The Other Ones is a wholesome romance story of Sal and Pax, two teens in sixth form, who meet under mysterious pretense. A rumor spread that Sal’s house is haunted. It’s true that Sal’s dad died five years ago and his mother is absent in his life. There are pumpkins, a graveyard, a Halloween party, crystals and sage burning in the book. The spookiness factor is missing. It’s the ghost of grief that is present throughout. This book might appeal to a fifth or sixth grader. ARC was provided by Scholastic/Chicken House via NetGalley. I received an advance review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I got an ARC of this book.

The first mistake of this book is comparing it to a beloved series. This book just doesn’t hit the same power levels. That comparison hurt the book so much. I was expected deep emotions, I was expecting cute fluff. I was expecting so much more. This is not a bad book, but it is compared to Heartstopper which makes it incredibly weak. If that comparison was not there, I might have had lower expectations.

The second mistake is making it sound like this is a haunted house book. It is not. It really is not. There are no ghosts. There are no jump scares. This is not a horror or even a horror lite. It is a romance. I was thinking it was like Dan’s Hauntastic Haunts, but there are no ghosts. It just felt like a let down the whole time based on how it was marketed.

The actual story was ok. I read it in two sittings. I enjoyed reading it, but it was just not great. It didn’t lean into romance or ghosts enough to be exciting. The MC went from assuming he was straight to making out with a boy with no angst. There was no real emotional depth. It was just sort of the MC wandering from encounter to encounter. There were some high stakes things, but it felt like nothing really mattered. So if you are looking for a fluffy read, but that isn’t sickeningly sweet you might enjoy this one.

The big twist was about 63% of the way through the book and it felt like a let down. It felt like “its all a dream” level let down. Blah.

Salem is living with his sister and mother in a haunted house. When Pax, the optimistic new kid, offers to help with the ghosts, Sal is reluctant. However, the two grow closer and Sal discovers that ghosts are maybe not real, but grief can be a tangible thing.

The book is classified as romance on B&T (and netgalley), so I' was surprised by the reviews that thought it would be spookier; also. the description makes it pretty clear that ghosts are a metaphor for grief 🤷‍♀️I was not able to finish this book because the format was really wonky and distracting - I'm sure that this will not be the case in the final, physical copy. My library has purchased a copy and I'm excited to dig into it when it arrives!

i received an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review :)

this book is similar to the feeling of realizing that memories of your dead grandmother are no longer laced with grief, but rather fond memories that remind you of when she was alive. it’s a great feeling, one that i hadn’t realized id gotten to until reading this. sal’s grief for a variety of things was so incredibly well written. his grief for his father, for who his mother was, for his sister’s missed opportunities, for his old life. the ghosts were such an incredible inclusion, and i’m trying not to spoil anything so this review may seem as if i haven’t read it but i swear that is purposeful!! anywho, the characters were all so multifaceted, but not in a way that made the reader overlook sal. he was still most definitely the main character, and very well written and done. i could go on about this book for ages and ages, it healed something in me i hadn’t realized was broken. there were a few scenes that hit close to home, in a ‘i never got to have that way,’ and yeah it made me teary eyed but not in a bad way. rather ‘i made it and now im reading this book in my apartment with my cat, going into my third year of college and teaching kids art.’ it was a startling moment, in a good way! this review is getting incredibly personal, but this is one of my new favorite books for sure. (okay this one is a spoiler so spoiler beware) third act breakups stress me the fuck out, and this one definitely still did too but i heavily appreciated the immediate gravitating back together. no ‘together but cold to one another,’ just full on ‘i missed you so much and im so happy i have you again.’ the moment this hits the US shelves i’m buying a copy to put on my shelf of favorite books. i highly recommend this book to anyone, and will be utilizing it in the classroom. i can not stop thinking about pax and sal and it’s becoming a problem /pos

𝐌𝐂𝐬: Sal + Pax
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝗜𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲, 𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁. 𝗕𝘂𝘁, 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀, 𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗴𝗹𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲.

Sal is a grumpy seventeen year old who lives in the haunted house in Holden. Pax is the new kid who seems a bit neurodivergent and unapologetically optimistic. Sal’s best friend is Dirk, who’s kinda popular and a bit unfiltered. And then there’s Elsie, who used to be popular until everyone turned against her because of her ex. These four make up a group of misfits that stole my heart.

The writing is FANTASTIC, especially for a debut author. It reads like a gripping scary story told around a campfire on All Hallow’s Eve. An unsettling-at-times coming of age story reminiscent of Heartstopper (the vibes 🤌🏻). The setting is rich in darkness and creepy vibes. The house itself is a living being because it felt alive. The characters had depth and personality and quirks that made them addictively unique. Pax is the SWEETEST babe ever. 🥹

The romance was a part of the story and quite adorable. It’s a bit of a slow burn but it was so beautiful watching Sal fall for Pax. Innocent yet their chemistry was tangible. And I just ADORED Pax and Elsie’s friendship. The absolute cutest! Dirk really grew on me too.

I honestly didn’t really see the twist because I was absorbed with the little romance. It hurt. A lot. Especially watching Sal pull away and fall into depression. That part was rough and so real I felt it. My heart broke for all of them.

But then it was wrapped up in the absolute best way and I finish this book knowing I’ve read a forever comfort read and excited to see what else this author gives us!

𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘦: August 20, 2024
𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠. 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣.

I originally thought this book would be a little bit more spooky, due to the summary, but it ended up just being wholesome. The whole haunted concept was a metaphor all along. I forgot that some stories don't have to be a big adventure and this book reminded me of that. I really love the development of the story and how Sal as a character grew. the growth was not a linear line to growing and healing which I appreciate. Sal definitely had his ups and downs throughout the story, which made it all the more realistic. The big secret was also neat, it was incorporated well where the reader could barely tell due Asha and Sal keeping up the act through most of the book. Even though Sal was my favorite, I did want to learn a bit more about his friends too. I barely knew anything about any of them especially. Elsie. Overall I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.

Sorry to say this one was a miss for me. The writing felt so simplistic and at times clumsy, to the point that the book felt confusing at times and at other times had me longing to just skim and get it over with. Pax is cute, but I wish he was less of a manic pixie dream boy, and wish all the characters had felt a little more real. I did like the friend group, and there were some fun moments, but I was disappointed in the "spooky" aspects and really did not vibe with the writing. I would have DNF'd if it wasn't an ARC. Not one I'll be recommending, unfortunately.

THE OTHER ONES is a hauntingly beautiful queer YA about grief and the effect it has on us. sal is a teenager who just wants to be like any other sixteen-year-old, but living in an infamous haunted house makes it hard to be ordinary. when pax moves to town and offers to help with the ghosts, sal begrudgingly accepts but finds himself warming up to this odd boy.

i wasn't sure quite what to expect from this book, but i found it so heartwarming and tender and i absolutely loved sal, his sister asha, pax, and all the other side characters. this was a very sweet story about grief, love, and friendship and i would definitely recommend it!

read if you like:
- the haunting of bly manor
- lovable teenage boys
- found family

thanks to netgalley and scholastic for the advanced copy. THE OTHER ONES is out august 20!

When I requested this book, I thought I would receive and fun YA ghost story. Instead, I received a beautifully plotted and well thought out story about family and the bonds that exist within it. This book examined a lot of themes in a really accessible manner. My one criticism (which isn't even really a criticism) was that a consistent plot line did not necessarily exist throughout the story. There was certainly a storyline, but this book wasn't plot driven. As a way to examine themes of grief and family, this style makes sense, but it isn't necessarily my cup of tea.

Sweet romance ina. Haunted house with gorgeous illustrations? What more could you want. Fun fall addition to any library with the right balance of sweet and spooky.

For some reason I went into this book thinking that the focus would be on the haunted house. Turns out I was wrong but that didn't detract from an overall enjoyable read. This book is definitely going for little plot, mostly vibes but the vibes are comforting and warm. My heart went out to both Sal and his sister Asha as they navigate an incredibly difficult set of circumstances. The found family aspect coming from Dirk, Elsie, and of course Pax and his mother Annie was wonderful. It's a perfect book to read on a cold, dreary day to brighten one's mood.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

This story was adorable. No real plot and just fall/winter vibes. I know people probably don’t like that, but I don’t mind a story that’s just cute to be cute. The drama was a good break near the ending as well. Pax was so cute! I loved the little weirdo. And even though Sal is gloomy and brooding he grows on you. This is set as a haunted house story and even though you expect more ghosts and don’t really get them, there’s still some things going on behind the scenes that I appreciated. This is a simple low stakes romance and if you want some good fluff I suggest it!

i think i went into this book with the wrong expectations. i thought it was going to be a spooky fun halloween romance but no. i thought the pacing was really slow and barely anything even happened.

thank you netgalley for the e-arc!

