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The Ghost of Us
Eighteen-year-old ghost hunter Cara is determined to escape life as a high school outcast by finding proof of the supernatural. Yet when she stumbles upon the spirit of Aiden, a popular upperclassman who died the previous year, she learns that ghosts have goals of their own. In the wake of his death, Aiden’s little sister, Meredith, has become a depressed recluse, and Aiden can’t pass on into the afterlife until he knows she’ll be okay. Believing that nothing pulls someone out of a slump like romance, he makes Cara a seduce Meredith out of her shell and take her to prom, and Aiden will give Cara all the evidence she needs for fame. If not, well―no dates, no ghost.
Wooing the standoffish Meredith isn’t going to be easy, however. With Aiden’s coaching, Cara slowly manages to win Meredith over―but finds herself accidentally falling for her in the process. Worse as Meredith gets happier and Aiden’s mission nears completion, his ghost begins to fade. Can Cara continue to date Meredith under false pretenses, especially if it means Aiden will vanish forever? Or should she tell Meredith the truth, and risk both of them hating her? And either way, will she lose her only shot at proving ghosts are real?
Wooing the standoffish Meredith isn’t going to be easy, however. With Aiden’s coaching, Cara slowly manages to win Meredith over―but finds herself accidentally falling for her in the process. Worse as Meredith gets happier and Aiden’s mission nears completion, his ghost begins to fade. Can Cara continue to date Meredith under false pretenses, especially if it means Aiden will vanish forever? Or should she tell Meredith the truth, and risk both of them hating her? And either way, will she lose her only shot at proving ghosts are real?
336 pages, Hardcover
First published June 6, 2024
64 people are currently reading
9387 people want to read
About the author
James L. Sutter
116 books209 followersJames L. Sutter is a co-creator of the best-selling Pathfinder and Starfinder roleplaying games. He’s the author of the young adult romance novels DARKHEARTS and THE GHOST OF US, as well as the fantasy novels DEATH'S HERETIC and THE REDEMPTION ENGINE. His short stories have appeared in Nightmare, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, the #1 Amazon best-seller Machine of Death, and more. James lives in Seattle, where he's performed with musical acts ranging from metalcore to musical theater.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 296 reviews
April 9, 2024
Actual rating 3.5 stars.
Let’s start with the cover. Isn’t it stunning? A cover like this deserves a fantastic story. Did it deliver? For the most part, yes, even though I have some critical remarks (hence my 3.5-star rating).
The Ghost of Us is about Cara, who loves to hunt ghosts since her Nana died. When Aiden’s ghost, the popular boy who died a year ago, manages to contact her, they’re both over the moon. Cara because she’s finally able to talk to a ghost, Aiden because he wants to help his sister Meredith, who is grieving his death. So they make a pact.
Despite this being a story about a dead boy and his grieving sister, The Ghost of Us is light and funny. I think it’s mainly because the conversations between Cara and Aiden are pretty hilarious. Add the sweet moments between Cara and Meredith, and the story made me smile and chuckle instead of cry. The few sad moments didn’t do anything with my emotions. And this is precisely what I have mixed feelings about.
I guess I wanted to feel the grief more, Meredith’s pain about the brother she lost, the brother she depended so much on. Therefore, I longed to read Meredith’s POV. She was such an interesting person (more than Cara, in my opinion), but I felt I didn’t get to know her well enough. For me, it would have made the story more complete. But overall, this was a fast and enjoyable read, and I recommend it to all of you who love to read funny and sweet stories with a flawed (in this case, rather selfish) main character.
I rounded my rating down for now, but I might change my opinion. I’m not sure about it yet.
Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley!
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Let’s start with the cover. Isn’t it stunning? A cover like this deserves a fantastic story. Did it deliver? For the most part, yes, even though I have some critical remarks (hence my 3.5-star rating).
The Ghost of Us is about Cara, who loves to hunt ghosts since her Nana died. When Aiden’s ghost, the popular boy who died a year ago, manages to contact her, they’re both over the moon. Cara because she’s finally able to talk to a ghost, Aiden because he wants to help his sister Meredith, who is grieving his death. So they make a pact.
Despite this being a story about a dead boy and his grieving sister, The Ghost of Us is light and funny. I think it’s mainly because the conversations between Cara and Aiden are pretty hilarious. Add the sweet moments between Cara and Meredith, and the story made me smile and chuckle instead of cry. The few sad moments didn’t do anything with my emotions. And this is precisely what I have mixed feelings about.
I guess I wanted to feel the grief more, Meredith’s pain about the brother she lost, the brother she depended so much on. Therefore, I longed to read Meredith’s POV. She was such an interesting person (more than Cara, in my opinion), but I felt I didn’t get to know her well enough. For me, it would have made the story more complete. But overall, this was a fast and enjoyable read, and I recommend it to all of you who love to read funny and sweet stories with a flawed (in this case, rather selfish) main character.
I rounded my rating down for now, but I might change my opinion. I’m not sure about it yet.
Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley!
Follow me on Instagram
March 23, 2025
I sincerely believe that men shouldn't write sapphic story. I was skeptical when I learned that the author was a man but the synopsis was interesting enough so I thought I would give it a chance. And from the first chapter we had Cara said that she would let Maya Hawke explore her "upside down." The innuendo and sexual undertones didn't stop there. Cara is a 18 years old bisexual but she read like a pubescent boy with her constant horny thoughts regarding the love interest.
I couldn't get how cruel and self-absorbed Cara was. The premise was about Cara helping a dead teenage boy with his depressed sister but it quickly fell apart. Cara didn't love Meredith, she's in lust with her. She constantly sexualized Meredith for no reason and it's clear how she's written from a perspective of a man. On that note, the author has a strange obsession with sweat and armpits. Let’s get back on how Cara was the worst MC. She had a friend who stood by her side and supported her through thick and thin. Regardless of that, Cara constantly talked shit about her friend, and mocked her belief because Cara thought her friend abandoned her to go to college. Not only that, she repeatedly lied to Meredith and led her on for Cara's personal gains. I hate her "woe is me" attitude and how she thought everyone was out to get her and she was always right about everything. She continued to be terrible to everyone until the last 10 pages and the flip in her attitude or her "redemption" was unrealistic.
A lot of Aiden, the dead teenage boy's lines were supposed to be hilarious and typical for a teenager but it came across as crude and sleazy. Aiden cared about his sister in a way that an owner cared about their dog. The way he talked about her was condescending and it was creepy how he observed their kisses and orchestrated their promposal.
There're several useless characters like the bullies or the ghost hunter guy who showed up for 5 seconds and fell off. Also, there’re 7373737373 pop culture references that was as unnecessary as the paranormal elements in this book. I also didn't understand why the author chose to mention shaved legs and the metoo movement.
Overall, save yourself. Don't waste time on this book when you could find much better sapphic books by sapphic authors.
I couldn't get how cruel and self-absorbed Cara was. The premise was about Cara helping a dead teenage boy with his depressed sister but it quickly fell apart. Cara didn't love Meredith, she's in lust with her. She constantly sexualized Meredith for no reason and it's clear how she's written from a perspective of a man. On that note, the author has a strange obsession with sweat and armpits. Let’s get back on how Cara was the worst MC. She had a friend who stood by her side and supported her through thick and thin. Regardless of that, Cara constantly talked shit about her friend, and mocked her belief because Cara thought her friend abandoned her to go to college. Not only that, she repeatedly lied to Meredith and led her on for Cara's personal gains. I hate her "woe is me" attitude and how she thought everyone was out to get her and she was always right about everything. She continued to be terrible to everyone until the last 10 pages and the flip in her attitude or her "redemption" was unrealistic.
A lot of Aiden, the dead teenage boy's lines were supposed to be hilarious and typical for a teenager but it came across as crude and sleazy. Aiden cared about his sister in a way that an owner cared about their dog. The way he talked about her was condescending and it was creepy how he observed their kisses and orchestrated their promposal.
There're several useless characters like the bullies or the ghost hunter guy who showed up for 5 seconds and fell off. Also, there’re 7373737373 pop culture references that was as unnecessary as the paranormal elements in this book. I also didn't understand why the author chose to mention shaved legs and the metoo movement.
Overall, save yourself. Don't waste time on this book when you could find much better sapphic books by sapphic authors.
Read
June 3, 2024For this year's Pride Month, a man releases a lesbian romance with the same tone as the sort of guy in the smoking area at nightclubs who yells at you to kiss your female friends because "it's really hot!". Groundbreaking.
The Ghost of Us follows eighteen-year-old Cara, an aspiring ghost-hunter who's dreading having to stay in her small hometown after high school graduation since the college she applied to didn't accept her - not to mention that her only friend, Holly, will be leaving to go to a Bible college miles away. However, Cara's luck begins to look up when she encounters the ghost of Aiden, an ex-student at her high school who died tragically while exploring an abandoned factory. While Cara is excited to reveal her huge discovery on her youtube channel, Aiden will help her on one condition: he can't pass on until he knows his younger sister, Meredith, is happy, so he wants Cara to take her to prom.
