Thank you to PRH Audio influencer program for the free audiobook! And Dell for the eARC

Okay first off the narration is AMAZING. At any speed including 1x (hard to achieve in my opinion).

The actual content was also so interesting. This held more than the core romance, I also loved (and was equally devastated by) the queer rep in the side characters, plenty of life and death experiences as the main character is a birth doula but can see and speak to the dead. Side note I just thought it was incredible the idea of one of your ancestors hanging around watching in vague disappointment at you, what a MOOD.

Also, for a story to be about a man who can see his new partner’s deceased husband this story actually wasn’t that depressing. I felt so hopeful and healed by how that unfolded and I never felt like the ghost was a competing love interest or that the actual love interest wasn’t ready to move on, etc. they were such a good fit and this is addressed near the end.

I just really enjoyed this from start to finish and would highly recommend it.

This was such a delightful surprise! I adored the romance in this story for sure, but the themes of family and grief were so well done, and the Jewish representation was great, to boot. A perfect heartwarming spooky season read!

The cover of the book quickly grabbed my attention and the synopsis made me want to request this one. However, I feel that it was much more slow-paced than I anticipated.

What I thought was going to be a quirky paranormal romance, felt much more like a found family trope. While I have no issue what that trope, I did feel a little disappointed by the miscommunication.

I loved that there was such representation in this book though, queer and Jewish representation. I did especially enjoy the Jewish aspect as I learned about some of their customs.

All in all, I think this was a pretty good debut and I will look forward to reading more from Shelly Jay Shore someday.

Thank you NetGalley and Dell for the ARC.

the deadboy detective vibes were immaculate, i loved every single character and moment in this book! For a debut, it was so wonderfully written, I will definitely be picking up more by this author

thank you to netgalley and Dell for an e-arc!

I used to not think that I enjoyed paranormal romance - I know better than to say that now! The fact that this is a debut novel just astounds me and I cannot share enough praise for Shelly as she truly just deserves so much.

The representation in this book is top tier - I absolutely adored how Jewish customs were accurately represented, the Trans and LGBTQ+ representation - it was all incredibly well done. The inclusion is just wonderful.

Ezra, oh Ezra - he wormed his way into my heart in the opening pages, and I just grew to care more and more about him as I turned the pages and read more. Such a fantastic opening to this book, and the setting really is just haunting in such a way that you just find yourself wanting more. Jonathan is the absolute sweetest, kindest man of all and Ben? Ben is just dreamy in all aspects.

The found family trope is beautifully crafted and I found myself truly enjoying the intensive monologues. The romance was beautiful, and can we just talk about that first kiss? How endearing that was, how desperately it made me want to hug Ben - but alas, you can't hug a ghost!!

I loved the exploration of love, grief, loss, and finding strength to carry on. I loved this story so very much, and truly wish that I could read it for the first time again.

Thank you so much, Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine and NetGalley, for this amazingly beautiful e-Arc in exchange for my honest review.

Set in a Jewish family and community, Rules of Ghost is a humorous, touching, and incredibly charming blend of romance and ghost story. This remarkable book delves into loss, mortality, romantic relationships, the difficulties and demands of being the eldest daughter, and the existence of ghosts.

This novel has such wonderful characters, and Ezra really won my heart. I felt the relationship between Ezra and Jonathan was adorable, and I loved learning about the specifics of Ezra's family. And as a non-Jew, I also enjoyed learning more about Jewish traditions and festivals from this book.

The presence of ghosts in the story enhanced its charm. The way that mourning was handled and the spirits' involvement was wonderful, and it was good to watch how Jon and Ezra became closer and more understanding of one another. Additionally, every turn and twist was incredibly fascinating and even surprising in the greatest manner possible.

I believe that a wide range of readers would find this book to be insightful, endearing, fascinating, humorous, and even a little foolish. The concept of losing who you are and bearing the weight of others was addressed in an original manner.

