Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins Children's Books, Jonathan Van Ness & Julie Murphy for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

What a wonderful collaboration between these two champions of identity and self expression! A handbag haunted by a drag queen ghost, discovered by a queer main character. This story was a perfect mix of goofy silly fun (RUFUS!) and ghastly history that has often been covered up and hidden (also.. Rufus.). I love that it's written from the non-binary main characters point of view. In our reading community- representation matters and also it's a pleasure to read from a different perspective to understand and empathize with someone in an experience I'm unfamiliar with.

I had no idea what to expect from this book after seeing the cover lol But I knew that I loved Van Ness and Murphy and I wanted to see what they could do together. And it should come as a shock to no one……….. I LOVED EVERY SINGLE WORD OF THIS BOOK lol

Ok so the synopsis of this is so vague. I had no idea what this book was actually about lol But I think I liked it better this way. There were no spoilers and I was hooked until the end because I needed to know what happened. I had so much in my mind but none of it was right. And I know it’s weird, but I loved that. it’s rare that I’m surprised by a book anymore, so this cool. And seeing all the things that they figured out and uncovered with this ghost was so freaking cool. I don’t think I EVER could have come up with something like this. This was so good!

The romance in this was a little different. And no it wasn’t with the ghost lol This is not a paranormal romance story lol The romance is a bit of a spoiler so I don’t want to say who it’s with, but omg it was cute. I knew it was going to be them as soon as they were introduced because of the way he treated him lmao It was so cute but also not. I know that people always group like people together in small towns so I felt for them in that regard, but I also liked the idea of them lol

The pacing in this book was a little slow tho. It took forever to get to the real meat that’s not mentioned in the synopsis. There is a mystery, but with no red herrings and no other real info about it, we were finding out at the same time as them and it just felt like it dragged on. Don’t get me wrong, the whole thing together was cute, but it did take a long time to get to the real point.

The characters were what made this book tho. I LOVED Sully. They were so hilarious! I kept remembering when they found out about the Rufus. I laughed more than I have in a long time with this book and I was so thankful for that. If you know me you know I’ve been reading a bunch of sad stuff lately and I needed something to make me laugh. This came at the exact right time!

This book had some of everything that I loved. I can’t really explain how much I needed this book at this time. Even the harder parts of this were a little softer to digest because of the writing style that Van Ness and Murphy had. This book was so good and so much fun. I really hope this isn’t the end for the two of them writing together.

This was just a fun YA book! I love anything JVN has to fo with and Julie Murphy is a wonderful YA author as well. They make a great team! The story was fun and relatable, with a little paranormal thrown in the mix. Sully was a great, funny character and all I could picture was JVN as them. I would definitely recommend to high school kiddos!

Sully is a non-binary teen who has just graduated high school and is excited to leave their small town behind to work in NYC as an assistant to an influencer. When those plans fall through, Sully is stuck back in their hometown for the summer with no plans, when they find a haunted handbag in the local thrift/vintage store. A fun mystery and queer history lesson, with a rom-com thrown into the mix.

Ok, I loved Sully so much! 💜💜

I went into this story only knowing it was YA and that I loved the authors, so when the ghost that lived in the handbag popped up I was laughing so hard!

I loved how well they balanced the elements of this story w/ the coming of age struggles Sully was facing, along w/ queer identity & the ghost story on top of it. This is such a fun mix of plot & theme that weaves itself so well into a memorable & must-read story.

A haunted vintage handbag, a nonbinary teenager, and mocking influencer culture? Sign me up! This totally gave me a hint of David from Schitts Creek vibes and that made it fun. I also enjoyed the historical aspect of it with a ghost that appears out of the handbag and tells his story and also brings a mystery to Sully that needs to be solved.
This also brings a message of finding yourself and finding the beauty in your hometown so slow down and appreciate the life you have and all the people and things that are in it. Love yourself for the authentic being you are. And you can’t ask for more from a novel.
Thanks to Storytide and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

I've been a fan of Queer Eye since the reboot launched in 2018, JVN in particular, so when I saw he'd co-authored a book with YA author Julie Murphy, there was no way I could pass on it.

