This is the power writing couple we didn’t know we needed! Murphy and JVN have crafted the most adorable rom-com with a ghosty twist! It’s sweet, spicy (but appropriate for YA spice!), and timely. Sully has just graduated high school, and they’re ready to take NYC by storm with their dream internship – until it gets canceled at the last minute. Sully finds a gorgeous vintage bag in their local thrift store and gets more than they bargained for when Rufus, a queer ghost from the 50s, appears. Sully and their crush hunt to find out what happened to Rufus and find some town secrets and a little romance along the way. I say this about every Juile Murphy collab, but I will read as many books as this pair creates.
Let Them Stare by Jonathan Van Ness, Julie Murphy, (List Price: $22.99, Storytide, 9780063346246, May 2025)
Reviewed by Andrea Richardson, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia