
Let Them Stare
A Novel
HarperCollins · Print & ebook · May 20, 2025
An instant New York Times and Indie bestseller!
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- Genres
- YA Ghost Stories, YA LGBTQ+, YA Romance - LGBTQ+
- Published
- HarperCollins, May 20, 2025
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For older readers: The In-between Bookstore, The Lilac People, He's to Die for
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An instant New York Times and Indie bestseller! From Emmy Award winner Jonathan Van Ness of Queer Eye and #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Murphy comes a bighearted story about friendship, love—and discovering the secrets and beauty of your own hometown. Sully is ready to get out of Hearst, Pennsylvania. With a fashion internship secured, the gender-nonconforming eighteen-year-old is trading in their stifling small town for the big city.
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Sully even sells their beloved car, to Bread—er, Brad—the most boring (and maybe only other) gay kid in town. When Sully’s internship goes up in smoke, they’re trapped in Hearst with no cash—and no car. Desperate, they go to the thrift store, their personal sanctuary. There, they discover a vintage bag—like "put this baby in an airtight case at the MET" vintage. If Sully can authenticate it, the resale value would be enough for a new life in the city. But when they begin to investigate, Sully finds themself haunted. Literally. With the ghost of Rufus, a drag performer from the fifties with no memory of how he died standing—no, floating—in their bedroom, Sully’s summer has a new purpose: 1) help this ghostly honey unlock his past and move on and 2) make bank—after all, the Real Real doesn’t take poltergeist purses. With Rufus in tow, and Brad—who’s looking pretty scrumptious these days—playing chauffeur, Sully delves into the history of the town they’re so desperate to escape. Only to discover that there might be more to Hearst than they ever knew. “A quirky, passionate, rebellious, and quick-witted novel." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Romance With Spark
Come here for
- YA rom-com energy
- LGBTQ+ romance with a film-ish angle
Expect
- teen-forward relationship drama
- an easy sustained read
Where it sits
| YA Romance - LGBTQ+ | 49% |
|---|---|
| YA LGBTQ+ | 46% |
| YA Ghost Stories | 38% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- YA Ghost Stories
- YA LGBTQ+
- YA Mysteries
- Paranormal & Supernatural for Teens
Show all 8 publisher categories
- YA Romance - LGBTQ+
- Social Themes for Teens
- Dating & Sex for Teens
- Emotions & Feelings for Teens
- Authors
- Jonathan Van Ness, Julie Murphy
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- May 20, 2025
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Reading lane
- YA Ghost Stories