If I Have to Be Haunted

by Miranda Sun Narrated by Catherine Ho

Overview

Cemetery Boys meets Legendborn in this thrillingly romantic, irresistibly fun YA contemporary fantasy debut following a teenage Chinese American ghost speaker who (reluctantly) makes a deal to raise her nemesis from the dead.

Cara Tang doesn't want to be haunted.

Look, the dead have issues, and Cara has enough of her own. Her overbearing mother insists she be the “perfect” Chinese American daughter-which means suppressing her ghost-speaking powers-and she keeps getting into fights with Zacharias Coleson, the local golden boy whose smirk makes her want to set things on fire.

Then she stumbles across Zach's dead body in the woods. He's even more infuriating as a ghost, but Cara's the only one who can see him-and save him.

Agreeing to resurrect him puts her at odds with her mother, draws her into a dangerous liminal world of monsters and magic-and worse, leaves her stuck with Zach. Yet as she and Zach grow closer, forced to depend on each other to survive, Cara finds the most terrifying thing is that she might not hate him so much after all.

Maybe this is why her mother warned her about ghosts.

Delightful and compulsively readable, this contemporary fantasy has something for every reader: a snarky voice, a magnetic enemies-to-lovers romance, and a spirited adventure through a magical, unpredictable world hidden within our own.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"A fast-paced, electric gem of a story. Miranda Sun crafts a perfect adventure story that mixes beguiling prose with a gorgeous cultural element. Cara is a heroine that I adore and a heroine that readers today absolutely need." — Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Foul Lady Fortune

"A dynamic and delightful debut! Come for the banter and romance and stay for the heart-warming relationships!”   — Kat Cho, New York Times bestselling author of Once Upon a K-Prom

"An imaginative, big-hearted debut about legacy and familial expectation." — Allison Saft, New York Times bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic

"Thrilling, heartbreaking, and hilarious." — F.C. Yee, New York Times bestselling author of the Chronicles of the Avatar series

"A magical adventure where ghosts, grannies, and grades are equally terrifying—perfect for the spooky season." — Gina Chen, New York Times bestselling author of Violet Made of Thorns

"I loved every minute of Miranda Sun’s charming and imaginative debut! The romance between Cara the ghost speaker and Zach, her recently dead rival, is adorable, bantery fun — I couldn’t get enough of it!" — Vanessa Len, author of Only a Monster

"Gorgeous, atmospheric, and deeply delightful, this is the kind of book that comes alive from the very first page and haunts you long after the last. With smooth, vivid prose, Miranda Sun deftly explores the space between life and death, love and hate, and the real and imagined." — Ann Liang, author of If You Could See the Sun

“Sun effortlessly balances humor, gleeful horror, and sparkling romance… this book stands out amongst the ghost romance trend for its intriguing world-building and Sun’s mastery of poetic symbolism.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

“Debut author Sun keeps the character dynamics feeling fresh and energetic via snappy dialogue and descriptions of Cara’s growing into her powers.”
— Publishers Weekly

Chloe Gong

A fast-paced, electric gem of a story.”

Kirkus Reviews

2023-07-26
Sixteen-year-old Cara Tang has been able to see ghosts since she was a child, but her power is more a burden than a blessing.

Raised by Laolao, her late grandmother, who is both a ghost and a powerful ghost speaker, and her anxious, protective single mother, who has repressed her own ability to see ghosts, Chinese American Cara feels caught between the two women, unable to fully embrace or reject her ghost-speaking inheritance. When she stumbles across the snake-bitten corpse of Zach Coleson, a handsome, wealthy, and irritating white boy who’s been her rival since childhood, she turns to Laolao for help. Her grandmother informs Cara of the existence of the Signet Snake, a harbinger of destruction whose lethal bite can be undone within seven days using antivenom from the snake’s counterpart residing in the liminal world. Zach’s ghost agrees to Cara’s bargain—$12,000 and a college recommendation letter from his influential dad in return for his resurrection—and the two set off on a dangerous journey across magical landscapes. Cara’s also contending with a growing awareness that her feelings for Zach—an unexpectedly resourceful and protective adventuring partner—might burn hotter than mere annoyance. Aside from a sprinkling of Chinese lore and original mythology, this ornately written debut focuses on themes of legacy and self-acceptance through Cara’s internal struggle with being a ghost speaker. The romantic tension running throughout is palpable but needs a little more substance to make the leads’ attraction feel completely convincing.

Enjoyably atmospheric. (Paranormal. 13-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940159845023
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	09/26/2023
Edition description:	Unabridged

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