As someone who was a huge fan of Buzzfeed Unsolved during the height of its popularity, so the youtube ghost-hunting trend is really close to my heart: consequently, while I was excited to read this book - after all, the cover is truly gorgeous - it fell completely and utterly flat. The use of paranormal investigating barely transcends its position as a setpiece: since much of the conversation around grief is filtered to us through Cara, much of the potential here is lost.
As you might know from my reading habits, I read a lot of horror, which means I'm used to protagonists who are unlikeable at best, and horrifying to read at worst. The difference with our leading lady Cara is that the narrative never fails to (try and) hit you over the head with how much you *should* like her. Cara is self-centered (not helped by her insufferable first-person narration), whinging, and borderline narcissistic: nothing she does is ever her fault, even when it pointedly is, because wouldn't you believe it, she's unpopular in high school. Her only friend, Holly, is repeatedly made the subject of narrative eyerolls because she's a Catholic who doesn't believe in intimacy before marriage (she and her boyfriend Elvis don't even kiss, something viewed through a lens of humour rather than Cara's tolerance of the one person who comes close to tolerating *her*). She even manages to make love-interest Meredith's depression following her brother's death about her, for on their rock climbing date, Cara goes off on a grotesque tangent about how depressed girls don't shave their legs and that her calves must be "like the Black Forest" - but maybe she shaved for *her*? I'll also repeat the fact that Cara is eighteen. She doesn't read her age, and instead oscillates between sounding like she's twelve or like a thirty-year-old: during one of the scenes in which she is obnoxiously horny, she starts going on about her "No-No Zone" (ew), insults someone by referring to them as a "douche-nozzle" when it's already established that characters swear in-text, and in the very first chapter, she describes her outfit as 'snatched', which I don't think has been used unironically since 2019. Her meme references are about as unbearable:
"'I just think they're neat.' Great, now I was the Marge Simpson potato meme."
Wow. Should we invite Big Chungus along too?
About half of the book is just cultural references which are already in the process of aging like milk: a novel's editorial and marketing processes take a while, and nowhere is this clearer than in the references. We establish that Cara's horny for Maya Hawke from Stranger Things before we learn much else about her (being horny is one of her very few character traits), and we also get all sorts of pointless references to Disney's Frozen, Euphoria, Game of Thrones, and pretty much every other 2010s franchise in existence - Holly is even described as having a "Grumpy Cat scowl" at one point - which gives the novel the sense of being already outdated, and will only get more outdated as time goes on. It's much more effectively done with the fictional band that Meredith likes, which not only allows readers to learn about the constructed world through Cara's eyes, but gives it a bit of substance. By relying on constant cultural references, this only succeeds in flattening the characters, and giving the novel the impression that it's unable to exist by itself.
In the grand scheme of the novel itself, one of the most egregious aspects is the sapphic relationship itself. I'm not saying that every YA queer romance needs to be soft and sweet like Heartstopper, but it's so grossly oversexualised that it reads as almost disgusting in numerous places, which isn't helped by the juvenile tone (I must unfortunately remind you of the "No-No Zone" comment), while I genuinely think Meredith's backside gets more on-page references than her face. We also get the narrative device of 'Voyeuristic Perverted Teenage Boy", since Aiden's ghost, despite his parroting that he loves Meredith and wants her to be happy, makes such comments as "You sure seemed on a mission earlier. A bold expedition to the bottom of my sister's panties." (WHAT) Even the youtuber Cara is determined to work with insists on wearing fictionalised Google Glasses in case any of his fans try to utilise the MeToo movement against him. Seriously.
If there was a part of the book that might have been almost compelling, it's the tiny amount of references to Cara’s backstory that we get. Previously homeschooled, Cara jumps at the chance when classmate Sophia expresses interest in her via Snapchat, only for Sophia to save the sexualised images she sends and spreads them around the school. Is this an issue currently facing YA readers, especially in the age of AI and deepfakes? Yes. Does this place us in a position to understand Cara's relationship with her sexuality? Yes. Is this issue promptly solved when Meredith insults Sophia about soiling herself at the age of about 6, only for Sophia to storm off and never feature on page again? Also yes. Again, these characters are eighteen, about to graduate and head to university: not to speak for everyone, but when I finished school, we were more focused on university applications and visiting campuses than slinging primary school era insults, and were more socially aware than to mock victims of online abuse (something which happened at several schools near me). It's a compelling issue to tackle in a YA book, but in the same way as the paranormal investigation, it never goes any further than set-dressing.
Overall, while I went into this with an open, even excited, mind, I was disappointed almost from the beginning. Characters are flat, the plot relies on miscommunication which can be easily resolved on numerous occasions, and almost every part of the romance feels sleazy. Even if this book wasn't being released during Pride Month, I can wholeheartedly say that young sapphic girls deserve better than tone-deaf stories with little substance.
Thank you to Andersen Press and NetGalley for an eArc in exchange for an honest review.
The Ghost of Us follows eighteen-year-old Cara, an aspiring ghost-hunter who's dreading having to stay in her small hometown after high school graduation since the college she applied to didn't accept her - not to mention that her only friend, Holly, will be leaving to go to a Bible college miles away. However, Cara's luck begins to look up when she encounters the ghost of Aiden, an ex-student at her high school who died tragically while exploring an abandoned factory. While Cara is excited to reveal her huge discovery on her youtube channel, Aiden will help her on one condition: he can't pass on until he knows his younger sister, Meredith, is happy, so he wants Cara to take her to prom.
As someone who was a huge fan of Buzzfeed Unsolved during the height of its popularity, so the youtube ghost-hunting trend is really close to my heart: consequently, while I was excited to read this book - after all, the cover is truly gorgeous - it fell completely and utterly flat. The use of paranormal investigating barely transcends its position as a setpiece: since much of the conversation around grief is filtered to us through Cara, much of the potential here is lost.
As you might know from my reading habits, I read a lot of horror, which means I'm used to protagonists who are unlikeable at best, and horrifying to read at worst. The difference with our leading lady Cara is that the narrative never fails to (try and) hit you over the head with how much you *should* like her. Cara is self-centered (not helped by her insufferable first-person narration), whinging, and borderline narcissistic: nothing she does is ever her fault, even when it pointedly is, because wouldn't you believe it, she's unpopular in high school. Her only friend, Holly, is repeatedly made the subject of narrative eyerolls because she's a Catholic who doesn't believe in intimacy before marriage (she and her boyfriend Elvis don't even kiss, something viewed through a lens of humour rather than Cara's tolerance of the one person who comes close to tolerating *her*). She even manages to make love-interest Meredith's depression following her brother's death about her, for on their rock climbing date, Cara goes off on a grotesque tangent about how depressed girls don't shave their legs and that her calves must be "like the Black Forest" - but maybe she shaved for *her*? I'll also repeat the fact that Cara is eighteen. She doesn't read her age, and instead oscillates between sounding like she's twelve or like a thirty-year-old: during one of the scenes in which she is obnoxiously horny, she starts going on about her "No-No Zone" (ew), insults someone by referring to them as a "douche-nozzle" when it's already established that characters swear in-text, and in the very first chapter, she describes her outfit as 'snatched', which I don't think has been used unironically since 2019. Her meme references are about as unbearable:
"'I just think they're neat.' Great, now I was the Marge Simpson potato meme."
Wow. Should we invite Big Chungus along too?
About half of the book is just cultural references which are already in the process of aging like milk: a novel's editorial and marketing processes take a while, and nowhere is this clearer than in the references. We establish that Cara's horny for Maya Hawke from Stranger Things before we learn much else about her (being horny is one of her very few character traits), and we also get all sorts of pointless references to Disney's Frozen, Euphoria, Game of Thrones, and pretty much every other 2010s franchise in existence - Holly is even described as having a "Grumpy Cat scowl" at one point - which gives the novel the sense of being already outdated, and will only get more outdated as time goes on. It's much more effectively done with the fictional band that Meredith likes, which not only allows readers to learn about the constructed world through Cara's eyes, but gives it a bit of substance. By relying on constant cultural references, this only succeeds in flattening the characters, and giving the novel the impression that it's unable to exist by itself.
In the grand scheme of the novel itself, one of the most egregious aspects is the sapphic relationship itself. I'm not saying that every YA queer romance needs to be soft and sweet like Heartstopper, but it's so grossly oversexualised that it reads as almost disgusting in numerous places, which isn't helped by the juvenile tone (I must unfortunately remind you of the "No-No Zone" comment), while I genuinely think Meredith's backside gets more on-page references than her face. We also get the narrative device of 'Voyeuristic Perverted Teenage Boy", since Aiden's ghost, despite his parroting that he loves Meredith and wants her to be happy, makes such comments as "You sure seemed on a mission earlier. A bold expedition to the bottom of my sister's panties." (WHAT) Even the youtuber Cara is determined to work with insists on wearing fictionalised Google Glasses in case any of his fans try to utilise the MeToo movement against him. Seriously.
