The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade
Hardcover, 288 Pages
2010, Hyperion Book CH
ISBN: 142312197X
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 as a spirit (DON’T call her a ghost) in the land of the living with no sign of the big, bright light 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 who despises the social elite. He alone can see and hear (turns out he’s been “blessed” with the ability to communicate with the dead), but he wants nothing to do with the former mean girl of Groundsboro High.
Alona has never needed anyone for anything, and now she’s supposed to expose her deepest, darkest secrets to this pseudo-goth boy? Right. She’s not telling anyone what really happened the day she died, not even to save her eternal soul. And Will’s not filling out any volunteer forms to help her cross to the other side. He only has a few more weeks until his graduation, when he can strike out on his own and find a place with less spiritual interference. But he has to survive and stay out of the psych ward until then. Can they get over their mutual distrust—and the 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
Alona is a popular, but mean, high school girl who gets hit by a bus. She dies, but instead of moving on, she becomes a ghost. Will, a goth-looking, diagnosed schizophrenic, is the only person who can see her. Turns out, he's not actually mentally ill, just a ghost talker.
Alona isn't mourned by her former friends for more than a few days. Her boyfriend and best friend are hooking up and it seems like it's been going on for a while. People are even whispering that maybe she killed herself. To Alona, this is completely unacceptable. I love popular mean-girl comeuppance, even when the one getting her due just happens to be dead. Alona's experience as a ghost is both hilarious in how little people seem to care and touching when she starts realizing the things that truly matter.
The Ghost and the Goth deals with issues surrounding Alona and Will separately, but the major focus is on their relationship together. Two people who never would have talked to each other before find that they need each other. They bicker, come to terms and finally manage to form a friendship that seems to be leading into some strange uncharted waters.
The book gets a little jumbled when Will's friend Joonie goes off-the-deep-end crazy, but on the whole, The Ghost and the Goth is a light, fluffy young adult novel about life both before and after death. It's a fun read with some surprisingly deep moments. The book is essentially complete but the end seems to leave the door wide open for a sequel. If that's the case, I'll definitely be checking it out.
Rating
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I doubt this is really my type of book, but the cover is fun, and it sounds pretty easy. Great review! :)
ReplyDeleteI like this book. It was a great read. I loved Alona snappy character. Nice review :)
ReplyDeleteI had heard of this book but wasn't all that interested at first. However, I think I may have just changed my mind. This sounds like a really cute and sweet read - kind of reminds me of Just Like Heaven. Great review!
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I've been skipping over reviews for this because it didn't look like something I would like. Then I saw you had read it and gave it four shots and I went ahead and read your review. This actually sounds like a good read. I'll have to add it to the TBR. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI just read another review of this book, and you both seem to have enjoyed it. It sounds so fun! And it's good (and a bit surprising) to hear that it has some deep moments. I'll check it out!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a good book!
ReplyDeleteBTW Im stopping by to let you know that you've won an award http://breathlessbooks.blogspot.com/2010/08/versatile-blogger-award.html
@Melissa - The cover is pretty, isn't it?
ReplyDelete@Savannah - So true. Alona had a very developed, distinct personality.
@The Bookish Type - It was a little like Just Like Heaven, now that you mention it. Like a YA version.
@Tara SG - I wasn't going to read it either. As I've probably mentioned a zillion times, ghosts just aren't my thing. I signed up for the ARC tour based on the pretty cover and found it was much better than I had imagined.
@Emidy - I was surprised it was more than just a whiny teen ghost. There were definitely some major issues dealt with on both Alona and Will's sides that made the book much more than expected.
@Becky - Thanks so much!
I quite enjoyed this one!
ReplyDelete@Lyndsey - Me too! It was much better than I imagined it would be.
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