Candlewick Press and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Haunt Me. I voluntarily chose to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Joe has been left behind by his family, leaving the young man to wonder what happened. Erin has been trying to move past a difficult time in her life, but will meeting Joe cause her more harm than good?

Haunt Me has similarities to other books and novels in the genre, so I found it hard to concentrate on the story at hand. I did not dislike the story, but I was not captivated by it either. The part that bothered me the most was the fact that Erin never used the devices at her disposal to find out what happened to Joe. The story did not seem to unfold naturally and I never quite got a feeling for the characters outside of what happened to each of them. For these reasons, I would be hesitant to recommend Haunt Me to other readers.

Haunt me is a haunting paranormal story about a teenager girl named named Erin who moves into a new house in a new city, and discovers that the bedroom in her new house is haunted by the boy who previously occupied her bedroom, a boy named Joe.

Previously, before moving to her new city,Emily had a tough few years prior that included a whole slew of problems, and is struggling with self esteem issues and is also incredibly shy as a result. Joe, the ghost boy haunting her room, is also dealing issues of his own, including feeling lost and sad as he continues to linger in the world of the living as a spirit. They begin to form a connection as they bond, and Erin soon begins to believe that she is even falling in love with him but things grow complicated when she meets a boy named Olly at school, who is also Joe's brother.

I really loved this book, and found it to be so touching, and found it to be so touching and emotional. It definitely pulled at my heartstrings throughout my reading experience. I really liked Erin a lot, and found her to be quite relatable, as I am introverted, just as she is. I also struggle with self esteem issues. I also enjoyed the paranormal aspect of the story, as I find the world of the supernatural to be fascinating, as I do believe that ghosts in fact do exist, and that certain spirits do linger in the world even after someone's physical body is no longer here.

This story also touched on a lot of important and sensitive topics such as bullying, grief, and mental health.

I truly enjoyed this book overall, and if you like paranormal stories that pack an emotional punch, then this is the book for you!

I will admit I picked this one up because of the names of the characters. They have special meaning to me and I thought it was funny to see them all in a book together. I’m glad I did snag this one though, because it turned out to be a hidden gem.





Yes it is kind of a typical YA paranormal romance, and of course that makes it a bit predictable. There was more to the story though. This book represented the misfits, the lonely, and the bullied all waiting for someone to come along and understand them. It’s a story of love, loss, and hope. It deals with tough topics like bullies, depression, self-harm, and suicide. The characters all start out in dark places, but with each other, they come to find peace. It has a great setting. A tad dark and creepy, but not too much to make it fall into the horror genre. It had a different perspective on the boy meets girl love story in that we have a ghost thrown into the mix, but the story doesn’t end the way one might think it would. It’s no “Twilight”. Any age teen who wants a paranormal romance or those who feel like they just don’t fit in anywhere right now might really enjoy this book.

Haunt me is a new beautifully tragic young adult novel by Liz kesslee. It has the traffic undertones as the Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. I would equate details as the Montagues and life the Capulets. Our home, Erin is Juliet. No the story is not the same, it would be redundant if it were I'm just letting you know the feel I got from this book.


This book is so sweet and sad at the same time like sweet and salty trail mix or something. Technically the book is great. Emotionally this book is perfect. I love everything about this book! I will even go so far as to compare Kessler's book to John Green's. Also so very relevant as this book touched on several sensitive hot button issues that are relative in today's younger population. 

Joe wakes to find his family has moved from their family home. Lost and confused he cannot grasp what his new reality is.

Erin's family moved into the home that Joe's family once loved in. It is supposed to be a great new start. Erin finds friends and hopes that she has found normalcy, except for her big secret. Afraid she will be bullied and ridiculed she keeps her secret close until she decides to trust in the wrong people. Then, her only hope for a happy life seems to be to not live one at all.



Olly, Joe's brother, has struggled to find peace since leaving his family home. Then with one word he is enthralled with the new girl at his school. Can he let himself let go of the guilt and pain so that he can be happy again?


When their three worlds collide will it be distruction for them all, or peace and happiness.

So my little booklings it is safe to say I highly recommend this book, especially if you are a fan of young adult fiction, John Green or even Shakespeare. And that cover tho;)!
I adore this book and give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

I received a copy of this book for NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

Joe wakes up in his room with gaps in his memory, and sees his family moving away, ignoring his cries. Erin feels an instant connection to the bedroom in her new house, even though she hates the move that led her there. How are these two connected (duh, Joe is a ghost).

This looked like it was going to be a supernatural ghost story, but at heart it's a romance. It just didn't hold my interest past the first few chapters.

This was an unusual and rather good book for me. I generally have been sticking with fantasy but this wasn't too far from the genre. I liked the characters and the plot. Four solid stars!

It has been years since I've picked up something by Liz Kessler. With this novel, it reminded me just why I liked her novels in the first place! Lyrical and engaging, this isn't a book you want to miss.

Joe watches his family leave their home and leave him behind. Shortly Erin and her family move in to the home and Erin's room is the one that used to be Joe's. Erin determines that Joe is a ghost after she meets his older brother Olly at school. Erin falls in love with Joe and meets new friends and can finally put her difficult years behind her. Or can she? The characters are well developed and the plot moves quickly. I am thankful to NetGalley for the opportunity to be an early reader of this novel.

I’m not much for contemporary books. For some reason if it doesn’t take place in another world or have lots of fantasy elements I’m usually not interested. But for some reason the synopsis for this book really captured my attention. It’s probably the weird, sappy romantic in me. And wow was she satisfied with this little gem of a book.

I didn't expect much going in. And I'd never read anything from or even recognized the author, so I was ready for your typical formula, girl finds ghost, they fall in love, obstacles get in the way and either they get around them or she finds love with someone else. Now without spoiling too much because I want you all to read this book, the plot is extremely easy to suss out early on. The way the author has things play out, you know where the characters are headed long before they get there, but that was the beauty of it almost, knowing and yet getting to know the characters anyway. This book, while following several clichés and patterns that I normally hate, somehow made me fall in love with it.

Much of the reason for my liking of this book comes from the authors loving attention to her characters. Their raw honesty and true-to-life details make me feel like I could actually know them in real life, or in Erin’s case, be them. The depth of emotions and complexities she layers the characters with makes it easy to sympathize with them and want to get immersed in their unfolding story. And her use of a rotating POV between Erin, Joe and Olly was excellently executed as I always felt the characters had their own voice while still being connected to the story. I also applaud the author for having her characters tackle difficult things like bullying, depression, anxiety, loss of loved ones and just the general feeling of alienation. Things we all may have faced in one way or another but can sometimes fail to put into words.

The romance element is what joins this whole book together and while I have a few nitpicks with it there isn’t much I would change. The dynamic between Erin, Joe and Olly played out so well amongst the pages that by the end I was highly satisfied with where they all ended. My only gripe is that I wish Erin’s feelings for Olly would’ve been more fleshed out as by the end I still felt her connection to Joe was much stronger.

I admired the author’s use of poetry in the book as well, joining Erin and Joe by their shared use of writing to help them cope with stress and the release of pent-up emotions, it was a wonderful device to show how each of the characters words connected them and wound them together. The writing of the book itself flowed almost like poetry at times, beautiful in its pauses for quiet moments but the frenzied pace of what was happening in the characters lives and how each character was handling their own view of the situation.

Overall this was a spectacular book that went well beyond the surface of a normal contemporary read. The characters reminded me of what it means to struggle, make mistakes and even in the end they weren’t completely healed, which is sometimes how life turns out so it was nice to see an author be honest about the somewhat-happily-ever-afters. You can read this book as a fun love story, you can read it as a ghost story, either way this book is definitely worth a place on your shelf.

I enjoyed this book so much. The action was full forced and fast paced and I like that in a book

I got an ARC from NetGalley of this book. The title and the summary of this book don't do it justice. I thought it sounded interesting but once I started reading it I could not stop. This is an amazing novel. Erin has had a very difficult time since she was hit by a car in 7th grade and has suffered anxiety and panic attacks as a result. Her parents move her family to a new town and the house they buy was previously occupied by a family with two boys, one of whom, Joe, recently passed away. Joe's ghost (or spirit) is stuck in his old bedroom. While reading, I realized that there is probably a reason that he is kind of stuck in limbo and the more I read, the more I knew I was right. Eric can seem him and talk to him and even touch him sometime and they grow very close, falling in love. Their relationship is beautifully characterized through them getting to know each other day by day. Erin is in school with Joe's older brother but doesnt meet him until halfway through the book. Olly is suffering from a huge amount of guilt over causing his brother's death. He is immediately smitten with Erin because she is so different than the other girls at their school. They also being a relationship and Erin become stuck between the two brothers, not in a bad way but it is extremely emotional and difficult for all three of them. Joe finally realizes why he is still on earth during the climax of the story and he manages to accomplish what he knows he needs to do before going to heaven. It is a beautiful story of love after death. I also loved all the British phrases and sayings because I am not British. I will be haunted by thoughts of this story for days, in a good way though. I highly recommend this book as I could NOT put it down and rad it in one night!

I’ve read books by Liz Kessler before and have enjoyed her writing but I’m still not sure where I stand with this one. I think my expectations were set really high based on her previous work so I came in with a certain idea of what I’d find but this was missing something. Her premise is interesting but maybe it’s because she dipped into themes that are appearing everywhere lately and which I’ve read in abundance: bullying, drugs, mental health, suicide, grief etc. She’s a great writer so her descriptions and word choices painted detailed images that allowed you to get to know the characters, settings and where she was taking her story.

She set up her characters well so they felt realistic and their motivations rang true but the story was very slow paced in the beginning which took something away from being able to enjoy it fully. Eventually I got over the hump and the story took off as I was able to get to the Kessler writing I was familiar with.

It’s not a bad book it’s just that it started off kind of boring with no real distinction in narration so it felt a bit monotonous. If you hold on and keep reading it really starts to hit you so you feel for her characters.

What happens when you are torn between your love for two brothers? What happens when one of those brothers is a ghost? Readers will be just as torn as the main character, Erin, when she finds herself falling for brothers Joe and Olly. Both brothers pull to her heart but Olly has one advantage on Joe... he's alive. HAUNT ME will draw readers in from the very beginning and keep their attention until the very end. Perfect blend of romance, laughter. tears, heartbreak, hope, and finding your way through the perils of life (and death). Definitely, recommend.