This is gonna be a pretty quick review because my thoughts are actually fairly succinct. I’m shocked by that as well, but also kind of proud. I did really enjoy this one! There’s really only one negative but it didn’t ruin the reading experience too much and I’ll definitely be continuing on with this series once more are released!

We’ll start with all the positives first, which to be fair is most of the book, so this should be easy. I absolutely love the art in this collection, the colours and tones just make it so pleasing to read and added a lot to the feel of the story. I also loved the entire concept! I mean, I’m always here for a ghost story, and this is a super fun one. All the different personalities of the ghosts were so great too and I’m super excited to see how they all develop. The story was also really fast to read, I was so drawn into the story that I was done reading without even noticing the time going past. I’m super curious about what’s going to happen next and where the story is going to go and I’m so ready to see more of this amazing art and get to know all these ghosts.

Now for the one thing that I didn’t like, and it is only one thing, but it did really annoy me. Unfortunately I couldn’t stand the main character Daphne. She was just beyond selfish and oblivious and I’m really hoping that she grows out of that as the story progresses because even though I loved every one else I couldn’t stand her.

So there it is. A super quick review, I’m not sure if I summed up my thoughts enough but I tried! Overall a really fun and beautiful collection, as long as you don’t mind Daphne too much! I’ll definitely pick up a physical copy once this one is released and will for sure carry on with the series.

GHOSTED IN L.A. is a fun and unique graphic novel that combines a haunted house and a coming of age tale into something compelling and sweet. I liked that Daphne is by no means a perfect protagonist, and that she is trying to find her way not only as a corporeal friend to a number of mysterious ghosts, but as a young woman in a new city. Her real life problems are very relatable (from a callous and standoffish roommate to a complicated love life), and her interactions with the ghosts at Rycroft Manor are fun and sometimes raise questions that will be (possibly) addressed later. I also liked the cast of ghostly characters, especially Agi and Bernard, and I like that we get a little bit of their backgrounds before each issue. 

I'm very excited to continue this series, and cannot wait to see what it has in store.

ARC provided by BOOM! Studios through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

In this graphic novel we follow Daphne, a Jewish bisexual girl that is moving to LA to attend university and to be closer to her boyfriend. There she finds a manor full of ghosts and she, for the first time, feels like she truly belongs somewhere.

I liked the artwork, it reminded me of those old not barbie fashionista games I used to play on my computer. However, the story wasn't compelling enough to get me excited for the second volume. This is a story where we follow a main character that is quite stubborn. I was more interested in the ghosts' stories. Also, there's a colorguard boy! As a fellow colorguard I was very happy.

I recommend if you want a quick and diverse graphic novel.

This volume follows our main character of Daphne as she follows a boy to college in LA and almost immediately gets dumped.  As she is wallowing, she discovers a house inhabited by ghosts.  What follows is a unique coming of age story.  I loved that juxtaposition of a young adult figuring out life sort of being helped by people whose life is already over.  I also loved the art style and cannot wait for the next volume.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ghosted in L.A. Vol. 1 by Sina Grace
3.5/5 STARS
*Received an e-ARC through NetGalley from BOOM! Box in exchange for an honest review

Summary:
After following her boyfriend across the country to attend school in L.A., Daphne realizes she has made a big mistake. With a roommate that has no problem disclosing how much she dislikes her and problems with her boyfriend and best friend coming to the forefront, Daphne finds herself living in an apartment with a unique group of people: ghosts! But maybe, these ghosts are just what she needs to understand how life has brought her here and what her next steps will be to making the best out of her new situation.

Thoughts:
Truthfully, I often have a difficult time with comics as they move too quickly for me, leaving much in the way of personal character development to the illustrative choices of the artist. While, in this case, I found the artwork to be stunning in its choice of colour and attention to detail to support the characterization in this narrative, I would have loved to see this dedicated to the supporting characters more thoroughly. Because of the centring of the story around Daphne, I found that I couldn’t connect with all of the parts of this narrative and the motivations that each character had for supporting her in her journey. To be honest, even keeping track of all of the ghosts’ names became difficult at times as they didn’t appear to have any unique qualities outside of the too-brief mentions of the abilities they each possessed.

On another note, I was really hoping to love Daphne more than I did. I understand that these comics intend to focus on her own self-development and growth, but I found there were many missed opportunities which would have allowed this to happen in more substantial ways, especially in relation to her relationships with Ronnie and Kristi. My hope for these comics is that future volumes expand these relationships more fully and allow for more space for Daphne to reflect on how she interacts with the people around her and how this ultimately influences the decisions she has, and continues to, make.

Received an e-ARC copy from NetGalley.

This was a funny and interesting graphic novel. The concept was very original and I really liked it. It was light and easy to follow. Plus the art is amazing. The characters were super interesting and I'm willing to keep discovering about them.
All in all, I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the next volume.

Absolutely loved the artwork. 5 stars for that!
It was definitely a cute story.with an interesting plot. I loved the side characters more than the main character Daphne. This is only vol 1 and I believe the story will grow more on me in the upcoming books where I hope we get to know about all the ghost's pasts.
Ghosts + LA + amazing art + fun. If you like to read comics with all these mentioned , then this book is for you.

