rynstagram's review
4.0
*review based on an ARC
I love how this book uses pop culture references to anchor the plot, as well as the names of people and ghosts.
I've always thought that trans-ness and queerness have a lot in common with being a ghost, and this book explores that as well as how trauma in general has a lot in common with ghostliness.
It has kind of a slow start and the pacing could be a bit better, especially with Danny's friendship with Seiji, and the last chapter is kind of a quick summary of how everything wraps up which I don't always love.
But I was surprised by how much depth and heart this book has; I love being caught off guard with a good book turning quickly into a great one!
I love how this book uses pop culture references to anchor the plot, as well as the names of people and ghosts.
I've always thought that trans-ness and queerness have a lot in common with being a ghost, and this book explores that as well as how trauma in general has a lot in common with ghostliness.
It has kind of a slow start and the pacing could be a bit better, especially with Danny's friendship with Seiji, and the last chapter is kind of a quick summary of how everything wraps up which I don't always love.
But I was surprised by how much depth and heart this book has; I love being caught off guard with a good book turning quickly into a great one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Transphobia, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Grief, Sexual assault, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Violence, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Incest, Alcohol, Confinement, and Gaslighting
Minor: Torture and Terminal illness
elizabethwebb's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Violence, Transphobia, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Deadnaming, Confinement, Child death, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexism, Racism, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Lesbophobia, Incest, Homophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, Death of parent, Death, Bullying, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Abandonment
bloomingtea's review
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review! this has not affected my review in any way, all opinions are mine.
No Rating If Possible — Did Not Finish
i was really really excited to read this book!! the cover was really eye-catching, and the description even moreso. a trans protagonist? ghosts? murder and mystery? that sounds super fun! and at first, i was genuinely enjoying the character interactions and writing. however, i was only a few pages in when i went to add this book on goodreads and saw many many reviews listing trigger warnings and to take them seriously. after reading the many trigger warning lists and spoiler-free reviews, i decided to dnf this book for my own mental health.
i see absolutely nothing wrong with writing about these topics, however, a trigger warning at the beginning of this book would be greatly appreciated because they are so heavy and serious, and the blurb made me believe i was signing onto a book that, while still was a little weighty, was a lot more fun.
trigger warning list (although i believe some may be missing according to reviews i've looked at)
No Rating If Possible — Did Not Finish
i was really really excited to read this book!! the cover was really eye-catching, and the description even moreso. a trans protagonist? ghosts? murder and mystery? that sounds super fun! and at first, i was genuinely enjoying the character interactions and writing. however, i was only a few pages in when i went to add this book on goodreads and saw many many reviews listing trigger warnings and to take them seriously. after reading the many trigger warning lists and spoiler-free reviews, i decided to dnf this book for my own mental health.
i see absolutely nothing wrong with writing about these topics, however, a trigger warning at the beginning of this book would be greatly appreciated because they are so heavy and serious, and the blurb made me believe i was signing onto a book that, while still was a little weighty, was a lot more fun.
trigger warning list (although i believe some may be missing according to reviews i've looked at)
dino46's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
alistairlowe's review
4.0
“It was enough. It was enough to make me realize that most people enjoyed horror because it was far removed from their reality, while I enjoyed it because it showed me I didn’t have it so bad, not really. “
I was once again drawn by the cover! Look how beautiful it is!!!
This sounded like something along the lines of Cemetery Boys which I liked so I was keeping an eye on it. I have to say I didn’t even notice the author until I got it and imagine my surprise it’s by Leah Thomas. I read Because You’ll Never Meet Me few years back and I absolutely loved it so I expected no less of this book.
The story sets place in period of late 90’s to early 2000’s and it focuses on Dani who is coming to terms with the fact that he is trans while also being able to see ghosts. Dani’s only friend is a ghost named Sarah who doesn’t want to speak about her death. The main plot kicks in when Sarah convinces Dani to help some ghosts they run into which turns out to be a lot more dangerous than they expected.
I do have to say I think that the synopsis of this book is somewhat misleading. That did not affect my rating or enjoyment of this book but I think for some people it might. The synopsis literally says:
“Dani and Sarah might be more than friends, though Dani dares not say so. Dani is afraid that if he tells Sarah he’s trans, she won’t bother haunting him anymore.“
So I totally expected some ghostly romance between Dani and Sarah. However it turns out Sarah has feelings for Dani, but Dani pretty much rejects her for the whole book and it in fact makes him quite uncomfortable. There is actually a different love interest for Dani and I really liked how that relationship developed and even preferred it, I was just totally expecting something else.
