Dead Girl Haunting

by Mina Rehman

Being a teenager is hard, being a dead one is worse.

Forgotten and left behind, a ghost roams her abandoned family mansion, counting spiders and scaring intruders while she waits for her sister’s return. She’s been waiting for generations.

And then everything changes.

An almost familiar girl moves in, the mysterious boy from next door starts visiting… and an opportunity presents itself. An opportunity that could help bring her sister home.

Now if only the living would stop messing everything up.

Dead Girl Haunting is a light-hearted tale about a ghost failing at playing cupid, fighting phoney ghost hunters, occasionally haunting the living, and maybe, sort of, finding peace.



Reviews“Couldn’t put it down!” — Amy Wilson

“I absolutely fell in love with this gem of a book—a delightful supernatural-futuristic-rom-com.” —Elyse Lindsay

“Ghosts, love and witty humor.” —Marti Andries

“A clever take on a classic haunted house story.” —Holly Elkins

“Hauntingly lovable. You really wish you could be friends with this ghost!” —Katie Wolsey

“Fun feel-good book.” —Linda Joyner

“Hits most "spooky", romantic, happy, sad, humorous.” —Breyanne VanHoose

145 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 30, 2019

About the author

Mina Rehman is a reader, a 90s kid (since we're putting all the important stuff here), an amateur nature photographer (but only when she remembers to charge her camera's battery), a writer, a flexitarian (which might be another word for "struggling vegetarian"), a feminist (obviously), a horrible poet (but that doesn't stop her), proud mother of an adopted Jaguar (Go WWF!), a science communicator and a currently non-practicing astrophysicist.
She loves telling stories that help people connect with one another, but mostly, she just wants to use her words to make people laugh.
When she's not reading, writing or being lazy, she can be found in Manchester's city centre doing really cool experiments and convincing people of the awesomeness of science.
A Princess’s Guide to Dragon Domestication is her first published book.

Reviews

[The Half-blood Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Read for Jordan Ford's Summer Reading Challenge 2020. Prompt: 7. A book that gave you a really bad book hangover**

This book is for people who want to read about ghosts and hauntings without feeling scared.

Told from the ghost's pov, Dead Girl Haunting is a humorous story with a sassy benign spirit who's just protective of their home and possessions, their only connection to their memories and identity that seem to be lost easily without stimulus over time.

One day a new girl arrives at the ghost's home, but she has a key unlike typical intruders. Our bored ghost is intrigued to say the least. And this is how they find themselves in a romcom playing cupid... Yet, it isn't easy being subtle and setting matchmaking plans into motion when you're a ghost.

I was 100% pulled in by the concept, and it didn't disappoint: I loved the execution! Our ghost is doing their best alright??

It's this paranormal story set in the future, which makes it scifi. So cool! And it's so fun! And cookie points for the Meeko mug.

I read 85% of this book in a day, you do the math. I'm not saying any more so you can enjoy it yourself.

[Gary Reads (garysbooksnthings) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this little ghost girl story. I highly recommend it.

[Mina Rehman]

I was watching the Nun one night with my family (lights off, popcorn and blankets in hand) when I thought, ‘You know what would be interesting? Watching this story from the Nun’s perspective. That demon must be having a blast.’ The idea stuck with me until the next morning, and Dead Girl Haunting’s first draft was finished less than two months later.

But Dead Girl Haunting isn't just about a ghost having fun haunting people (though I'd be a liar if I said I didn't have fun just writing it). It's also about loneliness and family, feeling invisible before finally finding someone like you, and making tough choices and standing up for yourself.

We live in a world that can reduce us to feeling insignificant, as if our wants and longings don't matter in the grand scheme of things. But we're all miracles, and all our dreams are miracles waiting to happen too. Sometimes we just need a lonely, witty ghost to show us that.

[Elyse Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely fell in love with this gem of a book - a delightful supernatural-futuristic-rom-com. A matchmaking ghost with an identity crisis (and some great pop-culture references + killer sarcasm), watching over two, young, lost souls make for a fun and lighthearted, post-Halloween read. I adored all three main characters - ghost, girl and neighbor boy but the ghost, aka the brilliant and witty narrator, was by far, my favorite.

[Clem · Rating 5 out of 5]

What to say about this book apart from 'I had a blast reading it?'

This is the story of a dead woman trying to find her identity and finds her daily routine (or eternal boredom) interrupted by the arrival of a living human trying to find peace. Fun times for the reader ensue! If you ever wanted to see what it would be like to be a fly on the wall, this book is for you! This book is from the perspective of the deceased yet never in a cliché manner. I thoroughly enjoyed the dash of romance, the sarcasm, the quips and relatability of all the characters- living and dead. I would recommend anyone to pick up this book and read it!

Review of an eARC

[Linda Joyner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I am not normally one to pick up a ghost story, but am really glad I did. It is a great young adult selection that I even recommended to my 13 year old son. He enjoyed it as well. If you are looking for a light fun read, I highly recommend.

[Breyanne VanHoose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a great little book! (I read this in one sitting, by the way.) This book has dashes of romance, comedy, heart-warming qualities, and makes you feel sympathy for ghosts. The cover is super cute, too!

