Omg this book was an absolute ride!! I really enjoyed myself. Especially with the Stranger Things vibes I had while reading!? Say less! Such a wholesome, beautifully queer story.

The ghost of us is a young adult novel exploring identity, romance, and loss. I reall appreciated the growth ofthe main character and the intersection of humor with grief and loss. I felt that the main character was forgiven a little too soon at the end and it felt a little unnatural and abrupt. However, I ovrall enjoyed thi book.

While I can't say I have ever walked into a haunted establishment loaded down with a ton of ghost hunting equipment intent on finding spirits, I can say I have always wondered what it would be like to do this. This book gave me the chance to see it in action, while also giving us beautiful and emotional characters. Cara is a teenager who dreams of leaving her small town and making it big. She may not have a lot of friends due to one huge embarrassing moment but she does have one best friend to help her through life's trials. With a goal of having her own ghost hunting show, she really will stop at nothing to accomplish it. All she needs to do is catch a ghost like apparition on camera or a ghost hunting apparatus.

Her mission is accomplished when she actually does catch the ghost of a high schooler, Aiden, who died and has not moved on. Aiden is looking for closure, and the only thing he knows is that he needs to see his sister, Meredith, happy before he gets it. Once he figures out Cara will do everything in her power to have proof of ghosts for her show, he knows his sister's happiness is not too far away. The only problem is, Cara isn't ready for the emotional upheaval that comes from messing with Meredith.

I absolutely loved the character development in this book. Sutter gives us fantastic high school drama and emotions while also showing what happens when a person's feelings are stomped on. Cara is so focused on her show that she doesn't stop once to wonder if Meredith is ok. And while this works for a short time, Cara begins to change, and she ends up wondering if she likes who she has become. Drive and ambition are great until they are the only thing left. Meredith's sweetness and Cara's directness are great contrasts and deliver a polarity much needed in a young adult story. Also having Aiden and Holly (Cara's best friend) alongside the drama was refreshing, especially Holly's determination to see beauty in a messed up world. This story definitely needed the side characters to help move it along.

This really is a sweet story and I liked the ghost story involved. But what really makes this story special is the relationship between Cara and Meredith and the lines that neither are able to cross.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Holiday House for access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

what's it about? ⬇️

Cara has been hunting ghosts ever since her grandmother's death, hoping for some proof of the supernatural and of souls sticking around after their deaths. But despite regular trips to the most haunted places she can get to close to home, she has never actually interacted with a ghost. Until a trip to a local paper mill where a boy from her school died the year before leads to Aiden--the dead boy in question--following a fresh link to the living world straight back to her. Suddenly, the world is full of possibilities. Cara just needs to find a way to gather data to prove that she sees and hears what she says she does.

But Aiden, who has been alone with no one to talk to, will only agree to work with her on one condition: Cara has to befriend his sister Meredith and take her to prom, to help her get through her grief and move forward. So of course Cara agrees, and suddenly they're recreating a new ghost-friendly version of She's All That... But can Cara really get through to Meredith when she has all of her walls up, and when the feelings start to become real, can she handle the guilt of only courting her because of her brother? And will Aiden really be able to keep up his end of the bargain before he potentially fulfills his purpose and moves on for real?

my thoughts? ⬇️

I have a hard time really knowing where to place this one, because it was a fun concept and wasn't poorly executed by any means, but man did it have it's issues. The banter between every character was hilarious and fun, but it did get a little to juvenile even for a YA for me sometimes, and the relationships between Cara and Meredith, Cara and her best friend Holly, and Cara and Aiden were so well fleshed out and really fun to delve deeper into as the story progressed.

My favorite character was easily Holly--the way the author handled her approach to her YouTube channel and her approach to Christianity and teaching others about her religion was refreshing and written so respectfully. And after Holly, I have to say I adored Meredith as a character--she was strong and didn't take crap from anyone--especially Cara--and I really enjoyed watching her story unfold and seeing her work through some of her grief.

However, I do really think the book struggled in two big places. For one, Meredith's grief was meant to be a main focal point of the story, and though it was mentioned enough, I feel like the book was trying so hard to take a macabre, sad concept and make it funny that it lost a lot of the emotional payoff and vulnerability that could have taken the story to the next level.

Second--and maybe this one is more a me problem than anything else, --but despite adoring most of the characters, I really despised having to read it all from Cara's point of view. I love a problematic, messy character, and Cara definitely qualifies between her selfishness and her lack of compassion and consideration for the people around her, but there was something about her that tipped her too far on the scale and, more than that, she never learned to be better. Even when it seemed like she was learning, there was still so much about her that was hard to swallow, and I actually think most of that came from the chip on her shoulder over being bullied for being outed as a lesbian and the fact that, at the end of the day, she was a teenage lesbian written by an adult man, and it often felt like she read more like a teenage boy or even a frat guy in college....which just isn't it.

So...yeah. Banging banter and a handful of really great characters, but it was a mid-miss for me overall, I think.

trigger warnings ⬇️

Death, child death, grief, injury/injury detail, bullying, outing, homophobia, lesbophobia, toxic friendship, sexual harassment, sexual content, mental health, toxic relationship, gaslighting, emotional manipulation, drug use.

The Ghost of Us" by James L. Sutter is a YA paranormal romance that follows Cara, an awkward ghost hunter, as she strikes a deal with the spirit of Aiden, a popular guy from her school. Cara’s mission? Help Aiden’s sister Meredith heal by taking her to prom—oh, and prove ghosts are real. The story has a fun premise with a unique mix of ghostly matchmaking and unexpected romance, as Cara starts falling for Meredith herself. While the book had some predictable moments and the pacing felt a bit off, I still enjoyed the characters and the heartwarming journey of healing and love throughout the story.

The Ghost of Us

Rating: 2.5/5⭐️

🔦 Vibes:

· Ghost hunter meets a real ghost

· LGBTQIA

· Grief

If you have issues with a man to write lesbian sex scenes between high school girls, this probably isn’t for you. That immediately gave me the ick about this book when I read it and have been attempting (and failing) to get over that issue before writing this review. So, here we are.

🔦 Summary:

High school outcast Cara thinks the way to being cool is to prove ghosts are real. Lucky for her, she has stumbled upon the ghost of Aiden, a popular boy from school who passed away the year before. As the only one that can see, hear, or interact with Aiden in anyway, Cara is determined to scientifically prove the existence of Aiden’s spirit.

Aiden, on the other hand, believes he only remains in order to help his younger sister, Meredith, get over his death. Of course love is the answer to grief!! With Aiden as their matchmaker, Cara tries to win Meredith over, all in the name of science since Aiden refuses to cooperate with her ghost experiments unless she asks Meredith to prom. As they get closer, Cara has to decide what matters most to her, someone she has been lying to about her intentions for talking to, or proving ghosts exist.

🔦 My Feelings:

I can’t really get over how selfish and uncaring Cara was about Meredith. Meredith was very clearly suffering from the loss of her brother, and also the fear and blame that comes with angry words before the loss of a loved one. Cara comes along with pretty much the intention of stringing Meredith along all so she can get a little evidence of ghosts. And as soon as Aiden starts to disappear with his purpose completed, Cara goes and hurts Meredith more!

I can forgive characters being crappy, I mean aren’t we all a little crappy at some point (especially in high school)? But when a man writes girls, you can just tell. And for me, there will always be a little weirdness in a man feeling the need to write intimate lesbian experiences when they are in high school. Yes LGBTQIA stories are important! No, white men don’t need to be the ones writing these stories. Especially when, again, these are high schoolers. It just feels yucky to read now that I am an adult.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘞𝘦𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘜𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

She's a bit of an outcast with only a best friend who thinks it's her Christian duty to be by her side. A Ghost hunter go to abandoned warehouses and factories with a ghost-detecting machine. Typically, to no avail. In a moment of desperation a real ghost reaches out, the ghost of a popular high school football star who died in a fall at that very factory. Thrilled to find a real ghost and the need to experiment, he only allows it on one condition, she has to take his sister to the prom.

This read as a sort of Casey McQuiston clone. It is exciting to watch them date and the drama that ensues, but doesn't have quite the whimsey or exciting conclusion.

I really wanted to love this more. 😭 Identifying as Lesbian, I can immediately tell when an author isn’t…or hasn’t done the research or maybe had conversations. The cover is stunning and the story would have been great.

18 year old ghost hunter Cara has made it her life mission to prove ghosts are real. She stumbles across the spirit of Aiden, a popular senior at her high school who died a year ago, while filming a video for her YouTube channel. He agrees to help her prove his existence in exchange for helping him pass over to the after life. They believe the only way to do this is to help his younger sister Meredith get over his death.

I was drawn to this book by the cover. The concept of this book was really fun, and I loved the friendship that developed between Cara and Aiden. The writing style was easy to read, and it flew by so quickly. I didn't necessarily like the reasoning behind Cara and Merideth's relationship, but I did like them together. I thought they had some very cute moments, but I agree with her anger when she found out about what started it. I wish we had gotten a POV from Meredith as well, or even Aiden. I think that would have made the book a 4.5 or 5-star read for me.

The Ghost of Us by James Sutter is a charming young adult novel that blends ghost hunting with a heartfelt coming-of-age story. The protagonist, Cara, is an eighteen-year-old aspiring ghost hunter who finds herself stuck in her small hometown after high school. Her life takes a thrilling turn when she connects with the ghost of Aiden, a popular boy who died tragically. Their pact to help Aiden's grieving sister, Meredith, navigate her emotions and attend prom adds a sweet twist to the narrative. The interactions between Cara and Aiden are engaging, filled with playful banter that keeps the story light-hearted despite its deeper themes of grief and loss.

While the book has a delightful premise and engaging writing, some readers might find Cara's character a bit frustrating at times due to her selfish tendencies. Additionally, the story could have benefitted from exploring Meredith's perspective to deepen the emotional impact of Aiden's death. Despite these critiques, Sutter successfully creates an enjoyable read that balances humor and heartwarming moments. If you're looking for a quick, entertaining story that touches on themes of friendship and love while featuring some ghostly fun, The Ghost of Us is definitely worth picking up!

This was unfortunately a big "I wanted to read it because OMGLookAtThisCOVER!!!" and It bit me in the rear. The synopsis sounded amazing too, and I was honestly excited to save this one for an early fall read.

But...

First of all, I don't understand men writing sapphic romances. They just rarely get it right, and this one was no exception. And maybe this is the mom in me, but why is a grown man writing a sapphic YA love story? Something about this is just cringey in my brain.

Second, I couldn't STAND Cara. She was the worst.

Third, why the heck were there eleventy-thousand references to pop culture? I felt like they were on every page and being shoved down my throat. I don't normally mind a few thrown in a. book here and there, but this was excessive.

A cute love story with a good payoff at the end.
I loved the twist of having the ghost brother around, and I appreciated that the writer seemed to do his research about ghost-hunting technology.

The characters in this had a lot of depth and seemed like real people. I liked Cara and I felt for her with the trauma that she had experienced from bullying. Unfortunately a story about a young girl in that situation is all too realistic.

I also really appreciated Holly as the best friend character, she was really sweet and the way she stuck by Cara when everyone else in the school was tearing her apart made me instantly like her.

Cara's character arc sometimes frustrated me, with her inability to see how much she was pushing people away and hurting them, but I think it made sense for her after what she had experienced and I liked how, when she finally went too far, everyone called her on it and she had to face the consequences.
She essentially turned into a bully herself, and the narrative called her on it, I liked that. If that hadn't been the case, this book would have gotten a lower rating from me, for sure.

This would have been a five star from me but there were a couple moments that kinda didn't work, including one that actually grossed me out so bad I had to put the book down for a little while, something I'm not sure I've ever had to do before with a romance.

All in all, though, solid read.

There was so much I loved about The Ghost of Us. For starters, the cover is stunning. Secondly, I love Sutter's ability to write humor and wit while telling a story about ghosts and a young adult's death. For me, this could have been an easy five-star read had there been more emotion on Meredith's part. I needed more emotion and grief to become fully invested in the story.

I will continue to read Sutter's books. I love his writing and humor.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a touching novel, story about a dead boy and his grieving sister, The Ghost of Us is light and funny.

a YA book with a good premise, but did not do well in its execution. The characters were not full developed to my liking.

This was cute and a bit sexy, with well fleshed out characters and enough of a mystery to it that it kept me reading. I do wish there had been more concrete answers on why Aiden was the only ghost Cara ever encountered or why only Cara could hear him, but it worked.

Typical teen romance of boy’s ghost who is trying to set his sister up and see her happy. Lots of the same old dishonesty leading to a break up because who is going to believe that your dead brother is the matchmaking type. It’s an okay story but there were a lot of stereotypes and not a lot of people stepping out of their comfort zones.

I loved this book at the beginning and end. Cara, the protagonist, has some serious growing pains during the third act, and it was painful to read. The concept of The Ghost of Us is unique and the characters were interesting and diverse. The quippy writing felt very Whedon and it was fun!

This sapphic YA romance was a ride! I thoroughly enjoyed (and laughed) throughout Cara and Aiden's interactions. It felt like real and valid conversations teens of their age would discuss. I could have read a whole book of just them talking! I adored Cara's parents and how they embraced who they are (oddballs who love each other immensely). Cara's best friend Meredith was also well done. While Meredith was religious she still supported Cara and her ghostly YouTube channel and did her best to keep Cara involved. Cara's behavior when it came to Meredith and her beliefs is where I got stuck. Cara's personality could be selfish, and very self-centered, and I know most teens are and can be that way, her actions felt over the top a lot. I honestly cheered for Meredith in the end and how she handled Cara.

The fake dating/romancing of Aidan's sister was awkward and cringe worthy---which was perfect! No one's first dates and interactions are going to be a dream. Embarrassing things happen and are said. I loved this about their budding relationship. The end got me a little teary and I wasn't expecting that but I really got attached to Aidan. He was definitely my favorite character.

Readers looking for a fun YA sapphic romance can enjoy this one while also enjoying moments including rock climbing, promposals, friendship, grief, and self-discovery.

A DNF unfortunately with potential for me to go back and finish the story. I would love to say more but I am withholding my review until St Martins Press meets the demands of the ongoing boycott.

As of August 27th R4A has determined that the demands of the boycott have been met so Im not able to share why this was a DNF for me. Since reading this Ive decided I don't think ill come back and finish it. I liked Meredith a lot and the whole concept for the story but those were the only things I liked about it unfortunately. I hated the writing, it was very out of pocket sometimes and it felt like an adult trying to write how teenagers would talk and it just did not work. Sometimes it was funny and worked well but others it just felt very ick and was kind of jarring to read. And Cara just seems very selfish and for her own gain and upon reading others reviews neither of these issues seem to get better as the story goes on so unfortunately it was a DNF. I think it would have been better had Meredith been given a POV and some of the writing and jokes were edited maybe. Regardless thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read an ARC of this!