This was interesting but I think it just wasn’t for me! Not as into the genre anymore I think especially cause it’s YA. Thank you to netgalley for the eARC.

A mix of Cemetery Boys, If You Could See the Sun, and a dash of the Aru Shah series (just trust me), IF I HAVE TO BE HAUNTED feels classic while also feeling entirely its own. It has all kinds of tropes like rivals-to-lovers and some forced proximity, but what Miranda Sun does so well is mixing those into the story so that they feel like a part of the plot and not just buzzwords. While there were some moments during the quest where I wasn’t as engaged, the overall story flowed well and was pretty compelling. All the various characters that they run into on their quest kept me on my toes, and it was thoroughly interesting to see how Cara and Zach both worked together and how their relationship changed (and stayed the same in the best ways) under the circumstances. The mixture of fantasy with the essence of folklore and some of the classic elements of the teenage rivals rom-com made this fun while also digging deep into the characters and various biases they face in ways I wasn’t entirely expecting. If you like contemporary fantasy, quests of life and death, or male protagonists who say the kind of lines that make you want to profess your undying love, then I’d definitely recommend picking this up!

In If I Have to Be Haunted by Miranda Sun, we follow Cara, a Chinese American ghost speaker in this slow burn enemies-to-lovers contemporary fantasy novel as she goes on an epic journey in a world hidden within our own to reunite her enemy’s soul with his body.

This novel was extremely charming and so bingeable. It was action packed, full of amazing prose and a strikingly beautiful representation of Chinese culture. I loved the dynamic between Cara, her mom, and her grandmother. I loved how full bodied all the characters were and how all their character arcs grew and developed. Everything was really so well done and vibrantly written. There’s also light sapphic rep in the secondary characters.

The romance was also top tier! The slow shift and realizations they both had of each other was so sweet to read about. I laughed out loud at the most YA “who hurt you” scene and I was screaming out loud at all the cheesy lines. Here are some of my favorite out of context quotes:
“I’m saying I might take you home after all.”
“YOU’RE A FLAME I WOULD HAPPILY LET BURN ME ALIVE”
“When I had none, you were my pulse. You manage to get under my skin like no one else, and I never want to be rid of you, BECAUSE ALL THE CHAOS IN ME FALLS SILENT AT YOUR TOUCH."

There wasn’t a single moment that I was bored reading this, and I truly cannot wait to read everything else Sun writes cause I loved this so much.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books, HarperTeen, and Netgalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

November 16, 2023
I was very lucky to receive this as part of Epicread's Fall Bundle! I'd been eyeing this for a while, and I practically yelled when I saw it in my inbox.
This book gave me a lot of mixed feelings, because it took me a long time to get into right off the bat, but then I finished the back 60% in one sitting, riveted, which is why it's taken me several months to figure out what I want to say. I also did what I probably shouldn't've and checked other reviews before writing mine, but I'm glad I did.
Many unflattering reviews on the story contained dislike towards the second half of the book, aka the part that Got Me, which surprised me a lot. Personally, the front for me was slow, and the chemistry between Zach and Cara were no offence awful. But once the book began picking up and they crossed over into a liminal space alternate universe, I was HOOKED. Miranda Sun described the liminal settings so beautifully - I was awed by the creativity in the differences between each liminal space, and while I see that some people might say having to do a string of challenges might seem repetitive, to me the challenges were a fun way of watching the characters grow together while maintaining a fair amount of tension.

I actually loved the way it was almost unrealistically colourful in the liminal spaces, the way it was suddenly fantastical when the first part of the book had focused on their town and Cara's ghost-seeing abilities. It threw me back to the awe I felt reading fantasy books as a child, and I really appreciated the nostalgia of that fascination and the way this book managed to stir up my imagination to my childhood levels. Was it a little childish? Possibly, but I think there's enough serious, adultish YA out there. I'm so glad this book got to exist.

I do agree that the plot could have been tightened, and the story elements sharpened, because Cara's ghost-seeing abilities seemed to only appear for a specific plot point, and created an intrigue at the start of the book that didn't match with the rest of the book. I think that could be why a lot of readers start the book and, when they're met with such a sudden turnaround halfway, choose not to continue. Still, no complaints here because that turnaround is what kept me reading :D I'm so grateful to have been given an ARC of this, and I would definitely recommend this as a fun, vibrant read!

Spirits and high school, we love a good nemesis so I was so excited for If I Have to Be Haunted. I also grew up reading the Mediator series, so I've been preparing for years now. I immediately loved that If I Have to Be Haunted is rooted not only in her family, but also in the divide she feels between her mother and her grandmother. Between embracing her powers and ignoring them. This book is perfect for those who love rivalries and reluctant allies because what's more perfect than having to try to save her rival from death?

