This book did not vibe with me unfortunately. The w/w queer aspect did not feel authentically represented and also felt very "trope-like".

Really enjoyed this novel. The Cemetery Boys comparison is spot on, but with several twists that definitely sets this novel apart. The relationships were authentic and adorable, characters well written, and plot moved at an enjoyable pace. Just enough ghost, just enough angst, just enough humor. Fun read.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

3.5 stars rounded up.

I reaaallly wanted to like this one. I think, unfortunately, I felt too old while reading it if that makes any sense. I enjoy YA, but this one felt a bit too young for my taste.

Cara, an amateur ghost hunter, is intent on proving that ghosts are real! With Aiden's help, she plans on doing just that. His unfinished business lies with his sister and making sure she's happy before he moves on. In trying to accomplish that, he gets Cara's help to do just that by dating her. Over the course of trying to fulfill his wish, Cara gains real feelings for Meredith.

Overall, I thought the premise was very sweet and I always will enjoy a cute, sapphic romance! I feel like the conflict was a bit dramatic at times and definitely could have been resolved faster. Though, it does make sense for teenagers to blow things way out of proportion, so I wasn't as upset as I could be with it. The chemistry between the couple was very sweet and overall I think it was an enjoyable book for the most part, especially for younger LGBT+ crowd.

This book was cute! Ngl I liked the characters in the first half but after mid-way through Cara started to drive me insane. I was like girl you brought this on yourself.

The love between Meredith and Cara was amazing and I loved it soooo much!

I gave this book a 3/5! My review will be posted on my insta: @ryan.s_library tomorrow!

This was such a wholesome queer romance, and I really enjoyed it. I found the writing to flow nicely and the characters were loveable and kept me engaged throughout the story.

I really loved this book. I enjoyed the live story with LGBT+ representation. I found the reality of liss and the impacts on the family highly relatable. It was a truly unique story.

This is a super cute YA queer romance that sparks joy in your heart.

Cara is an amateur ghost hunter who can also talk to ghosts. She runs into the ghost of an upperclassman, Aiden, who died the previous year and they spark a friendship.

Aiden can't move on until he knows his sister, Meredith, is happy and okay. She's been in a depressive rut and he wants Cara to woo his sister out of her depression.

Cara struggles to get Meredith's attention but with the help from Aiden, she is successful. The only problem is that Cara starts developing real feelings for Meredith. She wants to tell Meredith the truth but doesn't want to lose what she has with her, nor lose Aiden.

(3.5/5 rounded up)

This was a cute book, albeit somewhat predictable. Cara is an amateur ghost hunter who has been rejected from college and is desperate to prove her scientific merit by proving ghosts exist (not sure how believable that premise is but okay), then is just lucky enough to encounter and be haunted by a real ghost. Unfortunately, she's the only one who can talk to it. (Is she a medium? The metaphysics is never actually explored.) The ghost, Aiden, has just one unresolved business on earth - to see his sister happy after his passing. He decides that the only way to make his sister happy is to get her a girlfriend, and decides to play matchmaker between Cara the medium and Meredith, his sister.

What follows is a pretty awkward but an honestly really cute classic rom-com where Aiden convinces Cara to date Meredith (as a deal instead of on a dare but close enough) and Cara ends up falling for her instead. And then (predictably) royally screws it all up on prom night. This definitely had a lot vibes of late 90s rom-coms like She's All That or 10 Things I Hate About You, and the chemistry and interactions between Meredith and Cara were really adorable. Fans of Darkhearts will also enjoy a brief cameo of the band during Meredith and Cara's first date.

However, the conflict seemed a little forced. I don't know if it's just Teenager Logic™ or a lack of research, but Cara seemed shocked to be rejected from college, but then also applied to UW as her safety school (?!) and then is stuck on the idea that if she manages to prove that Aiden is real and ghosts exist, college admissions will somehow magically take her in and everything will work out (???) and holds on to that idea for the rest of the book. I know people don't make sense but I just didn't find her motivations to be really convincing, and it made her seem really selfish and unlikeable as a character towards the end. There's also a lot of bullying that centers around things the characters did or said when they were 12 and how everyone still remembers that at 18 and I'm just not sure that's believable. It did take me out of the story a little bit, to me it felt like the conflict and character's motivations just weren't fully developed.

