Author: Stacey Kade
Release Date: June 29th, 2010
Published By: Hyperion Book CH
Goodreads Rating: 3.91 stars
Synopsis: After a close encounter with the front end of a school bus, Alona Dare goes from Homecoming Queen to Queen of the Dead. Now she’s stuck here in spirit form with no sign of the big, bright light coming to take her away. To make matters worse, the only person who might be able to help her is Will Killian, a total loser/outcast type who hates the social elite. He alone can see and hear her, but he wants nothing to do with the former mean girl of Groundsboro High.
Can they get over their mutual distrust—and this weird attraction between them—to work together before Alona vanishes for good and Will is locked up for seeing things that don’t exist?
Review: I really didn't expect to like this book very much, because a lot of reviews I read called it fluffy, shallow, boring, etc. And while this wasn't exactly as deep as the ocean, I enjoyed this a whole lot more than I thought I would and it was a cute read with a few deeper messages.
The first thing that jumped out at me when I read this was how funny it was. Although I didn't initially like Alona all too much, she definitely had a humorous voice, and that made this easy to read. She acts like the stereotypical shallow, vain cheerleader despite her cracking wit, but as you continue through the book, you find that there's a lot more to her than meets the eye. She doesn't have the perfect life because of family issues, and it's great to watch her develop into a nicer person. I like that she realistically didn't suddenly become the sweetest girl in the world, but she did improve at a natural, believable rate.
Will, the other point of view, was fun to read as well because he had his fair share of sarcastic remarks to make. Unlike Alona, he's an outsider at school and most people judge him to be a goth, even though he isn't. He has the gift of seeing ghosts, but that means everyone thinks he's crazy and so he has to see a shrink, who isn't exactly the most selfless, kindest guy in the universe. I also must say that the author did a great job of writing a male POV - he sounded like an actual guy instead of a girl stuck in a dude's body.
This book isn't serious and it has plenty of funny situations that will have you smiling, but it does touch on deeper subjects like alcohol and suicide. Never does it feel preachy or like the author is trying to cram something meaningful in, so it all balanced out. The only thing that bothered me was that while I understand this is meant to be a light, enjoyable read, some of the characters were portrayed as one-dimensional "evil" people, like Will's shrink or the principal.
Still, this was cute and fun enough to make up for that, so I didn't really mind that much. I would recommend this to anyone who doesn't want to read anything too depressing (like using this as a break between dark, serious books) and just wants something light and enjoyable. A warning, though - it's hard to unglue your fingers from this one!
Grade: B
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