If there was a part of the book that might have been almost compelling, it's the tiny amount of references to Cara’s backstory that we get. Previously homeschooled, Cara jumps at the chance when classmate Sophia expresses interest in her via Snapchat, only for Sophia to save the sexualised images she sends and spreads them around the school. Is this an issue currently facing YA readers, especially in the age of AI and deepfakes? Yes. Does this place us in a position to understand Cara's relationship with her sexuality? Yes. Is this issue promptly solved when Meredith insults Sophia about soiling herself at the age of about 6, only for Sophia to storm off and never feature on page again? Also yes. Again, these characters are eighteen, about to graduate and head to university: not to speak for everyone, but when I finished school, we were more focused on university applications and visiting campuses than slinging primary school era insults, and were more socially aware than to mock victims of online abuse (something which happened at several schools near me). It's a compelling issue to tackle in a YA book, but in the same way as the paranormal investigation, it never goes any further than set-dressing.
Overall, while I went into this with an open, even excited, mind, I was disappointed almost from the beginning. Characters are flat, the plot relies on miscommunication which can be easily resolved on numerous occasions, and almost every part of the romance feels sleazy. Even if this book wasn't being released during Pride Month, I can wholeheartedly say that young sapphic girls deserve better than tone-deaf stories with little substance.
Thank you to Andersen Press and NetGalley for an eArc in exchange for an honest review.
May 23, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
Thank you NetGalley and Andersen Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This was a super sweet young adult romance, with a bit of a twist. The premise was so interesting and the writing was very engaging.
I liked watching Cara and Meredith’s relationship blossom, and I seriously loved the exchanges between Cara and Aiden. Although I wasn’t so keen on Cara as a character overall - she was too selfish for my liking - I could appreciate the teen angst for what it was.
The main criticism that I have is that I never got to really revel in any serious emotion. The story would have had more impact if the book had chapters from Meredith’s point of view; losing her brother would have been a heartbreaking event to go through, yet the vibe of the story was more lighthearted and playful than deep and emotional.
Nevertheless, it was a lovely book and a very easy young adult read 🥰
Thank you NetGalley and Andersen Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This was a super sweet young adult romance, with a bit of a twist. The premise was so interesting and the writing was very engaging.
I liked watching Cara and Meredith’s relationship blossom, and I seriously loved the exchanges between Cara and Aiden. Although I wasn’t so keen on Cara as a character overall - she was too selfish for my liking - I could appreciate the teen angst for what it was.
The main criticism that I have is that I never got to really revel in any serious emotion. The story would have had more impact if the book had chapters from Meredith’s point of view; losing her brother would have been a heartbreaking event to go through, yet the vibe of the story was more lighthearted and playful than deep and emotional.
Nevertheless, it was a lovely book and a very easy young adult read 🥰
October 25, 2024
3.5 to 4 stars
The cover is really what pulled me into reading this. Overall, I enjoyed it. I loved the fact that Cara (a ghost hunter) found a true ghost. It was a beautiful story to watch her help him get closure to pass on, but it was also a beautiful romance novel. I think the banter between Cara and the MMC was a bit hilarious, I did expect to laugh a bit during this, but I did. Overall, it was great, but I wish there was more depth to some of the other characters, and their stories expanded more.
The cover is really what pulled me into reading this. Overall, I enjoyed it. I loved the fact that Cara (a ghost hunter) found a true ghost. It was a beautiful story to watch her help him get closure to pass on, but it was also a beautiful romance novel. I think the banter between Cara and the MMC was a bit hilarious, I did expect to laugh a bit during this, but I did. Overall, it was great, but I wish there was more depth to some of the other characters, and their stories expanded more.
August 24, 2025
A book so vile I had to dnf it before I even made it halfway.
You may be wondering, why has a grown man written a book about teenage sapphics? That's a little strange, but I'm sure if it's been published traditionally, it's been through enough rounds of edits to make sure it isn't problematic. Let's give it a try!
Because . . . that's what I thought. The premise and the cover drew me in, despite the doubts I had about the author.
It started out okay. Not the most interesting book in the world - the characters feel a bit one-dimensional, and the writing is awkward - but I'll see how it goes, I thought. But that was when the foulness of it all really started, from very gross lines from the male ghost character, to the sexualisation of the teenage girls.
This. Book. Is. Disgusting.
I'm going to go over some of the worst lines so you don't have to.
First, in a flashback to middle school about the MC's first crush: 'Spaghetti strap camis showing off pale shoulders and cleavage that could have skipped a few grades.' Yes, this is about a MIDDLE SCHOOLER. WHY IS A GROWN MAN WRITING ABOUT A MIDDLE SCHOOLER'S BIG BOOBS? I DO NOT CARE IF IT'S FROM THE POV OF A SAPPHIC GIRL THE SAME AGE, THIS IS FOUL FOR A GROWN MAN TO WRITE.
Next a name-drop of the author's other book that I will definitely not be reading now: 'Listen to 'asleep at the altar' and tell me you aren't snail-trailing your panties.' This was from the boy ghost to the female MC and is just . . . wholly unnecessary. Why was the author even thinking such things? Why are you thinking this about a teenage girl?
This one was just . . . why: '"French fries" Aiden moaned with pornographic longing.'
And this is the one that made me put the book down permanently after trying to give it a chance: 'Sophia made a show of surprise, glossy pout forming the perfect sex doll O.' I don't think this should even need explaining, but comparing a grown woman to a sex doll is already absolutely despicable. So why would you say this about an underage girl? This is unforgivably foul. I'd be disgusted to read this kind of line in any book, but the fact that a man wrote it makes it even more horrifying.
There was also the very religious best friend character that was handled quite strangely. It seemed that for the most part the MC was supportive of her friend's religion, but there were a couple of lines that made jabs at religion that seemed unnecessary. (See line from the ghost: 'Her entire religion is based on Mary raw-dogging the Holy Ghost.')
I don't care for religion, but I still felt like there was no need to make fun of anyone, especially in such a gross way. Similarly, the MC makes fun of spiritual practices/beliefs like tarot and psychics several times for no reason - in a book where she's talking to a ghost! What FOR?
I'm absolutely baffled that a book like this would even get published, and I'm sure there would have been many worse lines to read had I finished it. But I couldn't force myself to because it was genuinely sickening.
I would normally say thank you to the publisher (Walker Books Australia) for providing me with an ARC to review, but actually, no thank you. I'm considering reaching out to them to suggest they pull this book because . . . whose idea was this? Since it's a US book that the Australian publisher seems to have bought the rights to, I'm wondering if anyone at Walker actually read it or if they're just distributing it. Either way, if I were them I'd be reconsidering having this on my list, especially as a respected children's publisher.
You may be wondering, why has a grown man written a book about teenage sapphics? That's a little strange, but I'm sure if it's been published traditionally, it's been through enough rounds of edits to make sure it isn't problematic. Let's give it a try!
Because . . . that's what I thought. The premise and the cover drew me in, despite the doubts I had about the author.
It started out okay. Not the most interesting book in the world - the characters feel a bit one-dimensional, and the writing is awkward - but I'll see how it goes, I thought. But that was when the foulness of it all really started, from very gross lines from the male ghost character, to the sexualisation of the teenage girls.
This. Book. Is. Disgusting.
I'm going to go over some of the worst lines so you don't have to.
First, in a flashback to middle school about the MC's first crush: 'Spaghetti strap camis showing off pale shoulders and cleavage that could have skipped a few grades.' Yes, this is about a MIDDLE SCHOOLER. WHY IS A GROWN MAN WRITING ABOUT A MIDDLE SCHOOLER'S BIG BOOBS? I DO NOT CARE IF IT'S FROM THE POV OF A SAPPHIC GIRL THE SAME AGE, THIS IS FOUL FOR A GROWN MAN TO WRITE.
Next a name-drop of the author's other book that I will definitely not be reading now: 'Listen to 'asleep at the altar' and tell me you aren't snail-trailing your panties.' This was from the boy ghost to the female MC and is just . . . wholly unnecessary. Why was the author even thinking such things? Why are you thinking this about a teenage girl?
This one was just . . . why: '"French fries" Aiden moaned with pornographic longing.'
And this is the one that made me put the book down permanently after trying to give it a chance: 'Sophia made a show of surprise, glossy pout forming the perfect sex doll O.' I don't think this should even need explaining, but comparing a grown woman to a sex doll is already absolutely despicable. So why would you say this about an underage girl? This is unforgivably foul. I'd be disgusted to read this kind of line in any book, but the fact that a man wrote it makes it even more horrifying.
