The premise of this novel intrigued me and so I was very excited to have the chance to read it. While this book touched on the heavy topics of loss and grief, the banter and humor made for a fun read. Ghosthunting with sapphic romance? Who would have thought. The book had some good laughs and great one liners. Character I really enjoyed were Meredith and Cara’s parents. I think the scenes with her parents, though brief, were some of my favorite because of the zaniness, but also because the love for Cara came through to me. Sometimes I felt like Aiden’s personality and dialogue switched so quickly. One line he’s a jerk and the next he’s thoughtful. I know many people have a duality that they deal with, but I thought the back and forth was a bit too quick. Cara made me want to scream and shake her. She was such a selfish jerk and so needlessly mean to the people she called her friends. With her tirade with Holly, I would have been like Meredith and told her that’s it’s too little too late. She does get her redemption arc, and boy do we have to wait for it, but my goodness.

This was in no way a bad book, I thought it was okay and I would recommend it to others.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press | Wednesday Book and NetGalley for providing me the opportunity to read and review.

Cara is determine to escape life as a high school outcast by finding proof of the supernatural. She is a ghost hunter. Cara discovers the spirit of Aiden, a popular upperclassman who died the previous year. She will learn that ghosts have goals of their own. In the wake of his death, Aiden’s little sister, Meredith, has become a depressed recluse. Aiden can’t pass on into the afterlife until he knows she’ll be okay. He believes that nothing pulls someone out of a slump like romance, so he makes Cara a deal to seduce Meredith out of her shell and take her to prom, If she succeeds, Aiden will give Cara all the evidence she needs for fame. If not, well―no dates, no ghost. Will Cara take Meredith to the prom? Will Aiden keep his word to Cara?

The author has included Cara’s best friend who helps with her ghost hunting. The author shows Cara’s personality/character to be all about what Cara wants. No one else matters. At times, the novel is funny but has its heartbreaking moments plus more. I found my self enjoying Cara and Meredith beginning a friendship that has starts and stops of romance due to unforeseen circumstances. I hope the author writes a sequel to this novel as I wanted more … not that there wasn’t enough — I just got greedy for more!

For how pumped I was for this book, it took me a really long time to get through. Ghost hunting and a sapphic romance was a combination I didn’t know I needed in my life until I saw the blurb for this book. The angst in this book is literally palpable, maybe a bit too heavy. The grief that was the unfinished business wasn’t portrayed very much. And honestly, the main character was a selfish a-hole. I mean, there is a redemption arc if you hang in there, but I definitely got the icks a lot when listening to the antics she was pulling.

Cara is determined to get out of her town and the way she is going to do that is to catch evidence of a ghost and post it on her YouTube channel. After another bust of a ghost hunt, she suddenly starts hearing a voice. It was the ghost she was after, and he has a deal. Help his sister be happy again and he would help prove ghosts are real.

I am very hesitant to read books with a FMC written by a man. Especially if that FMC is queer. YA is a genre that allows some flexibility with this issue, only if the plot and romance adhere to strict principles of respect. Sutter accomplishes this by allowing the characters to have personalities that grow as the story develops. Although, I wish Meredith was given a POV as well.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

DNF

This book didn't work for me. The first reason (which is no fault of the book) is that I don't read many YA books anymore, but I love a good queer romance so I wanted to give this one a try. The other reasons are that this book's humor wasn't working for me, the writing wasn't my favorite, and it had pop culture references (a pet peeve of mine in books).

Overall, I could tell that this book wasn't going to be a favorite of mine, so I'm DNFing this book.

I loved this story! It was such a fun little ghost hunting love story that was also about friendship and realizing what really matters in life (and after death). I enjoyed James' writing and will definitely be checking out his other works. Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A hilarious, light queer paranormal rom com. A qonderful band of characters, the interconnecting mentions of Darkhearts, and the absolute Seattle-ness of this book. A joyful sapphic paranormal YA!

"The Ghost of Us" by James L. Sutton is a paranormal romance that takes you on a roller coaster of emotions. Eighteen-year-old Cara, an aspiring ghost hunter with dreams of YouTube stardom, finds herself unexpectedly entangled with the spirit of Aiden, a deceased schoolmate who seeks closure for his grieving sister, Meredith. What begins as a cynical quest for fame transforms into a journey of self-discovery and love.

Sutton weaves together themes of grief, friendship, and the complexities of young adulthood. Cara's character development is particularly compelling as she navigates the moral dilemmas of deceiving Meredith while grappling with her own ambitions. The dynamics between Cara and Aiden are laced with humor and tenderness, adding depth to their evolving bond beyond the grave.

The narrative's humor surprised me, injecting levity into what could have been a somber story. Aiden’s witty banter and Cara’s awkward charm create moments that balance the emotional weight of loss with the excitement of newfound connections.

While the plot occasionally leaned towards predictability, especially in the romance between Cara and Meredith, Sutton’s ability to infuse each chapter with emotional authenticity kept me engaged. The portrayal of grief felt raw and real, especially through Meredith’s struggles to move forward after losing her brother.

The supporting characters, like Cara's loyal yet occasionally overbearing friend Holly, added layers to the story, each bringing their own perspectives and challenges.

Overall, "The Ghost of Us" is a poignant exploration of love, loss, and the unexpected paths life takes. Sutton’s writing is accessible and compelling, making it easy to immerse oneself in Cara and Aiden’s journey. Fans of YA fiction looking for a blend of paranormal intrigue and heartfelt romance will find much to enjoy in this novel.

DNF at 20%

This book is so clearly teenagers written by a grown adult and it's so cringey.
While the plot itself was intriguing to me, I can't stand how it's written. There are too many attempts to make the teens sound modern and the story is just not interesting enough for me to continue.

Not the biggest fan of ghost hunting as a premise. But reading it for the sapphics. It's cute but for something with a set up involving grief and loss, the POV of the one NOT dealing with that grief seems ill-advised. Once again, I become detached from a romance with a single POV.

A strong sophomore effort for Sutter. Still dealing with mature themes, his handling of character here is defter than "Darkhearts." Several of his choices keep this take on an Unfinished Business story fresh. Cara Weaver is the spirit of "support women's rights AND women's wrongs." Meredith is more than a stiff upper lip, her vulnerability is achingly real. Even Christian Good-Girl Holly--a character who risked slipping into cliched Pollyanna territory--walks the fine line so that she becomes the moral center without making the reader feel like they're being beaten over the head with her bible. The one thing Sutter still hasn't quite finessed is wrapping up a storyline. When the tension finally snaps, it's satisfying--everyone's pain gets its due. But the recovery is disappointingly quick. Blink and you miss the apologies and forgiveness. While there's acknowledgment of hurt feelings and it's not a fairytale ending, there's still the sense that the healing deserved as much page time as the hurting.

I very much enjoyed this book! It gave me all the touching moments I could ask for while also not being overdone. I love the characters, and the storyline. I love the way this was written as well. It's such a a wonderful narrative. I definitely need a physical copy of this book.

Thank you netgalley and Wednesday books for the free e-arc and finished copy. My opinions are being left voluntarily. I enjoyed this book and felt it worked well following the previous one. I found the book well written and kept my interest. I will check out authors backlist and future books.

4.5/5☆

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was such a fun but poignant story. The characters were well drawn and very relatable. I absolutely loved the romance and paranormal mix going on in this book. Looking forward to more from this author. Highly recommend

This was a sweet book with an interesting premise. The plot ends up being a bit predictable in places due to the romcom setup, but I think it works overall.

I wanted to love this book, because I really love James L. Sutter’s wit, humor, warmth, and writing style. The dialogue in this book is hilarious and while I was wary of the plot premise going in, I didn’t expect it to go all full-blown cringe as it ultimately went.

The largest issue I had with The Ghost of Us was the characters: I couldn’t stand any of them except Meredith. Even with Cara (the protagonist) having some of the funniest dialogue I’ve read in a YA book in ages I still couldn’t stand her.

Maybe it’s my age or maybe it’s me having kids of my own, but a lot of the backstory surrounding this book just felt so out of touch and out of place for me I simply couldn’t let go of all my questions and engage completely with the story, either.

I’m pretty sure this is a “me” thing and not an issue with the book itself. Sutter is a wonderful writer with a great feel for timing, story, emotion, and a great splash of quirkiness that makes his books compelling. It just wasn’t a book I could connect to.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Due to a rating of three stars or lower this review will not be appearing in my social media. Thank you.

File Under: Standalone Novel/YA Contemporary Romance/YA Fiction/YA LGBTQ Romance/YA Paranormal Romance/YA Romance

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story!
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

I throughly enjoyed this book. I enjoy any book really with a bisexual MC, so Cara was immediately cool in my book. Holly was actually one of my favorite characters though, which came as a surprise given her introduction with Cara in the story. I loved how she was Christian AND a Ghost Hunter. Her youtube channel about faith and acceptance of others was really telling of the kind of person she was. Elvis, Holly's boyfriend, was also really funny. I thought they were so adorably together. Aiden was my absolute favorite though. He was so witty and clever even in death and even though his whole ploy to get Cara and Meredith together was DUMB I knew he only had his sister's best interests at heart, wanting her to live her life again despite everything that happened to him. It was a really good novel about love, grief, and abandonment and how the people around you can help you get through the tough shit if you let them.

The Ghost of Us by James L. Sutter was such an excellent story.
Sutter is a phenomenal writer and I devoured every single word inside this book!
An emotional, tender and sweet story.

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

okay but i did finish it, but i cringed a lot. between the fmcs obsession with feet, sweaty armpits, and underwear in someones buttcrack, Im pretty sure im never reading another sapphic book written by a man ever again. This book just made me sooo uncomfortable at times. The book literally had such an interesting plot, but then we'd get the FMC's thoughts and my uncomfy levels raised. Also any spicy scenes between characters in high school just make me genuinely uncomfortable.

This was such a heartwarming coming of age book about grief which seems like an oxymoron to say but James kept this book light while dealing with some deeper themes like grief, loss of a child/brother, and growing up.

-sapphic YA romance
-paranormal element
-fake ish dating
-all of the characters are loveable
-HEA

I loved the Darkhearts callbacks in this book, too! I thought that was such a fun touch to this book. Absolutely will continue to read books from James L Sutter.