoyment at all.

Beautiful writing + heartfelt characters + magic = a spectacular time.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me this ARC, and this doesn’t influence my review. This was a great read and I already knew it. The only con was bad world-building, I didn’t understand the connection between the magic, the plants, and her turning blue.
Tropes: paranormal young adult romance, ex-best friends to lovers, angsty romance, guy falls first, mystery elements, jealous guy.
First sentence: The dead can’t bother me if I don’t let them in.
Their chemistry😭😭😭
“There’s a magnet connecting us; i know because he notices me staring at him from across the room before he notices anyone else.”
Good writing style, I was obsessed with the pining and the confessions, don’t get me started with the moment that led to the first kiss😭.