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I Woke Up Dead at the Mall
When Sarah wakes up dead at the Mall of America, she learns that not only was she murdered, her killer is still on the loose.
When you’re sixteen, you have your whole life ahead of you. Unless you’re Sarah. Not to give anything away, but . . . she’s dead. Murdered, in fact. Sarah’s murder is shocking because she couldn’t be any more average. No enemies. No risky behavior. She’s just the girl on the sidelines.
It looks like her afterlife, on the other hand, will be pretty exciting. Sarah has woken up dead at the Mall of America—where the universe sends teens who are murdered—and with the help of her death coach, she must learn to move on or she could meet a fate totally worse than death: becoming a mall walker.
As she tries to finish her unfinished business alongside her fellow dead teens, Sarah falls hard for a cute boy named Nick. And she discovers an uncanny ability to haunt the living. While she has no idea who killed her, or why, someone she loves is in grave danger. Sarah can’t lose focus or she’ll be doomed to relive her final moments again and again forever. But can she live with herself if she doesn’t make her death matter?
When you’re sixteen, you have your whole life ahead of you. Unless you’re Sarah. Not to give anything away, but . . . she’s dead. Murdered, in fact. Sarah’s murder is shocking because she couldn’t be any more average. No enemies. No risky behavior. She’s just the girl on the sidelines.
It looks like her afterlife, on the other hand, will be pretty exciting. Sarah has woken up dead at the Mall of America—where the universe sends teens who are murdered—and with the help of her death coach, she must learn to move on or she could meet a fate totally worse than death: becoming a mall walker.
As she tries to finish her unfinished business alongside her fellow dead teens, Sarah falls hard for a cute boy named Nick. And she discovers an uncanny ability to haunt the living. While she has no idea who killed her, or why, someone she loves is in grave danger. Sarah can’t lose focus or she’ll be doomed to relive her final moments again and again forever. But can she live with herself if she doesn’t make her death matter?
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 22, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 586 reviews
May 16, 2018
Upon seeing this title, I thought I Woke Up Dead at the Mall would be a silly read that would be "entertaining enough". Boy, was I surprised! 😲
First of all, I thought the premise was unique. Instead of Sarah becoming a zombie or a vampire, which is what I thought was going to happen, she's a ghost—dressed in the same mango chiffon bridesmaid gown she was wearing when she died. Oh, and she's at the Mall of America, the place, she learns, where all murdered New Yorkers end up. Before they can move on, they must accept their untimely demise and find peace. But wait... she wasn't murdered... or at least she doesn't want to believe she was.
Soon after "waking", Sarah meets Bertha, a "death coach" who is in charge of the newest group of teen arrivals, which includes Nick, the super cute boy whom she instantly falls for. Over time, she accepts that she was murdered, but is intent on finding out who killed her. There are rules, though, and one of them is no "haunting" (the term used to describe walking through your pre-dead life). But someone she loves may be in danger, and Sarah isn't going to let a few rules get in her way. With the help of her new friends, she's about to have the adventure of her "life". 😉
This book is not silly fluff. There's a really great story here. Sarah is your basic "every girl"; however, while she may have been somewhat invisible in life, she comes into her own in death. She is clever and kind, and she is determined to make the most of her afterlife. She occasionally opines on time wasted and opportunities not taken in her short life, which is something we should probably all consider, regardless of age.
The supporting cast of characters, especially Nick, are well-defined and have a surprising amount of depth. They all evolve in some way, as does Sarah, which is rare (imo) in many YA stories. The author also does a great job with quirky details such as the ghosts being able to choose new clothes in certain ghost-friendly stores of the Mall. They can even pig-out at the Food Court without worrying about calories!
The god-like BOY construct was a little strange to me, but its intro was funny. When Sarah was complaining about the BOY's rules, she got irritated and told Bertha that he wasn't the boss of her. Bertha explained that, yes, actually, he was—BOY is an acronym for Boss Of You. 😜
I Woke Up Dead at the Mall is poignant and charming with an HEA ending. You should read it. 💛
First of all, I thought the premise was unique. Instead of Sarah becoming a zombie or a vampire, which is what I thought was going to happen, she's a ghost—dressed in the same mango chiffon bridesmaid gown she was wearing when she died. Oh, and she's at the Mall of America, the place, she learns, where all murdered New Yorkers end up. Before they can move on, they must accept their untimely demise and find peace. But wait... she wasn't murdered... or at least she doesn't want to believe she was.
