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Haunt Me
Joe wakes up from a deep sleep to see his family leave in a removals van. Where they've gone, he has no idea. Erin moves house and instantly feels at home in her new room. Even if it appears she isn't the only one living in it. Bit by bit, Erin and Joe discover that they have somehow found a way across the ultimate divide - life and death. Bound by their backgrounds, a love of poetry and their growing feelings for each other, they are determined to find a way to be together.
Joe's brother, Olly, never cared much for poetry. He was always too busy being king of the school - but that all changed when Joe died. And when an encounter in the school corridor brings him face to face with Erin, he realises how different things really are - including the kind of girl he falls for.
Two brothers. Two choices. Will Erin's decision destroy her completely, or can she save herself before she is lost forever?
Joe's brother, Olly, never cared much for poetry. He was always too busy being king of the school - but that all changed when Joe died. And when an encounter in the school corridor brings him face to face with Erin, he realises how different things really are - including the kind of girl he falls for.
Two brothers. Two choices. Will Erin's decision destroy her completely, or can she save herself before she is lost forever?
388 pages, Paperback
First published October 6, 2016
23 people are currently reading
996 people want to read
About the author
Liz Kessler
78 books960 followersLiz Kessler is the author of three novels about Philippa Fisher as well as the NEW YORK TIMES best-selling Emily Windsnap series. She lives in Manchester, England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
September 23, 2016
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Hachette Children's Group and NetGalley.)
This was a YA paranormal story, about a girl who fell in love with a ghost.
Erin was an okay character and she did well to not freak out when she first met Joe. Joe was also an okay character, and I did feel quite sorry for him that he was stuck being a ghost in his old bedroom.
The storyline in this was about Erin moving into Joe’s old house, and finding that Joe was now a ghost and was haunting her room. We got a romance then between Erin and Joe, which later turned into a love triangle with Erin, Joe, and Joe’s brother Olly.
The ending to this was pretty good, and I didn’t expect Erin to jump to the solution she did. I was glad that things worked out okay in the end though.
6.5 out of 10
“I think I’m falling in love with you.”
This was a YA paranormal story, about a girl who fell in love with a ghost.
Erin was an okay character and she did well to not freak out when she first met Joe. Joe was also an okay character, and I did feel quite sorry for him that he was stuck being a ghost in his old bedroom.
The storyline in this was about Erin moving into Joe’s old house, and finding that Joe was now a ghost and was haunting her room. We got a romance then between Erin and Joe, which later turned into a love triangle with Erin, Joe, and Joe’s brother Olly.
The ending to this was pretty good, and I didn’t expect Erin to jump to the solution she did. I was glad that things worked out okay in the end though.
6.5 out of 10
December 6, 2020
This is the eighth book in my #atozchallenge! I'm challenging myself to read a book from my shelves that starts with each letter of the alphabet. Let's clear those shelves and delve into that backlist!
Teenage Erin's family moves after a difficult time. Erin surprisingly feels solace in her new room--where she soon realizes she isn't alone. It's occupied by the spirit of Joe, the teenage boy who lived in the room before her. At the local school, Joe's brother Olly is struggling with being left behind. Until he meets a girl--different from anyone he's ever dated before. Now, Erin finds herself torn between two brothers. One living, one caught between two worlds. How can she choose?
It's probably my fault for choosing a book with such a plot, but this one is pretty silly. To say it's cheesy and schmaltzy is putting it mildly. I kept thinking about if you could read a book like this without having to abandon all realism... I'm not sure. But, Erin accepts the fact that there is a ghost in her room without any issue at all. Which, um, okay? Even better, she falls in insta-love with this ghost.
There's very little character development here. We get light background on Erin and what seems like even less on Joe (in fact, it seems like his personality switches halfway through). So we're supposed to believe they are two flawed teens, and Olly is a happy go-lucky guy, without much evidence at all. There's insta-love everywhere you look. A preposterous plot. And no one is willing to use Google, apparently.
Still, it's a teen read, so I can see how they might enjoy some of this craziness. It's a fast read, and I won't lie, I was caught up in the story at times. And the ending really was pretty perfect. Still, as much as I hate to do it, as I've read some of Kessler's other books and loved them, I think this was a 2.5-star read for me.
You can read more about the #atozchallenge here.
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Teenage Erin's family moves after a difficult time. Erin surprisingly feels solace in her new room--where she soon realizes she isn't alone. It's occupied by the spirit of Joe, the teenage boy who lived in the room before her. At the local school, Joe's brother Olly is struggling with being left behind. Until he meets a girl--different from anyone he's ever dated before. Now, Erin finds herself torn between two brothers. One living, one caught between two worlds. How can she choose?
It's probably my fault for choosing a book with such a plot, but this one is pretty silly. To say it's cheesy and schmaltzy is putting it mildly. I kept thinking about if you could read a book like this without having to abandon all realism... I'm not sure. But, Erin accepts the fact that there is a ghost in her room without any issue at all. Which, um, okay? Even better, she falls in insta-love with this ghost.
There's very little character development here. We get light background on Erin and what seems like even less on Joe (in fact, it seems like his personality switches halfway through). So we're supposed to believe they are two flawed teens, and Olly is a happy go-lucky guy, without much evidence at all. There's insta-love everywhere you look. A preposterous plot. And no one is willing to use Google, apparently.
Still, it's a teen read, so I can see how they might enjoy some of this craziness. It's a fast read, and I won't lie, I was caught up in the story at times. And the ending really was pretty perfect. Still, as much as I hate to do it, as I've read some of Kessler's other books and loved them, I think this was a 2.5-star read for me.
You can read more about the #atozchallenge here.
Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ PaperBackSwap ~ Smashbomb
August 8, 2017
When I was in school, my friends and I would write these role-playing stories, each taking turns to write what was going on for our characters, progressing the story, and throwing curve-balls at the others that they could respond to when their turn came.
There seemed to be this unspoken battle in which each of us wanted to have the most damaged and special snowflake of all the characters, and of course we wanted all the boys to be madly in love with our own characters, to love them despite the damage… to want to save them and make everything better.
We would take turns writing the boy characters, too, and their every thought was always on the female characters who were our own embodiment of super special.
That’s what this book felt like. Something my friends and I wrote as teenagers, which was total wish-fulfillment, but did not make any sense, and would have left readers undoubtedly frustrated at how “amazing” all of the characters were. The hopping of character points of view reinforced this feeling, with no chapter running for more than about five pages before it switched to the other, leaving nothing about their interactions unexplored from both points of view.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” became my mantra while reading this book, and was one of the main reasons I was able to push through.
This is a story of instalove, and of so much assumption and stupidity.
The rest of this review can be found HERE!
There seemed to be this unspoken battle in which each of us wanted to have the most damaged and special snowflake of all the characters, and of course we wanted all the boys to be madly in love with our own characters, to love them despite the damage… to want to save them and make everything better.
We would take turns writing the boy characters, too, and their every thought was always on the female characters who were our own embodiment of super special.
That’s what this book felt like. Something my friends and I wrote as teenagers, which was total wish-fulfillment, but did not make any sense, and would have left readers undoubtedly frustrated at how “amazing” all of the characters were. The hopping of character points of view reinforced this feeling, with no chapter running for more than about five pages before it switched to the other, leaving nothing about their interactions unexplored from both points of view.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” became my mantra while reading this book, and was one of the main reasons I was able to push through.
This is a story of instalove, and of so much assumption and stupidity.
The rest of this review can be found HERE!
November 23, 2021
Als seine Familie plötzlich umzieht, Joes Hände die Türklinke nicht greifen können und niemand seine Stimme hört, muss er irgendwann einsehen, dass sein Leben vorbei ist und er sein Zimmer nicht mehr verlassen kann. Erin hatte einen furchtbaren Unfall und als ob das schon nicht schlimm genug wäre, reagieren ihre Mitschüler mit Spott auf ihre Panik. Als sie mit ihrer Familie umzieht, fühlt sie schon bald, dass sie nicht allein in ihrem Zimmer ist. Aber Joe macht ihr keine Angst, stattdessen fühlt sie sich endlich nicht mehr so allein und Joe geht es genauso.
Ähnlich wie Erin beginnt man zu hoffen, dass es irgendeine Möglichkeit gibt, damit die beiden zusammen sein könnten. Aber eigentlich leugnet man nur die Wahrheit, indem man sich an eine kleine, irrationale Hoffnung klammert. Es ist eine Beziehung, die von Anfang an zum Scheitern verurteilt ist und das wissen sie eigentlich auch, was nur dazu führt, dass sie daran verzweifeln. Erin ist zwar erfüllt von schönen Gefühlen, aber sie kann ihr Leben auch nicht weiterleben, wenn sie an etwas Unmöglichem festhält und dafür die Realität schweifen lässt.
Als die aussichtslose Beziehung dann durch Ollys Auftauchen zu einem traurigen Liebesdreieck wurde, fand ich es wieder interessant. Olly fühlt sich sehr einsam, seit sein Bruder gestorben ist, er ist sympathisch und charmant und gibt sich viel Mühe, damit Erin ihm eine Chance gibt. Erin will mit Joe zusammen sein, aber das ist beinahe unmöglich, Olly hingegen ist echt und lebendig. Und Joe ist eifersüchtig auf seinen Bruder, der schon immer beliebter und erfolgreicher war und mit dem Joe nun erst recht nicht mehr konkurrieren kann.
