The Ghosts of Harvard is a novel set in Harvard that follows freshman, Cady. She is attending Harvard, even though it is where her older brother died by suicide shortly before her acceptance. His death had been attributed to schizophrenia, but Cady feels there had to be more of an explanation, so she attends Harvard to get closer to what may have led to her brother’s death.

It is hard to put it in one category. There is drama, suspense, and it also has quite a bit of clinical explanations when it comes to schizophrenia, as well as, the physics of time and dimensions. That is a lot to put into a single story; some of the situations were predictable, but Francesca Serritela made it work. There were times where it seemed like she may have tried to incorporate too much, but the story was fascinating enough to where I didn’t mind having some unanswered questions.

What I appreciated most about it was its exploration of grief. Having just experienced family loss, this book had a cleansing effect for me. It was able to put into words some of the things I couldn’t explain when it came to how I was feeling. I’m not sure if that was Serritela’s intention, but I am thankful that I read it now. I don’t think it would have had the same effect, otherwise.

I loved this book. It was a story about a girl who lost her brother from schizophrenia, and she is also worried that she may be the same as he is. Deciding to go to the same school her brother went to, the same school he plummeted to his death at. She is haunted by the ghost of her brother and starts to wonder if she is "crazy" too. Such an interesting read! I really enjoyed it.

Thank You Net Galley for this copy of Ghosts of Harvard. This one was an emotional one for sure. It was quite the journey reading this one and was very interesting to see what was going to happen. I couldn't imagine what Cady had to go through. The story was kinda slow which made it for a long read for me but I think more people might like it more than I did.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded intriguing to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during that 2nd attempt, I have only managed to make it halfway through so I'd rather stop here and state that this book just wasn't for me.

Cady goes to Harvard to discover why her older brother Eric, a genius took his own life last year. While struggling through grief, the pressure of school Cady finds her brother's  notebook which leads her on a quest to find answers. But she begins to see and hear ghosts, wonders if she is going mad like her brother did or if something more is going on. The book is beautifully written and was hard to put down!

I was able to read this book thanks to NetGalley. I absolutely loved it snd it’s been one of my favorite books of the year. I even bought a physical copy for myself and my friend. It had it all, mystery, family, love. It was extremely well written and sensitive. I have highly recommended it to my friends and family and I cannot wait to read more books by this author in the future. Thanks again to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book is a spectacular read. There’s a little bit of everything for people who are drawn to multiple genres, it’s a real gem. 
The story centers around the Archer family who have a daughter, Cadence “Cady”, who is starting as a freshman at Harvard. Her parents are of mixed feelings about this because they lost their son, Cady’s brother, Erik, who was a junior at Harvard, to suicide the prior spring. Little do her parents know but Cady’s real reason for choosing Harvard isn’t the prestige of this school but the chance to retrace her brother’s footsteps to try to figure out why he decided on suicide. 
She begins school and very shortly after this, she begins to have experiences that worry her as to the possibility of her following his course. This is a fun campus based novel that delves into mental health issues and how stress of school influences this. It also beautifully addresses the turmoil within a family that comes from the loss of a child. 
The whole book was a delight but I especially loved some of the twists and reveals and the finale. The ending few pages of this book are some of the most brilliant writing I’ve read this year. 
If you love a school based story with intrigue, family dynamics and supernatural themes, this is a must read for you. 
Highly recommend!
#GhostsofHarvard #NetGalley # RandomHousePublishing #RandomHouse

Ghosts of Harvard by Francesca Serritella is an exquisite novel. That touches on mental health and the complexities of it. She addresses how mental health can affect the individual suffering with it but also how it can affect family and friends. Serritella has woven this very important topic into somewhat of a mystery novel. I couldn't put this novel down and highly recommend it.

Cady’s brother was a junior at Harvard when he died by suicide last year after struggling with schizophrenia. She decides to also attend Harvard - and is hoping to learn more about her brother. 

Shortly after arriving, Cady starts hearing voices. She doesn’t know if she’s truly communicating with spirits on campus or if they are signs that she’s also experiencing mental illness. 

I was compelled to keep reading and interested to see where things would lead - but not sure how I feel about the answers that were ultimately revealed. 

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

I loved this book. I couldn't put it down. Beautifully written and told well this book will keep you wondering what happens next. 

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

I'd like to thank Random House and Netgalley for giving me an ARC of Ghosts of Harvard by Francesca Serritella.  I am finally getting around to writing a review of this book.  I loved this book.  It is filled with notes of redemption, grief, self-doubt, and healing.  The main character, Cady is realistic and resilient, and I enjoyed her growth throughout the book.

