You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.22 AVERAGE
3.22 AVERAGE
I rarely rate the books I do not finish, however, while this novel didn't sweep me into the story, it's a beautifully written and delightfully strange ghost story.
Why didn't I love it? Despite the urgency of the physical longings of both the mostly living girl and the mostly dead boy--I wasn't worried about the outcome, perhaps, and as a writer, I didn't wonder HOW Bonnaffons was going to accomplish it. Ultimately, I didn't have time to spend in limbo with these folks.
Why didn't I love it? Despite the urgency of the physical longings of both the mostly living girl and the mostly dead boy--I wasn't worried about the outcome, perhaps, and as a writer, I didn't wonder HOW Bonnaffons was going to accomplish it. Ultimately, I didn't have time to spend in limbo with these folks.
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Interesting concept to start. The story flowed well, but the ending was just so horrible. It’s unsatisfying and makes you feel like you wasted your time reading it.
reflective
sad
fast-paced
I really love all those beautifully crafted slice-of-life style observations that are prevalent in literary fiction, but I just can't seem to get excited about them unless they're in the context of some weirdo fantasy setup. In that regard this book was just *chef kiss* perfect.
The story follows Thomas, a guy who had an encounter with an angel as a kid when the angel mistook him for a different boy she was there to collect. When he dies for real many years later, the angel that comes for him is (whoopsie!) the same angel, and it creates all sorts of clerical errors in the afterlife. Now for the next three months he's stuck on Earth in a body that looks like his but isn't, unable to contact people from his past life or make new connections lest he incur the dreaded "regrets". Complications happen, of course, in the form of Rachel, the girl at his bus stop who he becomes a little obsessed with.
So first off, I (obviously) loved the writing in this- there are so many choice nuggets peppered throughout that the screenshots folder on my phone grew significantly over the course of the book. I loved the flawed characters and how they reacted within this strange context. I loved the odd, floaty charm of it all, and the low-key humor that had me smiling on more than one occasion.
I will say that I think this started a lot stronger than it ended, and part of that comes down to a narrative shift about halfway through the book that I don't think was totally successful. The momentum slowed down at that point and I ended up putting it down for a few days before picking it up again. I'm glad I did go back, though, as I do think it comes back around in the end and I found myself overall satisfied with where it all went.
Overall, though, I just really liked this book. Even though I'm not going to be going around telling everyone that they ABSOLUTELY MUST READ IT, I feel this soft spot inside that's filled with nothing but a warm, pleasant fondness for it.
The story follows Thomas, a guy who had an encounter with an angel as a kid when the angel mistook him for a different boy she was there to collect. When he dies for real many years later, the angel that comes for him is (whoopsie!) the same angel, and it creates all sorts of clerical errors in the afterlife. Now for the next three months he's stuck on Earth in a body that looks like his but isn't, unable to contact people from his past life or make new connections lest he incur the dreaded "regrets". Complications happen, of course, in the form of Rachel, the girl at his bus stop who he becomes a little obsessed with.
So first off, I (obviously) loved the writing in this- there are so many choice nuggets peppered throughout that the screenshots folder on my phone grew significantly over the course of the book. I loved the flawed characters and how they reacted within this strange context. I loved the odd, floaty charm of it all, and the low-key humor that had me smiling on more than one occasion.
I will say that I think this started a lot stronger than it ended, and part of that comes down to a narrative shift about halfway through the book that I don't think was totally successful. The momentum slowed down at that point and I ended up putting it down for a few days before picking it up again. I'm glad I did go back, though, as I do think it comes back around in the end and I found myself overall satisfied with where it all went.
Overall, though, I just really liked this book. Even though I'm not going to be going around telling everyone that they ABSOLUTELY MUST READ IT, I feel this soft spot inside that's filled with nothing but a warm, pleasant fondness for it.
Tender and wistful ghost love story. Not for everyone- serious literary fiction readers may roll their eyes at the dreaminess and romance readers may get exasperated with the characters, but hits a sweet spot for the right reader.
This book started out so strong but I feel like it shot itself in the foot somewhere around the middle and the ending just fell flat for me. The beginning is lush and intriguing and captures the emotional journey of these two people, one living and one dead, falling in love. It's witty and surreal and strange and I loved it. Then, somewhere around the middle, when things begin to change, we skip to a third-party perspective, miss out on the emotional development that accompanies this transition, and watch from a distance as Rachel struggles to come to grips with how she feels.
From that point on, the narrative feels detached and off. The sharp removal from this emotional world that the author had built was enough to break my immersion in the story and suddenly the characters felt like characters again. I didn't really care where the story went, what happened, or how things developed. It felt like being given the tantalizing first half of a story and the conclusion, but with only a hazy and indistinct middle to tie them together.
From that point on, the narrative feels detached and off. The sharp removal from this emotional world that the author had built was enough to break my immersion in the story and suddenly the characters felt like characters again. I didn't really care where the story went, what happened, or how things developed. It felt like being given the tantalizing first half of a story and the conclusion, but with only a hazy and indistinct middle to tie them together.
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
- intriguing concepts
- fell flat at the end, characters lost in messaging by the end
- fell flat at the end, characters lost in messaging by the end
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes