**Many thanks to Shelf Awareness, Penguin, and August Thompson for an ARC of this book provided via NetGalley!**

It takes a special kind of book to make you wonder "Is this a memoir? Or is this fiction?"

August Thompson's compelling debut, Anyone's Ghost, is JUST that kind of haunting, memorable, emotionally penned, and evocative read.

Our story begins with a shocking message: "It took three car crashes to kill Jake." Theron Alden is more than devastated to hear of this passing...he is forever altered. As he returns to attend Jake's funeral, we then jump back in time to a summer when Theron was just beginning to find himself...but not knowing where or how this journey was supposed to start. A strained relationship with his father has left him in a vulnerable place, but when he takes a summer job at a store in his tiny New Hampshire town, he meets Jake and is instantly blown away by this effortlessly cool 17 year old who is EVERYTHING Theron (or David, as he is called by everyone else in his life) wants to be: edgy, funny, and a bit dangerous. The pair bond over their love of the same rock music, and Jake gets Theron intimately involved with drugs, theft, and a dangerous joyride or two...until one day, everything changes.

Theron begins to realize that his feelings for Jake aren't brotherly love, or the simple, unspoken kinship of two teenage boys: they are reminiscent of first love. At first, Theron doesn't know what to make of the emotions and hormones that are coursing through him...and he's also terrified to lose the person closest to him by exploring anything more or making his intentions known. But after a planned trip away together falls apart and Jake goes off the grid for a while...Theron knows that this MUST be something more. When the two reconnect, however, Theron discovers that Jake has spent a significant portion of this time with his fiancee, Jess...and something deeper than jealousy grabs hold. After a devastating car crash that both boys are lucky to escape, however, something changes...and for the first time Theron gets an indication that perhaps he isn't the only one with burgeoning feelings. But is Jake held hostage by what society and his fiancee 'expects' him to do? Or are some feelings just too strong and too complex to be ignored? Has all of the tension building between these two been leading to a crescendo of passion...or will Theron finally get his answer and be forced to repair his broken heart all alone, WITHOUT his best friend at his side....before he eventually loses him forever?

While I respect and applaud Thompson's brilliance in starting the book with the revelation that Jake would not survive his third car crash, I have to admit, this beginning made it difficult for me to immediately jump into the story. This opening points to how vital Jake is to the story, but without the context of his character, the mentions of death and the funeral from the jump felt almost off-putting to me as a reader. I was a bit concerned I wasn't going to get into the book at all, and knowing such a vital and saddening piece of information from the beginning ALMOST made me question whether I would feel the emotional push and pull I had initially anticipated. Much like Adam Silvera's They Both Die at the End, giving away THAT much from the very beginning can make you question the author's intent or if the story to follow will be ABLE to surprise you.

But by about 30% through this book, I honestly was questioning whether this was fiction or fact: Theron's vulnerability, openness, and frank reflective nature felt just THAT real.

This book is part coming-of-age, part light buddy comedy, and part love story...but with all the emotional heft of a no-holds-barred memoir as Jake lets his readers in on not only his transformation from boy to man, but the exploration of his sexuality and the blurred edges he experiences over the course of many years with Jake. The interplay of Jake and Theron's other relationships with their respective girlfriends, as well as Theron's complex relationship with his father are also interspersed throughout the book and help to give depth and breadth to the complexity of his journey of self-discovery. Although you know the period that will come at the 'end of the book's sentence' (so to speak) every word is worth reading along the way. Though I haven't read Call Me By Your Name (a source of inspiration for the author), Thompson also credits a long list of musical acts at the end, from the National to Metallica, and as a music aficionado, THIS I can confirm: the songs here are chosen with a purpose, and you'll almost feel as though you're riding along in the car with Jake and Theron, wind blowing in your hair, as you let the thumping bass move through you: it's simply that visceral.

Theron's connection to Jake is far more than skin deep, and despite their somewhat disparate life journeys (and Jake's untimely demise), one passage in particular sums up the pain of being alive and the sort of unwavering devotion that only the purest and most selfless kind of love can deliver:

"He told me I didn't need to say sorry because it wasn't my fault. I could never understand why people needed to clarify that. That I'm sorry is not an apology from me to you but an apology for being. I'm sorry that life is this difficult. I'm sorry that there's so much harm to be found. I would give anything to change the nature of the world, even if I could just change it for you."

