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The Witch's Handbook #1
How to Date Dead Guys
College sophomore Emma Roberts remembers her mother's sage advice: "don't sleep around, don't burp in public, and don't tell anyone you see ghosts." But when charming Mike Carlson drowns in the campus river under her watch, Emma's sheltered life shatters. Blamed for Mike's death and haunted by nightmares, Emma turns to witchcraft and a mysterious Book of Shadows to bring him back. Under a Blood Moon, she lights candles, draws a pentacle on the campus bridge, and casts a spell. The invoked river rages up against her, but she escapes its fury. As she stumbles back to the dorm, a stranger drags himself from the water and follows her home. And he isn't the only one. Instead of raising Mike, Emma assists the others she stole back from the dead-a pre-med student who jumped off the bridge, a desperate victim determined to solve his own murder, and a frat boy Emma can't stand . . . at first. More comfortable with the dead than the living, Emma delves deeper into the seductive Book of Shadows. Her powers grow, but witchcraft may not be enough to protect her against the vengeful river and the killers that feed it their victims.
Audio CD
First published July 14, 2014
21 people are currently reading
1412 people want to read
About the author
Ann M. Noser
6 books139 followersGrowing up an only child, I learned to entertain myself. During summer vacations, my greatest form of exercise consisted of turning the pages of a book. Now I’m all grown up, and full of stories half-written in my head. I have to write them down so I can find out what happens next.
HOW TO DATE DEAD GUYS is my first novel.
When I'm not living in my own created fantasy world, I'm a small animal veterinarian and a mother. My writing career began via monthly Pet Vet columns for the local Post Bulletin newspaper. Next I published non-fiction articles in RunMinnesota, Rochester Women magazine, the DVM360 journal, and The Wagazine.
Book ideas bubble up from the most unexpected places: a sign post, a newspaper article, a radio show. I've got more stories in my head than down on paper.
Just give me time...
HOW TO DATE DEAD GUYS is my first novel.
When I'm not living in my own created fantasy world, I'm a small animal veterinarian and a mother. My writing career began via monthly Pet Vet columns for the local Post Bulletin newspaper. Next I published non-fiction articles in RunMinnesota, Rochester Women magazine, the DVM360 journal, and The Wagazine.
Book ideas bubble up from the most unexpected places: a sign post, a newspaper article, a radio show. I've got more stories in my head than down on paper.
Just give me time...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews
February 5, 2015
This book is available now... :)
More like 3.75 stars
Emma is a nerd. She lives at the edge of college life. She would much rather study than go out and party with her friends. I love her.
She is meek and quiet in the beginning of the book. She actually is funny and snarky but no one really knows that because she gets all tongue tied around any one.
She finally kinda starts liking a guy and on his 21st birthday he gets drunk and decides to go swimming in a fast moving river. Emma is with him and he drowns. The thing is EVERYONE blames Emma for his death. (I thought that part was a bit overdone).
She ends up trying to bring dork ass back to life and gets more than she bargained for. She brings back several other guys that have unfinished business.
This book was so stinking cute. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. Sure it's got some cheese.
I didn't care. I just ate it up. Emma grew over the book to become a kick arse little main character and I realized this is going to be a series.
I received an arc of this book from Curiosity Quills in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!
September 6, 2022
Book Blog | Bookstagram
Why the hell do I have this book on my Netgalley shelf? Was I high? What could I have possibly been thinking when I requested it? This is not me. Whatever the reason, here we are. I read the whole thing. I didn’t like it, but I read it.
So, no one is dating dead guys in this book. There’s just a university student who keeps blushing at the male ghosts that she accidentally brought back from whatever purgatory they were stuck in.
The magic in this is unexplained and vague and takes a backseat to things like pregnant friends and what everyone is going to eat. Like why is every sparkling ghost sharing the same body? Where did this body come from? Why does it turn to rubber during a full moon? Why does its voice change based on which ghost is occupying it? Why can pictures reveal the identity of the ghost in the body? Where are these spirits coming back from? And why? Is it Emma’s job to guide them to some kind of closure like she’s the Ghost Whisperer? Why does Emma just go along with everything without asking questions?
While I did find a lot of regressive gender stuff in this book (girls are only feminine in dresses, all women cry when they don’t get their way, women love to create drama, etc…,) my biggest issue was just how juvenile it was. Apparently, this is considered NA, but it's fucking not. The characters, the dialogue, the scenes, the reactions… it was like an after-school special for 10-year-olds. The characters are young adults, away at school, renting their own apartments and driving a Lexus, but they behave and speak like a kid in my grade 8 class who had been homeschooled up to that point. “Oh my gosh, did you just say *whispers* …penis?”
If this innocent kid thing is your jam, you’ll probably like this. It’s just light and fluffy and doesn’t take much thought to read. But for me, it was cheesy and didn’t reflect real life or young adults. I mean, my 15-year-old stepkid has a 4-foot blow-up penis in their room that was a birthday present from their best friend.
Regular kids are not this “oh shucks, golly gosh” innocent trope, and I don’t understand why we have to write for them that way.
⭐½ | 1.5 stars rounded down.
book source: NetGalley in exchange for a review
Why the hell do I have this book on my Netgalley shelf? Was I high? What could I have possibly been thinking when I requested it? This is not me. Whatever the reason, here we are. I read the whole thing. I didn’t like it, but I read it.
So, no one is dating dead guys in this book. There’s just a university student who keeps blushing at the male ghosts that she accidentally brought back from whatever purgatory they were stuck in.
The magic in this is unexplained and vague and takes a backseat to things like pregnant friends and what everyone is going to eat. Like why is every sparkling ghost sharing the same body? Where did this body come from? Why does it turn to rubber during a full moon? Why does its voice change based on which ghost is occupying it? Why can pictures reveal the identity of the ghost in the body? Where are these spirits coming back from? And why? Is it Emma’s job to guide them to some kind of closure like she’s the Ghost Whisperer? Why does Emma just go along with everything without asking questions?
While I did find a lot of regressive gender stuff in this book (girls are only feminine in dresses, all women cry when they don’t get their way, women love to create drama, etc…,) my biggest issue was just how juvenile it was. Apparently, this is considered NA, but it's fucking not. The characters, the dialogue, the scenes, the reactions… it was like an after-school special for 10-year-olds. The characters are young adults, away at school, renting their own apartments and driving a Lexus, but they behave and speak like a kid in my grade 8 class who had been homeschooled up to that point. “Oh my gosh, did you just say *whispers* …penis?”
If this innocent kid thing is your jam, you’ll probably like this. It’s just light and fluffy and doesn’t take much thought to read. But for me, it was cheesy and didn’t reflect real life or young adults. I mean, my 15-year-old stepkid has a 4-foot blow-up penis in their room that was a birthday present from their best friend.
Regular kids are not this “oh shucks, golly gosh” innocent trope, and I don’t understand why we have to write for them that way.
⭐½ | 1.5 stars rounded down.
book source: NetGalley in exchange for a review
August 25, 2016
Wow, I wasn't expecting that anyway. When I started reading How To Date Dead Guys I was like seriously? The whole I dress like a tomboy, I'm super smart, I'm pretty weird, I have a hot girly girl roommate and luckily one of the hottest guys I've ever laid eyes on starts to talk to me at a party that I didn't even want to go to and I can hardly speak to him.. *YAWN* ! It's so overdone I felt myself getting put off already but I am so glad I kept reading on because it got so awesome I loved it.
Emma Roberts is a sophomore at college who just wants to be a normal student, with taunts still fresh in her mind made by bullies from high school she still finds it hard to fit in even though she wants to. Emma's roommate Chrissy is her polar opposite and tries to talk her into going to a party one night so she can meet a guy she has been crushing on. Emma reluctantly goes along knowing she is only going to be standing on the sidelines watching everyone all night until the super hot frisbee playing guy that she noticed coming into the party comes over to talk to her she can't believe it. When tragedy strikes it turns Emma's world upside down and she can't bare it also losing the friendship of the girl who she thought was her only friend. During this she sinks lower and starts to dabble in witchcraft, can she right the wrongs that she thinks she helped happen or will there be more dead bodies turning up on her front door, literally.
I'm so glad I kept reading and didn't give the book up because it gripped me so hard, one minute I was giggling my little socks off and the next I was in floods of tears it was like I couldn't get my emotions under control. I found that once I was coming up to half way in the book I was in love with our characters they all added their own little twist which was great!
I hated Jake at first I thought he was a complete asshole and just wanted him to disappear yet once he started hitting Emma with some home truths and spending time with her he started to grow on me, everything he did for her was amazing and it reminds me of your first reckless friend that reminds you life is worth living. Soon as he started to pretend he was Emma's boyfriend that was it for me I was in complete love with him and the tears started to flow, I wanted to scream at Emma to tell him how she felt as I knew what was going to happen once he spoke with his sister yet she still didn't and it broke my heart I was in pieces. I wish there was more of him in the book as he really made it for me.
I really wasn't keen on Mike when he appeared again I thought he was being a bit of a tosspot and was going to make a move on Abby but then once I realised it was just guilt that was causing him to act like this my conscience kept saying "shame on you" for not giving him a chance then just as I let my walls down and was starting to like him *poof* gone, another part where I cried my eyes out especially when he referred to them as Romeo & Juliet.
I could go on about all the characters for ages because they are a good bunch but I will let you decide, give it a go and stick with it is worth it!
Check out my blog www.amandaminnockx.tumble.com
"I remember every single minute of last night. I remember Jake kissing me and telling me he loved me, come what may. And I repeated the same to him."