Ich fand die Idee mit der Beziehung zu einem Geist eigentlich schon sehr interessant und erkenne darin auch durchaus eine Metapher, aber gerade mit Joe und Erin wurde ich nicht richtig warm, auch wenn ich Olly ja direkt sympathisch fand. Mit dem ernsten und traurigen Thema hat das Buch auch einige ziemlich tiefgründige Szenen, die es zu einem schönen Leseerlebnis machen. Das Ende hat aber nicht so richtig zum Rest gepasst, war auf einmal sehr überstürzt und hat die gefühlvolle Atmosphäre ziemlich zerstört.
Fazit
"Meine Liebe ist jetzt" hatte einige sehr schöne und emotionale Momente und ich fand das Liebesdreieck mit einem Geist auch wirklich gelungen. Leider konnten mich die Charaktere und das Ende der Geschichte aber nicht so ganz überzeugen.
Ähnlich wie Erin beginnt man zu hoffen, dass es irgendeine Möglichkeit gibt, damit die beiden zusammen sein könnten. Aber eigentlich leugnet man nur die Wahrheit, indem man sich an eine kleine, irrationale Hoffnung klammert. Es ist eine Beziehung, die von Anfang an zum Scheitern verurteilt ist und das wissen sie eigentlich auch, was nur dazu führt, dass sie daran verzweifeln. Erin ist zwar erfüllt von schönen Gefühlen, aber sie kann ihr Leben auch nicht weiterleben, wenn sie an etwas Unmöglichem festhält und dafür die Realität schweifen lässt.
Als die aussichtslose Beziehung dann durch Ollys Auftauchen zu einem traurigen Liebesdreieck wurde, fand ich es wieder interessant. Olly fühlt sich sehr einsam, seit sein Bruder gestorben ist, er ist sympathisch und charmant und gibt sich viel Mühe, damit Erin ihm eine Chance gibt. Erin will mit Joe zusammen sein, aber das ist beinahe unmöglich, Olly hingegen ist echt und lebendig. Und Joe ist eifersüchtig auf seinen Bruder, der schon immer beliebter und erfolgreicher war und mit dem Joe nun erst recht nicht mehr konkurrieren kann.
Ich fand die Idee mit der Beziehung zu einem Geist eigentlich schon sehr interessant und erkenne darin auch durchaus eine Metapher, aber gerade mit Joe und Erin wurde ich nicht richtig warm, auch wenn ich Olly ja direkt sympathisch fand. Mit dem ernsten und traurigen Thema hat das Buch auch einige ziemlich tiefgründige Szenen, die es zu einem schönen Leseerlebnis machen. Das Ende hat aber nicht so richtig zum Rest gepasst, war auf einmal sehr überstürzt und hat die gefühlvolle Atmosphäre ziemlich zerstört.
Fazit
"Meine Liebe ist jetzt" hatte einige sehr schöne und emotionale Momente und ich fand das Liebesdreieck mit einem Geist auch wirklich gelungen. Leider konnten mich die Charaktere und das Ende der Geschichte aber nicht so ganz überzeugen.
September 24, 2016
4.5/5
*Review originally posted on my blog, Bookshelves & Biros.*
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a story for anyone who has ever felt lonely. It’s a book for anyone who has ever felt like they didn’t fit in, who desperately wants to find their place in the world. It’s a haunting story of love, loss and the will to move on and it’s packed with hope and characters that I couldn’t help but fall in love with.
The story centres around Erin, who has just moved to a small seaside town with her parents and sister after a pretty rough few years. She’s struggling with anxiety, low self-esteem and crippling shyness, but things take a turn when they move into their new house and Erin realises her room is haunted. ‘Ghosts?!’ I hear you say. Yep, ghosts. However, this isn’t your usual tale of paranormal activity, because rather than an evil spirit that wants to possess you or a poltergeist that chucks your pants about, Erin’s room is inhabited by the ghost of lost, tangibly sad boy named Joe.
I picked my way slowly through the first few chapters while I finished off a couple of other reads, but once Kessler’s book had my full attention I devoured it within a matter of hours. Aside from the topic of death, which is central to the plot, Haunt Me also goes head to head with topics not limited to drug use, bullying, grief, mental health and suicide. Kessler handles them all in a forthright, but sensitive way without ever coming across as patronising. Whilst there are lots of great YA books that explore taboo topics, there also some that are so heavy-handed that I think they end up doing more harm than good. Whilst there are dark moments in Haunt Me, each traumatic event or difficult situation is edged with a silver lining, even if it’s fleeting. It’s a book that manages to balance light and dark and be truthful without spiralling into hopelessness. It’s a feat of pure skill to write a book about death that leaves you feeling hopeful, but that’s exactly what Kessler has done.
The prose was lovely, lovely, lovely. Both Erin and Joe are very introverted, artsy characters and they deal with the world and people around them by writing. Joe’s chapters especially read like a poem with short, staccato sentences and a kind of rhythmic feeling. These lyrical, often poignant passages lent themselves to the book particularly well, drawing me further into the story and closer to the characters. I wasn’t a huge fan of poetry at school, but it turns out I just need the right kind of poetry to fall in love.
The characters were instantly relatable, despite one of them being y’know…very dead. You can’t help rooting for Erin, who by all accounts is just a normal girl who is trying her best to get by. Kessler does a wonderful job of building up her relationship with Joe to a point where it becomes immaterial that he’s a ghost. The romance element could have come off as completely ludicrous, but there’s enough development of both of the characters to make you root for the impossible. If I’m really going to pick holes, I would say that Joe and Erin are very similar. It’s a classic case of creating a love interest who is similar to your protagonist in every way. I don’t mind shared interests, because they’re essential for a connection, but there also needs to be a level of push and pull and differences within the relationship to stop it from becoming boring. People don’t need to be the same to fall in love.
Family is a key theme in this novel and Kessler does an especially good job of portraying realistic sibling relationships, which are some of the most testing, powerful and complex relationships many of us will ever have. If y’all have a brother or sister, you’ll know. One minute its dramatic Disney duets and the next you’re pulling each other’s hair out from the roots. Such is family. There are very few YA books that explore siblings in the kind of stark light that Haunt Me does and I commend the author for creating nuanced relationships that made me think about how much my own sister means to me.
I can’t say too much about this without this review becoming spoiler-central, but there is a love triangle. I saw it coming a mile off, but it didn’t dampen my investment or enjoyment in the slightest. I’m not one of these readers who has a particular issue with love triangles (I mean Jem/Tessa/Will come ON) as long as there’s good reason for them to exist within the plot. This one is handled very sensitively and I never felt like the author was forcing the pairings together or writing it in to add unnecessary angst to the story. The relationships created are there for a purpose and they bring all of the characters full circle, leaving you feeling satisfied with the resolution.
Despite a tentative start, Haunt Me quickly found its feet and the rest of the book flew by in a blur of sweet writing, lush characterisation and story full of forgiveness and new beginnings. It made me cry, it made me smile and it made me melt just a little bit. My main criticism would be that I read it way too fast.
*Review originally posted on my blog, Bookshelves & Biros.*
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a story for anyone who has ever felt lonely. It’s a book for anyone who has ever felt like they didn’t fit in, who desperately wants to find their place in the world. It’s a haunting story of love, loss and the will to move on and it’s packed with hope and characters that I couldn’t help but fall in love with.
The story centres around Erin, who has just moved to a small seaside town with her parents and sister after a pretty rough few years. She’s struggling with anxiety, low self-esteem and crippling shyness, but things take a turn when they move into their new house and Erin realises her room is haunted. ‘Ghosts?!’ I hear you say. Yep, ghosts. However, this isn’t your usual tale of paranormal activity, because rather than an evil spirit that wants to possess you or a poltergeist that chucks your pants about, Erin’s room is inhabited by the ghost of lost, tangibly sad boy named Joe.
I picked my way slowly through the first few chapters while I finished off a couple of other reads, but once Kessler’s book had my full attention I devoured it within a matter of hours. Aside from the topic of death, which is central to the plot, Haunt Me also goes head to head with topics not limited to drug use, bullying, grief, mental health and suicide. Kessler handles them all in a forthright, but sensitive way without ever coming across as patronising. Whilst there are lots of great YA books that explore taboo topics, there also some that are so heavy-handed that I think they end up doing more harm than good. Whilst there are dark moments in Haunt Me, each traumatic event or difficult situation is edged with a silver lining, even if it’s fleeting. It’s a book that manages to balance light and dark and be truthful without spiralling into hopelessness. It’s a feat of pure skill to write a book about death that leaves you feeling hopeful, but that’s exactly what Kessler has done.
The prose was lovely, lovely, lovely. Both Erin and Joe are very introverted, artsy characters and they deal with the world and people around them by writing. Joe’s chapters especially read like a poem with short, staccato sentences and a kind of rhythmic feeling. These lyrical, often poignant passages lent themselves to the book particularly well, drawing me further into the story and closer to the characters. I wasn’t a huge fan of poetry at school, but it turns out I just need the right kind of poetry to fall in love.
The characters were instantly relatable, despite one of them being y’know…very dead. You can’t help rooting for Erin, who by all accounts is just a normal girl who is trying her best to get by. Kessler does a wonderful job of building up her relationship with Joe to a point where it becomes immaterial that he’s a ghost. The romance element could have come off as completely ludicrous, but there’s enough development of both of the characters to make you root for the impossible. If I’m really going to pick holes, I would say that Joe and Erin are very similar. It’s a classic case of creating a love interest who is similar to your protagonist in every way. I don’t mind shared interests, because they’re essential for a connection, but there also needs to be a level of push and pull and differences within the relationship to stop it from becoming boring. People don’t need to be the same to fall in love.