There was also the very religious best friend character that was handled quite strangely. It seemed that for the most part the MC was supportive of her friend's religion, but there were a couple of lines that made jabs at religion that seemed unnecessary. (See line from the ghost: 'Her entire religion is based on Mary raw-dogging the Holy Ghost.')
I don't care for religion, but I still felt like there was no need to make fun of anyone, especially in such a gross way. Similarly, the MC makes fun of spiritual practices/beliefs like tarot and psychics several times for no reason - in a book where she's talking to a ghost! What FOR?
I'm absolutely baffled that a book like this would even get published, and I'm sure there would have been many worse lines to read had I finished it. But I couldn't force myself to because it was genuinely sickening.
I would normally say thank you to the publisher (Walker Books Australia) for providing me with an ARC to review, but actually, no thank you. I'm considering reaching out to them to suggest they pull this book because . . . whose idea was this? Since it's a US book that the Australian publisher seems to have bought the rights to, I'm wondering if anyone at Walker actually read it or if they're just distributing it. Either way, if I were them I'd be reconsidering having this on my list, especially as a respected children's publisher.
Want to read
February 21, 2024i think i actually would’ve cried if i didn’t get the arc
lesbian paranormal romance with a gorgeous cover?? umm, yes?? sign me up!!
lesbian paranormal romance with a gorgeous cover?? umm, yes?? sign me up!!
June 19, 2024
I liked it a lot but for me, the end was a bit too rushed and easy, I saw no real redemption work there. But overall a nice read.
June 11, 2024
(2.5)
I'm breaking out the proper capitalization on this one, but unlike the last two times I've ever decided to acknowledge my education and home training, it's because this book did not offer me a good time
Darkhearts was a really fun time when I read it last summer, but I went into this more hesitant because I'll always have some initial distrust of men writing women — especially teenage girls — regardless of how much I like their work. Misogyny knows no bounds! While there's nothing blatantly, glaring, and in-your-face capital S Sexist, I can't help but wonder if the issues I have with this book come from the fact the author is a man writing female characters.
Cara is an insufferable protagonist. This is not to minimize her middle school trauma (which I will not spoil) which is genuinely a terrible instance of bullying and social isolation, but she's so self-pitying that there is little room for any more empathy than what any reader would already have for someone in the same situation. She's going to be stuck in her backwater (completely made up) rural Washington town while her only friend goes off to college in the fall, but there isn't a very good reason as to why. She is determined to explore only one option: Going viral on her ghost-hunting YouTube channel and riding the wave of fame out of wherever west of the Cascades she lives (seriously, where is this fake town). Community college? Fuck that! She's going to go down the path that every washed-up content creator does but it's actually going to work for her!
This leads to her participation in what I can only refer to as Lesbian Dear Evan Hansen. Cara gains the ability to communicate with Aiden, the ghost of a kid a year older than her, and in exchange for him making her a famous ghost hunter, she'll check up on his sister, Meredith, and make sure that she becomes at least a fraction of the social butterfly that Aiden thinks she can be. This, of course, means that Cara needs to take Meredith to prom, even though they've never interacted and Cara has no reason to talk to her other than the fact that she's being haunted by Meredith's brother. Sure, the Dear Evan Hansen comparison isn't 1:1, but at the end of the day, our protagonist uses the death of a girl's loved one to date her under false pretenses.
Meredith is yanked around for the entire book without even knowing it, and instead of trying to use big words to explain why that put me off, I'll just say that it gave me the Ick. Cara goes on and on about how much of an outcast she is because of all of the (very fucked up!) bullying she faced after her Incident, but Meredith quite literally does not have friends and also has a dead brother, so why should I care about Cara not getting into college after she mentions it for the 5th time? Without any explicit spoilers, she mentally backs herself into a corner in the back half of the book that she could have gotten out of with a single milligram of critical thinking, and instead of doing that, she doesn't! I loved every second that I was forced to be in her head because this book is only from Cara's POV (I Am Lying). I don't have a lot to say about him, but Aiden isn't very likable either, and all of his markedly "teen boy" quips come off as sleazy and tryhard rather than funny like I think they're intended to.
Enough about Cara, though. Forget the mediocrely written female characters, they are not the worst part of this book, despite my disappointment on that front. The real villain of this book is every single pop culture reference that I laid my eyes on. There is an art to referencing popular culture in media. Obviously, there's no stone tablet for us to absorb skills from or, like, read or something, but in my mind pop culture references hit when they are a) not on every page of a book and b) referencing material that has earned its place in the long-term memory of multiple generations. Star Trek, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Jane Austen? All fair game, as long as you don't shove nicher and nicher references down your audience's throats (not everyone can be Tabby Hawthorne or Veronica Lodge). Euphoria? Put the TV show that won't be 5 years old until 9 days from me writing this DOWN. Not only are these completely useless and story-dating references made in the descriptive prose of this book, they're crawling around like a sugar ant infestation in so much of the character dialogue, especially when it comes to Cara. So, not only is what little personality she has irritating, she's also painfully cringe, which makes her even more unlikable. Since there's a big NOT FOR QUOTATION on the back of my ARC, I'll give an example like this. Saying "[CHARACTER] did [ACTION] like a character in [POPULAR MOVIE FRANCHISE]" is not good writing, actually. There is no description of how the character did said action, just that other fictional characters do the same thing in a different fictional setting. Simply put, it's lazy, and there are real verbs and adverbs just begging to be put on the page instead of [POPULAR MOVIE FRANCHISE NAME].
While I forgot to do so for the previous example of poor writing, I did have access to a finished copy of this book and made sure to check it for the next thing I'm about to sink my claws into. On page 272, the sentence "Guilt tugged at my insides like a period cramp." exists, for some reason. This is where I snapped, mentally, and had to send someone a voice note because I felt like I was losing my mind. I think that anyone with the average range of human emotions has felt the tug of guilt at some point in their lives, and I know, as a person with a uterus, that a large number of my fellow uterus-havers have felt varying degrees of period cramps ranging from "Was that just gas?" to "Oh I'm in the ER and they're giving me fentanyl for this pain." There is no world where those feelings belong in the same simile.
There will always be something to be said about authors diversifying what they put out into the world, but that doesn't mean that everyone has the skill or range to do so. Sometimes? Sometimes it's actually better to write what you know, and that is perfectly okay. Add this to whatever pile they throw sophomore slumps in after they fade away. Hopefully, James L. Sutter will return to focusing on male characters after this, because if you've read Darkhears (which is referenced way too early on in this book by the way) you know that's where his talents lie.
I'm breaking out the proper capitalization on this one, but unlike the last two times I've ever decided to acknowledge my education and home training, it's because this book did not offer me a good time
Darkhearts was a really fun time when I read it last summer, but I went into this more hesitant because I'll always have some initial distrust of men writing women — especially teenage girls — regardless of how much I like their work. Misogyny knows no bounds! While there's nothing blatantly, glaring, and in-your-face capital S Sexist, I can't help but wonder if the issues I have with this book come from the fact the author is a man writing female characters.
Cara is an insufferable protagonist. This is not to minimize her middle school trauma (which I will not spoil) which is genuinely a terrible instance of bullying and social isolation, but she's so self-pitying that there is little room for any more empathy than what any reader would already have for someone in the same situation. She's going to be stuck in her backwater (completely made up) rural Washington town while her only friend goes off to college in the fall, but there isn't a very good reason as to why. She is determined to explore only one option: Going viral on her ghost-hunting YouTube channel and riding the wave of fame out of wherever west of the Cascades she lives (seriously, where is this fake town). Community college? Fuck that! She's going to go down the path that every washed-up content creator does but it's actually going to work for her!
This leads to her participation in what I can only refer to as Lesbian Dear Evan Hansen. Cara gains the ability to communicate with Aiden, the ghost of a kid a year older than her, and in exchange for him making her a famous ghost hunter, she'll check up on his sister, Meredith, and make sure that she becomes at least a fraction of the social butterfly that Aiden thinks she can be. This, of course, means that Cara needs to take Meredith to prom, even though they've never interacted and Cara has no reason to talk to her other than the fact that she's being haunted by Meredith's brother. Sure, the Dear Evan Hansen comparison isn't 1:1, but at the end of the day, our protagonist uses the death of a girl's loved one to date her under false pretenses.
Meredith is yanked around for the entire book without even knowing it, and instead of trying to use big words to explain why that put me off, I'll just say that it gave me the Ick. Cara goes on and on about how much of an outcast she is because of all of the (very fucked up!) bullying she faced after her Incident, but Meredith quite literally does not have friends and also has a dead brother, so why should I care about Cara not getting into college after she mentions it for the 5th time? Without any explicit spoilers, she mentally backs herself into a corner in the back half of the book that she could have gotten out of with a single milligram of critical thinking, and instead of doing that, she doesn't! I loved every second that I was forced to be in her head because this book is only from Cara's POV (I Am Lying). I don't have a lot to say about him, but Aiden isn't very likable either, and all of his markedly "teen boy" quips come off as sleazy and tryhard rather than funny like I think they're intended to.
