I do enjoy a good modern interpretation of a classic story. It’s actually been a few years since I’ve read my Jane Austen books, so this definitely made me want to either read through all the books, or at the very least watch a film/mini-series for each one.

I did like all the little connections and easter eggs that connected this book with not just the book it is an update of, but also other popular reads of the time. I loved the references to The Mysteries of Udolpho.

Obviously there are some changes that need to be made to turn this British classic from the 1800s into a modern US tale, and having Northanger Abbey be a private boarding school. Udolpho becomes a college our main character is applying to.

Obviously there are some differences to characters, some get slight changes to name, some get cut out or only mentioned in passing.

I liked that this still kept some of the spooky vibes, even updating the story so that ghost hunting is a main element of the tale. It was actually a pretty fun take on the story.

But don’t think that just because it has spooky ghost hunting vibes that the story is all fun and games. Hattie and Kit, and even some of the secondary characters like Izzy and Priya and Freddie and Liam, they all have other issues and concerns going on. Broken families, grief, friendship growing pains, adjusting to new stages of life, preparing to finish high school and head off to college…it all felt so big and life-altering.

I mean, I know that I graduated from high school back in 2006, so it has been a number of years since I was in that position, but it felt real and relatable enough.

I loved Hattie’s relationship with her brother Liam. Her friendships didn’t feel all that deep or real, and I suppose that was for a reason. It really did seem like she connected with Kit faster and more easily and deeply than she did with Izzy and Priya.

I did want a little more ghost hunting though. But that’s just because I do enjoy a good ghost hunting stakeout.

But what I’m curious about is the fact that on Goodreads, this book is listed as Northanger Abbey #1. So either we’re getting other Jane Austen modern adaptations but set at this boarding school or we’re going to follow other students and their time and experiences at the school. I don’t know. Or perhaps neither theory is right and it’s listed as the first in a series by mistake. Because this author did a Pride & Prejudice modern update that actually follows Darcy’s sister Georgiana as she tries to recover from scandal the previous year and she thinks that secretly working to get Fitz Darcy together with Lizzie Bennett will help keep him distracted from being a helicopter-sibling to her. It’s also listed as the first in a series, with no indication on Goodreads that there will be another book.

*4.5

Henrietta and Kit are adorable. He really brought out the best in her and encouraged her to be brave. Her backstory with her dad was really interesting and I liked it. I love the progression of her and Kit's relationship, it felt very natural. I do however think that she shouldn't of forgiven her friends at the end. They were mean about Kit before she even started hanging out with him. They were bad friends.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey gets a contemporary, gender-bent take in Ghosted. Amanda Quain has taken some of the best things from the beloved classic novel and turned it into something heartwarming and new.

Since the death of her father, Hattie Tilney has tried to be the perfect student, the perfect daughter, the perfect older sister…the perfect everything. It’s her senior year at Northanger Abbey, a high school that’s also a hot spot for ghost hunters everywhere. Hattie just has to focus on making it through the year and hopefully winning her mother’s approval. Then she’s assigned to be an ambassador to Kit Morland, a junior who has transferred to Northanger on a ghost-hunting scholarship. Kit’s sunny disposition and passion for the paranormal digs up ghosts in Hattie’s past she’d rather leave behind. But somehow Kit gets under her skin and Hattie starts believing that maybe the lonely, haunted parts of her she tries to ignore have a shot at healing.

I adored Hattie. She’s trying so hard to be perfect, to not let anyone see the haunted, sometimes lost girl that she doesn’t let anyone in. Her family has been broken since the death of her father; her mother is the headmistress of Northanger and would prefer to bury herself in her work than acknowledge her children, her older sister is wild and out of control, and her younger brother is withdrawn. I wanted to see Hattie let down her walls, to let people in. And though she tries to resist his charm, Kit gets past her guard. Kit is a breath of sunshine; he’s lively, passionate, and so open and honest you can’t resist his charm. His personality is infectious and with him Hattie starts to change, to open herself up and confront the wounds of her past. The two of them are such a delight together and their worlds open up together. I adored watching them go from friends to more and they absolutely made me smile.