Family is a key theme in this novel and Kessler does an especially good job of portraying realistic sibling relationships, which are some of the most testing, powerful and complex relationships many of us will ever have. If y’all have a brother or sister, you’ll know. One minute its dramatic Disney duets and the next you’re pulling each other’s hair out from the roots. Such is family. There are very few YA books that explore siblings in the kind of stark light that Haunt Me does and I commend the author for creating nuanced relationships that made me think about how much my own sister means to me.
I can’t say too much about this without this review becoming spoiler-central, but there is a love triangle. I saw it coming a mile off, but it didn’t dampen my investment or enjoyment in the slightest. I’m not one of these readers who has a particular issue with love triangles (I mean Jem/Tessa/Will come ON) as long as there’s good reason for them to exist within the plot. This one is handled very sensitively and I never felt like the author was forcing the pairings together or writing it in to add unnecessary angst to the story. The relationships created are there for a purpose and they bring all of the characters full circle, leaving you feeling satisfied with the resolution.
Despite a tentative start, Haunt Me quickly found its feet and the rest of the book flew by in a blur of sweet writing, lush characterisation and story full of forgiveness and new beginnings. It made me cry, it made me smile and it made me melt just a little bit. My main criticism would be that I read it way too fast.
August 30, 2016
My favourite Liz Kessler book EVER! I'm not sure how she will top this one. If you loved Ghost, Truly Madly Deeply and or A Certain Slant of Light, you will love this book.
November 7, 2019
Die Bücher von Liz Kessler sind immer ein ganz großes Muss für mich. Seit meiner Kindheit begleiten mich ihre Werke. So liebe ich zum Beispiel ihre Emily Windsnap-Reihe über alles. Als ich nun hörte, dass dieses Jahr ein neues Buch von Liz Kessler im S. Fischer Verlage erscheinen wird, stand für mich natürlich sofort fest, dass ich es lesen muss. Auf „Meine Liebe ist jetzt“ war ich schon so gespannt!
Als Joe in seinem Zimmer erwacht, spürt er sofort, dass etwas Furchtbares geschehen sein muss. Warum liegt er auf dem Boden? Wo sind sein Bett und die anderen Möbel? Wieso kann er sich an nichts mehr erinnern? Kurz darauf betritt sein großer Bruder Olly das Zimmer, scheint ihn aber gar nicht wahrzunehmen. Ohne ihn anzublicken, verabschiedet er sich von Joe. Wenig später fährt er zusammen mit den Eltern in einem Umzugswagen davon. Joe bleibt alleine zurück und muss feststellen, dass er den Raum nicht verlassen kann. Sehr schnell ahnt er, was mit ihm los ist: Er ist tot, ein Geist.
Als die 16-jährige Erin mit ihrer Familie in das Haus von Joe einzieht und sein Zimmer ihres werden wird, spürt sie vom ersten Moment an, dass sie nicht die Einzige im Raum ist. Anfangs ist da nur dieses Gefühl, aber dieses wird sehr schnell zur Gewissheit werden. Eines Tages kann sie Joe plötzlich sehen. Die beiden verbringen immer mehr Zeit miteinander. Endlich haben sie jemanden zum Reden, jemanden, der sie versteht und mit dem sie so viel gemeinsam haben. So lieben sie zum Beispiel beide die Poesie. Erin und Joe kommen sich sehr schnell näher und verlieben sich schließlich ineinander. Aber kann ihre Liebe eigentlich möglich sein? Joe ist schließlich tot und Erin am Leben. Die beiden sind fest entschlossen, einen Weg zu finden, damit sie zusammen sein können.
Dann aber begegnet Erin Olly in der Schule. Er ist sofort ganz fasziniert von diesem Mädchen in den weiten Schlabberklamotten und der Wollmütze auf dem Kopf und möchte sich unbedingt mit ihr treffen. Olly muss sich dann auch sehr bald eingestehen: Er hat sich in Erin verliebt. Erin verbringt auch gerne Zeit mit Olly. Mit ihm ist es einfach anders als mit Joe, realer und lebendiger. Allerdings plagen sie bei den Treffen mit Olly Schuldgefühle gegenüber ihrem Geisterfreund. Für wen oder was wird Erin sich entscheiden: Joe oder Olly? Tod oder Leben?
Wow, was für ein Buch! Ich hatte ja schon damit gerechnet, dass mich das neue Werk von Liz Kessler begeistern wird, mich konnte schließlich bisher noch keines ihrer Bücher enttäuschen und zudem klang „Meine Liebe ist jetzt“ einfach so mega gut! Dass mich die Geschichte aber so umhauen würde, hätte ich jetzt irgendwie doch nicht gedacht. Für mich hat sich „Meine Liebe ist jetzt“ zu einem absoluten Highlight entwickelt. Einmal begonnen mit dem Lesen konnte ich gar nicht mehr damit aufhören. Ich konnte mich diesem Sog, den die Story von den ersten Seiten an auf mich ausgeübt hat, einfach nicht mehr entziehen, sodass ich das Buch regelrecht verschlungen habe. Es liest sich wunderschön, Liz Kessler einen tollen, lockeren und unheimlich mitreißenden Schreibstil.
Erfahren tun wir die Geschichte im Wechsel aus drei verschiedenen Perspektiven in der Ich-Form: Joe, Erin und Olly. Mir haben die ständigen Erzählerwechsel wahnsinnig gut gefallen. Die Handlung wird dadurch nur noch packender und faszinierender. Ich persönlich mochte Erins Kapitel am liebsten, da ich mich in sie irgendwie am besten hineinversetzen konnte.
Erin hat eine verdammt harte Zeit hinter sich. Sie leidet an Panikattacken und wurde an ihrer alten Schule ganz übel gemobbt, sodass sie sich zu einer richtigen Außenseiterin entwickelt hat. Als sie nun an ihre Schule kommt, hat sie die große Sorge, dass nun alles wieder von vorne losgehen wird. Das leise Tuscheln hinter ihrem Rücken, die verstohlenen Blicke, die Hänseleien, Sticheleien und gemeinen Streiche.
Ich habe richtig mit Erin mitgelitten und konnte sie nur zu gut verstehen, dass sie diese Ängste nicht unterdrücken kann. Ihre Gefühls- und Gedankenwelt wird so anschaulich, echt und authentisch beschrieben – einfach nur klasse!
Das Denken und Fühlen von Joe und Olly wird aber auch großartig dargestellt! Joe habe ich, wie Erin, sofort in mein Herz geschlossen. Er ist ein total lieber Kerl, ihn muss man einfach gernhaben.
Bei Joes Bruder Olly habe ich ein kleines bisschen gebraucht, ehe ich komplett mit ihm warmgeworden bin. Irgendwie war er mir nicht auf Anhieb sympathisch gewesen. Zum Glück hatte sich das aber sehr schnell noch gewandelt.
Die Nebenfiguren haben mir ebenfalls total gut gefallen. Liebgewonnen habe ich sie zwar definitiv nicht alle (Zoe, diese Bitch, habe ich richtig gehasst), aber auch die weniger liebenswerten Charaktere haben dazu beigetragen, dass ich außergewöhnliche und unvergessliche Lesestunden mit dem Buch verbracht habe und auf die reinste emotionale Achterbahnfahrt der Gefühle mitgenommen wurde.
Liz Kessler ist mit „Meine Liebe ist jetzt“ ein ganz besonderer Jugendroman gelungen, der viel mehr enthält als nur eine Liebesgeschichte. Das Buch handelt vom Leben und dem Tod, von Mobbing, Drogen, Schuldgefühlen, Depressionen, Suizid und Ängsten, vom Loslassen und Verzeihen sowie von Freundschaft, Familie, Hoffnung und Vertrauen.
Die Geschichte ist traurig und wunderschön zugleich. Sie ist romantisch, herzzerreißend, tiefgründig und zutiefst berührend. Die Handlung ist frei vom jeglichen Kitsch, sie geht richtig unter die Haut und lässt einen immerzu mitfiebern.
So fragt man sich immerzu, wie Joe wohl ums Leben gekommen ist. Wurde er ermordet? War es ein Unfall? Wird die Geschichte ein Happy End finden? Und wie kann es eigentlich sein, dass Erin Joe sehen, ihn manchmal sogar berühren kann?
Die Antworten auf diese Fragen werde ich euch hier natürlich nicht geben. Wenn ihr die gerne haben möchtet, müsst ihr das Buch schon selber lesen (was ihr unbedingt tun solltet!).
Ich kann nur sagen, dass mich manches, was hier zu lesen bekommen habe, sehr schockiert hat. Vor allem die Stelle, als wir erfahren, wie Joe gestorben ist, hat mir am ganzen Körper Gänsehaut beschert.
Sehr berührt haben mich auch die Gedichte von Erin und Joe, die wir im Verlaufe des Buches zu lesen bekommen werden. Eigentlich kann ich mit Gedichten meist so gar nichts anfangen, aber die Texte von Erin und Joe fand ich einfach nur wundervoll und herzbewegend.
