Rating: 3.5 stars
Cover Rating: 3.5 stars (It sets the tone of the book nicely.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: September 18, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Page Count: 355 p.
Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon
Add it: Goodreads
Charlotte isn't sure how she ended up in this strange hotel at first, then she meets Nancy, who explains it all. Charlotte is dead—murdered to be exact—and she is stuck in this sort of limbo until she figured out who wanted her dead. The hotel isn't all bad, besides being dead. Nancy and Lorna are pretty nice and totally into helping her solve her murder. Tess isn't quite so charming though and then there is Edison...Charlotte isn't sure what to make of him. So now Charlotte has to spy on the living and figure out what, in her mostly invisible life, would make somebody want to kill her. She'll find out who her true friends are, and who she never really knew all that well.
This was a fun little read. You would think a heavy topic like, a girl's own murder would drag the book down but it didn't. Suzy Cox made a light mystery that had plenty of fun parts amongst the depressing. It was mostly just sad that Charlotte would never get to be human again, but she didn't seem all that upset about it. I don't know if she was the most realistic character, but I appreciate her coming to terms with being dead rather quickly.
The love aspects of this book, and sort of the mystery itself were a bit predictable but the story was still a good read anyways. There were secrets about the other characters that I couldn't figure out and so that was a great reason to keep reading. This book was so light and fun though, I feel like it could easily be a book even for older Middle Grade readers. There were a few skank sort of remarks, but I think they would enjoy the story.
This was a fun little mystery that was never too heavy, but all sorts of fun. I enjoyed the characters, even the less pleasant ones. They seemed like a sort of parody of themselves. Regardless, if you are looking for a light mystery, make sure you check this one out.
First Line:
"Pop Quiz: What would you do if you only had one day left to live?"
Favorite Lines:
"'Hey, as everyone who's had one knows, the 'fun' in 'funeral' is something of a misnomer.'...'Do you just sit around at night coming up with these lines? Waiting for new dead girls to show up so you can try them out?'"
I haven't read much about this but it's good to hear that despite the death aspect, it still manages to be a light/fun read! Great review, I like the cover, too
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