Emma Roberts is a sophomore at college who just wants to be a normal student, with taunts still fresh in her mind made by bullies from high school she still finds it hard to fit in even though she wants to. Emma's roommate Chrissy is her polar opposite and tries to talk her into going to a party one night so she can meet a guy she has been crushing on. Emma reluctantly goes along knowing she is only going to be standing on the sidelines watching everyone all night until the super hot frisbee playing guy that she noticed coming into the party comes over to talk to her she can't believe it. When tragedy strikes it turns Emma's world upside down and she can't bare it also losing the friendship of the girl who she thought was her only friend. During this she sinks lower and starts to dabble in witchcraft, can she right the wrongs that she thinks she helped happen or will there be more dead bodies turning up on her front door, literally.
I'm so glad I kept reading and didn't give the book up because it gripped me so hard, one minute I was giggling my little socks off and the next I was in floods of tears it was like I couldn't get my emotions under control. I found that once I was coming up to half way in the book I was in love with our characters they all added their own little twist which was great!
I hated Jake at first I thought he was a complete asshole and just wanted him to disappear yet once he started hitting Emma with some home truths and spending time with her he started to grow on me, everything he did for her was amazing and it reminds me of your first reckless friend that reminds you life is worth living. Soon as he started to pretend he was Emma's boyfriend that was it for me I was in complete love with him and the tears started to flow, I wanted to scream at Emma to tell him how she felt as I knew what was going to happen once he spoke with his sister yet she still didn't and it broke my heart I was in pieces. I wish there was more of him in the book as he really made it for me.
I really wasn't keen on Mike when he appeared again I thought he was being a bit of a tosspot and was going to make a move on Abby but then once I realised it was just guilt that was causing him to act like this my conscience kept saying "shame on you" for not giving him a chance then just as I let my walls down and was starting to like him *poof* gone, another part where I cried my eyes out especially when he referred to them as Romeo & Juliet.
I could go on about all the characters for ages because they are a good bunch but I will let you decide, give it a go and stick with it is worth it!
Check out my blog www.amandaminnockx.tumble.com
"I remember every single minute of last night. I remember Jake kissing me and telling me he loved me, come what may. And I repeated the same to him."
April 30, 2016
Serious and studious, Emma knew very little about the more free-spirited side of life. And Dating? She could barely talk to a guy without proving how socially inept she was, so when her extrovert roommate takes her to a campus party, Emma was left holding up the wall by the beer keg while a party whirled around her. Like a vision, he came into view and for Emma, Mike was all she could see. When Mike’s birthday came around, his drunken state made going for a nighttime swim in the river that has taken so many lives sound like a good idea! Emma wanted to feel alive, to do something crazy, but that isn’t how it turned out, two went into the river and only one came out. Mike was gone and Emma feels it’s her fault.
A book of spells mysteriously showing up gives a desperate Emma an idea. Could a spell bring Mike back? Could Emma take back what the river stole away? What Emma discovers is what legends and myths are made of. But what she achieves is nothing short of miraculous as she touches the hearts of people in pain. Through it all, will Emma find she can deal better with someone who has died or will she finally learn to live life as it was meant to be?
How to Date Dead Guys by Ann M. Noser is part paranormal romance, part mystery and completely entertaining as the nightmare of one night pushes a young woman out of her comfort zone and into the hearts and souls of strangers. With light-hearted moments, intensely sad moments and moments that will bring tears of joy, Ms. Noser has created a different kind of paranormal tale to escape into and cast her own spell for wonderful reading!
I received this copy from Ann M. Noser in exchange for my honest review.
Series: Under the Blood Moon - Book 1
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press (July 14, 2014)
Publication Date: July 14, 2014
Genre: NA Fantasy
Print Length: 304 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
A book of spells mysteriously showing up gives a desperate Emma an idea. Could a spell bring Mike back? Could Emma take back what the river stole away? What Emma discovers is what legends and myths are made of. But what she achieves is nothing short of miraculous as she touches the hearts of people in pain. Through it all, will Emma find she can deal better with someone who has died or will she finally learn to live life as it was meant to be?
How to Date Dead Guys by Ann M. Noser is part paranormal romance, part mystery and completely entertaining as the nightmare of one night pushes a young woman out of her comfort zone and into the hearts and souls of strangers. With light-hearted moments, intensely sad moments and moments that will bring tears of joy, Ms. Noser has created a different kind of paranormal tale to escape into and cast her own spell for wonderful reading!
I received this copy from Ann M. Noser in exchange for my honest review.
Series: Under the Blood Moon - Book 1
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press (July 14, 2014)
Publication Date: July 14, 2014
Genre: NA Fantasy
Print Length: 304 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
April 16, 2014
What a great surprise. I was looking for a break from my usual favourite genre when I read the promotional blurb for this book. Something about it tweaked my interest but I've been fooled before. It can be like carefully selecting a movie only to discover all the best bits were in the trailer. So I requested it with few expectations. And read it in 1 day.
This is an imaginative, funny & touching story with a wide cast of characters supporting several plot lines. But the glue that holds them all together is Emma.
Emma Roberts is a soph at the U of Wisconsin. She's not beautiful, popular or fashionable. That would be her room mate Chrissy whose main goals are dating the cutest guy on campus & acquiring every pink accessory known to man.
Instead, Emma focuses on her GPA & staying at home. Because when she goes out, there's always a chance she'll run into one of those pesky ghosts she's been able to see since childhood. She has successfully dodged them for years but that's about to change.
Chrissy drags her to a house party where Emma meets Mike Carlson & it's love at first sight. Over the next few weeks they spend time together as Chrissy chases Mike's brother. On his 21st birthday, Emma ends up taking a midnight swim with the very drunk Mike. The river has taken the lives of 4 men over the past year & sadly, Mike gets added to the list.
Emma is blamed for his death & ostracized on campus. Desperate, she turns to a book of witch craft left behind by Chrissy's sister. She's determined to make the river give Mike back. And it works...sort of. Her spell succeeds & the river does relinquish a dead guy. But his name is Sam.
I don't want to give away more of the plot because part of the fun comes from watching Emma deal with unexpected twists as she struggles to fix her mistake. Suffice to say she's soon knee deep in dead guys looking for help with unfinished business.
The story is fast paced & entertaining with an interesting take on what happens after you die. You're quickly pulled in by the strong narrative & an engaging protagonist. Emma is a hoot. Like many young women, she has her insecurities but is braver & tougher than she knows. Nothing kills my interest faster than a female lead depicted as a weeping damsel in distress who has misplaced her spine. So it was a pleasure to spend time with one who is smart, funny & capable.
Peripheral characters include her parents, a suspicious cop & yes, more dead guys. Each comes with their own particular baggage & Emma will have to help them tie up the loose ends of their previous lives before they can move on. Over the course of their adventures, a subplot emerges concerning a sinister gang that may be responsible for some of the untimely deaths. By the end, some mysteries remain unsolved & we're left with a more confidant Emma who has acquired an unlikely ally, setting the stage for the next instalment.
This is a "clean" read (little/no sex, swearing, etc) suitable for a wide range of readers. On one level, it's a rollicking humorous paranormal with well drawn characters & plenty of action. But it will also make you think about what you might do or say if given the chance to correct past mistakes. It's a modern, ghostly take on the old adage "be careful what you wish for" & I look forward to seeing what's around the corner for Emma in book #2.
This is an imaginative, funny & touching story with a wide cast of characters supporting several plot lines. But the glue that holds them all together is Emma.
Emma Roberts is a soph at the U of Wisconsin. She's not beautiful, popular or fashionable. That would be her room mate Chrissy whose main goals are dating the cutest guy on campus & acquiring every pink accessory known to man.
Instead, Emma focuses on her GPA & staying at home. Because when she goes out, there's always a chance she'll run into one of those pesky ghosts she's been able to see since childhood. She has successfully dodged them for years but that's about to change.
Chrissy drags her to a house party where Emma meets Mike Carlson & it's love at first sight. Over the next few weeks they spend time together as Chrissy chases Mike's brother. On his 21st birthday, Emma ends up taking a midnight swim with the very drunk Mike. The river has taken the lives of 4 men over the past year & sadly, Mike gets added to the list.
Emma is blamed for his death & ostracized on campus. Desperate, she turns to a book of witch craft left behind by Chrissy's sister. She's determined to make the river give Mike back. And it works...sort of. Her spell succeeds & the river does relinquish a dead guy. But his name is Sam.
I don't want to give away more of the plot because part of the fun comes from watching Emma deal with unexpected twists as she struggles to fix her mistake. Suffice to say she's soon knee deep in dead guys looking for help with unfinished business.
The story is fast paced & entertaining with an interesting take on what happens after you die. You're quickly pulled in by the strong narrative & an engaging protagonist. Emma is a hoot. Like many young women, she has her insecurities but is braver & tougher than she knows. Nothing kills my interest faster than a female lead depicted as a weeping damsel in distress who has misplaced her spine. So it was a pleasure to spend time with one who is smart, funny & capable.
Peripheral characters include her parents, a suspicious cop & yes, more dead guys. Each comes with their own particular baggage & Emma will have to help them tie up the loose ends of their previous lives before they can move on. Over the course of their adventures, a subplot emerges concerning a sinister gang that may be responsible for some of the untimely deaths. By the end, some mysteries remain unsolved & we're left with a more confidant Emma who has acquired an unlikely ally, setting the stage for the next instalment.
This is a "clean" read (little/no sex, swearing, etc) suitable for a wide range of readers. On one level, it's a rollicking humorous paranormal with well drawn characters & plenty of action. But it will also make you think about what you might do or say if given the chance to correct past mistakes. It's a modern, ghostly take on the old adage "be careful what you wish for" & I look forward to seeing what's around the corner for Emma in book #2.
July 14, 2014
How to Date Dead Guys by Ann M. Noser intrigued me from the title to the synopsis. A tragic accident, a book of shadows and a young, awkward woman who tries to right a wrong made for a captivating tale. I expected a book filled with paranormal woo-woo and humor, but this tale also offered character growth, and an interesting mystery. Noser weaved in fleshed-out characters and life lessons.
The tale begins when we meet Emma Roberts, a shy sometimes-awkward college sophomore who dresses like a tomboy and blushes when speaking to the opposite sex. She is studious and her roommate is outgoing, a girlie girl who is more interested in boys than textbooks. When she drags Emma along to a frat-party, she meets Mike a fellow sophomore. When a tragic accident occurs, and Mike ends up dead, Emma is blamed. When her roommates’ friend leaves a Book of Shadows behind in their room, Emma decides to bring back the dead. The tale that unfolds is filled with romance, mystery, and life lessons. I found myself lost within the pages of How to Date Dead Guys and quickly consumed this.
The characters are all unique, and the departed we soon learn have unfinished business. Noser’s spin on their return was clever. Emily loves literature and math in fact, books and math make more sense to her then people. It was fun witnessing her personal growth as she befriended these dead guys. She is a natural with the Book of Shadows, yet the reader cannot help feeling uneasy about its power. All of the dead guys’ stories were interesting, and their personalities very different. I ended up caring about each of them. Secondary “living” characters weaved into the tale adding to the mystery and suspense. A local police officer suspects Emma knows more then she is letting on. Her appearance at past victims homes only reinforces his suspicion.
How to Date Dead Guys has a strong storyline from the witchcraft under the Blood Moon, to the overall mystery involving drowning victims. While romantic feelings develop on Emma’s part, this tale focuses on helping the dead guys and the mystery surrounding their deaths. Through it all we see Emma grow, mend fences and find herself. An overall arc develops and the ending hints of things to come. The case regarding our dead guys wraps up in this tale and will satisfy readers. I am anxious to see where Noser takes Emma next.
If you are looking for a paranormal tale that offers a mystery and character growth, you will be delighted with How to Date Dead Guys. Fleshed out characters, suspense, humor and connections made this a blast read.
Copy received from author in exchange for unbiased review that originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer
The tale begins when we meet Emma Roberts, a shy sometimes-awkward college sophomore who dresses like a tomboy and blushes when speaking to the opposite sex. She is studious and her roommate is outgoing, a girlie girl who is more interested in boys than textbooks. When she drags Emma along to a frat-party, she meets Mike a fellow sophomore. When a tragic accident occurs, and Mike ends up dead, Emma is blamed. When her roommates’ friend leaves a Book of Shadows behind in their room, Emma decides to bring back the dead. The tale that unfolds is filled with romance, mystery, and life lessons. I found myself lost within the pages of How to Date Dead Guys and quickly consumed this.
The characters are all unique, and the departed we soon learn have unfinished business. Noser’s spin on their return was clever. Emily loves literature and math in fact, books and math make more sense to her then people. It was fun witnessing her personal growth as she befriended these dead guys. She is a natural with the Book of Shadows, yet the reader cannot help feeling uneasy about its power. All of the dead guys’ stories were interesting, and their personalities very different. I ended up caring about each of them. Secondary “living” characters weaved into the tale adding to the mystery and suspense. A local police officer suspects Emma knows more then she is letting on. Her appearance at past victims homes only reinforces his suspicion.
How to Date Dead Guys has a strong storyline from the witchcraft under the Blood Moon, to the overall mystery involving drowning victims. While romantic feelings develop on Emma’s part, this tale focuses on helping the dead guys and the mystery surrounding their deaths. Through it all we see Emma grow, mend fences and find herself. An overall arc develops and the ending hints of things to come. The case regarding our dead guys wraps up in this tale and will satisfy readers. I am anxious to see where Noser takes Emma next.
If you are looking for a paranormal tale that offers a mystery and character growth, you will be delighted with How to Date Dead Guys. Fleshed out characters, suspense, humor and connections made this a blast read.
Copy received from author in exchange for unbiased review that originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer
March 31, 2016
4.5 Stars
Full Review:
*I received a free ecopy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*
I didn't expect this book to affect me the way it did.
With such a quirky, fun title and premise, even though I read some other reviews, I didn't quite believe them. But listen to the other reviews and listen to this one---the character development, and the development of relationships between characters, for Emma, all the dead guys she brings back, and even some of the smaller side characters was real, believable, and absolutely phenomenal.
And the book was so much more meaningful and deep and touching and heart-wrenching than I thought it would be. I don't full-on cry over books, but I did shed some tears and get watery eyes numerous times while reading. I'm a series girl because it usually takes me numerous books to really connect to characters and get emotional about them, but every dead guy introduced in this book somehow managed to worm his way into my heart. I just really felt for the characters and the struggles and heaviness of the situations they were in, and I couldn't believe how quickly I got attached to each one.
As for the premise, I was imagining that the main character would do a spell and then a bunch of ghosts would rise up and follow her around. Instead, well, I'll let you have the fun of discovering it as you read and just say it was very unique and creative and kept getting more interesting and complicated (in a great way) as the book went on!
I did have some general issues in the beginning (like the immaturity of the protagonist), but they faded away as I got sucked in, and eventually they all proved to be a purposeful part of the story.
So this wasn't a dark book, but it wasn't rainbows and unicorns either. It was fun and quirky, but it was also serious and emotional. It would make me laugh on one page then cry on the next. And even though this book dealt with topics of death and life and what it means to really live, it didn't so much make me think as it just made me feel. Overall, it was just kind of beautiful.
Recommended For:
Fans of character-driven urban fantasy, anyone who loves character development and growth, and anyone who likes books that make them FEEL!
Original Review on Blog
Full Review:
*I received a free ecopy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*
I didn't expect this book to affect me the way it did.
With such a quirky, fun title and premise, even though I read some other reviews, I didn't quite believe them. But listen to the other reviews and listen to this one---the character development, and the development of relationships between characters, for Emma, all the dead guys she brings back, and even some of the smaller side characters was real, believable, and absolutely phenomenal.
And the book was so much more meaningful and deep and touching and heart-wrenching than I thought it would be. I don't full-on cry over books, but I did shed some tears and get watery eyes numerous times while reading. I'm a series girl because it usually takes me numerous books to really connect to characters and get emotional about them, but every dead guy introduced in this book somehow managed to worm his way into my heart. I just really felt for the characters and the struggles and heaviness of the situations they were in, and I couldn't believe how quickly I got attached to each one.
As for the premise, I was imagining that the main character would do a spell and then a bunch of ghosts would rise up and follow her around. Instead, well, I'll let you have the fun of discovering it as you read and just say it was very unique and creative and kept getting more interesting and complicated (in a great way) as the book went on!
I did have some general issues in the beginning (like the immaturity of the protagonist), but they faded away as I got sucked in, and eventually they all proved to be a purposeful part of the story.
So this wasn't a dark book, but it wasn't rainbows and unicorns either. It was fun and quirky, but it was also serious and emotional. It would make me laugh on one page then cry on the next. And even though this book dealt with topics of death and life and what it means to really live, it didn't so much make me think as it just made me feel. Overall, it was just kind of beautiful.
Recommended For:
Fans of character-driven urban fantasy, anyone who loves character development and growth, and anyone who likes books that make them FEEL!
Original Review on Blog
July 24, 2014
4*s
review posted here...
http://bookpassionforlife.blogspot.co...
How to Date Dead Guys is a really good start to a new series featuring Emma Roberts and her Book of Shadows.
As the synopsis states; Quiet, bookish student – Emma Roberts – finally shows an interest in a boy – Mike Carlson – who just happens to be the brother of her roommates latest beau- Eric - who she watched Chrissy & her sister put a love spell on. She finally has the chance to get to know Mike better on his 21st birthday when he gets smashed and decides to go for a wander, Emma follows him on his adventure but it soon takes a turn for the worst when Mike, decides to go for a swim in the river. The river has taken a few lives over the past few months so Emma decides to join Mike in his night swim in an effort to make sure he gets out alive….. but he doesn’t, he dies and Emma is burdened with guilt. After a particularly nasty encounter with Mike’s mother & brother where they clearly blame Emma, she decides to be pro active and armed with Chrissy’s sisters ‘Book of Shadows’, Emma sets about raising Mike from the dead…… only it’s not Mike that returns…at first…. So it’s up to Emma to put things right and solve the mystery of the rivers victims….. unfortunately, there’s also a pesky cop on her case.
I enjoyed this book and thought the idea behind it was really good. Emma was likable character but a bit of a flake in the beginning, she’s had bad experiences with bullies and hasn’t many friends anyway but that gets even worse following Mikes death and she ends up a very pitiful figure. It was quite heartbreaking watching her bear the burden of a guilt that wasn’t hers and how it affected her, it was horrible when the confrontation with Mike’s loved ones makes her feel even worse and forces her to take desperate measures but this is a turning point for her and as she helps the victims, she becomes empowered in a way by each of them showing her something about herself and themselves, teaching her to live too and it’s then we see her blossom and start to become a more confident person & selfless too.
The storyline was really good and I like a good ghost story that involves people helping them gain some sort of resolution. I used to watch Medium a lot and this book is along those lines with Emma being the only person to see the ‘real’ person beneath the veneer and the only person to help them move on and just as I liked Medium, I like this too and it’s not often I read books like this but when I do, I always enjoy them. The main difference here is that Emma has actually resurrected the spirits into a physical form and I have to say that that did add a certain something to the story because she could interact with them physically too although it was a bit awkward for her to explain the different spirits to people who also interacted with them… but fun too. I liked how each victim got their own little segment of the story and how we find out what happened to them, I also like how Emma interacts with them & then we see Emma help to put things right so they could return to the river. I thought the added threat of the police officer on her tail was good, it added an element of danger, a threat to her mission but I also liked how it turned out. I appreciated that as Emma was sorting others lives out, that her life was getting the same kind of treatment, her parents became more aware of her, she gained some friends that could be way better for her and as I mentioned before – she blossomed in confidence & character. There was one death that wasn’t totally sewn up for me and it leaves me wondering if it will become the series thread but I was very satisfied with the ending and would love to know what happens next for Emma.
review posted here...
http://bookpassionforlife.blogspot.co...
How to Date Dead Guys is a really good start to a new series featuring Emma Roberts and her Book of Shadows.
As the synopsis states; Quiet, bookish student – Emma Roberts – finally shows an interest in a boy – Mike Carlson – who just happens to be the brother of her roommates latest beau- Eric - who she watched Chrissy & her sister put a love spell on. She finally has the chance to get to know Mike better on his 21st birthday when he gets smashed and decides to go for a wander, Emma follows him on his adventure but it soon takes a turn for the worst when Mike, decides to go for a swim in the river. The river has taken a few lives over the past few months so Emma decides to join Mike in his night swim in an effort to make sure he gets out alive….. but he doesn’t, he dies and Emma is burdened with guilt. After a particularly nasty encounter with Mike’s mother & brother where they clearly blame Emma, she decides to be pro active and armed with Chrissy’s sisters ‘Book of Shadows’, Emma sets about raising Mike from the dead…… only it’s not Mike that returns…at first…. So it’s up to Emma to put things right and solve the mystery of the rivers victims….. unfortunately, there’s also a pesky cop on her case.
I enjoyed this book and thought the idea behind it was really good. Emma was likable character but a bit of a flake in the beginning, she’s had bad experiences with bullies and hasn’t many friends anyway but that gets even worse following Mikes death and she ends up a very pitiful figure. It was quite heartbreaking watching her bear the burden of a guilt that wasn’t hers and how it affected her, it was horrible when the confrontation with Mike’s loved ones makes her feel even worse and forces her to take desperate measures but this is a turning point for her and as she helps the victims, she becomes empowered in a way by each of them showing her something about herself and themselves, teaching her to live too and it’s then we see her blossom and start to become a more confident person & selfless too.
The storyline was really good and I like a good ghost story that involves people helping them gain some sort of resolution. I used to watch Medium a lot and this book is along those lines with Emma being the only person to see the ‘real’ person beneath the veneer and the only person to help them move on and just as I liked Medium, I like this too and it’s not often I read books like this but when I do, I always enjoy them. The main difference here is that Emma has actually resurrected the spirits into a physical form and I have to say that that did add a certain something to the story because she could interact with them physically too although it was a bit awkward for her to explain the different spirits to people who also interacted with them… but fun too. I liked how each victim got their own little segment of the story and how we find out what happened to them, I also like how Emma interacts with them & then we see Emma help to put things right so they could return to the river. I thought the added threat of the police officer on her tail was good, it added an element of danger, a threat to her mission but I also liked how it turned out. I appreciated that as Emma was sorting others lives out, that her life was getting the same kind of treatment, her parents became more aware of her, she gained some friends that could be way better for her and as I mentioned before – she blossomed in confidence & character. There was one death that wasn’t totally sewn up for me and it leaves me wondering if it will become the series thread but I was very satisfied with the ending and would love to know what happens next for Emma.
June 12, 2014
How to Date Dead Guys by Ann N. Noser is a 2014 Curiosity Quills publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This mature YA novel will have you embroiled in Emma's awfully strange dilemma right away. Anyone that is a little offbeat will identify with Emma's personality and the pressure she puts on herself. If adjustment to college weren't stressful enough, Emma must deal with her social butterfly roommate and her crush on Mike. When Mike drowns in a river after a night of heavy drinking, Emma is blamed by Kevin, Mike's brother.
The Book of Shadows was left in Emma's apartment by a visitor and Emma gets the bright idea to attempt to bring Mike back. Well, it worked...sort of. Someone comes back from the river, but it's not Mike.
Each person that wound up dead in the river that Emma brings back has unfinished business they want to attend to. Revisiting family and putting things in order before they move on. So, Emma didn't immediately get Mike back but she is able to help some people out. However, she has also caught the eye of Officer Walker. Walker thinks Emma knows more than she is telling about Mike's death and he thinks she knows about others that drowned in the river. One of these poor souls was murdered and this will open up a new mission in Emma's life.
I thought this book was a very imaginative paranormal novel that dealt with great many issues without being patronizing or chock full of platitudes. Some of us really like an oddball character and Emma is certainly a little on the strange side. But, that makes her interesting and less predictable. It's been a good long while since I was the age Emma is, so I don't recall my maturity level at that age, but I did think Emma was a little too old for some the perceived angst she exhibited. Her life was a tad sheltered so that could account for some of it. On the other hand, Emma was very brave and held her own under the sharp eye of Officer Walker and her parents who are very concerned about her.
The ghost were quirky and moody and funny and of course I felt bad for them. All of them had a bright future and were loaded with potential, but their lives were cut short. So, the message perhaps was to live life to the fullest everyday. Also, be aware that even when things look their worse, tomorrow is another day, Be patient and don't do anything rash just because you think your dreams have been crushed. Even though Emma hung out on the fringes of society, her goals and purpose were perhaps more meaningful than that of the more accepted and conformist college peers. Emma may not get all she ever hoped for right his minute, but she may be on a path that will help many people over time, but could also see Emma put herself in serious danger.
This was a very good effort by the author and I do see potential. There were a few chapters that got just bit confusing and were “too busy” and things got a little bit off course. However, the story righted itself in the end and we are assured that Officer Walker and Emma are going to be seeing each other again for more crime solving.
Over all this one gets 3.5 stars rounded to 4.
This mature YA novel will have you embroiled in Emma's awfully strange dilemma right away. Anyone that is a little offbeat will identify with Emma's personality and the pressure she puts on herself. If adjustment to college weren't stressful enough, Emma must deal with her social butterfly roommate and her crush on Mike. When Mike drowns in a river after a night of heavy drinking, Emma is blamed by Kevin, Mike's brother.
The Book of Shadows was left in Emma's apartment by a visitor and Emma gets the bright idea to attempt to bring Mike back. Well, it worked...sort of. Someone comes back from the river, but it's not Mike.
Each person that wound up dead in the river that Emma brings back has unfinished business they want to attend to. Revisiting family and putting things in order before they move on. So, Emma didn't immediately get Mike back but she is able to help some people out. However, she has also caught the eye of Officer Walker. Walker thinks Emma knows more than she is telling about Mike's death and he thinks she knows about others that drowned in the river. One of these poor souls was murdered and this will open up a new mission in Emma's life.
I thought this book was a very imaginative paranormal novel that dealt with great many issues without being patronizing or chock full of platitudes. Some of us really like an oddball character and Emma is certainly a little on the strange side. But, that makes her interesting and less predictable. It's been a good long while since I was the age Emma is, so I don't recall my maturity level at that age, but I did think Emma was a little too old for some the perceived angst she exhibited. Her life was a tad sheltered so that could account for some of it. On the other hand, Emma was very brave and held her own under the sharp eye of Officer Walker and her parents who are very concerned about her.
The ghost were quirky and moody and funny and of course I felt bad for them. All of them had a bright future and were loaded with potential, but their lives were cut short. So, the message perhaps was to live life to the fullest everyday. Also, be aware that even when things look their worse, tomorrow is another day, Be patient and don't do anything rash just because you think your dreams have been crushed. Even though Emma hung out on the fringes of society, her goals and purpose were perhaps more meaningful than that of the more accepted and conformist college peers. Emma may not get all she ever hoped for right his minute, but she may be on a path that will help many people over time, but could also see Emma put herself in serious danger.
This was a very good effort by the author and I do see potential. There were a few chapters that got just bit confusing and were “too busy” and things got a little bit off course. However, the story righted itself in the end and we are assured that Officer Walker and Emma are going to be seeing each other again for more crime solving.
Over all this one gets 3.5 stars rounded to 4.
June 10, 2016
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
I admit I picked up this book mostly because I thought it would be a funny read, not because I was looking for a necromancing guide. Also, I read Ann M. Noser's previous book Dead Girl Running last year.
When Emma and her drunk crush Mike go swimming in a river, Mike drowns. Emma, feeling guilty and newly in possession of a witch's spell book, decides to bring him back from the dead. However, with Mike, she also brings back a couple of other guys who've got some unfinished business.
It took me some time to get into the story. I quite liked the main character from the start, she's the shy kind of person who prefers to stay inside with friends over going out. The one time she decides to act out of character things go terribly wrong and from there, although she grows as a person, her actions are becoming less and less rational.
I won't spoil too much about the different guys Emma brings back but at a certain time it did get a bit old for me. I remember thinking: yet another one? Will it ever end?
Some things were a bit weird, like everyone sharing the same body and looking the same to everyone except Emma. I see how it facilitated the plot, but it didn't make a lot of sense to me. But all in all, a very nice, quick read and I'm certainly looking forward to the next novel in which will be trying to ditch dead guys...
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I admit I picked up this book mostly because I thought it would be a funny read, not because I was looking for a necromancing guide. Also, I read Ann M. Noser's previous book Dead Girl Running last year.
When Emma and her drunk crush Mike go swimming in a river, Mike drowns. Emma, feeling guilty and newly in possession of a witch's spell book, decides to bring him back from the dead. However, with Mike, she also brings back a couple of other guys who've got some unfinished business.
It took me some time to get into the story. I quite liked the main character from the start, she's the shy kind of person who prefers to stay inside with friends over going out. The one time she decides to act out of character things go terribly wrong and from there, although she grows as a person, her actions are becoming less and less rational.
I won't spoil too much about the different guys Emma brings back but at a certain time it did get a bit old for me. I remember thinking: yet another one? Will it ever end?
Some things were a bit weird, like everyone sharing the same body and looking the same to everyone except Emma. I see how it facilitated the plot, but it didn't make a lot of sense to me. But all in all, a very nice, quick read and I'm certainly looking forward to the next novel in which will be trying to ditch dead guys...
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
July 18, 2014
I admit I picked this one up solely for the fun factor. The premises sounded great and I needed a good light fun and airy read to pull me out of a YA slump I was currently on and while I wouldn't say this completely pulled me out of my slump, it did make me forget about it for the duration of the book and really what more could you ask for than that?
Emma was an interesting character, she was shy and timid and very much meek but that changes, albeit slowly, but it does. As she grows into her powers and accepts them, she also grows into herself and I think that is the best part about this whole book, just how much her character grows. I always say this but it bears repeating, I am always about the growth.
This book was quite the adventure as new guy after new guy emerges from the river and sets out to do something that they needed to do before their untimely death.
I never knew what to expect to happen next as each adventure and person, takes on a life of their own.
I had a lot of fun reading this and I wouldn't hesitate to pick up another book from this author.
Emma was an interesting character, she was shy and timid and very much meek but that changes, albeit slowly, but it does. As she grows into her powers and accepts them, she also grows into herself and I think that is the best part about this whole book, just how much her character grows. I always say this but it bears repeating, I am always about the growth.
This book was quite the adventure as new guy after new guy emerges from the river and sets out to do something that they needed to do before their untimely death.
I never knew what to expect to happen next as each adventure and person, takes on a life of their own.
I had a lot of fun reading this and I wouldn't hesitate to pick up another book from this author.
August 22, 2014
This review appeared first on Fantasy is More Fun
Actual rating is 4.5 Stars.
My Initial Reaction...
How to Date Dead Guys turned out to be really different than I expected, in a great way. I expected something light and funny (like the title), but How to Date Dead Guys pulled on my heart strings more than once.
The Characters...
Emma was very easy for me to relate too. She's someone who really likes to keep to herself - hasn't been too successful at the friends thing and is awkward with boys. It's because she just likes to keep to herself and read a good book. I can get that. But as How to Date Dead Guys progressed, Emma really learned to come out of her shell, at least with dead guys. But they became the bridge to living people - each one really connected her to a different living person in a solid relationship. She's an incredibly giving and caring person, not to mention a gifted witch. It was sort of on the less-than-believable side of things that she would pick up witch craft so quickly (because this is totally about believability), but I took it in stride.
I think the other character I can really tell you about is Emma's roommate Chrissy. This girl is the epitome of self-involved. Obviously I found her seriously annoying - and yet, at the start of How to Date Dead Guys Chrissy is really the only "friend" Emma has. I wouldn't go so far as to say that she's unkind, she just isn't nice and doesn't care about others.
Then there's Mike - not a whole lot to tell here because we don't get to know him too well before he dies. But he's gorgeous and Emma has a thing for him. And though it's totally apparent to us that Mike has a thing for Emma too, she's clueless to it. But that doesn't matter because before anything can happen, Mike dies in a terrible accident for which Emma gets blamed by the court of public opinion, even though not at all legally. Feeling guilty and desperate she works a spell - her first ever spell BTW (hence the unbelievable natural talent) - to bring Mike back. What she gets is an assortment of dead guys.
The Story...
I loved everything about How to Date Dead Guys's story. Watching Emma get to know each in a line of several dead guys and seeing how her experiences with them changes her was really enjoyable. And the stories of each guy's life before his death pretty much broke my heart over and over. Each guy died in different ways and their stories all unfold slowly. I can't tell you how many times that moment of the big reveal brought tears to my eyes.
These really heartwarming moments are balanced nicely with light humor, clever magic/action points, and some really great character development. There was even a couple mysterious twists that I hadn't anticipated until they were pretty much right upon me. I also really enjoyed seeing her relationship with her parents - often a point of humor. The funny moments aside, I feel like their relationship changed for the better over the course of How To Date Dead Guys and it was enjoyable.
Concluding Sentiments...
What I really hadn't expected was for How To Date Dead Guys to wrap up the way it did. The story came to a surprising conclusion and I'm excited to see that this isn't a stand alone (as I initially thought), but the start of a series. I can't wait to see where Emma and her new-found witchy powers takes us next.
Actual rating is 4.5 Stars.
My Initial Reaction...
How to Date Dead Guys turned out to be really different than I expected, in a great way. I expected something light and funny (like the title), but How to Date Dead Guys pulled on my heart strings more than once.
The Characters...
Emma was very easy for me to relate too. She's someone who really likes to keep to herself - hasn't been too successful at the friends thing and is awkward with boys. It's because she just likes to keep to herself and read a good book. I can get that. But as How to Date Dead Guys progressed, Emma really learned to come out of her shell, at least with dead guys. But they became the bridge to living people - each one really connected her to a different living person in a solid relationship. She's an incredibly giving and caring person, not to mention a gifted witch. It was sort of on the less-than-believable side of things that she would pick up witch craft so quickly (because this is totally about believability), but I took it in stride.
I think the other character I can really tell you about is Emma's roommate Chrissy. This girl is the epitome of self-involved. Obviously I found her seriously annoying - and yet, at the start of How to Date Dead Guys Chrissy is really the only "friend" Emma has. I wouldn't go so far as to say that she's unkind, she just isn't nice and doesn't care about others.
Then there's Mike - not a whole lot to tell here because we don't get to know him too well before he dies. But he's gorgeous and Emma has a thing for him. And though it's totally apparent to us that Mike has a thing for Emma too, she's clueless to it. But that doesn't matter because before anything can happen, Mike dies in a terrible accident for which Emma gets blamed by the court of public opinion, even though not at all legally. Feeling guilty and desperate she works a spell - her first ever spell BTW (hence the unbelievable natural talent) - to bring Mike back. What she gets is an assortment of dead guys.
The Story...
I loved everything about How to Date Dead Guys's story. Watching Emma get to know each in a line of several dead guys and seeing how her experiences with them changes her was really enjoyable. And the stories of each guy's life before his death pretty much broke my heart over and over. Each guy died in different ways and their stories all unfold slowly. I can't tell you how many times that moment of the big reveal brought tears to my eyes.
These really heartwarming moments are balanced nicely with light humor, clever magic/action points, and some really great character development. There was even a couple mysterious twists that I hadn't anticipated until they were pretty much right upon me. I also really enjoyed seeing her relationship with her parents - often a point of humor. The funny moments aside, I feel like their relationship changed for the better over the course of How To Date Dead Guys and it was enjoyable.
Concluding Sentiments...
What I really hadn't expected was for How To Date Dead Guys to wrap up the way it did. The story came to a surprising conclusion and I'm excited to see that this isn't a stand alone (as I initially thought), but the start of a series. I can't wait to see where Emma and her new-found witchy powers takes us next.
September 9, 2015
Interesting tale, but I couldn't get past the implausibility and the "woe is me" feeling that Emma shoots off in waves.
Emma Roberts is a nerd; double majoring in science and math (because calculus is fun!) at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. She fits all of the stereotypical attributes often given to nerds such as no friends, lack of social skills, hopeless in the romance department, woe is me-enter-more-disparaging-attributes here... She clearly suffers from low self-esteem and that started to rankle my nerves (You think I'm pretty? Oh, I'm not. I know how I look. How dare you call me pretty, I'm a troll...). I digress.
Emma's only friend it seems is her roommate, bubbleheaded Chrissy, who believes she is the bees-knees among all female kind and takes every opportunity to talk down to Emma. Albeit in a subtle manner, but the jabs are there nonetheless. Through Chrissy, Emma meets Mike and she's instantly enraptured. Unfortunately, something terrible happens to Mike and he's no longer among the living. Emma is deeply affected not only because she lost someone she was starting to grow close to, but also because now everyone under the sun believes she was responsible for Mike's passing. She finds a creative way to try to bring back loverboy and things don't work out quite as planned.
One of the major elements I couldn't get past in this book was Emma conveniently happening upon the Book of Shadows. It was explained that this book was handed down to Angie, Chrissy's sister, from their grandmother; the book is a cherished item that Angie never leaves without, so I found it highly improbable that the book would just "happen" to be left behind. It seemed like a cheap trick used just to make the story happen and that didn't work for me.
Aside from my personal gripes about Emma's issues of self-worth and the happenstance "discovery" of the book, many parts were quite good. I liked how Emma was able to see ghosts from the beginning, that sort of lent a bit of believability that she would be able to raise the dead like she did. Which leads me to the other aspect I liked - the necromancy. I'm a huge fan of the underused necromancer, so I'm always thrilled when I find a book with one in it.
All in all, this was just ok for me. Perhaps if I were a bit younger, I would have appreciated it more. As it is, it's straddles the line between YA and NA, but I'm leaning more towards YA because of the immaturity factor seen in several characters. I enjoyed this book in several places, but I can't say I'm all that interested in reading any future installments in the series.
**Book received on behalf of the publisher, Curiosity Quills Press, in exchange for my honest opinion and review.
Emma Roberts is a nerd; double majoring in science and math (because calculus is fun!) at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. She fits all of the stereotypical attributes often given to nerds such as no friends, lack of social skills, hopeless in the romance department, woe is me-enter-more-disparaging-attributes here... She clearly suffers from low self-esteem and that started to rankle my nerves (You think I'm pretty? Oh, I'm not. I know how I look. How dare you call me pretty, I'm a troll...). I digress.
