The Ghosts of Rose Hill follows a young teen, Ilana, as she spends the summer in Prague with her Aunt Zofie. Her parents hope that she'll take the time away to become more serious about her studies, and let go of her dream of being a musician. They even hope Zofie's lifestyle will make an impression on Ilana. After all, Zofie is a working artist with a modest lifestyle. But Ilana can't forget what it feels like to play the violin, and as she spends her summer tending to the cemetery on Rose Hill, she meets a boy and a man who change her life. The boy is a ghost, and Ilana is drawn to him from their first meeting. The man is more mysterious, but he insists that there's a way for Ilana to have the life she wants, if she trusts him. As she unravels the mystery around these people, and Prauge itself, she finds her courage and sense of self.

The Ghosts of Rose Hill was a delightfully lyrical walk down memory lane for me. I know that the description says the book is in verse, but I truly wasn't expecting it, and I thought it was a beautiful way of telling this particular story. This book returned me to a time when I myself lived in Prague, and I could see the city so vividly in Romero's descriptions. I was studying art and writing at the time, and I can't think of a more fitting style to write about Prague and the ghosts that inhabit it. I could see in my mind's eye the locations and things mentioned, and I loved the relationships built in this story.

I feel like this book so effortlessly and naturally captured what it is like to live in Prague. I also love how Romero wove in details about Old Town and WWII and tied them to this book's antagonist. It was an expertly told story about Jewish history and identity.

While this is a "quick" read, I recommend really spending time with this one :)

Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.