The Ghost of us by James L. Sutter
Pub Day: 6/11

3 stars

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and James L. Sutter for this #gifted eARC.

This cover is ABSOLUTELY stunning! It's what first drew me to the book. Then hearing that this a queer paranormal romance?? Sold! I really enjoyed the premise of the book overall. I did feel like it was an fast easy read. It did surprise me by how many times I found myself smiling and laughing as this book does centralize around the death of a sibling. I found myself doing this often when Aiden was present.

I enjoyed seeing Cara and Meredith's relationship continue to grow as it was so sweet. And I LOVE seeing queer representation in a book! However, I do feel like there was a bit a depth missing with this book. I feel like Cara was a bit immature and selfish at times (in a typical teenage angsty way) and it prevented their relationship from growing a deeper emotional connection. I also was hoping and expecting that this book would have more emotional depth. With part of this story focusing on death and a grieving sister I honestly wish the story would have shared more about grief and Meredith's pain. I think it would have made the story more enjoyable.

Overall, it was a good young adult sapphic paranormal romance & I'm happy I read it.

I've read some really great reviews of The Ghost of Us. The synopsis sounded fun. But I was irritated with the story within the first few pages of the book. As a mood reader, I am dnfing for now. As a Librarian I will still recommend to our patrons looking for Queer reads.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with a review copy.

This was quite predictable and the ending did feel a bit rushed but apart from that I did enjoy it. It was a sweet book and a light and funny read!

This reminded me a little of the Ghostfacers from Supernatural. The characters were nuanced and relatable. I particularly loved Cara’s voice and sense of humor, even if she dwelled a little too often on the superficial (she IS a teen after all). I enjoyed the banter between her and ghost Aiden. And Meredith was a sarcastic loner queen I couldn’t get enough of. I absolutely loved her and was rooting for her to get the HEA she so clearly deserved.

The one exception was Holly. While I appreciate the acknowledgment that some Christians choose compassion by cherry picking the golden rule and not judging parts of the Bible, I felt like Holly being a “cool Christian” was laid on too thick to the point where I didn’t quite believe it was entirely sincere. Though I have some dear friends who are the loving and accepting sort of Christian—and honestly good for them if that brings them comfort and they aren’t pushing it on others or hurting anyone—I prefer my books without any Jesus talk whatsoever.

And although I understand the story structure importance of the false defeat, I do wish Cara’s hadn’t been so spectacularly devastating since it seemed like a huge step back for her character. I wish she’d come to the decision to do the right thing and put Meredith and Aiden first just as the logical result of her earlier character growth.

Despite my reservations about Holly and Cara’s screw up, I definitely enjoyed the story as a whole. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a ghost story that’s more funny than scary, with some sapphic romance thrown into the mix.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving this review.

ARC Review: Ghost of Us By James Sutter - @james_l_sutter
Release: June 11, 2024
Rating: 4.5/5
Format: e-book via @netgalley
The Low-Down: F/F. Young Adult with a saucy scene. One-sided fake dating. Strangers to lovers. Paranormal. Loss of a sibling.

A sapphic ghost hunting tale with the mysterious ghost playing match maker for his sister? Sounds gay, I'm in.

I can't tell you how much I adore James Sutter. I loved his last release, Darkhearts, so when #netgalley gave me the opportunity to get my hands on an ARC of this, I may have squeeled.

Ghost of Us By James Sutter follows our MC's POV, Cara. Cara is a ghost hunter and wannabe YouTube sensation. When she stumbles upon her first real evidence, she'll do anything to prove his existence, even if that means making a deal with a ghost and dating the ghost's sister, Meredith.

The relationships in this book were chef's kiss 👩‍🍳💋. They are that of a typical coming of age story, so expect angst and drama. I did see a lot of myself in Cara's personality, and now I really need a Meredith 😭. My favorite relationship by far was Cara and her best friend, Holly. Holly could not have been more of an opposite from Cara, but their friendship still worked.

