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zaissa's review against another edition
4.0
I am generally not usually too enamored by fiction about high school, but this one is such a beautiful read for anyone who is a teenager, has been one, or loves one.
I can't say too much without spoiling it, but it was scary & suspenseful, awful, touching and just kinda struck a chord in a sort of surprisingly honest, real, and blunt way. I laughed, cried, and added more Yovanoff to my "want to read" list.
I can't say too much without spoiling it, but it was scary & suspenseful, awful, touching and just kinda struck a chord in a sort of surprisingly honest, real, and blunt way. I laughed, cried, and added more Yovanoff to my "want to read" list.
nextboldmove's review against another edition
4.0
This showed up at the library for me, even though I was pretty sure I had read it before. I decided I'd reread it anyway, even if I had read it before.
Once I'd gotten 50 pages in, I was SURE I had read it before, but I had it with me on a day of errands and appointments, so I opted to just reread the whole thing.
This is a charming YA book with a lot of inspiration (I'm guessing) from Veronica Mars. The ghost-of-a-dead-friend, and the have-to-break-into-her-house-to-steal-something, were both right out of the first season of Veronica Mars, but the author is still managing to do fresh things with the elements, so if it is drawn from VM, we will forgive her.
swim2pro's review against another edition
4.0
This book was interesting. I never understood the reason Hannah could see Lillian's ghost until the mystery was solved. However, I think that the novel was about both Hannah's friendship with Lillian and fixing the other relations Lillian destroyed as well as the Valentine killer. We don't seem to learn about the murders until the middle of the novel and until then, the novel moves slowly. But otherwise, the book was very interesting.
nmarie523's review against another edition
4.0
Once again, I start reading a book by Yovanoff and spend most of the story torn on what to think. Hannah is being haunted by her best friend Lillian, who died of anorexia 6 months prior. Her fascination with Finny Boone, a guy in her grade with a few delinquent issues only brings scorn from Lillian and their still living friends. Then there are the dead girls left in the park. Lillian pushes Hannah to solve their murders but could Finny be the perpetrator?
I couldn’t put this down. There are moments of angst and grief, along with a strong bond of friendship. I didn’t see who the killer was although you are certainly suspicious of many of the characters throughout. Enjoyed the story!
I couldn’t put this down. There are moments of angst and grief, along with a strong bond of friendship. I didn’t see who the killer was although you are certainly suspicious of many of the characters throughout. Enjoyed the story!
brandnewkindof's review against another edition
4.0
Brenna Yovanoff is deeply, deeply underrated as a YA novelist, and not just because she's capable of writing one-off books instead of series. Mostly because she's really damn good; this was a little more run of the mill than her first two, but it was still chilling and strange and sad.
chandrarooney's review against another edition
5.0
Review to come.
For now? Paper Valentine, you were all kinds of wow.
For now? Paper Valentine, you were all kinds of wow.
annaraemartin's review against another edition
4.0
Very good, loved the twist at the end. VERY HULIRIOUS
groundedwanderlust's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really interesting and kind of creepy book! I would have liked to see more Hannah/Finny interaction (maybe her spending more time at his house or them seeing each other after school more often) and way less Lillian. I feel like most of the Lillian episodes were unneeded, and they were definitely unwanted by me.
mcmath's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This is a story about grieving for a friend who died from an eating disorder. It is a story about accepting that you can be yourself. It also deals with how the world sees you and affects what happens.
rallythereaders's review against another edition
4.0
Also posted on Rally the Readers.
4.5 Stars
Paper Valentine makes me think of a string quartet. Individually, each instrument produces a beautiful sound; put them together, though, and the music is even more powerful. That is this book. Each story thread draws you in, but taken as a whole, you have one knockout novel.
Hannah Wagner sees the ghost of her dead best friend, Lillian Wald. Never able to please her mother, Lillian essentially starved herself to death. Its impact has affected Hannah in several ways. Of course there’s the fact that Lillian is haunting her, and Lillian can be quite the disruptive ghost. Under her outward appearance of calm that is underscored by her cheery outfits, Hannah is wrestling with the guilt she feels over just looking on as Lillian wasted away. Lillian was also the leader of their circle of friends, and without her, Hannah begins to realize that she shares nothing in common with the remaining members of the group.
