Unfortunately this audiobook was not for me. I wasn't necessarily a fan of the narrators voice, but overall I did enjoy this book.

I was prepared to be entertained by "Let Them Stare". The first couple of chapters were exactly that, entertaining. Sully's character seemed a little stereotypical and I was prepared to read on and find out how he planned to solve his dilemma and move forward while remaining true to himself and his dreams.
And then the Butler and Rufus appeared and I was thrown into one of the most moving, amusing, and gently educational stories that I have ever read. I'm not new to any of the subject matter. What I didn't expect was how it was presented with grace, wisdom, and just enough humor to make the sadness of the situations bearable.
I will recommend this book, especially in audio format, to everyone. The narration is captivating and brings Sully and Rufus from the pages to my neighborhood. The sensitivity of the story and the blending of past and present LGBTQ+ themes is so genuine. This should be a must read or listen for anyone who needs an introduction or refresher on the difficulties and joys that LGBTQ+ humans endure.
This story is on my top ten books of all time.
Profound thanks to JVN and JM for collaborating on this genuine and yes, entertaining story of two memorable characters.

thank you NetGalley and the author / publisher for an ARC copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

TL;DR: this was good but I would have likely enjoyed it more if it were not in audiobook form - the narration sounded a bit too stilted and a bit like awkward reading for me. The story is cute if predictable, and the main character / narrator is flawed and lovable.

Sully is problematic and a bit selfish and a delight and I adore them. Their narration and growth as a kid / character was absolutely my favorite part of this entire book. Although I didn't totally enjoy Van Ness's reading (I love Queer Eye and I was surprised to not enjoy him reading the book, but it sounded honestly forced and like he was reading it for the very first time while recording? I'm not sure why it didn't work for me but it didn't), I did love Sully's version of the story.

This is YA and Sully behaves the way you'd expect a newly 18 year old to. They are not wise beyond their years and that's part of their charm. I thought the arc of them growing into themselves was a delightful one, and while I would have enjoyed more info about their support system and characters (I want more about Guy and Emma!) it was still a fun story.

The plot is predictable and at times, a bit outrageous. I went into the story blind so was surprised to find out about the handbag ghost - even though it very much is the main part of the story as per the synopsis on the back. I did find aspects a bit awkward and cringe - I personally don't like references to a ton of pop culture in my books (I think it dates them way faster than they need to be) and this is riddled with the pop culture references. That personal pet peeve irritated me a bit. The ending was predictable but also a bit overdone and I didn't love it.

All in all, I think I would have enjoyed this more on paper or kindle - the audio wasn't the right fit for me - but overall thought this was a great story and a lovely read for pride month (or any month really - although it is set in June, and it's about queer history, so pride month is a lovely time to read it if you're looking for a YA pride story).

Purely based on content and representation? This book slaps!

I love the exploration of Queer history interspersed with Sully’s personal journey of self-discovery. And the whole ‘haunted handbag’ premise serves just the right balance of ridiculous and fabulous. Ultimately this book is both educational and joyful and we need more of both those things in the world today.

That said…while I do love Jonathan Van Ness, I am not certain they were quite the right narrator? Or maybe it was the direction? Because the narration, although full of character, did not flow quite as naturally as I have come to expect as an avid reader/listener; rather, coming across as slightly stilted, with pauses in odd places, and emphasis placed on odd words (given grammar and sentence structure, and how speech normally follows). I did adjust to this as the audio progressed, and enjoyed the energy, joy, and pure drama Jonathan brought—but also found that having that second narrator for Robby’s letters actually just made the contrast in delivery that much more apparent.

Still recommend and 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫 for me though!

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.

When a dream internship falls through, our protagonist is stuck in the small town they've been dreaming of escaping from. To make matters, they gave notice at their thrift store job and sold their car to the kind of square but kind of cute one other queer kid in town. Then a ghost appears from a thrifted handbag. Yes, it's silly and full of antics, but there's also a lot of heart and rich history as the characters try to make sense of all the threads life throws.

This was a mixed bag for me. There were some genuinely funny moments and I loved Rufus—his backstory and the way queer history was woven into the story were definite highlights. That part had heart and depth.

Unfortunately, Sully didn’t do it for me, and JVN’s narration—while very them—didn’t quite work in audiobook format. It was a little too much, a little too often. The plot also felt thin in spots, more flash than follow-through.

Still, there’s charm here if you’re in the mood for something upbeat with a strong message about self-acceptance (and a little glitter).

I am a fan of both Jonathan Van Ness and Julie Murphy, so I was pretty excited about this collaboration! It's a very lovable story, I think it's probably best for the YA crowd, but I really enjoyed it! Definitely recommend!

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 read this again on audio and it was even BETTER read by JVN themself! 10/10 a must listen and especially recommended as a paired read with Shampoo Unicorn and A rebel's guide to pride.