While I loved the art style and appreciated the Jewish/Queer representation, the story ended up not being very captivating and didn't have enough substance to allow me to continue being interested in it. Unfortunately, I decided to DNF it 75% of the way through.

Thank you to Netgalley and BOOM! Studios for a copy of Ghosted in L.A. Vol. 1. This volume was incredible! We are introduced to the main character, Daphne who is about to move to L.A. to go to school and be near her boyfriend. As she makes the adventure of starting college and being dumped, she immediately falls upon a manor. Things take a weird turn as Daphne meets the ghost that inhabits the manor. We are only given a glimpse of three of the ghosts' backstory - which totally makes you want more! I would have to say that the plot of the graphic novel was intriguing and the illustrations were perfect. I do love when a graphic novel volume leaves the reader with SUCH a cliffhanger, which is exactly what Sina Grace does at the end of this one. Definitely excited for the new volume!

I enjoyed it. The characters are interesting and images crisp. But I would have liked a bit more in the beginning as it felt rushed. Regardless I'll check out more.

*** Thank you to Net Galley and BOOM! Studios for providing me with a free digital version of this graphic novel in exchange for my honest review. 

Daphne has chosen to attend a college in LA because that’s where her boyfriend is going, of course! Right before she leaves her hometown, her best friend tells her some hard truths and they get in a big fight. (While they love each other, they don’t talk much the rest of this story.) When Daphne arrives in LA, she discovers it isn’t all she hoped it would be. Her roommate is unfriendly, judgmental, and honestly an overall bitch, who has no desire to even be civil. Her boyfriend breaks up with her. And the new ‘friends’ she thought she’d made end up ditching her in no time. Daphne is upset, lonely, and in a strange new city. She unexpectedly stumbles upon Rycroft Manor, which is inhabited by a rag-tag group of ghosts. After her initial shock, Daphne decides that living with a bunch of ghosts may not be such a bad thing after all. 

This is my first graphic novel, so take that rating with a grain of salt. I didn’t really know what to expect going into this story. I wasn’t sure how I would relate to the characters and sequence of events when written in this format. However, I quickly discovered it was lots of fun. I liked all of the characters and the way the author conveyed their sarcasm, wit, and humor in the story. I also enjoyed the plot of this story. While parts of it were a little predictable, I found that I was enjoying the story so much that I didn’t really mind. I would like to continue on with the series and see what happens with all of the characters.

I really enjoyed this book. I found that I was disappointed when the story ended. Each ghost seems to have quite an interesting back story and I’m curious to learn more about what exactly is going on.

I thought this graphic novel was just okay. Daphne, the main character, was a little annoying and naive but I did like the Jewish representation and the LGBTQ rep was done well. I was just hoping for more content but this graphic novel was only 120 pages so there just wasn't enough. The art was absolutely stunning and the story was interesting enough, I just want to know more about the ghosts and their unique powers. Overall, pretty decent and I will be continuing with this series!

This is my honest review of Ghosted in L.A. Vol. 1 by Sina Grace. I was able to be able to read an advanced copy of this graphic novel from the publisher via an ebook through NetGalley from the publisher. 

Let me start out by saying I adored the art in this graphic novel. I thought the main character was drawn super cute and adored her outfits.  I thought the flowers with the content pages was cute and I liked them – I am a fan of flowers, so I am partial.

The story follows a young woman by the name of Daphne who follows her boyfriend to a college in LA. She soon Is dumped upon moving down there and finds her way into an abandon manor, except it is not abandon and instead has a ghostly resident. The story follows Daphne as she navigates her breakup and her new ghostly friends. Through the first volume you get a little of their back stories, which I am sure will continue to develop in the later novels.

Overall, this graphic novel is a cute young adult comic with the promise of future installments developing the story further. I’d like to see her develop more relationships with the ghosts and realize her place within the manor.

Representation: Bi Jewish main character & gay side characters

This was really fun and has such a interesting premise!

I too, would love to live in an old L.A. manor with a variety of ghosts from decades past.

I can't wait to learn more about each of the ghosts pasts! And Daphne's college roommate, Michelle.

Ghosted in L.A. is the story of Daphne, a young woman moving to college thousand miles away from her home for a boy. And yes you guessed it, things are not going to be the way she was expecting
. 
Side note I would have gave it 3 or 3.5 stars for the plot but the illustrations were so good and I would have gave them 5 stars so this is why I gave the  overall 4 stars. 

So yeah 3 stars is not bad but for me it's not that good. I really wanted to love this graphic novel, I was really enjoying it but I have to say that it was way too quick. 
Daphne encounters this ghosts and she never questions it, she just right away accept it and I would have liked a bite more of resistane from her. ( A whole chapter about the fact that the situatin is weird would have been great)
I know this is a graphic novel and it can't go too much into details and feelings but I just needed more of the story for it to make sense in my head.  
Nevertheless I loved seeing the background of some of the ghosts. Yet I didn't really connect with any of the characters, I think I just need more volume to be able to connect with them so I'm really looking forward for the second volume.
And just one more thing: this needs to be translated in french because we just need more stories with this type of rep in France!!

