Fantasy Romance with Queer/LGBT JEWISH leads AND GHOSTS?

TBH, I swooned at just this alone. My little Jew heart was thrilled with this premise and my heart broke as Ezra's life fell apart, but I knew they'd come through it in the end.

Ezra Friedman is no stranger to death. HIs family has run the neighborhood funeral home for generations and he sees ghosts. He has done his best to stay away from the family business, but when his mother tells the family at Passover dinner she is leaving his dad for the rabbi’s wife, Ezra felt compelled to step in to help keep the business going. He didn’t realize he was stepping into a rescue mission of the business. He also did not realize he might fall for one of the volunteers, Jonathan, who also happens to live in the same building as Ezra. Just one problem. One of the ghosts that Ezra can see is Jonathan’s husband, Ben, who was recently killed in a car crash. Ben is unlike any other ghost as he can speak and move locations. As Ezra tries to determine why Ben is so different, he also begins to fall Jonathan but does his best to protect his heart from getting broken.

This one had so much going on and at times, it didn’t blend well. I almost wish it pulled a subplot or two out to focus on a couple of main ones. There were a lot of characters to follow and understand how they all intertwined. While it wasn’t my favorite, it was still a good read. If you like a romantic paranormal, this one might be for you.

Ezra Friedman grew up in a funeral home. Ezra’s ability to see ghost made it difficult living in a funeral home. Seeing ghosts, msde life difficult when he saw his grandfather’s ghost give him scathing looks of disapproval as he went through a second, HRT-induced puberty, and if he the pressure of all those relatives—living and dead—judging every choice he makes. Ezra runs as far away from the family business as humanly possible, but ends up returning to take over his mother’s job at the funeral home. (His mother ran off with the rabbi’s wife.). Ezra falls for the funeral home’s volunteer, Jonathan. However, Jonathan’s husband Ben dies. Ezra must deal with Ben as a ghost. Will he be able to?

This novel is part ghost story, Jewish family, and queer love story. It is a haunting tale full of grief, joy and desire. This novel made me laugh and cry. The author writes moments of humor and brevity bringing a lightness to a book that otherwise deals with many of life’s difficult trials.

This book was stunning. I’m actually astounded it’s a debut.

Rules for Ghosting focuses on the intricacies of human connections and the exploration of grief. There wasn’t a single moment my eyes were dry, but don’t worry! Seventy percent of the time they were happy tears! I’m not typically an emotional person, but Shelly Jay Shore’s writing is nothing short of beautiful. It felt like I was experiencing the characters’ emotions firsthand. The complexity of loss and the glimmers of healing, the richly developed characters, the authenticity behind every moment in the book… It’s a story that stays with you a long time after it’s over, and I cannot recommend it enough.

OVERALL: A VERY CUTE STORY

I will say, however, there was a lot of plot going on and would have enjoyed more if it was a little shorter. I would forget about some aspects of the book (like his ability to see ghosts) because there was so much other stuff going on and there was a lot of space between mentions. There were also a lot of characters to keep track of. Loved seeing a queer story that was not particularly tragic. Perfect for this time of year.

I really enjoyed this one - great Jewish rep, but just wish some of the traditions/terminology were explained a bit more. I was familiar with some but I had to look quite a bit up to make sure I was really understanding what they were talking about.

I loved the opposites attract and the chemistry between the two main characters.

I love me a queer ghosty read! I also love that I got to learn Jewish funeral practices through this story, what a great side quest you get to go one. While I think there were a bit too many side stories on top of the main one, I enjoyed this read.

This novel was a charming ghost story without being a ghost story and also being a humorous blend of touching and romantic. It touches on a lot of topics like mortality and loss, romantic relationships, and don’t forget the ghosts!
Ezra had my heart and felt incredibly well written. The relationship Johnathan and Ezra had was so sweet. And I truly appreciated the way that Jewish traditions were incorporated respectfully instead of just being a character trait and written for a bit like I’ve so often seen.
Then we can’t forget the ghosts!! I felt that the ghosts definitely added flair and charm to this novel.
I think a lot of readers will relate to the characters here and possibly even learn something about themselves.
For being a debut novel, I think this was a hit and I’ll definitely be looking for more from this author again.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Publisher for the advanced e-copy of Rules for Ghosting, in exchange for an honest review.

"From the moment I picked up 'Rules for Ghosting' by Shelly Jay Shore, I was hooked with this multi-layered story. This book took me by surprise, I was initially expecting a queer, ghost- romcom, but I was pleasantly surprised by the depth and complexity of the narrative. The book delves into themes of grief, family drama, and queer love, all intertwined with the presence of ghosts. The main character, Ezra, is beautifully portrayed as a trans individual, adding an important layer of representation to the story.

I also appreciated the exploration of Jewish customs and the sensitive portrayal of death and funeral traditions. Each character felt unique and well-developed, and I couldn't help but become emotionally invested in their journeys. This is my first queer book and I truly enjoyed it.
It is a beautiful and thought-provoking read that tackles profound themes with grace and authenticity. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a captivating and heartfelt story."
4.25 Stars!

LOVED this book!

Rhe representation was fantastic, all the characters were beautifully written. I love books that not only treasure the romantic but also the platonic and familiar relationships of the MC and this one was fantastic at it. I loved it featured both born and found family relationships. All the characters felt so fleshed out and like real people I go to know. Ezra as a main character was fantastic, I love the care the author put into fleshing him out and putting thought into his family, career, trauma, and identity. This is such a fantastic portrayal of both trans and jewish rep. I also loved the ace rep from Ezra’s ex and the portrayal of their relationship as it transitioned from romantic to platonic. The main romance of this book was also lovely, it was gentle, realistic, and a lovely portrayal of grief and queer love

This book was just a lovely read all around!

Adored this book. It perfectly pairs the parallels of life and death and the messy spectrum of life and relationships between the two. I love how religion/Judaism is showcased and the traditions around death are depicted. This book has loads of amazing side characters that left you wanting more of their stories and a permanent place in my heart for Ezra and Jonathan.

This was such an unexpectedly lovely surprise! The setting of a Jewish funeral home was such a fascinating choice, and seeing everything through that lens absolutely brought the whole story to life.

4.5 stars out of 5!

A gorgeous story of learning to deal with ghosts, physical and emotionally. Went into this story thinking it would be more about Ezra and how he communicates with ghosts at the funeral home, but I got so much more from this story. Ezra is an amazingly written character that grows over the story and becomes such a love able character you are rooting for.

This book also contains queer, trans, and Jewish representation. I also loved the books theme of family, if that’s the family you are born to or if it’s your chosen family and who you surround yourself with. All of the characters in this book make it feel like you’re reading a story about your own family and friends.

Highly recommend this book to someone and is a book I will be talking about for a while.

Thank you NetGalley for this copy of “Rules for Ghosting”!

This was a good debut. I loved the representation of queer people as well as Jewish traditions. Unfortunately, the part I was looking most forward to (ghosts!) felt like it was really missing. I wish that would have been prominent.

All in all, I think this book will be well liked by a lot of people.

Also the cover is AMAZING and what drew me in. Whoever the artist is did an absolutely amazing job. I imagine this cool little book sitting on a moody apartment shelf surrounded by plants, essential oils and crystals (and a black cat) and I mean that as a total compliment!

The cast of characters were endearing and it was a concept was great, however the third point of view writing and pace of the book made it tough to get through.

This was such an interesting book! It was the perfect story to read during this time of the year. I loved how it celebrated life while also diving into the complexities of grief. The writing is so vibrant and it really sucked me in. I struggled a little bit with the pacing of this book but over all a great read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Dell for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

There were so many different aspects of this book that I loved! I loved the discussions around grief, how Ezra is a trans character, how Ezra is a doula, the Jewish representation and rituals, and so much more! The fact that this book wasn't predictable and like every other book was very enjoyable to me!

This would be a great book club book because there's so much to discuss!

thank you netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review. LOVED. this may be one of my favorite reads of the year. unique setting, great characters and overall very well written. i like her writing voice and also the way she writes dialogue.

I loved the story in this book, especially the cozy ghost element. However, the dialogue was a bit clunky and lackluster.

*3.5

This isn't a bad book I think it's just not for me. I felt like it didn't have a clear direction. I enjoyed Ezra and Jonathan and I wanted more of them. Maybe it would help if we got Jonathan's pov? But I'm not sure because it was still very much Ezra's story. Overall they are cute as a couple but I don't feel like the ghost element really added much to the story.

I received an arc through netgalley.