If I Have to Be Haunted review
5/5 stars
Recommended if you like: portal fantasy, ghost stories, family expectations, rivals to lovers
I was definitely looking forward to reading this book when it arrived, but I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. It's a nice, light read if you're in the mood for a medium-stakes spooky adventure. I really liked that we got to know more about ghost talking as well as the supernatural world in this book as a whole. I'm definitely intrigued about the possibility of a sequel!
It was interesting to see how Cara dealt with her ghost speaking powers. Her family knows about them, but no one else is allowed to know, which means she has to deal with seeing ghosts around her town and not reacting to them. I think Sun did a good job showing how Cara was adept at ignoring ghosts while also still showing the strain it put on Cara and her non-familial (and, frankly, familial) relationships. I also really loved the idea of her getting to have a relationship with her grandmother because she can visit as a ghost.
There's definitely a lot going on in this book between Cara's ghost talking, her mother's dislike of it, and Zach being killed and turned into a ghost, without adding in the additional background hints of a grander plot with the chaos snake (I cannot remember it's actual name, lol) and Cara's and Zach's grandmothers' pasts. I think it all worked though since everything feeds back into the main plot and, to me, it felt pretty obvious how everything connected.
As mentioned, I like how Cara's ghost talking is portrayed and how we get to see both the nicer and less nice sides of it. Cara definitely feels like a teenager and, unusually, I actually liked that. There were a couple moments when it felt over the top, but by and large I liked the way she was portrayed when talking with her friends and mom. Cara ends up having to deal with a lot of heavy stuff pretty quickly in this book, what with finding a classmate dead and then having to break a curse to resurrect him and what not. I think she handles everything pretty well, all things considered, and she really comes into herself over the course of the book, despite some setbacks.
Zach was definitely annoying when he was introduced, but considering the obvious rivals-to-lovers setup, I didn't immediately dislike him. As predicted, Zach ends up being both sweeter and less obnoxious of a person once in private and dealing with the supernatural adventure. He's actually pretty funny and I enjoyed some of his comebacks when he and Cara argued. I also think his protective streak is obvious and it's clear he cares for other people. I also liked the glimpses we got into his backstory and getting to know a little bit about his family dynamics since we know so much about Cara's.
The last really 'main' character is Brittanie. I wasn't really a fan of her at first and honestly I found her to be a bit obnoxious. However, she definitely grew on me and by the end I liked her and am hoping to see more of her in future books. Like Cara, she can see ghosts, but unlike Cara, she didn't come about that gift naturally. She ends up coming along on their adventure because of her own family supernatural issues and a desire to prove herself to the rest of her family, who are ghost hunters. I'm actually kind of hoping that book 2 focuses on Brittanie and her family because I desperately want to know more about them!
I absolutely love the little friend group that Cara creates from her adventure. It was nice to see her and Zach getting along better (and of course the requisite romantic tension). I also ended up really liking Brittanie's character more and am hoping she shows up for more adventures in book 2. The three of them together are hilarious.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and think it's a nice low key ghost story/paranormal adventure. I liked the characters and the magic of the world and am looking forward to the sequel.
