If, like me, you are a sucker for good comedy about grief, I highly recommend* The Ghost of Us. It’s equal parts hilarious, haunting, and heartbreaking. (*if you can handle liberal sprinklings of profanity and scenes of teen sexuality.)

Due to a social media debacle in 8th grade, Cara Weaver is deeply unpopular in her high school and can’t wait to graduate and leave the town of Stossel behind. Rejected by all the colleges she applied to, she’s throwing everything into becoming internet famous as a ghosthunter. When the ghost of Aiden Reyes, a boy who died in a terrible accident the year before, starts talking to her, she thinks she’s on her way. But Aiden will only work with her if she takes his sister to prom. She agrees, but she isn’t prepared for the force of nature that is Meredith.

I loved this book from start to finish. The teens come across as authentic—snarky and confident one minute, unsure and needy the next. They’ve all been hurt, so their guard is up, yet they long for real connection. They take care of each other, let each other down, and try to do better. The book hits a lot of expected rom-com beats, but it’s wacky enough to feel fresh. I really appreciated that being queer for these kids is just an ordinary part of growing up. Their coming-out stories are in the past; now they’re trying to live their lives and get to the next thing. Sweet Christian girl Holly is not the villain, but Cara’s best friend. Ghost Aiden is still the dudebro he was in life, but he’s also a loving brother who has to make sure his sister is okay before he moves on. Overall, a delightful read.

3.5 stars. This was a cute YA story of a girl named Cara who is trying to launch her career as a ghost hunter. She winds up going to a place where a senior has passed way prior. Aiden somehow can connect with Cara from the beyond and she is the only one who can hear him. She is trying to prove he is real and he has one condition to get his sister to prom.

Thank you NetGalley and Andersen Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The cover is so so stunning, and I was really exited with the premise but the story fell flat for me. It was super sweet, but overall had the tone of a man writing a book about lesbians, with super out of date slang and terminology.

The romance is also very oversexualized, which is not something that i was expecting and threw me off guard. I

James L. Sutter’s “The Ghost of Us” presents an intriguing blend of supernatural intrigue and teenage romance. The premise is promising, with an engaging mix of ghostly elements and high school drama. The dynamic between Cara and Aiden adds an interesting twist to the usual ghost story. Cara’s journey, guided by Aiden’s ghostly advice, evolves into a heartfelt exploration of self-worth and connection. However, the execution of these themes sometimes falters. Cara’s transformation from a driven ghost hunter to a conflicted romantic feels a bit rushed, and Meredith’s initial characterization as a troubled recluse can come off as clichéd. The resolution presents a satisfying conclusion but may leave readers wanting more in terms of character development and emotional payoff. Overall, “The Ghost of Us” is an enjoyable read with a creative premise, though it occasionally struggles with pacing.

I received a free copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press; all opinions expressed are exclusively my own.

I almost entirely enjoyed this story, except the sheer vast looming dread I experienced almost the entire time I was reading it. It's a dramatic high school sapphic fantasy romance, but the drama is HEAVY and there are some very difficult to relate with character choices. That said, I enjoyed the characters and the way they interacted outside of the drama, and I would consider reading more works by this author.

For sensitive readers there are depictions of bullying, death, PTSD, depression, misogyny, sexuality, non-consensual voyeurism, neglect, and betrayal.

I just want to start this by saying that if I knew this was a sapphic novel written by a man, I probably wouldn't have requested this on NetGalley. It was my fault for not looking deeper into this, considering it is in the synopsis, but I don't like to know too much about books before I start them.

The concept of this was super interesting to me; a ghost hunter finds a ghost and he plays matchmaker for her. But that's more or less where my enjoyment of this book ended. The way the characters talked was just so cringe, it felt like the author had never talked to a teenager before and was using lingo that he saw on the internet to make them more "realistic". The "douche nozzle (flirty)" really sent me over the edge. I think I will always have a problem with women written by men, and the queer women written by men is just a given.

I was interested enough to finish the book so I guess that's good but I really did not have a good time. I tried remove myself from the discomfort of someone writing a queer romance in a relationship they've never or ever will be a part of but every time the main character and the love interest flirted, it was hard to not think about it. Every time the main character thought or talked about the love interest, it felt like a teenage boy lusting over the hottest girl in the world. The romance wasn't about how much she liked this girl.... it was about how much she wanted to get with her. And don't get me started on the "I'm a ghost and I think if I get my sister laid I'll move on to the afterlife!"

This author does have a MLM book that seems interesting enough but I probably won't read anything else by this author. But I will give him props for adding "douche nozzle (flirty)" to my vocabulary.

In general, I liked the plot of this one. The main character Cara was flawed (in good ways and bad), I really enjoyed Aiden in her head, and aspects of the romance were pretty sweet. There were several parts, though, that made me not enjoy it so much. The aforementioned bad flaws of Cara's (she was pretty self-pitying and selfish for too long, imo) and the catfishy way the romance happened. Not a fan. Also, I don't know if it was because it was a male author or what, but some of the descriptions were just uncomfortable.

Cara, an 18-year-old ghost hunter, encounters the spirit of Aiden, who died the previous year. Aiden wants to ensure his little sister, Meredith, is okay before he can move on. He strikes a deal with Cara: help him woo Meredith, and he’ll provide proof of the supernatural. As Cara gets closer to Meredith, she faces a dilemma: continue dating her under false pretenses or risk losing her shot at proving ghosts are real. 🌟
This captivating YA novel blends romance, paranormal elements, and LGBTQ+ themes. If you enjoy swoony romance with a supernatural twist, give it a read!

James Sutter is an automatic read for me. His writing is consistently engaging and emotive and his characters are always so real and relatable! I greatly enjoyed the little easter eggs sprinkled in these pages from his other novel, Darkhearts, and I adored the characters in this book. I’ll be thinking about this one a long time!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

The Ghost of Us feels reminiscent of a chick flick that I read in one sitting. The plot, while familiar, is engaging and filled with emotional highs and lows, with moments of humor that keep the story lively.

The main cast includes an overprotective dead brother, a bullied queer outcast whose life isn’t going as she hoped, a beloved best friend, and the younger sister who serves as the love interest but struggles with social interactions.

The characters are well-developed, each bringing their own quirks and complexities to the narrative as they navigate love, loss, and friendship. The tone was crafted to resonate with the target age group, addressing themes such as bullying, coming out as queer, teen awkwardness, social hierarchy, and various types of relationships, while also incorporating some spicy elements that will engage the audience.

The Ghost of Us is an entertaining read that I would recommend to anyone seeking a contemporary sapphic novel for teens, reminiscent of a chick flick.

I was given a copy of the book through Wednesday Books, and I give my honest review voluntarily. My review is my own thoughts and opinion; my experience in reading this story.

Content Guide: sibling loss, grief, bullying, sex, smoking

I really loved this book!
The book has 3 main characters. Cara likes to investigate places that are supposedly haunted and posts the videos to her podcast. Aiden is the ghost that only Cara and can see and communicate with. Cara had just investigated the place when Aiden died and later that evening Aiden started communicating with her. Meredith is Aiden's sister who has becoming very depressed and totally isolated after blaming herself for Aiden's death. Aiden has a plan to help Meredith. Cara will get his sister to agree to go to Prom with her and Aiden will give Cara all the evidence she needs for her podcast.
Sounds easy, but when feelings start to get involved, things do not go as planned.
I would recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review,

As much as I'm not a fan of the "dating bets" trope, this book actually does it well! I was screaming at the main character the entire time LOL! I was invested right away.

"Other people weren't the problem.⠀
⠀
Other people were the point."⠀
⠀
James L. Sutter, The Ghost of Us⠀
⠀
⠀
The Ghost of Us by James L. Sutter is a poignant YA story with a supernatural twist. Cara is an outcast who wants to be a famous ghost hunter. When she goes searching for proof of supernatural activities she meets Aiden, the ghost of a popular kid from her highschool. They decide to work together so that Cara can prove ghosts exist and Aiden can help his sister, Meredith, and move on. ⠀
⠀
I liked Cara and Aiden well enough, but my favorite characters were Holly and Meredith. Holly is the best kind of person. She has a gentle heart and loves her people fiercely, even when they're acting a fool. Meredith is deep and artistic. She feels her brother's loss intensely but she also seems to have a hope and drive for the future. I like how open she is to new experience and living life despite her depression. ⠀
⠀
The witty dialogue is something I've come to love from James P. Sutter and I thought the mention of the band Darkhearts was clever. His accuracy when writing about teenage angst and the modern queer experience is on point and his characters are so easy to root for!⠀
⠀
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes YA fiction or Romcoms with a spooky twist.⠀

This was a unique and captivating read that skillfully blends elements of supernatural mystery with relatable character development and queer joy. The premise was intriguing and I adored the supporting characters. Overall, the story was well paced, though at times the character interactions felt slightly contrived.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, & Wednesday Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Ghosts of Us is fast and fun. Full of unique plot points like a bisexual highschooler’s ghost-hunting YouTube page, an affirming Uber-religious best friend, a tragic teen death, rock-climbing, prepper-parents, homeschooling… it doesn’t seem like any of this story should fit from chapter to chapter but it flowed so perfectly which made it almost un-put-down-able.
I hate when a quick bit of communication could solve almost every problem, then I remind myself these are teenagers in a paranormal YA romcom and I let their immaturity slide.
The ghost was probably my favorite character- he was hilarious. The overall theses in this book is genuinely kind heartbreaking including grief and bullying, but it’s all balanced with banter-filled dialogue and the buildup to prom. The romance developed naturally and was very sweet as well. Our main girl is kind of a selfish jerk for a lot of the book, but she’s got her demons to battle, so it all makes sense overall.
Definitely recommend this one!

I'm sad to say this one wasn't fav for me! I really loved Aiden + Meredith but Cara was too unlikeable for me. I think it took her far too long to grow as a character, so I found myself constantly feeling annoyed with her. I enjoyed the paranormal aspects + thought the pacing was good!

Interesting premise but I couldn’t connect to this book at all. I usually love sapphic books but something did not translate well for me.

Raise your hand if you’re surprised I read something paranormal?

Me too and I REALLY enjoyed it. I have friends with teen readers and I want to push this book at them. It’s not just an entertaining read, but one with heart and a beautiful message of acceptance, grief, and friendship. I’m so far out of high school, but The Ghost of Us took me right back to the days of self discovery, embarrassment, and the moments that stick with you forever. I’m so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone for this book, it was a queer delight and the kind of coming-of-age story that makes you not feel alone.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a 3 star read for me. It was an interesting read but i never felt fully pulled in or connected to the characters. I was really looking forward to this story however it fell flat for me overall.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Yikes. What got me about this book the most was the tone used. The MC, who is a teenage girl, thinks like a man. It oozes off the page and is uncomfortable. The way she leers at Meredith, the way she speaks, the way she acts....it was gross. Plus, she's just awful. She takes advantage of everyone in her life and uses them to her own benefit. Her goals are the only ones that matter. It was hard to read and finish this book, but I did. I just don't recommend it.