Adorable! Loved the characters and the storyline was alot of fun! It's a great addition to our high school collection!

Though kids will like this graphic novel, no doubt, it's formulaic and doesn't really break the mold in any way.

*THIS IS A SPOILER-FILLED REVIEW*

Overall, Ghost Friends Forever #1 (GFFs) had a unique storyline, cute characters, and an eye-catching illustration style. However, it wasn't the story for me. As a more advanced reader, character and plot development is very important to me, and this story unfortunately lacked both. I liked the concept of the Campos family owning a paranormal services business. As well as, Sophia falling in love with a ghost while solving her first paranormal mystery. It’s a unique plot!

The story revolves around the theme of all sorts of relationships: family, platonic, and romantic. That’s an excellent foundation for a story, but I personally did not feel connected to any of characters or their relationships.

Upon meeting Whitney, Sophia feels a special connection with her. Their connection is very sweet, but at the same time the progression of their relationship is extremely rushed. After only knowing each other for a few days, the pair professes their love for one another. It’s very insta-love, which did not feel realistic, or genuine. It is hard to imagine such a connection, when there isn’t a lot of heartfelt dialogue between the girls. I think adding a few more scenes of Sophia and Whitney getting to know each other would have helped establish the special bond they have.

It’s really important that the story touched on Sophia’s family dynamic. Naturally, the divorce of their parents greatly affected Sophia, and Felix. By their family being divided, their relationship as siblings has been negatively impacted. While working together to solve Whitney’s murder, the siblings start to mend their broken relationship.

It’s amazing how many authors nowadays are writing stories about LQBTQ+ relationships including Monica Gallagher. I love the LGBTQ+ representation in Ghost Friends Forever #1, but Sophia’s journey of self-discovery was missing for me. I wanted to know more thoroughly how Sophia felt when she discovered that she may be bisexual. As well as gain an insight to Sophia’s romantic feelings for Whitney – the first girl (and ghost) she’s ever had a crush on.

Fortunately, Volume 1 of Ghost Friends Forever had a pretty decent conclusion. Most importantly, Sophia, Felix, and Jake unmasked Whitney’s murderer. In addition, Sophia and her brother learned why their parents divorced, which in turn helped mend their broken relationship.

Volume 1 leaves us with a cliffhanger. When Linda tries to banish Whitney’s soul, she opens a supernatural vortex. To close the vortex, Whitney enters it leaving Sophia wondering if she’ll ever see her again. A week later, Sophia finds a note from Whitney, which gives her hope that this isn’t the end for them…

I gave Ghost Friends Forever: My Heart Lies in the 90s… 3 out of 5 stars. GFFs was a pleasant read, but the graphic novel did not leave a lasting impression on me. Therefore, I’m not planning on continuing the series. Even though GFFs wasn’t my cup of tea, I think a Middle Grade audience might better appreciate its youthful tone. Although, I truly believe this is a story I would have picked up as a kid.

Ghost Friends Forever: My Heart Lies in the 90's is the first installment in a graphic novel series for teens and tweens written by Monica Gallagher and with artwork by Kata Kane. Sophia Campos is only just getting used to her new life with her divorced dad and managing their business of helping ghosts, when she meets a ghost girl who changes everything. Not because she’s a ghost - but because of what it brings out in Sophia. Soon her brother, her best friend (who is also her old crush) Jake, and her parents are all entangled together on solving the case of the dead girl. Because she’s not just any average ghost girl. She also holds a piece of the puzzle to something Sophia cares about very much -what was the paranormal event that caused her parents to split up in the first place?

Ghost Friends Forever is a graphic novel that combines family drama, school conflicts, and the supernatural. I like that while many pieces of the story (crushes, divorce,school) are universal, I found that those universal feels carried over the the mystery and ghostly aspects of the story as well, making even the most fantastic moments feel real. Part of that was the deep character work with Sophia, and to a lesser extent the others. Family and relationship drama is something every tween and teen will face (not necessarily in the same degrees) and it just brings the emotional struggles Sophia faces more powerful. I liked the development of her brother as well, even though he does not always make the wisest choice, and the goodness of Jake just made me smile when the way their lives were interconnected was made clear. The art work added the detail and emotion needed to keep readers turning pages and enthralled in the story. I look forward to the chance to keep reading.

