Rules for Ghosting Audiobook Review

By Shelly Jay Shore

Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️

Audio rating: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧

Pub date: 8/20/2024

Blurb

Rule #1: They can't speak.

Rule #2: They can't move.

Rule #3: They can't hurt you.

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.

Because Ben can speak. He can move. And as Ezra tries to keep his family together and his heart from getting broken, he quickly realizes that there's more than one way to be haunted—and more than one way to become a ghost.

Category: Paranormal Romance

 

Read if you Like:

👻 Handling grief

👻 Trans representation

👻 Jewish representation

👻 Family drama

My Thoughts:

I always enjoy reading a book where the characters teach me something. In this case, Ezra is trans and his family runs a Jewish funeral home. I found it interesting to learn about funeral rituals and how a religion that puts a lot of focus on gender can be particularly difficult for trans individuals.

I also really enjoyed reading about Ezra and Jonathan's relationship. It was heavy at times as Jonathan is a widower but I liked their chemistry and watching them get to know each other. Jonathan is a very perfectly imperfect love interest.

One thing I struggled a bit with was that there were a lot of plots in this book and I sometimes got confused about which thing related to which. I think having the plot be a bit less complex would have increased my enjoyment of the story.

I think if you want a story with great trans representation and don't mind some heavier themes this is a good choice. While it is a story about ghosts I don't think it's necessarily fall-specific as it's more a story about grief than spooky ghosts.

Thanks to PRH Audio for providing me with a gifted audiobook! All opinions are my own.