Hello hello and welcome or welcome back to my little bookish corner of the internet. Today I’m bringing you another spooky review, just after it has been released. The Other Ones is another book just waiting for you to dive into this Halloween, and a big thank you to Chicken House Books for sending an early copy my way.
Synopsis
Sal hates standing out. But he lives in a haunted house – and everybody knows it.
His oldest friend, Dirk, tries to help … but he wants to stay popular, and Sal isn’t helping.
Elsie was popular – until recently. Now she’s on the outcast’s table too … and she doesn’t want to talk about it.
Then there’s the new boy, Pax, who won’t leave Sal alone. His idea of a good time is hanging out in graveyards. And, for some reason, Sal just can’t stay away.
Meet The Other Ones. Can they banish their ghosts together?
Review
It’s no exaggeration to say I loved this book. I was recommending it to people before I had even finished it, and it was absolutely one of those books that you sit down to read with a cup of tea… only to find your cup of tea has gone cold when you reach for it, because you got so lost in the pages an hour has passed. And as much as I love my tea, that’s the sign of a great book.
One of the things that really stood out to me about this book was how real the characters were. They weren’t perfect. They made mistakes. They embarrassed themselves. They felt like teenagers. Sometimes, no matter how great a YA book is, the teenagers just don’t behave like, well, teenagers. These characters really did, and as much as it was a book about finding themselves through each other, it was about growing up too. I have a huge amount of respect for how the author has managed to capture that.
None of this book turned out to be what I was expecting, and the surprises were heartbreaking yet wonderful at the same time. Again, it felt so real, and there was a haunting beauty in that all by itself.
As individuals, these characters shouldn’t have worked together, and yet they did so perfectly, and I had a happy little smile on my face as I lost myself in them and their journey. So much was captured in them, as separate people and as a unit, and they really showed what found family can mean. That there is beauty in being different, comfort in being with people who allow you to be yourself, and often a wonder to be found in being surrounded by people who simply allow you to be, without expectation.
This is a story of hauntings and happiness, loneliness and love, beginnings and endings. It is, simply, a story about life. And it is wonderful.
Happy belated publication date to Fran Hart, and a big thank you again to Chicken House, who have so far topped my October reading list with this book. It will be on my mind for a long time to come, and it should be on your reading pile soon.
The Other Ones is out now.
And On She Reads 