The reason why I am telling you all of this is to illustrate that I, as a mood reader, was basically set up to resent/dislike this book because I was being 'forced' to read it at a time where I could barely read anything at all, and then stressing about having to interview the author of a book I might not like and/or hadn't finished reading... Ms lawyer is hurrying through the house to find a man she is concerned is in danger- and stops in front of a mirror to think about how fat she is/isn't. Later, a respectable pilot calls his lawyer "Babe" to her face for no discernable reason. I also loved the dialogue, and the use of British colloquialisms, which made all of the characters’ interactions feel waay more realistic —it was almost as if Talbot had eavesdropped on actual ghostly conversations, making for an incredibly immersive and entertaining reading experience.

At its core this is a beautiful story about friendship and finding the courage to come out of your shelf and embrace who you are. He teams up with Sam Harrow - the new seer in town - and a rag tag group of spirits to unearth the chilling purpose behind the disappearances. So why was this not 5 stars for me? I think it feels like I have read the story before. It didn’t feel all that different to city of ghosts, or the haunting of Adeline jones and unfortunately for me I read those first where if I hadn’t I might have loved this. The other thing was, because I was feeling like I was reading those other books while reading this I found myself getting confused about the age group that is being targeted. The teens in this read very young, but then they are swearing. I couldn’t always tell if I was reading YA or middle grade and so I found that a little jarring. I really had to think of what it was that caused my issue and this is the only reason I could come up with because as I said already ALL THE INGREDIENTS ARE GREAT! I am so sad I didn’t love this as much as I wanted to. Maybe I will try the second book as this was the authors debut so I am sure she may find her feet even more in the second.As Charlie's romantic feelings develop for Sam, he will have to risk his life and his heart if he is going to save the afterlife.

Yet, not everything goes to plan. Unlike some books, where everything just happens to work out, against all the odds, Talbot uses realism to its strength. Not every plan they make is pulled off, not every solution they find is correct, and not every villain they unveil is the right villain. That comment goes for the approach to disability rep as well. We don’t see disabled MCs nearly enough, and disabled MCs done well are even rarer, so the minute Charlie is introduced with the main thing bothering him about his prostheses being the glitter polish his little sisters had taken to them, my heart sang. Reading little things like Charlie’s opposition to push handles on his wheelchair told me how much Talbot got it, and was so affirming. Just like his queerness, his disability is not a plot-point in itself, something he has to overcome, something that makes him special or gifted, something that’s forgotten about as soon as the action gets going, or any other kind of trope, it’s simply a consistent part of who he is. Again, the power in this character just boldly existing, and NOT feeling the weight of representation, blew me away. It feels like this book has the ability to teach people so much without them even realising it’s happening, which is something truly special.

These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bore unto Jacob, even sixteen souls. November's book will be: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/22645906-november-updates-book-choice-guests-etc