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The Veil Diaries #1
Trying to Live With the Dead
Hi, I’m Alexis Delaney. I’m your average 17-year-old girl. Except I can see the dead. And talk to the dead. And push them away and, well, help them move on. So..okay, I’m not your average 17-year-old girl. For years I’ve been struggling to survive the souls still roaming around. The shitheads always seem to find me. Moving from town to town every few months never helped either. More dead just always find me. But things are changing for me now. I’m moving in with my uncle Rory and cousin Tara. I’m finally going to be able to do normal teenage stuff I’ve been missing out on. Right?
Well, if this one bitch of a ghost could leave me alone on campus that would be great. Especially since I haven’t told my new friends about my abilities. Can you believe this? Five good-looking guys practically adopt me on my first day of school, and I still think they’re a bit nuts for it. Now if I can only just keep my life with the dead from mixing with my normal life, everything would be great. Yeah...I don’t see that happening either. But I’m going to give it a shot. Who knows? It might work.
Well, if this one bitch of a ghost could leave me alone on campus that would be great. Especially since I haven’t told my new friends about my abilities. Can you believe this? Five good-looking guys practically adopt me on my first day of school, and I still think they’re a bit nuts for it. Now if I can only just keep my life with the dead from mixing with my normal life, everything would be great. Yeah...I don’t see that happening either. But I’m going to give it a shot. Who knows? It might work.
520 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 6, 2016
1908 people are currently reading
8403 people want to read
About the author
B.L. Brunnemer
13 books2,301 followersB.L.Brunnemer has been a devoted reader since she was young. As a child, she was instantly attracted to horror stories. The plot, the suspense, the action. She loved it all. Which, as she grew, branched out into several other genres. But a strong female character always caught her eye. Through the years romance became a big part of her reading. Then she found the Young Adult/New Adult genre. But she had a problem. She never found the romance between most characters to be realistic enough for her. At least in the paranormal romance section.
So, she decided to fix that. She'd been writing for years already and had always struggled to finish a manuscript. Until, she decided to write what she wanted to read.
B.L. Brunnemer doesn't have any other publications at this time. She's just a woman, who loves a good story with great characters. And she hopes you'll love them too.
So, she decided to fix that. She'd been writing for years already and had always struggled to finish a manuscript. Until, she decided to write what she wanted to read.
B.L. Brunnemer doesn't have any other publications at this time. She's just a woman, who loves a good story with great characters. And she hopes you'll love them too.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 931 reviews
April 17, 2018
2.5 stars. I had quite a few issues with this book but the series may have potential overall.
The plot follows Lexie, who admittedly is not the most original heroine of a YA paranormal romance. She has a tough past, an abusive parent, a supernatural power she hates, and of course most if not all the gossip in her high school revolves around her. So the whole nine yards.
Lexie gets several boys for her harem, who are all childhood friends at the school she begins to attend. Their eventual romance evolves at a slow slow sloooooow pace. Small hints and inclinations are all we get for a while.
Here's the big issue with the romance. Technically it qualifies as a slowburn, since romantic feelings and actions are not acknowledged until a long ways down the road. So there isn't any instalove to deal with in the Veil Diaries.
However - there is definitely an instantaneous acceptance and protectiveness of Lexie that the boys develop within hours of meeting her. These boys have known and trusted each other for all their lives, but completely accept Lexie into their little group literally within a day of meeting her. That doesn't make emotional sense! Each of Lexie's love interests has had a difficult past and isn't likely to trust easily. I wish we could have seen that trust and acceptance develop over time, at a realistic pace.
So while there isn't an insta-love per se, the boys are still insta-besties (for lack of a better expression) with Lexie for no discernible reason. That was frustrating for me to look past since their group relationship is the biggest plot point in the book. Also because it implies that Lexie is a special snowflake who can bend boys to her will simply with the force of her presence.
For reference, a reverse harem series that does the slowburn acceptance and romance totally right, in my opinion, is Four Psychos . In this series the main character slowly develops emotional connections and earns the trust of her heroes, as they earn hers in return. It's a realistic relationship.
Problematic relationships aside, Trying to Live With the Dead has a lot of positives as well. Lexie's ghost powers are presented in a unique way; she can see and help ghosts (which is fairly standard) but her abilities develop to a point where she can find and help the souls of the dying. Cool concept.
The writing is well paced. Not too descriptive but still gives a clear idea of the characters and the world.
My personal favorite part of the book is the characterization - many of the characters, especially the boys in Lexie's harem, are not described passively. Instead they demonstrate their personalities and feelings through their actions. I liked being able to infer the characters' inner workings based on the hints they gave through their actions.
This was a buddy read with my fellow ladies of the Reverse Harem Revolution group.
The plot follows Lexie, who admittedly is not the most original heroine of a YA paranormal romance. She has a tough past, an abusive parent, a supernatural power she hates, and of course most if not all the gossip in her high school revolves around her. So the whole nine yards.
Lexie gets several boys for her harem, who are all childhood friends at the school she begins to attend. Their eventual romance evolves at a slow slow sloooooow pace. Small hints and inclinations are all we get for a while.
Here's the big issue with the romance. Technically it qualifies as a slowburn, since romantic feelings and actions are not acknowledged until a long ways down the road. So there isn't any instalove to deal with in the Veil Diaries.
However - there is definitely an instantaneous acceptance and protectiveness of Lexie that the boys develop within hours of meeting her. These boys have known and trusted each other for all their lives, but completely accept Lexie into their little group literally within a day of meeting her. That doesn't make emotional sense! Each of Lexie's love interests has had a difficult past and isn't likely to trust easily. I wish we could have seen that trust and acceptance develop over time, at a realistic pace.
So while there isn't an insta-love per se, the boys are still insta-besties (for lack of a better expression) with Lexie for no discernible reason. That was frustrating for me to look past since their group relationship is the biggest plot point in the book. Also because it implies that Lexie is a special snowflake who can bend boys to her will simply with the force of her presence.
For reference, a reverse harem series that does the slowburn acceptance and romance totally right, in my opinion, is Four Psychos . In this series the main character slowly develops emotional connections and earns the trust of her heroes, as they earn hers in return. It's a realistic relationship.
Problematic relationships aside, Trying to Live With the Dead has a lot of positives as well. Lexie's ghost powers are presented in a unique way; she can see and help ghosts (which is fairly standard) but her abilities develop to a point where she can find and help the souls of the dying. Cool concept.
The writing is well paced. Not too descriptive but still gives a clear idea of the characters and the world.
My personal favorite part of the book is the characterization - many of the characters, especially the boys in Lexie's harem, are not described passively. Instead they demonstrate their personalities and feelings through their actions. I liked being able to infer the characters' inner workings based on the hints they gave through their actions.
This was a buddy read with my fellow ladies of the Reverse Harem Revolution group.
September 21, 2023
July 2019 edit: it's been almost a year, I believe it is time for a re-read.
Rating BOOK 1: 3.5 stars
Rating SERIES: 99 stars
I never really reviewed any of The Veil Diaries books because I feel like I won't necessary bring anything to any potential readers. TVD already has an amazing fan base with amazing people that talk about the books everywhere.
How could they not?
At first, The Veil Diaries might come as a bit messy and without any real goal. The first three books are slice of life when the series is supernatural and any RH hint does not appear before a while.
But The Veil Diaries is also so much more. It is a story of friendship, of coming of age, of love and acceptation and each book BL Brunnemer add to her universe keeps making it better and better. It starts with a plain vanilla sundae and ends up with all the topping you ever wanted to make the ultimate ice cream and the result is even more amazing than expected.
Like wine, The Veil Diaries gets better with time.
Unlike wine, I can never get enough. Thank you, B.L..
booked.unicorn
Rating BOOK 1: 3.5 stars
Rating SERIES: 99 stars
I never really reviewed any of The Veil Diaries books because I feel like I won't necessary bring anything to any potential readers. TVD already has an amazing fan base with amazing people that talk about the books everywhere.
How could they not?
At first, The Veil Diaries might come as a bit messy and without any real goal. The first three books are slice of life when the series is supernatural and any RH hint does not appear before a while.
But The Veil Diaries is also so much more. It is a story of friendship, of coming of age, of love and acceptation and each book BL Brunnemer add to her universe keeps making it better and better. It starts with a plain vanilla sundae and ends up with all the topping you ever wanted to make the ultimate ice cream and the result is even more amazing than expected.
Like wine, The Veil Diaries gets better with time.
Unlike wine, I can never get enough. Thank you, B.L..
Character BL Brunnemer ©
Drawing Marguerite ©
Posted on the Beyond the Veil group
booked.unicorn
November 27, 2020
The cover is so pretty and i was so excited to read this but i am not surprised that this book was such a disappointment. So this story is about Lexie who is not your average 17 yr old as she keeps saying it cuz she sees ghost. I am shocked! 🙄 she starts her new highschool where she meets 5 kids...i mean dudes. They take her under their wing from day one and they become best friends and eventually they get to know she scares ghosts...i mean can see ghosts and they help her hunt them so show them their merry way. This book was shit. It was stupid. I liked the plot but again, it was 400 pages of absolute bullshit and you know why? Cuz all the characters do is talk, sleep and eat. When they are not hunting ghosts they party, all the fucking time. How many times do highschoolers party? Cuz ghost hunter Lexie and 5 kid in the name of dudes party every fucking day. I read books here its like “ YOU ARE NOT LIKE THE OTHER GIRLS” and this book was one of them. Every.fucking.page the guys say YOU ARE SO DIFFERENT LEXIE! I absolutely hate books like this. Like the other girls in this book are either doormat or mean while lexie the ghost hunter is sassy and badass which is good but every fucking page is annoying. Every guy she meets tries to hit on her and she ends up punching them which again is good but showing that all guys are trying to jump on her is fucking annoying. Except the 5 dudes who are her harem, all the other guys try to jump on her, it happened 5-6 times throughout the book. It was so fucking stupid. The same thing was repeated again and again and a fucking gain. What bothered me the most was that the guys become best friends with her from day 1, it was cringe, it was stupid and didnt make sense. The there is a bitch ghost who tries to hurt them and when finally Lexie shows the ghost her merry way to god knows where, she cries cuz she wiped out the ghost’s existence. Okay so first of all, the ghost was dead for centuries so basically her no one really knows or remembers her and then the ghost tried to kill and her and friends and then lexie is crying cuz she killed the soul and whatever? The fuck?
😐😐i dont even know where to begin, this book has so many high ratings and i really thought i might like it but i was wasting my time. It was stupid. As i said every page by EVERY CHARACTER, legit all the characters say “YOU ARE NOT LIKE THE OTHER GIRLS” biss...yes she is not like the other girls cuz she is annoying. And then as i said all the guys tries to jump on her...and when i mean all guys i mean ALL GUYS THEY MEET except the 5 dudes 🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️ and then everyone in their school is after her and tries to hurt her cuz SHE IS SO DIFFERENT. God help me.
😐😐i dont even know where to begin, this book has so many high ratings and i really thought i might like it but i was wasting my time. It was stupid. As i said every page by EVERY CHARACTER, legit all the characters say “YOU ARE NOT LIKE THE OTHER GIRLS” biss...yes she is not like the other girls cuz she is annoying. And then as i said all the guys tries to jump on her...and when i mean all guys i mean ALL GUYS THEY MEET except the 5 dudes 🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️ and then everyone in their school is after her and tries to hurt her cuz SHE IS SO DIFFERENT. God help me.
March 31, 2020
That was the "i Am nOt LiKe OtHeR gIrLS" starter pack and it got really quick really old.
I had a few more issued with this books like how almost all the other girls are shallow, spoilt bitches, the insta-bff thing that went on with the guys from the beginning and was absolutely unbelievable, the "I Hang out with Boys, because Girls- UGH - the drama" thing she had going, how violent she was (and I LOVE a badass female lead. Hurting everybody you don't like is not badass, it belongs in anger Management therapy). Only to mention a few.
So all that absolutely overshadowed the nice points, which for example where that the guys weren't one and the same character, but actual individuals. I also liked how her abilities are handled.
Quick warning for those of you, that don't like OW/OM - this starts out as a friendship only and they date different people. I suspect and read in other reviews, that this gies in for a while and is slow burn, before they start dating.
I had a few more issued with this books like how almost all the other girls are shallow, spoilt bitches, the insta-bff thing that went on with the guys from the beginning and was absolutely unbelievable, the "I Hang out with Boys, because Girls- UGH - the drama" thing she had going, how violent she was (and I LOVE a badass female lead. Hurting everybody you don't like is not badass, it belongs in anger Management therapy). Only to mention a few.
So all that absolutely overshadowed the nice points, which for example where that the guys weren't one and the same character, but actual individuals. I also liked how her abilities are handled.
Quick warning for those of you, that don't like OW/OM - this starts out as a friendship only and they date different people. I suspect and read in other reviews, that this gies in for a while and is slow burn, before they start dating.
December 28, 2016
It's difficult to find reverse harems so when I do come across one, I get excited and read it no matter what. Unfortunately, quite a few are disappointing in that they are either extremely amateurish or not true reverse harem stories.
Color me surprised to find a gem in the rough with Trying to Live with the Dead.
Pro: This novel (which is satisfyingly lengthy at 300-ish pages) has all the hallmarks of a true reverse harem. 1) A large group of young guys (five in this story) who, 2) are extremely close with lots of shared history, 3) accept into their ranks the lonely, oddball girl who is new to town. There is no attempt to create sexual relationships between the characters; instead, the emphasis in the story is on demonstrating how the female character "clicks" seamlessly into their group, just like a puzzle piece. There is even a set of twins.
While the female lead (I feel) is often portrayed as a victim who needs the help of her guys to "save" her, Brunnemer's Alexis is a refreshing twist on this hallmark of reverse harems. Alexis, to put it bluntly, is a bit of a badass. She is damaged, true, but she is not beaten down. She doesn't need her guys to save her. Instead, they provide the support needed to help her in her struggle with the story's villain.
Despite the immediately apparent technical problems in the book (see the Con section below), I was swept up into the story. Each character has a backstory that makes him/her seem more real, more believable. I came to love the interaction between these characters and looked forward to the progression of the guys' relationship with Alexis. I especially enjoyed how, instead of there being an instant romantic attraction, at first she is accepted as simply a close friend and just one of the guys. The hint of something more is only addressed at the finale of the book.
Con: This book needs a second edit with a strong proofreader. The content of the story is excellent. I found the pacing of the story, the character development, and the creation of a greater continuous storyline leading organically into a sequel to be strong. However, what distracts the reader from these strong points is the continuous misuse of/missing punctuation. Any competent proofreader, though, should be able to clean this up easily.
Conclusion: Despite the obvious punctuation errors and a few other grammatical problems, I was swept up into Brunemmer's world. I believe this novel (though not perfect) to be a strong debut, and I eagerly await the sequel. I WILL be buying it.
**Warning: For the parents out there, this book is absent of any sexual content and any human-on-human malicious violence. However, there is a LOT of blue language. If you are sensitive about this, don't let your kid read this book. Personally, I didn't care.
Color me surprised to find a gem in the rough with Trying to Live with the Dead.
Pro: This novel (which is satisfyingly lengthy at 300-ish pages) has all the hallmarks of a true reverse harem. 1) A large group of young guys (five in this story) who, 2) are extremely close with lots of shared history, 3) accept into their ranks the lonely, oddball girl who is new to town. There is no attempt to create sexual relationships between the characters; instead, the emphasis in the story is on demonstrating how the female character "clicks" seamlessly into their group, just like a puzzle piece. There is even a set of twins.
While the female lead (I feel) is often portrayed as a victim who needs the help of her guys to "save" her, Brunnemer's Alexis is a refreshing twist on this hallmark of reverse harems. Alexis, to put it bluntly, is a bit of a badass. She is damaged, true, but she is not beaten down. She doesn't need her guys to save her. Instead, they provide the support needed to help her in her struggle with the story's villain.
Despite the immediately apparent technical problems in the book (see the Con section below), I was swept up into the story. Each character has a backstory that makes him/her seem more real, more believable. I came to love the interaction between these characters and looked forward to the progression of the guys' relationship with Alexis. I especially enjoyed how, instead of there being an instant romantic attraction, at first she is accepted as simply a close friend and just one of the guys. The hint of something more is only addressed at the finale of the book.
Con: This book needs a second edit with a strong proofreader. The content of the story is excellent. I found the pacing of the story, the character development, and the creation of a greater continuous storyline leading organically into a sequel to be strong. However, what distracts the reader from these strong points is the continuous misuse of/missing punctuation. Any competent proofreader, though, should be able to clean this up easily.
Conclusion: Despite the obvious punctuation errors and a few other grammatical problems, I was swept up into Brunemmer's world. I believe this novel (though not perfect) to be a strong debut, and I eagerly await the sequel. I WILL be buying it.
**Warning: For the parents out there, this book is absent of any sexual content and any human-on-human malicious violence. However, there is a LOT of blue language. If you are sensitive about this, don't let your kid read this book. Personally, I didn't care.
March 14, 2019
barely 3 stars
I really liked the pnr and magic aspects. If the book had more of this, I would rate higher. However, I just didn't relate to the high school aspect and that 5 guys would want to hang with 1 girl and let her in - this wasn't shifters, etc., so she wasn't part of a pack. Plus, her protective uncle letting her have slumber parties with 5 guys, even though he met them before, is so unbelievable - even for PNR. After a while, I skimmed until I got to the parts with her battling or helping ghosts, etc. I also read that this might be a set up for polyamory. To each his own, but I'm not interested - just seems so unrealistic. I don't think I will continue the series.
I really liked the pnr and magic aspects. If the book had more of this, I would rate higher. However, I just didn't relate to the high school aspect and that 5 guys would want to hang with 1 girl and let her in - this wasn't shifters, etc., so she wasn't part of a pack. Plus, her protective uncle letting her have slumber parties with 5 guys, even though he met them before, is so unbelievable - even for PNR. After a while, I skimmed until I got to the parts with her battling or helping ghosts, etc. I also read that this might be a set up for polyamory. To each his own, but I'm not interested - just seems so unrealistic. I don't think I will continue the series.
May 22, 2017
3.5 good start stars.
Good overall story. I enjoyed the supernatural/paranormal aspect but there were many editing errors and the language was a little offensive for high school kids (the f bomb was dropped frequently). Also, considering this is an RH I didn't like how all the guys, except Miles, were attempting to date/hook up with OW and they were pushing OM on the heroine.
I'll be reading the next book but in order for me to continue past that the OM and OW need to go!
Good overall story. I enjoyed the supernatural/paranormal aspect but there were many editing errors and the language was a little offensive for high school kids (the f bomb was dropped frequently). Also, considering this is an RH I didn't like how all the guys, except Miles, were attempting to date/hook up with OW and they were pushing OM on the heroine.
I'll be reading the next book but in order for me to continue past that the OM and OW need to go!
November 6, 2017
DNF 30% Spoilers ahead, from the other books in this series too
I really love the genre "reverse-harem". That's why I was really excited to read this book.
The beginning was awesome. I was hooked. The story was intriguing, the heroine strong, sassy and confident and the guys were adorable and delicious. I loved that the heroine could defend herself. I liked reading about the guys and how friendly and protective they were of her. From the first moment on, they were a close knit group.
The beginning also reminded me a little bit of Twilight. Where Bella moves in with her cop dad and has to go to a new school. Just wanted to mention it.
So I was reading and really felt that this book would be awesome! No ow drama, no girlfriends. It was a little too smooth. Then at around 30% they're all at a club, where live music is played. And then it happened. The boys went and left the heroine alone, to search for girls. I have to admit, I didn't see that coming. Then one of the boys texts the heroine and tells her he's sending a male friend to her, so they could hook up if they wanted. I just couldn't believe my eyes. I don't want to read about this.
So then I went on Goodreads and looked at the synopsis of the other books in this series and the comments and I deflated. The heroine gets a boyfriend (other than her guys) and the guys get all a girlfriend. Blah. I don't really know why. Is it supposed to be a slow-burning romance? I'm all for it. Love it. But please, don't add other boyfriends and girlfriends into the mix. Stay true. I know it isn't realistic, but that's why I read romance novels. So that I can read about guys/men who can stay celibate for a small (or long) amount of time while getting to know the heroine.
That's why I abandoned the book. Not because it wasn't intriguing, not because of the writing style. I really loved it and I so want to know what happens with all the ghosts and if the heroine will tell her secret. But I just can't and won't read about other love interest. I know it sounds harsh and I may be stubborn about it, but oh well.
So if you don't mind reading about such things, then go for it. You won't be disappointed.
I really love the genre "reverse-harem". That's why I was really excited to read this book.
The beginning was awesome. I was hooked. The story was intriguing, the heroine strong, sassy and confident and the guys were adorable and delicious. I loved that the heroine could defend herself. I liked reading about the guys and how friendly and protective they were of her. From the first moment on, they were a close knit group.
The beginning also reminded me a little bit of Twilight. Where Bella moves in with her cop dad and has to go to a new school. Just wanted to mention it.
So I was reading and really felt that this book would be awesome! No ow drama, no girlfriends. It was a little too smooth. Then at around 30% they're all at a club, where live music is played. And then it happened. The boys went and left the heroine alone, to search for girls. I have to admit, I didn't see that coming. Then one of the boys texts the heroine and tells her he's sending a male friend to her, so they could hook up if they wanted. I just couldn't believe my eyes. I don't want to read about this.