Soon after "waking", Sarah meets Bertha, a "death coach" who is in charge of the newest group of teen arrivals, which includes Nick, the super cute boy whom she instantly falls for. Over time, she accepts that she was murdered, but is intent on finding out who killed her. There are rules, though, and one of them is no "haunting" (the term used to describe walking through your pre-dead life). But someone she loves may be in danger, and Sarah isn't going to let a few rules get in her way. With the help of her new friends, she's about to have the adventure of her "life". 😉
This book is not silly fluff. There's a really great story here. Sarah is your basic "every girl"; however, while she may have been somewhat invisible in life, she comes into her own in death. She is clever and kind, and she is determined to make the most of her afterlife. She occasionally opines on time wasted and opportunities not taken in her short life, which is something we should probably all consider, regardless of age.
The supporting cast of characters, especially Nick, are well-defined and have a surprising amount of depth. They all evolve in some way, as does Sarah, which is rare (imo) in many YA stories. The author also does a great job with quirky details such as the ghosts being able to choose new clothes in certain ghost-friendly stores of the Mall. They can even pig-out at the Food Court without worrying about calories!
The god-like BOY construct was a little strange to me, but its intro was funny. When Sarah was complaining about the BOY's rules, she got irritated and told Bertha that he wasn't the boss of her. Bertha explained that, yes, actually, he was—BOY is an acronym for Boss Of You. 😜
I Woke Up Dead at the Mall is poignant and charming with an HEA ending. You should read it. 💛
November 6, 2016
1.5 Stars
Picked this up because I wanted something more lightweight before starting reading my next book... and I sure got it. -_-
The writing is juvenile. The characters are undeveloped clichés. Nothing is properly developed, not even the cheesy teen romance.
By now some of you are probably saying, "oh, you're being too harsh just because this isn't for you."
Thing is, I would never in a million years give this book to a middle grader, or even a teen. And that is because this is one of those books, that manages to not develop a decent plot so that it can gush about a stupid, maybe toxic romance. For those who have read this, you're probably thinking, "oh, but Nick is a good guy!"
Yes, Nick is not a bad guy for a sixteen year old. But I found him manipulative, and in the end of the story, I was left with a bad taste in my mouth, because I couldn't help feeling that another women got sidetracked of all her potential because of a guy.
What a waste of an original concept.
March 18, 2016
This book is a lot of fun. Vivid and believable narrative voice, great premise, and a fantastic sense of humor throughout. I do not personally want to end up in a Mall of America afterlife (though I guess there are worse places, ha), but I so enjoyed following Sarah's journey and the cast of (dead) characters she met. There's a dash of zany murder mystery here, which adds to the fun, and an interesting examination of how we humans deal with dying. Highly recommended.
June 2, 2016
This book started strong and I really loved the premise, but then the instalove and totally bland storyline really ruined it for me. I did not get a sense that the main character was "special" in any way, but she broke rules of the afterlife over and over again. Disappointing.
August 10, 2019
This was a cute book.. but the narrator sometimes annoyed me.
I Woke Up Dead at the Mall was a pretty fun zombie book. In it, you will meet Sarah who realizes that she is dead. As to why she is dead - no idea. Where she wakes up dead - the mall. Weird place.. but I'll go with it. Now this mall, is kind of like a purgatory for murdered teens. This whole place made me feel sad because there's a lot of teens in this mall.
Along the way, Sarah ends up meeting some pretty cool people. They end up going to the real world to haunt people - which I thought was hilarious. While some people are out for some revenge on people from their lives, Sarah wants to save her dad from her evil stepmother. Surprisingly she does, but it takes a while to get him out of her grasp. As to where this evil women went, no idea.
Other than all of that, there was a hint of romance in this. It was cute and all but I probably could've gone with out it if I'm being honest. Overall, I liked this book and I could definitely see myself reading another one of Judy's books.
I Woke Up Dead at the Mall was a pretty fun zombie book. In it, you will meet Sarah who realizes that she is dead. As to why she is dead - no idea. Where she wakes up dead - the mall. Weird place.. but I'll go with it. Now this mall, is kind of like a purgatory for murdered teens. This whole place made me feel sad because there's a lot of teens in this mall.