Enough about Cara, though. Forget the mediocrely written female characters, they are not the worst part of this book, despite my disappointment on that front. The real villain of this book is every single pop culture reference that I laid my eyes on. There is an art to referencing popular culture in media. Obviously, there's no stone tablet for us to absorb skills from or, like, read or something, but in my mind pop culture references hit when they are a) not on every page of a book and b) referencing material that has earned its place in the long-term memory of multiple generations. Star Trek, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Jane Austen? All fair game, as long as you don't shove nicher and nicher references down your audience's throats (not everyone can be Tabby Hawthorne or Veronica Lodge). Euphoria? Put the TV show that won't be 5 years old until 9 days from me writing this DOWN. Not only are these completely useless and story-dating references made in the descriptive prose of this book, they're crawling around like a sugar ant infestation in so much of the character dialogue, especially when it comes to Cara. So, not only is what little personality she has irritating, she's also painfully cringe, which makes her even more unlikable. Since there's a big NOT FOR QUOTATION on the back of my ARC, I'll give an example like this. Saying "[CHARACTER] did [ACTION] like a character in [POPULAR MOVIE FRANCHISE]" is not good writing, actually. There is no description of how the character did said action, just that other fictional characters do the same thing in a different fictional setting. Simply put, it's lazy, and there are real verbs and adverbs just begging to be put on the page instead of [POPULAR MOVIE FRANCHISE NAME].
While I forgot to do so for the previous example of poor writing, I did have access to a finished copy of this book and made sure to check it for the next thing I'm about to sink my claws into. On page 272, the sentence "Guilt tugged at my insides like a period cramp." exists, for some reason. This is where I snapped, mentally, and had to send someone a voice note because I felt like I was losing my mind. I think that anyone with the average range of human emotions has felt the tug of guilt at some point in their lives, and I know, as a person with a uterus, that a large number of my fellow uterus-havers have felt varying degrees of period cramps ranging from "Was that just gas?" to "Oh I'm in the ER and they're giving me fentanyl for this pain." There is no world where those feelings belong in the same simile.
There will always be something to be said about authors diversifying what they put out into the world, but that doesn't mean that everyone has the skill or range to do so. Sometimes? Sometimes it's actually better to write what you know, and that is perfectly okay. Add this to whatever pile they throw sophomore slumps in after they fade away. Hopefully, James L. Sutter will return to focusing on male characters after this, because if you've read Darkhears (which is referenced way too early on in this book by the way) you know that's where his talents lie.
June 27, 2024
Thank you to PRH Audio for the copy, all thoughts are my own.
For how pumped I was for this book, it took me a really long time to get through. Ghost hunting and a sapphic romance was a combination I didn’t know I needed in my life until I saw the blurb for this book. The angst in this book is literally palpable, maybe a bit too heavy. The grief that was the unfinished business wasn’t portrayed very much. And honestly, the main character was a selfish a-hole. I mean, there is a redemption arc if you hang in there, but I definitely got the icks a lot when listening to the antics she was pulling.
Cara is determined to get out of her town and the way she is going to do that is to catch evidence of a ghost and post it on her YouTube channel. After another bust of a ghost hunt, she suddenly starts hearing a voice. It was the ghost she was after, and he has a deal. Help his sister be happy again and he would help prove ghosts are real.
For how pumped I was for this book, it took me a really long time to get through. Ghost hunting and a sapphic romance was a combination I didn’t know I needed in my life until I saw the blurb for this book. The angst in this book is literally palpable, maybe a bit too heavy. The grief that was the unfinished business wasn’t portrayed very much. And honestly, the main character was a selfish a-hole. I mean, there is a redemption arc if you hang in there, but I definitely got the icks a lot when listening to the antics she was pulling.
Cara is determined to get out of her town and the way she is going to do that is to catch evidence of a ghost and post it on her YouTube channel. After another bust of a ghost hunt, she suddenly starts hearing a voice. It was the ghost she was after, and he has a deal. Help his sister be happy again and he would help prove ghosts are real.
January 6, 2024
Overall, I really enjoyed this book! 4.5/5 stars, rounding up.
Considering it covers topics relating to death and the subsequent grief that follows, as well as the challenges associated with high school coming to a close and not having clear steps forward into the future, the writing style and dialogue remain fast paced, punchy, and overall pretty light. There's a lot of Gen Z/Millennial quips, which definitely do anchor the book within a specific point in time.
The plot itself is fairly predictable, which will appeal to some fans. You'll know pretty early on what the hurdles are going to be, as well as the ending, but that doesn't mean the ride itself won't be enjoyable. I liked the different moments covered between characters as they got to know each other across each chapter.
Speaking of the major characters, they're all a likable bunch. There are moments where some of them seemed a little one-note, so it's all the more fun to see them break out of those roles towards the end, when everything comes to a head.
I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for something fun and distracting from the day-to-day.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an advanced copy to review
Considering it covers topics relating to death and the subsequent grief that follows, as well as the challenges associated with high school coming to a close and not having clear steps forward into the future, the writing style and dialogue remain fast paced, punchy, and overall pretty light. There's a lot of Gen Z/Millennial quips, which definitely do anchor the book within a specific point in time.
The plot itself is fairly predictable, which will appeal to some fans. You'll know pretty early on what the hurdles are going to be, as well as the ending, but that doesn't mean the ride itself won't be enjoyable. I liked the different moments covered between characters as they got to know each other across each chapter.
Speaking of the major characters, they're all a likable bunch. There are moments where some of them seemed a little one-note, so it's all the more fun to see them break out of those roles towards the end, when everything comes to a head.
I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for something fun and distracting from the day-to-day.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an advanced copy to review
July 5, 2024
Would you be brave enough go to an abandoned building that is supposed to be haunted, and where a high school senior who lost his life in the building? It isn’t safe in the derelict Paper Mill, which has holes in the floors. This may seem to be a little bit on scary side, but Cara and her friends have come to the Paper Mill that was founded in 1926, being hunters, to investigate to prove ghosts are real. Inside Holly is taking photos, and Cara, is messing around pretending to provide spiritual security, and the one and only Masked Exorcists. But Cara, has the shock of her life, when Aiden, the high school dead boy, from the factory begins to talk to her. So much more happens in this ghost story that I’m keeping a big secret. All 14 to 18 year olds that love reading ghost stories you will have a great time reading this ghost story,. This novel The Ghost Of Us, is ideal for fans of, The House in the Woods by Yvette Fielding.
April 5, 2024
This book was absolutely adorable. Not only the sapphic romance, but add in ghosts? I was a little nervous about the paranormal aspect, honestly. That maybe it'd be too cheesy? But no, I think Sutter did a wonderful job of not overdoing it and created a beautiful story of grief, loss, and love.
January 26, 2024
The Ghost of Us was a creative and well done novel. This was a page-turner for me that I had to tear through in one extended sitting. The novel managed to touch on a lot of different topics and corresponding emotions, without letting the plot get lost in the weeds. Despite using a trope I don't generally enjoy, I liked this novel a lot and would recommend it to anyone who likes romance or paranormal research (or both yay!).
Cara is an aspiring ghost hunter with a difficult past and a strong desire to escape her small town lifestyle. After failing to get into a college away from home, she turns to the plan of making it big on her YouTube channel by finding the first real evidence of ghosts. Surprisingly she succeeds and finds the ghost of a local boy named Aiden who passed away a year prior, although unfortunately she is the only one who can interact with him. Cara and Aiden made a deal where he will help her prove the existence of ghosts if she helps him by cheering up his sister Meredith, who was greatly impacted by his passing. His genius idea is for Cara to date Meredith and take her to prom, but not telling anyone that his ghost is still around. Hopefully nothing goes wrong, such as falling for a girl while building a relationship based on lies.
Likely minor spoilers below:
The Good:
-Cara and Meredith are adorable together. The scenes where they are together are delightful. I love the way that they both help and support each other and grow as a result, both individually and as a pair. It was great to see Cara help Meredith come out of her shell and become happier over the course of the novel.
-The characters themselves were great, although I liked Meredith a lot more than Cara. Cara was an accurate depiction of a teenager (one of many varieties of course) so although I didn't always like her I think that was somewhat the point and the author did a great job. The inner workings of her mind were insightful to see and a great representation of how teenage (or older) thought processes can go wild sometimes. The side characters were also well portrayed.
-The plot was clever; simple enough that its easy to follow and yet contains intricate elements that made it interesting and compelling.
The Decent:
-The characters had good character arcs; both main characters noticeably grew up and changed over the course of the novel in a way that worked with the story. I found the ending to be a little abrupt though and wish that it had gone a little longer to demonstrate some of that character growth on-screen, particularly with Cara. Nearly all of Cara's character growth was crammed right at the very end of the novel, happened so rapidly, and we didn't get to really see it much.
-Holly! Holly was the cinnamon bun best friend character that we all wish we had in our lives, and was a delight the whole way through. She was also well used in the novel and was more complex than JUST a cinnamon bun best friend. She wasn't treated that well by Cara in the back half of the novel though which I disliked; this is fine and worked well for the plot of the novel however I think that conflict blew over far too easily. Holly deserved better than to just brush off their conflict off screen, and it undid the excellent character development where Holly stood up for herself. This was also a missed opportunity; their fight was an excellent catalyst for character growth in Cara and if it hadn't resolved so easily it could have been more impactful.
The Bad:
-To be blunt, I hated the underlying premise of this novel, and by that I mean how the relationship was build upon a lie (and a big one, poorly handled by Cara). This prevented me from enjoying the novel as much as I could have as I was constantly on edge waiting for everything to go down in flames; not the emotion you want during a heartwarming and cute scene. I have read other similar novels where this didn't bother me as much, which I can only attribute to the fact that his novel made a clear point of showing that it would be rough when the lie comes out, and constantly reminding the reader of the lie every time there was a high point. That said, this is a personal dislike that I know I have and other readers will have different opinions of this trope and may disagree with me. All together, this negatively impacted how I enjoyed this book (otherwise would have been 5 stars) but the novel was still good enough that I overall enjoyed it immensely.
-The novel ended very abruptly. Particularly, given the scale of the conflict at the end and how much time was spent building up to it, the resolution came very quickly and easily. Either the conflict could have been smaller (with less angst in the build-up!), or it should have taken more to resolve it. Either way, I found the ending rushed and would have liked to see more of the characters and how things worked out for them at the end of the story.
My final thoughts: I loved the romance, and I loved the ghost parts. I unfortunately didn't love the parts with both romance and ghosts due to the weight of the lies hanging over the characters heads.
Cara is an aspiring ghost hunter with a difficult past and a strong desire to escape her small town lifestyle. After failing to get into a college away from home, she turns to the plan of making it big on her YouTube channel by finding the first real evidence of ghosts. Surprisingly she succeeds and finds the ghost of a local boy named Aiden who passed away a year prior, although unfortunately she is the only one who can interact with him. Cara and Aiden made a deal where he will help her prove the existence of ghosts if she helps him by cheering up his sister Meredith, who was greatly impacted by his passing. His genius idea is for Cara to date Meredith and take her to prom, but not telling anyone that his ghost is still around. Hopefully nothing goes wrong, such as falling for a girl while building a relationship based on lies.
Likely minor spoilers below:
The Good:
-Cara and Meredith are adorable together. The scenes where they are together are delightful. I love the way that they both help and support each other and grow as a result, both individually and as a pair. It was great to see Cara help Meredith come out of her shell and become happier over the course of the novel.
-The characters themselves were great, although I liked Meredith a lot more than Cara. Cara was an accurate depiction of a teenager (one of many varieties of course) so although I didn't always like her I think that was somewhat the point and the author did a great job. The inner workings of her mind were insightful to see and a great representation of how teenage (or older) thought processes can go wild sometimes. The side characters were also well portrayed.
-The plot was clever; simple enough that its easy to follow and yet contains intricate elements that made it interesting and compelling.
The Decent:
-The characters had good character arcs; both main characters noticeably grew up and changed over the course of the novel in a way that worked with the story. I found the ending to be a little abrupt though and wish that it had gone a little longer to demonstrate some of that character growth on-screen, particularly with Cara. Nearly all of Cara's character growth was crammed right at the very end of the novel, happened so rapidly, and we didn't get to really see it much.
-Holly! Holly was the cinnamon bun best friend character that we all wish we had in our lives, and was a delight the whole way through. She was also well used in the novel and was more complex than JUST a cinnamon bun best friend. She wasn't treated that well by Cara in the back half of the novel though which I disliked; this is fine and worked well for the plot of the novel however I think that conflict blew over far too easily. Holly deserved better than to just brush off their conflict off screen, and it undid the excellent character development where Holly stood up for herself. This was also a missed opportunity; their fight was an excellent catalyst for character growth in Cara and if it hadn't resolved so easily it could have been more impactful.
The Bad:
-To be blunt, I hated the underlying premise of this novel, and by that I mean how the relationship was build upon a lie (and a big one, poorly handled by Cara). This prevented me from enjoying the novel as much as I could have as I was constantly on edge waiting for everything to go down in flames; not the emotion you want during a heartwarming and cute scene. I have read other similar novels where this didn't bother me as much, which I can only attribute to the fact that his novel made a clear point of showing that it would be rough when the lie comes out, and constantly reminding the reader of the lie every time there was a high point. That said, this is a personal dislike that I know I have and other readers will have different opinions of this trope and may disagree with me. All together, this negatively impacted how I enjoyed this book (otherwise would have been 5 stars) but the novel was still good enough that I overall enjoyed it immensely.
-The novel ended very abruptly. Particularly, given the scale of the conflict at the end and how much time was spent building up to it, the resolution came very quickly and easily. Either the conflict could have been smaller (with less angst in the build-up!), or it should have taken more to resolve it. Either way, I found the ending rushed and would have liked to see more of the characters and how things worked out for them at the end of the story.
My final thoughts: I loved the romance, and I loved the ghost parts. I unfortunately didn't love the parts with both romance and ghosts due to the weight of the lies hanging over the characters heads.
May 14, 2024
I’ll start by saying that I DNFd this authors last book. It’s safe to say I was wary about this one.
The cover immediately drew me in, it’s absolutely gorgeous.
I really loved this one up until like 80% in. So I guess if I ignore the rest of it I would say this would’ve been a 5⭐️ read.
But holy shit I have never encountered a book with a selfish character like Cara.
I have never wanted to jump into a book this badly. I do not care that this girl is 18 years old. In my opinion she was an awful person and it almost ruined this book for me.
The story was light and funny despite its heavy subject matter. Overall I enjoyed it (mostly). I would still recommend it but don’t say I didn’t warn you 😅.
The cover immediately drew me in, it’s absolutely gorgeous.
I really loved this one up until like 80% in. So I guess if I ignore the rest of it I would say this would’ve been a 5⭐️ read.
But holy shit I have never encountered a book with a selfish character like Cara.
I have never wanted to jump into a book this badly. I do not care that this girl is 18 years old. In my opinion she was an awful person and it almost ruined this book for me.
The story was light and funny despite its heavy subject matter. Overall I enjoyed it (mostly). I would still recommend it but don’t say I didn’t warn you 😅.
June 7, 2024
This could've been such a good book if the protagonist wasn't selfish and without a single ounce of empathy in her. And on the rare occasion that she DID think about other people's feelings, she willingly and with full consciousness just overlooked them. You can't write a redemption arc in 30 pages after 320 pages of bullshit. Also, the author has a weird thing for sweat?
Not a good book, made me angry. 0/10.
Not a good book, made me angry. 0/10.
May 27, 2024
Having enjoyed Sutter's debut book, I was excited to read The Ghost of Us especially after seeing that cover. Isn't it gorgeous?!
Cara is an outcast at her high school, but does have one friend in Holly who constantly stands up for her. Cara is not only an outcast that gets bullied by classmates, but she's also a ghost hunter and has her own YouTube channel.... but she has yet to find any ghosts. Until Aiden. An upperclassman that died tragically and is now speaking to her one year after his death. All Cara wants is to prove that she's found a ghost and to get it all for her YouTube Channel. But how can you prove something that you can't see? But there's a reason Aiden is here and it's not to help Cara. It's to help his sister Meredith find happiness again. Can Cara and Aiden make a deal?
I liked the idea of this book and the fact that the setting was in Washington state. Although this book wasn't written for my age demographic and it was quite obvious in some of the writing and conversation, I still think teenagers would enjoy it. Especially if they enjoy a bit of paranormal. It had that very high school feel with relationships, prom, bullying, etc. The story itself is easy to relate to.
As for the characters, Holly, although a side character is very straight-laced. More so than I see in most YA books, but that was her religious character and she held true to who she was. I appreciated that about her and her linear growth.
Both Cara and Aiden were a bit selfish in what they wanted to accomplish, but it was more Cara than Aiden because she wanted something just for herself and Aiden wanted someone else's happiness so he could cross over. It took a bit to connect to Cara because of that, but I liked seeing her develop true feelings for Meredith even if it started out as a lie. And since Aiden was kind of a main character, but also a ghost, it was more fun getting to know him and who he was in the past and what he wanted to do in the afterlife. I enjoyed the banter and friendship that Aiden and Cara came to have.
And then there's Meredith. She is a loner but also tough as nails. She hasn't opened up to anyone after the death of her brother and doesn't want to. Because those she cares about will just leave. When Cara approaches her out of the blue, that's when an added friendship to a deal starts and we begin to see more developing within the story.
Overall I liked the book, but it did take me longer than expected to read it. I could appreciate the story for what it was, but it did seem a bit juvenile at times. The pacing of the story worked and I didn't feel like we missed out on much, even with a few minor jumps in time. I did kind of hope we would get more of Meredith and Aiden's parents, but they were barely touched on. Cara wasn't always likable and that might be what held me back a bit. She definitely had character growth, but also took a HUGE step backwards towards the end that was almost not redeemable. I liked that we got a sapphic romance in the high school setting and I liked the small friend crew. Meredith and Cara were super cute together and a very opposites attract sort of couple. Did Aiden know that they would fit together?? Because he did good even if it was initially for selfish reasons. I also liked how everything came together in the very end, but I didn't particularly like how we got there. There were some uncomfortable parts (the Ghost hunter dude that Cara met up with? Not cool).
If you like stories about high school outcasts, Ghosts, love, friendship, family, lgbtq couples and grief this is for you. 3.5 stars
Cara is an outcast at her high school, but does have one friend in Holly who constantly stands up for her. Cara is not only an outcast that gets bullied by classmates, but she's also a ghost hunter and has her own YouTube channel.... but she has yet to find any ghosts. Until Aiden. An upperclassman that died tragically and is now speaking to her one year after his death. All Cara wants is to prove that she's found a ghost and to get it all for her YouTube Channel. But how can you prove something that you can't see? But there's a reason Aiden is here and it's not to help Cara. It's to help his sister Meredith find happiness again. Can Cara and Aiden make a deal?
I liked the idea of this book and the fact that the setting was in Washington state. Although this book wasn't written for my age demographic and it was quite obvious in some of the writing and conversation, I still think teenagers would enjoy it. Especially if they enjoy a bit of paranormal. It had that very high school feel with relationships, prom, bullying, etc. The story itself is easy to relate to.
As for the characters, Holly, although a side character is very straight-laced. More so than I see in most YA books, but that was her religious character and she held true to who she was. I appreciated that about her and her linear growth.
Both Cara and Aiden were a bit selfish in what they wanted to accomplish, but it was more Cara than Aiden because she wanted something just for herself and Aiden wanted someone else's happiness so he could cross over. It took a bit to connect to Cara because of that, but I liked seeing her develop true feelings for Meredith even if it started out as a lie. And since Aiden was kind of a main character, but also a ghost, it was more fun getting to know him and who he was in the past and what he wanted to do in the afterlife. I enjoyed the banter and friendship that Aiden and Cara came to have.
And then there's Meredith. She is a loner but also tough as nails. She hasn't opened up to anyone after the death of her brother and doesn't want to. Because those she cares about will just leave. When Cara approaches her out of the blue, that's when an added friendship to a deal starts and we begin to see more developing within the story.
Overall I liked the book, but it did take me longer than expected to read it. I could appreciate the story for what it was, but it did seem a bit juvenile at times. The pacing of the story worked and I didn't feel like we missed out on much, even with a few minor jumps in time. I did kind of hope we would get more of Meredith and Aiden's parents, but they were barely touched on. Cara wasn't always likable and that might be what held me back a bit. She definitely had character growth, but also took a HUGE step backwards towards the end that was almost not redeemable. I liked that we got a sapphic romance in the high school setting and I liked the small friend crew. Meredith and Cara were super cute together and a very opposites attract sort of couple. Did Aiden know that they would fit together?? Because he did good even if it was initially for selfish reasons. I also liked how everything came together in the very end, but I didn't particularly like how we got there. There were some uncomfortable parts (the Ghost hunter dude that Cara met up with? Not cool).
If you like stories about high school outcasts, Ghosts, love, friendship, family, lgbtq couples and grief this is for you. 3.5 stars
July 12, 2024
This was a messy, gorgeous, swoony Sapphic YA romance with an element of the paranormal. Perfect for fans of Jennifer Duggan, Ashley Poston and the graphic novel, The hills of Estrella Roja by Ashley Robin Franklin.
An aspiring ghost hunter stumbles upon a real ghost who makes a deal with her that if she helps his grieving sister find happiness he'll help her prove ghosts actually exist. Filled with paranormal antics, screwups, epic grand gestures (oh that promposal!) and so much joyful queer love. This was great on audio and I just loved it!!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review. I loved the author's debut, Darkhearts but this skyrocketed to my very favorite YA read of the year so far!
An aspiring ghost hunter stumbles upon a real ghost who makes a deal with her that if she helps his grieving sister find happiness he'll help her prove ghosts actually exist. Filled with paranormal antics, screwups, epic grand gestures (oh that promposal!) and so much joyful queer love. This was great on audio and I just loved it!!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review. I loved the author's debut, Darkhearts but this skyrocketed to my very favorite YA read of the year so far!
December 28, 2024
2.5. I liked it until 70% when Kara started acting cray cray and manipulative
February 29, 2024
3.5 stars rounded down. I won this ARC through Goodreads! Thank you to them and the publisher for my copy.
This was a sweet book with an interesting premise. The plot ends up being a bit predictable in places due to the romcom setup, but I think it works overall.
My real issues were just with some of the writing and story choices. The dialogue often felt like a millennial writer trying too hard to sound like a Gen Z teen; it didn't come off as natural.
As for our main character, Cara, she was selfish and unlikeable throughout most of the book (which was the point, yes, but it was frustrating being in her head). Everything about her and the college storyline didn't make sense to me either; she thinks college will accept her if she becomes a famous ghost hunter? What? That storyline seemed to be forgotten by the end of the book anyway.
Regarding the other characters, I wanted to know more about Aiden as a person when he was alive. Ghost!Aiden just seemed to be there for a funny quip or to state the obvious. I loved Meredith, and I think her romance with Cara was cute; their chemistry felt believable given the circumstances.
I liked Holly a lot and thought she deserved a better friend than Cara the majority of the book. Elvis was such a non-entity to me; any depth to him would have been great.
There are also one too many themes going on in this book, resulting in none of them being explored that deeply. The ending also definitely felt rushed, especially regarding Holly. I really wish the final resolution was given time to breathe.
Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who thinks the premise sounds promising. Also, the cover is BEAUTIFUL!
This was a sweet book with an interesting premise. The plot ends up being a bit predictable in places due to the romcom setup, but I think it works overall.
My real issues were just with some of the writing and story choices. The dialogue often felt like a millennial writer trying too hard to sound like a Gen Z teen; it didn't come off as natural.
As for our main character, Cara, she was selfish and unlikeable throughout most of the book (which was the point, yes, but it was frustrating being in her head). Everything about her and the college storyline didn't make sense to me either; she thinks college will accept her if she becomes a famous ghost hunter? What? That storyline seemed to be forgotten by the end of the book anyway.
Regarding the other characters, I wanted to know more about Aiden as a person when he was alive. Ghost!Aiden just seemed to be there for a funny quip or to state the obvious. I loved Meredith, and I think her romance with Cara was cute; their chemistry felt believable given the circumstances.
I liked Holly a lot and thought she deserved a better friend than Cara the majority of the book. Elvis was such a non-entity to me; any depth to him would have been great.
There are also one too many themes going on in this book, resulting in none of them being explored that deeply. The ending also definitely felt rushed, especially regarding Holly. I really wish the final resolution was given time to breathe.
Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who thinks the premise sounds promising. Also, the cover is BEAUTIFUL!
March 5, 2024
A sapphic story written by a man. I really disliked the way in which the queer relationship was portrayed. There are way too many pop culture references, which in a few years is going to really date the book and not sit right. All in all, it was a beautiful cover, but the story inside was a nope.
June 8, 2024
3.5 rounded to 4 for Goodreads
[I received a digital arc for an honest review]
The Ghost of Us is a sapphic YA romance by author James L Sutter. A paranormal romance following an 18 year old high school senior whose worry for her future keeps her from focusing on what really matters.
Cara is an aspiring YouTube ghost hunter. She only has one friend plus friend's boyfriend and with them both going away for college she's dreading being left behind. When she actually makes contact with a ghost she thinks this is her big ticket to fame. However the ghosts wants her help to move on by making sure his sister his happy. What starts off as a mission to fake date a girl and take her to prom turns to so much more. But when she confesses the truth in order to keep her ghost she might just lose everyone in pursuit of fame.
There was so much about this one I loved. The banter between Cara and her ghost Aiden, I freaking loved Cara's nerdy and awesome parents, especially her dad he made me smile. I loved her best friend Holly and the fact that she represented a queer accepting religion. I absolutely loved Meredith! I felt her character was really strong and well developed , she felt like an 18 year old who was struggling emotionally. Everything about her character worked for me. I really enjoyed the relationship growth between her and Cara. Them letting down their walls with each other and being each others firsts.
