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A review by exhaleartist
Notes from Ghost Town by Kate Ellison
3.0
The summary for this book intrigued me when I first read it, and when the opportunity arose to read this, I jumped. This is the first book I’ve read by Kate Ellison, and I cannot wait to read more. Notes from Ghost Town was a chilling read, and I was fascinated by it. Kate Ellison has created a wondrous blend that focuses on mental illness, grief, and mystery.
Olivia’s situation consistently tugs at the heartstrings. First of all, she’s struggling to come to terms with the loss of Lucas, her best friend from childhood and a boy she was on the verge of falling in love with. As if that isn’t enough, her mother is facing trial for Lucas’ murder. Kate Ellison does an amazing job of conveying the complex emotional state that Olivia faces, and she has created a setup that will keep readers guessing. Throughout the book, I was always wondering whether or not I could believe what Olivia thought was happening. She truly meets the definition of an unreliable narrator. Surrounding Olivia is a fantastic cast of characters Raina (her living best friend), Lucas, Austin (he reminds me a little bit of Logan from Veronica Mars), and her father top the list for me. All of them were realistically drawn, and I loved the way they interacted.
Notes from Ghost Town‘s main storyline is a murder mystery. However, the journey to uncover the murderer was much more interesting than discovering who it was. This was probably due to the fact that I was able to figure out who really committed the murder quite early on in the book. But there were just so many fantastic plots and subplots running through the story, I was entranced. There’s the relationship between Lucas and Olivia and how she comes to terms with his death, her budding romance with Austin, resident bad boy, Olivia’s struggle to face her mother’s mental illness and the way her father is moving on, and, of course, Olivia’s challenges regarding her own sanity.
Overall, Notes from Ghost Town was an amazing book that nicely blends mystery, romance, and drama. I also appreciated the realistic approach Kate Ellison takes regarding mental illness. I would definitely recommend this book, and the only issue I had with it was the somewhat predictable twists.
**I received an ARC for review in exchange for an honest review.
Olivia’s situation consistently tugs at the heartstrings. First of all, she’s struggling to come to terms with the loss of Lucas, her best friend from childhood and a boy she was on the verge of falling in love with. As if that isn’t enough, her mother is facing trial for Lucas’ murder. Kate Ellison does an amazing job of conveying the complex emotional state that Olivia faces, and she has created a setup that will keep readers guessing. Throughout the book, I was always wondering whether or not I could believe what Olivia thought was happening. She truly meets the definition of an unreliable narrator. Surrounding Olivia is a fantastic cast of characters Raina (her living best friend), Lucas, Austin (he reminds me a little bit of Logan from Veronica Mars), and her father top the list for me. All of them were realistically drawn, and I loved the way they interacted.
Notes from Ghost Town‘s main storyline is a murder mystery. However, the journey to uncover the murderer was much more interesting than discovering who it was. This was probably due to the fact that I was able to figure out who really committed the murder quite early on in the book. But there were just so many fantastic plots and subplots running through the story, I was entranced. There’s the relationship between Lucas and Olivia and how she comes to terms with his death, her budding romance with Austin, resident bad boy, Olivia’s struggle to face her mother’s mental illness and the way her father is moving on, and, of course, Olivia’s challenges regarding her own sanity.
Overall, Notes from Ghost Town was an amazing book that nicely blends mystery, romance, and drama. I also appreciated the realistic approach Kate Ellison takes regarding mental illness. I would definitely recommend this book, and the only issue I had with it was the somewhat predictable twists.
**I received an ARC for review in exchange for an honest review.