I loved the writing style.  The writing was atmospheric and descriptive, and it was interesting reading about the old haunts around the Harvard campus.  Everything tied up nicely at the end, and there were a few twists that I honestly didn't expect.

Overall I found Ghosts of Harvard to be a refreshing and enjoyable read.

This is an excellent book. You think you know what’s going on and then the plot changes on you - new things emerge. It keeps you glued to the page. Very unique. I really liked it.

The premise and the start of this novel were promising, but I was very disappointed with the ending.   I was hoping for a sci-fi type of resolution, rather than the lackluster one that was provided.

This was a fast paced, intriguing thriller that i read in one sitting. Enjoyable characters with a plot that kept me on my toes. I felt like the ending came too quickly and that the book deserved better than the rushed ending but it was overall an enjoyable read. I would recommend this for folks who enjoy thrillers or are looking for a quick read. I look forward to future books from this author!

Cady is beginning her freshman year at Harvard. She isn’t an ordinary freshman however, she comes to Harvard the year after her brother committed suicide on the very campus. During her first semester, Cady becomes obsessed with trying to understand her brother and why he did it. With the stress of school, Cady starts to hear voices. Does she share the same schizophrenic tendencies as Eric?

This book had everything. Little bit of ghost story, grief, fear, the unknown, strength, etc. 
Serritella really hit on all the things a family faces after their loved one decides to end their life. It had me questioning what was actually happening so many times during the story, but it all wrapped up well in the end. I did the audio for this and the narrator was excellent, I highly recommend it!

This story is about redemption, secrets, self-doubt, and family.  Cady is reeling from her brother's suicide and decides to attend Harvard, the school her brother went to, and the place where he committed suicide. Determine to find answers, Cady befriends people from her brother's life. Her brother, Eric, was a highly intelligent young man who developed paranoid schizophrenia while at school.  But as she delves deeper into his world, she starts to wonder if maybe she has a mental illness, too. 

It's difficult to put this novel into one genre -- historical fiction? Contemporary fiction? Thriller? Family drama? In some ways, it has sprinkles of everything, which creates a layered, complex story that is gripping. 

I enjoyed the family aspects of this book while also enjoying the supernatural elements. I didn't find it particularly scary, but I wanted to know what happened throughout the novel. At times, I wished some relationships were more developed, but this minor critique didn't detract from the fact that I ultimately enjoyed the novel. 

Would recommend to fans of psychological thrillers, family dramas with a hint of mystery, and The Secret History by Donna Tartt.

After picking this book up and putting it down several times, I just could not get into it.  Family drama, ghosts, and mental illness are an odd combination that just did not work for me.  What I did read felt like the author was trying too hard by throwing in too much and unfortunately it didn’t work enough for me to keep digging deeper.

As a student at Harvard, Eric Archer was a brilliant young man destined to do great things in the sciences.  He was also paranoid schizophrenic and was known to sometimes go off his meds.  When Eric ends up committing suicide as a student, there is a huge void. behind  What drove Eric to commit suicide?

Now Candace (Cady), Eric's younger sister, is a freshman at Harvard despite the fact her mother did not want her to return to the place of her brother's death.  On campus Cady is determined to find out more about her brother's final weeks at Harvard.  Yet, almost immediately she begins hearing voices from the past. It's not her brother's voice so, who are these people she hears? Or, is mental illness something she is experiencing as well resulting from the loss of her brother? 

I love a campus setting and, the old buildings of Harvard, steeped in history of those who walked the halls in days gone by, made for a terrific, creepy setting.  The dark winding corners, unexplored grounds added to chilling effect as I read.  I liked that Cady used old notebooks of her brother to try and decipher clues that lead to his death. The author did a good job showing how different members of the same family deal with suicide and the grief which results. 

I had some issues with the Cady character and the way she reacted in a few situations; it did not feel genuine. I also thought some of the dialogue, by college-aged students, seemed weird and not the way a college student would talk. There was a ghost/paranormal element to the story that didn't work well IMO. There were far too many conversations with ghosts that served very little purpose.  This novel might been more effective had it been written as a shorter psychological thriller without the paranormal bend. The Ghosts of Harvard is nearly 500 pages and, I admit to glossing over many of the ghostly conversations.

Rating - 3.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved Ghosts of Harvard. I found it engrossing and loved the academic setting. It deals with some heavy subjects like schizophrenia, suicide and the grief it brings those left behind. It was beautifully written, but could have been a bit shorter.

This book kept me on my toes throughout the entirety of reading. Francesca did a fabulous job of piecing everything together!