Ghost Friends Forever is a wonderful start to a new series. I liked the characters, their relationships, the underlying premise, and the artwork. I am eager to see what comes next.

A fun little graphic novel. I liked the artwork, and my daughter really liked the story.

This is a really cute ghost story that deals with loss, regret, and finding new friendship and love. Highly recommended for those looking for YA LGBTQ+ titles.

This was a really good comic and I haven't read a good one that was a manga in a long time. I can say that the start of the comic was a little confusing at first becasue it seemed to jump around a lot, however I kept reading and after a couple of pages everything started to make sense. The plot and everything else was very well explained and thought out. The comic had supsense, romance and mystery. It was like reading a mystery suspense book but just with pictures. I won't give away any spoilers but I will say that if you pick up this book to read it you will not be disappointed. I cannot wait for the second book!

Had it on my laptop however went to open it and it wouldn't open. Went to try it now and it was archived so couldn't read it

Unfortunately the file I got was completely broken wouldn't show any of the art. I redownloaded it at least 6 times and it didn't help, so I can't read it

A BIG Thank You to NetGalley, Papercutz and Charmz for providing me a copy of “Ghost Friends Forever #1” by Monica Gallagher in exchange for my review.

This was a very cute book to read that reminded me of the old Scooby Doo mysteries. The main highlight of the book was the relationship between Sophia and Whitney. I admire that this book was lesbian themed and targeted towards a younger audience. What’s really cool about it is that the author didn’t even make it sound like a big deal. The relationship between the two is very fluid and described like a normal relationship between any couple. The story is very light hearted and you immediately build a soft spot for the two.

I also liked how the story blended the murder mystery of Whitney while forming the bond between Whitney and Sophia. Honestly, I didn’t expect the killer to be who it turned out to be, so that was a fun surprise. I enjoyed the action packed climax and the positive note that it ended with. Most of the characters are also very likable (except Felix, who was very annoying!). Whitney was my favorite character and I hope she returns in the future installments.

However, there were some minor things that irked me while reading this graphic novel. The main problem I found was the pacing. The story immediately jumps into the plot, without providing any introduction to the characters or history to their work. This might work well for some, but I found it confusing. Secondly, some story-lines are not explained, like why the parents got divorced, or what supernatural activities occur in Spectreville. I also don’t get why Felix got angry at Sophia just because their parents divorced. Thirdly, the parents look way too young! It’s hard to believe that parents of two teenage children would look like teenagers themselves. I just couldn’t take anything they said or did seriously because of this aspect.

The book also provided previews of other series such as “Stitched” and “Scarlet Rose”. “Stitched” seems like a fun book with a creepy theme, and I have added that to my list.

Overall, I felt this was a fun book to read, but had the potential to be executed much better. Perhaps if the illustrations were drawn in a finer way, then it would have made for a memorable read. I give “Ghost Friends Forever #1” 3.5/5 stars.

**Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to review.**

By Monica Gallagher and Kata Kane

So, my son said this was traumatizing. Because there was kissing, or maybe it's because it was a ghost, or a murder.

Nope, it was because of the kiss. Anyway, I enjoyed it! There is a brother and sister, their parents just split and the kids took sides. But this is complicated, and the family business, paranormal investigating, was split up as well.

So, can the girl solved the mystery of her new GFF?

Lots of complicated relationships, but I think it's fine for tweens and up.

I enjoyed the illustrations. My students really enjoy stories with ghosts. I will recommend this item to my school librarian as she works on expanding on graphic novel selections.

While this was a cute story of friendship, it was not as interesting as other graphic novels geared towards MG readers (Roller Girl, El Deafo, Real Friends). I would recommend it to readers who wanted a graphic novel with a supernatural element.

