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The Bachmann Family Secret

Damian Serbu (Goodreads Author)

3.33 · Rating details · 15 ratings · 15 reviews

Jaret Bachmann travels with his family to his beloved grandfather’s funeral with a heavy heart and, more troubling, premonitions of something evil lurking at the Bachmann ancestral home. But no one believes that he sees ghosts.

Grappling with his sexuality, a ghost that wants him out of the way, and the loss of his grandfather, Jaret must protect his family and come to term ...more

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Published July 27th 2020 by NineStar Press

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Average rating 3.33 ·

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· 15 ratings · 15 reviews

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Jul 10, 2020 Alex rated it it was ok

Shelves: 7-8-and-9

Thanks to the publisher for providing a digital ARC of The Bachmann Family Secret in exchange for an honest review.

While I appreciate this book's attempt to blend its protagonist coming to terms with his sexuality all while uncovering the secrets the ghosts in his family home hold, the pacing was just too off for me to justify giving a higher rating. This stories focal piece is definitely our MC's sexuality which is totally fine, but the book isn't long enough for any of that to not feel forced. ...more

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Jul 14, 2020 TJ rated it did not like it

Shelves: kindle, arc, boys-who-like-boys

1 STAR ⭐

When I read the premise of this book I thought it was right up my ally and I couldn't wait to read it, but unfortunately for me I ended up not enjoying this one at all.

The romance if fleshed more could have been sweet, but since it was basically insta love it came out feeling cheesy and non believable.

Also with how it was written when the other major plot point in the story took a backseat to his sexuality, which in other circumstances would have been no problem, it actually end ...more

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Jul 17, 2020 E.M. Hamill rated it really liked it

Damian Serbu has written yet another creepy tale. This is a delicious little book with a YA feel to it. It’s a paranormal/coming of age thriller, and I read it over two nights (delayed only because of unimportant adulting stuff like work where I’m not allowed to read). It would be an excellent addition for high school libraries seeking own voices books for their catalogue—there is nothing explicit beyond some foul language.
The death of Jaret’s grandfather leaves a gap in the family in more ways
Damian Serbu has written yet another creepy tale. This is a delicious little book with a YA feel to it. It’s a paranormal/coming of age thriller, and I read it over two nights (delayed only because of unimportant adulting stuff like work where I’m not allowed to read). It would be an excellent addition for high school libraries seeking own voices books for their catalogue—there is nothing explicit beyond some foul language.
The death of Jaret’s grandfather leaves a gap in the family in more ways than one. As everyone prepares to return to the Bachmann family mansion in Nebraska to say goodbye to their patriarch, Jaret’s emotions are already in full boil. He hasn’t told his family that he’s gay, and they already think he has issues. Jaret can see ghosts, and when the shade of his grandfather appears and tries to warn him against going to Nebraska for the funeral, he feels powerless to argue against his no-nonsense father. Once at the mansion, Jaret encounters another apparition who looks eerily like his grandfather but exudes a distinct aura of evil.
Missing family jewels, generations-old secrets, and a disastrous funeral throw the family into turmoil. The malevolent spirit has no qualms about harming anyone that threatens to get in its way. But Jaret’s uncanny gifts are only one link in a very special genetic legacy: one that could allow him to protect the family he loves from the demonic presence in the house.
Jaret’s struggle with a well-meaning mom who can’t understand why he doesn’t have a (female) date for the prom and his cautious, almost fearful respect and uncertainty for his father that keeps him from coming out are believably written and touching. The relationship between Jaret and his siblings are very true to life. The theme of this book is family, and ultimately, how love and acceptance can make someone stronger than they believe they are.
Jaret’s budding romance with small-town football player Steve is a sweet, innocent affair, both young men just coming to terms with being gay and reveling in each other with an adorable “no, you hang up first” kind of relationship. The utter horror of being walked in by a parent during a heavy make-out session is in full, gory display here, given humiliating weight by not having come out to the family yet.
The villain certainly enjoys monologuing and taunting Jaret, which got a little tiresome at times. There were a couple of dead end scenes I felt really weren’t necessary, but the story was compelling enough that even a little nitpicking didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book as a whole. It’s a fun tale, and definitely recommended. ...more

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Nov 05, 2020 Reading Reindeer 2021 On Proxima Centauri rated it it was amazing

Shelves: november_2020_reads, a1-netgalley, a1-i-own-books, armchair-greatplains-midwest, 2020_a-z_h-a, 2020_arc_apocalypse, 2020_dog, 2020_four-seasons-of-november_hob, 2020_horror, 2020_lgbtqia

THE BACHMANN FAMILY SECRET is a well-written, encouraging, heartwarming novel about an eighteen-year-old whose beloved grandfather's passing throws the family into turmoil. Jaret is further distressed when Gramps' ghost appears to warn him not to return to Nebraska from Colorado for the funeral. As is revealed, Gramps' home, built by the original immigrant family members, is badly haunted, and it's all tied up with (now missing) jewels. Jaret's twin secrets are heavily stressed: the secret ...more

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Jul 26, 2020 Veronica of V's Reads rated it liked it

Shelves: coming-out, contemporary, grief-loss, homophobia, magical-realism, male-male, no-steam, paranormal-romance, thriller, ya-adventure

Jaret Bachmann is a closeted high school senior with an even bigger secret than his sexuality: he can see ghosts. He's been able to his whole life, but it's particularly poignant now that his dear Gramp's spirit is popping into his bedroom in Colorado to warn him against returning to the family homestead in Fremont, Nebraska. Jaret would love to be able to stop his family from returning there, but he doesn't have that power, and he's afraid if he tells his parents about his sight they'll commit Jaret Bachmann is a closeted high school senior with an even bigger secret than his sexuality: he can see ghosts. He's been able to his whole life, but it's particularly poignant now that his dear Gramp's spirit is popping into his bedroom in Colorado to warn him against returning to the family homestead in Fremont, Nebraska. Jaret would love to be able to stop his family from returning there, but he doesn't have that power, and he's afraid if he tells his parents about his sight they'll commit him; previous experience did land him in counseling until he recanted.

In Fremont, the entire family is staying in the ancestral home, Jaret's family, and that of his dad's brother as well. THey have decided they want to sell the house instead of keeping it, because his aunt is terrified of the ghosts that live there. No one has actually seen a ghost, okay, no one by Jaret and he ain't telling. Still there's a lot of weirdness. Jaret's dad and uncle agree selling the house is a decent plan, but not before they locate the precious heirloom jewelry that Gramps had usually kept in some arcane spot under the floorboards--which is now empty. Everyone agrees that the jewels must be in the attic, because that the one place no one has looked--and the door is unable to be unlocked. It's also the spot that Gramps' ghost keeps warning Jaret away from...and he's stuggling to keep it together until the funeral.

One good thing about returning to Fremont is meeting Steve, a football player who is inexplicably drawn to Jaret on the night they meet as Jaret walks his dog (and comfort animal), Vader. Vader has been a super ally for Jaret, barking her head off whenever malevolent spirits amble past. Steve is a nice distraction, but his interest seemed way too quick, considering he's never found dudes that interesting, even ones related to the owner of the town's famous haunted house. The interest is enough to give Jaret some courage, however, and he finally confides his big gay secret to more than just Vader.

This story is centrally about Jaret coming out about this powers to talk with the dead, (and more) and his sexuality. There is a deeply held family secret at the heart and root of Jaret's abilities and if the family will only just listen and believe, he might just save the day. I thought Jaret's deductions about his powers, and how gaining access to the sacred family gems revealed even more power that Jaret was able to harness. The story behind the ghost haunting the Bachmann family is rather sad, and has led to innocents dying in the past. The ghost is sure that homosexuality is a perversion that must be eradicated from the family, but the WHY of that conviction is pretty melancholy. Jaret's a quick thinker, and great improviser, so he fakes it until he can make it--and that spunk made him more interesting.

