This book gave me so many warm and fuzzy feelings!!! It also made me angry at times due to the actions of adults in the life of a non-binary human.

The supernatural and historical elements brought enjoyment to a whole new level!

The chapters ended at the perfect places that made me want to keep turning the pages!

The cover is also amazing and colorful and would definitely draw my attention on a shelf.

Sully’s summer is turned upside down when their big city internship is cancelled, and they discover a vintage handbag haunted by an amnesiac ghost- Rufus. As Sully and Rufus try to recover Rufus’s past, they learn more about their hometown and the history of the queer experience. This is about growing up queer in a small town and wanting to escape to somewhere more welcoming, discovering maybe you weren’t as alone as you thought, and the importance of community and remembering the past. As Sully says, “we were here, we are here, and we’re no going anywhere no matter what you try to pull.”

This was funny and touching- and I think a lot of people could use a book like this right now.

I wasn't expecting this to be so heartfelt. I was expecting just a typical teen rom com but it had a lot more depth. I really enjoyed Sullys journey and that they were called out and forced to grow up. I really like that they were forced to learn queer history and appreciate all the people that came before them and while there is still progress to be made there are good people around. Some of the language and pop culture references could become dated really fast so that brought it down a bit for me.

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

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC digital copy. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.

Praise report:
Informative topic done in a cutesy teen-friendly way. I could see this book being of benefit in a middle school. Appreciated the crush vibes and focus on building a relationship. Truly enjoyed the historic aspects. I was shocked at learning how recently the LGBTQ+ population was at risk of being arrested and/or institutionalized.

Concerns:
Literal personification of the Butler handbag through Rufus, the ghost-friend, was so cringe .And the overused Bread-Brad name calling did not seem believable. Sully was so vocal about being identified correctly and authentically accepted by others. I don’t think he could be judgmental on looks alone since that’s how he was judged.

Overall:
I recognize that I am not the target audience for this book. And if it helps one person live authentically, or one person to accept another’s authenticity, then it’s a good book :)

3 out of 5 stars and my respect to the authors.

received an ARC of this book from the publisher. I loved that this book very much felt like JVN speaking, as a big fan it was hard not to read it in their voice. The back and forth between history and now, and the lense of a queer relationship then and now was interesting and unique. What I didn’t love as much was a random ghost story, it didn’t add much of anything to the story for me. I think it would have been just as interesting, if not more so, if the history and back story was a collection of letters etc. the ghost story felt silly in a way that made the book feel YA. As it’s an ARC, I’m not sure if it’s intended to be YA but for me it left something to be desired. I’d love to see JVNs voice in something a bit more adult in the future. I’ve read their bios and own story and found them so much more interesting than this. That said, it was an easy read and if you can hang with the silly humor of a random ghost trapped in a purse, you may enjoy it.

realy charming story with some good vibes and interesting discussion. our protag is awesome, as is the LI, Brad, and the ghost, Rufus. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

4 Stars
A quirky, fun novel featuring Sully who doesn't know which direction that want to go in life. Sully thought they wanted to be an influencer but that's not in the cards.

Instead, they are trying to find a way to get out of town when they find an expensive vintage handbag that may finance their escape. The Butler bag could be a ticket out of their small hometown. Hovering inside the Butler is a ghost. The ghost and Sully bond very deeply and the mystery unravels of how. Rufus died and what happened to the love of his life.
Rufus was abandoned and he has no memory of how he died.

Sully and friends go on a mission to bring closure and make an astounding discovery of their town. Highly recommendable.

Special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for my reading pleasure.

I received a free DRC of this book through Netgalley. I have to start by saying Jonathan Van Ness is a treasure. This book is amazing from the coolest dino cover ever to a beautifully-written story about a nonbinary teen who has to start from scratch after their post-high school plans fall apart. It's been a rough year for LGBTQ+ people in the US and I imagine that this book can uplift so many hearts and make people feel less alone. Obviously it's important for cisgender people to read it too because learning more about life from another POV helps everyone.

While this delightful book is described as a young adult novel, its message is for people of all ages. With the perfect combination of heart, humor, and mystery, Sully and Rufus had my heart from the very beginning. I am typically not a fan of the paranormal genre but the haunted purse was sheer genius. I'll never look at a thrift-store hand bag in the same way again!

The story begins with the protagonist, Sully, a gender-nonconforming teen, preparing to attend a high school graduation party hosted by their mother. Sully is excited to be leaving their small home town tomorrow, for a larger city in which they hope to find acceptance and to begin a delicious internship in the fashion industry. When the job falls through, hours before his flight, Sully is left to quickly figure out a summer job and make new plans. Sully immediately goes to the second-hand shop in which they had been employed, to inquire about resuming their job. While there, Sully spots what they believe to be an authentic vintage handbag, that if authenticated could provide funding for life in another city. Later, at home, Sully learns the bag is inhabited by the ghost of a lively drag queen, Rufus, from the 1950's. Rufus desperately wants to know how he died and what became of his one love.

What follows is an entertaining ghost-story adventure where the authors seamlessly parallel Sully and Rufus's stories of queer life, small-town bigotry, and resilience. A story where Sully learns that everyone's life is hard, that places cannot change without people who are willing to facilitate change, and the importance of fighting for their queer past and its future. This wonderful story sheds light on the advances that have been made in the LGBTQ movement, but also how far we have to go.

Thank you Harper Collins and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy.

This book follows a nonbinary teenager who lives in the small town of Hearst and is about to leave for New York City for a new job and an exciting new life in the big city. Until, they lose that job right before their flight (dun dun dun)

I'm conflicted on this one because I thought, Sully was very cute and sweet. And I loved their relationship with their parents. But unfortunately, the writing style just did not click with me. I think a lot of the extra humor lines in here can be cut. Not because they were all unfunny, but because it just felt a little overdone. It was distracting and hard to get through. Something about the way this was written reminded me of one of those short stories in standardized tests like the SAT, which isn't really the style of writing I enjoy.

But I love the spirit of this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the early access!

Clever, funny, and full of heart. While I was initially skeptical about the longevity of a book told so distinctly in a contemporary voice (what happens when the slang ages out?) I soon realized that’s the point. This book celebrates now as much as then, reminding readers of all ages of the importance to hold both our history and our present close in our hearts—all while putting a new spin on ‘do you, boo!’

This was a wonderfully fun and delightful book that has with it the tinge of emotion that I always expect from JVN. I was so excited to read a work of fiction by him and I knew that his caring, empathy, and compassion would fill this book but I was not expecting to feel so much for Sully and Brad, but this JVN and Julie Murphy took a story that could have easily gone of the top camp and crafted a story that uses that expectation to help explore the history of what would become the LGBTQ+ Movement and highlight an age appropriate exploration of how far, and sadly in somw cases how little, things have changed. Rufus and The Butler Bag were a wonderful addition to this story that allowed for so much hidden depth to be discussed.

Beautifully written, emotionally moving, and ever so hopeful this is a book that so many will find joy in and find comfort in seeing themselves in.

Thank you Harper Collins and Net Galley for sharing this e arc with me!

What an amazing book! I've already recommended it to three students and one colleague. This book is a magical ghostly adventure, and I loved everything about it. Sully is wonderful, and everything about them made me happy. They are so authentic to themself, and they aren't afraid to speak up when they are being mistreated or misgendered. I found their energy to be a positive force in this book, and they worked hard to help Rufus find their way "home". I cannot recommend this book enough, and I can't wait to add a copy of it to my book collection.

Sully has finished high school and plans to go to NYC to intern there. Sadly, that goes up in smoke and she's stuck in Hearst. She flirts with Brad and the two become a couple, but not before she buys an elite handbag from a used clothing store. If she can sell it for cash, she can still leave Hearst. But the bag is the home of Rufus, a drag queen from the 50s that is now a ghost. Sully is trying to help Rufus determine his past all the while dating Brad and keeping him in the dark.
At the beginning of the book I thought Sully was gay because of all the references to her but when she fell in love with Brad, I was confused.
The ghost bit is a stretch, but it brings out what happened to LGBTQ in the 5os. (I came along in the 60s and it wasn't much better until the 70s).
The book is accepting of gays and brings out the astonishment of the earlier treatment of gays.

Sully is a queer kid who can’t wait to get out of the town of Hearst, where there’s only one gay guy, the future politician Bread….Brad. Things are looking up when they find an antique handbag that could sell for enough to get them out of the small town forever….except that said bag is inhabited. By the ghost of a flamboyant Gay man, Rufus, from the 1950’s, who was also .a female impersonator named Tallulah.

As Sully and Brad both try to unlock the mysteries of Rufus’s past and the mysteries of their town, it turns into a in depth, sometimes sad, sometimes tragic, look at queer history.

This is an amazing, extremely needed book. Especially now. Both for queer kids, who will find some hope and comfort in Sully’s story….and in Rufus’s. Because even for a ghost, it gets better, but also for those who seem to think the 1950’s was an idyllic past that we should try to return to. If you have a queer kid who is terrified of life right now, read this book. If you have queer students, read this book. And if you somehow think that voting queer people out of existence is a good thing, definitely read this book.

This is a great book. It’s an important book. It’s a wonderful book. Thank you for letting me read it.

OMG this was one of the BEST queer YA small town books I've read since Dragging Mason County by Curtis Campbell!!! I have been a HUGE fan of both JVN and Julie Murphy so it was an easy click to grab their latest book as soon as humanly possible.

TRUST! It did NOT disappoint!! There is great found family, an AMAZING queer historical mystery that is sure to enlighten younger readers about what it was like to be queer in the 1950s and such a hopeful, heartwarming story about small town queer communities. I want more books like this one!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy. I will be screaming about how amazing and IMPORTANT this book is all year long! Do yourself a favor and pre-order it now. You will NOT be sorry or regret it.

I unfortunately DNF'd at the 30% mark. I was so excited to read something from JVN and Julie Murphy (who I have read before) but this one was a struggle for me

A paranormal mystery extravaganza about finding how to fit in a world with big shoes to fill! I I love the boldness this bleeds about love, friendship, and breaking conformity!

JVN and Julie Murphy are two of my favorite people, so I knew their collaboration was going to be fabulous! This story was so quirky--the haunted handbag threw me for a loop at first, but it was the exact sort of camp that felt fitting for these two authors. I really appreciated that Sully, throughout the book, knows who they are and never doubts that their parents or friends are in their corner. Rather than being a journey of self-discovery, this is a journey of self-growth as Sully recognizes the trailblazers that paved the way for them to live authentically and the hidden queer history of their hometown. The writing was really engaging and the fast-paced nature of uncovering the mystery of said haunted handbag kept me reading. I really enjoyed this campy contemporary mystery and I think this would be a great addition for YA collections and school libraries.

I really enjoyed seeing the characters progress in this story. The story was well paced and well written. I was hooked from the beginning and devoured it in just a few sittings.