Book Description 

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. 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.

My Review 

I was excited about the opportunity to read this book because JVN is one of the highlights of Queer Eye. I haven’t read any of Murphy’s books, but I do own several and based on my reading experience with this book, my interest is piqued! 

Sully is an absolute sweetheart. They put all their eggs into one basket with the internship, and they didn’t really have a contingency plan. They don’t even have a car anymore either because they sold their car because they were planning to move to the big city. Needless to say, Sully certainly didn’t plan on discovering a ghost named Rufus in their recently acquired vintage bag! 

This book is so sweet and tender. Helping Rufus solve the mystery of what happened to him gives Sully a purpose. The quest provides Sully with the opportunity to learn about local queer history (there has always been a presence). Sully is the best protagonist– so many funny quips and just all around a good kid. 

I would absolutely recommend Let Them Stare. I’m always a little wary when it comes to celeb collab books, but this exceeded all my expectations. There is a sombre aspect to the historical aspects, but knowing about the past is integral to understanding queer history. The more serious moments don’t put a damper on the silly stuff and vice versa. There’s a nice balance. I’m going to have to go back and read Murphy’s other books and I hope this is not the last of JVN.s forays into fiction.  

I received a digital ARC of this book from Harper Collins/NetGalley.