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 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.
Jonathan Van Ness is an Emmy-winning television personality, 3x New York Times bestselling author, podcaster, comedian, celebrity hairstylist, and founder of JVN Hair. He stars on Netflix’s Emmy Award–winning reboot series Queer Eye, where he shines as the hair guru and self-care advocate; and he hosts the popular podcast Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness.
Julie Murphy splits her time between North Texas and Kansas with her husband, who loves her, and her cats, who tolerate her. When Julie isn’t writing, she can be found watching movies so bad they're good, hunting for the perfect slice of cheese pizza, or planning her next great travel adventure. She is the author of the middle grade novels Dear Sweet Pea and Camp Sylvania as well as the young adult novels Ramona Blue, Side Effects May Vary, the Faith series, Pumpkin, Puddin’, and Dumplin’ (now a Netflix original film).
“This quirky, passionate, rebellious, and quick-witted novel brings aspects of modern queer culture into direct, literal conversation with elements of its past. It’s a monument to what came before, a testament to continued struggles, and a celebration of queer joy." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“The collaborators seamlessly connect Rufus’s and Sully’s stories, showing through both the resilience of queer life and the bigotry they each face.” — Publishers Weekly
"This hilarious, heartwarming, and offbeat page turner is for anyone who’s ever dreamed of a bigger life and finds the truth that sometimes that bigger life is found right where you already are, with the people who become your chosen family (and maybe even a fabulous vintage haunted handbag)!" — Busy Philipps, New York Times bestselling author of This Will Ony Hurt a Little and cohost of Busy Philipps is Doing Her Best
"Let Them Stare glitters with humor and mystery, with a narrator whose verve and charm leap off the page. It’s a love letter to queer history wrapped in a small-town ghost story romp, and I loved it to pieces." — Becky Albertalli, New York Times Bestselling Author of Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda
"Let Them Stare is the perfect combination of humor and heart, the supernatural and the super fashionable! Sully, Rufus, and Brad will always have my heart, and this book will haunt me (in the best way!) in this and every decade from here on out!" — Jason June, New York Times bestselling author of Out of the Blue and Jay's Gay Agenda
"Jonathan van Ness and Julie Murphy's Let Them Stare is a magical queer romp of a book that will enter your heart purse first and linger there forever. A beautiful and hilarious ode to celebrating, uncovering, and growing out of our history.” — Abdi Nazemian, Stonewall and Lambda Award Winning author of Like a Love Story and Only This Beautiful Moment
"The world that Jonathan and Julie create in Let Them Stare is nothing short of queer excellence. It was healing to my younger self but also wildly entertaining and funny for my current self! I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH! A perfect read." — Dylan Mulvaney, author of Paper Doll, influencer, actress