Us in Ruin ) is a captivating YA adventure that blends romance, mystery, and a touch of fantasy. The story follows Margo, a young archaeologist who lands a gig working to excavate Pompeii, only to uncover a centuries-old mystery surrounding the mythical Vase of Venus Aurelia. When she accidentally frees Van Keane, a cursed archaeologist trapped in stone for over a century, the two are forced to team up to reassemble the vase and solve its ancient riddles.

The dynamic between Margo and Van is the highlight of the book—their grumpy/sunshine energy mixed with their reluctant allies-to-lovers arc creates plenty of tension and humor. Margo, initially a bit whiny and immature, evolves as the plot progresses, especially with Van’s more grounded presence. Their partnership is fun to watch as they navigate both the ancient challenges and their growing feelings for each other.

The book’s fast-paced adventure, set against the vibrant backdrop of Pompeii, provides an exciting, light-hearted escape. While the beginning takes a bit to warm up to Margo's character, the story picks up speed once Van enters the picture. Us in Ruin reads like a charming mix of The Mummy and The Librarians, offering a perfect balance of rom-com, mystery, and fantasy.

A breezy and enjoyable read for fans of fun, romantic adventures, Us in Ruin is ideal for those looking for a quick, engaging escape into an archaeological quest.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

A time bending romance with an archeologist trapped for over a century, set under the Pompeii sun? Say less, I'm in!
This is an entreating YA romance, easy to read and to love! The grumpy/sunshine dynamic is one of my favorites, with a hint of enemies to lovers in the beginning.

being so completely honest, i requested because of the cover and why was this NOT what i was expecting at all???? for some reason it was giving gothic to me but it was very much along the same vein of what the river knows. if you’re interested in enemies to lovers and an adventure romance, this is absolutely perfect!

i must say, it’s not my favorite trope but i enjoyed it for what it was and i believe it will find its place with the readers who resonate 🩷

Rachel Moore writes such fun, unique adventure stories, and US IN RUINS is no exception to that. I really enjoyed this one!

A super fun fantasy adventure romp through Italy. I loved Margot and Van's reluctant allies to lovers dynamic. Watching them learn how to work together as a team, and realize they have more in common than it seems, was so good. Also, as much as I love a story about a teen who knows that they're about and is really good at it, reading about a character like Margot who's tried a little bit of a lot was really refreshing as well.

This story wasn’t exactly what I was expecting but I enjoyed it nonetheless! It took me a while to get into the story, but it wraps up nicely. You have a young student trying to find what she’s passionate about and decides to give archeology a try- starting with a trip to excavate Pompeii? She goes off to find a legendary artifact and in doing so frees a century old archeologist from a curse that left him trapped in stone, and of course he’s attractive and shockingly age appropriate. This story has excess adventure and made me sad that I am not currently in Italy. While I did fine the characters to be mildly annoying, the plot was intriguing enough to keep me going.

Light and fun adventure, with a splash of romance.
This reads like the grumpy-sunshine humor of Brendan Fraser of The Mummy, mixed with the lighthearted, comedic, and adventurous fun of The Librarians tv show.
Margo has been granted a summer high school internship in archaeology in Pompeii based on a superb but fictional essay she wrote on the mythological Vase of Venus Aurelia. But Margo believes the Vase isn't merely a fiction and sets off on her own quest to find it - inadvertently waking up a cursed and long-presumed dead archaeologist Van Keane, who Margo happens to have had a crush on since she found his journal, and a piece of the mythical vase, hidden in her high school library. Each of them are convinced that finding the vase, and Venus' treasure, is the answer that they both are desperately seeking, and so together the two set off to complete Venus' challenges and reassemble the vase. What ensues is an Italian adventure B-movie, with a bit of rom-com thrown in.

For most of the first half of the book I will admit that Margo's character grated on me, she was whiny, super girly and childish - I felt like I was reading more middle grade than YA and it took me a long time to decide I was committed to reading it. I really had no sympathy for her, and felt a bit like Astrid with regards to her being in Pompeii in the first place. Once we add in Van however, I warmed up to her character a bit more, he was the buffer I needed I guess, and I flew through the last half. Really enjoyed the setting and the story.

All in all, a light and quick read - a nice breather in between my normal reading. I will be recommending to my students who liked What the River Knows.

I had such a difficult time getting into this book, and it’s my second DNF this year. I’m disappointed because I was looking forward to reading this, especially because I related to Margot and the way she felt things so deeply. But the over-the-top bullying from Astrid and the lack of adult supervision was too much for my suspension of disbelief; I could see this working better as a movie with all the physical comedy, but as a YA novel it’s extremely rough.

I’ll be linking my full review from Twin Cities Geek once it’s published

This is a great story for a younger audience who wants to step into fantasy with an exploration through ancient ruins kind of vibe. The cover alone hooked me right away but the premise was also exciting with its promise of linking modern characters to those of the past.

This is a story that has a less of a serious nature and more in the realm of light hearted rom com. When I say that it is for younger readers as an adult there was an amount of belief I had to suspend to enjoy some of the unlikely circumstances our main character got herself into. I also find the dialogue to be more of the immature variety which is not to say that it isn't perfectly suited for its audience.

