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Haunting Little Thing Called Love: A heartfelt paranormal romance with ghosts
Not yet published
Expected 1 Sep 26- GenresRomance
261 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication September 1, 2026
About the author
Klara Ani
1 bookKlara Ani is an Indonesian romance writer based in France, where she lives with her husband and their naughty Shih Tzu. She loves ghost stories, farming games, and has worked in international relations and development for several years. Chances are, you'll find traces of all these elements in her stories.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
OVERALL RATING:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5 ghosthunters!
Spoiler-free review: I have such a soft spot for human x ghost romances, so this book immediately caught my attention. And after finishing it? Yeah, I absolutely do not regret picking this one up.
My honest reaction when I knew what was coming but I was hanging on to the ride hoping it'll change but *it* still happened:
The story follows Kisah, who dies at twenty-seven thousands of miles away from his home. Trapped there with other ghosts, he gets one bizarre opportunity to become human again: he has six days to convince his childhood friend, Rindu, to believe in ghosts, as a mission from her ancestor. Unfortunately, Rindu is still recovering from a disastrous breakup and has made it her personal mission to debunk anything paranormal. So now Kisah has to somehow convince her to believe in her ancestral spirits while also dealing with the complicated relationships that led her to become so skeptical in the first place.
This novel is narrated in dual POVs between our protagonists. I actually loved how it turned out to be about much more than the romance. The family aspect caught me by surprise, particularly the relationship between Rindu and her mother, and I really like how the supernatural premise becomes a way to explore family, grief, identity, and the things people carry with them after leaving home.
It also touches on the experiences of Southeast Asian diaspora (specifically of Indonesian heritage). I really appreciated the author's own culture being woven in the the story; as a fellow Southeast Asian who grew up in the diaspora, so many of these cultural beats and family dynamics hit close to home. I do think most of the themes will bode better for an Indonesian audience, though.
(BTW, there's a glossary at the end so you don't have to constantly pause and Google every unfamiliar term.)
And Kisah. AHHH. He is such a massive green flag of a male lead and a total breath of fresh air compared to what I've been reading lately. His relationship with Rindu has that wonderful childhood-friends-to-lovers yearning where you can feel the history between them, and I was absolutely eating it up. I have a feeling other paranormal romance readers will fall in love with him just as much as Rindu did.
If I had to note one thing, it's that the chapters are told non-chronologically, which might take a chapter or two to fully get used to as you map out the timeline. But once you catch the rhythm, the emotional payoff is entirely worth it. (And don't panic over my dramatic opening reaction—I promise you, it's a guaranteed HEA!)
Think of this novel as Ghosts (TV show) meets Buzzfeed Unsolved meets Coco (2017), with a little Casper (1995) and Just Like Heaven (2005) thrown into the cauldron, which is basically a recipe designed in a lab specifically for me, HELLO! I recommend this for fans of cozy paranormal romances, tooth-rotting childhood friends-to-lovers tropes, and anyone looking for a sweet romance grounded in rich cultural folklore.
P.S. the cover on NetGalley is so so cute and it is criminal that Goodreads doesn't have it up yet!?
I received an advanced reader's copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
5 ghosthunters!
Spoiler-free review: I have such a soft spot for human x ghost romances, so this book immediately caught my attention. And after finishing it? Yeah, I absolutely do not regret picking this one up.
My honest reaction when I knew what was coming but I was hanging on to the ride hoping it'll change but *it* still happened:
The story follows Kisah, who dies at twenty-seven thousands of miles away from his home. Trapped there with other ghosts, he gets one bizarre opportunity to become human again: he has six days to convince his childhood friend, Rindu, to believe in ghosts, as a mission from her ancestor. Unfortunately, Rindu is still recovering from a disastrous breakup and has made it her personal mission to debunk anything paranormal. So now Kisah has to somehow convince her to believe in her ancestral spirits while also dealing with the complicated relationships that led her to become so skeptical in the first place.
This novel is narrated in dual POVs between our protagonists. I actually loved how it turned out to be about much more than the romance. The family aspect caught me by surprise, particularly the relationship between Rindu and her mother, and I really like how the supernatural premise becomes a way to explore family, grief, identity, and the things people carry with them after leaving home.
It also touches on the experiences of Southeast Asian diaspora (specifically of Indonesian heritage). I really appreciated the author's own culture being woven in the the story; as a fellow Southeast Asian who grew up in the diaspora, so many of these cultural beats and family dynamics hit close to home. I do think most of the themes will bode better for an Indonesian audience, though.
(BTW, there's a glossary at the end so you don't have to constantly pause and Google every unfamiliar term.)
And Kisah. AHHH. He is such a massive green flag of a male lead and a total breath of fresh air compared to what I've been reading lately. His relationship with Rindu has that wonderful childhood-friends-to-lovers yearning where you can feel the history between them, and I was absolutely eating it up. I have a feeling other paranormal romance readers will fall in love with him just as much as Rindu did.
If I had to note one thing, it's that the chapters are told non-chronologically, which might take a chapter or two to fully get used to as you map out the timeline. But once you catch the rhythm, the emotional payoff is entirely worth it. (And don't panic over my dramatic opening reaction—I promise you, it's a guaranteed HEA!)