I did not know that this was a lesbian themed graphic novel. I have to say that I am not a fan of this type of lifestyle because of our religious beliefs and this turned me off on this one. Sorry! I am sure that some kids may not even catch it or let it bother them, but I am not going to be letting my daughter read this one.

This graphic novel is super cute! The artwork is great and the story line is fun. I would definitely recommend for a teen audience (or above, in my case). I am looking forward to the next installment.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book, which I voluntarily reviewed.

Cute, but I felt the pacing was off with the storyline. The parents' split wasn't explained enough for as big a deal was made out of it. I would read a second one to see what happens next.

First I should say what I liked. I liked that the ghost is lesbian, and it isn't a big deal. I like that Sophia tries to solve the murder on her own. I liked the mystery, and the concept of the story.

Here is what I didn't like. The whole story was very forgettable. So forgettable that I forgot that I had read it, and had to go in and reread it so I could remember what happened the first time. There is a lot of running around, and trying to figure out things, her parents' divorce, and a lot of mean girl stuff thrown in for good measure.

Either the characters should have been more developed, or the story should have been shorter. As it was I didn't really care about her parents divorce. I didn't really care about much of anything. The story feels unfinished, and perhaps there are more in the series, and some things left unresolved will work their way out.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

This graphic novel tells a sweet story of siblings who have recently gone through the divorce of their parents. The family used to be paranormal investigators, specifically helping ghosts move onto the afterlife, but the family business has stopped after the divorce. Older sister, Sophia, encounters a ghost in the woods and finds herself quickly falling for her. Younger brother, Felix, does not like this development and quickly acts to try to break them apart. The illustrations, though not perfect, clearly illustrate the situations and feelings of the character. There are moments where this novel could be improved--the mystery of Sophia and Felix's parents divorce is never really addressed--but overall, a nice addition to a library where graphic novels circulate well.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. GFF #1 started off to be pretty interesting. A family torn apart by an event they won't talk about. A teenage girl just wants to fit in and for things to go back to normal. On her way to school, Sophia decides to take a shortcut because she is running late. She runs into a ghost named Whitney who appears to be a reoccurring apparition at an old covered wooden bridge. Since ghost "counseling" runs in the family, Sophia decides that if she can solve why Whitney is stuck at the bridge, she might be able to fix what is wrong with her parents and get them back together. On the other side of town is Felix, Sophia's brother, and his friend Jake, Sophia's ex. When Jake stops and talks to Sophia to see how she is doing, he sees that she is up to something and recruits her brother to help with the problem. Once Sophia gets to know Whitney, she feels compelled to help but also is afraid to lose her new "friend". On a chance meeting during a full moon, Whitney becomes solid and decides to take things a little further, which makes things a lot more complicated for Sophia. On top of her parents recent divorce, her ex and brother following her around and meddling with her "professional service", Sophia is now dealing with feelings she never thought she would have towards a girl. I liked the context of the story but I didn't care for how it developed. It changed very rapidly and didn't seem well developed towards the middle and end. With some editing and a bit more filler (details), I think this could be a great graphic novel. I do like the idea of a strong headed female-lead figuring things out for herself and finding out about herself and what she does and does not like.

There’s a lot going on in GFFs: Ghost Friends Forever, but it’s all good-hearted. This supernatural mystery romance feels like a modern Nancy Drew, except in this case, ghosts are real.
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The art style is simple and direct, with a manga influence younger readers will feel comfortable with.... Things move quickly because readers need to see various relationships repaired as well as solve the mystery of what happened to their new ghost friend Whitney. The question of what drove the family apart is held for a future volume.

The book can feel at times like it’s talking down to young readers, but that’s a struggle many YA authors face. Writing for kids takes skill, and it can be tricky to find the balance without risking sounding a little patronizing, particularly when the graphic novel has a relatively short length and is this overstuffed. Future volumes of GFFs should calm down a bit. Regardless, the characters are worth spending more time with.