Haunting Little Thing Called Love: A heartfelt paranormal romance for fall season

by Klara Ani

Kisah dies at twenty-seven in an American haunted house about 10,000 miles away from his home in Indonesia. Now trapped in the house with a grumpy lady in white and a child ghost who may or may not be a demon, Kisah spends his time trying to send a final message to his family.

Enter Rindu, a childhood crush who migrated to America while they were in high school. After her college sweetheart dumps her on the advice of a medium, she’s now a hardcore skeptic. It’s her mission debunk all things paranormal.

Then Rindu’s powerful ancestors appear to Kisah, complaining that she’s been neglecting her relationships with her mother. Their warnings have been ignored, however, because they are nothing but a sleep paralysis to her. They offer to turn him human for six days if he can make her believe in ghosts again. If he succeeds, he stays human.

Sparks and feelings resurface as Kisah tries to convince Rindu of the unseen, but when he makes a wrong move that pushes Rindu to cut her mother out of her life, he might have to pay for it with his (second) life.

Haunting Little Thing Called Love is a friends-to-lovers paranormal romance filled with both laugh-out-loud and heart-wrenching, tearjerking moments—and of course, HEA is guaranteed. It's the perfect read for spooky season, with its ghost-hunting adventures, found family (of crazy but lovable ghosts), and a tender, yearning-filled romance between a human FMC and a ghost MMC.

Genres: Romance

261 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2026

About the author

Klara 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.

Reviews

[katie :)]

3.5 stars!

Thanks to booksirens and the author for this digital ARC copy!! <3

so I did enjoy this book, it had really loveable characters with dual POV and a strong plot! However, I found it to have a change of pace throughout the second half and it felt rushed.
It was a really cute and very funny book! definitely recommend if you're into cute paranormal cozy romance. It was also really interesting because it was strongly connected to Indonesian culture and beliefs.
This book is old friends to lovers and it's great watching their feelings resurface for one another- while he's attempting to convince her that ghosts are real.
This is great for a Halloween read, with a little lighter atmosphere.

[Maria]

Kisah recently died, and now his ghost is stuck in a haunted house in the US. His goal is to somehow get a message to his parents so his ghost can return to Indonesia, and that's why he tries (unsuccessfully) to communicate with the ghost hunters who come to the house. But when one of those ghost hunters turns out to be Rindu, his childhood best friend, he finally has hope again. Then Rindu’s ancestors appear to Kisah, opening up a whole new possibility for him. He just has to get Rindu to believe again.

The story grabbed my attention from the very first chapter because there’s already a layer of mystery surrounding Kisah, while at the same time making it really easy to empathize with Rindu. But I can’t lie, one of the things that made me the most curious was Gal, because the mystery surrounding that character is built up so well.

Kisah is such a lovable character, and you get attached to him so quickly. As he races to find a way back to life, you can’t help but root for him. That’s why Rindu can be a little frustrating at times, but she’s also a character you can completely understand, especially when it comes to her relationship with her mom.

I also really loved how deeply rooted this book is in Indonesian culture. You get to learn about the culture through the perspectives of two characters with very different backgrounds, and through the eyes of an author who is Indonesian herself, which made it feel even more authentic.

Haunting Little Thing Called Love is a paranormal childhood friends to lovers romance full of Indonesian culture, mystery, plenty of emotions, and a sweet, healthy romance. A total page turner that you won’t want to put down until you’ve finished it.

[Lilith's_Library_]

Sometimes love really does come back to haunt you… literally.

Okay, I wasn't expecting to become quite so emotionally invested in a ghost trying to convince his childhood crush that ghosts actually exist, but here we are.

Haunting Little Thing Called Love was such a cute, quirky and unexpectedly emotional paranormal romance. It has that perfect combination of spooky fun, romance, humor and just enough heartbreak to keep things interesting.

Kisah's situation immediately grabbed my attention. He's dead, trapped inside a haunted house and desperately trying to find a way to send one final message home. Then Rindu walks back into his life—or, well, his afterlife—and suddenly things get considerably more complicated.

Because Rindu is a complete paranormal skeptic.

Which makes Kisah's mission absolutely hilarious.

Watching him attempt to convince the woman he's loved since childhood that ghosts are real was easily one of my favorite parts of the story. There were plenty of moments that made me laugh, but underneath the humor was a surprisingly tender story about unfinished business, family, grief and getting a second chance at something you thought you'd lost forever.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Kisah and Rindu. There's something incredibly sweet about the history they share and the feelings that never quite disappeared, even after years apart.

Their romance has plenty of yearning, and I loved watching those old feelings slowly resurface.

Rindu was also a character I really enjoyed. Her skepticism makes complete sense given everything she's been through, and watching her slowly question what she believes was such a fun part of the story.

