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A review by bookwormdez
The Other Ones by Fran Hart
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Grief is a hard thing to move on from. It’s even harder when you are a high school kid getting made fun of, for living in a “haunted house”. ‘The Other Ones’ follows our main character, Salem, who wants nothing more than to be seen as a normal teenager. Instead, he’s living in a “haunted house” in a cookie cutter town which lands him and his family in the newspapers quite often.
Pax, a new neighbor in town finds a particular interest in Salem. Pax tries to debunk the haunted house stories around town by using any means necessary to restore the house and those within it, to its glory. In turn Pax and Salem begin to be more than just neighbors, they become friends and thus a relationship starts to blossom.
While reading this, you find out that each person is dealing with their own set of problems and trauma and are haunted by thing of the past. I think this book was so candid about these vulnerable topics in so many ways that I related to it. I loved that Sal was relatable to how most people are today. He’s seen as tough and sometimes cold on the exterior, often misunderstood but ultimately just somebody who wants to feel loved, valued and not forgotten. I enjoyed how Pax was a person who was authentic and true to himself all the time, never once denying that he was weird or quirky.
“For the first time since your dad died, I felt like I wasn’t haunted. It was a different place. A place that wasn’t filled with memories of ghosts”
Thank you Scholastic, NetGalley and Fran Hart for this ARC.
Pax, a new neighbor in town finds a particular interest in Salem. Pax tries to debunk the haunted house stories around town by using any means necessary to restore the house and those within it, to its glory. In turn Pax and Salem begin to be more than just neighbors, they become friends and thus a relationship starts to blossom.
While reading this, you find out that each person is dealing with their own set of problems and trauma and are haunted by thing of the past. I think this book was so candid about these vulnerable topics in so many ways that I related to it. I loved that Sal was relatable to how most people are today. He’s seen as tough and sometimes cold on the exterior, often misunderstood but ultimately just somebody who wants to feel loved, valued and not forgotten. I enjoyed how Pax was a person who was authentic and true to himself all the time, never once denying that he was weird or quirky.
“For the first time since your dad died, I felt like I wasn’t haunted. It was a different place. A place that wasn’t filled with memories of ghosts”
Thank you Scholastic, NetGalley and Fran Hart for this ARC.