Also, very minor nitpick - the incident in Cara's life when she was 12 (6 years ago) involving a Seattle Kraken scarf and the team definitely did not exist 6 years ago. (/hockey fan problems)

Ghost of Us was a charming book, felt very quick but that may have cause I read it in one sitting! Just a heads up for anyone, there is a little bit of bullying that happens to one of the main characters, nothing absolutely awful but it can be a little stressful at times or triggering for anyone who has gone through anything similar. As far as the story goes, I found it to be cute. Cara's personality had me laughing at times as she tended to be a bit of an asshole, but in an endearing way! I think her friendship(if you can call it that) with Aiden felt genuine in the way it was written and her romance with Merideth did feel like it was something to root for. My biggest hang up for this book was the fact that Cara seemed very intelligent knowing all the science of things, yet she did not even get accepted into her state's university?? For the plot/character growth I see why this happened but seemed weird, then again this is a book about a dead kid talking and playing matchmaker for his sisters happiness. While I did enjoy the book and its ending, I think it will just be a one time read for me.

This was such a wholesome and lovely queer YA romance. Sutter nailed the awkwardness of first love and the grief of losing someone close to you. Perhaps even the cocky attitude of the ghost who acts as matchmaker between his grieving sister and ghost-hunter classmate. It melds "Tens Things I Hate About You" with "Ghost" in the most adorable manner. A heartbreaking subplot addresses the emotions one has as senior year is ending and you are hyper-aware that your life is about to change forever. There's even a bit of "Listen to your parents, they actually do understand you," in here! 4.5 stars, but listing 4 here.

3..5 stars rounded up. There were a lot of things I liked about this book. There were also a lot of things I disliked.

The premise made it a frustrating read at times. The main couple was adorably awkward and sweet. I liked the friend characters and was sad the ghost was dead. The conflict felt contrived at times and could have/should have been resolved a lot earlier. I liked the love interest more than I liked the main character.

It was a sweet sapphic read though for the most part. The HEA made me smile.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

First, I would like to thank NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I went into with high hopes and expectations, but found that it really just did not work for me. I might very well be too old to appreciate the YA genre (though I love several YA authors). It might also be because the entire premise of this book was built on a lie and I was forever waiting for everything to come crashing down. I read (and admittedly resorted to skimming) the entire thing feeling terrible for what was going to happen to Meredith. I was also bothered by the fact that after everything Cara herself had been through, she could so willingly agree to deceive another person.

I wanted to love it and I thought it was a great premise but the execution just wasn’t there for me. I felt like it was repetitive, like I’d been reading the same angst forever … and yet was only 37% of the way through. I always feel bad when a book that is gifted to me turns out to be one I don’t particularly care for. That being said, the cover was gorgeous and I would encourage everyone to give it a try- it might work for you.

3.75

Will be withholding my review on netgalley + all other sites as long as St. Martin Press is under boycott. Will update with a full review once the boycott is resolved.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

The Ghost of Us follows the story of eighteen-year-old Ghost Hunter Cara and recently deceased Aiden. The barrier to Aiden moving forward into the afterlife is his younger sister, Meredith, who has become depressed and lonely as a result of her brother's death. With a deal struck between Cara and Aiden, Cara begins her mission to woo Meredith and ultimately make her happy.

I was worried this would be another predictable teen story about death but I was pleasantly surprised by the end of the book. As someone who lost an older sibling when I was younger I felt that the way that The Ghost of Us dealt with grief and loss was poignant and told a side of grief we don't always get to see in YA fiction.