Along the way, Sarah ends up meeting some pretty cool people. They end up going to the real world to haunt people - which I thought was hilarious. While some people are out for some revenge on people from their lives, Sarah wants to save her dad from her evil stepmother. Surprisingly she does, but it takes a while to get him out of her grasp. As to where this evil women went, no idea.
Other than all of that, there was a hint of romance in this. It was cute and all but I probably could've gone with out it if I'm being honest. Overall, I liked this book and I could definitely see myself reading another one of Judy's books.
February 8, 2016
This review is based of an ARC that I found at a goodwill.
It was a 3.5 book that I rounded down. I did really enjoy it. There was nothing new or profound and I never really felt worried for any of the characters. It was light, simple, and fun.
Nick and Sarah's relationship wasn't 100% believable with how "in love" they were supposed to be, but it was cute. Nick, though adorable, was a bit (in my opinion) skeezy in how fast he moved on to Sarah.
There are a couple of things that bothered me - stereotypical characters, the convoluted afterlife that tries to avoid mentioning any religion but throws all different ideas in (reincarnation, angels, etc) and doesn't quite come up with a clear system, the murders of the teenagers are so glossed over that it feels incredibly unrealistic, the outdated and dated references - Oprah, Charlton Heston and the Ten Commandments - that teenagers today don't really know about, and the fact that 16 year olds are able to chose their own fate for eternity! However, there are some things I really liked - the fast friendship that formed between the characters, how Harry lived and died, Lacey's growth and non growth (despite the fact that she was a pretty glaring stereotype of a POC, or if not, read like one), the fact that Bertha died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, and Sarah.
I don't totally think it lived up to the title and expectations from the back cover, but overall it was a fun, quick read and I would recommend it.
It was a 3.5 book that I rounded down. I did really enjoy it. There was nothing new or profound and I never really felt worried for any of the characters. It was light, simple, and fun.
Nick and Sarah's relationship wasn't 100% believable with how "in love" they were supposed to be, but it was cute. Nick, though adorable, was a bit (in my opinion) skeezy in how fast he moved on to Sarah.
There are a couple of things that bothered me - stereotypical characters, the convoluted afterlife that tries to avoid mentioning any religion but throws all different ideas in (reincarnation, angels, etc) and doesn't quite come up with a clear system, the murders of the teenagers are so glossed over that it feels incredibly unrealistic, the outdated and dated references - Oprah, Charlton Heston and the Ten Commandments - that teenagers today don't really know about, and the fact that 16 year olds are able to chose their own fate for eternity! However, there are some things I really liked - the fast friendship that formed between the characters, how Harry lived and died, Lacey's growth and non growth (despite the fact that she was a pretty glaring stereotype of a POC, or if not, read like one), the fact that Bertha died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, and Sarah.
I don't totally think it lived up to the title and expectations from the back cover, but overall it was a fun, quick read and I would recommend it.
January 5, 2016
I Woke Up Dead at the Mall is a fun, creative, and very engaging read. With the opening sentence I was drawn into this world, or should I say "Mall," of the living dead. Not only is the plot/storyline intriguing, the living dead need to attend to the unfinished business of their lives, but I loved the characters that Judy created to tell this story. They became real "living" people to me because they are so thoughtfully developed. There is humor, drama, mystery and philosophical elements found in this book. There is only one more thing I could ask for: to see this made into a movie!
October 4, 2016
I woke up dead at the mall is a totally new approach to the ten ghost genre. It's cute, sweet, heartfelt and has an ending that makes you feel complete and satisfied. A quick and enjoyable read.
June 30, 2018
The title describes this book perfectly! And the cover is exactly right, too. Sarah does just what it promises, awaking in the mango bridesmaid's dress she was wearing at her father's wedding, only to be informed that she is, sadly, very dead. However, dead teens get to spend a few days at the Mall of America, adjusting to their new status, attending their own funeral, and reliving one day of their lives of their choice.
This was a very fast-paced blend of mystery, romance, and teen movie, as Sarah is determined to figure out why she is dead. She's been murdered, but who would do that to her? Among the other recently-dead in her cohort are kids Sarah would never have spent five minutes with in life, and what they learn about each other, and how they help each other in their after-lives, is really sweet and insightful without being syrupy or preachy. And then there's Nick, with whom she feels an instant connection. (Yeah, it's a bit insta-lovey, but when you're dead, you don't have a lot of time, so it didn't bother me as much in this setting as it does otherwise.)