As much as I loved the relationships, there was an element of the book that I felt made it challenging to know where the book was going. I thought this element also took away from Cara and Meredith's story. I was lucky to talk through it with the author, but I want to see if others pick up on it. Since it's not released yet, I'm not going into more details. When you do read it (and you should,) dm me, and we'll chat about it!

Side note: I would ☠️ for artwork of Cara and Meredith rock climbing (James, you know exactly which scene I want.)

Took me 3 days to finish this book! It was an easy read that reminded me of your typical romcom with ghost movies. The book was very fast paced and moved you along the struggles of trying to find yourself while wanting others to accept you. It felt like One Last Stop for a younger audience in the best way.

The ending was predictable but it truly ended how it was supposed to . The reason I didn’t rate it 5 stars is because I would’ve liked a little more character development .

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5/5 for me. I wanted to like this more, and I think my main complaint is Cara. I felt like her character was written unrealistically and usually when there's a questionably unlikable FMC, I tend to dislike the book. Some of her reactions to situations and how she acted in general just felt overly juvenile to me. I get it was supposed to lend support to her character growth, but overall it just felt off to me.

That being said, I did overall love the concept of the book, how it ended, and the cast of supporting characters! I'm glad Cara got her redemption and won Meredith back, I'm glad she and Holly are still friends, and I'm glad that Aiden was able to pass on peacefully.

Having enjoyed Sutter's debut book, I was excited to read The Ghost of Us especially after seeing that cover. Isn't it gorgeous?!

Cara is an outcast at her high school, but does have one friend in Holly who constantly stands up for her. Cara is not only an outcast that gets bullied by classmates, but she's also a ghost hunter and has her own YouTube channel.... but she has yet to find any ghosts. Until Aiden. An upperclassman that died tragically and is now speaking to her one year after his death. All Cara wants is to prove that she's found a ghost and to get it all for her YouTube Channel. But how can you prove something that you can't see? But there's a reason Aiden is here and it's not to help Cara. It's to help his sister Meredith find happiness again. Can Cara and Aiden make a deal?

I liked the idea of this book and the fact that the setting was in Washington state. Although this book wasn't written for my age demographic and it was quite obvious in some of the writing and conversation, I still think teenagers would enjoy it. Especially if they enjoy a bit of paranormal. It had that very high school feel with relationships, prom, bullying, etc. The story itself is easy to relate to.

As for the characters, Holly, although a side character is very straight-laced. More so than I see in most YA books, but that was her religious character and she held true to who she was. I appreciated that about her and her linear growth.

Both Cara and Aiden were a bit selfish in what they wanted to accomplish, but it was more Cara than Aiden because she wanted something just for herself and Aiden wanted someone else's happiness so he could cross over. It took a bit to connect to Cara because of that, but I liked seeing her develop true feelings for Meredith even if it started out as a lie. And since Aiden was kind of a main character, but also a ghost, it was more fun getting to know him and who he was in the past and what he wanted to do in the afterlife. I enjoyed the banter and friendship that Aiden and Cara came to have.

And then there's Meredith. She is a loner but also tough as nails. She hasn't opened up to anyone after the death of her brother and doesn't want to. Because those she cares about will just leave. When Cara approaches her out of the blue, that's when an added friendship to a deal starts and we begin to see more developing within the story.

Overall I liked the book, but it did take me longer than expected to read it. I could appreciate the story for what it was, but it did seem a bit juvenile at times. The pacing of the story worked and I didn't feel like we missed out on much, even with a few minor jumps in time. I did kind of hope we would get more of Meredith and Aiden's parents, but they were barely touched on. Cara wasn't always likable and that might be what held me back a bit. She definitely had character growth, but also took a HUGE step backwards towards the end that was almost not redeemable. I liked that we got a sapphic romance in the high school setting and I liked the small friend crew. Meredith and Cara were super cute together and a very opposites attract sort of couple, but I DID NOT like the way their relationship began on lies. I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop.. Did Aiden know that they would fit together?? Because he did good even if it was initially for selfish reasons. I also liked how everything came together in the very end, but I didn't particularly like how we got there. There were some uncomfortable parts (the Ghost hunter dude that Cara met up with? Not cool).

