I really enjoyed this book! It’s a unique blend of romance, paranormal elements, and family drama, with a trans main character at the center. Ezra’s story pulled me in right away, and I especially appreciated the way the book wove in Jewish culture and funeral traditions.

Ezra himself is a complex and engaging character, and I loved how his relationships with his siblings and family were portrayed—with plenty of flaws and conflicts that made them feel real. Jonathan, the love interest, sometimes felt a little too perfect by comparison. I wished he had been written with a bit more nuance. That said, his presence worked as a comforting balance to Ezra’s more chaotic world.

The romance angle was sweet and satisfying, but what stood out most to me was how many “boxes” this book checks—it’s paranormal, it’s fantasy, it’s queer romance, and it’s Jewish literature, all rolled into one. The result is something refreshing and different.

Overall, this was an engaging, heartfelt, and creative story. I’ll definitely be looking for more from Shelly Jay Shore in the future.

A cute spooky read perfect for the Hallowwen season.

I read this fairly quickly.

The cover art attracted me to this story and I am glad I gave this a chance.

It definitely ticked all my boxes

Thank you for the chance to read this early. I was so excited to read a book with jewish themes but then it was too anxiety inducing. I'm sorry.

If you're in the mood for a quirky rom-com with a macabre twist, this is it. The story blends romance, grief, and small-town charm with a supernatural twist, exploring how love and loss are forever intertwined.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for this arc!

There was a lot going on in this book, there were more human issues than there was paranormal issues. The cover and the content don't really align with each other, too many characters and too many themes. overall tho the romance aspect was spot on. Ezra is trans , queer, and jewish. he's a chronic middle child who has the ability to see ghosts and it's not the ideal situation when your family owns a funeral home.

Finally another good story about a trans character in a romance at the center of the story! The inclusion of Jewish background was an interesting backdrop. I'm actually seeing a lot of ghost, witch, magic books lately.

I think I expected this to be a much more lighthearted read than it was. I thought that this was going to be more of a comedy based on the description and the vibes of the cover. There is a lot to unpack here, perhaps too much in such a short amount of time. I enjoyed the paranormal side of this book a lot and overall had a good time with the characters. I just think it could have been marketed differently - perhaps leaning towards fiction instead of appearing to be a romance of some sort. An enjoyable read that could have done better if I went in with different expectations.

Characters - 3/5
Atmosphere/Setting - 3/5
Writing Style - 3/5
Plot - 3/5
Intrigue - 3/5
Logic/Relationships - 3/5
Enjoyment - 3/5

I feel like I was thinking I was getting one thing out of this story (paranormal romance) and was delivered another (emotional LGBTQ+ journey). I do think that it was a good emotional story. Just not what I expected. Ezra is remarkably likable and I enjoyed reading his story.

👻👻👻👻/5

I admit it took me awhile to appreciate this book. At first I wasn’t sure I’d like it and it was a bit slow and boring for a good portion. However, I’m so glad I kept reading because this debut book is more important than I originally thought.

This story showcases how grief and love can equally impact your life in such deep ways. How thin the line between saying goodbye and celebrating every joy of life really is. This book was tender and emotional and spiritual and also healing, in a way.

Ezra is a great protagonist because he emphasizes how life is a journey full of emotional ups and downs. He can see ghosts and also works for his family’s funeral home. And while I couldn’t relate to him in certain aspects, I enjoyed the absolute rawness of his character. He was uniquely himself through and through, and while he struggled with his identity and sexuality, he never let that stop him from always being true to himself. And it was so inspiring to watch him try to be better for himself, for his family, for others he loved, and for his community.

I loved the inclusiveness of the Jewish community and their customs surrounding death. It was very eye-opening and certainly something I wouldn’t have chosen to read if it wasn’t in a fictional story. So I especially loved that I got to learn more about that while also witnessing a story of resilience, strength, healing, morality, grieving, the power of family and community, the ability to love again after loss, forgiveness, bearing the weight of others, and the power of loving yourself.

The representation in this book for both the Jewish community and the LGBTQ+ community was so beautifully written and expressed. And it was so SO inclusive and important. I appreciated the way the author wrote so many inspiring themes into this story. So many that I can’t even properly express them here, so you’ll just have to read it for yourself. And maybe you’ll be just as charmed and inspired as I was by the end!

This story was very sweet, but the prose sometimes sent my eyes wandering, and it tended to drag on at parts. All in all, beautifully written and emotional story with a tender heart. Thank you for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! I am working through my backlog, and will be momentarily posting reviews for the stories I have yet to get posted but have finished reading.

This book isn't for me. The writing is well done and the characters are interesting, but I am not the target for this book. I do think others will enjoy it.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This is a fun read with a queer male protagonist that can see ghosts. Beautiful representations of queer love, Jewish traditions, and found family. This book is really just a smorgasbord of yum. I’d recommend for fall.

This is a fantastic book. There are so many levels to this story. The ghosts, what they represent and the rules about them is just one piece of this amazing story. I love the beauty of the blending that the author did. The perspective given really reached my heart and got me thinking in the best ways. I really enjoyed the characters and their relationships. The dynamics were intense and sometimes explosive. My heart felt for these characters so much. The plot has so many layers and twists that I was gobsmacked many times. I love this story.

No because I have ghosted my fair share of people, and books and this book was not one of them. I love that more queer stories are being told.

Super cute and cozy reading. Perfect for fall. Loved the characters and the ending was great. I was excited for this book and it didn't disappoint me.

I appreciate that Shelly Jay Shore wants to writing about concepts important to her and the queer community, but this suffers from bloat as a result of her trying to include SO much. Still, the notions of found family and the navigation of one's trans identity are the strongest of these.

I thought this book was beautiful, hopeful, and a really poignant take on grief and moving on.

The heart of this story is a romance, but there’s so much more beyond that to really make this book something special. The family dynamics in this book are messy and real, and the character interactions between parents, children, and siblings are so true to how they’d be off the page.

There also the added element of wanting to tell someone you love who you really are and wanting them to know you even though they aren’t there anymore, which is something that really resonated with me. Everyone wants closure and this book really shows you how much or little closure can help and what ultimately matters.

A beautiful debut.

Wow. This book was so much more than I was expecting it to be. I figured it would tackle some heavier themes, but I didn’t realize how much it would.

I really connected with Ezra and the role he kind of feel into/was forced into at a young age. While not the exact same, it was similar for me growing up. I have struggled with asking for help the way Ezra does because of it.

The author did such a great job tackling that, grief, family dynamics and so much more.

This is such a phenomenal debut and I will be keeping an eye out for this author’s future works.

This book exists somewhere between several genres: paranormal fantasy, romance, family drama. It never fully commits to any one, but it is a deeply emotional book full of strong queer representation.

I think the overall concept of this book is definitely interesting and has a lot of potential. I just overall wasn't a huge fan of it and found myself getting very confused at times of what and where things were happening. Also there was so so many characters that I could not remember half the time who people were and that could totally be on me simply because of the timing that I started reading/listening to it because I am exhausted from school and life, but overall this wasn't for me!! Thank you so much for giving me the chance to read this ARC!