While the story reminded me just a bit of the TV show "Dead Like Me," it's also very much its own creative entity. I enjoyed the mystery, which was taut, well-paced, and full of surprising twists, and I loved the poignant moments as these kids each come to grips with the truth of their short lives and deaths. Sarah's snarky voice keeps the story from ever feeling overwhelmingly sad, but the sadness is there under the funny observations and dry wit, providing an anchor to everything else. The book isn't perfect, but it is a unique little gem that only took me a day to read but is sticking in my memory fairly vividly, which is a real achievement these days, when I sometimes look at my GR review list and think, "Did I read that?" because a lot of books are not that memorable.
I'm not doing this justice at all, so go read Bonnie’s review, which got me to put an instant hold on this book. Thank you, Bonnie!
This was a very fast-paced blend of mystery, romance, and teen movie, as Sarah is determined to figure out why she is dead. She's been murdered, but who would do that to her? Among the other recently-dead in her cohort are kids Sarah would never have spent five minutes with in life, and what they learn about each other, and how they help each other in their after-lives, is really sweet and insightful without being syrupy or preachy. And then there's Nick, with whom she feels an instant connection. (Yeah, it's a bit insta-lovey, but when you're dead, you don't have a lot of time, so it didn't bother me as much in this setting as it does otherwise.)
While the story reminded me just a bit of the TV show "Dead Like Me," it's also very much its own creative entity. I enjoyed the mystery, which was taut, well-paced, and full of surprising twists, and I loved the poignant moments as these kids each come to grips with the truth of their short lives and deaths. Sarah's snarky voice keeps the story from ever feeling overwhelmingly sad, but the sadness is there under the funny observations and dry wit, providing an anchor to everything else. The book isn't perfect, but it is a unique little gem that only took me a day to read but is sticking in my memory fairly vividly, which is a real achievement these days, when I sometimes look at my GR review list and think, "Did I read that?" because a lot of books are not that memorable.
I'm not doing this justice at all, so go read Bonnie’s review, which got me to put an instant hold on this book. Thank you, Bonnie!
March 20, 2016
I absolutely love this book!!! It had the perfect balance between comedy and drama... But more on the comedy! Judy Sheehan will make you stay up until the crack of dawn reading!
February 14, 2016
So this was a nice, light, teen read with some fun and interesting ideas on the afterlife. The lead character Sarah was mildly annoying at times, primarily because she was written quite well and often acted like a real 16 year old would probably act. Ugh, youths.
Also, there was a decent message in the book about not wasting your time or letting life pass you by which I can totally get behind.
Also, there was a decent message in the book about not wasting your time or letting life pass you by which I can totally get behind.
January 5, 2016
Witty and funny. Pub recommended it since I enjoyed Denton Little's Death Date. Great read for my first of 2016!
March 2, 2016
Funny, snarky, sweet. A bit silly, but still fun.
May 1, 2018
What a fun little book.
Favorite laugh-out-loud quotes:
I recommend: The Afterlife of Holly Chase
Favorite laugh-out-loud quotes:
"Get ready for your funeral"
"Hey, did you know that Mexican words and Spanish words sound a lot alike? I wonder how they tell them apart"
I recommend: The Afterlife of Holly Chase
May 8, 2021
Changed my mind. 2 stars as the theology is very shaky in it.
Meh. It was ok until Nick made his decision. I think it would have been better if they had all gone back together to find each other again and have a proper do-over as friends. I would have read that sequel, for sure! As it is, 3, meh, stars.
Also, REALLY depressing how they kept missing seeing each other. Makes me sad about what I’ve missed out on by being oblivious. Sad book.
Meh. It was ok until Nick made his decision. I think it would have been better if they had all gone back together to find each other again and have a proper do-over as friends. I would have read that sequel, for sure! As it is, 3, meh, stars.
Also, REALLY depressing how they kept missing seeing each other. Makes me sad about what I’ve missed out on by being oblivious. Sad book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2015
16 year old Sarah wakes up dead. At the Mall of America. She must take steps to let go of her mortal life so she can move on. Once she tackles her unfinished business she can be free from the mall, and her own sadness.