Watching Hannah deal with the loss of Lillian made for a compelling story on its own. While she seems to be carrying on with her life, she’s not okay. It’s subtle, but it’s there. This book is full of nuances that are slowly built up; it’s when you view the assembled picture that you feel the full weight of what’s happened throughout the novel. It takes Hannah some time to become aware of how much she’s holding in, and adding to that burden are her conflicted feelings toward Finnegan “Finny” Boone.
Hannah has known Finny since childhood, and he is most decidedly trouble. Yet there’s a gentleness to him that belies his sharp edges. Finny is the type of boy whom Lillian and the rest of their clique never would have allowed Hannah to be seen with. What they think isn’t really an issue anymore, though. The tension and uncertainty about what exists between these two are riveting, and again, here’s a fraction of the story that stands strongly by itself.
And now for where the title comes in. A serial killer is targeting young girls in Hannah’s community and leaving paper valentines at the crime scenes. The book takes its darkest turn yet with this part of the story. The paranormal plays a significant role in catching the killer, and it’s cleverly worked into the murder mystery aspect of the novel. I did, however, find the big reveal of the killer’s identity somewhat wanting. For all of the meticulous plotting that led up to this moment, I felt like it went by too quickly, as if there were fifteen minutes left in a movie and all the loose ends needed to be tied up.
Ending aside, Paper Valentine was a fantastic read. Brenna Yovanoff is a brilliant storyteller, and I’m just in awe of her literal and figurative uses of ghosts in this. It’s a paranormal read like this one that reminds me why I love the genre so much.
4.5 Stars
Paper Valentine makes me think of a string quartet. Individually, each instrument produces a beautiful sound; put them together, though, and the music is even more powerful. That is this book. Each story thread draws you in, but taken as a whole, you have one knockout novel.
Hannah Wagner sees the ghost of her dead best friend, Lillian Wald. Never able to please her mother, Lillian essentially starved herself to death. Its impact has affected Hannah in several ways. Of course there’s the fact that Lillian is haunting her, and Lillian can be quite the disruptive ghost. Under her outward appearance of calm that is underscored by her cheery outfits, Hannah is wrestling with the guilt she feels over just looking on as Lillian wasted away. Lillian was also the leader of their circle of friends, and without her, Hannah begins to realize that she shares nothing in common with the remaining members of the group.
Watching Hannah deal with the loss of Lillian made for a compelling story on its own. While she seems to be carrying on with her life, she’s not okay. It’s subtle, but it’s there. This book is full of nuances that are slowly built up; it’s when you view the assembled picture that you feel the full weight of what’s happened throughout the novel. It takes Hannah some time to become aware of how much she’s holding in, and adding to that burden are her conflicted feelings toward Finnegan “Finny” Boone.
Hannah has known Finny since childhood, and he is most decidedly trouble. Yet there’s a gentleness to him that belies his sharp edges. Finny is the type of boy whom Lillian and the rest of their clique never would have allowed Hannah to be seen with. What they think isn’t really an issue anymore, though. The tension and uncertainty about what exists between these two are riveting, and again, here’s a fraction of the story that stands strongly by itself.
And now for where the title comes in. A serial killer is targeting young girls in Hannah’s community and leaving paper valentines at the crime scenes. The book takes its darkest turn yet with this part of the story. The paranormal plays a significant role in catching the killer, and it’s cleverly worked into the murder mystery aspect of the novel. I did, however, find the big reveal of the killer’s identity somewhat wanting. For all of the meticulous plotting that led up to this moment, I felt like it went by too quickly, as if there were fifteen minutes left in a movie and all the loose ends needed to be tied up.
Ending aside, Paper Valentine was a fantastic read. Brenna Yovanoff is a brilliant storyteller, and I’m just in awe of her literal and figurative uses of ghosts in this. It’s a paranormal read like this one that reminds me why I love the genre so much.