This is a pretty heavy and dark book. It deals with trauma, murder, assault, sexual abuse, suicide and so on. There is a lot of emphasis on women who have been wronged by men. I thought that was handled really well. There is no sugarcoating, the pain they felt was portrayed as brutal and sick as it really is. However because it deals with such topics it might not be a book for everyone.
Personally I loved the characters and the way Leah Thomas writes. All of the side characters were very intriguing. The story was well paced even though there was a lot happening. Some thing were left with an open ending but I feel like it works better that way instead of giving them closure.
There are some minor things I take issue with which is why this is a 4 star read for me. Overall I really enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to Leah Thomas’s books in the future.
I was once again drawn by the cover! Look how beautiful it is!!!
This sounded like something along the lines of Cemetery Boys which I liked so I was keeping an eye on it. I have to say I didn’t even notice the author until I got it and imagine my surprise it’s by Leah Thomas. I read Because You’ll Never Meet Me few years back and I absolutely loved it so I expected no less of this book.
The story sets place in period of late 90’s to early 2000’s and it focuses on Dani who is coming to terms with the fact that he is trans while also being able to see ghosts. Dani’s only friend is a ghost named Sarah who doesn’t want to speak about her death. The main plot kicks in when Sarah convinces Dani to help some ghosts they run into which turns out to be a lot more dangerous than they expected.
I do have to say I think that the synopsis of this book is somewhat misleading. That did not affect my rating or enjoyment of this book but I think for some people it might. The synopsis literally says:
“Dani and Sarah might be more than friends, though Dani dares not say so. Dani is afraid that if he tells Sarah he’s trans, she won’t bother haunting him anymore.“
So I totally expected some ghostly romance between Dani and Sarah. However it turns out Sarah has feelings for Dani, but Dani pretty much rejects her for the whole book and it in fact makes him quite uncomfortable. There is actually a different love interest for Dani and I really liked how that relationship developed and even preferred it, I was just totally expecting something else.
This is a pretty heavy and dark book. It deals with trauma, murder, assault, sexual abuse, suicide and so on. There is a lot of emphasis on women who have been wronged by men. I thought that was handled really well. There is no sugarcoating, the pain they felt was portrayed as brutal and sick as it really is. However because it deals with such topics it might not be a book for everyone.
Personally I loved the characters and the way Leah Thomas writes. All of the side characters were very intriguing. The story was well paced even though there was a lot happening. Some thing were left with an open ending but I feel like it works better that way instead of giving them closure.
There are some minor things I take issue with which is why this is a 4 star read for me. Overall I really enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to Leah Thomas’s books in the future.
wildflowerz76's review
4.0
Leah Thomas has done it again in this supernatural contemporary story that seems to define intersectionality. Dani has just moved to a new town to escape their abusive father. And living under their bed....is a ghost. Sarah the ghost becomes Dani's best, and only, friend. Sarah died over 20 years ago and Dani is afraid if he tells her that he's trans, she won't like him anymore. Violet Ghosts tackle many hard topics, all while being a fantastic story.
clank's review against another edition
Ignore the blurb, the blurb has misled you.
I found this difficult to read and want to take a moment to thank authors (other authors, not this one) who provide TW's for their books.
This was less about Danny and Sarah's "relationship" and more about horrible true crime things happening to women. I'm sure you can check out some of the other top reviews for specific TWs.
Despite that, I didn't hate this book, but was also surprised to find out the author wasn't trans masc? Personally I prefer to read #ownvoices things. I think its difficult to write knowledgeable and thoughtfully about identities that aren't the authors own, but I do appreciate diversity in my books.
I think I'm just not going to rate it because I don't know what to get it. I enjoyed it enough to read it from start to finish, but probably would not recommend it to anyone.
I found this difficult to read and want to take a moment to thank authors (other authors, not this one) who provide TW's for their books.
This was less about Danny and Sarah's "relationship" and more about horrible true crime things happening to women. I'm sure you can check out some of the other top reviews for specific TWs.
Despite that, I didn't hate this book, but was also surprised to find out the author wasn't trans masc? Personally I prefer to read #ownvoices things. I think its difficult to write knowledgeable and thoughtfully about identities that aren't the authors own, but I do appreciate diversity in my books.
I think I'm just not going to rate it because I don't know what to get it. I enjoyed it enough to read it from start to finish, but probably would not recommend it to anyone.
friefrie's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
5.0
Who allowed this book to be this good
book_dragon74's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5