Emma's only friend it seems is her roommate, bubbleheaded Chrissy, who believes she is the bees-knees among all female kind and takes every opportunity to talk down to Emma. Albeit in a subtle manner, but the jabs are there nonetheless. Through Chrissy, Emma meets Mike and she's instantly enraptured. Unfortunately, something terrible happens to Mike and he's no longer among the living. Emma is deeply affected not only because she lost someone she was starting to grow close to, but also because now everyone under the sun believes she was responsible for Mike's passing. She finds a creative way to try to bring back loverboy and things don't work out quite as planned.
One of the major elements I couldn't get past in this book was Emma conveniently happening upon the Book of Shadows. It was explained that this book was handed down to Angie, Chrissy's sister, from their grandmother; the book is a cherished item that Angie never leaves without, so I found it highly improbable that the book would just "happen" to be left behind. It seemed like a cheap trick used just to make the story happen and that didn't work for me.
Aside from my personal gripes about Emma's issues of self-worth and the happenstance "discovery" of the book, many parts were quite good. I liked how Emma was able to see ghosts from the beginning, that sort of lent a bit of believability that she would be able to raise the dead like she did. Which leads me to the other aspect I liked - the necromancy. I'm a huge fan of the underused necromancer, so I'm always thrilled when I find a book with one in it.
All in all, this was just ok for me. Perhaps if I were a bit younger, I would have appreciated it more. As it is, it's straddles the line between YA and NA, but I'm leaning more towards YA because of the immaturity factor seen in several characters. I enjoyed this book in several places, but I can't say I'm all that interested in reading any future installments in the series.
**Book received on behalf of the publisher, Curiosity Quills Press, in exchange for my honest opinion and review.
January 14, 2016
Talk about all the feels! When I first met Mike, before he died, I soon decided I didn't WANT him to die. This is really early on, so I'm not giving out spoilers. So when he did, I was so sad! But meeting him, getting to know him a but made his death and the events that follow, believable.
Poor Emma. What a crazy series of events she faces in this book. She starts out reserved, kind of beaten down from her high school days and lacking in confidence. But as the book progresses, she changes and grows with each of the lessons the guys unwittingly teach her... some wittingly teach her too. Although she starts out thinking everyone hates her, she learns it's not true. Yes, Mike's brother blames her for his death, but although again she thinks everyone does, it's really just him.
Chrissy I want to beat over the head. Just saying. And Abby is a doll.
But each of the guys you develop a connection with. Each one has his own unique thoughts, feelings and situation he has to take care of, and Emma's there to assist them all, whether she wants to be or not.
All up, a great all around read. I loved it from start to finish, especially all the guys and how well rounded and believable they were. I'm anxious for the next book!
Poor Emma. What a crazy series of events she faces in this book. She starts out reserved, kind of beaten down from her high school days and lacking in confidence. But as the book progresses, she changes and grows with each of the lessons the guys unwittingly teach her... some wittingly teach her too. Although she starts out thinking everyone hates her, she learns it's not true. Yes, Mike's brother blames her for his death, but although again she thinks everyone does, it's really just him.
Chrissy I want to beat over the head. Just saying. And Abby is a doll.
But each of the guys you develop a connection with. Each one has his own unique thoughts, feelings and situation he has to take care of, and Emma's there to assist them all, whether she wants to be or not.
All up, a great all around read. I loved it from start to finish, especially all the guys and how well rounded and believable they were. I'm anxious for the next book!
November 20, 2015
WOW! Just WOW! This book was fantastic! The blurb sounded great, and I'm glad I got the chance to read it! It was such a different book from the normal new adult paranormal romance! I read about 300 books a year, so to impress me, it has to be a great book.
The concept was really interesting. There were a few unanswered questions that were left by the end of the book, but I'm hopeful they will be answered in the sequel, How to Ditch Dead Guys.
The way it was plotted, you got a chance to know the ghosts. It kept the story fresh and so interesting. There was no possibility to know what was going to happen next.
The guys, le sigh . . . Yes, I loved the guys. There were some heartbreaking moments, though. I will admit to being slightly disappointed with the ending. The author tied it up nice enough, and it really couldn't have ended any other way. Still, I couldn't help a small twinge of disappointment.
In light of how great the book was, and dying to know what's going to happen next, I really can't wait for the next book! This story gets five glittery stars!
The concept was really interesting. There were a few unanswered questions that were left by the end of the book, but I'm hopeful they will be answered in the sequel, How to Ditch Dead Guys.
The way it was plotted, you got a chance to know the ghosts. It kept the story fresh and so interesting. There was no possibility to know what was going to happen next.
The guys, le sigh . . . Yes, I loved the guys. There were some heartbreaking moments, though. I will admit to being slightly disappointed with the ending. The author tied it up nice enough, and it really couldn't have ended any other way. Still, I couldn't help a small twinge of disappointment.
In light of how great the book was, and dying to know what's going to happen next, I really can't wait for the next book! This story gets five glittery stars!
July 21, 2014
(I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Curiosity Quills, in exchange for an honest review, as part of the related blog tour. Thanks a lot for allowing me to take part in it.)
How To Date Dead Guys was a nice read, light enough and even funny in parts, while also more serious in others. The problems Emma ran into, trying to cover up for the several guys she accidentally brought back from the dead, sometimes made me smile. At the same time, the novel also provided interesting (if typical) questions about "what would you do if you had a second chance at coming to terms with something you couldn't finish before your death?" Every single one of the drowned men left something behind them, something unfinished, whether it concerned themselves, a relative, or a lover; and those stories were all touching in their own ways. I couldn't help but agree with them, with their choices to "make it right" or at least try to see what had become of their loved ones.
Emma as a protagonist was fine enough: painfully shy at first, but gaining confidence as she grew into her powers and was also forced to come up with lies to hide what she had done—this with a hint of being tempted in the future by this same power she's acquired. It's not the main focus of this first installment in the series, but I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss her desire to keep the Book of Shadows even though it put her in this mess for starters. (First one guy, then another, then three, and all with their own issues? Definitely a mess.) I also liked Jake a lot: infuriating at first, and seemingly a jerk, but one with a heart of gold, who opened Emma's eyes on more than one thing. He wasn't even so much a jerk, in fact, than a sociable guy who enjoyed life and took it as it came to get the best out of it, even in death. The outcome of his own predicament was a bit predictable, but cute nonetheless.
And I guess the cuteness factor is one of the things that made me like this book (that, and necromancy—let's face it, it is necromancy, and I'm always partial to such magic). Even though the novel sometimes bordered on the "too cute", it was enjoyable. Sure, it might seem cheesy, and yet I just want to say: "So what?" Sometimes we need twee plots and characters. Sometimes I like myself such a book, and considering I had a hard time putting it down for long, I'd say it quite reached its goal.
It's also light on the romance: there are several men involved, so it stands to logics that Emma wouldn't get into a relationship with all of them. She's not immune to their different personalities, their qualities, their quirks, but she manages to remember that nothing can come out of this (them being obviously doomed to become dead again at some point), and in my opinion, such budding relationships, condemned from the beginning, actually helped her grow as a person, going from fickle, almost teenager-like "first attraction" feelings to a deeper understanding of life and love.
On the other hand, I found a couple of things too exaggerated (everyone blaming Emma for Mike's death was like kicking the proverbial puppy, and Chrissy seemed just so terribly superficial and "me, me, me" that she became tiring—good thing she doesn't appear much). Moreover, I found the plotline a little too over the place, in that it wove the stories of all those guys, along with Emma's, Abby's, Walker's, and a few others, but didn't seem to have a really definite plot. The part about the murders came a little too late to my liking, and almost felt like a kind of afterthought, as if the novel suddenly had to be more serious than it had been up until now. There are some hints here and there, but the characters just don't seem that bothered about them, except perhaps for two (who don't voice out their suspicions, though, so they're only proved right later).
I'm giving it 3/3.5 stars "only" because of that, but I'll still recommend it if you're looking for a light read that is sometimes fun, sometimes mellow, and sometimes sad.
How To Date Dead Guys was a nice read, light enough and even funny in parts, while also more serious in others. The problems Emma ran into, trying to cover up for the several guys she accidentally brought back from the dead, sometimes made me smile. At the same time, the novel also provided interesting (if typical) questions about "what would you do if you had a second chance at coming to terms with something you couldn't finish before your death?" Every single one of the drowned men left something behind them, something unfinished, whether it concerned themselves, a relative, or a lover; and those stories were all touching in their own ways. I couldn't help but agree with them, with their choices to "make it right" or at least try to see what had become of their loved ones.
Emma as a protagonist was fine enough: painfully shy at first, but gaining confidence as she grew into her powers and was also forced to come up with lies to hide what she had done—this with a hint of being tempted in the future by this same power she's acquired. It's not the main focus of this first installment in the series, but I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss her desire to keep the Book of Shadows even though it put her in this mess for starters. (First one guy, then another, then three, and all with their own issues? Definitely a mess.) I also liked Jake a lot: infuriating at first, and seemingly a jerk, but one with a heart of gold, who opened Emma's eyes on more than one thing. He wasn't even so much a jerk, in fact, than a sociable guy who enjoyed life and took it as it came to get the best out of it, even in death. The outcome of his own predicament was a bit predictable, but cute nonetheless.
And I guess the cuteness factor is one of the things that made me like this book (that, and necromancy—let's face it, it is necromancy, and I'm always partial to such magic). Even though the novel sometimes bordered on the "too cute", it was enjoyable. Sure, it might seem cheesy, and yet I just want to say: "So what?" Sometimes we need twee plots and characters. Sometimes I like myself such a book, and considering I had a hard time putting it down for long, I'd say it quite reached its goal.
