If I Have to Be Haunted would have been a fantastic MG. The weakest part of this book was the romance, but, had it not been for that, I would've enjoyed the heck out of this book.

In the same vein as Percy Jackson and Impossible Creatures, this story jumps through worlds and lands as our MCs venture on a quest to find a mythical snake. I found the adventures interesting and many helped in character development and world building. I found this book also similar to Reflection by Elizabeth Lim, where Mulan jumps into the underworld. I loved the idea of Ghost Speaking and the mythology of it. I found the world and the powers fascinating.

What really held the book back was the romance. I felt like it didn't fit into the story well. Because it's YA, I assume the author or the publisher felt the need to slot it in, even though the plot runs fine without it. Instead, we start and stop for moments of supposed romance, but I feel like they have a better competitive philia relationship, rather than a romantic one. I'm all for rivals-to-lovers, but they just didn't hit right.

All in all, I appreciated some of the discussions of family and trauma, as well as the interesting world of myth and magics, but as a whole, this one missed the mark for me. Definitely would've been a fantastic middle-grade novel.

TW: death, injury detail, generational trauma, snakes, grief; mentions parental neglect

Plot: 3/5
Characters: 2.5/5
World Building: 3/5
Writing: 3.5/5
Pacing: 2/5
Overall: 3/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review.

I think the first half of this book fell flat for me with the very 2010s coded humor that you would only recognize if you grew up on wattpad (I did, so I can speak on it lol). The latter half of the book was better, but I think overall, this was a miss for me.

This is an interesting concept and premise. I really wish I was in the target age range for this because as an adult I find it very difficult to relate to teens anymore.

I LOVE GHOSTS!!!! Ghost stories are always so fun and I love reading them (ignore the fact that I'm terrified of ghosts irl) and this book was of course such a fun read! I really liked the halloweeny setting and I really enjoyed the snake mythology! The banter was so fun and I loved all the side characters! Lao Lao and Cara's mom made me CRY and I am not ok!!!!! A very fun read of you want a cute autumn book with ghosties, snakes, and loveable characters! (I will eagerly be awaiting a sequel because I need MOREEEE).

I loved this! Yes, I guessed the ending. But I didn’t even care because of how well written and enthralling this book was!

I enjoyed this one so much more than I thought I would! I love the cultural references to ghosts - as well as the growth of the main character. I enjoyed the sweet romance between the mc and the boy who has always been her enemy! This was a fun read and coming of age story.

so much percy jackson energy here! i loved the development of cara and zach's relationship, as well as the explorations of family and grief. hope to read more from this author soon!

I loved this spooky read that’s perfect for the fall! I was intrigued from the beginning with the ghosts, and I liked that Cara’s grandmother was a ghost. It was an interesting aspect of their relationship and it was a good way to show that the ghosts are mostly harmless.
Once we got into the meat of the story with Zach’s death, I was hooked. I didn’t want to put the book down. The author did a fantastic job of blending the adventure with the hints of romance and the spookiness with the weird. The pacing was really good, and there were so many action-packed and tense moments that I was flying through it. I loved the subtle hints at a romance, and I loved the way it ended up.
The banter between Zach and Cara was amazing, and I loved the way that Cara had to reexamine her feelings constantly to figure out herself during this quest. Zach was a fun character and he helped to balance Cara out.
I also liked Brittany’s character. I thought she was a good addition to the story because she brought other knowledge and experiences, and she made for a good companion.
The magic and the ghosts were really well done. I liked the way that the author pulled from some mythologies, and I thought the story worked together well with all its elements.
I would absolutely recommend this one.

I voluntarily read an eARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Teen for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If I Have to Be Haunted is the first book I ever read but Miranda Sun.

A mixture of horror, romance, teenage angst, an epic quest and equally epic world building with Chinese mythology mixed in kept me reading quickly as I wanted to know what happened next.

I can see this being made into a movie and the visuals would be amazing.

From the epilogue I’m definitely looking forward to the next installment.

If I Have to Be Haunted was an amazing read, a lot better than I expected. Seeing it compared to Cemetery Boys I was skeptical but I found it was a good comparison here! I loved the characters and how genuine they are, and the world was really wonderfully built.

Cara is a ghost speaker, a trait passed down from her dead grandmother, Laolao, who she stills speaks to for guidance. Cara’s mother doesn’t want her to follow in Laolao’s footsteps, and Cara obliges to appease her mother. But when Cara discovers her arch nemesis, Zach Coleson’s, dead body in the woods near her house, she knows she must go against her mother and use her powers to resurrect him.