On the whole, the language of the book was a bit lackluster, with lots of f-bombs and tired repetition of scenes giving the impression of laziness, instead of detail. How many times is the ghost going to accost Jaret? Or, send his mom to find him while he's canoodling with Steve? Spoiler: all the times. The pace could have been tighter, but Jaret did read like and immature kid, so there's bonus points for that. There were some weird plot situations that made little sense, like why Jaret's dad would ban cell phones on this trip? What parent does this? Also, I got WAY tired of the autocratic dad thing, with Jaret's dad and uncle making completely ludicrous plans and everyone going along because they were the "men". I was glad Jaret finally grew a spine, and his ingenuity in taking care of the ghost was cool. The way he and Steve fell into "deep love" in a matter of days was less cool.

In all, it was a cool ghost story, with a teen finding powers deep within himself that enable him to stop the horror his family had been suffering for a few generations. The writing wasn't as tight as I'm used to for YA, and the instalove was nearly more unbelievable than the paranormal magic thriller that served as a backdrop. ...more

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Sep 03, 2020 Jay rated it really liked it

Shelves: mm-romance, kebb

Being a teenager is hard under the best of circumstances, but for Jaret Bachmann the deck contains a few more jokers complicating his life. Damian Serbu’s The Bachmann Family Secret is a young adult, paranormal thriller with a sexual awakening that torments, as it lessens the struggle of one young man’s life.

Jaret has a gift; he communicates with the dead. Unfortunately, his parents refute his claim and seek therapy for him. Their actions only serve to isolate the young man from the support he Being a teenager is hard under the best of circumstances, but for Jaret Bachmann the deck contains a few more jokers complicating his life. Damian Serbu’s The Bachmann Family Secret is a young adult, paranormal thriller with a sexual awakening that torments, as it lessens the struggle of one young man’s life.

Jaret has a gift; he communicates with the dead. Unfortunately, his parents refute his claim and seek therapy for him. Their actions only serve to isolate the young man from the support he needs, forcing him to navigate the spirit world with only the support of his fateful companion, Darth. Dread quickly settles when his deceased grandfather reaches out, warning him to stay away from the Bachmann family home, as his branch of the Bachmann family ventures to Nebraska for the funeral.

Jaret feels a whirlwind of emotions. His beloved grandfather has passed, he toils daily with spirts, and he has yet to tell his family he is gay. His emotions escalate when he and his family arrive at the Bachmann family mansion, where the grief alone would be enough. But his grandfather appears to be two different ghosts. The one Jaret remembers, as kind and gentle with his grandson. The other is pure evil and enjoys nothing more than taunting Jaret and his family.

‘The Bachmann Family Secret’ is a young adult, paranormal thriller with a sexual awakening that torments, as it lessens the struggle of one young man’s life.

The one bright spot is Steve, the small-town football player who Jaret meets on one of his jaunts to get away from the creepy grandpa at the mansion. There is an immediate attraction and insta-love between Jaret and Steve, that is somewhat hard to grasp for two young men discovering themselves. However, Steve is a foundation for Jaret as he keeps the oddity surrounding the Bachmann family concealed.

The Bachmann family is full of secrets that reveal themselves as they search for the infamous Bachmann jewels, before they sell the mansion, along with all its creepy vibes. There is plenty of strangeness, like an attic door that cannot be opened, rumors around town that the mansion is haunted, and Jaret’s encounters with the disparate grandfathers.

The Bachmann Family Secret is a decent ghost story derived from family secrets and sad unfortunate events melded with a first-time young adult romance. The family has its interesting quirks, but you can sense the familial bond that overrides it all. ...more

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Aug 25, 2020 AMHH rated it really liked it

In this novel, Jaret returns with his mother, father, and siblings for his grandfather’s funeral to a house haunted by his ancestors, both recent and remote. The plot has a lot of fantastic elements: the ghosts, the treasure hunt for the family legacy (jewels from the old country and/or magic powers) all add up to excellent drama.