Considering that this is Shelly Jay Shore's debut book, I am really impressed. I can't wait to read more books by this author.

I typically don’t gravitate towards books that feature paranormal activity but I’m so glad that I decided to give this book a shot! Ezra’s journey was endearing and I loved reading about his family and romantic journey!

What a unique and delightful debut novel!
Ezra Friedman has spent his whole life surrounded by ghosts, growing up in a funeral home with both the living and the dead casting judgment on him. He’s eager to leave that world behind, especially his grandfather’s lingering, disapproving spirit. But just as he’s ready to break free, his dream job falls apart, and his mom’s scandalous decision to run off with the rabbi’s wife brings disgrace to the family. Now, with the funeral home on the brink of collapse, Ezra has no choice but to return. Thankfully, Jonathan, a volunteer at the funeral home, adds a bit of light to the situation—though things get complicated when Ezra starts seeing Jonathan’s late husband, Ben, who becomes the first ghost to actually communicate with him.
This book offers a mix of family drama, romance, and a deep dive into themes of grief and healing. It does start off a little fast, but once you get past the initial setup, the story really draws you in. The LGBTQIA+ representation feels legit, and the way the book weaves together ideas about life, death, and moving forward is handled with care. The characters, especially the family and friends, are easy to connect with, and there’s an underlying sense of hope throughout the story. Overall, it's an emotional, thoughtful read with just the right amount of magic and heart.

When I started reading Rules for Ghosting, I began with the ebook, and I found myself becoming uninterested due to the slightly long setup. However, I starting listening to the audiobook shortly after and ended up loving it! It's proof that a different format of a book can really help it sing.

Petey Gibson truly brings Ezra and his community to life, allowing every drop of emotion, sarcasm, and grief to shine. I found myself relating to the Friedmans and their dynamics thanks to Gibson's distinct voice and cadence for each person. In addition, Shore's humor throughout the book can be dry or hard to miss for some readers. The audiobook hits every punchline, big or small, so I found myself laughing a bit more than when I was reading.

Definitely pick this one up if you're looking for a paranormal story that will make you laugh while you cry, cry while you laugh, and be very thankful that your last Passover was nowhere near as dramatic as this one!

Oh my gosh was this amazing!!! LGBTQIA+ and Jewish?? I love it. Ezra was a perfect main character, and his family and friends were the best secondaries. The story kept me wondering what would happen next, and kept me cheering Ezra on. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Sweet but difficult, emotional read about Ezra, a trans man who sees ghosts, his family’s funeral home (and gay drama), and his new love interest with Jonathan, his downstairs neighbor slash coworker who happens to be the grieving widow of Ezra’s latest ghost sighting. This book reminds me a lot of TJ Klune’s Under the Whispering Door, with its themes of chosen and found family, redemption, and love that crosses the boundaries of life and death. It’s so much more than a lighthearted queer/trans romance, and it deals heavily with themes of grief, dysphoria, and family discord. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to others, especially queer & trans folks or those who are looking for a book on grief.

Thanks to Ballentine and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

What a wonderful story of romance, grief, transition, and family. I loved Ezra, he was such a great and complex character. I liked how the author unfurled his story with Jonathan's, giving us more and more about Jonathan and Ben's as he and Ezra grew closer. The family and found family in this book is great and the Jewish rep was top notch. I also love getting stories of Jews who live somewhere other than NYC. The author did a great job of bringing a lot of different B and C plots together at the end in a way that didn't feel rushed or perfect; they were still appropriately messy like families are.

Overall, I can't wait for Shelly Jay Shore's next book, this was fantastic!

I was excited to get approved for this one via NetGalley but ultimately it fell a bit flat for me. Parts of the story were enjoyable, and I'll definitely give this author another try but this felt like she was trying to put too much into the story and it didn't quite come together well enough, imo.