And then we have the ghosts.

Some are creepy.

Some are completely chaotic.

And some are just downright adorable.

The haunted-house setting gave the story that lovely spooky-season atmosphere without making it overwhelmingly dark. There are definitely some eerie moments, but the overall tone stays playful and romantic, which made this a really easy and enjoyable read.

I also appreciated the Indonesian cultural elements woven throughout the story. Rindu's relationship with her mother and her connection to her heritage added an emotional layer that made the story feel like it was about more than simply getting the girl.

There are themes of family, identity, grief, forgiveness and reconnecting with the people who matter most, all tucked underneath the paranormal romance.

That said, there were a few moments where the pacing didn't quite work for me, and I occasionally wanted a little more depth from certain emotional moments. Some parts felt like they moved along a little too quickly, especially when I would have happily spent more time with the characters.

But overall, this was such a charming read.

It's spooky without being terrifying, romantic without becoming overly heavy, and funny while still giving you those little emotional punches when you least expect them.

And honestly, a ghost trying to win over his childhood crush in six days is a pretty damn adorable premise.

If you're looking for something to curl up with during spooky season that will give you ghosts, romance, humor, found family, cultural elements and a guaranteed happily-ever-after, definitely give this one a try.

Thank you to Klara Ani and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

★★★★☆

👻 Paranormal romance
💕 Childhood crush
🏚️ Haunted house
✨ Second chances
😂 Humor
🥀 Emotional moments
👻 Ghostly chaos
🌸 Family & culture
💫 Found family
❤️ HEA

[Katya & the Braincells Inc.]

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.

[M Garza]

Kisah and Rindu used to be really close friends when they were young.
- Kisah’s father worked for Rindu’s family and their mothers were also close friends.

As they grew up, they even harbored feelings towards each other that if explored could have become something more.

The timing was never right, and once they both were feeling ready to confess, Rindu learns that she is moving to the United States (US) with her family while Kisah remains in Indonesia.

The book starts a few years afterwards with Kisah who was visiting the US to take a break from his residency program and suddenly dies in a haunted house leaving his spirit trapped there.

Rindu has recently resigned from her job and is currently going through a failed relationship as her boyfriend of 5 years decided to end their relationship after a reading with a medium.

Feeling scorned with everything in her life, she decides to contact the same medium that caused the end of her relationship and invites her to ghost hunt a haunted house for (4) nights in a bid to expose her as a fraud.

The haunted house that they decide on so happens to be the same one where Kisah died and is currently trapped in.

Once he recognizes Rindu, he is happy to see a familiar face and wishes to send a message to his family through her, but is not unable to as she has become a skeptic & no longer believes in the supernatural.

After that first night, Kisah is visited by Rindu’s ancestors who make a deal with him that if he can make her believe again and turn back to their culture who she has been abandoning since moving to the states, they will bring him back to life.

He materializes again as a visible living human, and is able to reunite with his friend again.

In his race against the clock, he convinces her to let him join them on their ghost hunt in a bid to make her a believer once again.

This is further complicated as old feelings resurface, and deep wounds from the past refuse to remain hidden any longer.

This is a story told from a Dual POV, and it explores the characters challenges against what they believe, what the were taught to believe, and what they must do to change things and break from generations of expectations from both family and their culture.

[Celine Wespelaere]

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.

[Sandy]

I received a copy of this book via BookSirens. What follows is my opinion.
 
I think this might be the best ghost story I've ever read. Seriously.
 
It's not horrific or terrifying like most ghost stories. This is ghost story that also happens to be a love story that also happens to be a story about generational trauma, family dynamics, and more specifically, what it's like to be an Indonesian who has relocated to America.
 
So, yes, it's a sweet, but ghostly, love story, and a beautiful one at that, but this book goes much deeper than romance. It goes to the heart of what makes us who we are, what we believe constitutes success, what it means to love someone, whether that's family, friends, or a significant other. I think it's about believing in your own worth, too.
 
While Kisah and Rindu are the two main characters, or more accurately, the two involved in the love story, there are other characters that spend a lot of time on center stage as well. I loved Gal and Elizabeth, and also Jasmine. They're fantastic characters and they're not "just" supporting characters because they have sh&t to deal with of their own, too, just like everyone does in life.
 
At first, I was a bit put off by Rindu's character because she was so angry and bitter, but I realized quickly that it's what happens when you suffer things alone for too long. I was like that once upon a time, and like Rindu, it wasn't my natural state, so I eventually found my way out of that h&llish maze. I appreciate that Rindu's character is portrayed in a way that's real and authentic, which reminds me that this is also a book about women's roles in society, and how they differ from men's experiences.
 