Cara is an almost 17 year old cross country athlete/student who also happens to be…a ghost speaker.

Yes, you read that right. She can see and speak to ghosts. Basically, she’s supposed to be helping ghosts cross over. BUT… her mom doesn’t even want her to acknowledge her gift. Cara’s maternal grandmother also had the ghost speaking gift but she died when Cara was really young. Don’t feel too bad though because Cara can see her grandmother.

Cara’s nemesis (ex-friend) Zach and her get stuck together for a project that they have to work on. Unfortunately, Zach doesn’t show up to the place they were supposed to meet up at because…he’s now dead.

Cara must help Zach as there is still a chance she can save him before he actually dies. Let’s say, he’s in limbo. In this paranormal/fantasy romance, Cara and Zach work together as a team to save him before time runs out. Along the way, the two become really close and have to confront lingering feelings.

I loved this book so much! I was honestly going to put it down once I realized that it had a lot of fantasy to it (it’s hard for me to really get into most fantasy books…world building can be a lot sometimes) but then I needed to find out if Cara and Zach work things out. It’s also the perfect fall/Halloween read. I loveeeed everything about it. It ended on a cliffhanger so that leaves an opening for a possible book 2!

Thank you @harpercollinsca for the eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperTeen for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book was a bit of a pain to get through as I wasn't sure how to feel about it for most of it. The humor always felt a little off and I have a high tolerance for cringe-worthy moments but this was a notch too far. I can't really tell how I felt about the characters either. But the cover is really pretty. It was a pretty average book overall.

I loved the combo of the magic fantasy with a great enemies-to-lovers romance. It deals with a lot of cultural themes and difficulty with belonging and individuality. The depth of the fantasy elements and the magical world blended well with the contemporary setting. I thought her relationship with her mother was complex and although from the perspective of a teenager girl who disagrees with her mom, the dynamic as explored well.

A fantastic debut from an author to watch! Sun has blown me away, and I can’t wait to see what happens in book two!

This one let me down a bit. I was hoping for more sassy banter and back and forth, which is the best thing about any enemies to lovers, but most of it just seemed to be them telling the other how much they hated one another. Then there was the romance, which employed my favourite trope of them refusing to say that they like the other or see that the other clearly likes them when it's so obvious. I just wanted to bash their heads together to make them see sense.

I really liked the ghosts though. The ghost lore with the silver around so you could tell they were ghosts was really interesting and I liked seeing what they could and couldn't interact with. Like the fact that they could touch Cara but Cara couldn't touch them back. It was an interesting take on ghost lore that I've seen elsewhere.

I also liked the adventure. I liked seeing the different places they went to, especially the extinction meadow which is now one of the top places in a book that I'd like to visit.

All in all, this could have been better. It was mostly the romance and the lack of banter I didn't like, though that was because it was employing a trope I don't like. So if you like the trope, you might have a better time of it than me.

Unfortunately, this was not it for me. I think I probably should have read the blurb closer, because I did not expect this to be as fantastical as it was. I felt like there were somethings that we just never came back to - like what was with the disruptive ghosts at the beginning? Overall, kind of a disappointment for me. It will have it's readers- but I wasn't one of them.

If I have to haunted tells the story of Cara, who can see ghosts, but her mother teaches her to ignore her power. When a frenemy, Zach, ( more frenemies to lovers than enemies to lovers) dies, she has to embrace her power to save him. The world they journey through has many monsters and forces them to face their personal demons. The dynamic between Cara and her mother, show the complexity of their relationship but also her mom’s and grandmother’s relationship. It’s clear that Cara and Zach had feelings for each other,
They were just not in a place to acknowledge them. Overall, I enjoyed the story, I expected more spookiness but I will be continuing the series to see Cara and Zach relationship and powers grow. While the ending was not a cliffhanger, it was definitely a little twist.

I was in no way ready for how good this book was. I thought it was going to be a basic like paranormal romance with an enemies to lovers plot line, but no. This was so much more. And I learned about the Red String Theory so that was cool as well. I really enjoyed this and I can’t wait to see what more people say.

Ok so y’all know I’m not a fan of enemies to lovers romances, but this one was fun. I knew immediately they were going to get together. They were so mean to each other, but they were so cute? Their arguing was delightful. Well until he died. lol At that point he got to be annoying. I wanted to tell her just keep his ass dead lol He was so annoying. And I hate that he was putting her in the position to “haunt her” if she didn’t help him. She didn’t deserve that and he was terrible for making her feel like she did. But then again, I knew that how this would end, so I said fineeeeee.

