WoW: Let Them Stare by Jonathan Van Ness and Julie Murphy

This bookish meme tells the blogosphere what we’re waiting patiently (and sometimes not so patiently) for! It’s hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine!

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. 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 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.

Published by: Storytide
Expected Publication: May 20, 2025

Why I’m Waiting: As a huge fan of Jonathan Van Ness AND Julie Murphy, I can’t wait for this. Yes I know they’re a debut YA author, but I LOVE Julie Murphy and I can’t wait to see what they do together. Also, this sounds hilarious and I need ALLLLLLLLLLLLL of the laughs right now. I’m almost certain this is going to be a good time and I cannot wait. Definitely going to be waiting on this one to hit my doorstep on release day.

What about you? Have you read anything by Julie before? Have you read Van Ness’ picture books? Will you be waiting on this one with me? Let me know in the comments!!