Review of an eARC copy

[Holly Elkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dead Girl Haunting is a clever take on a classic haunted house story. What is different about this story is that it is told from the ghost's perspective. Living alone for years, unable to leave the confines of the house or even fully remember who she is, the ghost "lives" day to day waiting for anything exciting to happen. Enter girl and neighbor boy and the story takes off. I did want more in the romance department though. It sort of feels like the romance just happens and there was not much development. Also, the parts I was really looking forward to seemed very short (ghost hunters/romance). But I did really enjoy the story! The narrator's sarcasm and witty personality had me laughing at my kindle. Great story!

3.5/5 stars

[Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

To anyone wanting a non-horror book about a ghost, well this book is for you! This witty story follows the perspective of a ghost who seems to be in the middle of a “who am I” crisis. Although I thought this take was cute, there were a few moments that could have been clearer on who the ghost was!

This short read (read it’s entirety in a single day!) is perfect for anytime of the year. This book made me chuckle, and I could really appreciate a few of the pop-culture references throughout the book!

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

A non-scary ghost story is totally my type of book.

The story was cute and fun. Reading a story from a ghost's fly-on-the-wall perspective was neat.

A few things didn't work for me. First, one of the relationships fell a little flat, but it wasn't enough to keep me from reading. Secondly, there was confusion regarding who the ghost actually was to the other people in the story that needs to be corrected for clarity.

Other than that, it was an enjoyable story with a unique perspective. Very cute.

Review of eARC.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun book to read, nice quick read and great for a giggle! If you ever wanted to know what it's like to be a fly on the wall this is it. I love that the book is from a ghosts view as well I haven't read a book like that before. So all in all I would recommend this book for sure and look forward to more by this author.

[Cassandra Laudermilk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick, fun read! I read it in about 3 sessions and found that I enjoyed the characters so much. The narration by the ghost character is so different and I loved how meddling and opinionated she was!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun and quick read. It showed up on my kindle on Halloween and I decided it was the perfect Halloween read. Not scary just fun book about a ghost whose not ready to go yet. Great characterizations.

[Amy Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead Girl Haunting is a fun and humorous look from the ghosts point of view. The main character is witty and sarcastic and I really enjoyed her. The story kept moving, had some twists, romance and suspense! Highly recommend

[Linda Beach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this book !!!

I loved reading this book so much. Love the ghost in the book. I couldn’t put this down until I found out exactly what happened to her. Love the characters in this story and enjoyed the ending. Definitely recommend reading this

[Jenny Koch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it - I've read other ghost stories but I think this is the first time I've come across such a cute story about a ghost awaiting her younger sister deciding to play matchmaker between her grand-niece and the shy neighbor kid all grown up. It was both poignant yet surprisingly light-hearted.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute and entertaining read! The well-written and realistic characters make for a great and funny book. Highly enjoyable.

Review of an eARC copy.

[Samantha McLane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute

This was a cute sweet short book and I loved every page. I've never read anything like it. Definitely worth the 5 stars I couldn't put it down.

[Angela Toney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story

The story was cute, funny, and refreshing. The ending was different that what I was imagining. The dialog is hilarious .

[Kati · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great book! I really enjoyed all the different aspects of the story; friendships, romance, technology, space and the yearning for where you belong. The characters are lovable and you really wish you could be friends with this ghost! I highly recommend, especially for a quick read. You could easily devour this in one sitting!!

Review of an eARC

[Ron Luty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute and great perspective story. Light and good hulmored.

[Kaytlin Newlun · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the concept of this book however I found many mistakes in grammar and there were many times when I get confused about what was happening (which may have been a cultural barrior not bad writing). I think it may have just needed a bit more time put into it to really crisp it up before publishing.

[Natasha's Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay short read about a girl who died young and how she still haunts her childhood home. When her great niece moves in, the ghost gets into a little mischief. I was getting confused when the ghost referred to the girl as her granddaughter yet explained off and on that the girl was in fact her sister's granddaughter.

[Marti Andries · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was right in my wheelhouse - ghosts, love, and witty humor. I read it in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down, and I can’t wait to share it with my daughter, a preteen with a voracious appetite for a good story.

[Krystyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end or a new beginning?

A book about a ghost that has been haunting her family home for over a century. Now she has an unexpected guest. One who starts cleaning and tidying (with the help of the boy next door). She's made peace with the two intruders until another boy comes from the city. One full of his own self importance and arrogance. Watch as she attempts to get rid of him, foster the feelings of the young couple she likes and finds out more about the boy next door. When the young girl invites her Grandmother over she sees her sister for the first time since her death. New beginnings, new feelings and then a job offer. Will she take it?
Loved the characters and the view of life that could be on the horizon for us.

[Lacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute. Kind of a mash up of a classic ghost story with the future 100 years from now. It shouldn't work but it somehow manages to make sense. Our narrator is supposed to be a teenaged girl ghost but somehow sounds like she's a crotchety old lady half the time, which she would be if she was still alive. There's a mystery here but not a life altering one. Think of it as a cozy haunting.

[Sandie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read!

I love ghost stories and this one is one of the best I have read. It tells the story through the eyes of the ghost and her interactions with the living. This book is well worth reading and I am keeping my eye out for more of Mine Truman's books.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so unique and I absolutely loved the ‘ghost’. The futuristic aspect of the book wasn’t my favorite, but that small detail wasn’t enough to diminish my opinion. Super cute book.❤️

[Vicky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was intrigued by the book, but it feels like the author got bored towards the end and just sort of ended it.
A few pages more and the book would've been great.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Haunting with a twist

Interesting plot line: a ghost lives in her old house, when her granddaughter comes to live there for a while.