Fazit: Zutiefst berührend, unglaublich fesselnd und einfach nur wunderschön – ein großartiger Jugendroman, der richtig unter die Haut geht und einen einfach nicht mehr loslässt. Mir hat „Meine Liebe ist jetzt“ herrliche Lesestunden beschert. Ich habe das Buch so richtig weggesuchtet, da ich es einfach nicht mehr aus der Hand legen konnte. Liz Kessler erzählt in ihrem neuen Roman eine ganz besondere Liebesgeschichte, behandelt aber auch viele ernste, wichtige und schwere Themen. In dem Buch steckt wirklich eine Menge, es ist der Autorin aber perfekt gelungen, die Story überhaupt nicht zu überladen wirken zu lassen. Ich bin hellauf begeistert und kann euch „Meine Liebe ist jetzt“ echt nur ans Herz legen! Von mir gibt es volle 5 von 5 Sternen!
Als Joe in seinem Zimmer erwacht, spürt er sofort, dass etwas Furchtbares geschehen sein muss. Warum liegt er auf dem Boden? Wo sind sein Bett und die anderen Möbel? Wieso kann er sich an nichts mehr erinnern? Kurz darauf betritt sein großer Bruder Olly das Zimmer, scheint ihn aber gar nicht wahrzunehmen. Ohne ihn anzublicken, verabschiedet er sich von Joe. Wenig später fährt er zusammen mit den Eltern in einem Umzugswagen davon. Joe bleibt alleine zurück und muss feststellen, dass er den Raum nicht verlassen kann. Sehr schnell ahnt er, was mit ihm los ist: Er ist tot, ein Geist.
Als die 16-jährige Erin mit ihrer Familie in das Haus von Joe einzieht und sein Zimmer ihres werden wird, spürt sie vom ersten Moment an, dass sie nicht die Einzige im Raum ist. Anfangs ist da nur dieses Gefühl, aber dieses wird sehr schnell zur Gewissheit werden. Eines Tages kann sie Joe plötzlich sehen. Die beiden verbringen immer mehr Zeit miteinander. Endlich haben sie jemanden zum Reden, jemanden, der sie versteht und mit dem sie so viel gemeinsam haben. So lieben sie zum Beispiel beide die Poesie. Erin und Joe kommen sich sehr schnell näher und verlieben sich schließlich ineinander. Aber kann ihre Liebe eigentlich möglich sein? Joe ist schließlich tot und Erin am Leben. Die beiden sind fest entschlossen, einen Weg zu finden, damit sie zusammen sein können.
Dann aber begegnet Erin Olly in der Schule. Er ist sofort ganz fasziniert von diesem Mädchen in den weiten Schlabberklamotten und der Wollmütze auf dem Kopf und möchte sich unbedingt mit ihr treffen. Olly muss sich dann auch sehr bald eingestehen: Er hat sich in Erin verliebt. Erin verbringt auch gerne Zeit mit Olly. Mit ihm ist es einfach anders als mit Joe, realer und lebendiger. Allerdings plagen sie bei den Treffen mit Olly Schuldgefühle gegenüber ihrem Geisterfreund. Für wen oder was wird Erin sich entscheiden: Joe oder Olly? Tod oder Leben?
Wow, was für ein Buch! Ich hatte ja schon damit gerechnet, dass mich das neue Werk von Liz Kessler begeistern wird, mich konnte schließlich bisher noch keines ihrer Bücher enttäuschen und zudem klang „Meine Liebe ist jetzt“ einfach so mega gut! Dass mich die Geschichte aber so umhauen würde, hätte ich jetzt irgendwie doch nicht gedacht. Für mich hat sich „Meine Liebe ist jetzt“ zu einem absoluten Highlight entwickelt. Einmal begonnen mit dem Lesen konnte ich gar nicht mehr damit aufhören. Ich konnte mich diesem Sog, den die Story von den ersten Seiten an auf mich ausgeübt hat, einfach nicht mehr entziehen, sodass ich das Buch regelrecht verschlungen habe. Es liest sich wunderschön, Liz Kessler einen tollen, lockeren und unheimlich mitreißenden Schreibstil.
Erfahren tun wir die Geschichte im Wechsel aus drei verschiedenen Perspektiven in der Ich-Form: Joe, Erin und Olly. Mir haben die ständigen Erzählerwechsel wahnsinnig gut gefallen. Die Handlung wird dadurch nur noch packender und faszinierender. Ich persönlich mochte Erins Kapitel am liebsten, da ich mich in sie irgendwie am besten hineinversetzen konnte.
Erin hat eine verdammt harte Zeit hinter sich. Sie leidet an Panikattacken und wurde an ihrer alten Schule ganz übel gemobbt, sodass sie sich zu einer richtigen Außenseiterin entwickelt hat. Als sie nun an ihre Schule kommt, hat sie die große Sorge, dass nun alles wieder von vorne losgehen wird. Das leise Tuscheln hinter ihrem Rücken, die verstohlenen Blicke, die Hänseleien, Sticheleien und gemeinen Streiche.
Ich habe richtig mit Erin mitgelitten und konnte sie nur zu gut verstehen, dass sie diese Ängste nicht unterdrücken kann. Ihre Gefühls- und Gedankenwelt wird so anschaulich, echt und authentisch beschrieben – einfach nur klasse!
Das Denken und Fühlen von Joe und Olly wird aber auch großartig dargestellt! Joe habe ich, wie Erin, sofort in mein Herz geschlossen. Er ist ein total lieber Kerl, ihn muss man einfach gernhaben.
Bei Joes Bruder Olly habe ich ein kleines bisschen gebraucht, ehe ich komplett mit ihm warmgeworden bin. Irgendwie war er mir nicht auf Anhieb sympathisch gewesen. Zum Glück hatte sich das aber sehr schnell noch gewandelt.
Die Nebenfiguren haben mir ebenfalls total gut gefallen. Liebgewonnen habe ich sie zwar definitiv nicht alle (Zoe, diese Bitch, habe ich richtig gehasst), aber auch die weniger liebenswerten Charaktere haben dazu beigetragen, dass ich außergewöhnliche und unvergessliche Lesestunden mit dem Buch verbracht habe und auf die reinste emotionale Achterbahnfahrt der Gefühle mitgenommen wurde.
Liz Kessler ist mit „Meine Liebe ist jetzt“ ein ganz besonderer Jugendroman gelungen, der viel mehr enthält als nur eine Liebesgeschichte. Das Buch handelt vom Leben und dem Tod, von Mobbing, Drogen, Schuldgefühlen, Depressionen, Suizid und Ängsten, vom Loslassen und Verzeihen sowie von Freundschaft, Familie, Hoffnung und Vertrauen.
Die Geschichte ist traurig und wunderschön zugleich. Sie ist romantisch, herzzerreißend, tiefgründig und zutiefst berührend. Die Handlung ist frei vom jeglichen Kitsch, sie geht richtig unter die Haut und lässt einen immerzu mitfiebern.
So fragt man sich immerzu, wie Joe wohl ums Leben gekommen ist. Wurde er ermordet? War es ein Unfall? Wird die Geschichte ein Happy End finden? Und wie kann es eigentlich sein, dass Erin Joe sehen, ihn manchmal sogar berühren kann?
Die Antworten auf diese Fragen werde ich euch hier natürlich nicht geben. Wenn ihr die gerne haben möchtet, müsst ihr das Buch schon selber lesen (was ihr unbedingt tun solltet!).
Ich kann nur sagen, dass mich manches, was hier zu lesen bekommen habe, sehr schockiert hat. Vor allem die Stelle, als wir erfahren, wie Joe gestorben ist, hat mir am ganzen Körper Gänsehaut beschert.
Sehr berührt haben mich auch die Gedichte von Erin und Joe, die wir im Verlaufe des Buches zu lesen bekommen werden. Eigentlich kann ich mit Gedichten meist so gar nichts anfangen, aber die Texte von Erin und Joe fand ich einfach nur wundervoll und herzbewegend.
Fazit: Zutiefst berührend, unglaublich fesselnd und einfach nur wunderschön – ein großartiger Jugendroman, der richtig unter die Haut geht und einen einfach nicht mehr loslässt. Mir hat „Meine Liebe ist jetzt“ herrliche Lesestunden beschert. Ich habe das Buch so richtig weggesuchtet, da ich es einfach nicht mehr aus der Hand legen konnte. Liz Kessler erzählt in ihrem neuen Roman eine ganz besondere Liebesgeschichte, behandelt aber auch viele ernste, wichtige und schwere Themen. In dem Buch steckt wirklich eine Menge, es ist der Autorin aber perfekt gelungen, die Story überhaupt nicht zu überladen wirken zu lassen. Ich bin hellauf begeistert und kann euch „Meine Liebe ist jetzt“ echt nur ans Herz legen! Von mir gibt es volle 5 von 5 Sternen!
June 22, 2017
From the synopsis, it is fairly obvious that this story is about the main character Erin falling in love with a ghost, Joe, who is still living in the bedroom that she moves into in her family's new house. Erin's family moves to a small city by the sea, after Erin has had a tough few years and is struggling with many different things, including some self-esteem issues and being incredibly shy. Joe, the ghost living in Erin's room, is also dealing with some issues, including feeling lost and sad. Erin soon believes she is falling in love with Joe. Erin also meets Olly, Joe's brother after an encounter at school, which complicates things.
I'm going to be honest, I do not believe in ghosts, nor do I ever choose to read about them. However, I received an ARC from the publisher and the synopsis sounded interesting so I decided to give it a try. I liked the main character Erin and found her likeable, probably because she was introverted. She connects well with Joe as he is also very introverted. Here's the part I just wasn't really into; Erin falling in love with a ghost. The ghost feeling sad and lost, etc. However, the book does touch on some sensitive and important subjects such as bullying, grief and mental health. I did really like the way the book ended and overall it was an entertaining and interesting book. Certainly give it a try if you like the paranormal young adult genre!