I am not a big fantasy fan, but this book sounded promising. I liked the family tension between Cara, her mother, and Laolao. Cara feels a lot of pressure to be the perfect Chinese American daughter, but she realizes she must make her own way in the world. That’s a powerful message that many teens can relate to. The whole adventure into the liminal world was a little too cringey for me, partly because I don’t love fantasy, partly because every predicament they got into was solved so easily. The enemies-to-lovers romance took forever to develop, but I didn’t mind that. I liked that the overall focus was on the quest to resurrect Zach more than their love for each other. There were several plot holes or elements that weren’t fleshed out well, though. Based on the epilogue, it sounds like there will be another book, but I’m not sure I’ll read it. Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Teen, and Miranda Sun for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Cara Tang can talk to ghosts, but that's the least of her problems. She's trying to be the perfect Chinese American daughter and avoid the annoying Zack Coleson, someone who may as well be her nemesis, who never spares her a negative comment to reinforce their rivalry. So you can only imagine how Cara feels when she starts being haunted by Zack's ghost, alongside all the others who constantly whisper in her ear, and then when she learns that she and Zack must work together to try and resurrect him in a liminal world of ghosts and ghouls, monsters and mayhem lurking around every corner.

If you watch Hocus Pocus like clockwork every October and other Halloween DCOMs make you happy, then this is the book for you. It has a very Disney-like quality where you know that it's going to be silly and fun, and you have to suspend your disbelief like you would when Marnie encounters yet another problem in Halloweentown. Cara's ghost powers were so interesting and the attention paid to the relationships with her mother and grandmother were some of the stronger points and I enjoyed them. Her begrudging relationship with Zack promised all the snark you'd see in a rival to lovers story, and I think it's there where the story lost me. Many aspects of this story felt like a cliche that didn't have a lot of backing to it. The quest through the liminal world didn't feel like that world was a world, but just a series of problems that the author threw at Cara and Zack without rhyme or reason. Having the tone and silliness of a Disney movie worked, but it didn't help to suspend my disbelief long enough to empathize with the characters as much as I wanted to and really have the journey they went through. I guess I wanted some more connective tissue to pull all the parts of the book together and round out the setting, characters, and theme, which is funny to wish for a ghost story to have connective tissue, but I wish there'd been more to pull it all together.

This was okay and I liked the storytelling, but the awkward dialogue made this a clunky read for me. Great cover!

I tried to care about this but I just didn't. I thought the premise was interesting enough, but nothing about the plot or characters grabbed me. I did finish it, but picking it back up started feeling like a chore which is never a good sign. Honestly, I'm not sure exactly what it was since I was into the idea of a girl being able to see/talk to ghosts and trying to solve what happened to this guy. Not sure if it was the writing style or if I just wasn't in the mood for this type of story. Either way, a miss for me.

This was an unexpectedly amazing book. Exceeded my expectations. The world felt vast and the characters were genuine I hope to read more by this author.

Thank you Frenzy Books for the eARC! Loved all the Chinese culture integrated in the story. A lot of the family dynamics were relatable. This take on someone who sees ghosts was interesting because she doesn’t want the ghosts to see her. The beginning of the story kind of sets the scene for the ending of the book and the sequel. There is a little bit of foreshadowing about what happens in the next book regarding the backstory of certain characters. I think this could have been read as a standalone though, because the main conflict of Zach being a ghost does get resolved. I liked the description of the liminal world. The different places they explore are creative, and I especially liked the idea of an extinction area. Brittany was super sassy and I loved her. I wish we got a little bit more banter from her, but we probably will in the next book. Zach and Cara’s relationship wasn’t too great though because I didn’t really feel any chemistry from them and it felt a little forced. I’m happy with how this story turned out, but I don’t think I’ll be reading the sequel.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Do you want to read bad Danny Phantom x OC fanfiction that's been changed just enough to be published?

On my do not read list.

Pre-reading:
Would not be reading this book if it wasn't a Fairyloot pick.

Thick of it:
Yo Danny Fenton

I love pickles, excuse you.

Aw, another holiday birthday baby.

This book is aggressively YA.

Y’all think she liked Spiderverse?

Ew, they’re 17. They better not shenanigan.

Wow, things I don’t like: high schoolers talking about other high schoolers being willing to give it to them. Like I’ll take my old curmudgeonly card now, but also get me out of here.

This is cringe.

Ha, a Cap and a Scorpio. Me likey. (But like neither of them have that energy so.)

Honestly, driving anxiety is very real.

It’s a YA and you’re the main character. Obviously they’re looking for you. (Nothing comes of this, but I’m sure book two will have something to say.)

Aw, a dog.

A horse girl.

Y'all, I’m too old to be reading about teenage boys and lollipops.

This is very lower YA. This is for like 12-year-olds. (But then the horny is bordering on NA.)

Uhhhh. I know they're an appropriate age for each other but I don’t want to read about a 17-year-old boy oggling a 16-year-old girl’s chest in her bedroom where he wasn’t invited.