The author does an excellent job of telling the story from the teenage protagonist’s point of view: it bounces back in forth from first lust (it’s too insta and too ph ...more

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Jul 24, 2020 Romina rated it it was ok

DNF at 50%

English: I couldn't finish the book. Of the 50% that I read, nothing interesting happened, in fact it was super repetitive. I understand that the protagonist is a teen and the fact of being gay and not being able to say it scared him, but he repeated the same dilemma over and over again. The same with the fact that they did not believe him for seeing ghosts. And then the super insta-love was what made him quit.
Too bad because I love ghost stories, but this was definitely not for me.

Spa ...more

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Sep 22, 2020 Alan D.D. rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: gay, juvenil, young-adult, brujas, fantasmas, fantasía, romántico

La historia es interesante, Jaret me pareció muy llamativo como personaje, además de que los temas que toca son clásicos. Es un romance lindo, pero tan rápido que no hay oportunidad de desarrollo. Fue insta-amor sin mucho material en ese sentido, y esperaba algo mejor del villano en vez de diálogos interminables y repetitivos, pero es una novela juvenil entretenida que sirve para pasar el rato y sonreír más de una vez.

The story is interesting, Jaret seemed very striking as a character, in additi ...more

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Nov 10, 2020 Lana Kamennof-sine rated it liked it

I received a copy of this ebook & here's my review. This is an unusual book as it’s a realistic story of the intricacies of family relationships, an interesting, complex ghost story featuring both the friendly ghost of a recently deceased Grandfather and a definitely non friendly ghost in the family home. Jaret is the young teen who sees ghosts and while trying to deal with his Grandfather’s death is also trying to decide if he’s gay. An excellent read particularly for adolescent males wondering ...more

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Jul 26, 2020 Shirley rated it really liked it

I had no idea what to expect from The Bachmann Family Secret because Damian Serbu is a "new to me" author. It didn't take long for this book to draw me in. It had it's slow spots and a couple of little road bumps, but it ended up being a book that I really enjoyed.

Jaret is coming to terms with the realization that he's gay. Coupled with other things that set him apart from the rest of his family, it's not an easy revelation. He doesn't think his family will disown him, but he's also not hoping f ...more

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Aug 14, 2020 Clarissa Mac rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this book! I identified a lot with Jaret, and the tropes are all tried and true, some of my favorites. Missing jewels, murder, and parents walking in on make out sessions with a new boyfriend. Gotta love them. As others have noted, the villains monologuing is a bit lengthy and does get tiring. 4/5 stars!

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Jul 30, 2020 Annarella rated it really liked it

Even if it's a bit rushed in some parts it was quite an enjoyable read. I liked the world building and the characters.
I recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine ...more

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Jul 10, 2020 RACHEL REED rated it liked it

Jaret Bachmann is traveling to his ancestral home to attend his grandfather's funeral with his family.
But no one believes that there is something evil lurking on the ancestral property or the fact that he can actually see ghosts!
I loved the idea on which the plot was spun on. The history of the ancestral Bachmann home along with the poltergeists gave a spooky vibe to the setting of the story.
Jaret coming to terms his sexuality, meeting Steve and having an instant connection was sweet.
I felt the ...more

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Jul 14, 2020 TBHONEST rated it really liked it

The Bachmann Family Secret is an interesting read. It's a ghost story and a story about coming to terms with who you are and your sexuality.

While an enjoyable read, it feels slightly rushed in parts and certain bits could have been fleshed out more than they were. ...more

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About Damian Serbu

Damian Serbu

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Damian Serbu lives in the Chicago area with his husband and two dogs, Akasha and Chewbacca. The dogs control his life, tell him what to write, and threaten to eat him in the middle of the night if he disobeys. Keep up to date with him on Facebook, Twitter, or at www.DamianSerbu.com.
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