This book has great Jewish and Trans representation. It is found family, grief, and romance. While it also has a paranormal angle, I expected that to feel like a bigger part of the story than it actually ended up being. I think people's reviews show they are surprised that this book is fairly heavy and slow paced. If you go in with that expectation (as opposed to expecting a lighter paranormal romance) you will enjoy this book like I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ramdon House Books (Ballantine | Dell) for my ARC.

Very cute, seasonal story. I loved, loved, loved the representation of trans individuals - that was actually one of my favorite aspects of the story. Having a trans main character was amazing, and being able to go on that journey, while maybe not the only portion of the story, was the most striking to me.

Additionally, I appreciated the representation of Judaism in the story. I am not Jewish, so I think it’s important for me to read about it.

However, and unfortunately, I didn’t love the writing style. Sometimes, the writing felt disjointed, or difficult to follow the story. This may very well be a “me” thing. There are others who I feel would love this story. I will not be publicly posting a review for this book, as I don’t like to leave less than a 4-star review. I feel that many would love this book, and I don’t want a 3-star rating to deter them!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book.
I really wanted to like this but I just couldn’t get into it.
I DNF’d this book at 15%.
I think there was too much going on and character jumping , where I had to constantly go back to figure out who I was reading about again.
So far I found out that the main character grew up as a girl but now identifies as male, and he sees ghosts, sometimes in the form of how they died. His family owns a mortuary but he is trying to continue work as a Doula. He thinks instead of seeing death all day, he rather be a part of life. During a family gathering, mom decides to drop a bombshell and tell everyone she is in love with one of her old friends, who also is a woman. Because of this, Ezra now has to pick up slack at the family business.

I will try to pick this back up, but right now I just couldn’t. I’m giving 2 stars because I don’t think the story is bad, I just didn’t stay interested in it enough and had to constantly re-read through the chapter just to gather what’s going on.

DNF

This one is part romance, part family drama mixed with some ghosts. I enjoyed learning about Jewish traditions, but ultimately the story was moving too slowly for me.

🗣 Thank you to netgalley and Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book via gifted eARC! All opinions are honest and my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advance copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. I did not like this book, I feel I was mislead at this being marketed as a romance it is a book with a romance but not a romance book. This is more a book about grief and family trauma. I also felt this book was more marketed about the ghosts than the book is actually about. I also found the writing very dragging. I might have enjoyed this more if the marketing was more accurate.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED TO ME???

this book started with the epigraph, "to all the oldest daughters, current and former. let this be your reminder to breathe." which should have warned me to get some water for rehydration and a lot of kleenex. i essentially metabolized decades of feelings in the course of a 10 hour audiobook that i listened to on high speed, which was arguably too fast? but i've sort of felt incredible ever since finishing.

okay but onto the book, since this isn't just about my fast-track family therapy. the oldest child in a family that runs a jewish funeral home comes back to temporarily cover all the office duties, and starts having feelings for a man who is a part of the chevra kadisha. oh, and he also sees the ghost of this guy's ex husband. oh, and his queer collective house that he just moved into is in the same building as this man's apartment. and also his family is falling apart and he feels responsible for keeping everything together. big "i've seen ghosts my whole life but didn't tell anyone because that seemed like it would stress other people out so i just handled it on my own" energy.

this MIGHT be the final book in my top 5 romances of the year but september does seem a bit early to commit. TBC!

Ezra Friedman can see ghosts which is difficult when your family runs a funeral home. When Ezra loses his dream job (away from the family) and his mother decides to run away with the rabbi's wife, Ezra reluctantly comes home to help his family and their dying business (no pun intended).

Ezra also has the unfortunate luck of having a crush on Jonathan who is a volunteer at the funeral home and whose dead husband Ben is a talking ghost who is haunting him.

I enjoyed the plot and thought it was a fun read. There were a few parts of the story that were left unanswered for me, but I liked the characters and their development but wish there was a little more at the end.