"In the gay bubble of P-Town, things come easily for Harlowe in the form of an instant friend group replete with a trans woman elder and a cute, cold brew-pouring romantic interest. So what if his Airbnb is conveniently haunted?"
"He's just broken up with Jackson, his academia-pilled ex of seven years, so it comes as an unpleasant surprise when Jackson shows up at the rental cottage. Only it's not quite Jackson, it's a younger version. He's back to the person he was when he and Harlowe started dating, and he's not the only shade taking up space in beach house."
"Among the other specters are Harlowe's dad (a version of him), and an old professor who had only bad things to say about Harlowe's non-future in academia. The problem isn't the ghosts, who are clearly there to teach a few hard life lessons to Harlowe in this transitional time in his life."
"It's that the ghosts are a little too easy as a living metaphor, just like Harlowe's ability to fall into instant community feels a little too convenient. But this is a beach read, and a summer romance. We're not supposed to look too closely at the gaps."
A transmasc man arrives in Provincetown after a breakup and settles into a sea-side Airbnb that is conveniently haunted. He quickly forms an instant friend group and meets a romantic interest who fits the summer-bubble mood. His ex appears at the cottage, but as a younger version from the start of their relationship, alongside other specters including his father and a former professor who criticized his academic future. The ghosts function as life lessons during a transitional period, but the metaphor feels overly smooth and the community formation feels too easy. The story leans into beach-read romance and discourages close scrutiny of gaps, including how questions about the haunting are avoided.
Read at Queerty
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]