i DNF at 45% I reallly wanted to love this one but it felt too immature. I may have just outgrown YA novels since I really don't read them anymore. I loved the synopsis for this, but it really missed the mark.

3.5 stars rounded up

Overall, I enjoyed this book; however, I feel like that, for a book so focus around grief, it didn't make me feel especially emotional. I loved that it made me laugh and giggle, but I think I just missed out on the importance of grief and how deep the feelings are. I liked this, but it was missing that.

The Ghost of Us by James L Sutter

Review of ARC provided by the publisher

5/5

Bottoms (2023) meets BuzzFeed Unsolved. The Ghost of Us is a cute coming of age story and rom com with a supernatural twist. The Ghost of Us is such a fun read with a lot of heart. It follows Cara, an aspiring ghost hunter who teams up with Aiden, an actual ghost, in order to get his sister to be her prom date. In short, it’s Complicated ;)

Cara feels like a very believable teen girl in a situation that is not so believable. Cara is at times a hard protagonist to root for as she makes some questionable decisions, but decisions that are true to who she is. Her fear of the future and of being left behind are things most teens (and ghosts) can relate to which keeps the book feeling genuine.

Cara’s growing romantic relationship with Meredith is of course central to the story, but I think the strongest relationships in this book are the friendships. Especially the friendship that forms between Cara and Aiden. Two people who never would’ve otherwise sought each other out but are such a fun duo and their banter is the highlight of this book.

I’d recommend this to anyone that enjoys YA romance and can appreciate a paranormal plot.

The Ghost of Us by James L. Sutter is a sapphic romance with a paranormal twist. This book is perfect for readers who like high school romances.

Cara is an outcast and is really interested in being a ghost hunter. Together with her friend Holly, she explores sites reportedly haunted. At one such site, she meets Aiden, who is a ghost. Aiden has an unfulfilled wish, and both of them strike a deal. But at what cost?

This book covers a lot of topics like death, grief, bullying, high school friendships, and in some parts religion. I am still undecided about what I feel about this book yet. I loved the writing, especially the interactions between Aiden and Cara. There's a growth arc in the characters that I liked, but the reasoning of the actions was not my favorite at all. Meredith was my favorite character, and I wish her point of view was included as well.

Rating: 4/5
I received eARC for my honest opinion

This book is about Cara who is an aspiring ghost hunter, who wants nothing more than to get out of her small town life. Once she finds out that she was
not able to get into the college that she applied for, she is more determined to use her YouTube channel to make it big. She decides to visit a place where Aiden, a schoolmate, was killed a year before to try to speak to him and prove that ghosts are real to the world. However, this ghost is not really helpful until he can make sure that he gets his chance to move on from this world with Cara's help. Together they come up with a plan and start to take action, but of course along the way of them completing it something always goes wrong… or does it? Could this be something that might actually be going wrong but right at the same time?

I enjoyed this plot a lot, and I thought that the author handled a lot of different topics like: death, grief, being unsure about one's future, depression, bullying, friendships and romance. I thought the pace of the book was perfect for the topics and I didn’t find any parts that I thought could have been wrapped up faster. I thought the writing style was clean and easy to follow and I found myself able to relate to the characters at times.

I thought the characters were well written and I liked the growth that both the main characters showed. You will be able to see their growth throughout the book and I won’t lie I did find myself wanting to shake Cara a few times but that is because the whole miscommunication trope that was thrown in there, but with the understanding to why I was able to handle it and it didn’t ruin the book for me. I also think it was the whole knowing that her relationship with Meredith was based on lies at the start. I really liked the banter between Aiden and Cara, at times I felt that if he was still alive she might make it work out with him, but I really enjoyed getting to know Cara and Meredith together. Meredith really helped to bring Cara out of her shell more and she was able to overcome fears that she wouldn’t normally try to overcome. I loved the BI-rep in this book and I thought the author handled the intimate scene between the characters very well. I liked that the author showed you that just because you might be bullied, not everyone will treat you like that and shows you that you can overcome and learn from mistakes in your life.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin Press for the opportunity to review this book.

4.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and St. Martins Press for this advanced copy. You can pick up The Ghost of Us on June 11, 2024.

What a heartbreakingly sweet story! I loved the relationships explored in this book between Cara and Holly, Cara and Meredith, Meredith and Aiden, and more. The romance was so well-written and evoked so much emotion in me! It really felt like a representation of that first high school crush/significant other.

