Monday, February 4, 2013

Notes from Ghost Town by Kate Ellison

They say first love never dies...

From critically acclaimed author Kate Ellison comes a heartbreaking mystery of mental illness, unspoken love, and murder. When sixteen-year-old artist Olivia Tithe is visited by the ghost of her first love, Lucas Stern, it’s only through scattered images and notes left behind that she can unravel the mystery of his death.

There’s a catch: Olivia has gone colorblind, and there’s a good chance she’s losing her mind completely—just like her mother did. How else to explain seeing (and falling in love all over again with) someone who isn’t really there?

With the murder trial looming just nine days away, Olivia must follow her heart to the truth, no matter how painful. It’s the only way she can save herself.

4 stars
I recieved a copy of Notes from Ghost Town courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher.

Olivia is a 16 yr old artist from Florida, but attending school in Michigan. Her best friend, Stern, is a piano prodigy, as well as one of her mothers students. Right before returning back to school at the end of summer, Olivia and Stern share a kiss that causes her to go colorblind, and not long afterward, her whole life is tossed upside down, and changed forever.

I don't even know what to say about this YA book! I absolutely loved it! There was something so sweet about this murder/mystery, and the characters, I couldn't help but shed a few tears while reading. My heart ached for Olivia, not only losing her best friend and one she loved, but her mom AND her ability to see color. She was so passionate about painting and became clorblind! That would be like taking the legs off a dancer, a tongue from a chef, or the eyes from a reader. On top of it all, her dad is getting remarried, she has to drop out of school, and move from the house she grew up in and loved. Not to mention she starts wondering if her mothers schizophrenia is now rubbing off on her, since she is seeing Sterns ghost. Aside from not being able to be with Stern, the end of the story is a happy one, and I would recommend this one to anyone that is looking for a YA book that stands out.

~Mandy

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