Despite the title and the topic, there is so much joy in this book. I loved this particular line: "So it turns out the at when dead people sleep, they sleep reeeeeeeeeeally deep. That first night at the mall I slept like someone had drugged me, then clubbed me, then made me watch golf on TV."
Sarah's companions in the mall were so interesting and their stories were so touching, that I can see this becoming a series.
Despite the title and the topic, there is so much joy in this book. I loved this particular line: "So it turns out the at when dead people sleep, they sleep reeeeeeeeeeally deep. That first night at the mall I slept like someone had drugged me, then clubbed me, then made me watch golf on TV."
Sarah's companions in the mall were so interesting and their stories were so touching, that I can see this becoming a series.
February 20, 2018
I was underwhelmed by some things, but pulled through by things I wasn't expecting.
I picked this up thinking it might be a good readalike for the show "The Good Place," which is trending in my friend-group. I'm not sure how many teens, much less middle schoolers, are into that show, but it fits in the snarky niche of my middle school booktalk lineup.
The title/cover doesn't lie - Sarah wakes up dead in the mall. In a giant bridesmaid's dress.
I was looking forward to enjoying exploring the mall-as-afterlife, but turns out, it's more complicated than that. I won't spoil the details, but the Mall isn't a universal afterlife in this story.
I also wasn't as charmed by the writing/character as I thought I might be after hearing others review it. Sarah is a privileged white girl, and I've been trying to read fewer stories about people who have been the stars of media for all of modern life. There's also a fairly run-of-the-mill instalove hetero romance, and these days it takes a lot for a heteroromance to actually interest me. But I recognize that that's a personal lens issue I have.
All that said, I was feeling underwhelmed, and then the hook totally surprised me. In a really good way. And the book turns into a different kind of story. A mystery, actiony thing that the parts of me that read hundreds of Nancy Drew stories really really liked.
So yeah, there are people who will like the writing here more than I did.
There are people who will like the setting more than I did.
I ended up liking this for the plot.
I'll be taking this out to middle schools in winter 2018.
--
Edit to add: I ended up splicing together many of Bertha's lines from the first chapter or so. It took a bit for things to gel, but it ended up being the runaway hit of the last two schools I performed this set of booktalks at. Great concept!
I picked this up thinking it might be a good readalike for the show "The Good Place," which is trending in my friend-group. I'm not sure how many teens, much less middle schoolers, are into that show, but it fits in the snarky niche of my middle school booktalk lineup.
The title/cover doesn't lie - Sarah wakes up dead in the mall. In a giant bridesmaid's dress.
I was looking forward to enjoying exploring the mall-as-afterlife, but turns out, it's more complicated than that. I won't spoil the details, but the Mall isn't a universal afterlife in this story.
I also wasn't as charmed by the writing/character as I thought I might be after hearing others review it. Sarah is a privileged white girl, and I've been trying to read fewer stories about people who have been the stars of media for all of modern life. There's also a fairly run-of-the-mill instalove hetero romance, and these days it takes a lot for a heteroromance to actually interest me. But I recognize that that's a personal lens issue I have.
All that said, I was feeling underwhelmed, and then the hook totally surprised me. In a really good way. And the book turns into a different kind of story. A mystery, actiony thing that the parts of me that read hundreds of Nancy Drew stories really really liked.
So yeah, there are people who will like the writing here more than I did.
There are people who will like the setting more than I did.
I ended up liking this for the plot.
I'll be taking this out to middle schools in winter 2018.
--
Edit to add: I ended up splicing together many of Bertha's lines from the first chapter or so. It took a bit for things to gel, but it ended up being the runaway hit of the last two schools I performed this set of booktalks at. Great concept!
September 12, 2016
This book was one of the most creative and interesting books I have ever read. It wasn't your normal go right to heaven when you die type of book. This book has a different view on that, if your murdered you go to a mall, and if you’re a New Yorker you go to the Mall of America. At the mall you have to forget about your past life to be able to go on to your next life. Which Sarah has a hard time doing.
