The Other Ones is a very sweet story about a haunted house, the siblings who live there, and the new, ghost-obsessed boy in the neighborhood. It's a love story between Pax, the new boy, and Salem, one of the siblings; a family story about Sal and his sister Asha's relationship and Pax's relationship with his mom; a story about good friends who stick with you; and a story about grief and death and depression. Pax's interest in the occult provides a gateway for talking about Sal's dad's death, and newspaper articles naming Sal and Asha's house one of the "most haunted" in Britain offers an in into Sal and Asha as individuals and as a team keeping secrets from the world--and their friends. It's a lovely YA book, and perfect for autumn reading.

If there’s one thing you should take away from this book, it is ABSOLUTELY the themes and message surrounding death and grief.
The Other Ones is a great tale for teens who are struggling with the complexities that come along with a loss of any kind. Salem and Asha’s characters portray the anger, emptiness, confusion, self-sufficiency, and joy that come with processing and dealing with loss magnificently. There was a delicate balance of being stuck within yourself and letting the passage of time take you throughout The Other Ones that I felt drove the overall theme home.
After reading a few reviews (on Goodreads), this seems to come up as a point of contention with the book, but I for one enjoyed the guise of the paranormal, feeling it to be an apt cover up for what was really going on beneath the surface. It didn’t feel like I was being “lead on” by this book and what story it wanted to tell, mainly because it’s kinda obvious this isn’t a genuine “haunting” and more so the aftermath of a family who has gone through an unresolved death. (Also employing the use of the paranormal as a means of telling this story was an excellent choice, as it can truly feel like you’re “haunted” after a loss.)
I do wish we got a little more with the side characters and their developments as friends, Sal’s discovering his sexuality, and generally a bit more “meat” at the end of the book. The ending felt conclusitory enough, it just left me wanting a little bit more.
Despite that, let me gush about Sal and Pax and the coziness of this book for just a moment. This was such a pleasant, casually queer read! I absolutely adored every minute of Sal and Pax’s relationship and how it developed. (Pax had the coziest room I’ve ever read and I am JEALOUS!) They were so so cute!!!
I’m so excited to see where Fran Hart goes with her writing career because DAMN was this a great debut book.
All in all, loved The Other Ones and I will be picking up a physical copy upon release.
(Can’t believe I read this in less than 48 hours…)
4/5

The Other Ones turned out to be a very easy read. I felt that all the characters were well written, and had distinct, realistic personalities and reactions; they helped make the story feel like a real high school experience. Sal’s narrative was increasingly interesting to follow, and I had a hard time putting the book down once I'd started. There was subtle comedy that the author cleverly placed throughout the book, which created a distinct and engaging narration.

My issues with the book would be that by the end of the story I felt like something was missing, or more so left out. It seemed as though we hadn't learned much about the other characters, and that some piece of the story was left unresolved, yet I can't pinpoint exactly what. A lot of these characters aspects could’ve been utilized more, and at some points it felt like the story wasn’t getting anywhere. Pax in particular should have been expanded upon more, he was a wonderfully written character and played a huge role in the narrative, and yet I feel like he didn't get nearly enough attention as he should have. I was expecting to learn about him more deeply as I read on, but not much was expressed, and by the end his character didn't feel resolved or complete. There were minor grammatical errors that stuck out that should be looked over by editors. Otherwise, this was a well crafted piece that accurately portrayed what it is like for a family to grieve, and what the experience would be like in the mind of a teenager.

I really enjoyed this book. It was super sweet and I just wanted to take Pax and put him in my pocket and carry his sweetness everywhere. It was not some profound literary work, but a refreshing story between 2 kids finding their way through a new relationship and dealing with their own issues at the same time. I read a lot of dark things and this was the perfect book to shake things up and make me smile.

This was a great book, it just felt too short! I’d love this to be come a series, it really had potential to do well as one, especially in the era of Heartbreaker. It was written well, the characters were fun and enjoyable, and the author told a very cohesive story. This would also be a great graphic novel! So many options with a story as great as this one.

I really enjoyed this. A fun read! Really cute but I wish it was a little bit spookier. Very easy to read quickly because you won’t want to put it down!

