This was not for me! The tone was too silly for a proper ghost story, not silly enough for a romantic comedy. I didn’t finish.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! The ending even made me tear up a bit. I will say that Cara's character and intentions throughout the majority of the book annoyed me. It seemed like too long before she hit her redemption arc and everyone forgave her a bit too fast. However, it was a very cute love story with a refreshing format.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

I was very excited to read this book, the description really grabbed my attention. Unfortunately this book falls short for me. I was having a hard time getting through it and the pacing was just too slow. I didn’t like Cara or Aiden that much. Maybe if there was some chapters from Meredith’s POV I would’ve enjoyed it more.

I was so excited for the premise of this one, but it just fell flat for me. It did not hold my attention. I never felt the true urge to pick it back up and keep reading. I unfortunately had to DNF.

Actual rating 3.5 stars.
 
Let’s start with the cover. Isn’t it stunning? A cover like this deserves a fantastic story. Did it deliver? For the most part, yes, even though I have some critical remarks (hence my 3.5-star rating).
 
The Ghost of Us is about Cara, who loves to hunt ghosts since her Nana died. When Aiden’s ghost, the popular boy who died a year ago, manages to contact her, they’re both over the moon. Cara because she’s finally able to talk to a ghost, Aiden because he wants to help his sister Meredith, who is grieving his death. So they make a pact.
 
Despite this being a story about a dead boy and his grieving sister, The Ghost of Us is light and funny. I think it’s mainly because the conversations between Cara and Aiden are pretty hilarious. Add the sweet moments between Cara and Meredith, and the story made me smile and chuckle instead of cry. The few sad moments didn’t do anything with my emotions. And this is precisely what I have mixed feelings about.
 
I guess I wanted to feel the grief more, Meredith’s pain about the brother she lost, the brother she depended so much on. Therefore, I longed to read Meredith’s POV. She was such an interesting person (more than Cara, in my opinion), but I felt I didn’t get to know her well enough. For me, it would have made the story more complete. But overall, this was a fast and enjoyable read, and I recommend it to all of you who love to read funny and sweet stories with a flawed (in this case, rather selfish) main character.

I rounded my rating down for now, but I might change my opinion. I’m not sure about it yet.

I was in a reading slump and this pushed me further into a reading slump. I don’t think i’ve had a title i’ve disliked so much i can’t even form into words how terrible this one was. I’m genuinely so angry I wasted my time reading this And i’m even angrier i wasted my time writing this review.

This book was absolutely adorable. Not only the sapphic romance, but add in ghosts? I was a little nervous about the paranormal aspect, honestly. That maybe it'd be too cheesy? But no, I think Sutter did a wonderful job of not overdoing it and created a beautiful story of grief, loss, and love.

In an happy to give feedback on this book once the readers for accountability ban has been lifted due to SMP addressing their racist employee.

At first I thought what in the tiktok trope video is this book but when it’s 4am and you started reading at 9pm and you have to finish it, I think that brings it all to a whole new level. Solid 5 stars. Also I love lesbians

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was intrigued by this book since it was said to be “One last stop meets Cemetery Boys” , but that was a stretch to say the least. Cara and Aiden were both selfish throughout the book and had little to no character development. The plot was slow in the middle and rushed at the beginning and the end. I did enjoy the romance between Cara and Meredith as well as Holly and Elvis’ relationship, but wish there had been more. This was a misleading read for me and definitely not my favorite.

High school senior Cara is a ghost hunter. In the opening scene she's hoping to find a ghost in an abandoned papermill, where a local teen boy died a year ago. She's initially unsuccessful until she's home and starts hearing his voice. Aiden, the ghost, is stuck until he can make his sister, Meredith, happy and he enlists Cara to do so. In return he agrees to help Cara prove she's found a ghost.

This long novel is told solely from Cara's POV and she's not always the most likeable character. The author provides a lot of background motivation to explain her shortcomings, but I found it hard to stay with her through a lot of the book. I actually found Aiden and Meredith a whole lot more likeable.

Overall, this is a great concept and mostly well executed, but a bit too long to stay with a character I wasn't crazy about.

Overall I enjoyed this book, even if the plot was a bit predictable. This book deals with some heavy topics, so make sure to check the trigger warnings. I liked all the characters but Aiden is my favorite for his ability to make me laugh. Would recommend

They promised One Last Stop meets Cemetary Boys and boy did this deliver! Cara is a ghost hunter hell-bent on finding proof of a ghost and escaping her hometown. Her life is thrown completely upside down when she discovers the ghost of a local high school boy, Aiden, who has a mission in his afterlife. Together the two of them come to an agreement; Aiden will help Cara prove that ghosts are real for her YouTube channel if Cara will take his sister, Meredith, to prom. What starts as a scheme quickly turns into a rather sweet romance as Cara and Meredith start to fall for each other, even if that means Aiden might disappear forever.

Great story and interesting characters and development. I love the spirit guided romance and the pacing was just right!

I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed the Cara-Meredith dynamic, especially as they got to know each other better and opened themselves up more. I also liked the commentary between Cara and Aiden the ghost. I can understand Cara’s passion about proving that ghosts exist, and her hope and desire that she can have it both ways — get the girl (Meredith) and reveal Aiden’s existence without losing Meredith in the process. However, her repeated belief that proving ghosts exist was the only way for her to have any value grew tiresome. It would have been nice if the author had found a way to achieve the same outcome — keeping secrets from Meredith, trying to achieve both goals, having the lies revealed, and having to make the hard decision to do what was right— without Cara defining her life via ghost hunting; for it to have been a passion/hobby she took too far, not the key to her self-worth.

The fact that it said this book was for fans of Cemetery Boys intrigued me as I love Aiden Thomas and the book. And it didn't disappoint. This book was beautiful, however it was a little dull at moments. I had some slight confusion at times but it ultimately was resolved eventually.

I found this to be a fast read and quite enjoyable. Unfortunately, most of the story was predictable, but it didn't suck the joy out of it.

Key notes-
Likeable characters
bullying aspects
deals with depression and grief

The Ghosts of Us
James Sutter
Young adult lgbtq+ ghost
June 10, 2024 release date
2024-30❤️❤️❤️3.5
📚📚 📚18 year old Cara Hunter is a high school ghost hunter. After being denied admission to all the colleges she applied to, her hope to leave her small town outside Seattle is to find proof of a ghost. She needs this. As a bi-sexual teen in a small town, she hasn’t had it easy. She’s been bullied and ostracized, although her best friend Holly has protected her. So when the ghost of Aiden, a senior from the year before who died, begins to talk to her, she is convinced she will prove the existence of ghosts. But Aiden has a price—she must take his grieving sister, Meredith, to prom. As Cara begins dating Meredith, what she thinks she wants and what she wants diverge and she must decide if lying to Meredith is worth the consequences.
The book follows the standard trope closely, but is well-written. There are times that the characters do not seem to behave as I would have expected. However, Cara is admittedly a teen who tends to narcissistic tendencies. This is young adult but contains sexual scenes and drug use (where the character didn’t want to but does because of love interest’s influence). I wouldn’t let my preteen read because of drug use—at least without some discussion (but that’s just me!) The theme of grief is so well done, more than making this a worthy read. The bullying theme thread is there although it seems to fall off at some point- but pointedly as Cara had found acceptance and that trauma is lessened. Absolutely loved Cara’s relationship with her parents especially when juxtapositioned to Meredith’s parents.
❤️❤️❤️JJ’s last words. Humorous teen ghosts.
Disclaimer: St Martins publishing gave me access to this advanced readers copy on NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for a review!

ok i won't lie i ate this one up. i hate 'apology tours' normally but cara did a pretty good job as far as 'characters who lie about everything, ruining their life' go! also the characters were FUNNY. they had JOKES. people consistently underestimate how much being a joker goofball is a part of every teenager's personality and this book actually got it.

also the characters of holly and elvis are just conceptually hilarious. i mean. world's most accepting christian of all time with a youtube channel who is also saving her first kiss for marriage. saving her first kiss for marriage with a guy named ELVIS (he likes space. that's all i remember about him tbh. and he goes on runs with holly because that's romance).

meredith wins my coveted "favorite character" award because simply put she is a badass. and an icon.

in conclusion: ghosts!

A contemporary LGBTQ+ YA novel with a paranormal twist. Cara has been searching for proof of the supernatural, but when she stumbles upon the spirit of Aiden, she gets a lot more than she asked for. Aiden has concerns about his younger sister, Meredith, who has been hiding from life since his death. Cara wants to get proof that she can contact someone in the spirit realm. Aiden & Cara strike a deal, proof of the spirit realm in exchange for Cara taking Meredith to prom. As anyone can expect this deal becomes even more complicated as feelings grow. One of my favorite aspects of this novel were the bonds formed in this group of unlikely friends.

I thought I would like this one a lot. but the style of writing was really just not for me. The pace felt off, and the dialogue was stilted. The story seemed to have potential, but the sapphic characters just felt off in a way I can't fully describe. I think this will be potentially successful for young readers, absolutely, but I don't think it's the first book I'd grab when referring to others.