Sarah was sixteen years old when she was murdered. She woke up at the mall of America in her mango chiffon bridesmaid dress. The last thing she remembers is being at her dad's and new step-mom Karen’s wedding. At the wedding the last thing she remembers is her stomach hurting extremely bad. At first she has no clue how she ended up murdered because she had no enemies. She thinks that she just had food poisoning and that she shouldn't be at the mall. Soon she finds out that Karen was the one that poisoned her and it wasn't Karen's intentions to kill her, she wanted to kill Sarah's dad .Sarah needs to find a way to get to her dad to save his life.
At the mall she meets her “death coach” named Bertha, and some teenagers who have also been murdered Alice, Lacey, Harry, Declan and last but not least Nick. Sarah and Nick end up falling in love at the mall and Bertha is not a very big fan of love at the mall. “And it felt like I was a black - and - white photo magically rippling into color wherever he touched me.” That quote shows how Sarah felt whenever he touched her. Nick needs to go help his mom get over his death. Sarah wants to save her father’s life. The only way to leave the mall is to forget their past life. Nick and Sarah cannot move on until they complete this task.
Sarah was sixteen years old when she was murdered. She woke up at the mall of America in her mango chiffon bridesmaid dress. The last thing she remembers is being at her dad's and new step-mom Karen’s wedding. At the wedding the last thing she remembers is her stomach hurting extremely bad. At first she has no clue how she ended up murdered because she had no enemies. She thinks that she just had food poisoning and that she shouldn't be at the mall. Soon she finds out that Karen was the one that poisoned her and it wasn't Karen's intentions to kill her, she wanted to kill Sarah's dad .Sarah needs to find a way to get to her dad to save his life.
At the mall she meets her “death coach” named Bertha, and some teenagers who have also been murdered Alice, Lacey, Harry, Declan and last but not least Nick. Sarah and Nick end up falling in love at the mall and Bertha is not a very big fan of love at the mall. “And it felt like I was a black - and - white photo magically rippling into color wherever he touched me.” That quote shows how Sarah felt whenever he touched her. Nick needs to go help his mom get over his death. Sarah wants to save her father’s life. The only way to leave the mall is to forget their past life. Nick and Sarah cannot move on until they complete this task.
June 16, 2017
This is one of the best books of I've read so far this year. I love the characters, setting and the phasing of the story. This book also made me ponder if there's a truth on life after death. Or if we will also have a chance to choose whether we want to reborn again or to protect once we are ready to move on, just like what happened to the characters in this book.
I really enjoyed reading this and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves light reading and a fast phasing story. If you are looking for something to read that is fun, light and witty; then you must try to add this to your to-read list.
I really enjoyed reading this and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves light reading and a fast phasing story. If you are looking for something to read that is fun, light and witty; then you must try to add this to your to-read list.
October 20, 2016
I thought this would be a funny, sarcastic look at life after death - and it was - but it was also equal parts poignant and uplifting. And even though that's not what I was expecting or even looking for with this book, I found it endearing.
February 10, 2016
A really good mix of funny and poignant, and the ending was wonderful.
April 2, 2019
If I had to sum this up in a line, I would say it's cute and clever. In I Woke Up Dead at the Mall, Sarah wakes up dead. In a mall. The Mall of America acts as a sort of purgatory for teens in NYC who have been murdered. While they're there, they can eat at the ghosts' only cafeteria, shop the specialty stores, and attend group therapy sessions to help them move on.
They get to choose one day of their life to "re-live" and they get to attend their funeral. But Sarah's murderer is trying to kill her dad too, and she's going to break the rules to save him with the help of her new, dead friends. Of course, if she lingers too long, she risks becoming a "mall walker," where she'll wander the mall in a hopeless haze for all eternity.
From the summary, this sounds incredibly unique, and pieces of it are. Mall purgatory. Group ghost therapy. The storytelling is also funny and different, with call outs for each person to tell their death story. But it's very heavy on the sarcasm, and as I know from constantly wearing my own sarcasm armor, it's a defense. Not a personality.
Because Sarah is constantly using her humor, we never get to know her, and as she describes her own personality, she claims she was no one. A wallflower in the background. That being the case, she's not the most exciting character to follow around, and the insta-love romance becomes even more questionable.
And here's what's not unique:
-Dead mother
-Latent "magical" ability that makes MC special
-Insta-Love
-Completely predictable murder "mystery." (I mean it was VERY cliche. They even joked in the book about how cliche it was, and then did it anyway.)
