Notes From Ghost Town by Kate Ellison review and giveaway

 

Published: Feb 12th, 2013

Publisher: Egmont

Pages: 336

Copy: Publisher via Netgalley

Summary: Goodreads

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.

I have to be honest, when I started Notes from Ghost Town, I wasn't too sure about it.  I was hovering on the will I/won't I finish it line - but then something caught me and I started reading at a rate of knots and I couldn't get enough of it.  I think it was when I realised that things weren't quite as straightforward as they seemed and the mystery started to get deeper. 

Olivia is heartbroken after the death of her best friend Stern and she is struggling to cope with all the changes in her life.  She was more or less a typical teenager and I found it fairly easy to relate to her, but two things bothered me though - why would she not tell anyone about her colour blindness and the way she just kept blowing off work?  The first just seem silly, and the second completely irresponsible.  To be honest, as I continued to read, the reasons for keeping her disability to herself came to make sense, but I still don't like the way she behaved over work - sorry, that may just be a motherly thing on my part though, but I don't think so. 

Austin is the new love interest here and I kinda sorta had a love/hate relationship with him.  Evemtually though, his character really grew on me and my final decision is definitely positive where he is concerned.  There is a lovely twist with his character that I should have seen coming but I didn't - 10 Things I Hate About You anyone?

In the end, I was really glad that I stuck with Notes From Ghost Town.  It was a mysterious, romantic, heartbreaking ghost story that kept me guessing almost until the very end.  Give it a try, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

The Paperback Princesses are lucky enough to be able to offer our readers a chance to win a hardcopy of Notes From Ghost Town and a paperback copy of The Butterfly Clues.  Thank you so much to Egmont USA. Try your luck -

a Rafflecopter giveaway

* Kate's blog:

 

Don't forget that we ALSO have a giveaway going on for a copy of Jennifer Lynn Barne's Nobody &; Every Other Day. ENTER HERE NOW.