Ghost Friends Forever #1

*thank you to Netgalley and Papercutz for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars.
I had no idea that this was also a lesbian themed graphic novel! It was SO adorable and heartfelt. Plus it was about a (broken) family who are paranormal investigators. The daughter lives with the dad and the son lives with the mother. The kids want so badly to get the family back together and the heart felt emotions were evident. The kids are obviously in pain, struggling with the seperation of their parents and have avoided talking to each other. Well at the beginning anyway. The story then takes us to a ghost who died in the mid 90s and that Sophia can see. She wants to help Whitney (the ghost) remember what had happened to her all those years ago. I was really really pleased with this and I can't wait until the next in the series comes out! After that little bit of a message at the end, I'm really interested for book number 2!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

What starts as a way for Sophia to get on with her parents' ghost business turns into so much more, and I was just squeeing in delight every page that Sophia and Whitney got closer and closer, and I was worried and angry (at who did that) when Sophia couldn't see Whitney. Would she be able to see her again?

This book sure was a ride. I loved how Whitney and Sophia connected. They had an instant bond, and I just adored it. Sophia could tell Whitney all sorts of things, and Whitney was there to listen and give advice.

I liked figuring out what happened to Whitney, who the culprit was, and the reasons why it happened. I liked that it wasn't a reveal that happened instantly, instead it took much longer and was spread over the entire book.

Plus due to Whitney other things also came to light + it gave the parents a bit more of a spotlight.

We don't really find out much about why the parents got divorced. Yes, we get some hints, but not much. Something big happened, but that is it. Frankly, given that they still seem to love/care about each other I don't see why they even divorced in the first place. Did someone threaten them or their kids? I don't know. Hopefully we get some more answers in the next book.

The brother? What a terrible dorkweed that was. I am sorry that your best friend has a crush on your sister, but no need to go angry when she doesn't reciprocate those feelings and instead falls for someone different. Gee. And then there are many other times I just wanted to hurl him off a cliff. :|

I also didn't like what Jake and Whitney did at one point, it just felt out of place and weird. Plus later on it is like it never happened....

Then there was a problem with pacing issues. At times we are at x location and the next page is a whole different location. But you haven't had the feeling these characters actually moved. At times I just checked the page numbers to make sure that I was actually at the next page and not a few pages further. Case in point, after the parenting conference the mom returns home with notes from the kid and confronts him, the next page however is our group at the bridge again. And there are other instances in the story. It is quite jarring.

The art was so-so. It was a bit weird how a lot of the adults looked like teens (especially the dad) whereas the teens looked either older or their age. Perspectives are also a bit wonky at times (what is up with the giant teacher in one of the later pages?).

But all in all, this book definitely had its good moments. Whitney x Sophia (ship ship ship), the mystery of what happened to Whitney, the big battle/ending, that sweet thing on the last page, Sophia was a great character, I loved that each parent had something they were good in regarding the ghosts.

I will be reading the second volume when that one comes out.

This graphic novel is super cute! The artwork is great and the story line is fun. I would definitely recommend for a teen audience (or above, in my case). I am looking forward to the next installment.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book, which I voluntarily reviewed.

I enjoyed the illustrations. My students really enjoy stories with ghosts. I will recommend this item to my school librarian as she works on expanding on graphic novel selections.

Ghost Friends Forever: My Heart Lies in the 90's is the first installment in a graphic novel series for teens and tweens written by Monica Gallagher and with artwork by Kata Kane. Sophia Campos is only just getting used to her new life with her divorced dad and managing their business of helping ghosts, when she meets a ghost girl who changes everything. Not because she’s a ghost - but because of what it brings out in Sophia. Soon her brother, her best friend (who is also her old crush) Jake, and her parents are all entangled together on solving the case of the dead girl. Because she’s not just any average ghost girl. She also holds a piece of the puzzle to something Sophia cares about very much -what was the paranormal event that caused her parents to split up in the first place?

Ghost Friends Forever is a graphic novel that combines family drama, school conflicts, and the supernatural. I like that while many pieces of the story (crushes, divorce,school) are universal, I found that those universal feels carried over the the mystery and ghostly aspects of the story as well, making even the most fantastic moments feel real. Part of that was the deep character work with Sophia, and to a lesser extent the others. Family and relationship drama is something every tween and teen will face (not necessarily in the same degrees) and it just brings the emotional struggles Sophia faces more powerful. I liked the development of her brother as well, even though he does not always make the wisest choice, and the goodness of Jake just made me smile when the way their lives were interconnected was made clear. The art work added the detail and emotion needed to keep readers turning pages and enthralled in the story. I look forward to the chance to keep reading.

Ghost Friends Forever is a wonderful start to a new series. I liked the characters, their relationships, the underlying premise, and the artwork. I am eager to see what comes next.

Adorable! Loved the characters and the storyline was alot of fun! It's a great addition to our high school collection!