So then I went on Goodreads and looked at the synopsis of the other books in this series and the comments and I deflated. The heroine gets a boyfriend (other than her guys) and the guys get all a girlfriend. Blah. I don't really know why. Is it supposed to be a slow-burning romance? I'm all for it. Love it. But please, don't add other boyfriends and girlfriends into the mix. Stay true. I know it isn't realistic, but that's why I read romance novels. So that I can read about guys/men who can stay celibate for a small (or long) amount of time while getting to know the heroine.
That's why I abandoned the book. Not because it wasn't intriguing, not because of the writing style. I really loved it and I so want to know what happens with all the ghosts and if the heroine will tell her secret. But I just can't and won't read about other love interest. I know it sounds harsh and I may be stubborn about it, but oh well.
So if you don't mind reading about such things, then go for it. You won't be disappointed.
September 8, 2019
lmaao this book was so good when I listened to it in JUNE and I wanted to dive into book 2 right away.. but alas it's still sitting in my audible app unlisten(ed?) to. So, long story short - I SUCK.
Trying To Live With the Dead was a pretty entertaining book that I can sort of remember. Mostly because I am a sucky reader and never dove into the rest of the series (yet). I swear on my dog's life (yes only one of them because both of them would be too much swearing) that I will get through this series before the end of the year.
In it, you will meet Alexis. She sort of see's dead people and thinks that this one interesting fact will make her a loner for life. Yet, it does the exact opposite for her. She ends up finding a nice group of friends who are definitely intrigued by her. These guys end up supporting her because.. I honestly have no idea what else they were supposed to do? Run? Banish her? Kill her?
They obviously took the less messy way out but in the end, I think they all learned something about her unique power. Which in a way, brought them all closer together. It also doesn't hurt that it's a RH book because I was down for everything that was happening. Heck, I wanted a lot more to happen because NOTHING romantic happened at all. It was all friendly crap.. so I'm really hoping that the next book will give me something.
PLEASE?!?!
Trying To Live With the Dead was a pretty entertaining book that I can sort of remember. Mostly because I am a sucky reader and never dove into the rest of the series (yet). I swear on my dog's life (yes only one of them because both of them would be too much swearing) that I will get through this series before the end of the year.
In it, you will meet Alexis. She sort of see's dead people and thinks that this one interesting fact will make her a loner for life. Yet, it does the exact opposite for her. She ends up finding a nice group of friends who are definitely intrigued by her. These guys end up supporting her because.. I honestly have no idea what else they were supposed to do? Run? Banish her? Kill her?
They obviously took the less messy way out but in the end, I think they all learned something about her unique power. Which in a way, brought them all closer together. It also doesn't hurt that it's a RH book because I was down for everything that was happening. Heck, I wanted a lot more to happen because NOTHING romantic happened at all. It was all friendly crap.. so I'm really hoping that the next book will give me something.
PLEASE?!?!
November 23, 2018
This book starts with Lexie moving in with her Uncle Rory. Things haven't been going so well for her lately, and she's ready to make a new start on life. But, she has a few secrets she's trying to keep, and when new friends start popping up it gets harder and harder to keep them secret.
Lexie will do everything she can to keep her secret, and to stay safe as well. However, her new friends might object to keeping secrets, but they are all about her safety.
This book blew me away. Seriously, I just couldn't put it down!
I adored the whole plot line. It was super exciting and new. I loved that.
Then you have this awesome heroine, Lexie, who isn't afraid of anything, helps those who need it, and is totally cool.
Then there are her guys. Who are five different guys that have lived through a lot together, and now just adopted this one girl to their group. These guys do their best to take care of her even though they don't really understand what's going on.
The only issue I had with this book is I was a little disappointed that everyone in the group seemed to date other people, and I really hated that rule that was made towards the end.
Other than that though this book was just awesome. And now, I can't wait to read more in this series.
Lexie will do everything she can to keep her secret, and to stay safe as well. However, her new friends might object to keeping secrets, but they are all about her safety.
This book blew me away. Seriously, I just couldn't put it down!
I adored the whole plot line. It was super exciting and new. I loved that.
Then you have this awesome heroine, Lexie, who isn't afraid of anything, helps those who need it, and is totally cool.
Then there are her guys. Who are five different guys that have lived through a lot together, and now just adopted this one girl to their group. These guys do their best to take care of her even though they don't really understand what's going on.
The only issue I had with this book is I was a little disappointed that everyone in the group seemed to date other people, and I really hated that rule that was made towards the end.
Other than that though this book was just awesome. And now, I can't wait to read more in this series.
April 19, 2019
I couldn't finish this mess. I read and read and read and, with only about 30% left, I couldn't take it anymore. Why?
1. This book is decidedly antifeminist. The female protagonist has only male friends. She is sooooo cool she's actually one of the guys. Her femininity is utilized only as a weakness such as when a boy accidentally hits her breast causing pain. There are zero positive female characters in this book. The second most visible female is evil. Otherwise there are nearly no women and the ones who exist are sniveling weaklings. Even the protagonist, who is supposed to be a badass, spends a majority of the book being consoled by "the guys". This book doesn't even make it to the Bechdel test because there aren't ANY conversations between women. Furthermore, the protagonist is horny for every single male in the book. I'm sure this leaves it open to many a romance in the series but listening to her orgasmic descriptions of all 5 of "the guys" in their PJs is nauseating.
2. It is poorly written. The author uses the word "admitted" in nearly every paragraph and, usually, doesn't mean admitted. Usually s/he means "said".
3. It is full of vulgar language. I'm no prude. I curse frequently. But f***ing is the most common adjective in this book. It's obnoxious and distracting.
4. It's just gross. Most of the moments sans dialog in this book are describing the protagonist touching or being touched by men. It's like this book was written by a 14 year old boy. The amount of touching in this book is unreal. There are several occasions where more than one man is touching this teenage girl at once. Sometimes it's 4 men at once. I can't imagine who this appeals to.
I am stunned at the rating (4.24 as I'm writing this.) I just got angrier and angrier as I read. Skip this one and you'll be better for it.
1. This book is decidedly antifeminist. The female protagonist has only male friends. She is sooooo cool she's actually one of the guys. Her femininity is utilized only as a weakness such as when a boy accidentally hits her breast causing pain. There are zero positive female characters in this book. The second most visible female is evil. Otherwise there are nearly no women and the ones who exist are sniveling weaklings. Even the protagonist, who is supposed to be a badass, spends a majority of the book being consoled by "the guys". This book doesn't even make it to the Bechdel test because there aren't ANY conversations between women. Furthermore, the protagonist is horny for every single male in the book. I'm sure this leaves it open to many a romance in the series but listening to her orgasmic descriptions of all 5 of "the guys" in their PJs is nauseating.
2. It is poorly written. The author uses the word "admitted" in nearly every paragraph and, usually, doesn't mean admitted. Usually s/he means "said".
3. It is full of vulgar language. I'm no prude. I curse frequently. But f***ing is the most common adjective in this book. It's obnoxious and distracting.
4. It's just gross. Most of the moments sans dialog in this book are describing the protagonist touching or being touched by men. It's like this book was written by a 14 year old boy. The amount of touching in this book is unreal. There are several occasions where more than one man is touching this teenage girl at once. Sometimes it's 4 men at once. I can't imagine who this appeals to.
I am stunned at the rating (4.24 as I'm writing this.) I just got angrier and angrier as I read. Skip this one and you'll be better for it.
June 12, 2018
3.5
It's a reverse harem. I think it needs no other explanation
It's a reverse harem. I think it needs no other explanation
September 19, 2017
Enjoyable read
June 7, 2017
I am conflicted because I feel like there is oodles of promise here. There's a decent story progression, the heroine has some good things going for her despite a pretty aggressive Mary Sue situation that I hope does not get worse, and I'm intrigued enough to keep reading. I do not, however, believe the relationships that much, and there is a weird obsession with talking about "triggers," but I can get around that enough to stay interested.
THAT SAID. If I had not had a gift card balance I would be infuriated about paying for the absolutely appalling editing in this book. $4.99?! For this?! It is so, so very terrible. One of the worst I've read in at least a year, maybe more. I'm talking commas all over the place for no reason, misspellings, jacked up tenses...all the horrible writing issues that you'd see in a 7th grade essay. It is a mess. I am completely surprised at myself for giving this two stars, the editing is that bad.
Also! Is this a reverse harem or what? I think it might be? But there's like...nothing happening with that. And the MC is deliberately oblivious. And they all kind of want to date other people. Sooooo. Not sure what the deal is there. Kind of annoyed.
Summary: decent promise as a story. Needs editing badly. Not sure about the RH situation. Might read the second.
THAT SAID. If I had not had a gift card balance I would be infuriated about paying for the absolutely appalling editing in this book. $4.99?! For this?! It is so, so very terrible. One of the worst I've read in at least a year, maybe more. I'm talking commas all over the place for no reason, misspellings, jacked up tenses...all the horrible writing issues that you'd see in a 7th grade essay. It is a mess. I am completely surprised at myself for giving this two stars, the editing is that bad.
Also! Is this a reverse harem or what? I think it might be? But there's like...nothing happening with that. And the MC is deliberately oblivious. And they all kind of want to date other people. Sooooo. Not sure what the deal is there. Kind of annoyed.
Summary: decent promise as a story. Needs editing badly. Not sure about the RH situation. Might read the second.
December 14, 2016
From what I understand this book is RH. But so far 4 of the 5 (hetero) guys are interested in other girls while the h likes some random guy. I didn't even mind though. The h had been through so much, she deserved such staunch friends like these guys who never let her down. In return the h was loyal, paid attention to the guys and in general made their life better and more fun! Their banter was witty and fun though the predictable high school mean girls vs. new girl subplot was a bit of a disappointment (and slightly over the top). Ghosts (plus gore/violence) are not my favourite paranormal plot aspect and that and the fact that there is no romance at all between the MCs is why I'm not rating it 5 stars.
But we get lot of quality time of the h bonding with the group as well as each guy, though obviously lots more is yet to be unveiled and I look forward to bk2! I'd like to know more about Isaac and Miles and if I have a choice would like to see Lexi dating Miles, he was just too adorable and sweet!
4 stars!
But we get lot of quality time of the h bonding with the group as well as each guy, though obviously lots more is yet to be unveiled and I look forward to bk2! I'd like to know more about Isaac and Miles and if I have a choice would like to see Lexi dating Miles, he was just too adorable and sweet!
4 stars!
January 10, 2023
can i really mark this as reverse harem?? i'm not sure given there's NO ROMANCE BETWEEN THE MC AND THE GUYS like i know y'all said it was a slowburn, but there's nothing burning here. there is less than 0 burn. someone refers to the boys as her brother's in either this book or the next. i want to cry. and who tf is dylan?? boy get out of here?!
at the very least, this book was very addictive, in a trashy way. but also the MC was such a 2010 "not like other girls" heroine... every guy was obsessed with her, all the girls were bitchy mean girls, our MC was so "cool" and "different" because she knew about cars and football and swore a lot. wow. colour me unimpressed.
i don't know why i finished this book and read half the second (especially given the length) but lord this did not surpass my (low) expectations.
at the very least, this book was very addictive, in a trashy way. but also the MC was such a 2010 "not like other girls" heroine... every guy was obsessed with her, all the girls were bitchy mean girls, our MC was so "cool" and "different" because she knew about cars and football and swore a lot. wow. colour me unimpressed.
i don't know why i finished this book and read half the second (especially given the length) but lord this did not surpass my (low) expectations.
October 2, 2023
This is the first book I read, which deals with helping the souls of dead cross the veil. I liked the story and especially the main charakters: Lexie, Issac, Ethan, Miles, Asher and Zeke. In this book there is a good balance of the paranormal stuff and the new relations Lexie is building after moving in with her Uncle Rory. Since I could not put the book down, I rated it with 5 stars.
January 31, 2019
RECENSIONE:
Partiamo dal presupposto che questo è il primo libro di genere Revers Harem che io abbia mai letto, ma sicuramente non sarà l'ultimo. E' un genere troppo accattivante per lasciarselo sfuggire, soprattutto per chi come me ama i paranormal romance! Per definizione di parla di RH quando la protagonista è una ragazza e nella narrazione sono presenti un gruppo di ragazzi che per un motivo o per un altro sembrano girarle intorno.
Trying to live with the Dead non fa eccezione in quanto Alexis dopo l'ennesimo trasloco si trasferisce da suo zio Rory, inizia a frequentare una nuova scuola e viene letteralmente adottata il primo giorno da questo strambo gruppo di cinque ragazzi, tutti straordinariamente attraenti anche se molto diversi l'uno dall'altro. Il problema principale è che Lexie, come tutte le donne della sua famiglia, riesce a vedere le anime dei morti. Fin qui tutto bene, se non fosse che la prossimità ad un anima le provoca effetti collaterali come sanguinamenti dal naso e una forte nausea che rendono difficile tenere nascosto il segreto. La nostra protagonista si ritroverà così per la prima volta nella sua vita ad avere un gruppo di amici che adora e che sembrano volerle bene ma anche a vivere con la paura che loro possano abbandonarla una volta scoperte le sue abilità. Da questo piccolo accenno di trama che vi ho dato il libro potrebbe sembrare un classico paranormal romance senza una chissà quale storia di fondo, ma fidatevi, non è affatto così.
Ho amato Alexis perchè non è la classica ragazza che si preoccupa di cose come i vestiti o le opinioni degli altri, invece nella sua vita non ha mai avuto quasi niente, quindi apprezza ogni singola cosa che le viene concessa. Inoltre sa tenere testa a qualsiasi tipo di avversario e non sopporta le ingiustizie, soprattutto se verso qualcuno di più debole. Le scene dove tiene testa alla "reginetta" della scuola sono impagabili e me l'hanno fatta apprezzare ancora di più!
Passiamo adesso a parlare dei ragazzi. OH MY GOD. Adottate anche me, vi prego. Sono uno più affascinante dell'altro.
Abbiamo Isaac, capelli blu e vestiti sgargianti, che fa battutine idiote tutto il tempo e ama fare scherzi. Il suo hobbie? Arti marziali, quindi addominali a go go.
Andiamo avanti; Ethan, fratello gemello di Isaac, anche se i due non potrebbero essere più diversi. Capelli neri lunghi fino al mento, abbigliamento da rocker e anelli d'argento a tutte le dita. Ma non tralasciamo la cosa più importante: è il chitarrista e cantante di una rock band, e a quanto pare la sua voce riesce a far cadere le mutandine di qualsiasi ragazza.
Poi abbiamo Miles, nerd con gli occhiali, ma che comunque ha la struttura ossea di un modello e campione di nuoto della scuola, quindi bonus: muscoli d'acciaio. E' il più timido dei 5 e alle volte non riesce a capire che quello che dice potrebbe risultare offensivo, il che lo rende ancora più adorabile.
Il prossimo strafigo è Asher, descritto con l'aspetto di un modello e il look del classico bravo ragazzo. Ovviamente gioca a football e quindi anche qui possiamo assicurarci dei bei addominali di roccia. Bonus: ama cucinare. Per quanto mi riguarda lo sposerei anche adesso.
Ed infine, il mio preferito: Zake. Alto, statuario, e scorbutico. Zake è il classico bad boy dal quale tutti si tengono alla larga. Ama tutto ciò che ha un motore ed ha un passato tenebroso.
Arrivati a questo punto un'esclamazione sorge spontanea: Arruolatemi per la prossima guerra!
(Ammettiamolo, in momenti come questi la nonna di Mulan è tutte noi xD)
Ma la cosa che ho apprezzato di più di questo primo libro è che nonostante io shippassi Lexie con uno dei suoi amici, loro restano solo questo, amici. Tutto il libro è incentrato sul bellissimo rapporto di amicizia che si instaura in pochissimo tempo tra i 6, e alcune delle scene più belle sono proprio di momenti di quotidianità tra amici. E' fantastico il modo in cui ognuno dei ragazzi tenti a modo suo di prendersi cura della protagonista, nonostante lei sia più che in grado di prendersi cura di se stessa senza l'aiuto di nessuno.
L'atmosfera paranormale del libro è poi mantenuta degli incontri che Lexie ha durante tutta la narrazione con varie anime e soprattutto con i problemi che si verranno a creare con un particolare fantasma che non vuole andare oltre e che cercherà di ucciderla.
Se non avete ancora letto nulla del genere, vi consiglio vivamente di iniziare da questa saga, che è entrata subito tra le mie serie Paranormal preferite, al pari con Caldo come il Fuoco e Sweet Evil! Per quanto riguarda lo stile di scrittura, è estremamente semplice e scorrevole e la storia è narrata in prima persona. Faccio anche presente che sono presenti molte parole scurrili al'interno del libro, cosa che a me non ha dato affatto fastidio, ma per sicurezza vi avverto. L'inglese è molto facile, direi che è un livello medio/basso, quindi accessibile anche ai principianti.
Il secondo libro della serie si intitola When the dead come a knockin' ed i terzo When to fear the living!
Il mio voto per il libro sono 4 stelline su 5: assolutamente consigliata.
Uno dei miei nuovi titoli preferiti per il genere Paranormal Romance, imperdibile!
Nonostante ci siano degli errori di punteggiatura, il libro resta uno dei migliori che io abbia letto del genere e lo consiglio vivamente! L'autrice poi è tipo wonder woman, ha pubblicato i primi tre libri della serie quest'anno e non vedo l'ora di leggere il quarto che dovrebbe uscire ad Ottobre.
Leggetelo se amate la Armentrout, non ve ne pentirete, ve lo garantisco.
Partiamo dal presupposto che questo è il primo libro di genere Revers Harem che io abbia mai letto, ma sicuramente non sarà l'ultimo. E' un genere troppo accattivante per lasciarselo sfuggire, soprattutto per chi come me ama i paranormal romance! Per definizione di parla di RH quando la protagonista è una ragazza e nella narrazione sono presenti un gruppo di ragazzi che per un motivo o per un altro sembrano girarle intorno.
Trying to live with the Dead non fa eccezione in quanto Alexis dopo l'ennesimo trasloco si trasferisce da suo zio Rory, inizia a frequentare una nuova scuola e viene letteralmente adottata il primo giorno da questo strambo gruppo di cinque ragazzi, tutti straordinariamente attraenti anche se molto diversi l'uno dall'altro. Il problema principale è che Lexie, come tutte le donne della sua famiglia, riesce a vedere le anime dei morti. Fin qui tutto bene, se non fosse che la prossimità ad un anima le provoca effetti collaterali come sanguinamenti dal naso e una forte nausea che rendono difficile tenere nascosto il segreto. La nostra protagonista si ritroverà così per la prima volta nella sua vita ad avere un gruppo di amici che adora e che sembrano volerle bene ma anche a vivere con la paura che loro possano abbandonarla una volta scoperte le sue abilità. Da questo piccolo accenno di trama che vi ho dato il libro potrebbe sembrare un classico paranormal romance senza una chissà quale storia di fondo, ma fidatevi, non è affatto così.
Ho amato Alexis perchè non è la classica ragazza che si preoccupa di cose come i vestiti o le opinioni degli altri, invece nella sua vita non ha mai avuto quasi niente, quindi apprezza ogni singola cosa che le viene concessa. Inoltre sa tenere testa a qualsiasi tipo di avversario e non sopporta le ingiustizie, soprattutto se verso qualcuno di più debole. Le scene dove tiene testa alla "reginetta" della scuola sono impagabili e me l'hanno fatta apprezzare ancora di più! Passiamo adesso a parlare dei ragazzi. OH MY GOD. Adottate anche me, vi prego. Sono uno più affascinante dell'altro.
Abbiamo Isaac, capelli blu e vestiti sgargianti, che fa battutine idiote tutto il tempo e ama fare scherzi. Il suo hobbie? Arti marziali, quindi addominali a go go.
Andiamo avanti; Ethan, fratello gemello di Isaac, anche se i due non potrebbero essere più diversi. Capelli neri lunghi fino al mento, abbigliamento da rocker e anelli d'argento a tutte le dita. Ma non tralasciamo la cosa più importante: è il chitarrista e cantante di una rock band, e a quanto pare la sua voce riesce a far cadere le mutandine di qualsiasi ragazza.
Poi abbiamo Miles, nerd con gli occhiali, ma che comunque ha la struttura ossea di un modello e campione di nuoto della scuola, quindi bonus: muscoli d'acciaio. E' il più timido dei 5 e alle volte non riesce a capire che quello che dice potrebbe risultare offensivo, il che lo rende ancora più adorabile.
Il prossimo strafigo è Asher, descritto con l'aspetto di un modello e il look del classico bravo ragazzo. Ovviamente gioca a football e quindi anche qui possiamo assicurarci dei bei addominali di roccia. Bonus: ama cucinare. Per quanto mi riguarda lo sposerei anche adesso.
Ed infine, il mio preferito: Zake. Alto, statuario, e scorbutico. Zake è il classico bad boy dal quale tutti si tengono alla larga. Ama tutto ciò che ha un motore ed ha un passato tenebroso.
Arrivati a questo punto un'esclamazione sorge spontanea: Arruolatemi per la prossima guerra!
(Ammettiamolo, in momenti come questi la nonna di Mulan è tutte noi xD)
Ma la cosa che ho apprezzato di più di questo primo libro è che nonostante io shippassi Lexie con uno dei suoi amici, loro restano solo questo, amici. Tutto il libro è incentrato sul bellissimo rapporto di amicizia che si instaura in pochissimo tempo tra i 6, e alcune delle scene più belle sono proprio di momenti di quotidianità tra amici. E' fantastico il modo in cui ognuno dei ragazzi tenti a modo suo di prendersi cura della protagonista, nonostante lei sia più che in grado di prendersi cura di se stessa senza l'aiuto di nessuno.
L'atmosfera paranormale del libro è poi mantenuta degli incontri che Lexie ha durante tutta la narrazione con varie anime e soprattutto con i problemi che si verranno a creare con un particolare fantasma che non vuole andare oltre e che cercherà di ucciderla.
Se non avete ancora letto nulla del genere, vi consiglio vivamente di iniziare da questa saga, che è entrata subito tra le mie serie Paranormal preferite, al pari con Caldo come il Fuoco e Sweet Evil! Per quanto riguarda lo stile di scrittura, è estremamente semplice e scorrevole e la storia è narrata in prima persona. Faccio anche presente che sono presenti molte parole scurrili al'interno del libro, cosa che a me non ha dato affatto fastidio, ma per sicurezza vi avverto. L'inglese è molto facile, direi che è un livello medio/basso, quindi accessibile anche ai principianti.
Il secondo libro della serie si intitola When the dead come a knockin' ed i terzo When to fear the living!
Il mio voto per il libro sono 4 stelline su 5: assolutamente consigliata.
Uno dei miei nuovi titoli preferiti per il genere Paranormal Romance, imperdibile!
Nonostante ci siano degli errori di punteggiatura, il libro resta uno dei migliori che io abbia letto del genere e lo consiglio vivamente! L'autrice poi è tipo wonder woman, ha pubblicato i primi tre libri della serie quest'anno e non vedo l'ora di leggere il quarto che dovrebbe uscire ad Ottobre.
Leggetelo se amate la Armentrout, non ve ne pentirete, ve lo garantisco.
December 16, 2019
I've binge-read the entire series (or at least all seven books) in a week and I can't remember for sure which ones I loved more and which ones I loved a bit less. I'll probably rate all of them 4 or 5 stars. Can't wait for the eight book to come out!
June 16, 2020
The biggest thing you need to know about Lexie, our protagonist, is that she is not like other girls.
Seriously! She just wants you to understand. She is NOT like other girls.
No, no, no. You still don't believe it. Lexie promises, in no way whatsoever is she like other girls.
JFC.
I think the author must have some serious hang-ups about her own femininity because Lexie's only character trait is that she isn't like other women.
- She knows about American Football!!!! OMG, women don't like sports, how can this be????
- She knows the value of gas! That's right, you heard it here first. Our quick-witted protagonist knows how much it costs to fuel her car! This obviously makes her very desirable #NotLikeOtherGirls
- She would "rather have [her] car fixed than shoes." Surely not! You mean...she values the vehicle she constantly uses over a new pair of shoes? Gasp! Women don't make sensible choices like that! They would rather be out on the streets than lose out on a nice pair of shoes!
Lexie constantly needs to assert how much she is not like girls she is because, obviously, girls are just the worst. According to Lexie the only benefit to having girl friends is so that she knows if her outfit looks good, or if the colour suits her. Otherwise, all girl friends do is "backstab" and cause "drama" unlike guys who (apparently) always tell you when they're mad at you, and never cause any drama...
Almost all the other women characters in this book exist solely to cat-fight and be bitchy to Lexie so she can show them how superior she is. Lexie has shed the albatross that is womanhood and ascended to the heights of being one of the guys.
What sexist drivel. The only reason I managed to finish this is because some of the characters were very sweet (see Zeke and Miles) and all the sexism didn't peak until the second half where it caught me a little off-guard. Also, in all honesty, her friendship with the guys was pretty wholesome.
Unfortunately, I would not recommend this book. It had potential and the plot was almost interesting until I started to notice all this crap and couldn't look at the character the same way.
How disappointing.
Seriously! She just wants you to understand. She is NOT like other girls.
No, no, no. You still don't believe it. Lexie promises, in no way whatsoever is she like other girls.
JFC.
I think the author must have some serious hang-ups about her own femininity because Lexie's only character trait is that she isn't like other women.
- She knows about American Football!!!! OMG, women don't like sports, how can this be????
- She knows the value of gas! That's right, you heard it here first. Our quick-witted protagonist knows how much it costs to fuel her car! This obviously makes her very desirable #NotLikeOtherGirls
- She would "rather have [her] car fixed than shoes." Surely not! You mean...she values the vehicle she constantly uses over a new pair of shoes? Gasp! Women don't make sensible choices like that! They would rather be out on the streets than lose out on a nice pair of shoes!
Lexie constantly needs to assert how much she is not like girls she is because, obviously, girls are just the worst. According to Lexie the only benefit to having girl friends is so that she knows if her outfit looks good, or if the colour suits her. Otherwise, all girl friends do is "backstab" and cause "drama" unlike guys who (apparently) always tell you when they're mad at you, and never cause any drama...
Almost all the other women characters in this book exist solely to cat-fight and be bitchy to Lexie so she can show them how superior she is. Lexie has shed the albatross that is womanhood and ascended to the heights of being one of the guys.
What sexist drivel. The only reason I managed to finish this is because some of the characters were very sweet (see Zeke and Miles) and all the sexism didn't peak until the second half where it caught me a little off-guard. Also, in all honesty, her friendship with the guys was pretty wholesome.
Unfortunately, I would not recommend this book. It had potential and the plot was almost interesting until I started to notice all this crap and couldn't look at the character the same way.
How disappointing.
April 2, 2018
A solid 3.5.
I tried reading this last year and DNF around 34% but I did a Buddy read with Reverse Harem Revolutions and it forced me to read the whole book and I am glad that I did.
This book reads as it is a very interesting slow burn YA RH. Once I got into the mindset that this was a slow burn YA, I was able to enjoy it more.
What makes this stand out for me is the Lexie's no nonsense attitude. I could have done without the teenage drama but it is expected of a YA.
I tried reading this last year and DNF around 34% but I did a Buddy read with Reverse Harem Revolutions and it forced me to read the whole book and I am glad that I did.
This book reads as it is a very interesting slow burn YA RH. Once I got into the mindset that this was a slow burn YA, I was able to enjoy it more.
What makes this stand out for me is the Lexie's no nonsense attitude. I could have done without the teenage drama but it is expected of a YA.
June 18, 2018
3.75 stars
May 19, 2019
I would like to start by saying if I could give this monstrosity of a book zero stars I absolutely would. I do not consider myself a harsh book critic, hardly ever do I find a book that I loathe with all of my heart. I usually find something I like about every book I read, this book is the only exception. I had to force myself to finish this book, so many times throughout it I felt like just giving up, putting the book down and doing something that didn’t make me want to jump off a building, but in order to give this a fair review I had to make sure there were no redeemable qualities. Let me assure you, there definitely were none. I have seen fan fiction written by twelve year olds with more depth and a better plot than this garbage. Every character in this book is so predictable, especially Alexis. I loved the idea of this book and was so excited to read it, but it was executed so poorly it made me want to cry. The plot is so horrendously predictable, the boys are all characters I’ve seen a thousand times in a thousand different books, I mean seriously? The bad boy is a cliche of every bad boy in history he has no real personality, theres a nerd, there’s twins, and the jock. This is literally the most cliche squad I have ever read of, there was no element of surprise all the characters did what you guessed they’d do and said what you’d think they’d say. This book stressed me out with how horrible it was. Another thing, the writing style used in this book is god awful. I promise you, I’m never this mean in my book reviews, but I could not stand this book.
May 28, 2017
This book has an excellent plot, highly interesting characters and I love, love, love the slow build reverse harem. Unfortunately, the editing is the worst I have ever seen in a published work - normally I would have stopped reading before the 10 percent mark in a book with even a tenth of the errors and it is a testament to the positives (see first sentence of review) that I continued on.
I feel that the 5 and even 4 star reviews for this book are doing a disservice to the author, who has a clear and unique talent, by not clearly illustrating just how detrimental the poor editing is to her work. It is painful to give a lower rating to someone who so clearly put their heart and soul into a great story and was brave to put it out there for the world to see, but I also want to be honest and have integrity in my reviews. This author deserves to have her work shine, and editing would make that happen. Professional editing may very well be expensive (I don't really know) but there are plenty of highly capable readers who would be willing to provide their assistance for little to no cost for stories such as these - and even if they miss some things it would still make a huge difference here. If there is ever an edited reissue I will gladly adjust my review to reflect just how much I liked the story and characters as I want everyone to read a clean version of this story.
I feel that the 5 and even 4 star reviews for this book are doing a disservice to the author, who has a clear and unique talent, by not clearly illustrating just how detrimental the poor editing is to her work. It is painful to give a lower rating to someone who so clearly put their heart and soul into a great story and was brave to put it out there for the world to see, but I also want to be honest and have integrity in my reviews. This author deserves to have her work shine, and editing would make that happen. Professional editing may very well be expensive (I don't really know) but there are plenty of highly capable readers who would be willing to provide their assistance for little to no cost for stories such as these - and even if they miss some things it would still make a huge difference here. If there is ever an edited reissue I will gladly adjust my review to reflect just how much I liked the story and characters as I want everyone to read a clean version of this story.
April 27, 2018
❌ Auxiliary Challenge (2018) Winner for April (Theme: Reverse Harem)
This book is lucky to be a double read with the RHR Cult as well #eatallthecake ❌
3.5 Stars
This book is lucky to be a double read with the RHR Cult as well #eatallthecake ❌
3.5 Stars
July 6, 2025
4⭐️ NO BC I ACTUALLY REALLY LIKED THIS!! I’ve been eyeing this series for a while now and this book did not disappoint me. I really feel like it’s setting up for an amazing series, and something about the way this book reads feels like watching a comfort show with hella action and drama. Plus, I am LIVINGGG for the friends-to-lovers why choose arc that’s being set up. Like I fear (&hope) that each book is only going to get better from here and I’m SAT. I also really really like our FMC, a baddie who sees ghosts and takes no one’s shit? Then 5 guys who actually don’t play about her but also support her in all these ghost situations?! Yeah, let me go ahead and jump into book 2. 🏃🏽♀️
December 13, 2016
If you like C.L. Stone, Jane Washington, Lane Whitt series, then you will enjoy this as well! I love a good paranormal with a twist especially with several gorgeous guys involved!
Trying to Live With the Dead is the first part of a trilogy for The Veil series by B.L. Brunnemer! Here is my review and I demand you get this book today! The next book in the series is not too far behind releasing!
Alexis Delaney comes from an abusive situation and ends up moving in with her Uncle Rory and cousin Tasha. She is not your average 17 yr old girl. She can see dead people & hangs out with "five" hot guy friends at School! Sign me up now! Introducing you Alexis Isaac Turner is into skateboarding & MMA fighting, Ezekiel "Zeke" Blackthorn is the mechanic, Ethan Turner is in a rock band, Miles Huntington is a computer geek, & Asher Westfell plays sports. I fell in love with each character even Uncle Rory! I despise Tasha but I know there is more to her that I am sure we will find out later. The dead are getting more evil & powerful by the second so I cannot wait for the next installment to see what happens next!
Whom will she choose if any? What type of powers will Alexis receive? I love a good suspenseful paranormal with lots of twists!
Here is the order of the series so far but several installments to come!
Book: One
Trying to Live With the Dead
Book: Two
When the Dead Come A Knockin'
Book: Three
When the Dead Aren't the only Ones to Fear.
Trying to Live With the Dead is the first part of a trilogy for The Veil series by B.L. Brunnemer! Here is my review and I demand you get this book today! The next book in the series is not too far behind releasing!
Alexis Delaney comes from an abusive situation and ends up moving in with her Uncle Rory and cousin Tasha. She is not your average 17 yr old girl. She can see dead people & hangs out with "five" hot guy friends at School! Sign me up now! Introducing you Alexis Isaac Turner is into skateboarding & MMA fighting, Ezekiel "Zeke" Blackthorn is the mechanic, Ethan Turner is in a rock band, Miles Huntington is a computer geek, & Asher Westfell plays sports. I fell in love with each character even Uncle Rory! I despise Tasha but I know there is more to her that I am sure we will find out later. The dead are getting more evil & powerful by the second so I cannot wait for the next installment to see what happens next!
Whom will she choose if any? What type of powers will Alexis receive? I love a good suspenseful paranormal with lots of twists!
Here is the order of the series so far but several installments to come!
Book: One
Trying to Live With the Dead
Book: Two
When the Dead Come A Knockin'
Book: Three
When the Dead Aren't the only Ones to Fear.
June 24, 2019
Taken in by her uncle, Rory, after her mom beat her senseless, Alexis has learned to keep people at a distance, especially given her "gift" of being able to see ghosts. She expects to be a loner at her new school but instead finds herself becoming friends with a group of fun/nice guys. She figures they will bolt as soon as they learn of her affliction, which is inevitable given a particularly nasty ghost that resides at school. Of course, they don't. Instead, they support her as she tries to learn how to get rid of the ghost and more about her powers.
Yep, another RH series that I am hooked on. I agree with my friend, Alaina, who thought it had a similar feel as the Ghost Bird series by C.L. Stone. I agree. These characters are just a bunch of nice high school kids that have formed a group to support one another. They each have their own problems but they are still good kids despite it all. Another similarity is there isn't anything really happening romantically between the characters yet. I guess that changes somewhere down the road around book 6, but so far there isn't even much sexual tension. They are all working on their friendship first. I like that. This series differs though, with the supernatural aspect and that they clearly have some supernatural problems that will need to be sorted out in future books. I'm in for the ride and am looking forward to it!
Yep, another RH series that I am hooked on. I agree with my friend, Alaina, who thought it had a similar feel as the Ghost Bird series by C.L. Stone. I agree. These characters are just a bunch of nice high school kids that have formed a group to support one another. They each have their own problems but they are still good kids despite it all. Another similarity is there isn't anything really happening romantically between the characters yet. I guess that changes somewhere down the road around book 6, but so far there isn't even much sexual tension. They are all working on their friendship first. I like that. This series differs though, with the supernatural aspect and that they clearly have some supernatural problems that will need to be sorted out in future books. I'm in for the ride and am looking forward to it!
December 13, 2017
i finally finished. about 1000 puppies died in the process of reading this book, in case you were wondering.
its very YA. and if you're reading this for the reverse harem trope....don't bother. its not one at all.
there were interesting parts but overall i was bored and spent a lot of time reading one page, checking fb. read another page, checked ig.
...but at least it wasnt a dnf, right?
its very YA. and if you're reading this for the reverse harem trope....don't bother. its not one at all.
there were interesting parts but overall i was bored and spent a lot of time reading one page, checking fb. read another page, checked ig.
...but at least it wasnt a dnf, right?
January 15, 2018
Self note:
Reread 1/15
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