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sgall75's review
4.0
I read the blurb for 'The Wanderer' and knew straight away I had to read it. I wasn't disappointed. It's a bittersweet love story between a ghost and the living school girl he loves. Unfortunately, she has no idea he even exists.
Ryder died five years ago in an accident and has been a 'wanderer' ever since, after staying with his family and not going on to the afterlife as he should. He finds his existence beyond the grave to be lonely and depressing, despite having a friendship with fellow ghost, Jade. His only moments of fleeting happiness occur when those on the brink of death 'see' him, providing him with a moment of vindication. It's during one of his visits to the hospital seeking the dying, that Ryder discovers Maggie. He finds himself drawn to her and becomes increasingly desperate to spend time with her. His actions become more dangerous and he finds himself in a situation where he knows he has to let Maggie go in order to save them both from broken hearts.
I adored the characters of Ryder and Maggie and watching their love for each other develop was heart breaking at times. I wanted to shake him when you could see how his actions would affect Maggie. You really feel for poor Ryder who is so torn by his feelings for Maggie and his desire to do the right thing. I liked how the book dealt with the aftermath of grief and how it affects both individuals and families.
This was such a hauntingly sweet love story and a wonderful debut. Thank you to Netgalley and firefly press for giving me the opportunity to read an arc in return for an honest review.
Ryder died five years ago in an accident and has been a 'wanderer' ever since, after staying with his family and not going on to the afterlife as he should. He finds his existence beyond the grave to be lonely and depressing, despite having a friendship with fellow ghost, Jade. His only moments of fleeting happiness occur when those on the brink of death 'see' him, providing him with a moment of vindication. It's during one of his visits to the hospital seeking the dying, that Ryder discovers Maggie. He finds himself drawn to her and becomes increasingly desperate to spend time with her. His actions become more dangerous and he finds himself in a situation where he knows he has to let Maggie go in order to save them both from broken hearts.
I adored the characters of Ryder and Maggie and watching their love for each other develop was heart breaking at times. I wanted to shake him when you could see how his actions would affect Maggie. You really feel for poor Ryder who is so torn by his feelings for Maggie and his desire to do the right thing. I liked how the book dealt with the aftermath of grief and how it affects both individuals and families.
This was such a hauntingly sweet love story and a wonderful debut. Thank you to Netgalley and firefly press for giving me the opportunity to read an arc in return for an honest review.
sunny_reads's review
(ARC copy kindly provided by the publisher through NetGalley)
I found this debut novel by Josie Williams perplexing and enjoyable. What originally drew me to this release was the premise of the story - I mean who doesn’t love a good star-crossed ghost/mortal love story?
However, 'The Wanderer' was so much more nuanced than that. It invited me to consider mortality and the value of life, combining more realist fiction with that of the supernatural in order to create a surprising Teen/YA read.
I initially found the book hard to get into as I felt Maggie leaned a little too heavily into the “Not like other girls” stereotype that is so prevalent in the Teen/YA genres. However, as I continued and got to read a little more of Maggie’s POV, I found myself relating to her more and more.
As for Ryder, he was both lovable and antagonizing - seriously, sometimes I would find myself audibly whisper ‘AGHHH!’ under my breath while reading his POV. And yet this is exactly the kind of audible response to characters that make those specific characters feel so real!
Overall, I really did like this book; full of romance and the paranormal - well, what’s not to like?
I found this debut novel by Josie Williams perplexing and enjoyable. What originally drew me to this release was the premise of the story - I mean who doesn’t love a good star-crossed ghost/mortal love story?
However, 'The Wanderer' was so much more nuanced than that. It invited me to consider mortality and the value of life, combining more realist fiction with that of the supernatural in order to create a surprising Teen/YA read.
I initially found the book hard to get into as I felt Maggie leaned a little too heavily into the “Not like other girls” stereotype that is so prevalent in the Teen/YA genres. However, as I continued and got to read a little more of Maggie’s POV, I found myself relating to her more and more.
As for Ryder, he was both lovable and antagonizing - seriously, sometimes I would find myself audibly whisper ‘AGHHH!’ under my breath while reading his POV. And yet this is exactly the kind of audible response to characters that make those specific characters feel so real!
Overall, I really did like this book; full of romance and the paranormal - well, what’s not to like?
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