There really is a LOT going on in this book, but it's NOT too much. It's just right. With that said, I still can't pinpoint exactly what it is that I love most about it. I'm thinking that it's the sum of its part, that if anything at all were different, then maybe I wouldn't have loved it as much. It's wonderful exactly as it is.

[Kaitlyn Mahone]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

I want to thank Netgalley for sending me an ARC for this book. I did enjoy it for the most part.

My pros: I absolutely loved the premise. I love paranormal romances with ghosts. And this one had a unique premise. I did enjoy the diversity of the characters especially since I’ve never had read anything with the characters being from Indonesia. I did also enjoy the characters and the heartfelt and serious moments this book had. I think it’s a great read for spooky season especially if you want a nice romance with a guaranteed happily ever after (not a spoiler there).

However, there were cons for me that resulted in a 3.5 stars rating. The biggest thing I had was the pacing. It had a strong start and mystery in the beginning with our ghost MMC and our human FMC. I was sucked in, but then as I got to the middle way mark, the pacing changed for me. At one moment, it was slow and then it felt rushed at the end. It’s kind of hard to explain to where it can make sense, but that’s how I felt. I felt like pacing jumped everywhere and there were times that it was very confusing for me.

However, I did over all like the story. I would recommend. But the pacing is different towards the middle up to the end. If you enjoy a sweet ghost romance, I do think you will enjoy this book.

[Amelia Rachelle]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Read, would definitely recommend!

I went into this book thinking it would be a silly, goofy time, and a silly, goofy time it was, but it was also romantic, heart-wrenching, and serious! Right from the get-go, I was hooked on the storyline and the characters.

I liked that we got to see Kisah and Rindu's in the past, so that we can see what happened to their friendship before the present, and I like that the past was given to us little by little, so that it kept us guessing why things were the way they were within the relationship.

I enjoyed that we got to know the ghosts that were with Kisah in the haunted house (Elizabeth and Gal) and that we got to learn about their lives, because it made me more invested and I started to really care about how they were feeling and acting towards each other.

This book genuinely had me sobbing, laughing, crying, and gasping! When a book makes me do those things, I know it's one I will remember and continue to think about the characters even after I finish the story.

[Ishrika ✧˖°.]

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.

[Airika]

This was a solid read! I enjoyed my time while reading it and thought about it when I wasn’t. I am definitely looking forward to reading more from this author. A huge thank you to the author for the free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. It took me a little longer to read this book than I anticipated it would. To be fair I was reading other books in between but I always found myself thinking about these characters. What would happen, would she decide to believe in her mother and community again and if they would have a hef. The writing was good but I found it a little clunky. It just didn’t flow like I needed it to but the plot moved along nicely and pacing stayed the same throughout. I was invested in both of the characters separately and together. Overall I liked the book and enjoyed my time reading it!

[Sheila Hall]

I see you. I see the two of you tied to one another but with so many strings that snag and tangle. Kisah loves Kindu but he also wants to be a real boy. Kindu loves Kisah but hates herself more. There are several levels of relationships that are addressed throughout: friendship, cultural, and familial. All the self-serving ideals, inadequacies, expectations, and sorrow lead down most of this book. I enjoyed the different assumptions made and exposed, creating depth in what would otherwise be a host of shallow characters. Recommended for those that enjoy falling in love along with the characters.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[M]

3.75 stars

Review courtesy of the Author and BookSirens

I've enjoyed this story and the dual POV of the main characters - Rindu and Kisah. I adore childhood friends to lovers stories.
The paranormal element was a great bonus! I love the deeper insight into Indonesian culture and customs, however I struggled with the emotional load of the story - it might just have been me, so don't get discouraged!

I appreciate that the author explored repairing relationships with parents and re-evaluating the culture you've been brought up in.

[Jericho Nicely]

I loved this book. It skillfully educated me on Indonesian culture while sharing a beautiful love story. All of the important characters were wonderfully complex. I absolutely adored Galileo and Elizabeth. I was really rooting for them to move on. This is the book for you if you're looking to shed a few tears of joy and heartache alike.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sasha]

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a wonderful story about two Indonesians in the United States of America inside a haunted house. Granted one of them is dead. This story goes into that culture, which brings an interesting perspective to ghosts and the afterlife that most people would not think about. Was that suppose to be my take? probably not as it is supposed to be a love story. oh well.

[Alisha]

This was so so adorable! I absolutely loved it, I was obsessed from start to finish and learning bits of Indonesian culture whilst reading was really nice too! I loved it.

The main characters are super cute, I love how much Kisah and Rindu mean to each other and how much Kisah wanted to help Rindu and be with her 😭

This is a wonderful, heartfelt story ❤️