Grave Things Like Love
by Sara Bennett WealerPublished by: Delacorte Press on October 11, 2022
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Paranormal
Pages: 352
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Rating:
A contemporary YA romance with a paranormal twist: what happens when in between trying to decide which boy is the right boy, a girl finds out the funeral home her family owns might be haunted?
Elaine's home is a bit . . . different. It's a funeral home that has been in her family since the 1800s--and it's why everyone calls her Funeral Girl. And even though she's lived there her whole life, there are still secrets to be found.
When Xander, a cute new boy with a penchant for ghost hunting, arrives in town, Elaine feels an instant spark. His daring and spontaneous ways help her go from Funeral Girl to Fun Girl. Then there's Miles, Elaine's oldest friend, who she's starting to see in a completely new light.
After Xander convinces her to stage a seance one night, Elaine discovers that her home might be haunted by a kindred spirit--the daughter of the funeral home's original owner. But who wants to be haunted by the dead when there are boys to spend time with? After all, you only live once. . . .
Content Tags:
Perfect for readers who want:
- Contemporary romance with a relatable love triangle.
- A young protagonist trying to decide who she wants to be.
- Ghost stories and ghost hunts and paranormal goodness.
- Relatable teen struggles.
- Coming of age and self-discovery.
Many thanks to Delacorte Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Quotes are taken from an unfinished product and may differ from the final version.
I know I’m not really huge into romance, but something about a family of morticians and a potential haunting of their house/business struck me as irresistibly interesting. A funeral home sure does seem like the perfect place for a haunting, right? But it’s not quite what you think.
Grave Things Need Love is a little bit of everything: paranormal, coming of age, romance. It tackles big topics about being a teen and life in general in a very thoughtful way, all with a spooky supernatural vibe.
The blend of paranormal and contemporary in this book was so well done. I’m sure it’ll appeal to many types of readers, giving a little something different to each preference. While I’m sure it comes as no surprise that I didn’t care much for the romance (to me, it was a no-win romance and I didn’t particularly want her to end up with either), I do think young adults, especially, will appreciate Elaine’s romantic struggles. At the very least, they seemed very realistic!
Grave Things Like Love focuses on Elaine, a teenager who’s afraid she’s doomed to follow in her parents’ footsteps of running the funeral home, when all she really wants is something bigger than the small-town life she’s been leading . . . and an escape from all the things that are haunting her.
Elaine herself was soooo ridiculously relatable, which was the thing I loved most about this story. I related to her both remembering my teen self but even now, as an adult, and I think other readers will likely agree. To some degree, Elaine feels overwhelmed and trapped by her responsibilities. As the older (and more responsible) sister, she feels like she needs to devote all her time to helping her parents keep afloat their slowly failing business, to the detriment of her own well-being and social life. It’s a lot for any teenager to handle.
Stack on top of that her parents’ expectations that she will go to mortuary school in preparation to follow in their footsteps, even though that’s about the last thing she wants to do. Between the pressure from her parents, the implication that she’s a bad friend, and the feelings she’s developing for the handsome stranger who just moved to town, it’s no wonder that Elaine is feeling out of her element and like her life is spiraling out of control. Happens to the best of us.
I picked this up mostly for the hint of a ghost story, and while it certainly takes a back seat to the romance and the contemporary aspect of this book, I found it quite compelling and interesting!
For decades, there have been rumors of the Gillies Ghost, which takes up residence in the funeral home Elaine’s family owns. The family knows that of course it’s all just rumor and folktale with no actual truth behind it . . . right? I have always LOVED ghost stories, so I was immediately interested in this situation. The haunting isn’t particularly creepy, so it’s fine for anyone who doesn’t want something scary. If nothing else, the ghost seems almost sad, and the way its story plays out was interesting and not what I expected. But it still lived up to what I wanted from a ghost story!
As if everything I’ve mentioned already isn’t enough, Elaine is also struggling with her friend group. All her responsibilities and needing to work all the time has made her a less-than-stellar friend, and her group isn’t necessarily understanding of her situation.
On the one hand, Elaine’s friends frustrated me to no end. While they accused her of being a poor friend for constantly ditching them and not knowing what’s going on in their life (which, okay, fair), they’re doing the exact same thing to her, cutting her out of outings and ignoring the fact that she’s barely treading water. As frustrating as this was to read, it’s also soooo realistic, isn’t it? Friendship is a never-ending struggle to make sure you’re giving as much as you’re taking, since no one wants to be that friend. And sometimes, despite your best effects, friendships don’t last.
What I loved most about the group of friends in this book is that even though they’re all so different and have their own dreams and goals, they’re still able to support each other and work through their issues. Even if it takes a while. There are so many YA books where females are trying to tear each other down that it’s refreshing to find one where female friends support each other, despite misunderstandings.
“What if we have to pee?” asks Sienna.
“Hold it.”
“What if Xander can’t stop farting?” says Miles. “He was ripping some silent-but-deadlies in the car.”
“Gross,” says Madison. “Miles, you are disgusting.”
“What?” Miles nudges Xander, who doesn’t look all that amused. “Our friend is stinky. There’s no shame in it.”
I want to be diplomatic, let Miles be his usual jokey self, but the longer we stand here, the more my nerves are fraying.
“If anybody has a question that has anything to do with anything below your waist, then put a plug in it,” I tell them. “Yes, Miles, I know what I just said, and you know what I meant.”
Even though it wasn’t quite my style, fans of romance may like the will they/won’t they love triangle and Elaine’s super relatable confusion about trying to choose who she wants to be with. Following your heart definitely isn’t as easy as it sounds.
I’m personally not a fan of love triangles. I was also not a fan of either of the boys she had to choose from, and I couldn’t root for her getting with either. Part of me just hoped she’d realize that she didn’t need to date anyone at all, but alas, that’s not a very common YA trope.
That being said, I know that love triangles are popular. I also didn’t feel like either of the boys were necessarily bad. They were just . . . teens. Also trying to find themselves and figure out who they want to be. I think romance fans will appreciate the honest, thoughtful exploration of young romance, especially the way it doesn’t always work out the way you plan it. Sometimes that’s a good thing, and sometimes it’s not.
“Yeah, I do,” says Miles. “Which is why I hope we only contact the nice spirits. What if the Gillies Ghost tells your dad on us, and you get in trouble on both sides of the veil? Or what if you get possessed and we have to find an exorcist? I’m not sure Reverend Gammill at the Methodist Church is going to be up for that job.”
Before Xander can launch into a lesson on Possession 101, I assure Miles that I’ll wear my anti-possession panties, which makes him laugh and restores balance to our group vibe.
This is completely new to me, but I’m loving the sound of it. I don’t mind the occasional love triangle, and the ghost is a bonus😁 Thanks for sharing!
Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy recently posted…WHAT LIES IN THE WOODS by Kate Alice Marshall – Review
Ghosts are always a plus. xD
I’m intrigued by the mortuary setting too. Nice review.
Wendy recently posted…Book Review: Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano
It’s definitely not a setting you see all that often, but I enjoyed it!