Totally Deceased

by Sue H. Cunningham

  "Funny, heartfelt and I loved the mystery" - Rosie Talbot, author of Sixteen Souls
Seventeen-year-old Jess wakes from an emergency heart transplant to discover she's being haunted by the disgruntled ghost of her donor - teenage socialite, Tilly. And she won't leave Jess in peace until they unravel the mystery surrounding her death. Their investigations take them deep into Tilly's luxurious heiress life - from private schools to Swiss banks and high-end hotels. But the clues lead somewhere darker than either of the girls could have imagined. And if Jess can't solve the murder in time, her own life may be at risk...
A hilarious, heart-racing murder mystery like no other.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult, Contemporary, Crime, Audiobook, Friendship

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 12, 2023

Reviews

[Youssra (semi ia) · Rating 4 out of 5]

reviewing this from a YA perspective, this was very fun, lighthearted and sweet with a decent mystery plot. (it was predictable for me because I am very much NOT a teenager😅) I think young Brits would really enjoy this as it could be very relatable for them and the audiobook was so good with the different British dialects.

[Lea Loves books · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing it is just as hilarious as promised I loved the character development and just how original the story was, the betrayal and secret were so unexpected when finally revealed and overall I loved this book

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

It might only be me but the ending made me cry

[Shelly Mack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review coming on our podcast episode. Follow @ya_bookjam on Instagram to find out more.

[Emma Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, and therefore have very little else to say. UKYA perfection. Sue Cunningham is a master of writing non-serious (but equally fairly serious and heartbreaking) YA comedies, that feel both impossible to put down and hilarious.

Cunningham is quickly becoming a firm favourite of mine.

[Jeanette Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Light hearted and funny!

[estella · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is aimed for 10 year olds, not 15 year olds which I think made me enjoy it a less. It sadly isn’t advertised as being aimed for 10 year olds though so I got confused, for too happy for my dark age 😂 Anywho there wasn’t much plot for the first half, genuinely all they did was go shopping, like a teenage shopping, that is my life I don’t want to read about it. the plot twice was shocking, at least for some cause I saw this kinda plotless so when a plot was revealed I was shocked. It was too slow and direct for my liking but I suppose it was ok.

[Arden Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was unputdownable from start to finish. Great characters, amazing tension throughout, brilliantly written and hilarious!
For a more in depth review, head over to our podcast YA Book Jam.

[Sylv · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was…okay. I kind of expected to be a reading a fun new murder mystery, but it feels like it got to a point where solving the murder didn’t actually feel very important. If you love books about money and stuff you might like this. It took AGES to read (which I don’t think I can really blame on the book tbh, but maybe if I felt more engaged with the book I would’ve been faster.) I didn’t feel particularly connected to the characters, they just didn’t feel very realistic. Also some of the things they get up to is genuinely insane and would be probably be impossible for like a 17 year old who has JUST had heart surgery. Also I did it’s bit predictable at parts, like the big plot twist of the book wasnt really much of a surprise unfortunately. When I finished the book, I was pretty glad to not still be reading. But I didn’t dislike it enough to stop reading altogether, so maybe it wasn’t all THAT bad, but I personally wouldn’t reread or recommend to one of my friends. (I do think I would’ve enjoyed reading this when I was younger though, it was in the teen section which is why I assumed it would be for me but I do think like 10-12 year old me would’ve LOVED it!!)

[Yvonne Banham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hooked from the start! 17 yr old Jess wakes from an emergency heart transplant to both the reality of recovery and the fact that she’s being haunted by the ghost of her donor - Tilly, a teenage socialite. What initially seems like an amusing haunting quickly turns into a complex mystery and the only way Jess will get any peace is to solve Tilly’s murder. I loved the jaunt through Tilly’s former life, all beautifully detailed, from her posh flat to the delicious afternoon tea. The climax doesn’t pull any punches (literally!) with me grimacing on Jess’ behalf and was a little teary in the final scenes. An excellent satisfying and pacy read

[Emma Pearl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so much fun! Yes, it's about murder and death and crime... not exactly cheery themes. But it's also about love and friendship, dismantling stereotypes, embracing life and letting go. Tilly and Jess balance and complement each other perfectly, and as their unconventional relationship grows, it's filled with unlikely and surprising but totally believable tenderness. Plenty of banter and a dash of glitz and glamour, which is countered beautifully by Jess's no-nonsense pragmatism. It's an action-packed murder mystery but it's also genuinely funny and full of 'heart' (pun intended). I would have killed for books like this when I was a teen. Totally.

[LK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely loved this fun, quirky murder mystery. From the very beginning, I truly struggled to put it down, not only because of the cracking pace and sense of mystery, but how engaging the characters are – I just loved the dynamic between Jess and Tilly and the believable growth of their unlikely friendship.

This is such a brilliantly written debut, funny, heart-warming and completely addictive. Highly recommended.

[Jenniferleest · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 ster - origineel verhaal, al heeft het (mijns inziens) wel een voorspelbaar verloop en is het hier en daar wat over de top. Toch heb ik mezelf daar geen seconde aan geërgerd, want Jess en Tilly zijn een top combinatie. Bovendien maken ze ook een mooie karakterontwikkeling door. Een goed boek om 2024 mee te beginnen!

[T.M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored the two main characters and their connection had me welling up by the end of the book. Loved the premise, and the way it starts immediately from chapter one with us thrown straight into the action. Really absorbing read too - I flew through it!

[Jinnzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
at first was a little "disappointed" because i had hoped for more mystery since it was rather "light-hearted" and funny. but at the end it was really wholesome, i had to cry.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really funny, I laughed so much. Cute fun mystery. I really enjoyed it

[Rosanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve just finished it.

I’m sobbing. What a wonderful, wonderful book. I loved Tilly and Jess.

[AJC · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book! A ghostly murder mystery with heart, humour and friendship at it's core - what's not to love! A fab read and brilliant debut.

[Melissa Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book it had me laughing out loud. Such a great pleasure read.

[Brittany (whatbritreads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this!*

I don't know if my rating for this one is a little harsh so before I review this I’m going to say firstly, I am massively in the minority in my opinion here. Secondly, this book is lighthearted and fun and if you don’t take your books too seriously and you’re just looking for some feel good shenanigans and good vibes - this would actually be an incredible pick. I’m just clearly some sort of Grinch, because I couldn’t gel with this book at all sadly.

To start with I really liked the premise and the first chapter set the book up quite nicely, but it was a bit of a whirlwind to be honest. We have about three pages to find out our main character needs a heart transplant, and then on the following page she’s waking from surgery. It was just all a bit fast paced and rushed for me, while also led me to feel like it was underdeveloped and so I struggled to really connect with the story on any level. From that point onward the plot sort of spirals into a very quickly run around London trying to solve a murder and it sort of conveniently forgets she’s supposed to be recovering from a major surgery. It just felt to me a little unrealistic and far-fetched and immature for the kind of book I was a) expecting and b) looking for. Now I can make some allowances for the talking ghost. I think that was a fun touch, but the rest was just making me roll my eyes.

The characters initially I really liked and their complete opposite dynamics were fun, but the way the dialogue and in particular Tilly’s speech was put together did make me cringe, it was a little cheesy. I think both characters ended up being really two dimensional and caricatures of different stereotypes in my head. Jess seemed to have no life of her own and didn't appear to have any friends she’d speak to apart from Tilly or her parents. It just felt like all of the tiny details were skipped in the hopes nobody would notice to make the storytelling more convenient to execute. I don’t really know how to articulate what I mean.

It was definitely tongue in cheek and very fast paced which was a plus, because I devoured it in just a couple of sittings it was very easy and light reading. But I feel like all of the problems that arise in this book are solved way too easily, and then the book just abruptly ends. They spend most of the time not really doing anything, and then the climax near the end of the book just felt rushed and disproportionate. The writing itself was fine, but underwhelming.

I think this book had the opportunity and storyline to do something really heartfelt and engaging with the story but it didn’t work for me.

[Katina Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

When seventeen-year-old Jess wakes up from an emergency heart transplant, she finds herself confronted by the ghost of the heart's donor, Tilly.
Tilly needs Jess to help her investigate her murder!

Tilly is an outgoing, demanding, socialite who is so different to Jess that at first they struggle to get on. But gradually they begin to work together and get to know each other. Their dialogue is fun and especially hilarious when Tilly is telling Jess what to do while poor Jess is trying to be discreet about talking to a ghost no-one else can see. Especially since Jess' state of mind was questioned more than once when people saw her seeming to talk to herself.

This murder mystery keeps you guessing and wondering who killed Tilly and why. Team this with amusing banter and the more serious heartfelt elements and you have this unique, fun, heartfelt whodunnit YA. I can imagine this being adapted for Netflix or similar, as it could be enjoyed by a wide audience demographic. A thoroughly enjoyable, recommended read for teens and adults alike.

[Lena Morrison · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this up adoring the cover and believing it was going to be similar to “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.” The premise was unique and seemed very interesting.

However, almost immediately I sensed that the writing style was not immersive enough and that things were going to happen too easily/quickly. The stakes felt low, despite it being a mystery. The characters didn’t do much investigating for most of the book. They walked around a lot and explored fancy areas of Europe, but they did little real investigating. They solved the mystery relatively quickly. The criminals themselves could have been much more interesting, but only one of them grabbed my attention. Overall, this is an example of a book with an intelligent premise but a weak execution.

The cover is lovely though.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel slightly conflicted with this one. I did genuinely enjoy the plot of this book, however I feel like the execution was off. There wasn't a clear target audience for this book as far as I can tell, the content and language used was aimed at an older audience than the writing style and dialogue was, leading to a the book feeling cringe worthy at times. It was still a heartwarming and fast paced read, which is sometimes all you need.

[Rebecca R · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! An original, warm-hearted murder mystery about a girl called Jess who is haunted by her heart-donor, Tilly, and agrees to help solve her murder so she can be at peace. Beautifully written with characters I genuinely cared about.

[Lynn Ebbers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did see the plottwist coming, but it still surprised me. When I started reading I would have never expected this to happen. Just wow.

[Keturah Fassler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my god. This book was so good. The drama, the twists and turns and why did Tilly remind me of Elle Woods? Such a great storyline and an overall great ya read. Overall, it was such a beautiful book, I’m actually crying.

[Camila Dalles · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad story but the plot was constantly ruined by the excessive discussion of the character's eating habits and weight. The subject wasn't even relevant to the story and honestly, it felt more like masked bullying other than actual concern.

[LUDMILKASTYL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taková oddechová detektivka. Vraha jsem sice odhadla s naprostou přesností a občas mi to přišlo až trochu pohádkové, ale to můžu přispívat tomu, že to bylo určené pro mladší čtenáře.
4⭐️

[Emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

Cant believe this was released in 2023, the language is archaic. Terms like "fat arse", "bollocks" and "knackered" aren't used by teens today in my opinion. Generally opening a book commenting on the weight of the teens is awful too. I feel like this person wrote the book in the early 00s and only just managed to get it published.

EDIT -- Had to come and edit this because I'm actually more annoyed about it the more I think about it that this book was thought up by the author, went through editors, publishers, marketing team and no one thought it was inappropriate to make those comments about a girl's weight. This book is living in the past!

[Mrs J M Sandford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a delightfully silly story!