This is one of those books I review where I am genuinely so excited to pass this on to younger readers, despite maybe me not enjoying it as much. But this is the kind of fun paranormal little book, with the kind of quirky yet relatable cast, that I would have eaten up as a kid. I will be recommending it wholeheartedly!

I requested for the cover and queer vibes and wasn't let down! It was a fun read and I found it entertaining from beginning to end. I enjoyed the characters and the plot.

Thank you Chicken House and NetGalley for the eArc!

This was a quick and cute read. Salem like most teens is haunted by much more than just what everyone in town believes is haunting him. The misfit bunch of friends fits together so nicely, I truly couldn’t dislike a single one of them. I think all of us can relate to the struggles of wanting to fit in, loss, and figuring out who we are. My only complaint would be that I wished it was longer so there could be more elaboration in some parts.

A spooky and sweet LGBTQIA YA paranormal over about ghosts, facing fears, and finding somewhere you belong

Such a fast read! Love the writing! I’m in love with the characters-Pax is my baby lol. I wish this was a bit longer and I did wish it had a tad more haunted/halloween vibes

This totally wasn’t what I thought it was going to be and it totally smashed any expectations I had! I simply think it’s so perfect. It was written beautifully and I enjoyed everything about it!

honestly i went into this strictly for the cover *it was cute:). i adored the writing it felt like a big hug! 4/5 stars thank you for the chance to arc read.

This was everything that I was looking for and enjoyed the twists of the story. I enjoyed the overall feel of the world and thought the concept was everything that worked. The characters were what I wanted and thought it was wonderfully done. Fran Hart has a great writing style and can’t wait to read more from them.

If you like books like Dead Boy Detectives you'll love this story. It's an entertaining, poignant, and sad tale about coming to terms with who you are and what your life is or is becoming. Richly told, the story and characters pulled me in from the first page to the last and I couldn't put it down. This book is a great read if you're in the mood for a cosy action packed thriller.

The Other Ones by Fran Hart is a precious Queer YA contemporary romance between opposites, one of whom lives in a house believed to be haunted.

I loved our entire cast of characters. Salem is a loner and Pax has golden retriever energy. Salem ends up in a friendship group of four that includes him, Pax the "eccentric " new kid, the jock, and the once popular girl. The four of them shouldn't work on the surface but they do and its wonderful. Then you have Salem's sister and Pax's mom who were great addition's to the story.

Salem and Pax become unlikely friends that turn in to a sweet and innocent relationship between the two. They were utterly adorable 🥰 Besides the growth of their relationship and the day to day that goes along with surviving high school, Salem battles with grief and the ghosts of his past.

Overall, I adored The Other Ones by Fran Hart. A sweet Queer YA with crushes, first kisses, misfit friends, graveyard picnics, pumpkin carving, grief, healing, and a happy ending. With spooky vibes, this makes a perfect light read for the Halloween season!

This was a cute coming of age story with bonus ghosts and a big surprise twist. I loved all the characters and thought they were portrayed very well and I genuinely enjoyed the plot- the big twist was very well done and definitely added to the storyline.

The best way to sum up this book is cozy. When I requested it I didn't realize it had been out for a few years and was just being republished, but I'd never heard of it in 2022 so it was brand new to me. I much prefer the new cover too, for what it's worth.

The book itself was good. I enjoyed the slower pace of it, it felt comfortable and homey, though I was slightly let down that it wasn't as spooky as it made itself out to be in the description. It was much more Casper the Friendly Ghost when I was expecting something more along the lines of Practical Magic, which is to say whimsical but still a lil spooky.

The romance is a nice, fun, slowish burn which is something I always appreciate. The book overall was very well written, easy to follow, and the prose itself was very interesting and drew me in. The same can be said about the characters, which was a largely diverse cast with their own personal stories that were all handled perfectly.

In all, I enjoyed the book and the only thing that I expected to get but didn't were a few bumps in the night.

I was super excited when I was able to get an Arc of this book on Netgalley. The plot and writing in this book was chef's kiss, however the romance between the two characters seemed a little flat to me. But overall I really enjoyed this book.

4 stars
I extremely enjoyed reding this book. I felt very close to the characters and what they felt and was rooting for the from the very beginning and wanted nothing more than for them to succeed. I really enjoyed the aspect of the haunted house and the ghosts as characters as well as the eventual romance between the two main characters. Thank you net galley for approving me for an ARC!!!