Scan barcode
purple676's review against another edition
4.0
Did I finish this book or did it finish me
Ok so this was not a new story, I’ve read this twist many times before but I still really enjoyed it. Well as much as you can enjoy a really fucking Sad story. I cried at the end. Todd deserved better
Ok so this was not a new story, I’ve read this twist many times before but I still really enjoyed it. Well as much as you can enjoy a really fucking Sad story. I cried at the end. Todd deserved better
kian_annus's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
in_and_out_of_the_stash's review against another edition
4.0
More 3 1/2*
There were parts of this story that seemed superfluous but made sense later on.
There were parts of this story that seemed superfluous but made sense later on.
talontarget's review against another edition
3.0
I think all of the characters were nuances and three dimensional, except for the teacher that Todd interacts with mainly, Todd himself, and the detectives. Other than that, the prose was mainly succinct and to the point and every character had about one good trait to several bad traits. By the end I was tearing up, especially the last chapter. The story unfolded in a way that was engaging, but the pace was a little slow for my personal tastes.
Overall a good book!
Overall a good book!
ruth_rb's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
gggina13's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars
Cold unfortunately lives up to its name with a very cold, detached writing style.
We follow Todd Mayer, who is dead, and a ghost, and following around the detectives investigating his likely murder. I kind of think this is just a way to passively get us to see what the investigation side of the story is like, because we don't hear a ton from Todd. He talks about the sensation of being a ghost, more lack thereof, but mostly it's just an info dump about what the detectives learn.
We also follow Georgia, who has basically nothing to do with Todd, doesn't know him at all, but her brother was in the same grade as him at school. Her POV is also one in which we do not get much of a level of depth at all, which really just makes reading this book frustrating because it's not easy to read a sensitive subject matter like teen death in such a detached style. It's definitely a style of writing, and a choice, and I can see how some people would be interested in a more factual story without a big depth of emotion, but I really wanted to know more about how everyone FELT and not just what they DID.
There's not much else to say as there is an investigation into Todd's death that brings things to light over the course of the book. Georgia is biracial, I believe half Japanese? Todd and Georgia are both queer. But like everything in this book, we are mostly told and not shown even that. It's certainly not my favorite YA mystery, and the Lovely Bones comp is quite the stretch, but I think it does have an audience out there, even if it's niche.
Cold unfortunately lives up to its name with a very cold, detached writing style.
We follow Todd Mayer, who is dead, and a ghost, and following around the detectives investigating his likely murder. I kind of think this is just a way to passively get us to see what the investigation side of the story is like, because we don't hear a ton from Todd. He talks about the sensation of being a ghost, more lack thereof, but mostly it's just an info dump about what the detectives learn.
We also follow Georgia, who has basically nothing to do with Todd, doesn't know him at all, but her brother was in the same grade as him at school. Her POV is also one in which we do not get much of a level of depth at all, which really just makes reading this book frustrating because it's not easy to read a sensitive subject matter like teen death in such a detached style. It's definitely a style of writing, and a choice, and I can see how some people would be interested in a more factual story without a big depth of emotion, but I really wanted to know more about how everyone FELT and not just what they DID.
There's not much else to say as there is an investigation into Todd's death that brings things to light over the course of the book. Georgia is biracial, I believe half Japanese? Todd and Georgia are both queer. But like everything in this book, we are mostly told and not shown even that. It's certainly not my favorite YA mystery, and the Lovely Bones comp is quite the stretch, but I think it does have an audience out there, even if it's niche.
tillywa's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
surefinewhatever_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
3.5
A quick YA mystery thriller. Though I guessed the ending to some degree, I did find this to be a compelling story. I liked the split perspectives and found it to be an easy read and hard to put down. Nearly finished in one sitting! Also, I love this cover!!
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
4.0
A tragic YA mystery story about the death of a gay teen boy told from the perspective of his ghost and his classmate Georgia, who uncovers the mystery behind his murder. Completely atmospheric with a lot of Everything I never told you vibes. This was a quick but powerful read by a new to me Canadian author. Highly recommended. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance listening copy!
TW: bullying, homophobia
TW: bullying, homophobia