I feel like the "magical" ability could have been completely left out of the story without affecting it at all. It seemed like way to make Sarah special instead of giving her a personality to do the same thing. Also, I think the author made the murder cliche on purpose, to make it a joke, but the joke sort of landed flat.
One of the best ghost/murder stories I have EVER read is Remember Me by Christopher Pike. This book is old, as in I read it in my teenage years, but that being said, it had a
a lot of the same elements as this with a completely unique twist. We really should be trying to outdo books from 20 years ago. Not fall behind them.
Despite all of my complaints, this did have good pacing, great voice, and it was easy to read from start to end. If you're looking for something sort of funny and fluffy with ghosts, this could be the book for you.
They get to choose one day of their life to "re-live" and they get to attend their funeral. But Sarah's murderer is trying to kill her dad too, and she's going to break the rules to save him with the help of her new, dead friends. Of course, if she lingers too long, she risks becoming a "mall walker," where she'll wander the mall in a hopeless haze for all eternity.
From the summary, this sounds incredibly unique, and pieces of it are. Mall purgatory. Group ghost therapy. The storytelling is also funny and different, with call outs for each person to tell their death story. But it's very heavy on the sarcasm, and as I know from constantly wearing my own sarcasm armor, it's a defense. Not a personality.
Because Sarah is constantly using her humor, we never get to know her, and as she describes her own personality, she claims she was no one. A wallflower in the background. That being the case, she's not the most exciting character to follow around, and the insta-love romance becomes even more questionable.
And here's what's not unique:
-Dead mother
-Latent "magical" ability that makes MC special
-Insta-Love
-Completely predictable murder "mystery." (I mean it was VERY cliche. They even joked in the book about how cliche it was, and then did it anyway.)
I feel like the "magical" ability could have been completely left out of the story without affecting it at all. It seemed like way to make Sarah special instead of giving her a personality to do the same thing. Also, I think the author made the murder cliche on purpose, to make it a joke, but the joke sort of landed flat.
One of the best ghost/murder stories I have EVER read is Remember Me by Christopher Pike. This book is old, as in I read it in my teenage years, but that being said, it had a
a lot of the same elements as this with a completely unique twist. We really should be trying to outdo books from 20 years ago. Not fall behind them.
Despite all of my complaints, this did have good pacing, great voice, and it was easy to read from start to end. If you're looking for something sort of funny and fluffy with ghosts, this could be the book for you.
August 9, 2018
Initial Impressions 8/8/18: 2.5 stars
This wasn't a BAD book but it really could have been so much better in so many ways, so that's where my feelings and review end up. I was hoping for dark comedy, black humor, ghostly sort of story. It turned out to be a little too cheesy, a little too immature, and I didn't like the ending. It just felt very typical YA and too tropey.
All of the main characters in this book ended up at the Mall of America after their death, all came from New York. But... why? Because the Mall of America is a big and a lot of people get murdered in New York...? Even if there was logic there, it wasn't worth making that connection and there really wasn't a reason for the mall concept except to make a mall walker joke and associate dormitories with stores. It added a certain cheesiness to the story that I didn't find cute and I felt like it could have been a lot more meaningful in a different setting instead of creating a silly atmosphere.
I also never really understood why Sarah was murdered and the details of her murder were... odd. It all made sense, all was revealed, but the motive was just so flimsy and too obvious. For that to be the whole reason behind the WHOLE BOOK? Eh. Overdone. Come up with something new.
I didn't hate the book -- I finished it and I didn't stop reading -- but this could have been something delightfully campy and/or dark but either way, a whole lot of fun. Instead I feel like it was underdeveloped for the sake of being "fun" and it lacked the cleverness that it could have had.
This wasn't a BAD book but it really could have been so much better in so many ways, so that's where my feelings and review end up. I was hoping for dark comedy, black humor, ghostly sort of story. It turned out to be a little too cheesy, a little too immature, and I didn't like the ending. It just felt very typical YA and too tropey.
All of the main characters in this book ended up at the Mall of America after their death, all came from New York. But... why? Because the Mall of America is a big and a lot of people get murdered in New York...? Even if there was logic there, it wasn't worth making that connection and there really wasn't a reason for the mall concept except to make a mall walker joke and associate dormitories with stores. It added a certain cheesiness to the story that I didn't find cute and I felt like it could have been a lot more meaningful in a different setting instead of creating a silly atmosphere.
I also never really understood why Sarah was murdered and the details of her murder were... odd. It all made sense, all was revealed, but the motive was just so flimsy and too obvious. For that to be the whole reason behind the WHOLE BOOK? Eh. Overdone. Come up with something new.
I didn't hate the book -- I finished it and I didn't stop reading -- but this could have been something delightfully campy and/or dark but either way, a whole lot of fun. Instead I feel like it was underdeveloped for the sake of being "fun" and it lacked the cleverness that it could have had.
July 26, 2017
Although I enjoyed the concept of this story - Manhattanite teens in the afterlife waking up dead at the mall (of America) and its premise - in order to "move on", they must address their unresolved issues - I felt like the insta-love, abrupt plot lines, and at times juvenile dialogue gave the story a slight case of the cheesy-ies. Unfortunate given some of the themes and more substantial questions it attempted to tackle.
November 7, 2016
This was a really poorly written book. It's as if the author just watched the movie "clueless" and decided that that is how "the young people talk". Really hard to get through and the ending was completely unsatisfying.
January 14, 2019
What an interesting look at the afterlife. This was fun and funny, but also touching and sweet. I really enjoyed getting to meet all these dead teens and was rooting for them to figure out their unfinished business and move on. I was also pleasantly surprised by a few things Sheehan wrote into the ending. These things made me very happy, and one of them was worthy of a few tears.
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June 19, 2025
Loved the plot, loved the characters, loved the writing!!
April 29, 2020
This book was okay and I really enjoyed parts of the story. The BOY (Boss of You) was actually in the personage of a boy BOY and a girl BOY so that was a bit put-offing in the audible version (the boy boy and the girl boy said blah). I might have liked the written version better, but all in all a pretty good book.
March 28, 2016
The synopsis to this book sounded so interesting, despite the cover not being all that appealing, I just had to give this one a try. I’m so glad I did. I Woke Up Dead surprised me with how entertaining, funny, and relatable it is. I easily connected with all the characters, loved the aferlife world that Sheehan created, and I definitely wanted to see Sarah get her justice and find peace. Right away, Sheehan captured my attention with her engaging main character, Sarah, and I just loved being inside her head.
So, we’ve got a bunch of teenagers who were all killed one way or another and they end up at The Mall of America, where I’ve always wanted to check out. I loved the setting. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be at a mall where everything is free and you can eat whatever you want without gaining weight?! Sure, you’re dead, but you know what I mean. Anyways, the story is about all of them moving on and finishing their unfinished business. Letting go of your past life and embracing your new one. The main focus is, of course, on Sarah, how and why she died, and what she’s going to do about it. There’s a good amount of supernatural stuff going on, dead people aside, that I think Sheehan incorporated very well into the story. We don’t get a rhyme or reason to it, which was a bummer, but we still get a good sense of it. I also really like the romance and Sheehan’s take on fate.
The flow of the story is steady and I never once felt bored. I seriously didn’t want to stop reading, and that’s saying something as you all know how I usually feel about YA contemporary. This book just has it all, really, with the fun and drama, and I liked how it makes you think about life and death without being too serious or preachy. Sheehan has a real winner in this book and I hope readers won’t pass up this gem of a book. This one is not-to-be-missed!
So, we’ve got a bunch of teenagers who were all killed one way or another and they end up at The Mall of America, where I’ve always wanted to check out. I loved the setting. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be at a mall where everything is free and you can eat whatever you want without gaining weight?! Sure, you’re dead, but you know what I mean. Anyways, the story is about all of them moving on and finishing their unfinished business. Letting go of your past life and embracing your new one. The main focus is, of course, on Sarah, how and why she died, and what she’s going to do about it. There’s a good amount of supernatural stuff going on, dead people aside, that I think Sheehan incorporated very well into the story. We don’t get a rhyme or reason to it, which was a bummer, but we still get a good sense of it. I also really like the romance and Sheehan’s take on fate.
The flow of the story is steady and I never once felt bored. I seriously didn’t want to stop reading, and that’s saying something as you all know how I usually feel about YA contemporary. This book just has it all, really, with the fun and drama, and I liked how it makes you think about life and death without being too serious or preachy. Sheehan has a real winner in this book and I hope readers won’t pass up this gem of a book. This one is not-to-be-missed!
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