If you want a Halloween romance that is more sweet than spooky, this is the book for you! I loved the atmosphere in The Other Ones, the friendships built, the characters, and the romance. Outsiders finding each other, figuring out what friendship means, and finding love, what's not to like?

The Other Ones features Sal, a brooding outcast who lives in a haunted house, and Pax who embodies sunshine as they are navigating high school and going through family drama. An opposites attract slow burn, I found myself glued to the pages with a grin on my face for most of the book. Definitely more treat than trick, this is a perfect autumnal read.

I really felt the pain the characters were going through as they navigate grief and loss, and I felt that the many ways it comes up in different character to be very realistic. The reveal there got me good, it was hinted at and I could've gotten it, but it was still a big enough surprise to hit me in the feels.

Well worth the read! 4.25 stars!

This book was really cute I liked it a lot! It was not quite what I was expecting based on the description- I thought there would be more of a supernatural focus. Not a problem though! It was more of a family drama/romance. I liked all the characters and Sal, the narrator. It had some found family vibes which I like alot. There was a plot twist which I had mostly predicted but it was still well done. I found this book engaging- I read it in one day! I’d recommend it to fans of YA character driven books, I would not describe it as plot driven but I really enjoy more character driven books

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an E-arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own!

Sixteen-year-old Salem Amani lives with his family in a house regularly visited by ghosts. When a mysterious boy named Pax offers to help with the hauntings, Sal is skeptical but gradually grows closer to him, only to uncover a deeper truth about his family’s ghosts that forces him to confront reality or risk losing Pax forever.

Okay so, this summary makes this book sound like some spooky paranormal mystery stuff. The truth is that this is just a YA coming of age/contemporary romance with just the slightest nod of “hmMmmMmMm but gHoSTs???” Go into this expecting anything else and you will be disappointed.

Once I realized what this book was and adjusted my expectations accordingly, this was … better but still disappointing. I wish we had done something a little different with the ending.

The adults in this book don’t really act like adults. And the world doesn’t work like this book tries to say it does.

The first half of the book, I spent 1. bored and 2. a little miffed at the book for a specific thing it was doing. Then I realized why it was doing what it was doing, and spent the second half of the book going, “There’s no way that would happen. No, absolutely not. I don’t believe you. THERE’S NO WAY.” All in all, kind of a frustrating experience.

Thanks (I guess?) to NetGalley and Scholastic for a copy of this ebook.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this title in exchange for my honest thoughts!

2.5 stars

I honestly kind of struggled to get through this one; there wasn’t much happening with the haunted house aspect and when it did come up, I was a little disappointed. This story is more mundane than I anticipated and it wasn’t until over halfway through that I started to really understand the main character seeing as you as the reader don’t learn a lot about him until a much later part of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the E-arc of this book. I simply did not enjoy this book. For one, it was very slowing moving, like crazy slow moving. Two, there was little to no plot. When a book goes on for a hundred pages and barely anything has happened, that is an issue. This book seemed to mostly revolve around a friend group with a bit of romance and that was it. The book is also marketed as being creepy with ghosts and Halloween themes and haunted houses, but the paranormal aspects are barely part of the book. I truly hope that this books finds people that enjoy it, I was just not one of those people.

This is more of a cute coming of age contemporary book, than anything. It doesn't have much of a plot, but I still really liked it.

The Other Ones is a spooky LGBTQ+ romance that's perfect for fall! Salem lives in a house that's haunted and everyone in town knows it. He hates it. Then he meets Pax who is strange but embraces his weirdness. With all the spooky things around both if them they get close and their friendship grows. Eventually they learn the why Salem's house it haunted but their relationship will be tested at the same time. This is cute and spooky read. I really enjoyed it!