You can't tell me a cover with a dinosaur in drag doesn't catch your attention. In the novel, it's the unofficial mascot that sits at the checkout counter of the eclectic thrift store where Sully worked. Sully's big plans for the summer - finally getting out of Hearst and starting a fashion internship - crashes and burns on the day they're supposed to leave. After allowing themselves to wallow and mope for a bit, Sully works on an alternate plan. They just didn't think it would involve the ghost of Rufus, who lives in a highly valuable vintage bag. Sully and Rufus are so good for each other. Sully educates Rufus on the modern world (a lot has happened since he died in the 50s), and Rufus teaches Sully about the struggles queer people experienced during his time - along with doling out relationship advice regarding the suddenly interesting Brad (that was some kiss). Their dialogue and actions gave me plenty of laughs.

I adored these characters - Sully with their wit and charm (JVN's humor shines through), their found family (friends and boss), self-confident diva Rufus, and Sully's council woman mom who's an absolute treasure. Rufus's and Robby's (his boyfriend in the 50s) bittersweet story captivated me, and Sully and Brad's slow burn romance is sweet and develops naturally. I read this in two sittings, and you couldn't have pried the Kindle out of my hands during the last 10%. The ending is perfection.

Recommended for fans of delightful, uplifting stories that leave you with a smile on your face, characters you'd love to meet in real life, and tales of love and acceptance.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was so excited to read this since I adore Jonathan Van Ness and Sully is clearly the embodiment of JVN, you can't miss their beautiful similarities. I adored Sully as a character but I found him to be a little self-absorbed a la Carrie Bradshaw and I found that off-putting. The character of Bread/Brad was aptly named but I thought he and Sully had cute chemistry. The surprise specter in the handbag was delightful.

So why only 3 stars? I kept losing interest in the story. I felt there were too many side quests, so to speak, and sometimes I just wanted Sully to get to the point already. For someone who claims to be so impressionable, they can be remarkably one note.

It was a struggle to finish this. I think the story has wonderful potential but needs some editing.

My thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the overall story and characters in this book, but it felt very chaotic and it was hard to stay focused. I think the author even had difficulty staying on topic and it pulled me out of the story with all of the asides and rants and descriptions. It was interesting to learn a little about history.

Super cute and fun! There's a lot of typical coming of age YA, a little bit of suspend your disbelief mystery, and a good dose of queer history throughout. While some of the lessons do feel. little after school special forced, ultimately I think this is a lovely read that has a lot of heart and some good takeaways about the importance of fostering love and community wherever home might be, even if it's not the Big City.

Sully just graduated high school and had their future planned out. GTFO of the small town they grew up in and head to New York City to start their new life.

When Sully’s internship falls through, they are stuck at home without a plan. They already sold their car and quit their job, how can they can get to NYC now?!

Sully finds a vintage Butler bag at the thrift store and knows that if they can authenticate it, that can be their all expenses paid ticket to NYC.

There’s only one problem… the bag is haunted by Rufus, a drag queen from the 1950s who has no memory of how they died.

Sully begins to help Rufus and along the way, learns that maybe their small town has more people like them than they ever realized.

I thought this was a fun, cute and needed read. Solving Rufus’ story made space for some queer history that we should be aware of so that we can continue to grow and make sure that hate doesn’t have room to grow but will be left in the past.

Thanks to #netgalley, the publisher and the author for a copy of this e-arc! It’s out now!!

I'm pretty sure I saw the authors of this book, and then requested (and eventually started reading) it without ever reading the full description. So, I was not expecting the ghost/haunting element! Other than that curveball, I liked Let Them Stare well enough. Even after accounting for this book being meant for a younger audience, it did frequently feel VERY young, in addition to seeming kind of scattered/inconsistent at times (perhaps a result of two writers instead of one?). Despite those complaints, it was a fun little story, with fun characters, that incorporated plenty of important topics.

One part ghost story, one part mystery, one part romance, and one part coming of age tale.

It’s a delightful, cozy story of learning how to be who you are regardless of where you are. Of found family and being a good friend and appreciating the people who were here before us.

History matters. We’ve been here the whole time.

This was a sweet, sassy story that fills a gap in fiction. I can see where so many people can find themselves in these characters in a way they couldn't previously with the underrepresentation of LGBTQ youth and young adults in books.

4.5

This was suchhh a fun story! I had a blast following along with Sully and their adventures after their post high school plans fell through.

Sully has just graduated high school and is planning on heading to New York City as an assistant to an influencer when that falls through and they're stuck in their small town that they desperately wanted to escape. As the only non-binary person in their town and one of the few queer people, Sully has always struggled with feeling like they can be themselves. To drown their sorrows after things fall apart, Sully goes thrift shopping and finds a vintage "Butler" bag that could get them enough money in resale to actually make it to NYC another way. The Butler bag is hiding something though and instead of finding a high quality vintage bag, Sully finds a ghost instead! Rufus the ghost has forgotten most of his memories but definitely seems to have some connection to Sully's small town and the town's new mysteries as well. Sully loops their new friend Brad into helping them solve both Rufus' and their town's mysteries before Sully can leave the small-minded opinions of their conservative community.

I loved this story! I think it was a great mix of coming-of-age, mystery, romance, and humor. I'm mostly familiar with Jonathan Van Ness from their Queer Eye role, and have read a few stories from Julie Murphy so I could really see where JVN's humor and personality shined with some polishing from Julie's writing. Part of me thinks that it might be aged fairly quickly with the amount of slang terms included, but I think that's very much JVN so it really feels from their heart. It did take me a few chapters to get into things, Sully was a bit aggressive at the start, especially with their close friends. But as things progressed things mellowed out enough for me to enjoy Sully's character growth way more.

This was such a fun read, and very much gave "small town, big dreams." I enjoyed the writing style and the collaboration between Van Ness and Murphy, and Sully is sympathetic and enjoyable to follow. I also appreciate the leaning into queer history with the ghost character, as it provided a more round view of the story.

I didn't really read the synopsis, so I wasn't expecting the sci-fi element, but needless to say that was probably my favorite part. I could really hear JVN's voice come through in the writing. My only feedback is that there were a few moments in the story that felt a little disjointed or it felt like a piece was missing, but it was a really interesting take on a queer story that I have not read before.

YA rom-com + queer history + supernatural story—and it works!

I came to this one already a huge Julie Murphy fan while not knowing much about Jonathan Van Ness besides a vague idea of who he is. I wondered if not being familiar with Queer Eye would hinder my enjoyment of Let Them Stare, but it absolutely did not! This was a delightful, poignant read.

Admittedly, Sully was not my favorite person throughout a big chunk of the novel. I was a little irritated by their self-centered thought processes, but here’s the thing—Julie Murphy knows how to write an unlikeable character that keeps you invested. And the character development! Stunning. By the end of the novel, I loved Sully and wanted everything for them.

What really put this over the top for me and makes it a 5 star read is the story’s basis in its main character, who is nonbinary, learning about and coming to deeply appreciate queer history. The personal significance of their queer foreparents leads directly to Sully’s growth. I can easily see this book leading anyone who reads it to begin their own deep dive into queer history (I know it did for me!). History matters!

Two small complaints that are neither significant enough to warrant losing a star: First, and I’m avoiding sp*ilers, I didn’t like the way that Rufus’s story wound up; I think with a bit more though he would have ended up in a different place and that would’ve been more meaningful for me personally… And then there is So. Much. Contemporary. Lingo. And I wouldn’t mind it so much if it didn’t mean that the book will read as very outdated by 2030, and that really stinks because this book is so, so good with the exception of references to Olivia Rodrigo and TikTok.

But overall? Yes, girl. This slayed. It’s giving classic. (Did I do that right?)

When I look at the cover of this book, I imagine a children's picture book. The dressed-to-the-nines dinosaur and color scheme is incredible. This book really encompasses the cover. Full of fun and hilarious shenanigans. There were times where I was confused if this was a middle grade, young adult, or adult story but I enjoyed that it could be any of them. The story was pretty basic but this is a story with lots of heart and warmth sprinkled throughout.

Let Them Stare is a fun, honest, and uplifting read. With their signature humor and heart, JVN shares personal stories about identity, confidence, and finding strength in being yourself. It’s all about embracing who you are and not being afraid to stand out. The book feels like a pep talk from a supportive friend, full of warmth and encouragement. Whether you're a longtime fan or just getting to know them, it’s a quick but powerful read that’ll leave you feeling inspired.