The romance was sweet and easy to digest, but I would have loved just a bit more development in this area as well. There were cute themes of standing up for yourself and being brave and bold to be just as you are. All life lessons that are really important for younger teens.

Like I said, for the right audience this one is going to be a hit, but for a woman in her 30s who's just looking for a bit more complexity and depth this didn't quite work out with my expectations.

US IN RUINS was beautifully written with the perfect amount of mystery, romance, and magic. I enjoyed every second of this story.

The most beautiful book for fans of the movies Jewel of the Nile, Encino Man, and the Mummy. It had a plot with enough action to carry you throughout the book. The characters are wonderful. The plot was solid. The enemies-to-lovers trope was well executed. The only reason I didn't give it a full five stars is because of the end. There is someone who behaves totally out of character and then is dropped. You don't hear about them at all.


Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel Moore, and Harper Collins for giving me a chance to read this and share my honest thoughts and opinions with others

If you liked Moore's first book, you'll love her sophomore novel. It has many of the same key elements: a magical book, a mystery to solve, and a boy not from this time. You have enemies to lovers, Italy as the backdrop, and a fast paced adventure to look forward to.

US IN RUINS is fantastic. I loved it, read it in one sitting, and would recommend this for anyone eager to fall impossibly in love with ancient Italy.

I think that this book gives zero time to settle before really hitting the reader on the head with tropes upon tropes.

It's hard to develop empathy for characters that we as readers know so little about.

Margot is a type of character we've seen and will continue to see again.

My problem is, from the get-go, I think Margo is too unrelatable. Her insistence on the existence of the main artifact of the book does not make sense from a realistic perspective.

There are some weird holes that seem to just be skirted around instead of answering. The protagonist is also too obsessed with Van to an uncomfortable extent.

I wish there was more done with her only knowledge of archeology being from pop culture. Margot's demeanor is reminiscent of a lot of the characters that Ashley Tisdale plays on Disney shows which should juxtapose with the dirty and dusty elements of archeology. In practice though it just ends up forcing the reader to side more with her annoyed tripmates who actually practice in the field.

That's my biggest crux with this book. Those who are knowledgeable in the field are framed as bullies and while some parts of their dialogue are- the critiques of them about her being unqualified are to an extent true! It's not like Legally Blonde where she ends up working hard to prove that she can,

The only fun bit of contention is that annoyances to lovers trope that I always find pretty funny. The Achilles heel here though is that the way these characters are written gives an uncomfortable age-gap vibe even though they are supposedly not far apart in actual years. Every time the FMC is called "kid" it shaved a month off my lifespan.

If you're looking for something adventurous and non-serious this will probably be for you.

I just finished Us in Ruins, and I has a fun time with it. The treasure-hunting adventure, with the cursed vase and magical elements, and cute romance brought back memories of watching The Mummy as a kid. The idea of Margot teaming up with Van, her crush, who comes to life after being a statue for nearly a century, was entertaining premise.

I also enjoyed the romance between Margot and Van. Their playful banter, but also some emotional depth with tension and development, set it up for a more interesting story! You could really feel their connection grow as they navigated trust issues and dangerous challenges together. And… I absolutely loved the cover. The art perfectly captures the magical and whimsical vibe of the story, and it’s what drew me in from the start! The only thing I can say is that this book was probably meant for a younger audience than myself, haha! But even so, it was a delightful, light read that reminded me of the adventure movies I loved growing up.

I requested this arc solely on the cover but my oh my this story did not disappoint! The adventure was so great! The Indiana Jones vibes were so good and the subtle romance was perfection! Such a great story from start to finish!!!!

I was never able to fulling plug-in to Us in Ruins. I love the idea, but they way the story was plotted bored me. I wanted to be able to be invested in the characters and their blossoming romance, but both felt underwhelming. There were also some elements of the story that didn't add up. I feel like waking up from being a statue for over 100 years would cause a person to have some questions. Van just sort of accepted it and I found that beyond my ability to plausibly deny. Unfortunately, this one was a miss for me, but I think there are many would find it completely delightful.

Plot - 3
Writing and Editing - 3
Character Development - 2
Personal Bias - 2
Final Score - 2.5

Thank you Rachel Moore, Harper Teen, and NetGalley for my advanced review copy. My opinions are my own.

This seemed a bit young for me, but I really enjoyed the archeology and adventure and the two main leads. Reminded me a bit of What the River Knows, except Rachel Moore made this all her own. I think this will be a hit with our YA readers so I'm very happy to procure this for our collection!

Rachel Moore’s Us in Ruins takes readers on a whimsical and exhilarating adventure set amidst the ancient ruins of Pompeii, blending archaeology, romance, and myth. The story follows Margot Rhodes, an enthusiastic yet inexperienced archaeology student, who embarks on a school dig with an ambitious goal: to uncover the mythical Vase of Venus Aurelia, last seen in 1932. Her secret weapon? The lost journal of Van Keane, a teenage explorer from a century ago, whose poetic words lead Margot closer to the vase’s shards—and into an unexpected love story.