I enjoyed each of the characters despite not always loving the "social outcast" finds support from "Uber Popular Guy" trope. The characters had distinct voices, witty banter, and were clearly well thought out. My only issue was with Cara, who just came off as selfish for a good portion of the book. Sutter's writing style makes up for this and is a reminder that not every good character needs to have a perfect personality.

I quite enjoyed this YA paranormal sapphic romance. I liked/hated the characters just as the author intended. James L. Sutter has a nice clean writing style that is easy to follow, well-edited, and uses interesting descriptors and similes. I was easily able to relate to the variety of emotions being processed by the important players.
The characters have distinct voices and witty banter that had me chuckling. They were believable as high school seniors dealing with complex circumstances. I didn't always agree with Cara's choices, but I knew that going in, as the premise was a relationship built on a lie. The two romantic leads were adorable together. They were funny and sweet and just weird teenagers. Endearing.
There were pop culture references, which I enjoyed but not sure if it will age well. Also, kudos for bi-rep.
This book gently deals with issues such as bullying, sexting, homophobia, death, grief, depression and general graduating senior anxiety.
The group dynamics were interesting, and Cara had a big opportunity to come of age so to speak and learn a lot about herself through this experience.
There was some light casual drug use. One intimate scene that was handled very well for age appropriateness so that I didn't feel like a gross voyeur, since the girls are 18, they are technically adults anyway, but I am old so I'm glad it was tactfully done.
4/5 stars because I don't like lying. I did like this story, and I do recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley for an arc copy of THE GHOST OF US by James L. Sutter in exchange for an honest review.

The Ghost of Us follows floundering ghost hunter Cara on her misadventures investigating the supernatural. Overall, I enjoyed the read. The characters were authentic and compelling. I really wanted to see Meredith get her HEA, and I loved the sibling dynamics--we don't get enough siblings walking to the ends of the earth to make sure the other one is happy. Some of the lines made me *snort* while I was reading--in a good way. And other times, I definitely raised my eyebrows at some of the things Aiden said.

I'd recommend this to anyone look for a sweet yet complicated sapphic romance.

I'd definitely check out this author's next books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

The description of this book drew me in and it had a promising concept that was mostly well-executed. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and learning more about Cara, Holly, Meredith, and even Aiden. I really loved reading about Meredith and Cara together and loved their little moments together. I did think that end was a little rushed and would have liked to see it fleshed out a little more. Minor spoilers, but I think that both Meredith and Holly forgave Cara way too easily and I wish that Holly and Cara's conversation post-fight/Cara's apology was shown on page instead of being assumed between chapters. Overall, this was an enjoyable read!

3.75 rounded up.
Cara wants to make a break as a ghost hunter as she didn't make it into UW and feels like she's about to be left behind, staying in Stossel and going to community college. When she does finally come across Aiden, a ghost of a former high schooler from her school, he has conditions for helping her ghost hunting: get his younger sister, Meredith, to go to prom.

This was a fairly enjoyable read. Heavily steeped in high school angst, some of Cara's choices were hard to read about. YA with a dose of ghost and the messiness of grief and loss

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for an eGalley on NetGalley.

The Ghost of Us by James L Sutter is a sapphic Romance with a delicious dose of paranormal wonder. The chemistry between our two leading characters is heartbreakingly real , especially with the weight of a secrete being held by one of them. I am greatly looking forward to the release of this title and can not wait to add it to my shelves.

This book was so close to being my first 5 star of the year. Like, up until the last 20 pages. “The Ghost of Us” had me laughing out loud, cringing, and crying (it’s a book about grief - you’re gonna cry). The characters are realer than most - both likable and dislikable, all just teenagers figuring it out. The writing was great, I love Sutter’s style and even though we all knew the end the whole time, it was an enjoyable read.
Why I took off a star - the ending was so abrupt. I felt like everything happened so much faster than the rest of the novel, there were some loose ends I wanted answers to (maybe the point is that we don’t get all the answers to things we want?). It felt a bit like whiplash. It was a good ending, it was just sudden and rushed. Overall though, I loved this book and will be recommending it to others
Thank you to NetGallery for this ARC.