Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Due to past trauma surrounding peer reactions to her queer identity, Cara Weaver, 18, can't wait to escape Stossel, Wash. After receiving rejections from all the colleges she applied to, however, she's anticipating another year at home, and believes her only ticket out of Stossel is finding success with her ghost-hunting YouTube channel, Caranormal Activity. So, when she accidentally stumbles upon the spirit of deceased former classmate Aiden Reyes, she endeavors to use his presence to prove that ghosts are real. But Aiden will only help Cara if she takes his sister Meredith to prom, an act that he hopes will draw Meredith out of her grief-induced depression. What begins as an obligation blossoms into real romance, leaving Cara in an impossible situation--the happier she makes Meredith, the more at peace Aiden feels, causing his spirit to retreat toward the afterlife and taking Cara's dreams of escape with him. A key traumatic incident and examinations of grief are handled cursorily, and snarky, pop-culture-packed prose by Sutter (Darkhearts) at times feels preoccupied with the girls' bodies, but character personalities are nevertheless intricately and distinctly rendered. The protagonists read as white. Ages 13--up. Agent: Josh Adams, Adams Literary. (June)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 10 Up--Sutter's newest novel is set in the same world as his Darkhearts and focuses on Cara, a ghost-hunting 18-year-old who is trying to find a way out of her small town after not getting into college. After inadvertently attaching herself to the ghost of a teenage boy who died the year before, she wants to use him to prove that ghosts are real. He is willing, but on one condition: Cara takes his little sister to prom. Cara and her parents are quirky and fun. Aiden, the teenage ghost, is authentic as a know-it-all and guy who likes to be in charge. Meredith, the love interest, and Holly, Cara's BFF, stand out as likable characters, as they push Cara to acknowledge her flaws. Aiden does not feature as prominently as readers may anticipate and all but disappears during Cara and Meredith's budding romance. The characters' voices are engaging, but the Gen-Z/Gen-A slang will quickly date the book. The overuse of italics to emphasize words is distracting and will pull readers out of the story. The ending wraps up quickly, with character growth on the part of Cara that doesn't feel believable. VERDICT An optional purchase; give to romance fans looking for something with a paranormal layer.--Tegan Beese
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A ghost hunter finds more than she ever expected. With her plans to leave her small Washington town on the fringes of Seattle in shambles, 18-year-old Cara Weaver puts all her hopes into her YouTube channel, "Caranormal Activity." She heads to a local abandoned paper mill, the site of many tragedies, including as recently as last year, when high school senior Aiden Reyes fell to his death. To Cara's utter shock, Aiden can communicate with her (and her alone), manifesting as a whispered voice in her ear. But she needs more proof than that to validate her discovery. Aiden, however, wants to focus on what he believes is his ghostly "unfinished business": helping Meredith, his younger sister, be happy again by having Cara take her to prom. This scenario fortunately manages never to dip too far into manipulative territory, and when it looks like it might, other characters (for example, Cara's Christian best friend, who's in on the scheme) thankfully call it out. Meredith and Cara's intense sexual attraction for one another does a lot of the heavy lifting for their rapidly developing relationship. The novel explores the spiritual at times, but only in passing. Solid pacing will keep the pages turning, and readers will be drawn into the girls' love story. Cara, who's bisexual, reads white; Meredith is gay, and she and her brother are cued Latine. A light paranormal story centering on a sweet queer romance and teens navigating big changes. (Romance. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
