Title: Notes from Ghost Town

Author: Kate Ellison

Publisher: Egmont

Publication Date: February 2013

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Synopsis can be found here.

I received this book from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review.

Review:

Olivia is away at school when her best friend Lucas Stern dies, in her mother’s arms. The clues point to Olivia’s mom killing Stern, but Olivia doesn’t believe it- not when Stern’s ghost returns to her and tells her it wasn’t her mom, but someone else. And he needs her help to solve it. The murder trial is in days and Olivia must figure out who really did it before she loses her mom forever. And what about Stern, who comes to her like he’s real, like he’s still there, like they still love each other. How can you get over a ghost?

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I read Notes from Ghost Town. Ghost story? Madness? Mental illness? Detective story? It’s all of those things.
Ellison does a great job writing Olivia’s own suspicions of herself and her descent into madness. Olivia is terrified of being like her mother and the illness that engulfs her, but what else is there to suspect when your best friend comes to you as a ghost. This really adds to the uneasy tone of the book. At times, I see Olivia as an unreliable narrator so I constantly cast suspicion on her and her mind. It takes a while for Olivia to figure things out, but this had to do more with self doubt and caution.
And the murderer, villain is pretty extreme. I’m not sure if I buy into the motivations, and the subsequent actions in the last part of the book by the killer, but it’s a twisty ride to get there.

Ellison has some really well written pieces in this book that flow off the page and suspend you in time, a snapshot of a scene or a life. I really those parts, especially because they were so peaceful and lovingly descriptive. The book is tense and dark, much darker than I expected, so these lovely parts serve a great balance as well.

Rating 7 Pretty Cool, Would Recommend


Giveaway!!
Thank you to Egmont USA for offering these fantastic books for the giveaway and providing me with an ARC!

You could win a Hardcover of Notes from Ghost Town and a paperback copy of The Butterfly Clues, both by Kate Ellison from Egmont USA!

Just fill in the rafflecopter below!
This giveaway is only for my followers and it ends the night of February 13th.
US and Canada only.
Good luck everyone!

Synopsis of The Butterfly Clues is here.
You can follow Kate on her website here.

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