Now when I said I knew how it would end, I still didn’t know the journey. And I think that’s where I learned what the Red String Theory was. Because Lordt knows they went through some SHIT! lol And somehow they still ended up together. (If you don’t know what the Red String Theory is, here is the definition I got from Google) Now they don’t introduce the theory at the beginning, since like I said it’s an enemies to lovers romance. But at the end, they’re able to tug on each others’ strings and I just thought that was beautiful. And for them to be in high school, I was even more blown away, because what else will they have to endure? They literally made it through death and still came out together. Nothing else they go through should have any consequences to them lol

Now I don’t want to diminish this book to saying it was a basic paranormal romance, because it was much more than that. There was some mythology mixed in as well. So this might be closer to a fantasy romance now that I think about it. Which could make sense. There’s talking snakes, cannibals, and more. And all of that kept me glued to this book because I was expecting NONE of it. And that like random fight they had with the other ghosts where the old animals were, that was intense. And then I read it before I went to bed, and let me tell you, bad idea. I don’t think I’ve had a dream from a book in a long time. But there was a mention of ectoplasm and making her into a ghost would make her taste better, and Idk why but that just creeped me out lol

The only thing I didn’t like was the fact that there was so much going on. It was hard to focus on one thing at a time. There was a quest, so of course they got caught in some of their side hijinks, and there was all the stuff that they were trying to figure out to save him. I just thought it was a bit much.

I expected none of this to be in this book. Idk why I assumed this was going to be about something basic. Because it was definitely anything but. I know better what to expect now tho. And now I also know this will most definitely NOT be my last book from Miranda Sun.

This book is so original and interesting (and perfectly spooky for the fall)! My only complaint is that many of the conflicts were resolved a little too conveniently after much build-up and suspense. Still, I had a lot of fun with this, and I'd definitely recommend it to younger teens who love supernatural stories and the enemies-to-lovers trope. Thank you to HarperTeen and NetGalley for sending me this ARC!

I'll definitely be purchasing this book for my library. It seems like a very fun, but spooky, book with a little bit of romance sprinkled inside.

this book has my whole HEART. first of all, if you're looking for something to read this fall season, this is the PERFECT book to pick up. it takes place in the week leading up to Halloween and the autumnal vibes are just stunning. the best part of this book for me was hands down cara and zach's relationship. the slow-burn, rivals to lovers was done SO WELL and i couldn't stop SCREAMING!!!! i believed their connection right away and i was rooting for them the whole time. also that ending???? will there be another book perhaps???? i honestly can't wait to read anything else this author writes.

IF I HAVE TO BE HAUNTED is a fun paranormal fantasy with a cute romance that is perfect for teen readers!! A fantastic fall "spooky season" read, with a rivals to lovers dynamic that will keep readers cheering for the main characters as they navigate the chaos of their paranormal adventures.

3.5 stars rounded up! In If I Have to Be Haunted we follow Cara Tang as she navigates her life as one of the only living Ghost Speakers, a person with the ability to see and communicate with ghosts. Everything in Cara’s life is suddenly disrupted when her school rival Zach is bitten by a magical snake killing him suddenly. When Zach discovers Cara can see him and has the power to help find the anti venom to bring him back from the dead he strikes a deal with her. Traveling through the liminal world Cara and Zach, meet various people and overcome various challenges while on their quest to save Zach from death.

This was a pretty fun read for me! I enjoyed Cara and Zach’s dynamic, and Cara’s family dynamic was also something I enjoyed greatly. Brittany was by far one of my favorite character I honestly wish we had more time with her. My one criticism is the fact that I felt Cara was a bit to powerful at points.

Overall a fun YA read, and an interesting series starter. Looking forward to read more!

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book early! I really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was very well done, and the story kept me interested. I believe my students/patrons would also love this book and will be acquiring it for the library!

Thank you to HCC that gifted me the e-arc copy for review. All opinions are my own.

Okay, so I am gunna say one thing to get off my chest - and it might (hopefully) have been changed in the finished book but in one specific part they're talking about extinct animals and being around them and they mention a fucking manatee and THOSE ARE STILL ALIVE AND DOING GREAT.

It's so minor but it stuck out like a sore thumb and drove me up the wall.

Anyways, back to the review. This is a great autumn read! I really love the snakes, the spooky vibes, the ghosts, and the banter between all of the characters.

I found that it wasn't rushing or lagging but there are some unanswered questions so possibly a sequel in the future? I am unsure. I would love to see books from other characters POVs and their stories especially if they're involved in some magic!

Overall a good read.