If you like stories about high school outcasts, Ghosts, love, friendship, family, lgbtq couples and grief this is for you. 3.5 stars

thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the ARC of this book. all opinions are my own.

I wish I could put into words how much I enjoyed this. What a great book. Highly recommend.

I’m going to start out by saying this book did take me a WHILE to get through. However it was an encapsulating story of self discovery, self improvement and romance. While Cara was an asshole sometimes. she was an enigma to read and I loved her snark. The side characters were well developed and interesting! A well written book!

This was beyond good. Great if I must say. I can’t wait to rave about this to everyone. If you are looking for a good book, pick this up.

The cover of thsi book is what drew me in first, followed by our description. However, I felt that the main character was too selfish for me to care abiut her and the fact that the relationship started on lies? Not into it.

I loved this. The premise is a neat one and Cara is such a realistically flawed protagonist. I could see all of the characters so clearly, and it’s a wonderful story about learning what really matters. Also, always here for more bi/pan representation, esp. in YA.

4.5 rounded up

This was SUCH a good book.

I found the first little bit before Cara and Meredith went on their first date a bit average. A combination of Cara’s attitude/outlook and Aiden’s ghost banter made me unsure if I was going to like this one.

But as we get to know Cara, everything about her starts to make so much more sense, and we get to see her grow and change with Meredith. And without Meredith, too. Her lightbulb moment towards the end about the kind of person she wants to be and the kind of life she wants to live was so great.

Meredith’s grief over her brother was palpable and painful and beautifully, delicately written. It was hanging over them everywhere, yet happiness managed to shine through.

I ended up really loving Aiden and Cara’s friendship, too. They really started to care for each other even if they were rubbish at expressing it at times. It was lovely to watch it unfold.

I can’t recommend this enough.

I absolutely loved James L. Sutters last book, darkhearts, so I was very excited when I saw he wrote another book. I appreciate netgalley for sending me an ARC for it. The story is about an eccentric ghost hunter who accidentally gets haunted by a popular boy who died the year before. It's very silly and I really enjoyed it. The line "... I'm guessing its less what comes out of her mouth than what comes in it, huh?" and everything that came after it is what really got me. I was worried about the whole dating someone for ulterior motives trope because it always end poorly, and it did, pretty badly. Cara went about it in the craziest way possible, and Aiden was not helping, they were both being pretty selfish especially Cara. I'm glad Holly let them have it because sometimes people need to hear the hard truth. I'm glad it all got resolved in the end and everyone got closure. I love the darkhearts mention and appreciate the vietnamese representation even if it's only side characters. It's rare to see someone with my last name instead of using Nguyen like most books. I also loved that Cara's favorite show was owl house, its a little foreshadowing of her soon to be relationship with Meredith, since she's like Luz and Meredith is like Amity. I definitely recommend this book for anyone who is interested in a wholesome lgbt story with a hint of paranormal activity.

3.5 stars rounded up!

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I thought the premise sounded great and it delivered for the most part. BUT... I found Cara to be somewhat insufferable at points AND I did NOT love that this the entire foundation of Meredith and Cara's relationship was built on a lie. It made it hard for me to enjoy their relationship because I was constantly waiting for the lie/secrets to come to the light so it just made it unpleasant.

The cover of this book is absolutely stunning. It drew me in right away. I really liked the author's writing, I found it very easy to read and it kept me captivated from start to finish. I was happen for the growth Cara made by the end of this one. It was nice to see her find her way.

Thank you to NetGalley, SMP & Wednesday books for the egalley of The Ghost of Us.

Alright, if you're in the mood for a supernatural YA with a twist, "The Ghost of Us" will totally hit the spot. It's this quirky mix of ghost hunting and high school drama where our girl Cara is playing matchmaker to save a ghost, Aiden, and his gloomy sister, Meredith. The catch? She's got to get Meredith to prom to help Aiden rest in peace. Sounds simple, right? Nope! Cara ends up falling for Meredith for real, and things get super complicated. The whole ghost-advising-on-dating-life angle gives some genuinely funny moments, and the emotional stakes ramp up as Aiden starts fading away. It's sweet, a bit sad, and definitely pulls at the heartstrings while delivering some cool paranormal action. Definitely worth a read if you like your romance with a side of ghostly shenanigans!

3.25 stars, rounded down
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I was initially drawn to the cover of this book, and the description was enough to capture my attention. The Ghost of Us is a unique tale of love after loss.

Following two young teens, this book does a really good job of handling the cycles of grief. You can feel it emanating from the story, which is so important in a plot point that is vital to the storyline. The plot was interesting and held my attention, but the overall resolution felt sort of rushed. This book was funny, but it just wasn’t my type of humor. That’s on me. It sort of killed the seriousness of the topic for me. It was predictable at times, which took away from the uniqueness of the overall story.

The characters in this were okay at best. Cara was incredibly selfish in her personality, which sort of made sense in the context of the book, but was unbearable to read and I found I couldn’t get into her story because of it. I loved Meredith and her character. Our side characters were definitely interesting.

I definitely enjoyed this read, I just couldn’t get past the predictability and the rushed resolution.

👻The Ghost of Us👻

The Ghost of Us was described as One Last Stop meets Cemetery Boys which immediately caught my attention as I enjoyed both of those books. Cara is a 18 year old high school outcast who spends her time dreaming of being a famous ghost hunter. She spends her free time with her best friend trying to find proof of the supernatural. Much to her surprise, she stumbles upon Aidan, the ghost of a popular upperclassman who had tragically passed away the year prior. Aidan left behind his younger sister, Meredith who has been a recluse ever since his passing. Realizing he hasn’t passed on because his unfinished business is his sister’s happiness, he makes a deal with Cara. If she can get Meredith out of her shell and take her to prom, he will help Cara prove that the paranormal is real.

This was a fun, quick read that definitely had the vibes it promised while being different enough to be its own thing. The story was light and funny despite its heavy subject matter (a dead teen and his grieving sister). The idea of being a teenage girl with the ghost of a teenage boy inside her head added the perfect amount of comic relief to the story. It also was quite sweet at times and reminded me of how precious teenage love can be.

My favourite character was Meredith, she is complicated and fiercely loyal. She only got more and more interesting as the story progressed. Cara, on the other hand, the single POV of the story, kind of drove me crazy at times. She is definitely meant to be a bit unlikeable, selfish teenager but damn, there were times I wanted to give her a good shake. The way she treats her only friend, Holly.... She did not deserve her most of the time. However, I give props to the author for writing her so well that it elicited such a response. Though frustrating at times, I much prefer when teens are written like real teens. Aidan, while frustrating in his own way, was kind of forgiven for that given that he is working through being dead and is still at heart a teenage boy. I’ll never look at a bluetooth speaker the same, IYKYK 😅

Overall, The Ghost of Us was an enjoyable queer paranormal YA story. I think if you enjoyed Cemetery Boys you may enjoy this one too (though they are quite different so set expectations accordingly).

Thank you to @WednesdayBooks & @netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! The Ghost of Us is out on June 11th!

⭐3.5/5 stars⭐

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book! I knew as soon as I read the description that I NEEDED to read it

I really liked this book. I wasn't expecting a book about a ghosts to be anywhere near as funny as this was.

I liked watching Cara's relationship develop with Meredith, but I find myself wanting more. I wish we had gotten more of Meredith's relationship/conversations with Aiden after she found out about his ghost. Or some chapters from her point of view to get a better idea of how she was feeling. I expected a book about a boy helping his grieving sister to make me cry alot more than this book did, and I think it would have been more emotional to get Meredith's (or even Aiden's) POV for at least part of the book.

I'd say my biggest issue with the book was Cara's selfishness. I was really annoyed with her when everything went down after Meredith found out about Aiden's ghost, both with how she made everything about her and the fights with Holly and Aiden afterword. I wish we had gotten to see the resolutions to the fights with Holly and Aiden.

In spite of the couple issues I had, I did enjoy the book. I was hard to put down and it made me laugh alot