Author: Bethany Neal
Series: Stand Alone
Published By: Farrar, Straus, and Girous (June 10, 2014)
Source: ARC Copy Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
Genre: YA Mystery Paranormal
My Rating: 4 Stars!
Book Description:
What if your last kiss was with the wrong boy?Cassidy Haines remembers her first kiss vividly. It was on the old covered bridge the summer before her freshman year with her boyfriend of three years, Ethan Keys. But her last kiss—the one she shared with someone at her seventeenth birthday party the night she died—is a blur. Now, Cassidy is trapped in the living world, not only mourning the loss of her human body, but left with the grim suspicion that her untimely death wasn’t a suicide as everyone assumes. She can’t remember anything from the weeks leading up to her birthday and she’s worried that she may have betrayed her boyfriend. If Cassidy is to uncover the truth about that fateful night and make amends with the only boy she’ll ever love, she must face her past and all the decisions she made—good and bad—that led to her last kiss.
I have a great love for books about ghosts and an even bigger love of a good solid mystery, and when you combine the two, I really do get excited. I can't help it, the inner paranormal, mystery loving girl in me goes a little crazy and squeals with delight.
This was such an unusual read. One full of the mysteries you would expect from a dead girl with very little memory about how she got that way and the struggle she has with excepting her fate and trying to help those she loves come to terms with her death, as well as solve the mystery behind what happened that fateful night when her whole world was gone.
Neal did a wonderful job constantly keeping the reader on their toes as the mystery of Cassidy's death unfolds and her secrets are spilled.
We are left trying to help her piece her life back to together with little clues and bits of pieces of her memories as new things are revealed to her through flashbacks and second hand encounters.
There were lots of fun twists and turns and a never ending list of possibilities and suspects.
This was a great debut from an author that you will want to keep an eye on.
*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*
I have had it on my TBR list...so I just had to add it to my "sooner than later" list. Great review. It sounds fantastic. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Becca. I think you will like this one.
Deleteyou're right I also love a good story about ghosts but we don't have a lot of good ones. I bought one a few days ago so I'm curious to receive it. Thanks for the great review!
ReplyDeleteThis is on my tbr list-love the premise and the cover!
ReplyDeleteYay! I hope you like it.
DeleteYay! I'm so glad you loved this one too Ali! I was a little nervous before starting because I don't handle cheating well, but I thought everything was handled realistically and I couldn't get enough of trying to guess what had happened to her! I was not correct on who gave her a "helping hand" :)
ReplyDeleteI wasn't either LOL! Which is both of us didn't than that must be a good thing. ;)
DeleteI got an email about this one yesterday and didn't respond, thinking it sounded good but I really don't need to add to the pile! I have to admit that I'm VERY intrigued and I might just have to accept this one for review...
ReplyDeleteIt is so hard to say no sometimes but I completely understand not wanting to add to the pile Candace.
DeleteThat's great you really liked this one! I wasn't sure based on the summary...but I do like a good mystery.
ReplyDeleteIf you decide to give it a try I hope you end up liking it as much as I did.
DeleteOoh this sounds like a good mystery, I'll have to check this out! Thanks for putting it on my radar!
ReplyDeleteOf course, thanks for stopping by!!
DeleteThis sound like a really good mystery, and I love that you were surprised Ali :)
ReplyDeleteSurprises are always good in mysteries. ;)
DeleteThis type of story has been hit or miss for me in the past, but I'm always drawn to them. And now, I'm drawn to this one ...
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean Christy, they can be hard to like sometimes.
DeleteThis sounds like another good one. Wonderful review.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ellen!!
DeleteI hope you like it Heidi.
ReplyDeleteI've totally missed this title. :/ I love good ghost stories, especially if they are a little bit creepy, but his one (at least judging by your review) has more A. Christie vibe.
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
Yeah, not so scary just mystery more than anything.
DeleteInfo for what?
ReplyDeleteSounds to me like she did the mysterious elements splendidly well, and I guess that's all you could hope for a 'ghostly' story. :)
ReplyDeleteThe ghost element really was nicely done.
Deleteoh so awesome to hear that this one was a great mystery! glad you picked this one up :D
ReplyDeleteMe too!
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