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marleyreadsslow's review
5.0
This was AMAZING! It was a good easy quick read, and I really enjoyed it. It was funny, sad, deppresing in some ways. And it's such a cool concept about the afterlife. Definitely recommend!
agxxo's review
1.0
Yikes.
Yikes.
YIKES.
I wanted so badly to love this book; I’ve been wanting to read this for about three years or so.
It moved so fast, which I get it, you’re kind of on a time constraint, but really, you fell in love with the ghost boy in two days?
The writing was very juvenile. I wouldn’t class this as middle-grade, but I wouldn’t class it as YA, either. It’s like in the middle of the two.
I hated Lacey. Lacey was a word-I-won’t-say-because-I-don’t-personally-swear-but-starts-with-B.
Sarah seemed to think everything was about her on haunting day, when it wasn’t just HER haunting day.
Declan was so stupid and pointless and self-obsessed… I have no other words.
I kind of liked Alice, that was about it.
Don’t read this book.
Don’t buy this book.
Don’t look at this book.
Don’t even think about this book.
Yikes.
YIKES.
I wanted so badly to love this book; I’ve been wanting to read this for about three years or so.
It moved so fast, which I get it, you’re kind of on a time constraint, but really, you fell in love with the ghost boy in two days?
The writing was very juvenile. I wouldn’t class this as middle-grade, but I wouldn’t class it as YA, either. It’s like in the middle of the two.
I hated Lacey. Lacey was a word-I-won’t-say-because-I-don’t-personally-swear-but-starts-with-B.
Sarah seemed to think everything was about her on haunting day, when it wasn’t just HER haunting day.
Declan was so stupid and pointless and self-obsessed… I have no other words.
I kind of liked Alice, that was about it.
Don’t read this book.
Don’t buy this book.
Don’t look at this book.
Don’t even think about this book.
kazgriffin's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
missprint_'s review against another edition
2.0
Sixteen-year-old New Yorker Sarah Evans is shocked when she wakes up dead. At the Mall of America. In Minnesota. Wearing the mango chiffon bridesmaid gown she had on when she died.
Along with fellow teen murder victims Harry (cancer, although that isn't technically what killed him), Lacey (pushed off a roof), Alice (she doesn't want to talk about it), and the oh-so-dreamy Nick (gunshot to the chest), Sarah is supposed to use her time at the mall to prepare to move on. The only problem is that Sarah can't believe anyone would want to murder her when she spent her entire (short) life determined to be ordinary.
Interfering with the living is against the rules according to her annoyingly chipper "death coach," Bertha, but Sarah knows her father is in danger and that she is the only one who can help in I Woke Up Dead at the Mall (2016) by Judy Sheehan.
I Woke Up Dead at the Mall is Sheehan's first novel.
Sarah's snark-filled, first person narration meshes well with the madcap quality of this story. This novel sidesteps religion by presenting the Boy (AKA "Boss of You") as the ultimate authority figure in the afterlife while also keeping things like angels separate from any faith-based interpretations.
Unfortunately these seemingly arbitrary alternatives also provide little in the way of world building for the fantasy elements of this story. Pop culture references, including a years-too-late cameo by Oprah, lend a dated and out-of-touch quality to this otherwise strong plot.
In this offbeat ghost story Sarah uses her uncanny haunting abilities, along with some help from her new friends, to make sense of her afterlife and save the day. I Woke Up Dead at the Mall is a fun read but it is also slight and shockingly lacking in diversity for a novel that draws its cast from New York City. One note characters with vague motivations further diminish the overall impact of this novel.
I Woke Up Dead at the Mall starts with an interesting premise that sadly never realizes its potential. Sheehan's quirky vision of the afterlife ultimately leads to a meandering story with a mixed bag of plot points and an ending that ties things up with a too-neat bow.
Possible Pairings: Blackfin Sky by Kat Ellis, The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle, Last Night at the Circle Cinema by Emily Franklin, The Devil and Winnie Flynn by Micol and David Ostow, The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos
*A more condensed version of this review appeared in an issue of School Library Journal from which it can be seen on various sites online*
Along with fellow teen murder victims Harry (cancer, although that isn't technically what killed him), Lacey (pushed off a roof), Alice (she doesn't want to talk about it), and the oh-so-dreamy Nick (gunshot to the chest), Sarah is supposed to use her time at the mall to prepare to move on. The only problem is that Sarah can't believe anyone would want to murder her when she spent her entire (short) life determined to be ordinary.
Interfering with the living is against the rules according to her annoyingly chipper "death coach," Bertha, but Sarah knows her father is in danger and that she is the only one who can help in I Woke Up Dead at the Mall (2016) by Judy Sheehan.
I Woke Up Dead at the Mall is Sheehan's first novel.
Sarah's snark-filled, first person narration meshes well with the madcap quality of this story. This novel sidesteps religion by presenting the Boy (AKA "Boss of You") as the ultimate authority figure in the afterlife while also keeping things like angels separate from any faith-based interpretations.
Unfortunately these seemingly arbitrary alternatives also provide little in the way of world building for the fantasy elements of this story. Pop culture references, including a years-too-late cameo by Oprah, lend a dated and out-of-touch quality to this otherwise strong plot.
In this offbeat ghost story Sarah uses her uncanny haunting abilities, along with some help from her new friends, to make sense of her afterlife and save the day. I Woke Up Dead at the Mall is a fun read but it is also slight and shockingly lacking in diversity for a novel that draws its cast from New York City. One note characters with vague motivations further diminish the overall impact of this novel.
I Woke Up Dead at the Mall starts with an interesting premise that sadly never realizes its potential. Sheehan's quirky vision of the afterlife ultimately leads to a meandering story with a mixed bag of plot points and an ending that ties things up with a too-neat bow.
Possible Pairings: Blackfin Sky by Kat Ellis, The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle, Last Night at the Circle Cinema by Emily Franklin, The Devil and Winnie Flynn by Micol and David Ostow, The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos
*A more condensed version of this review appeared in an issue of School Library Journal from which it can be seen on various sites online*
atelmari's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
story_sanctuary's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not sure what I was expecting when I picked up this book. Shop-a-holic meets Walking Dead? I really had no idea.
What I found was a hilarious narrator with a team of unlikely allies-- all murdered teens trapped in the Mall of America trying to come to grips with their deaths and let go of their lives. I loved the relationships between Sarah and her friends, and especially her doting mentor. There are some truly sad moments and lots of fun moments in between, with even a bit of romance in there for extra sweetness.
This is a great summer read - not too serious, and oddly (but somehow perfectly) lighthearted despite the dark topic. If you've ever seen (and loved) the 90s movie Heart and Souls, you definitely want to check out this book.
What I found was a hilarious narrator with a team of unlikely allies-- all murdered teens trapped in the Mall of America trying to come to grips with their deaths and let go of their lives. I loved the relationships between Sarah and her friends, and especially her doting mentor. There are some truly sad moments and lots of fun moments in between, with even a bit of romance in there for extra sweetness.
This is a great summer read - not too serious, and oddly (but somehow perfectly) lighthearted despite the dark topic. If you've ever seen (and loved) the 90s movie Heart and Souls, you definitely want to check out this book.
emmaaxtco's review against another edition
2.0
There were times when this book made me absolutely furious. But overall it was just meh.
thebookishlibrarian's review against another edition
Sixteen-year-old Sarah is dead. And she’s at the mall. The first person she meets is Bertha, who claims to be her Death Coach. She tells Sarah that she has been murdered; poisoned to be exact. Sarah is in a limbo of sorts, and Bertha tells her that her mission is not to get to heaven or hell, but to simply move on and finish her unfinished business. She is only sixteen, after all, and had her whole life ahead of her. Now she has no choice but to make the best of her situation. Readers are taken on a non-stop ride as Sarah becomes acquainted with the after-world and tries to figure out who murdered her, and why.
michelle_pink_polka_dot's review against another edition
4.0
Cute, adorable,fun!! I loved this weird/cute take on the afterlife. It sucked me in right away with a very strong and sassy voice. It wasn’t perfect and took some twists and turns that I didn’t love, but I always loved the characters and feel of this book. It was definitely a “me” book— plus, it’s set at THE MALL. Where is better to spend an afterlife? Or a reading experience?