The paranormal aspect was really interesting too! I loved Cara's dedication to and reasoning behind becoming a ghost hunter, and I think her decisions showed how hurt she was by all she'd endured. I do wish there'd been a little less religion mentioned, but I understand why that was a main component of Holly and Cara's friendship.

Did Cara make terrible choices? Yes. Did she also learn and grow from them? Absolutely yes. While I found her frustrating at times, I also found her startlingly real and relatable, especially for that age.

Prepare for some tears and angst with this one on top of laughter and kicking your feet! It has a great balance of both.

This LGBTQ romance with a paranormal twist was a unique and interesting take on the “dating on a bet” trope - teen ghost hunter Cara agrees to date Meredith in exchange for her ghost brother Aiden helping Cara provide evidence of ghosts. I saw a lot of myself in Cara and Meredith, and I think a lot of readers could identify with their struggles to fit in. The grief element was handled really well, the story had a good balance of lighter and heavier moments, and for a YA novel it wasn’t overly angsty. Overall, this was an enjoyable read that I’d recommend to YA readers. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

Cara has a ghost hunting YouTube channel that she runs with her friend Holly (who weirdly wears a mask?)
Unfortunately they have yet to find proof a single ghost.
That changes when she returns home after exploring an abandoned paper mill where a student died the year before and hears the voice of Aiden (aka ‘the dead kid from the factory’)

Aiden makes a deal with Cara - he will do his best to help her prove the existence of ghosts like him, so long as she helps his younger sister Meredith move past mourning him and get back to her life - making Cara promise to take her to prom.

Of course as Cara starts spending time with her she starts to fall for Meredith, making it something she’s doing as much for herself as for him. But the closer this gets to wrapping up Aiden’s unfinished business, the weaker his spirit gets. Can she prove he existed before he doesn’t anymore? And what happens if (when?) Meredith finds out Cara has been talking to her dead brother this entire time?

This has way more humor than you might expect from a book with a dead kid.
Aiden is a typical teen boy whose death has helped him excel at dark humor. Occasionally obnoxious, but in an endearing way. You want him to succeed and move on, but also maybe not? Because as Cara gets to know him better you know she’s going to end up missing him almost as much as his sister.

I found myself getting annoyed with Holly more often than not. I felt bad because, while she was sweet for having made friends with Cara after everyone else turned her into the town pariah, her judgmental and religious side is … a bit much. Still miles more likeable than extreme mean girl, Sophia though. The retelling of what she’d done had me wanting to fight a fictional child.

Overall, this was a nice coming of age story. I liked following the building relationship between Cara and Meredith. As high school seniors, they’re just crossing the border between young and new adult. Moving slowly past sweet, but where everything is still new.
It also had a lot more humor than I expected from a story where one of the main characters - or should I say main side characters? - was no longer alive and had zero chance or hope of changing that.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday books for the arc!
(I also posted the review on goodreads, but there is no share button so I can’t get the link)

This is a fun and different ghost story where the ghost's goal is to set up his sister with romance. One girl can hear him so it's his chance to give her all sorts of tips and advice on how to approach his sister. Not an easy task at first, but fun. It's an easy-to-read, entertaining ya novel with an unusual take on a ghost story.

The Ghost of Us by James L. Sutter is a sweet, surprisingly funny novel about grief, mistakes and the art of letting go. There’s romance, friendship and a ghost. The cover art by Sivan Karim draws you in. The banter between Cara and Aiden brings the humor. The relationships between Cara and Holly & Cara and Meredith shares the heart. ARC was provided by Wednesday Books via NetGalley. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Full disclosure, I chose this book based off the cover, which is beautiful. The Ghost of Us is a cute story which follows a ghost hunter after she finally finds a ghost, or rather, a ghost finds her. I thought Cara was a pretty unlikeable character, while the friends and parents were much more compelling. Cara does have a redeeming arc at the end, but it didn't feel like enough. I also thought some of the dialogue felt kind of weird/off to me, which took away from the story.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity

Sexy and entertaining all the way.

