"And the most impressive monsters,
are always the least impressive men."

I don't even know where to start with this review. There is always something so hard about writing reviews on books you absolutely loved. And I am in such a predicament right now.

This book follows Ilana, a biracial Jewish girl, who goes to Prague for the summer. She goes to visit her aunt, the city where her father was born, and the city he doesn't want to return to. Both of her parents moved to the US to escape the oppressive regimes of their countries, her dad left Prague, her mom left Cuba. Ilana wants to pursue music, she plays the violin and that's what she sees in her future. Her parents, however, want her to choose something different, something practical. She travels to Prague, to stay with her aunt Žofie, to study without distractions. Her parents are right, Prague gives Ilana a new outlook on life, but perhaps not the one they hoped for.

The book is written in verse, and while I don't often read in this format I immensely enjoyed it. This book feels magical and lyrical and this way of writing brought so much more emotion to this story. Throughout the whole book, I was astonished by how the author managed to pack emotion into every single line. This book breathes with history and balances the understanding of the utmost sorrow of history preceding you and the fire of wanting to be alive.

I loved Ilana as the main character, she seemed so real to me reading this novel. This book deals quite a lot with her trying to balance quite a lot of difficult stuff. She is trying to figure out who she is, and find her own identity amidst her very complex family history. She is stuck between wanting to please her parents and wanting to be true to herself. Wanting for once not to be careful, but to be selfish. When she comes to Prague she seems somewhat lost, and by the end of the novel she has grown so much, she is more sure of who she is.

While cleaning the cemetery, Ilana meets the ghost of a kind-hearted boy Benjamin. Careful at first, the two of them strike a friendship and wish they were two regular teenagers at the same stage of life. Benjamin tells Ilana about Prague's history but is hesitant to talk about himself and why he is still here. Ilana also becomes acquainted with Rudolph Wasserman, a seemingly normal man - but without a shadow. He encourages her love of music, but she realizes there is something sinister surrounding him and the other ghost-children she meets through him and Benjamin.

While Prague holds her personal family history, it also holds a more sinister history (and present) that Ilana uncovers accidentally. Behind her aunt's house, she finds an abandoned Jewish cemetery, it's been forgotten by everyone and Ilana comes back every day to clean it and restore it. I loved this aspect of the book - because the way she goes about it is with so much love and so much genuine sorrow for the people buried and essentially forgotten by the world. The book deals quite a bit with the topics of atrocities dealt upon Jewish people in Prague (and Europe in general) during the second world war, but also after. Such as the horrifying fact of using headstones from a Jewish cemetery as cobblestones after the war ended.

I loved how this book incorporated different aspects of Ilana's heritage, how it mixed her Jewish identity with the Slavic mythology ingrained in Prague. I also loved the relationship Ilana develops with her aunt, Žofie. Žofie gives her some much-needed space, but still provides advice and is a trusted parental figure. She is also an artist, so she understands Ilana's urge to create. I loved the mutual respect they have for each other - her aunt realizing how important the cemetery is to her and giving her the space to take care of it.

This book deals with the topic of men who are monsters, and of personal strength needed to confront them. When Ilana uncovers the monstrous nature of Wasserman, and his mistreatment (and that is saying it very lightly) of the ghost-children under his "protection", she puts all of her purpose, all of her force into doing the right thing and helping them. I was in awe by how strong she was, how full of passion, and how unyielding.

Just like Ilana, this book is passion, it tells the story of endurance. I loved reading about Ilana's journey of discovering herself, her history, her strength, and most importantly, what she finds important and worth fighting for even against all odds. I cried several times while reading this book, it got me feeling very emotional. I would highly recommend this book, but be aware that it is dealing with difficult topics which I discussed in this review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Well, I confess that I was drawn to this book because of this cute cover, So I didn't notice that the entire book was written in verse. But it wasn't a bad surprise. on the contrary. It was quite greatly organized and indeed the verses tells Us the author's story and memories, and experiences mixed in a fantasy narrative. Cool idea.

This was lovely. Sprinkled with spookiness and bittersweet romance. I thought the verse format really worked well here and kept the story moving along at a nice pace. It was occasionally hard for me to tell which character was speaking, because of the way the dialogue was written. I particularly loved the setting. The first half of the book worked a bit better for me than the second half, some things towards the end felt a bit rushed and the main character's ongoing disagreements with her parents felt like they were too easily solved. I think younger teens will really enjoy this book and its determined heroine.

This book was written entirely in verse, which it turns out, is unfortunately not for me. I really wanted to love this, so my star rating is unfair to count towards its overall rating because it wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t for me and I couldn’t get into the story.

I was a little daunted when I realised this was written in blank verse – I don’t tend to get on well with stories that do that. But this was lovely, lyrical and almost dreamlike while tackling some dark and gritty themes. Ended up really enjoying it. If you’re not sure because it’s written in verse, give it a try.

I loved the debut novel by this author, and knew I had to read anything else she came up with. So when I saw there was an opportunity to read this book, I didn’t think twice about it!
I love her writing style and her stories although I must say the fact that this one was written in verse was a first for me and I don’t think it’s a favorite, which is quite unfortunate.
Still I really enjoyed it!

The Ghosts of Rose Hill by RM Romero is a ghost story, a fairytale, a love story, and a reminder wrapped up in roses. Ilana Lopez is brought to Prague to help focus on her future, being a doctor or a lawyer but never a musician, as her parents told her. While there, she finds a forgotten cemetery where the ghost of a Jewish boy still mourns and where a monster waits for his prey. Drawing on Jewish history with Czech folklore, Romero spins a story written in verse about a girl who finds her strength among the dead.

