I am stoked to be participating in the blog tour of The Ghost of You and Me. Kelly Oram never disappoints! Be prepared to read with tissues in hand and a block of time to finish the book because you won’t want to sit it down. To see the full tour schedule, click here.
I received this book via the author, Kelly Oram. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
The Ghost of You and Me by Kelly Oram Published by Bluefields on 2017-06-20
Length: 311 pages
Reviewing eARC Rating:
Reading Challenges: 2017 New Release Challenge
How do you tell someone who hates you and blames you for the death of his best friend that you miss him?
From the bestselling teen and young adult author of Cinder & Ella comes a new heart-wrenching romance sure to bring all the feels.
The tragic death of Spencer Schott unravels the lives of the two people he loved most—his girlfriend, Bailey, and his best friend, Wes. Secrets and guilt from that fateful night keep both Bailey and Wes from overcoming Spencer’s loss and moving on with their lives.
Now, nearly a year later, both Bailey and Wes are still so broken over what happened that Spencer can’t find peace in the afterlife. In order to put his soul to rest, he’s given one chance to come back and set things right...even if that means setting up his girlfriend with his best friend.
With the emotional resonance of Jellicoe Road and the magical realism of The Lovely Bones, The Ghost of You and Me is a story about overcoming grief, finding redemption for past mistakes, and the healing power of friendship and love. Fans of John Green, Sarah Dessen, and Nicholas Sparks are sure to love this haunting new tale from Kelly Oram.
This is a clean young adult romance stand alone novel that reads like contemporary drama romance and has just a touch of magical realism.
Review
I really should know better than to start one of Kelly Oram‘s books before bedtime. It’s inevitable that I will stay up and finish reading it. I have never NOT finished one of her books in one sitting. They are that good. The characters are relatable, their plight heart-wrenchingly (is that a word?) real, and there’s just the right pinch of humor to get through the heavy stuff. I should have known better than to cave to my whims at 10:30pm, but I thought one chapter would be enough because I was tired when I started reading. Six hours later after multiple cries and a few snorts of laughter that woke the hubby, I was finished with The Ghost of You and Me and I was heart-broken and exhilarated and couldn’t calm down to sleep.
The Ghost of You and Me by Kelly Oram is her best yet. Honestly I may even like it better than Cinder & Ella (Sorry Brian ?). I was a little skeptical about how I would feel about the book when I started it. I mean yeah boy is dead and girl has to move on, but there was a bit of a love triangle going on when boy was alive SO I was skeptical. I shouldn’t have been. Seriously, I should have had faith in Kelly Oram. She’s never let me down. The heavy topics explored in this book really hit home for me, and I don’t think anyone else could have written it better.
The entire book is told from Bailey’s point of view. Bailey is introduced as a heartbroken teen. It’s been nearly a year since her long term boyfriend and best friend died in a car accident. She should be starting to put her life back together, instead she’s a living zombie. She goes through the motions but isn’t really there. Her heart has been shattered to pieces and feeling numb is her way to get through the days. I’ve been there. Grief, depression, anger, even lashing out is all normal they say. Bailey’s plight is that she feels SO guilty she doesn’t feel worthy of the things she experiences anymore.
Then there’s Wes. I was a bit confused over his character at first. Bailey remembers him as a guy that hates her. He has hated her ever since she started dating Spencer despite the fact that he was just as much her friend as he was Spencer’s prior to dating. At least that is what she thinks. But that isn’t what the reader gleans. Like Bailey, Wes is feeling guilty for living when Spencer didn’t. My heart ached for Wes. He is so broken and lost I just wanted to reach through the pages and give him a hug.
And finally you have ghost boy aka Spencer. As the blurb says, Spencer can’t rest when the two people he loves the most are still hurting because of him. He is given a short window to come back and fix things and he can only appear to one person, so of course he chooses Bailey. I did not read the blurb before reading the book so I thought she was imagining Spencer but then realized no he was really there. I actually really liked this element of the book. The magical realism was not too far stretched. It was perfect for telling the story and helping the characters “move on.” I loved Spencer and I think I hurt for him just as much as Bailey and Wes did. I loved his wit and how he knew exactly what they needed from him.
Overall I really loved this book. I loved the characters, the plot and even the ghost. If you’re a fan of Kelly Oram or you enjoy YA contemporary, I highly recommend it. It is worth all the feels!!!
Teaser
He folds his arms over his chest, taking a long moment to look me over. The emotion in his gaze isn’t lust; it’s longing. Eventually, his eyes fall shut, and he takes a deep breath. “I love you, Bay.”
“I love you, too.” My voice is so thick I can barely whisper the words. If he’s trying to make me cry, he’s getting very close to accomplishing his goal.
The room is silent for a moment. I don’t want to break it.
Spence’s greenish-gold eyes are full of pain when he softly says, “You need to let me go.”
About Kelly Oram
Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen--a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which her family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and likes to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, four children, and her cat, Mr. Darcy.
$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway
Ends 7/26/17
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I haven’t gotten to this one yet, but I’m so glad it’s Kelly Oram gold again!! Great review!
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