Thank you to the publisher, Candlewick, for sending me an ARC.
I'm going to be honest, I do not believe in ghosts, nor do I ever choose to read about them. However, I received an ARC from the publisher and the synopsis sounded interesting so I decided to give it a try. I liked the main character Erin and found her likeable, probably because she was introverted. She connects well with Joe as he is also very introverted. Here's the part I just wasn't really into; Erin falling in love with a ghost. The ghost feeling sad and lost, etc. However, the book does touch on some sensitive and important subjects such as bullying, grief and mental health. I did really like the way the book ended and overall it was an entertaining and interesting book. Certainly give it a try if you like the paranormal young adult genre!
Thank you to the publisher, Candlewick, for sending me an ARC.
June 20, 2022
احساسات شخصیت ها رو نویسنده به قدری با کلمات خوب توصیف کرده بود که انگار منم جای شخصیت ها زندگی کرده بودم.
من اوایل خیلی رابطهی جو و ارین رو دوست داشتم، اما داستان عشق یک شبح و یک آدم زنده به کجا میرسه؟وقتی شبح حتی نمیتونه وقتی میافته دستشو بگیره و نجاتش بده.
با این حال من تا آخر امیدوارم بودم جو و ارین با هم باشن.
یه جاهایی از ارین متنفر میشدم که بین دو تا برادر معلق مونده و مهم تر اینکه داره به جو خیانت میکنه، اما آخرش که جو خندهکنان خودش گفت با الی باشه خیالم راحت شد.
و در آخر میخوام بگم کاش جو و ارین به هم میرسیدن، من کلا علاقه زیادی به رابطه این دو بشر دارم.
من اوایل خیلی رابطهی جو و ارین رو دوست داشتم، اما داستان عشق یک شبح و یک آدم زنده به کجا میرسه؟وقتی شبح حتی نمیتونه وقتی میافته دستشو بگیره و نجاتش بده.
با این حال من تا آخر امیدوارم بودم جو و ارین با هم باشن.
یه جاهایی از ارین متنفر میشدم که بین دو تا برادر معلق مونده و مهم تر اینکه داره به جو خیانت میکنه، اما آخرش که جو خندهکنان خودش گفت با الی باشه خیالم راحت شد.
و در آخر میخوام بگم کاش جو و ارین به هم میرسیدن، من کلا علاقه زیادی به رابطه این دو بشر دارم.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 13, 2022
3 stars
I picked this book up in the library cause i thought the cover was funny. It was not at all what i expected the book to be like but i enjoyed it. It was hard to put down and i did stay up until 1am reading. So why did i rate it only three stars? the characters annoyed me. They were so pick-me. The plot and story-line was good but i also feel like the book finished with many unresolved issues. Anyway, a good read.
I picked this book up in the library cause i thought the cover was funny. It was not at all what i expected the book to be like but i enjoyed it. It was hard to put down and i did stay up until 1am reading. So why did i rate it only three stars? the characters annoyed me. They were so pick-me. The plot and story-line was good but i also feel like the book finished with many unresolved issues. Anyway, a good read.
March 10, 2017
Review also posted on my blog.
This book is for the misfits, for the people who go through life alone, waiting to find the one person who understands them.
Haunt Me is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It was one of those rare books that comes into your life at the right time and burrows it's way into your heart because at that moment in your life, that book is you.
This book is raw, emotional and touching. Yes, it is a romance, but it is so much more than a love story. I picked it up because I love a good ghostly romance--what can I say, Casper has given me unrealistic expectations--but what I found was much more. It is a story about grief and loss and healing, about coming to terms with the harsh realities of life. It is a book for those people who feel invisible, who paper over the cracks and try not to let people see that they're falling apart inside, but also desperately wanting someone, just one person, to realise how they are truly feeling and completely understanding you. It is a book about forgiveness, forgiving yourself as well as others, and how forgiveness can set you free in the end. It is a book about hope and new beginnings and finding your place in the world.
The story is told from two main perspectives, Erin and Joe, with Olly's viewpoint joining about halfway through. Joe and Erin find in each other their soulmate, the other half to their whole. They were such relatable characters, despite the deceased state of Joe. Erin was suffering with anxiety and depression, and had been bullied in the past. She had never managed to fit in. Joe was the same, always in the shadow of his older brother. I loved the growth of their relationship, how they helped and healed each other. Joe gave Erin a reason to live again, pulling her out of the dark part of her life. Their relationship was built to such a point that death didn't matter, they were as close as two people could possibly be. Their relationship shines from the pages, the perfect balance between light and dark, hope and despair.
There are some very sensitive issues in this book, aside from death which is central to the plot: anxiety, depression, self-harm, bullying, drug abuse, suicide, grief. All of them are handled so well and in a way that doesn't make the book feel too dark and overwhelming. Liz Kessler's writing is beautiful. She manages to handle all of these issues, giving them a silver lining, no matter how small. For a book that with a main topic of death, it leaves you filled with hope and appreciation for the wonder of life, and just how precious it really is.
This book is a haunting read, one that will stay with you long after you reach the end.
This book is for the misfits, for the people who go through life alone, waiting to find the one person who understands them.
Haunt Me is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It was one of those rare books that comes into your life at the right time and burrows it's way into your heart because at that moment in your life, that book is you.
This book is raw, emotional and touching. Yes, it is a romance, but it is so much more than a love story. I picked it up because I love a good ghostly romance--what can I say, Casper has given me unrealistic expectations--but what I found was much more. It is a story about grief and loss and healing, about coming to terms with the harsh realities of life. It is a book for those people who feel invisible, who paper over the cracks and try not to let people see that they're falling apart inside, but also desperately wanting someone, just one person, to realise how they are truly feeling and completely understanding you. It is a book about forgiveness, forgiving yourself as well as others, and how forgiveness can set you free in the end. It is a book about hope and new beginnings and finding your place in the world.
The story is told from two main perspectives, Erin and Joe, with Olly's viewpoint joining about halfway through. Joe and Erin find in each other their soulmate, the other half to their whole. They were such relatable characters, despite the deceased state of Joe. Erin was suffering with anxiety and depression, and had been bullied in the past. She had never managed to fit in. Joe was the same, always in the shadow of his older brother. I loved the growth of their relationship, how they helped and healed each other. Joe gave Erin a reason to live again, pulling her out of the dark part of her life. Their relationship was built to such a point that death didn't matter, they were as close as two people could possibly be. Their relationship shines from the pages, the perfect balance between light and dark, hope and despair.
There are some very sensitive issues in this book, aside from death which is central to the plot: anxiety, depression, self-harm, bullying, drug abuse, suicide, grief. All of them are handled so well and in a way that doesn't make the book feel too dark and overwhelming. Liz Kessler's writing is beautiful. She manages to handle all of these issues, giving them a silver lining, no matter how small. For a book that with a main topic of death, it leaves you filled with hope and appreciation for the wonder of life, and just how precious it really is.
This book is a haunting read, one that will stay with you long after you reach the end.
October 17, 2019
Inhalt:
Als Joe von seinem Zimmer aus seine Familie in einem Umzugswagen davonfahren sieht, ahnt er, dass etwas Schreckliches geschehen ist. Und als er kein Fenster, keine Tür mehr öffnen kann und niemand seine Rufe hört, wird seine Ahnung zur Gewissheit: Er ist tot, er ist nur noch ein Geist. Als die sechzehnjährige Erin kurz darauf in dasselbe Zimmer einzieht, spürt sie sofort, dass sie nicht die Einzige darin ist. Zwischen Joe und Erin scheint die Trennung von Leben und Tod aufgehoben, und die beiden verlieben sich ineinander. Sie sind fest entschlossen, einen Weg zu finden, entgegen jeder Logik zusammen zu sein. Doch dann lernt Erin Olly kennen, Joes Bruder, der so real ist wie die Sonne und die ganze lebendige Welt da draußen.
Erin muss sich entscheiden – nicht nur zwischen zwei Brüdern, sondern auch zwischen Traum und Realität, zwischen Tod und Leben.
Meine Meinung:
Vorab viel lieben Dank an Netgallery und den FJB digital Verlag für die Bereitstellung des Rezensionsexemplars, der kleinerlei Einfluss auf die Bewertung hatte.
Eine Liebe, die nicht sein darf. Eine Liebe, die den Tod überwinden könnte. Gibt es ein glückliches Ende für Joe, der ein Geist ist und für Erin, die neu ins Haus zieht. Es ist den beiden gegönnt und man erlebt mit, wie Erin zwischen Joe und Olly, Joes Bruder hin und her gerissen ist. Ein Ende, dass doch unerwartet war und doch hatte ich mir für Olly und Joe ein glückliches Ende erwünscht. Erahnen konnte man es schon aber man wurde auch manchmal doch sehr überrascht.
Die Geschichte ist sehr tiefgründig, angenehm erzählt und aus 3 verschiedenen Sichten erzählt, so dass man auf jeden Fall alle 3 besser kennen lernt.
Ansicht ist die Geschichte traurig zugleich, den sie spricht ein wichtiges Thema an, was in der heutigen Zeit sehr groß angeprägt wird, nämlich das Mobbing und die Drogen. Grad mit der Thematik Drogen, ist es nicht zu spaßen, es ist wichtig zu wissen, was wir machen oder wie wir damit umgehen.
Fazit:
Hin und her gerissen, ob ich es mag oder es doch manchmal an einigen Stellen zu viel oder auch zu lange dauert. Ob es in den richtigen Genre zugeordnet ist, es ist schwierig zu sagen. Aber vielleicht passt es dort hin.
Als Joe von seinem Zimmer aus seine Familie in einem Umzugswagen davonfahren sieht, ahnt er, dass etwas Schreckliches geschehen ist. Und als er kein Fenster, keine Tür mehr öffnen kann und niemand seine Rufe hört, wird seine Ahnung zur Gewissheit: Er ist tot, er ist nur noch ein Geist. Als die sechzehnjährige Erin kurz darauf in dasselbe Zimmer einzieht, spürt sie sofort, dass sie nicht die Einzige darin ist. Zwischen Joe und Erin scheint die Trennung von Leben und Tod aufgehoben, und die beiden verlieben sich ineinander. Sie sind fest entschlossen, einen Weg zu finden, entgegen jeder Logik zusammen zu sein. Doch dann lernt Erin Olly kennen, Joes Bruder, der so real ist wie die Sonne und die ganze lebendige Welt da draußen.
Erin muss sich entscheiden – nicht nur zwischen zwei Brüdern, sondern auch zwischen Traum und Realität, zwischen Tod und Leben.
Meine Meinung:
Vorab viel lieben Dank an Netgallery und den FJB digital Verlag für die Bereitstellung des Rezensionsexemplars, der kleinerlei Einfluss auf die Bewertung hatte.
Eine Liebe, die nicht sein darf. Eine Liebe, die den Tod überwinden könnte. Gibt es ein glückliches Ende für Joe, der ein Geist ist und für Erin, die neu ins Haus zieht. Es ist den beiden gegönnt und man erlebt mit, wie Erin zwischen Joe und Olly, Joes Bruder hin und her gerissen ist. Ein Ende, dass doch unerwartet war und doch hatte ich mir für Olly und Joe ein glückliches Ende erwünscht. Erahnen konnte man es schon aber man wurde auch manchmal doch sehr überrascht.
Die Geschichte ist sehr tiefgründig, angenehm erzählt und aus 3 verschiedenen Sichten erzählt, so dass man auf jeden Fall alle 3 besser kennen lernt.
Ansicht ist die Geschichte traurig zugleich, den sie spricht ein wichtiges Thema an, was in der heutigen Zeit sehr groß angeprägt wird, nämlich das Mobbing und die Drogen. Grad mit der Thematik Drogen, ist es nicht zu spaßen, es ist wichtig zu wissen, was wir machen oder wie wir damit umgehen.
Fazit:
Hin und her gerissen, ob ich es mag oder es doch manchmal an einigen Stellen zu viel oder auch zu lange dauert. Ob es in den richtigen Genre zugeordnet ist, es ist schwierig zu sagen. Aber vielleicht passt es dort hin.
October 19, 2017
Romantic ghost story! Yes, a little cheesy but none the less, I couldn't put it done. Teen girls will love this one.
December 21, 2017
Weird and dumb. I thought it might be a spooky and interesting fantasy romance, but then they got into depression, bullying, and suicide...subjects I am sick of reading about in YA books and seeing in YA movies. Yes we need to be aware of those problems and gain empathy and understanding for them, and we can do that by studying real-life experiences happening all around us. But we don’t need to constantly immerse ourselves and our youth in fictional drama revolving around those subjects. It’s not healthy.
October 29, 2016
This review first appeared on Addicted to Media.
A boy wakes up from a long sleep to discover that his family is packing boxes into a van and moving out of home. Where are they going? Why did nobody tell him? That is just the beginning of Joe’s problems. He soon discovers that they cannot see or hear him and that he appears to be incorporeal. What has happened? Is he dead? In a coma?
Seemingly trapped in his bedroom, Joe has no other option but to wait. Soon, another family moves into the house and Erin moves into Joe’s former bedroom. What starts off as a vague feeling soon becomes more as Erin begins to feel and then see Joe.
The pair have a lot in common and begin to fall in love. But what of Joe’s brother Olly? What is he hiding and can Erin trust him?
Haunted. I had read her short story “Love Is a Word, Not a Sentence” that appeared in Amnesty UK’s Here I Stand collection and was impressed with her idea that being gay may be punishable by death in many parts of the world but can still be a death sentence in other societies due to bullying and hatred.
I therefore expected a lot from Haunt Me. I expected Kessler to tackle some very serious issues and to be fair, the book does address drug taking, suicide, bullying and bereavement. The problem is that these were more of a backdrop to the story and ultimately, Haunt Me is just another young adult story about an ostracised girl falling in love with a supernatural being and almost destroying herself in the process.
There was also a mean girls sequence that I found to be completely unnecessary. When are authors going to start writing about strong supportive friendships, the ones that start in school and last until old age? Could that not also be a form of wish fulfilment and escapism if written well?
Not surprisingly, I did not enjoy Haunt Me and found the long, descriptive paragraphs describing each character’s point of view to be incredibly laborious. Reading a novel should not feel like a chore.
I give Haunt Me a disappointing 2 out of 5 stars. It's been a long time since I was this disappointed with a novel but comparing it to my last two-star review Rachel Vincent's The Stars Never Rise, I see that I have a theme of disliking stereotypes and tired old clichés in young adult novels.
September 29, 2017
1.5 stars
(Also look out for weird grammatical errors)
It's an added 0.5 because of
1.) The beautiful cover
2.) Joe
3.) I like Liz Kessler
I'm really disappointed in this book. It had a lot of potential to be good and I expected that. Liz Kessler always wows me with her books and I thought Haunt Me would be the same. Instead, we get lengthy character appearance descriptions (where everyone is handsome/beautiful), cliched shy girl main characters and a FREAKING LOVE TRIANGLE.
First things first. The characters SUCKED. Like real hard. They barely had any depth and seemed to like each other for no apparent reason.
The main character, Erin is portrayed especially badly. She has a history of bad mental health, yet we don't see her on her way to recovery, we don't see how maybe bouts of it comes back sometimes and we don't see how she fights against it. It might as well be the crappy mental health depiction train Liz hopped on hoping to attract more readers. I was hoping to see Erin struggling to believe in herself but instead, we get her relying on love and boys. There's nothing awesome about her. Nothing that could make anyone fall in love with her because she's just that cliched shy girl. She doesn't have sass, she doesn't smile cutely, she...I don't know. She's just not a good enough character.
Also, the love triangle. I COULD DO VERY WELL WITHOUT A LOVE TRIANGLE.
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*MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD!*
~~~~~~~~~~~
First of all, it's guaranteed. Of course, the (totally handsome) ghost who's stuck in a girl's bedroom would fall for her. She's the only one he sees day in and day out. And of course, his brother would fall for her because of what? She called his dead brother's name across the school yard? And not to mention how DIFFERENT SHE IS? WHATTTT???
AND ANDDDDD DON'T FORGET how all these popular girls are portrayed so badly. Of course there's one slightly different girl in the group but I don't think these girls were given justice. They were pictured as mean cheerleaders with Erin as the delicate angel. Honestly, how bad can it get? All girls aren't mean and against you and all guys aren't handsome and in love with you either.
~~~~~~~~~~~
*SPOILERS END HERE!*
~~~~~~~~~~~
MOVING ON.... Family love and relationship isn't shown nicely in this book too. We get like 2 lines where Erin realizes that yes, her mom has stood up for her but then she's just like BYE BITCHES. We don't get the deep relationship everyone hopes for. We don't get to hear the importance of family over the thundering shouts of HANDSOME BOYS AHEAD, DON'T YOU LOVE THEM? and SHOULD I CHOOSE OLLY OR JOE?
URGHHHHHHH. I think everything in this review is written really badly but hey, it's a bad book. URGHHH
(Also look out for weird grammatical errors)
It's an added 0.5 because of
1.) The beautiful cover
2.) Joe
3.) I like Liz Kessler
I'm really disappointed in this book. It had a lot of potential to be good and I expected that. Liz Kessler always wows me with her books and I thought Haunt Me would be the same. Instead, we get lengthy character appearance descriptions (where everyone is handsome/beautiful), cliched shy girl main characters and a FREAKING LOVE TRIANGLE.
First things first. The characters SUCKED. Like real hard. They barely had any depth and seemed to like each other for no apparent reason.
The main character, Erin is portrayed especially badly. She has a history of bad mental health, yet we don't see her on her way to recovery, we don't see how maybe bouts of it comes back sometimes and we don't see how she fights against it. It might as well be the crappy mental health depiction train Liz hopped on hoping to attract more readers. I was hoping to see Erin struggling to believe in herself but instead, we get her relying on love and boys. There's nothing awesome about her. Nothing that could make anyone fall in love with her because she's just that cliched shy girl. She doesn't have sass, she doesn't smile cutely, she...I don't know. She's just not a good enough character.
Also, the love triangle. I COULD DO VERY WELL WITHOUT A LOVE TRIANGLE.
~~~~~~~~~~~
*MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD!*
~~~~~~~~~~~
First of all, it's guaranteed. Of course, the (totally handsome) ghost who's stuck in a girl's bedroom would fall for her. She's the only one he sees day in and day out. And of course, his brother would fall for her because of what? She called his dead brother's name across the school yard? And not to mention how DIFFERENT SHE IS? WHATTTT???
AND ANDDDDD DON'T FORGET how all these popular girls are portrayed so badly. Of course there's one slightly different girl in the group but I don't think these girls were given justice. They were pictured as mean cheerleaders with Erin as the delicate angel. Honestly, how bad can it get? All girls aren't mean and against you and all guys aren't handsome and in love with you either.
~~~~~~~~~~~
*SPOILERS END HERE!*
~~~~~~~~~~~
MOVING ON.... Family love and relationship isn't shown nicely in this book too. We get like 2 lines where Erin realizes that yes, her mom has stood up for her but then she's just like BYE BITCHES. We don't get the deep relationship everyone hopes for. We don't get to hear the importance of family over the thundering shouts of HANDSOME BOYS AHEAD, DON'T YOU LOVE THEM? and SHOULD I CHOOSE OLLY OR JOE?
URGHHHHHHH. I think everything in this review is written really badly but hey, it's a bad book. URGHHH
November 13, 2016
I received an eARC edition of this book courtesy of Orion Children's Books/ Hachette Children's Group via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book made me rather uncomfortable at times, my mind did not bode well with Joe and Erin's relationship. I just couldn't fully comprehend why on Earth it happened, because apart from artistic/writer's license, I could not picture why one could and would come up with a human being falling for a ghost like some weird Caspar the Friendly Ghost remake...
Because that's what this book felt like, with a side of bullying, and suicide and OD. It was all rainbows and sunshine. However, I do have to say that Kessler did a good job of presenting all of these topics in a non-pretentious way.
In saying that, though, I thought that Erin was too reckless nearing the end of the book. I mean okay, she was introverted and had been bullied for the majority of her life, but going to the lengths she tried to; to be with the only human being her age (if one may even call Joe that, because I honestly don't think so) who cared enough to show her affection was incredibly childish and thoughtless.
But I do guess that the above also explains the plentiful insta-love which occurred within this novel, which of course I found rather pathetic; but I am going to put it down to the MC's unstable psyche, and excuse her from both incidents.
The relationship itself , well... it annoyed me. Joe and Erin felt like the same person sometimes and I think a bit of the whole "opposites attract" thing that most books have going on nowadays would have worked better, which was why I was quite relieved when Olly came into the story, which was coincidentally also when the pace of the book picked up for me and reading became more bearable.I honestly have no clue why this book didn't work for me like it seemed to for the majority of its readers, but I do have to say that Kessler's writing style kept this book from falling into the depths of hell with all the other books that had somewhat displeased me this year. It was fresh, and original and honestly worked perfect with the story and was a pleasure to read
My Rating: A Generous 2/5 Stars
This book made me rather uncomfortable at times, my mind did not bode well with Joe and Erin's relationship. I just couldn't fully comprehend why on Earth it happened, because apart from artistic/writer's license, I could not picture why one could and would come up with a human being falling for a ghost like some weird Caspar the Friendly Ghost remake...
Because that's what this book felt like, with a side of bullying, and suicide and OD. It was all rainbows and sunshine. However, I do have to say that Kessler did a good job of presenting all of these topics in a non-pretentious way.
In saying that, though, I thought that Erin was too reckless nearing the end of the book. I mean okay, she was introverted and had been bullied for the majority of her life, but going to the lengths she tried to; to be with the only human being her age (if one may even call Joe that, because I honestly don't think so) who cared enough to show her affection was incredibly childish and thoughtless.
But I do guess that the above also explains the plentiful insta-love which occurred within this novel, which of course I found rather pathetic; but I am going to put it down to the MC's unstable psyche, and excuse her from both incidents.
The relationship itself , well... it annoyed me. Joe and Erin felt like the same person sometimes and I think a bit of the whole "opposites attract" thing that most books have going on nowadays would have worked better, which was why I was quite relieved when Olly came into the story, which was coincidentally also when the pace of the book picked up for me and reading became more bearable.I honestly have no clue why this book didn't work for me like it seemed to for the majority of its readers, but I do have to say that Kessler's writing style kept this book from falling into the depths of hell with all the other books that had somewhat displeased me this year. It was fresh, and original and honestly worked perfect with the story and was a pleasure to read
My Rating: A Generous 2/5 Stars
August 15, 2019
I was a huge fan of Liz Kessler when I was little. I read all the Emily Windsnap and Philippa Fisher books, and her standalones as well! So I was really excited to see her expand into the young adult genre.
I think this book had a pretty good handle on mental health, grief, bullying, and even addiction. I sped through this book, and the plot pushed forward well. Sure, there was a major love triangle, and I know that’s not for everyone, but this book accomplished what I wanted it to for me. It was entertaining, it was cute, there was good hurt/comfort material.
Of course, I do understand when people say that Erin is pretty flat and a bit of a Mary Sue. But I didn’t completely hate her. In fact, I kind of liked her a bit. And that’s a pretty great accomplishment for an author writing a teen, female character.
The end was satisfying, and I’d recommend this as a good teen paranormal romance book.
However, I didn't think that the frequent use of the exclamation "AAARRGGGGHHHHH!" is really a scream of fear, but author's preference, I guess.
I think this book had a pretty good handle on mental health, grief, bullying, and even addiction. I sped through this book, and the plot pushed forward well. Sure, there was a major love triangle, and I know that’s not for everyone, but this book accomplished what I wanted it to for me. It was entertaining, it was cute, there was good hurt/comfort material.
Of course, I do understand when people say that Erin is pretty flat and a bit of a Mary Sue. But I didn’t completely hate her. In fact, I kind of liked her a bit. And that’s a pretty great accomplishment for an author writing a teen, female character.
The end was satisfying, and I’d recommend this as a good teen paranormal romance book.
However, I didn't think that the frequent use of the exclamation "AAARRGGGGHHHHH!" is really a scream of fear, but author's preference, I guess.
October 7, 2016
A smart book, cleverly dealing with some meaty issues (bullying, depression, self-harm) in a story that feels very light and delicate in tone. The plot largely focuses on the development of romantic feelings but clearly taking in how these are impacted by Erin's previous experiences - and of course the unusual circumstances of Joe's being a ghost. I think this allows the author to deal gently with ideas about bullying and mental health and to encourage readers to think about these things without it being too heavy or to be labelled as an 'issues' book. It's an engaging story, with great characters that captures the complicated emotions of early love (and friendships and loneliness) really well. Highly recommended.
January 5, 2022
خیلی قشنگ و گریه دار بودییییی! خدایا واقعا دلم میخواست جو با ارین با هم باشن ولی...نمی شد...و خب،حقیقتا ارزو میکردم جو زنده شه دوباره و امیدوارم بودم به زنده شدنش..ولی...خب به هرحال پایان قشنگی داشت و دلم برا جو تنگ میشه...ای کاش تا ابد کنارشون می موند..آه
15.10.1400
2:48 pm
15.10.1400
2:48 pm
March 23, 2018
Craziest love triangle ever, but I kind of loved it!
September 23, 2023
it was cute but i cant get over the fact that joe is a ghost
like it ruins it for me
like it ruins it for me
February 26, 2017
Great for younger teenagers.
May 19, 2017
I got an ARC from NetGalley of this book. The title and the summary of this book don't do it justice. I thought it sounded interesting but once I started reading it I could not stop. This is an amazing novel. Erin has had a very difficult time since she was hit by a car in 7th grade and has suffered anxiety and panic attacks as a result. Her parents move her family to a new town and the house they buy was previously occupied by a family with two boys, one of whom, Joe, recently passed away. Joe's ghost (or spirit) is stuck in his old bedroom. While reading, I realized that there is probably a reason that he is kind of stuck in limbo and the more I read, the more I knew I was right. Eric can seem him and talk to him and even touch him sometime and they grow very close, falling in love. Their relationship is beautifully characterized through them getting to know each other day by day. Erin is in school with Joe's older brother but doesnt meet him until halfway through the book. Olly is suffering from a huge amount of guilt over causing his brother's death. He is immediately smitten with Erin because she is so different than the other girls at their school. They also being a relationship and Erin become stuck between the two brothers, not in a bad way but it is extremely emotional and difficult for all three of them. Joe finally realizes why he is still on earth during the climax of the story and he manages to accomplish what he knows he needs to do before going to heaven. It is a beautiful story of love after death. I also loved all the British phrases and sayings because I am not British. I will be haunted by thoughts of this story for days, in a good way though. I highly recommend this book as I could NOT put it down and rad it in one night!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 25, 2016
I did enjoy this book. It took me a little longer to read than usual because I did find myself struggling through parts of it. It definitely brought a new perspective to the typical "boy meets girl" teenage love story and I did find myself wanting to finish it and find out the end.
The end I kind of had an idea, but I wasn't completely right. There was a few surprises in there. The whole story was pretty far fetched and not incredibly believable, but then are most "boy meet girl" love stories these days?
I did like the twist to this one. I'm generally not one for a love story but this didn't feel completely like that. I give it 3/5 which is still a good rating for me. Probably a book I would reread again in a few years and I would recommend it to someone who was maybe a little younger than me.
The end I kind of had an idea, but I wasn't completely right. There was a few surprises in there. The whole story was pretty far fetched and not incredibly believable, but then are most "boy meet girl" love stories these days?
I did like the twist to this one. I'm generally not one for a love story but this didn't feel completely like that. I give it 3/5 which is still a good rating for me. Probably a book I would reread again in a few years and I would recommend it to someone who was maybe a little younger than me.
January 7, 2021
One of the best books I've ever read and a favorite of mine, too. It's been two years since I first read this novel, and to this day, I still constantly thinking about it. I figured it would be an interesting read at first, but it was so much more than that.
From Joe Gardener's Notebook
"You are taste and smell and feeling of pen on paper, you are perfect- Do you know how perfect you are? .. I am nothing but a pair of eyes, waiting to be looked into"
This novel, with its insane plot twist and its intense love triangle, spreads so much awareness (bullying, depression, suicide, finding oneself, etc). Joe's poems about Erin filled me with wonder and left me in awe, the sensitivity and raw feelings are strong. One of those books in which you, in a soulful way, can connect to the characters.
From Joe Gardener's Notebook
"You are taste and smell and feeling of pen on paper, you are perfect- Do you know how perfect you are? .. I am nothing but a pair of eyes, waiting to be looked into"
This novel, with its insane plot twist and its intense love triangle, spreads so much awareness (bullying, depression, suicide, finding oneself, etc). Joe's poems about Erin filled me with wonder and left me in awe, the sensitivity and raw feelings are strong. One of those books in which you, in a soulful way, can connect to the characters.
October 13, 2021
کتاب خوشخوان با فصل های کوتاه که برای اوقات فراغت بد نیست. موضوعات به قدری پراکنده و زیاد است که انگار از دست نویسنده درمیره. معلوم نیست داستان عاشقانه محور اصلی هست یا مسائل دیگر مثل مشکلات نوجوان، اعتیاد یا غیره.
در کل میتونست بهتر باشه
در کل میتونست بهتر باشه
September 15, 2024
خیلی متوسط بود
August 26, 2020
Actual rating: 2.5 Not awful, but I can't actually say that I liked it either. Just kind of... meh.
OMG. The feels. This book had so many feels. I think I could legitimately only recommend it to someone who wants to read about every agonizing emotion EVERY character is having for a solid 300 pages. However, if you don't want to read 300 pages of feels, then this book might not be for you.
It wasn't bad per se, there were elements I liked, the mystery of why Joe died, and what he was still around for, those were somewhat interesting. Interesting enough to slog my way through a book that is at least 2/3 intense feelings and less than 1/3 everything else? That I"m still on the fence about. I mean, I did it so I guess you could make a case for the mystery elements being worth it, but it's also worth noting that about halfway through I started skipping huge chunks of this book. I'd start reading a sentence, and if I ran into a feeling, I'd skip that paragraph completely. Which means I ended up skipping TONS, basically everything but the dialogue and blocks of text messages.
This book is emo as fuck, and should only be read by those who will appreciate an overload of angst and emotion, because otherwise you'll be bored to tears.
I'm now going to give you the condensed plot with minimal feelings (onnly those necessary to understand the story). And I will do this in a few paragraphs. In case anyone wants spoilers, but doesn't want to slog through this thing. Spoilers abound. Beware, you've been warned.
So as you an see, if you cut out all the unnecessary feelings, the entire plot of this book can be distilled down to 4 fucking paragraphs. Man, I wish I had someone to just read me those 4 paragraphs instead of the 371 pages I fought through, but it was ok... at least I got to count a book toward my reading goal.
OMG. The feels. This book had so many feels. I think I could legitimately only recommend it to someone who wants to read about every agonizing emotion EVERY character is having for a solid 300 pages. However, if you don't want to read 300 pages of feels, then this book might not be for you.
It wasn't bad per se, there were elements I liked, the mystery of why Joe died, and what he was still around for, those were somewhat interesting. Interesting enough to slog my way through a book that is at least 2/3 intense feelings and less than 1/3 everything else? That I"m still on the fence about. I mean, I did it so I guess you could make a case for the mystery elements being worth it, but it's also worth noting that about halfway through I started skipping huge chunks of this book. I'd start reading a sentence, and if I ran into a feeling, I'd skip that paragraph completely. Which means I ended up skipping TONS, basically everything but the dialogue and blocks of text messages.
This book is emo as fuck, and should only be read by those who will appreciate an overload of angst and emotion, because otherwise you'll be bored to tears.
I'm now going to give you the condensed plot with minimal feelings (onnly those necessary to understand the story). And I will do this in a few paragraphs. In case anyone wants spoilers, but doesn't want to slog through this thing. Spoilers abound. Beware, you've been warned.
So as you an see, if you cut out all the unnecessary feelings, the entire plot of this book can be distilled down to 4 fucking paragraphs. Man, I wish I had someone to just read me those 4 paragraphs instead of the 371 pages I fought through, but it was ok... at least I got to count a book toward my reading goal.
May 30, 2017
Reviewed at my blog: Babbling Books
*I received an e-copy of this book through NetGalley from Candelwick Press in exchange for an honest review*
I didn’t expect much going in. And I'd never read anything from or even recognized the author, so I was ready for your typical formula, girl finds ghost, they fall in love, obstacles get in the way and either they get around them or she finds love with someone else. Now without spoiling too much because I want you all to read this book, the plot is extremely easy to suss out early on. The way the author has things play out, you know where the characters are headed long before they get there, but that was the beauty of it almost, knowing and yet getting to know the characters anyway. This book, while following several cliches and patterns that I normally hate, somehow made me fall in love with it.
Much of the reason for my liking of this book comes from the authors loving attention to her characters. Their raw honesty and true-to-life details make me feel like I could actually know them in real life, or in Erin’s case, be them. The depth of emotions and complexities she layers the characters with makes it easy to sympathize with them and want to get immersed in their unfolding story. And her use of a rotating POV between Erin, Joe and Olly was excellently executed as I always felt the characters had their own voice while still being connected to the story. I also applaud the author for having her characters tackle difficult things like bullying, depression, anxiety, loss of loved ones and just the general feeling of alienation. Things we all may have faced in one way or another but can sometimes fail to put into words.
The romance element is what joins this whole book together and while I have a few nitpicks with it there isn’t much I would change. The dynamic between Erin, Joe and Olly played out so well amongst the pages that by the end I was highly satisfied with where they all ended. My only gripe is that I wish Erin’s feelings for Olly would’ve been more fleshed out as by the end I still felt her connection to Joe was much stronger.
I admired the author’s use of poetry in the book as well, joining Erin and Joe by their shared use of writing to help them cope with stress and the release of pent up emotions, it was a wonderful device to show how each of the characters words connected them and wound them together. The writing of the book itself flowed almost like poetry at times, beautiful in its pauses for quiet moments but the frenzied pace of what was happening in the characters lives and how each character was handling their own view of the situation.
Overall this was a spectacular book that went well beyond the surface of a normal contemporary read. The characters reminded me of what it means to struggle, make mistakes and even in the end they weren’t completely healed, which is sometimes how life turns out so it was nice to see an author be honest about the somewhat-happily-ever-afters. You can read this book as a fun love story, you can read it as a ghost story, either way this book is definitely worth a place on your shelf.
*I received an e-copy of this book through NetGalley from Candelwick Press in exchange for an honest review*
“Maybe you only know how precious it is to be a part of the world once your time’s up and you no longer get the choice.”I’m not much for contemporary books. For some reason if it doesn’t take place in another world or have lots of fantasy elements I’m usually not interested. But for some reason the synopsis for this book really captured my attention. It’s probably the weird, sappy romantic in me. And wow was she satisfied with this little gem of a book.
I didn’t expect much going in. And I'd never read anything from or even recognized the author, so I was ready for your typical formula, girl finds ghost, they fall in love, obstacles get in the way and either they get around them or she finds love with someone else. Now without spoiling too much because I want you all to read this book, the plot is extremely easy to suss out early on. The way the author has things play out, you know where the characters are headed long before they get there, but that was the beauty of it almost, knowing and yet getting to know the characters anyway. This book, while following several cliches and patterns that I normally hate, somehow made me fall in love with it.
Much of the reason for my liking of this book comes from the authors loving attention to her characters. Their raw honesty and true-to-life details make me feel like I could actually know them in real life, or in Erin’s case, be them. The depth of emotions and complexities she layers the characters with makes it easy to sympathize with them and want to get immersed in their unfolding story. And her use of a rotating POV between Erin, Joe and Olly was excellently executed as I always felt the characters had their own voice while still being connected to the story. I also applaud the author for having her characters tackle difficult things like bullying, depression, anxiety, loss of loved ones and just the general feeling of alienation. Things we all may have faced in one way or another but can sometimes fail to put into words.
The romance element is what joins this whole book together and while I have a few nitpicks with it there isn’t much I would change. The dynamic between Erin, Joe and Olly played out so well amongst the pages that by the end I was highly satisfied with where they all ended. My only gripe is that I wish Erin’s feelings for Olly would’ve been more fleshed out as by the end I still felt her connection to Joe was much stronger.
I admired the author’s use of poetry in the book as well, joining Erin and Joe by their shared use of writing to help them cope with stress and the release of pent up emotions, it was a wonderful device to show how each of the characters words connected them and wound them together. The writing of the book itself flowed almost like poetry at times, beautiful in its pauses for quiet moments but the frenzied pace of what was happening in the characters lives and how each character was handling their own view of the situation.
Overall this was a spectacular book that went well beyond the surface of a normal contemporary read. The characters reminded me of what it means to struggle, make mistakes and even in the end they weren’t completely healed, which is sometimes how life turns out so it was nice to see an author be honest about the somewhat-happily-ever-afters. You can read this book as a fun love story, you can read it as a ghost story, either way this book is definitely worth a place on your shelf.
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