This book nearly made me cry at work. The magical realism that spills from the prose creates vivid scenes perfect for fans of Anna-Marie McLemore. It's easy to imagine the Charles Bridge shrouded in mist, the streets paved with tombstones. As someone who visited a few years back, it also reminded me of the grief that lingers in the city. Everywhere you go is a graveyard; there are monuments and stories half-forgotten, and for some, a memory of a family that is just out of reach.

With absolute skill and care, Romero draws on this memory with Ilana as the protagonist. I love her tender nature and how she wants to be selfish but doesn't know how. As a girl, she grew up on warnings from her immigrant parents, be careful, be safe. Thus, seeing her growth in Prague was phenomenal! By the end, she is a little sadder, a little wiser, but also so much stronger with her heart.

The Ghosts of Rose Hill is a memory of the diaspora brought to life with beautiful prose.

A copy was provided to me by NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Ghosts of Rose Hill is a beautiful book about a young girl who spends a summer in Prague and falls in love with a ghost boy. It's a beautiful story of love and loss, and I really enjoyed it. I was honestly surprised I liked it so much, because I'm typically not a huge fan of novels written in verse. However, I think R.M. Romero did a wonderful job of keeping the story compelling and easy to comprehend while still in lovely verse. This is a great story for this press to debut with, and a super quick read, too, which made it easier for me to want to read it right away. I have nothing bad to say about this charming novel.

The Ghosts of Rose Hill by R.M. Romero is a novel written in prose. Ilana Lopez is a biracial Jewish girl. She has been sent by her parents to live with her aunt in Prague. Ilana dreams of becoming a violinist, but her parents don’t approve of her dreams because they want her to have a more stable career. At her aunt’s cottage, Ilana explores and discovers an abandoned Jewish cemetery behind the cottage. She meets Benjamin, the ghost of a boy who died long ago. Ilana restores his grave, so Benjamin shows Ilana the haunted side of Prague. When Ilana catches the attention of Rudolph Wassermann, a man without a shadow, he becomes fascinated with her. He offers to help her pursue her violinist dreams, and be with Benjamin. Ilana soon discovers the truth about Wassermann and how Benjamin became bound to the city. Ilana vows to save the boy she loves.

This story is haunting. I really like the use of prose. It is very unique and makes for a dream-like quality.

Beautiful and lyrical writing! The story is so vivid in my head, Romero is an amazing author. It's mystical, thoughtful, and romantic. I happily immersed myself in this world. While reading the book, no one could touch me. This is an experience that I hope everyone can feel. Automatic 5 stars!

This is a gorgeous verse novel that twines reality, magic, fairytale and history with a musicality that is enchanting. Through the eyes and heart of sixteen year old Ilana, we travel the palimpsest masterfully layered by R.M. Romero to bring the living and the dead, Jewish resilience and loss, and the double-edged sword of passion to celebrate and acknowledge the cost of being the other.
Reading this book was a pleasure. Anyone who loves modern retelling of fairytales, magic, stories about Jewish identity, strong female characters, and stunning writing is in for a treat. I couldn’t put it down.

Wow, what a gorgeously written and symbolic story. The author's writing is already beautiful, but they really took advantage of the form of the book (poetry). This story has a lovely and fascinating premise, but the highlight is absolutely the author's writing style. I can't recommend this enough.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and R.M. Romero for an early copy in exchange for an honest review!

The Ghosts of Rose Hill was an enchanting book. It felt almost dreamy, most likely because of the poetic format and the quiet, peaceful ghost that inhabits the graveyard. The poetry was flowing, and felt easy to read not just because of the format but because every sentence was a pleasure to follow. Romero paints a vivid, beautiful picture of love, life and hope in this novel. I would highly recommend this to anyone, even if you’re not a big poetry person.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing house for a chance to read an ARC of this book! Spooky, beautiful, and steeped in folklore, The Ghosts of Rose Hill hooked me from the very first verse! Highly recommend!

I love poetry but this one felt…juvenile, Maybe I am too old for the writing style, younger me would have appreciated it more. I appreciate the setting and the story the author wanted known, the execution was just not to my taste.

This is a beautifully written story. I would absolutely recommend to anyone looking for a quick escape. Will be looking for other titles by this author.

Full review closer to publication date!

I'd like to thank the publisher, Peachtree and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

A spooky, sumptuous, folklore- and history-inspired bildungsroman about love and heritage. Because it's in verse, it's a very quick read, more like a novella though it's over 300 pages.

tw// Antisemitism, child abuse, mentions of child death, kidnapping

That was a fun ride! I've read a lot of reviews gushing about its prose, and I 100% agree. It was lyrical and poetic, which is something I like a lot when reading a book. The story might seem simple but I loved how the author wrote the story, it makes it more special!

It's a pretty good read. Written in prose which was a first for me and I'm not disappointed. The pace of the story is quite fast and entertaining. Am not in ghost reads so that was a first as well.

I really admired how the author brought out the struggles of immigrant families, especially Jewish families and the dark history of Nazi occupied Prague. It's heavy stuff but it's the reality. There were so many emotions behind each and every word it just pulls you into the story right away. It's just beautifully written. Kudos to the author.

The only thing I had a problem dealing with was romancing a ghost. It honestly weirded me out, especially during the make out scenes. I could not visualise it without feeling icky. But at the same time, I understand why it was vital to the story. I'm not saying I liked it, I'm saying I understand.

Overall, it's a pretty good read. Would recommend it.

eARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.