Ezra Friedman sees ghosts, which made growing up in a funeral home a bit complicated. It might have been easier if his grandfather’s ghost didn’t give him such scathing looks of disapproval as he went through a second, HRT-induced puberty, or if he didn't have the pressure of all those relatives—living and dead—judging every choice he makes. It’s no wonder that Ezra runs as far away from the family business as humanly possible.
But when the floor of his dream job drops out from under him and his mother uses the family Passover seder to tell everyone that she’s running away with the rabbi’s wife, Ezra finds himself back in the thick of it. With his parents’ marriage imploding and the Friedman Family Memorial Chapel on the brink of financial ruin, Ezra agrees to step into his mother's shoes and help out . . . which means long days surrounded by ghosts that no one else can see.
And then there's his unfortunate crush on Jonathan, the handsome funeral home volunteer who just happens to live downstairs from Ezra's new apartment, and the appearance of the ghost of Jonathan's gone-too-soon husband, Ben, who is breaking every spectral rule Ezra knows.
This book had a lot of aspects to it that I really liked, but some that also fell a bit short. I loved Ezra's journey into opening up to their family, and allowing themselves to be loved in the way they deserved. His relationship with Jonathan is special, and they are both going through a lot when they meet. That being said, there are almost too many times when Ezra 'ghosts' Jonathan, in a way that is sometimes annoying. There is a lot going with the family as well, but I liked how it gets worked out slowly, though having the 'surprise' over dinner was definitely something.
There was a journey with being able to see Ben and work on helping Ben cross over, and find his peace. I think having Ben be able to talk and help Ezra with Jonathan was a really interesting take too, though I do with Ben was around a little bit more.
Overall, there was a lot of representation within this book and I really enjoyed that. I liked the ghost aspect a lot too, though I wish there was more done with that overall.
This was a 3/5 star book for me.
It comes out August 20, 2024!
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