4 stars

Though the writing has its moments of brilliance and the attempt to portray a poignant tale of queer love is commendable. However, despite my efforts to engage with the narrative, it failed to stir any profound emotions. Nevertheless, I would still recommend giving it a shot, as I believe my disconnect might be due to the pace and topic rather than the book itself. The potential for a deep connection is there, even if it didn't hit the mark for me.

I loved this. A triptych framed by car accidents, this book explores the thorny relationship between two blue collar boys in New Hampshire and the scars that reverberate for the next decade. I loved the look at messy, sloppy, toxic masculinity- it was fascinating reading about men who were unlike any I'd encountered before, especially in queer books.
I also loved that they partied, so TW for drinking/drugs- so many books gloss over this (very real!) part of the queer experience/NY experience/metal show experience and I was happy to see the characters revel in their grittiness.
Overall, an incredible debut. Dialogue heavy and laser focused on the weight of being a man trapped by the things men cannot say, but I ate it up. Unlike my usual reads but I really resonated with the writing.

Anyone’s Ghost by August Thompson is a debut coming-of-age novel that promises a story of love and friendship between two young men.

While the premise is highly intriguing the novel fell short for me. I found myself struggling to continue the book despite wanting to know how everything ended up. The characters are definitely messy humans, and at times a bit unlikeable, so if that is not your thing I definitely wouldn’t recommend this for you. The book is very heavy literary fiction which could be why it takes a minute to get into it, but I felt the pacing was very slow and there were parts I found myself skimming or skipping over because of how they were drawn out.

All in all this book is extremely well written and if you like literary fiction and are okay with very heavy storylines then this book might be for you!

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. i loved this book. no matter how intense or depressing or funny it got, i loved it and read it through in one day. i thought theron was one of the best written characters i've read in a long time. it was heartbreaking every time jake canceled plans or acted like something huge wasn't a big thing. the scenes when they finally get together in new york and the descriptions of just walking around together while talking were my favorites.

Anyone's Ghost by August Thompson is an excellent coming of age story.
A beautifully raw read about love, loss and friendship I found myself pulled into the writing and the characters didn’t hold back.
A wonderful debut!

Thank You NetGalley and Penguin Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Wow—Anyone's Ghost is a stunning debut from August Thompson. I wasn't 100% sure if I'd like it going it, but I was captivated by the gorgeous and heartbreaking prose.

Thompson so aptly captures the pivotal ages of Theron and Jack throughout their relationships. The emotions shine through on every page. It was hard to read because everything felt so realistic and awkward. The plot itself was also devastating in the best way.

I dropped it one star because there were moments where the pacing was slightly off for me. But overall, I really was enthralled by Anyone's Ghost and grateful to have recieved an arc.

Originally was drawn in by The National lyrical reference in the title, was moved to tears and beyond by the incredible writing and having my heart stomped on and turned inside out. It's beautiful!

The book was very intriguing I couldn’t put the book down, I am still trying to figure out why. The book opens up with Jake a friend of Theron’s who finally died after going through some “final destination” crap with car accidents, Theron takes us from the beginning his first job while he’s visiting his dad and clearly he’s going through it, like all teens and then some. At his new job he meets Jake and the rest is history, its a lot of fun to see how everything unravels. There were some parts of the book where I was left with more questions than answers, but there was something about this book and the authors writing style that kept me hanging on.

Anyone's Ghost by August Thompson is a coming of age story while navigating broken households, grief, loss, and search for belonging.

I don't know how I feel about this book yet. I had a hard time reading this one, and I plowed through the book just to see how it ends. I am still not sure whether I liked it or disliked it. One thing I know for sure is that I didn't like any of the characters. The toxic nature of the relationships in this book was just hard for me to feel any connection to them. This book will probably land differently for the right audience, and that's definitely not me.

Thank you, Penguin Random House, for this book.

CW: Substance use, addiction, self harm, infidelity

Anyone’s Ghost by August Thompson is a super relatable story about queer or bisexual teens coming of age. Theron meets Jake in his formidable teenage years. They share a summer of drugs and drinking. And share brief moments in the decades after. It’s a sad affair that ends with one dead. Desolate and sad. So sad, send tissues. ARC was provided by Penguin Press via NetGalley. I received an advance review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A beautifully raw and engaging story of friendship, love, loss and coming to terms with what happens after...

The fact that this was a debut is baffling to me considering the writing is so confident. This book totally transported me to my own teenage years. The feelings of inadequacy and of finding myself in unfamiliar situations, experimenting with drugs, and just finding myself.

Theron is 15, spending the summer in New England with his father. He meets Jake at a time in his life where he is incredibly impressionable. At 17 with a car and a long time girlfriend, Jake seems like he has it all together. The two find in one another, something they cannot get from anyone else. They find a kindredness in their outlook on life, in their pain.

Over years, through times apart and times reunited, we follow Theron and Jake's friendship, Theron's other relationships, and his struggles. This book brought me to tears with the pure angst. My heart broke for these characters. I wanted to prolong this book for as long as I could, but I simply could not stop flipping pages!

DNF @ 20%

I'm just not the audience for this book. It's a Serious Literary Book, and I'm just not the best reader for those kinds of stories. I was intrigued by the premise, and think this might work for readers of a certain age, or those who are bigger fans of literary fiction.

Thompson has created two characters in Jake and Theron, who tells the story, who feel very real, Their experience is not my experience but I appreciate the thoughtful portrait of their coming of age. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Initially, I had reservations about this book because I don't enjoy reading tragic gay/bi love stories (this isn't a spoiler, it's revealed literally in the first sentence). But this was much more heartwarming than I thought, even in its tragicness and how fucked up all the characters were.

Anyone's Ghost by August Thompson is the story of Theron (told from his pov) and Jake, a boy several years older than him whom he meets while working a summer job. Over the course of a few months, their lives entangle inextricably, and that link doesn't get fully broken even when they drift apart later on.

Normally I hate reading about self-destructive people but I guess I just cared too much about these characters so instead of cringing through the book, I genuinely rooted for them even though I knew one of them wouldn't make it.

The first part of the book that describes the iconic summer holiday they spend together was pure perfection to me. There's a lot of internalized homophobia, denial of attraction, parental neglect, and drugs but somehow it still feels like a warm blanket.

As a kid and a teen, I used to be obsessed with stories of boys, especially stories that took place over the summer, stories about adventures and camaraderie, or better yet, unspoken crushes (even though there were not many stories like that back then), stories that barely had girls. Now I know why that was but the point is, this book reminded me of the stories I used to love, back when I didn't understand myself. It evoked that sense of anemoia, the feeling of nostalgia for something that you've never experienced.

Even though I gave this 5 stars and it comes with my warm recommendation, I know not everyone will enjoy it to the same degree I did. It's very testosterone-fueled and while that might not seem up my alley based on what I usually read, a certain brand of that is very much my thing, I just don't talk about it enough for *reasons*. It was a rare case of a book that spoke to something deep and almost forgotten inside me and I felt it more viscerally than most of the stories I usually encounter.

Thanks, Netgalley & Penguin Press for the ARC of this fantastic book 🙏🏻💜

August Thompson's "Anyone's Ghost" is a poignant and heartbreaking examination of queer love, teenage desires, and a coming-of-age love story that sticks with you long after the last page is read.

I was really drawn to Jake and Theron. The end of this narrative is clear from the start. But knowing the outcome doesn't ruin the journey. I was engrossed in Thompson's writing from the very first page. It's clear how much thought he put into the narrative and characters as well as how he sets the scene. Even if August's next move breaks my heart yet again, I can't wait for more!

The pace, especially when we transitioned to the current day, felt a little hurried in comparison to the rest of the book, which is my only minor complaint. The conclusion, however, was fitting and didn't leave me feeling let down.

This book was just okay. I feel like the author was trying too hard. The characters felt paper thin and unpleasant to me. I didn't like the main character. He was the biggest complainer, and his dad is just horrible. This book was decent, but nothing special.

For being a debut novel, I found it hard to believe. The writing was transformative and the prose was heartbreaking. While I usually enjoy a coming of age story, I did find this one lacking in specific ways. I did not feel a connection to the characters throughout various parts of the book. Certain points were slower and made it difficult to want to continue on the story. I think others would truly enjoy this novel, but overall it was not for me.

Oh this book. This book! heartbreaking and beautiful and frustrating and incredible all at once.

I absolutely loved it. A quick read that packs a huge punch. Following the main characters over about a decade, you get to know them at all stages and see the changes, or lack thereof, the development of the sense of self (again, or lack thereof), and get a beautiful reminder on what it means to be human.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

From the very prologue I was obsessed with the voice of the narrator. A fraught coming of age story that felt so engaging and real with all of its teenage angst and fear, it's the story of a child of divorce and the way he tries to navigate the world while hating everything in the most teenage way possible. The voice and the story itself are so relatable and almost like a memory, that even though I'm not a gay man, I felt the large feelings of just being full of hormones and trying to figure it all out.

There were beautiful lines and the plot moved along slowly, or at least at the speed that summer and memory moves and I enjoyed every second of it.