2.75 Stars

CW: sexual misconduct

Thanks to Netgalley and BOOM! Box for giving me an eARC to read and review!

Quirky college freshman Daphne Walters moves to LA to start college and keep things going with her boyfriend Ronnie. But, soon after the move, Ronnie breaks up with her and it's unclear why did it. Daphne's roommate is secluded and doesn't like her much, and Daphne quickly feels all alone in a big city. That is, until she stumbles across a mansion with a big group of zany, ghoulish tenants. 

This was a cute story. There's really good queer representation, and I mostly enjoyed the camaraderie between the characters. Daphne was a great protagonist and I really enjoyed her, too. However, the plot and story overall fell flat for me. It's a short narrative, and I felt that it really just scratched the surface of where the plot and characters might go. I know that this will be a series, but I still just wanted a little more in this first volume so that I could feel a stronger connection with the characters and the plot. This seems to be more of a slice-of-life story, and, though I'm unsure what will be explored in the next installment, I'm also not terribly excited for it.

the story is so charming: i really loved seeing the archetype ronnie takes up being flipped on its head. the colouring is just breath taking, all in all a really fun & quick story.

This story brings a whole new meaning to the term "Ghosted". I love getting to know all of the side characters, but hopefully we will get more main character development in the upcoming issues. I will definitely continue reading this series as it comes out.

I feel that there is a good story somewhere at the heart of Ghosted but it never made it onto the pages.   Reading more like someone was inspired after binge watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer (or especially its spinoff Angel), the book meanders quite a bit and never solidifies either the protagonist or the plot. I wish the writer would have taken a cue from manga and learned to evolve the mysteries in a vertical (and therefore more organic)fashion rather than a rambling horizontal fashion.  That might have kept the focus cleaner and left room for more surprises and reveals.

Story:  Daphne is moving from Missoula to Los Angeles to go to school with her boyfriend, Ronnie. But when she arrives, all she finds is a hostile roommate and a boyfriend who dumps her so he can 'find himself.'  Depressed and running away from a bad date, she ends up on the doorstep of a seemingly abandoned mansion called Rycroft Manor.  What she finds, however, is that the manor is definitely inhabited - by ghosts.

Right off the bat, I had a lot of problems with protagonist Daphne.  She is consistently rude, obnoxious, or nasty to everyone with whom she interacts - her best friend, her ex, her roommate.  She's a self absorbed walking ball of selfishness and melodrama.  She also spends most of the book doing actions that are incredibly stupid and creating melodrama or conflict that could easily be avoided.  E.g., the first time she so lightly betrayed the ghosts' presence I was annoyed but the second time meant I was kind of hoping she'd get eaten by one of the ghouls since she was such an idiot. I kept wanting more show and less tell about her.  E.g., Daphne is told repeatedly that she just does what others tell her and molds to their personalities and likes.  Yet through this whole book she does nothing of the sort with anyone - she does her own thing, gets mad and yells at people, or insults them under her breath.  I was hard pressed to find one instance of this personality trait that the characters kept saying she does but we never actually saw happen. I imagine that Daphne will have room to grow as the story progresses but for now she is not a character I want to follow or will cheer.

The plot is similarly problematic. It is like reading several short story vignettes that sort of tie together but whose purpose is only to push a plot point rather than to give an organic story.  There are no 'little moments' or bits of saving grace to elevate the storytelling - just Daphne doing selfish and thoughtless things that cause problems for others, scene after scene.  Even her voice feels wrong; instead of sounding like someone from the midwest, she has all the hipster quirks of a Santa Cruz native. Not to mention the believably issues - e..g, that someone would chance upon an empty and seemingly abandoned mansion and just walk in, take off her clothes, and go swimming (without even knowing if the pool is cleaned or chlorinated!).  Ghosts I can believe but still there has to be some grounding in reality to keep the story relatable.

The oddest aspect was the very strange 'character' of Los Angeles.  While there are some nods for natives (e.g., a thinly disguised Amoeba Records and Rycroft's distinctly 1930s Fairfax district type of house (homes to movie stars of the era)), LA just isn't featured.  No palm lined streets, quirky Melrose storefronts, Santa Monica strip malls, etc.  It's a faceless LA - one that you can unrealistically walk around in easily (the city is sprawling!) or take the bus (who takes a bus in LA?) and end up somewhere within a few minutes.  It wasn't an LA that had a character so much as a bland nod.  That loss was such a missed opportunity here.

The side characters were a bit more interesting than the main but there are several and so they all get short shrift.  I can't help but feel it would have been better to start with just a few characters and let the others come out of the woodwork as the story progressed.  Then they could have had been developed more distinctly and independently from each other.

The artwork was quite lovely - probably the best part of the series.  It is clean and easy to follow, though admittedly I always prefer a bit more detail in the background (especially for a story set in a city with so much dynamism).  The inside art is a bit different than portrayed on the cover and in my opinion much nicer.

In all, this needs much more focus, a more interesting main character, a plot that doesn't feel stilted and vignette-oriented, and a richer and more interesting take on the milieu of Los Angeles.  Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.