Ghosted isn’t a straight retelling of Northanger Abbey, but rather inspired by it. You can see the familiar characters and plot points of Austen’s novel in this work, which I absolutely loved. But if you haven’t read Northanger Abbey, never fear: this book stands on its own. All in all, I adored Ghosted. Hattie’s journey tugged on my heartstrings and Kit was so full of sunshine I couldn’t resist him. Quain balances love, loss, grief, and growing in a coming of age story that’s engaging and sweet.

Northanger Prep is known for its haunted grounds and pages of ghost stories. Senior Hattie has spent her time as a student trying to avoid them. Her late father was her best friend and avid ghost hunter and being on campus just makes her grief stronger. She has a perfect persona of the star student, and her mom being Headmistress of the school just adds more pressure for Hattie to stay on that perfect path.

Kit, a new student and passionate about the supernatural, comes along and Hattie is assigned to be his tour guide. His enthusiasm rubs off on Hattie and she starts to remember the fun parts of ghost hunting (and life in general).

I thought this book was cute and entertaining. Definitely a good spooky season read! It could have benefitted from dual POV, with Kit's added in. I was truly into this story until the last 15% when I realized that most of the book could have been solved with conversations between Hattie and her mom and sister that should have happened 3 years earlier :/ but overall an easy read with cozy vibes.

Ever since “Clueless,” I have loved a clever retelling of a Jane Austen classic! There’s something timeless about those stories, and when the homage is loving and respectful (while adding its own unique spin), it’s magic! This is where the adorable “Ghosted” really works! “Northanger Abbey” has always been so much fun and I really enjoyed this sweet and spooky genderbent adaptation by Amanda Quain!

My gratitude to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the eARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review. This was a fun read. This is Amanda second book and her writing is so unique and fun that I devour her books. Hattie is gearing up for the start of a new school year, at the school where her own mother is the headmistress. No special treatment here, though her and her siblings are reeling from the loss of their father. She has enough on her plate, until she’s given an extraterrestrial project in one of her classes.

Kit Morland has transferred to Hattie’s school on a ghosting hunting scholarship and the last thing he wants to do is be paired up with Hattie. Though he is fully 100% an extraterrestrial believer, he has some work to do to get Hattie on his same wavelength.

As the two work together on their project, Hattie starts to realize that Kit might be the kind of person that makes her want to believe in something—and someone—for the first time.

This was a cute romance book and fun to read. I devoured it in a day and I loved the cover.

So first, before you pick this up this isn’t a fun ghost hunting book. I guess I wasn’t paying attention because I thought that was what I was getting. That being said I still enjoyed this. Our main character Hattie is in her senior year at Northanger Abbey, which is famously known as being haunted. Hattie used to love hunting ghost and all the things that came with it until her father passed away. Now she’s spent her high school years becoming who her mother and friends want her to be and losing her true self in the process. That is until she is assigned to be the ambassador for Kit. Kit is all about the hauntings and is ecstatic when he and Hattie get put together for an assignment to research the hauntings at the school.

This is story follows Hattie, her mother and siblings after it’s been a few years that her father has passed and how each of them have grieved. They have all somewhat shut each other out and have fallen apart as a family unit. This shows Hattie finding herself again and dropping her mask she wears at school and at home.

So if you’re going in looking for a fun ghost hunting YA this isn’t it but I still enjoyed this for what it was.

Title: Ghosted
Author: Amanda Quain
Genre: YA
Rating: 3.8 out of 5

Hattie Tilney isn’t a believer. Yes, she’s a senior at America’s most (allegedly) haunted high school, Northanger Abbey. But ever since her paranormal-loving dad passed away, she’s hung up her Ghostbusters suit, put away the EMF detectors and thermal cameras, and moved on. She has enough to worry about in the land of the living--like taking care of her younger brother, Liam, while their older sister spirals out and their mother, Northanger’s formidable headmistress, buries herself in her work. If Hattie just works hard enough and keeps that overachiever mask on tight through graduation, maybe her mom will finally notice her.