A piney boy

Oh yeah, I’m sure we’ll never see him again. 🙄

The dialogue is bad.

If my summary isn’t just Danny Phantom, but he’s blonde and she’s Asian, and no one‘s ghost hunting. (No one’s ghost hunting YET.)

Oh, and he can just fly with no explanation. This is stupid. This is bad writing. (I mean the explanation is he’s a ghost, but like come on.)

Analyx my brain is reading as anal licks.

This is unreadable.

This is tropey as hell, but I’m too old, and they’re too young.

Grandma’s like definitely the other snake, right? (Ask again in book two.)

Don’t forget tampons, bestie! (Just once I’d like to see one of these chosen one bitches save the world on the rag.)

OK somebody’s watched too much Tangled.

OK Elsa, let the braid go. This is bad.

damasked

There’s literally no reason these people couldn’t be college students home on winter break. If you want to write it romance trope heavy just age them up. I’m begging you.

I hate that I’m entertained by this. (Like cringe entertained.)

Condensed milk? Someone called Brynne Weaver.

Why would the magic rope obey her? I- just keep reading, Sam. Just keep reading.

You can see the author’s Percy Jackson inspo in this.

Why would this world have 911? I can’t with this book.

escarpment

It’s giving Doctor Who, but that’s a Poké ball.

This book is so bad.

She really said how many tropes and clichés can I cram into this book?

Walk through fire for you. Just let me adore you🎶

This book’s so melodramatic, and I’m just like they’re 17.

OK, but everyone knows when you get hypothermia you get hot.

Everything’s resolved so easily like nothing has stakes.

susurrus
I have never seen or heard that word in my life.

Did not know this was a series.

Post-reading:
I’m too old for this shit.

It reads like Danny Phantom fanfiction, and hoo baby, am I a veteran of those trenches.

It’s tropey. It’s cliche. It’s cringe. It almost reads like middle grade. Every problem resolves within its chapter if not a paragraph later so nothing feels like it has any stakes. The liminal worlds are underdeveloped but it’s hard to care since we spend so little time with them anyway. It’s very repetitive action.

The romance is a little heavy-handed for a YA, but I think I’m becoming a YA prude, so do with that what you will. I know they’re childhood friends but it still manages to feel insta lovey.

Their backstories are infodumps that feel shoved into the narrative. The series’ big bad plot feels painfully obvious, and the book doesn’t resolve enough to stand satisfyingly on its own. The magic system is overpowered and mostly just there for vibes.

I think if you’re a younger reader this is mediocre at best, and if you’re older, you’ve already read a better version of this and should not pick it up.

Who should read this:
Middlegrade/YA fans
No one

Do I want to reread this:
No.

Similar books:
* The Night Hunt by Alexandra Christo-generic YA fantasy, enemies to lovers, magical family secrets
* Garden of the Cursed by Katy Rose Pool-YA fantasy romance whodunit, frenemies to lovers, magical family secrets
* The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie-YA fantasy romance, magical family secrets
* Guardians of Dawn: Zhara by S. Jae-Jones-YA fantasy romance, magical family secrets
* A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow-YA fairytale retelling romance
* Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou-YA dystopian urban fantasy romance, magical family secrets
* Godly Heathens by H. E. Edgmon-YA magical realism, poly romance
* Middle Game by V. E. Schwab-YA magical realism, portalish magic

Book Name: If I Have to be Haunted
Author: Miranda Sun

ARC
Thank you to NetGalley and **HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperTeen** for an ARC of If I have to be Haunted by Miranda Sun

Stars: 5 (DNF)

Thoughts

- YOUNG YA

So the problem as an adult who reads some YA and NA books is that Some YA skews toward the middle-grade and young teen side of the Genre. As an adult who reads YA for her own enjoyment, I fully am aware that I am not the intended audience when this happens. This is where I would gracefully bow out. So I am Giving this book a 5 to not drop the rating here on Netgalley but will respectfully not review the book for social media as I cannot give this book what it deserves as a reader.

Due to the Negative Nature of this review, I will not be posting it to Goodreads or retail sites with respect to the publisher and author.

A interesting YA fantasy novel, with great characters and plot! I would definitely recommend to those who think it sounds good!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher

I just finished this book and it was a delight. Taking place right before Halloween, Cara and her arch enemy, Zach, are forced to join together as he is turned into a ghost. Cara's ability to talk to the dead has always troubled her, but this time she has to work together with Zach and conquer her fear of using her powers. I appreciated how their romance excelled while they kept saving each other during their journey. It was a great read, and while it had light moments, I liked how it went into family and what expectations are always set when you are just a teenager. I did think it could've went a tad bit less in the description with Zach's looks but it represented how much she was enamored with him. Recommended for those who like some ghostly fantasies and enemies-to lovers romance.