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foksha_1996's review
2.0
Another DNF book....I love ghost books, it reminds me of the tv show "The Whisperer" which I LOVE. However this book just sucked really bad, there are too much information which is NOT necessary *sigh*
lauredhel's review
4.0
The Good: A great modern Chinese-Australian YA ghost story that's also a homage - almost a love letter - to the 80s! Great for all us YA readers in our forties *whistles*
The Bad: The lack of Valley Girl references. The weird five-minute counsellor appointment - this was not believable, and I'm not sure what the point of it was.
The Ugly (but no different to most other YA, and hot damn I wish this would change real soon now): Multiple (and unchallenged) references to "spazzing out".
The Bonus: Labyrinth dialogue. *hearts* Lots of other eighties Easter Eggs.
My Question: Is the ghost's last name a homage to a Corey, by any chance?
The Bad: The lack of Valley Girl references. The weird five-minute counsellor appointment - this was not believable, and I'm not sure what the point of it was.
The Ugly (but no different to most other YA, and hot damn I wish this would change real soon now): Multiple (and unchallenged) references to "spazzing out".
The Bonus: Labyrinth dialogue. *hearts* Lots of other eighties Easter Eggs.
My Question: Is the ghost's last name a homage to a Corey, by any chance?
babzgordon's review
4.0
if you're wanting a gripping, edge of your seat, passionate romantic thriller, this book is not that. This book is more lounging, feet propped up on the table, read casually as you're listening Come On Eileen. And honestly I find that very refreshing! I find Shirley Marr has certain knack for capturing the teen voice very well. You think that would be a given, seeing as she's a YA author, but in all the YA I've devoured in my short life it's more of a rarity than you'd think. The writing, overall, has a very current and relevant feel to it. (I especially like the joked Amy's mother had about slapping a lace bow on a cheap locket and selling it on Etsy for a billion dollars. Ha! I laughed at that one.) It was light and bubbly with just enough darkness thrown in to give it a bit of an edge. That being said, I personally like my books with a lot more of an edge, but that doesn't mean I didn't still find this book enjoyable. It left me with such a hopeful, lighthearted feeling, like an 80s movie played out in book form. It had all the proper 80s-esque formula for storytelling going on (the awkward main character, the unattainable boy, the gossipy girls, the pretentious geek boy who is actually a sweet prince, the totally trippendicular tunes), I'm guessing Marr did that purposefully, in any case I thought it was quite clever.
If I had to pinpoint one major thing I didn't like about this book it would probably be Logan. For most of the book, I pretty much didn't get his appeal at all. He was just there, for me. It didn't make any sense to me why Amy was so infatuated with him. Well, I mean, besides the fact that he was a cute ghost that only she could see and hear. I thought he was mostly annoying up until the last 1/4 of the book, in which he started preaching all swoonily about mixtapes and finding yourself and it was very Casper and sickeningly sweet. I loved it!
The main thing I really loved about this book was the relationship between Amy and her mother. It was so funny, and sad, and awful, and sweet, and heartbreaking all at once. Like most mother-daughter relationships tend to be. I loved the way Marr was able to portray that, even though it was told through a very specific point of view, I think any young girl would be able to relate. She's got the magic touch, I swear! Like, if this book had been written by anyone else, I don't really think I would have enjoyed it as much as I did. You can tell Marr doesn't just write for something to do, or thrown in cheesy metaphors because they sound good, she's got a real talent in my humble opinion and I can't wait to read many more books from her!
All in all, I think this book will resonate more with the younger side of YA readers (13-16) but if you're like me and just an old creeper who can't get enough of good old fashioned well written contemporary YA fiction, give Preloved a try! If you're wanting something a little darker and more dramatic, you might want to try Shirley Marr's other novel, Fury, which is one of my favorite books! I want to end this with a fun little catch-phrase, like on Reading Rainbow when they'd enthusiastically shout "But you don't have to take my word for it!" except that doesn't even make sense because you are sort of having to take my word for it, so instead here's a picture of Geordi from Star Trek.
If I had to pinpoint one major thing I didn't like about this book it would probably be Logan. For most of the book, I pretty much didn't get his appeal at all. He was just there, for me. It didn't make any sense to me why Amy was so infatuated with him. Well, I mean, besides the fact that he was a cute ghost that only she could see and hear. I thought he was mostly annoying up until the last 1/4 of the book, in which he started preaching all swoonily about mixtapes and finding yourself and it was very Casper and sickeningly sweet. I loved it!
The main thing I really loved about this book was the relationship between Amy and her mother. It was so funny, and sad, and awful, and sweet, and heartbreaking all at once. Like most mother-daughter relationships tend to be. I loved the way Marr was able to portray that, even though it was told through a very specific point of view, I think any young girl would be able to relate. She's got the magic touch, I swear! Like, if this book had been written by anyone else, I don't really think I would have enjoyed it as much as I did. You can tell Marr doesn't just write for something to do, or thrown in cheesy metaphors because they sound good, she's got a real talent in my humble opinion and I can't wait to read many more books from her!
All in all, I think this book will resonate more with the younger side of YA readers (13-16) but if you're like me and just an old creeper who can't get enough of good old fashioned well written contemporary YA fiction, give Preloved a try! If you're wanting something a little darker and more dramatic, you might want to try Shirley Marr's other novel, Fury, which is one of my favorite books! I want to end this with a fun little catch-phrase, like on Reading Rainbow when they'd enthusiastically shout "But you don't have to take my word for it!" except that doesn't even make sense because you are sort of having to take my word for it, so instead here's a picture of Geordi from Star Trek.
arguemore's review
2.0
The whole thing felt as if it was so stunted. The blurb held so much promise, but the delivery was unconvincing. The characters were petty. The mystery wasn't deep enough and dark enough. The transitioning was erratic. It could have been so much more. I can't believe I even wasted so much time looking for this book everywhere. Suffice it to say I'm very disappointed.
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