The Other Ones ~ Fran Hart

The Other Ones by Fran Hart is a spooky YA queer novel. Sal wants to be normal but lives in a haunted house. One day, Pax, new to the town, shows up at his front door, fascinated by all things spooky. An unlikely friendship forms. Sal is haunted and is desperately trying to ignore his ghosts but by doing so he may lose Pax. Can he conquer his ghosts in time?

I was eager to read this book since I was introduced to the concept and had a good chat with Fran Hart at YALC earlier this year. It was a book that was right up my street, queer YA novel that was also spooky and had a haunted house. Perfect. And then, Waterstones released a very pretty version with a leafy sprayed edge. So, it’s no surprise that I started reading this book as soon as I got it.

Whilst at YALC, I did a personality test and got Pax as the character I’m most similar to, and the more I read the more I loved him.  He was so quirky but adorable and fun at the same time. And he knits! Sal was the perfect contrast to Pax, grumpy and trying too hard to hide his weirdness. They worked brilliantly together.

The plot was lighthearted and an easy read but was also heavy enough that it wasn’t just a Disney Channel-like story. I found the descriptor of Gilmore Girls with Hearstopper a fair comparison but the main quartet kind of had Scooby Doo vibes which I loved. 

I really loved this book and it was well worth the wait. It perfectly fit what I needed to read at the time and was an excellent spooky season read. I can’t wait to see what Fran writes next!

C🌙