My biggest struggle was with our MC Cara. A lot of the times she didn't feel like 18, but much younger. How selfish and self centered she was was so frustrating. It took her way too long in my opinion to get her priorities straight. Which is why I loved that Meredith didn't trust straight up forgive her at the end but said they could "try". Because Cara sucked hardcore through much of this book.
Overall, I quite enjoyed The Ghost of Us by James L Sutter. A sapphic paranormal romance with friendship, grief, healing, rock climbing, promposals, lies, and forgiveness.
[I received a digital arc for an honest review]
The Ghost of Us is a sapphic YA romance by author James L Sutter. A paranormal romance following an 18 year old high school senior whose worry for her future keeps her from focusing on what really matters.
Cara is an aspiring YouTube ghost hunter. She only has one friend plus friend's boyfriend and with them both going away for college she's dreading being left behind. When she actually makes contact with a ghost she thinks this is her big ticket to fame. However the ghosts wants her help to move on by making sure his sister his happy. What starts off as a mission to fake date a girl and take her to prom turns to so much more. But when she confesses the truth in order to keep her ghost she might just lose everyone in pursuit of fame.
There was so much about this one I loved. The banter between Cara and her ghost Aiden, I freaking loved Cara's nerdy and awesome parents, especially her dad he made me smile. I loved her best friend Holly and the fact that she represented a queer accepting religion. I absolutely loved Meredith! I felt her character was really strong and well developed , she felt like an 18 year old who was struggling emotionally. Everything about her character worked for me. I really enjoyed the relationship growth between her and Cara. Them letting down their walls with each other and being each others firsts.
My biggest struggle was with our MC Cara. A lot of the times she didn't feel like 18, but much younger. How selfish and self centered she was was so frustrating. It took her way too long in my opinion to get her priorities straight. Which is why I loved that Meredith didn't trust straight up forgive her at the end but said they could "try". Because Cara sucked hardcore through much of this book.
Overall, I quite enjoyed The Ghost of Us by James L Sutter. A sapphic paranormal romance with friendship, grief, healing, rock climbing, promposals, lies, and forgiveness.
January 16, 2025
2.4 ⭐️ I think I’m not young enough for this book. Some of it was sweet, a lot of it was cringe and borderline gross. The characters seemed a bit flat and even though the pov character was a bit less flat she also wasn’t all that likeable and this book really relied on readers liking her or identifying with her
June 24, 2024
I loved this story! It was such a fun little ghost hunting love story that was also about friendship and realizing what really matters in life (and after death). I enjoyed James' writing and will definitely be checking out his other works. Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 15, 2024
I loved it!! 💕 such a fantastic story full of young queer first times, keeping secrets, intriguing ghosts, and really good friends. love Sutter's skillful dialogue, and the emotional realness of teen angst and queer longing. AND it's based in the greater seattle area and has lots of amazing seattle references. and if I'm being really honest? it made me cry. definitely read it 10/10
June 2, 2024
Thank you Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!
Cara is a ghost-hunter determined to escape her small town and the terrible social standing she found herself in by finding evidence of the supernatural. She should be excited when she stumbles upon the spirit of Aiden Reyes, a popular upperclassman who died last year. But Aiden has goals of his own and claims he can’t pass on into the afterlife until he knows his little sister Meredith is happy. Naturally, the high school brain assumes romance is the fix-all, and Aiden encourages Cara to ask Meredith to prom. Thus, a deal is struck: Meredith is helped by her grief and Cara gets the proof of ghosts she so desperately needs.
I want to start this by saying I got a major ick reading a male author write a sapphic romance between two high-school-aged girls. It felt very slimy to me, especially the details of Cara's thoughts. I'm not sure if this is my ace showing, my ex-high-school-teacher-self cringing, or a genuine issue with the writing. But it was hard to get past, especially with how unlikable Cara was. I understand she's a teenager overcoming serious trauma and near-constant bullying, but every single aspect of her character is centered on selfishness, and this never really changes, despite all she loses as a result. It felt like there were never real consequences for the horrible things Cara does to not only Meredith but Holly as well.
Overall, just a miss for me. I was optimistic and intrigued by the concept, but it fell flat in my eyes.
Cara is a ghost-hunter determined to escape her small town and the terrible social standing she found herself in by finding evidence of the supernatural. She should be excited when she stumbles upon the spirit of Aiden Reyes, a popular upperclassman who died last year. But Aiden has goals of his own and claims he can’t pass on into the afterlife until he knows his little sister Meredith is happy. Naturally, the high school brain assumes romance is the fix-all, and Aiden encourages Cara to ask Meredith to prom. Thus, a deal is struck: Meredith is helped by her grief and Cara gets the proof of ghosts she so desperately needs.
I want to start this by saying I got a major ick reading a male author write a sapphic romance between two high-school-aged girls. It felt very slimy to me, especially the details of Cara's thoughts. I'm not sure if this is my ace showing, my ex-high-school-teacher-self cringing, or a genuine issue with the writing. But it was hard to get past, especially with how unlikable Cara was. I understand she's a teenager overcoming serious trauma and near-constant bullying, but every single aspect of her character is centered on selfishness, and this never really changes, despite all she loses as a result. It felt like there were never real consequences for the horrible things Cara does to not only Meredith but Holly as well.
Overall, just a miss for me. I was optimistic and intrigued by the concept, but it fell flat in my eyes.
February 15, 2024
I quite enjoyed this YA paranormal sapphic romance. I liked/hated the characters just as the author intended. James L. Sutter has a nice clean writing style that is easy to follow, well-edited, and uses interesting descriptors and similes. I was easily able to relate to the variety of emotions being processed by the important players.
The characters have distinct voices and witty banter that had me chuckling. They were believable as high school seniors dealing with complex circumstances. I didn't always agree with Cara's choices, but I knew that going in, as the premise was a relationship built on a lie. The two romantic leads were adorable together. They were funny and sweet and just weird teenagers. Endearing.
There were pop culture references, which I enjoyed but not sure if it will age well. Also, kudos for bi-rep.
This book gently deals with issues such as bullying, sexting, homophobia, death, grief, depression and general graduating senior anxiety.
The group dynamics were interesting, and Cara had a big opportunity to come of age so to speak and learn a lot about herself through this experience.
There was some light casual drug use. One intimate scene that was handled very well for age appropriateness so that I didn't feel like a gross voyeur, since the girls are 18, they are technically adults anyway, but I am old so I'm glad it was tactfully done.
4/5 stars because I don't like lying. I did like this story, and I do recommend it.
The characters have distinct voices and witty banter that had me chuckling. They were believable as high school seniors dealing with complex circumstances. I didn't always agree with Cara's choices, but I knew that going in, as the premise was a relationship built on a lie. The two romantic leads were adorable together. They were funny and sweet and just weird teenagers. Endearing.
There were pop culture references, which I enjoyed but not sure if it will age well. Also, kudos for bi-rep.
This book gently deals with issues such as bullying, sexting, homophobia, death, grief, depression and general graduating senior anxiety.
The group dynamics were interesting, and Cara had a big opportunity to come of age so to speak and learn a lot about herself through this experience.
There was some light casual drug use. One intimate scene that was handled very well for age appropriateness so that I didn't feel like a gross voyeur, since the girls are 18, they are technically adults anyway, but I am old so I'm glad it was tactfully done.
4/5 stars because I don't like lying. I did like this story, and I do recommend it.
June 26, 2024
A Joyfully Jay review.
4.25 stars
I genuinely loved this story. Cara is such an emotional character, with her abandonment issues, deep resentments, and desire to start over. She can’t cope with Holly leaving for college, and has such a low self-esteem over not getting accepted to university. She’s not so much a pariah as a porcupine with quills out all the time.
This is not a lighthearted rom-com. The funny moments undercut the melancholy themes in good ways, but Cara’s self-involvement and protective barriers lead to absolutely unconscionable behavior to keep hold of both Meredith and Aiden.
This story is one I definitely recommend for readers who like YA LGBTQ adventure/romance.
Read Veronica’s review in its entirety here.
4.25 stars
I genuinely loved this story. Cara is such an emotional character, with her abandonment issues, deep resentments, and desire to start over. She can’t cope with Holly leaving for college, and has such a low self-esteem over not getting accepted to university. She’s not so much a pariah as a porcupine with quills out all the time.
This is not a lighthearted rom-com. The funny moments undercut the melancholy themes in good ways, but Cara’s self-involvement and protective barriers lead to absolutely unconscionable behavior to keep hold of both Meredith and Aiden.
This story is one I definitely recommend for readers who like YA LGBTQ adventure/romance.
Read Veronica’s review in its entirety here.
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