Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand

29 reviews

joisaddler's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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bamfling's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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sxndaze's review

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hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

holly chase is insufferable but that’s the point isn’t it? the growth she experiences makes it an excellent read, but it was definitely hard to get through at times. the story excels when it’s not about the romance and it focuses on literally anything else like the systems and holly’s life.

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frawst_disasta_reads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I would love to rate this book higher because the beginning and end were so much fun.  However, I found the middle dragged a little bit here and there.  

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doodeedoda's review

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emotional lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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s_mimi's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

My first book of 2024 and I loved it to pieces. 
Such a beautifully written book! ❤️
I guess we all have a bit of Ebenezer Scrooge within us and we all deserve a second chance.

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_viola__'s review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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odditiex's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Fourth Reread (December 2023): 5 Stars*
Third Reread (December 2021): 5 Stars*
Second Reread (December 2019): 5 Stars*
First Read (December 2018): 5 Stars*
I initially heard about this book on BookTube, and have made an effort to reread it every December since.
"The Afterlife of Holly Chase" is a Christmas Carol retelling set in modern-day New York with a sassy, entitled teenager. Holly Chase was only seventeen years old when she was visited by three ghosts and told to change her ways. Unfortunately, she did not listen, and she was killed a few days later. Now, she works at Project Scrooge to help people see the error in their ways before it is too late.
This book is such a cozy, comforting story to reread every year around Christmas. Although the bulk of the story does not take place on Christmas, the entire project and effort is executed on Christmas day, so the story has the holiday spirit throughout the entire story.
Holly Chase is such a great character to read from, and I really enjoy seeing her character grow and mature throughout the story. Although she did not rectify her horrid behavior in time to be saved, she does seem to be reflective of her past transgressions. Honestly, I think her portrayal is 100% accurate, because in all reality, what rich seventeen-year-old who was visited by three ghosts and told to change their ways, would actually change their ways.
One of my favorite parts of this story is that it is not a love story. Yes, there is a romance, but the story is Holly's, and the point of the book is that she is working to get her life back. 
 
I highly recommend this book, and I hope to be able to continue my tradition and reread (most) every year. 

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raisinreads's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5


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