diff --git a/pyerrors/input/json.py b/pyerrors/input/json.py
index deda0d9e..2e960c3b 100644
--- a/pyerrors/input/json.py
+++ b/pyerrors/input/json.py
@@ -279,22 +279,24 @@ def import_json_string(json_string, verbose=True, full_output=False):
             ret[-1].tag = taglist[i]
         return np.reshape(ret, layout)
 
-    prog = json_string.get('program', '')
-    version = json_string.get('version', '')
-    who = json_string.get('who', '')
-    date = json_string.get('date', '')
-    host = json_string.get('host', '')
+    json_dict = json.loads(json_string)
+
+    prog = json_dict.get('program', '')
+    version = json_dict.get('version', '')
+    who = json_dict.get('who', '')
+    date = json_dict.get('date', '')
+    host = json_dict.get('host', '')
     if prog and verbose:
         print('Data has been written using %s.' % (prog))
     if version and verbose:
         print('Format version %s' % (version))
     if np.any([who, date, host] and verbose):
         print('Written by %s on %s on host %s' % (who, date, host))
-    description = json_string.get('description', '')
+    description = json_dict.get('description', '')
     if description and verbose:
         print()
         print('Description: ', description)
-    obsdata = json_string['obsdata']
+    obsdata = json_dict['obsdata']
     ol = []
     for io in obsdata:
         if io['type'] == 'Obs':
@@ -346,11 +348,11 @@ def load_json(fname, verbose=True, gz=True, full_output=False):
         if not fname.endswith('.gz'):
             fname += '.gz'
         with gzip.open(fname, 'r') as fin:
-            d = json.loads(fin.read().decode('utf-8'))
+            d = fin.read().decode('utf-8')
     else:
         if fname.endswith('.gz'):
             warnings.warn("Trying to read from %s without unzipping!" % fname, UserWarning)
         with open(fname, 'r', encoding='utf-8') as fin:
-            d = json.loads(fin.read())
+            d = fin.read()
 
     return import_json_string(d, verbose, full_output)
diff --git a/tests/io_test.py b/tests/io_test.py
index 79b61c61..18a48a76 100644
--- a/tests/io_test.py
+++ b/tests/io_test.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import pyerrors.obs as pe
+import pyerrors as pe
 import pyerrors.input.json as jsonio
 import numpy as np
 import os
@@ -66,3 +66,10 @@ def test_jsonio():
         assert np.all(o == r)
 
     assert(description == rl['description'])
+
+
+def test_json_string_reconstruction():
+    my_obs = pe.Obs([np.random.rand(100)], ['name'])
+    json_string = pe.input.json.create_json_string(my_obs)
+    reconstructed_obs = pe.input.json.import_json_string(json_string)
+    assert my_obs == reconstructed_obs