sabrinameyer's review
There’s not much to say, except I do not want to see this book ever again and I wasted a week of my life reading it.
zhzhang's review
3.0
It is a very pleasant read, yet the pace of the story is a little slow. I guess the author is trying to build the characters fully and conveying the ideas of "ghosts" as it was narrated in "Author's notes".
hraschko's review
3.0
I’m torn about this book. I enjoyed the current story line quite a bit, hated the “ghost” story line, thought there were too many details in parts, and found the ending a bit unbelievable.
pzinnel's review
4.0
This book left me with a bit of a book hangover. I am not sure why. I loved Cady. I loved the supernatural undertones. It had a bunch of twists and turns that I suspected but one surprised me. The psychological aspects were intriguing. The fact that the story takes place on the Harvard campus was really interesting. I liked the history that was shared. Just wish there was some more closure with a couple of aspects but the author did a great job tying it all together.
bernluvsbooks's review
4.0
This book is like a buffet meal, it has a little bit of everything - mystery with paranormal elements, mental illness and family drama!
I love stories with ghosts so this book immediately intrigued me. It ended up being about much more than I expected. It was part murder mystery with a sprinkling of the paranormal but it’s really about grief, family and mental illness. It was honest, real and thought-provoking.
This book was a slow burn but the audio had me entranced. I never found it boring. The mystery aspect was interesting but it was the focus on mental illness, specifically schizophrenia that really caught my attention. The ghosts and how their stories were woven in to the story and Caden’s own struggles with mental health was riveting. I actually wanted more at the end.
I’m glad I gave this one a try. It’s hard to pigeon hole it in one specific genre but if you enjoy mysteries with paranormal elements that focus on family drama then this one is for you! I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook version.
I love stories with ghosts so this book immediately intrigued me. It ended up being about much more than I expected. It was part murder mystery with a sprinkling of the paranormal but it’s really about grief, family and mental illness. It was honest, real and thought-provoking.
This book was a slow burn but the audio had me entranced. I never found it boring. The mystery aspect was interesting but it was the focus on mental illness, specifically schizophrenia that really caught my attention. The ghosts and how their stories were woven in to the story and Caden’s own struggles with mental health was riveting. I actually wanted more at the end.
I’m glad I gave this one a try. It’s hard to pigeon hole it in one specific genre but if you enjoy mysteries with paranormal elements that focus on family drama then this one is for you! I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook version.
taylormonson's review
3.0
Good but there was a lot in the plot that didn’t quite come together for me? But loved the college academia vibes
rainnbooks's review
3.0
Health issues have been numerous the last two weeks and my reading schedule has gone for a toss.
Ghosts of Harvard by Francesca Serritella was a wrong choice to read during an already painful week. So fair warning, dear readers, the review would surely reflect my lousy mood.
Yes, this has ghosts which is exactly the reason why it went into my TBR but Ghosts of Harvard is primarily a book about being haunted by grief. There is, in fact, a variety of genres vying for attention in this tale. It is a story of heart breaking anguish in losing a loved one, voices of ghosts that is often mistaken as auditory hallucinations, the historical parts that somehow complements the current story, the painful subject of openness and honesty in a family, the peer pressure of doing your absolute best in a top tier college, the overwhelming guilt of having wronged a loved one, each and every subject plays a part in moving the story forward to a climax that adds a layer of mystery and espionage to the end.
Cadence Archer is following the footsteps of her much-loved brother who committed suicide in Harvard. Securing an admission and forging friendship with her brother’s friend, Caddy finds it hard to believe that everything that her brother, a genius who suffered from schizophrenia, noted down in his notebook is gibberish. Caddy’s attempts to uncover the truth leads her to path unknown doubting her own sanity as resident ghosts of Harvard makes themselves known to her.
The author has brilliantly used the architecture of Harvard in creating a sense of history and old-world charm. The depiction of misery is stark and raw and definitely makes one’s heart bleed. Showing the mother, father and Cady dealing with the process of grief in their own ways was absolutely relatable and left me in tears.
Part thriller, part haunting drama about the effects of mental illness and suicide, Ghosts of Harvard should have been a thumping roller coaster ride but the ghosts and their history creates breaks in the story that somehow fails to yield a seamless narration.
This review is published in my blog https://rainnbooks.com/, Goodreads, Amazon India and twitter.
Ghosts of Harvard by Francesca Serritella was a wrong choice to read during an already painful week. So fair warning, dear readers, the review would surely reflect my lousy mood.
Yes, this has ghosts which is exactly the reason why it went into my TBR but Ghosts of Harvard is primarily a book about being haunted by grief. There is, in fact, a variety of genres vying for attention in this tale. It is a story of heart breaking anguish in losing a loved one, voices of ghosts that is often mistaken as auditory hallucinations, the historical parts that somehow complements the current story, the painful subject of openness and honesty in a family, the peer pressure of doing your absolute best in a top tier college, the overwhelming guilt of having wronged a loved one, each and every subject plays a part in moving the story forward to a climax that adds a layer of mystery and espionage to the end.
Cadence Archer is following the footsteps of her much-loved brother who committed suicide in Harvard. Securing an admission and forging friendship with her brother’s friend, Caddy finds it hard to believe that everything that her brother, a genius who suffered from schizophrenia, noted down in his notebook is gibberish. Caddy’s attempts to uncover the truth leads her to path unknown doubting her own sanity as resident ghosts of Harvard makes themselves known to her.
The author has brilliantly used the architecture of Harvard in creating a sense of history and old-world charm. The depiction of misery is stark and raw and definitely makes one’s heart bleed. Showing the mother, father and Cady dealing with the process of grief in their own ways was absolutely relatable and left me in tears.
Part thriller, part haunting drama about the effects of mental illness and suicide, Ghosts of Harvard should have been a thumping roller coaster ride but the ghosts and their history creates breaks in the story that somehow fails to yield a seamless narration.
This review is published in my blog https://rainnbooks.com/, Goodreads, Amazon India and twitter.
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