3.5 Stars
Firstly, Happy Pride! Secondly, when I saw the cover of this book I knew that I needed it in my life, sapphic and ghosts yes please.
This story kind of gave me 10 Things I Hate About You vibes but sapphic and with ghosts hahaha. Like the same type of story where someone is dating someone else to get something from someone a then they fall in love. I found the book pretty quick paced, it is YA so easier to read topic wise and content wise.
As for the characters Cara is interesting because of her want to talk to ghosts despite being less than successful. I did enjoy Aiden, but sometimes he was totally the teenage girl with his comments lol. I really liked Meredith, like I want her story I liked her so much. Maybe pre- Aiden’s death would be a cool side of the story to get and we could get more of both of them.
I would recommend this to YA paranormal lovers.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the copy

4.5/5 stars

I was so excited to get this book that I got a papercut opening the package!

James L. Sutter’s “The Ghost of Us” is everything my high school self would want in a book. It has paranormal elements, a very cute sapphic romance, AND it’s funny! This book is about 18-year-old Cara Weaver who is an outcast at school, just looking for a way out of her small town. Her best friend, Holly, is her closest confidant and by proxy, Holly’s boyfriend, Elvis, as well. While hunting ghosts for a YouTube video (her hopeful ticket out of this small town), she gets stuck with the ghost of Aiden attached to her. After figuring out that Cara is the only one who can hear him, they both develop their own motives; Cara to prove ghosts are real and ride the fame out of this town, and Aiden to make his sister happy by getting Cara to take her to prom and enable him to move on to the afterlife. Along the way, Cara might just catch ACTUAL feelings. What could go wrong?

This book had me actually laughing out loud in public to the point where I felt like I was Cara talking to Aiden and people were looking at me like I was nuts. I found myself wanting to keep reading to the point that I fell asleep by accident from pure exhaustion. Cara and Meredith’s relationship journey is truly adorable and a joy to read, as long as you don’t think about the fact that Cara is really deceiving Meredith even when her feelings become real.

I give this book 4.5 stars because some actions/descriptions made me a little uncomfortable in the book and the ending fell a little short. I found myself disagreeing with Cara more as the book went on. In the beginning, she started by thinking of others and then became more selfish as the book went on. One of my biggest pet peeves with books is when things are wrapped up only in the last 20 pages or so. It makes it so it doesn’t really feel like things get resolved and there is so much more left to be said. Or maybe that is just me wanting more. None of this hindered my enjoyment of the book though and I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys sapphic romance with a paranormal aspect.

James L. Sutter's The Ghost of Us earns a solid three stars for its unique premise and engaging characters, though it falls short in some areas of execution. The story follows eighteen-year-old ghost hunter Cara, who stumbles upon the spirit of Aiden, a popular upperclassman who died the previous year. Aiden's spirit lingers because he needs to ensure his depressed sister, Meredith, finds happiness before he can move on. Cara's mission: seduce Meredith, take her to prom, and gain the evidence she needs to prove the existence of ghosts.

The novel's strength lies in its intriguing concept and the emotional depth of its characters. Cara's journey from outcast to reluctant romantic lead is compelling, and her accidental falling for Meredith adds a layer of complexity to the plot. Sutter handles the emotional turmoil of dealing with grief, identity, and first love with sensitivity, making the characters' struggles relatable and heartfelt.

However, the story's pacing and development leave something to be desired. The initial setup is promising, but the middle sections can feel repetitive and slow, as Cara and Aiden's interactions become somewhat formulaic. Additionally, the resolution of the story feels rushed and lacks the depth needed to fully satisfy the buildup of emotional tension.

Another issue is the ethical dilemma at the story's core—Cara's deception of Meredith. While it's central to the plot, the resolution of this conflict is handled too neatly, glossing over the potential for deeper exploration of trust and forgiveness. This diminishes the impact of what could have been a powerful and thought-provoking conclusion.

Despite these flaws, The Ghost of Us succeeds in creating a hauntingly romantic atmosphere. Sutter's writing captures the bittersweet nature of love and loss, and the supernatural elements add a refreshing twist to the typical YA romance. Cara's growth as a character, from a girl desperate for validation to someone who genuinely cares for another person, is one of the book's highlights.

In conclusion, The Ghost of Us is a mixed bag—an inventive and emotionally charged story that stumbles in its execution but still offers a worthwhile read. Fans of paranormal romance and YA fiction will find much to enjoy, even if the book doesn't quite live up to its full potential. With its unique premise and heartfelt moments, it's a story that lingers, much like the ghost at its center.

The best romances give you that little flutter of remembering what it's like to fall in love, and this one does that. First love is hard and pure angst, and Sutter captures that without descending to annoying spirals. There's plenty of drama due to immaturity, but that's how high school works. For all that she has a giant chip on her shoulder, and is in many ways driven by selfish motivations, Cara still makes you want to cheer for her to let down her walls and trust that high school pettiness isn't going to rule your life forever and you win by learning to make your own happiness.
The supernatural aspect of the story works well--the ghost Aiden is a delight. He's a perfect mix of concerned big brother and know-it-all popular kid. And who can blame Cara, as an aspiring ghost hunter, from being super excited to have actual contact? You can't really blame her for agreeing to an attempt to cheer up Aiden's grief-stricken sister. Obviously, it's all going to go horribly wrong; you know the train crash is coming, it's just a matter of when and how bad the fall out will be. My biggest complaint is that the forgiveness/reconciliation felt a little too quick and easy. It's a romance, so you know it's going to happen, but you want it to feel believable. Regardless, I did enjoy the final resolution--it wasn't surprising, but it was satisfying.

The Ghost of Us is a sapphic YA romance by author James L Sutter. A paranormal romance following an 18 year old high school senior whose worry for her future keeps her from focusing on what really matters.

Cara is an aspiring YouTube ghost hunter. She only has one friend plus friend's boyfriend and with them both going away for college she's dreading being left behind. When she actually makes contact with a ghost she thinks this is her big ticket to fame. However the ghosts wants her help to move on by making sure his sister his happy. What starts off as a mission to fake date a girl and take her to prom turns to so much more. But when she confesses the truth in order to keep her ghost she might just lose everyone in pursuit of fame.

There was so much about this one I loved. The banter between Cara and her ghost Aiden, I freaking loved Cara's nerdy and awesome parents, especially her dad he made me smile. I loved her best friend Holly and the fact that she represented a queer accepting religion. I absolutely loved Meredith! I felt her character was really strong and well developed , she felt like an 18 year old who was struggling emotionally. Everything about her character worked for me. I really enjoyed the relationship growth between her and Cara. Them letting down their walls with each other and being each others firsts.

My biggest struggle was with our MC Cara. A lot of the times she didn't feel like 18, but much younger. How selfish and self centered she was was so frustrating. It took her way too long in my opinion to get her priorities straight. Which is why I loved that Meredith didn't trust straight up forgive her at the end but said they could "try". Because Cara sucked hardcore through much of this book.

Overall, I quite enjoyed The Ghost of Us by James L Sutter. A sapphic paranormal romance with friendship, grief, healing, rock climbing, promposals, lies, and forgiveness.

How far would you go to prove that ghost exist? Would you strike a deal with the ghost of a classmate to ask out his sister to prom in exchange for him helping you with your ghost hunting show? Cara is an 18 year old ghost hunter who is determined to escape her town. She wants to make it big as a ghost hunter so when she stumbles upon the actual ghost of Aiden, a popular upperclassman who died, she knows this is her chance to finally make it. Ever since Aiden passed away his younger sister Meredith has become a depressed recluse and he can't pass on until he knows she'll be okay. Aiden thinks that the best way to solve his sister's state is by having a cute girl ask her out. Aiden offers her a deal: If Cara can seduce his sister and take her to prom, get her out of her shell, then he'll give her all the evidence she needs to make her famous. Cara knows she has her work cut out for her, Meredith is standoffish and it's not going to be easy to win her over. Yet with Aiden's coaching, Cara manages to slowly win over Meredith... and actually begin falling for her. Yet the happier Meredith becomes and the closer Aiden gets to completing his goal, the more Aiden's ghost begins to fade. Can Cara keep dating Meredith under false pretenses... or will telling her the truth risk her losing everything? This was an overall cute romance read with elements of ghosts and the friendship in it was nice. My only thing was that I really just didn't like Cara all that much. I loved Meredith and Cara's friends Holly and Elvis were amazing, Cara just wasn't all that great. The romance was okay and I enjoyed the friendship dynamics and the sibling relationship between Meredith and Aiden. Overall if you are looking for a sapphic romance with a touch of ghostly mischief, give this one a go!

Release Date: June 11,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This was a very cute YA queer love story with a side of ghosting. And by that ghosting, I mean a real ghost. And the ghost was easily my favourite character in the book. Top notch.

It was fun but also pretty cheesy which isn’t as much my vibe.

Thank you NetGalley and @Wednesday for the arc in exchange for my review.

This book was not for me.
I did enjoy the characters - just too heavy on the male perspective writing about two high school lesbians.