Think of this novel as Ghosts (TV show) meets Buzzfeed Unsolved meets Coco (2017), with a little Casper (1995) and Just Like Heaven (2005) thrown into the cauldron, which is basically a recipe designed in a lab specifically for me, HELLO! I recommend this for fans of cozy paranormal romances, tooth-rotting childhood friends-to-lovers tropes, and anyone looking for a sweet romance grounded in rich cultural folklore.
P.S. the cover on NetGalley is so so cute and it is criminal that Goodreads doesn't have it up yet!?
I received an advanced reader's copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I was intrigued by the premise of a romance between a (very recent) ghost (Kisah) and his childhood crush (Rindu), who is disillusioned with everything "woo-woo" and paranormal. Of course, she doesn't know he's a ghost, because Rindu's ancestor spirit "revives" Kisah through a convenient piece of magic to 1) fix Rindu's fraught relationship with her mom and 2) help "Westernized" Rindu get back in touch with traditional Indonesian culture.
A big underlying theme of the book is Indonesian culture and the two protagonists' relationship with it. Kisah is more of a "family guy", while Rindu is estranged from her mother and Americanized. The author uses quite a few Indonesian phrases and words, but it's never hard to understand (there's a helpful glossary at the end of the book, but you don't actually need to use it to understand the dialogues) and it gives an interesting and engaging window into the culture of the main characters (and the author).
Ani's writing style is witty and engaging. The opening chapters of the book feel very breezy, as Ani documents Kisah's struggle to adapt to his life as a ghost in a haunted mansion with two fellow ghosts who aren't very compatible personality-wise. Rindu's post-break-up ordeal is also told in a funny, lighthearted way (being dumped by your ex-boyfriend on the suggestion of a medium is not the most dignified way for a relationship to end)!
That said, there's an emotional core underlying the story. Rindu's difficult relationship with her mom provides a strong emotional anchor to the book, and especially in the second half of the book, there are quite a few tearjerker moments.
The chemistry between the two main characters is well-done, especially if you like a tender dynamic based on a deepening friendship bond. The story is clever and bordering-on-cozy (despite the macabre realities that come with Kisah being... well, dead) but it never feels superficial and there's always something at stake.
Full disclosure: Alpha reader for an earlier draft of the book, read the finished version through NetGalley.
A big underlying theme of the book is Indonesian culture and the two protagonists' relationship with it. Kisah is more of a "family guy", while Rindu is estranged from her mother and Americanized. The author uses quite a few Indonesian phrases and words, but it's never hard to understand (there's a helpful glossary at the end of the book, but you don't actually need to use it to understand the dialogues) and it gives an interesting and engaging window into the culture of the main characters (and the author).
Ani's writing style is witty and engaging. The opening chapters of the book feel very breezy, as Ani documents Kisah's struggle to adapt to his life as a ghost in a haunted mansion with two fellow ghosts who aren't very compatible personality-wise. Rindu's post-break-up ordeal is also told in a funny, lighthearted way (being dumped by your ex-boyfriend on the suggestion of a medium is not the most dignified way for a relationship to end)!
That said, there's an emotional core underlying the story. Rindu's difficult relationship with her mom provides a strong emotional anchor to the book, and especially in the second half of the book, there are quite a few tearjerker moments.
The chemistry between the two main characters is well-done, especially if you like a tender dynamic based on a deepening friendship bond. The story is clever and bordering-on-cozy (despite the macabre realities that come with Kisah being... well, dead) but it never feels superficial and there's always something at stake.
Full disclosure: Alpha reader for an earlier draft of the book, read the finished version through NetGalley.
August 3, 2026
Thank you for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.
Haunting Little Thing Called Love is a heartfelt paranormal romance that beautifully portraits the emotion, bonding and a touch of the love. The flow of the story really surprised me.
I loved the most is about how beautifully the author transformed a childhood friendship into romance. I was intrigued by emotional connection between Kisah (ghost) and his childhood crush Rindu. I also enjoyed how the paranormal elements blended perfectly with the romance, creating balanced lighthearted story.
the writing style is engaging and easy to read. Overall this was an emotional and inspiring read, as this book also depicts the importance of connection with family and root culture.
If you enjoy friends-to-lovers romance with touch of paranormal and a litlle spooky charm, I would definitely recommend giving this book a try.
Haunting Little Thing Called Love is a heartfelt paranormal romance that beautifully portraits the emotion, bonding and a touch of the love. The flow of the story really surprised me.
I loved the most is about how beautifully the author transformed a childhood friendship into romance. I was intrigued by emotional connection between Kisah (ghost) and his childhood crush Rindu. I also enjoyed how the paranormal elements blended perfectly with the romance, creating balanced lighthearted story.
the writing style is engaging and easy to read. Overall this was an emotional and inspiring read, as this book also depicts the importance of connection with family and root culture.
If you enjoy friends-to-lovers romance with touch of paranormal and a litlle spooky charm, I would definitely recommend giving this book a try.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews