Thanks so much to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review.

This book is been on my TBR list for a long time now. And I have to say, it was definitely worth the wait. The prose was lyrical, while also being raw and emotional. All the characters were well-written, none more so than the book’s protagonist Cady. Her college experience is relatable on so many levels in spite of, or maybe because of, her trauma and how she deals with it. Quasi-supernatural elements notwithstanding, it is an excellent representation of college life and all the personal and familial drama that entails.

The book is also impeccably researched. I know the author attended Harvard and that was clear in the detailed geography of the book and the way landmarks were talked about fondly. Harvard itself was practically another character in the story. And the historical content was thorough yet entirely presentable and accessible to the reader.

Mental illness is a serious topic and this book dives right into all facets of loving someone going through schizophrenia. There are definitely some trigger warnings to be found (mental illness, suicidal ideation, sexual assault) but they are all written and portrayed with the same care and research as all other facets of the book.

If you want a book that makes you question everything and frequently delivers the emotional momentum of a freight train, look no further. This book kept me up at night turning pages and I raced to the end. I’m almost sad it’s a stand-alone novel, but ending was still entirely satisfying. A wonderful debut.

Good read, but whoever thought that having the ghost voices “echo” on the audible version was a good idea...almost quit listening several times. Annoying.

Ghosts of Harvard is a bit of a ghost story, a bit of a mystery, and a bit problematic. Overall, it was an enjoyable story, but it’s handling of mental illness was questionable at times, and it’s attempt to cleanly tie it all up in the end felt disingenuous to the preceding story. Issues of race (white savior role) and sex (female protagonist overly reliant on male characters for help) were also oft putting in my read through, despite the text’s own attempts to brush these issues aside with humor. These qualms aside, Serritella deftly weaves together historical knowledge and theoretical physics to build an interesting mystery that speaks to issues of family life and dysfunction.

3.5 stars! (rounded up to 4) I was initially leaning towards a 4-star rating for this book, but the ending left me somewhat unsatisfied, especially considering the story leading up to it. I had this book on my shelf for a couple of years before finally picking it up, and it felt like the perfect fall read. The story was intriguing and thoroughly enjoyable, right up until the very end. Given the psychological thriller vibe, I expected a more surprising and intense conclusion, but it turned out to be very wholesome. While that's not inherently a bad thing, it wasn't what I had anticipated. While the book is labeled as a thriller, I'm not convinced it neatly fits within that genre. In addition to the thrilling elements, it also includes various subgenres dealing with history, mental health, suicide, grief, college pressures, and complex family dynamics. It was a good read but again, I had hoped for a different ending. Definitely check the trigger warnings if you are someone who needs those. I also listened to part of the book on audio, and Karissa Vacker's narration was truly outstanding (as usual). Her ghost voices were so much fun!

Ghosts of Harvard follows the story of Cady trying to piece together what happened in leading to her brothers suicide at Harvard University. The writing was interesting enough but a bit of a slow burn. I do think the book could have been 100 pages less however, I did want to find out what happened so I kept pushing on. I expected more of a thrilling ghost story so I'm a little disappointed but that is just a personal preference and in no way makes this a bad book. I think some of the plot lines that were thrown in seemed random towards the end and didn't really fit with the story such as the actual ghosts and a few other things but I don't want to give that away. I do admire the research Serritella did on Harvard, its history, and mental health. This book makes me want to go back to school and get my Masters degree.. I actually miss being in that setting, who would have ever guessed?

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy!

This was really disappointing. I went in expecting a psychological thriller, but instead I got

Spoiler

Russian spies and ghost sex

. Our protagonist starts hearing voices during her first semester after her schizophrenic brother killed himself. She wonders if she's schizophrenic as well, but it turns out

Spoiler

they're ghosts or something???

. And in the end

Spoiler

none of it mattered and they just go away with no resolution

. This book was just a lot of red herrings and unimportant dialogue. Also,

Spoiler

WHY THE GHOST SEX

???

I'll give a generous 2 stars because I like the concept, the setting, and the cover. The rest left me bored and confused.

3.75