But the mask starts slipping when Hattie’s assigned to be an ambassador to Kit Morland, a golden retriever of a boy who’s transferred to Northanger on—what else—a ghost-hunting scholarship. The two are partnered up for an investigative project on the school’s paranormal activity, and Hattie quickly strikes a deal: Kit will present whatever ghostly evidence he can find to prove that campus is haunted, and Hattie will prove that it’s not. But as they explore the abandoned tunnels and foggy graveyards of Northanger, Hattie starts to realize that Kit might be the kind of person that makes her want to believe in something—and someone—for the first time.

This was a fun read, but some of the characters felt a little flimsy to me. Like Hattie’s two best friends and her sister. The way Hattie changed instantly when she met Kit didn’t feel quite believable, either, although this is a YA read, so I can overlook that. I thought the ghost-hunting stuff was fun and the ghost-centric school was a unique angle, and I’d definitely read more with these characters, I just thought it needed a bit of fine-tuning on the details. Props for the title, though. That was a nice touch.

Amanda Quain lives in Pennsylvania. Ghosted is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the free eARC for early review.

Hattie Tilney doesn't believe in ghosts, well, she doesn't believe in them now. Entering her senior year at Northanger Abbey, with her mother as the headmaster, she is assigned as ambassador to transfer student Kit Moreland, a new scholarship student sponsored by National Paranormal Society of Investigators.  

This is a gender swapped modern retelling of Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen set in a "haunted" elite high school.

Hattie is trying to be the perfect daughter since her dad died right before the start of high school, applying to the school her mom picked out, perfect grades, taking care of her little brother, so when she's introduced to Kit, her perfect facade starts cracking. Her flaws are there for all to see and she doesn't think she's strong enough to be who she really is. Or if she even knows who she wants to be.

This story is interesting, however there are a lot of pop culture references that are very prominent and a little off putting since they kind of take you out of the feel of the book. But the writing is decent and I enjoyed the gender swap since the original is told from Catherine Morland's point of view.

4 out of 5 stars. Recommend for a light grey academia vibe rather than a dark academia vibe.

I don’t have too much to say that wouldn’t be a spoiler, but I’m convinced I would have appreciated and liked this a lot more if 1) there were more ghost adventures and 2) I read Northanger Abbey before. It was a good idea, I just wanted more and feel like main characters were a bit dull.

If you are a fan of ghost hunting and Jane Austen look no further. This YA retelling of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey has what you want. Henrietta Tilney, a senior at Northanger Abbey High School, once loved all ghosty things before her father passed, but now she avoids them. Forced by her mother (the headmaster) she finds herself the guide for the new student, a ghost hunter named Kit Morland.
Ghosted to me was more enjoyable than Northanger Abbey (it has always been my least favorite of the Austen novels). Thank you NetGalley for the advanced preview.

Thanks to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the eARC.

I haven't read Northanger Abbey in years and I was thrilled to get my hands on this genderbent retelling.

Hattie is an unlikable protagonist in the best way possible. Her grief outweighs her sense of self and the exploration of grief through the lens of a very haunted high school is a treat to read.

4.5 stars! A fantastic YA retelling of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, with gender-bent MCs, the most haunted high school in America, a lovely slow burn romance, and spooky haunted vibes. I loved how the author reframed the classic story -- as she did with Pride and Prejudice in her debut, Accomplished -- with great wit and charm.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday books for this e-arc.*

A big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesdays Books for the eARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is a remake of the Jane Austen Northhanger Abbey-which I have not read. Unfortunately, while I was interested, this book was just not for me. I made myself finish it, but I didn't really like the characters although they did grow on you. I liked the premise but that was about it. While, this was not for me-I think many will enjoy. 3 stars

In full transparency I did not finish this book. The writing was very good and the plot was intriguing but I just couldn’t get into the story. I requested and got approved months before the publish date and at the time I thought I would love it but it’s just not for me. I appreciate the arc approval and will recommend it to friends that I know would enjoy it more than I did.

I’ve read a few books that use paranormal themes to explore grief, and this definitely fits into that category. Explaining the theme of grief can be quiet heavy, but with the backdrop of a YA academic romcom it takes some of the pressure off.

Hattie is presented as a perfect student who hates her life, and is still deeply broken by her father’s death some years ago. She wants nothing more to fit in, but has built several relationships transactionally and it does nothing to bolster her mental health. Her family is a mess, her mom is practically absent and she is annoyed with her eldest sister and practically a second mother to her younger brother. There’s a lot of pressure. So when she is forced to interact with a new student— a ghost hunting guy with dreamy features— she finds a kindred spirit. Someone who actually cares about her. He brings out who she truly is, and is finally able to explore her pain, her grief, and the constraints she’s put on herself to live up to unmanageable expectations. Very well written, and I love the droll humor.

3/5 stars. Hattie is the headmistress' daughter at a private academy that is a hot spot for the paranormal. Hattie is less than thrilled when she is paired up with Kit, who is attending the academy on a paranormal scholarship.

Both Hattie and her mother are unlikeable characters. Hattie eventually becomes likeable but her mother is the overworked single mother ice queen stereotype. Truly, Liam (the brother) was the best character. Maybe this book was a miss for me because I haven't seen x-files or read Northanger Abbey?

The book does start slow, which caused me to nearly DNF it but it did pick up around 45% of the way through.

As a big fan of Pride and Prejudice, I had read and loved Quain's debut novel. I haven't read Northanger Abbey, so I was unsure what to expect from Ghosted. I absolutely loved it!

The story follows Hattie Tilney and her burgeoning relationship with Kit Morland as they attend a notoriously haunted high school. Kit is such a sweet character and unapologetically himself that I couldn't help but love him. Hattie struggles throughout the book - with coping with the loss of her father, with planning her future and applying for college, with being true to herself despite the hardships of high school, with learning to love her family and friends despite their flaws. I could greatly empathize with her, and I appreciated how her challenges and her mistakes were handled compassionately. Overall, a fun, engaging, surprisingly contemplative read.

When Hattie is called down to her mom who is also the principal of Northanger Abbey‘s office, The last thing she thinks she’ll be asked to do is to be the school ambassador for the new kid who is also a ghost hunter. Ever since Harry’s dad died of cancer she no longer believe in ghost it was the one thing she shared with him but since his death she rejects any notion that they could be true that she even misses him… Only because it’s too painful. She keeps her guard up even around her two best friends I see in Preya. So why is it when she is around Kip “the ghost Hunter “who is excited about everything having to do with North anger Abby does she want to tell him everything and what is the crazy feeling she feels when they’re together? So when she finds out her teacher Mrs. Skinner wants them to do a project that involves the history of the school kip want’s to do a ghost haunting and Hattie wants them for reasons I have stated does not. They will eventually come to a compromise he will look for ghosts and she will look for why they don’t exist but what they fine may prove one of them right but Will it proof both of them in love? If you love fun para-normal books with a little humor added in then you’ll Love Ghosted a Northanger Abbey Novel. I certainly did and highly recommend it I loved it and highly recommend it. I want to thank NetGalley and Wednesday books for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

A fantastic YA retelling of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, with gender-bent MCs, the most haunted high school in America, a lovely slow burn romance, and spooky haunted vibes. I loved how the author reframed the classic story -- as she did with Pride and Prejudice in her debut, Accomplished -- with great wit and charm. Perfect for Janeites and teen/YA readers who will cry with me, "More! More!"