It's also light on the romance: there are several men involved, so it stands to logics that Emma wouldn't get into a relationship with all of them. She's not immune to their different personalities, their qualities, their quirks, but she manages to remember that nothing can come out of this (them being obviously doomed to become dead again at some point), and in my opinion, such budding relationships, condemned from the beginning, actually helped her grow as a person, going from fickle, almost teenager-like "first attraction" feelings to a deeper understanding of life and love.
On the other hand, I found a couple of things too exaggerated (everyone blaming Emma for Mike's death was like kicking the proverbial puppy, and Chrissy seemed just so terribly superficial and "me, me, me" that she became tiring—good thing she doesn't appear much). Moreover, I found the plotline a little too over the place, in that it wove the stories of all those guys, along with Emma's, Abby's, Walker's, and a few others, but didn't seem to have a really definite plot. The part about the murders came a little too late to my liking, and almost felt like a kind of afterthought, as if the novel suddenly had to be more serious than it had been up until now. There are some hints here and there, but the characters just don't seem that bothered about them, except perhaps for two (who don't voice out their suspicions, though, so they're only proved right later).
I'm giving it 3/3.5 stars "only" because of that, but I'll still recommend it if you're looking for a light read that is sometimes fun, sometimes mellow, and sometimes sad.
June 30, 2015
Emma Roberts is shy, awkward around members of the opposite sex, and has the fashion sense of a homeless woman who chooses her wardrobe from the cast-off clothes she finds lying around.
She's pretty but doesn't know it because she keeps comparing herself to her roommate who is not only beautiful but also her exact opposite when it comes to dealing with the world at large - especially with the men who make up roughly half the population.
When the studious Ms. Roberts develops a crush on the handsome younger brother of her roommate's boyfriend it's not surprising, therefore, that she gets tongue-tied every time she comes into close contact with him. Things do get a little better as they get to know each other but Emma has a long way to go before she feels completely at ease around him.
She doesn't get the chance, however, to get comfortable with her feelings and with him. The reason: The object of Emma's affections drowns.
That's as much of the plot of Ann M. Noser's excellent "How to Date Dead Guys" that I'm going to reveal because to let you in on what happens next would be unfair to her and to you as a reader. Suffice it to say that you're in for a treat as this novel shifts into high gear with enough little twists and turns to make it far more than just "interesting."
Emma is an unlikely heroine in much the same way that EM Kaplan's food-critic-turned-detective Josie Tucker is. Emma is rich and has been pampered her entire life; her mother is everything she isn't - stylish, self assured and gorgeous. Emma isn't really sure of what she's doing a good share of the time and trusting to her instincts instead of hard facts is difficult for her. She is, in truth, far more comfortable with mathematical equations than she is with her gut feelings and her unwillingness to trust her instincts causes problems for her throughout the book.
Noser has surrounded Emma with a wonderful cast of characters including both her roommate and her mom, who each despair that she will ever find a suitable boyfriend, and a local cop who finds her actions more than a little suspicious.
This is a romance novel but, at its heart, it is also a coming-of-age story. As the novel progresses we see Emma grow and discover things about herself - hidden talents and hidden depths - that she was unaware of. It is a novel that features witchcraft (well, you can kinda assume that from the title, at least I did) but it's not crammed full of the arcane ramblings that mark so many books about witches and warlocks.
I consider that a plus.
An engaging story, clever writing, excellent characters and an interesting premise make this novel a bona fide 5-star read.
I highly recommend it.
She's pretty but doesn't know it because she keeps comparing herself to her roommate who is not only beautiful but also her exact opposite when it comes to dealing with the world at large - especially with the men who make up roughly half the population.
When the studious Ms. Roberts develops a crush on the handsome younger brother of her roommate's boyfriend it's not surprising, therefore, that she gets tongue-tied every time she comes into close contact with him. Things do get a little better as they get to know each other but Emma has a long way to go before she feels completely at ease around him.
She doesn't get the chance, however, to get comfortable with her feelings and with him. The reason: The object of Emma's affections drowns.
That's as much of the plot of Ann M. Noser's excellent "How to Date Dead Guys" that I'm going to reveal because to let you in on what happens next would be unfair to her and to you as a reader. Suffice it to say that you're in for a treat as this novel shifts into high gear with enough little twists and turns to make it far more than just "interesting."
Emma is an unlikely heroine in much the same way that EM Kaplan's food-critic-turned-detective Josie Tucker is. Emma is rich and has been pampered her entire life; her mother is everything she isn't - stylish, self assured and gorgeous. Emma isn't really sure of what she's doing a good share of the time and trusting to her instincts instead of hard facts is difficult for her. She is, in truth, far more comfortable with mathematical equations than she is with her gut feelings and her unwillingness to trust her instincts causes problems for her throughout the book.
Noser has surrounded Emma with a wonderful cast of characters including both her roommate and her mom, who each despair that she will ever find a suitable boyfriend, and a local cop who finds her actions more than a little suspicious.
This is a romance novel but, at its heart, it is also a coming-of-age story. As the novel progresses we see Emma grow and discover things about herself - hidden talents and hidden depths - that she was unaware of. It is a novel that features witchcraft (well, you can kinda assume that from the title, at least I did) but it's not crammed full of the arcane ramblings that mark so many books about witches and warlocks.
I consider that a plus.
An engaging story, clever writing, excellent characters and an interesting premise make this novel a bona fide 5-star read.
I highly recommend it.
August 19, 2014
Ever wonder “How to Date Dead Guys”?
There’s plenty to like in this bewitching NA novel by Ann M. Noser. The title alone is enough to make you pick up the book. The misty forest and beguiling lass on the cover draw you in farther. And then there’s the gripping story: shy college girl, Emma Roberts, falls for sporty Mike Carlson. Concerned about his safety, she follows her drunken crush for a midnight swim across the Chippewa River. Emma is the only one who makes it to the other side alive. Blamed for Mike's death, Emma quickly becomes the campus pariah.
Shattered by grief and guilt, she seeks solace in a witchcraft manual called the Book of Shadows. Under a full moon, Emma casts a spell to claim Mike from his watery grave. Unexpectedly, her power-packed incantation resurrects five men for the price of one. The greedy river is NOT happy, and neither are the killers of one of the drowning victims. Both parties are out to get Emma—for different reasons.
This story exemplifies the old adage: be careful what you wish for...you just might get it. I liken this book to a bag of Lays Potato Chips; the chapters are so crisp and delicious, you can’t stop devouring them. That’s because Noser writes in a refreshing straightforward manner AND she knows how to end each chapter on a hook—thus the Lays phenomenon.
At the start of this story, Emma is a delightfully snarky but unhappy bookworm. The five men she resurrects each have issues to resolve before the river reclaims them. As Emma helps each soul, her confidence blossoms and she grows as a character. I like that quality in a protagonist. This story is fine for the PG crowd as well; there’s plenty of witchy humor and romance elements, but no gratuitous sex scenes or cursing.
This author has plenty of imagination. For one: she weaved this tale around the controversial Smiley Face Murders (a police theory that applies to a string of suspicious drownings of college-aged men in the Chippewa). I also like how Noser imbued the river and the Book of Shadows with distinct personalities. That really ramped up the tension and added supernatural depth.
I was fortunate enough to be around when “How to Date Dead Guys” was in it’s infancy. It was an honor to be part of Ms. Noser’s critique group and watch her hone this manuscript into the gripping urban fantasy it has become. Lucky for us, she’s already hard at work crafting the sequel: “How to Ditch Dead Guys”.
There’s plenty to like in this bewitching NA novel by Ann M. Noser. The title alone is enough to make you pick up the book. The misty forest and beguiling lass on the cover draw you in farther. And then there’s the gripping story: shy college girl, Emma Roberts, falls for sporty Mike Carlson. Concerned about his safety, she follows her drunken crush for a midnight swim across the Chippewa River. Emma is the only one who makes it to the other side alive. Blamed for Mike's death, Emma quickly becomes the campus pariah.
Shattered by grief and guilt, she seeks solace in a witchcraft manual called the Book of Shadows. Under a full moon, Emma casts a spell to claim Mike from his watery grave. Unexpectedly, her power-packed incantation resurrects five men for the price of one. The greedy river is NOT happy, and neither are the killers of one of the drowning victims. Both parties are out to get Emma—for different reasons.
This story exemplifies the old adage: be careful what you wish for...you just might get it. I liken this book to a bag of Lays Potato Chips; the chapters are so crisp and delicious, you can’t stop devouring them. That’s because Noser writes in a refreshing straightforward manner AND she knows how to end each chapter on a hook—thus the Lays phenomenon.
At the start of this story, Emma is a delightfully snarky but unhappy bookworm. The five men she resurrects each have issues to resolve before the river reclaims them. As Emma helps each soul, her confidence blossoms and she grows as a character. I like that quality in a protagonist. This story is fine for the PG crowd as well; there’s plenty of witchy humor and romance elements, but no gratuitous sex scenes or cursing.
This author has plenty of imagination. For one: she weaved this tale around the controversial Smiley Face Murders (a police theory that applies to a string of suspicious drownings of college-aged men in the Chippewa). I also like how Noser imbued the river and the Book of Shadows with distinct personalities. That really ramped up the tension and added supernatural depth.
I was fortunate enough to be around when “How to Date Dead Guys” was in it’s infancy. It was an honor to be part of Ms. Noser’s critique group and watch her hone this manuscript into the gripping urban fantasy it has become. Lucky for us, she’s already hard at work crafting the sequel: “How to Ditch Dead Guys”.
August 15, 2017
**I got this ARC from Curiosity Quills Press for an honest review. **
When I first started it, I was unsure what I was going to find. It looked like it was going to be more of a romance at first even though the blurb makes you think more of a paranormal mystery. Actually, it's a bit of both, but more like a coming of age and beginning to something bigger.
Emma starts off as a typical heroine, she's opinionated, but keeps them to herself. She really just lives day to day keeping herself at arms length from everyone. It all started when she told her mother about a ghost she met as a child. After her mother's warnings, Emma pretty much kept everyone away, including her parents. When she finally starts to open up slightly, a terrible thing happens; the boy she's met dies.
Through her experiences of witchcraft and the spirits she brings back, Emma grows as a character. It is ironically through the dead that she begins to open up and makes friends with the living. I really liked that aspect to the book. It was coming of age and gave a basic main character something the reader could relate to. I found myself falling in love with Emma throughout the book.
Ann M. Noser, the author, adds in great humor amongst her characters. The dead seem more alive than the living at times. What is great is that this was a book introducing a character who will have a bigger job in the future. I am excited to see what Noser has in store for Emma. The girl transformed from a timid thing to someone who is finding her purpose in life. What is great is, there is a mystery left open and you can see that Emma has more growth to do as a person.
HOW TO DATE DEAD GUYS is the first book in an upcoming series by Ann M. Noser. The genre would be difficult to pinpoint because there are many great elements to it. For a series, I'm thinking it'll get darker and more paranormal mystery. For this book, though, it is a growth story about a college girl. I'm definitely going to read the sequel.
When I first started it, I was unsure what I was going to find. It looked like it was going to be more of a romance at first even though the blurb makes you think more of a paranormal mystery. Actually, it's a bit of both, but more like a coming of age and beginning to something bigger.
Emma starts off as a typical heroine, she's opinionated, but keeps them to herself. She really just lives day to day keeping herself at arms length from everyone. It all started when she told her mother about a ghost she met as a child. After her mother's warnings, Emma pretty much kept everyone away, including her parents. When she finally starts to open up slightly, a terrible thing happens; the boy she's met dies.
Through her experiences of witchcraft and the spirits she brings back, Emma grows as a character. It is ironically through the dead that she begins to open up and makes friends with the living. I really liked that aspect to the book. It was coming of age and gave a basic main character something the reader could relate to. I found myself falling in love with Emma throughout the book.
Ann M. Noser, the author, adds in great humor amongst her characters. The dead seem more alive than the living at times. What is great is that this was a book introducing a character who will have a bigger job in the future. I am excited to see what Noser has in store for Emma. The girl transformed from a timid thing to someone who is finding her purpose in life. What is great is, there is a mystery left open and you can see that Emma has more growth to do as a person.
HOW TO DATE DEAD GUYS is the first book in an upcoming series by Ann M. Noser. The genre would be difficult to pinpoint because there are many great elements to it. For a series, I'm thinking it'll get darker and more paranormal mystery. For this book, though, it is a growth story about a college girl. I'm definitely going to read the sequel.
May 29, 2014
I would like to thank Curiosity Quills Press for granting me a copy of this e-ARC to read in exchange for an honest review. Though I received this e-book for free that in no way impacts my review. I actually give this book 3.5 stars, but as most sites don't allow for anything but whole numbers, it officially gets a 3 star rating.
This is a story full of potential, but seemed to offer up too many smaller stories along the way that got distracting. It was entertaining, sweet, sad, funny, and even scary, yet it seemed to have a bit too much taking place. I felt there were too many characters trying to do too many things in not enough time.
If you were to lookup the term 'wallflower' in a dictionary you would find a picture of Emma Roberts. Painfully shy, Emma was far more likely to be found sitting in her dorm room rereading a favorite book on a weekend night than standing awkwardly alone at a party. Yet somehow her roommate Chrissy had managed to drag her to a party, where Chrissy's latest crush was expected to be. That night Emma met Mike. Mike of the stunning eyes, who actually talks to her. Who'd have thought such an innocent meeting would be the cause of so much chaos?
Emma stumbles across a Book of Shadows and in a fit of despair she grabs the book, goes to the river and does a spell to bring Mike back. But the spell doesn't work, or at least not the way Emma planned. Instead she gets three different people who'd drowned in the same river. So she tries to help them fix whatever it is that's keeping them from moving on. One of the ghosts is a frat boy who gets on her last nerve, but the longer he stays the deeper under her skin he gets. She did the spell to bring Mike back and yet she starts falling for someone else. Can you say fickle much?
However Emma is having more and more trouble keeping track of the web of lies she's been spinning. And she's been relying more and more on the Book of Shadows for help with all the mounting problems she's getting involved in. It's almost as if she's becoming addicted to the book, but is that because she's scared or simply likes the power it's giving her?
For someone who spent her entire life being a wallflower it's pretty surprising how glib Emma can be, how smooth her lies are becoming. She starts to grow a spine, but still lets everyone, living or dead, walk all over her. For example, during the worst of the problems surrounding Mike's death, his brother Kevin publicly blames her, her roommate Chrissy moves out of their dorm room, and a campus cop seems to be far too suspicious of Emma.
The majority of the book read like a game of 'six degrees of separation'. It may have helped me enjoy the book more had I known that this was the first of a series, as hopefully I'd have been more patient knowing that Ms. Noser was setting the scene for the series to follow. Somehow I missed the smaller print on the cover of the book (a hazard of reading e-books I suppose). Even so, it still felt as if there were too many stories going on inside the larger story, and the way they were all interrelated was a bit too much for me. Other than that it was an entertaining read. Jake was a blast, giving more depth to a frat boy than you'd expect. Steve was kind of creepy, and I get the feeling Emma hasn't seen the last of him yet. And the others had a fair amount of dimension for the amount of time they were actually part of the story. The second book sounds as if it could really grow legs and take off, so I suspect I'll stick around to see what happens.
Quiet college sophomore Emma Roberts remembers her mother’s sage advice: “don’t sleep around, don’t burp in public, and don’t tell anyone you see ghosts”. But when cute Mike Carlson drowns in the campus river under her watch, Emma’s sheltered life shatters.
Blamed for Mike’s death and haunted by nightmares, Emma turns to witchcraft and a mysterious Book of Shadows to bring him back. Under a Blood Moon, she lights candles, draws a pentacle on the campus bridge, and casts a spell. The invoked river rages up against her, but she escapes its fury. As she stumbles back to the dorm, a stranger drags himself from the water and follows her home.
Instead of raising Mike, Emma assists the others she stole back from the dead—a pre-med student who jumped off the bridge, a young father determined to solve his own murder, and a frat boy Emma can’t stand…at first. More comfortable with the dead than the living, Emma delves deeper into the seductive Book of Shadows. Her powers grow, but witchcraft may not be enough to protect her against the vengeful river and the killers that feed it their victims.
This is a story full of potential, but seemed to offer up too many smaller stories along the way that got distracting. It was entertaining, sweet, sad, funny, and even scary, yet it seemed to have a bit too much taking place. I felt there were too many characters trying to do too many things in not enough time.
If you were to lookup the term 'wallflower' in a dictionary you would find a picture of Emma Roberts. Painfully shy, Emma was far more likely to be found sitting in her dorm room rereading a favorite book on a weekend night than standing awkwardly alone at a party. Yet somehow her roommate Chrissy had managed to drag her to a party, where Chrissy's latest crush was expected to be. That night Emma met Mike. Mike of the stunning eyes, who actually talks to her. Who'd have thought such an innocent meeting would be the cause of so much chaos?
Emma stumbles across a Book of Shadows and in a fit of despair she grabs the book, goes to the river and does a spell to bring Mike back. But the spell doesn't work, or at least not the way Emma planned. Instead she gets three different people who'd drowned in the same river. So she tries to help them fix whatever it is that's keeping them from moving on. One of the ghosts is a frat boy who gets on her last nerve, but the longer he stays the deeper under her skin he gets. She did the spell to bring Mike back and yet she starts falling for someone else. Can you say fickle much?
However Emma is having more and more trouble keeping track of the web of lies she's been spinning. And she's been relying more and more on the Book of Shadows for help with all the mounting problems she's getting involved in. It's almost as if she's becoming addicted to the book, but is that because she's scared or simply likes the power it's giving her?
For someone who spent her entire life being a wallflower it's pretty surprising how glib Emma can be, how smooth her lies are becoming. She starts to grow a spine, but still lets everyone, living or dead, walk all over her. For example, during the worst of the problems surrounding Mike's death, his brother Kevin publicly blames her, her roommate Chrissy moves out of their dorm room, and a campus cop seems to be far too suspicious of Emma.
The majority of the book read like a game of 'six degrees of separation'. It may have helped me enjoy the book more had I known that this was the first of a series, as hopefully I'd have been more patient knowing that Ms. Noser was setting the scene for the series to follow. Somehow I missed the smaller print on the cover of the book (a hazard of reading e-books I suppose). Even so, it still felt as if there were too many stories going on inside the larger story, and the way they were all interrelated was a bit too much for me. Other than that it was an entertaining read. Jake was a blast, giving more depth to a frat boy than you'd expect. Steve was kind of creepy, and I get the feeling Emma hasn't seen the last of him yet. And the others had a fair amount of dimension for the amount of time they were actually part of the story. The second book sounds as if it could really grow legs and take off, so I suspect I'll stick around to see what happens.
July 22, 2014
I received a copy of How to Date Dead Guys for the blog tour this week, so here we go with the review.
Cliff notes version: girl who can talk to the dead, tries to summon her crush back from the dead but ends up bringing back a whole bunch of boys. Each one teaches her a lesson of some sort and crazy awkwardness ensues.
Emma, our resident witch and quirky, awkward protagonist, is pretty much everything I’ve been wanting in an NA character. She’s unsure and uncomfortably shy until she’s faced with challenges and she grows to be more confident and open and I really admire that. She’s a little boy crazy, a total book worm, judgmental and I could go on. The point is she’s not “strong”. She’s a girl. She’s unique in a lot of different ways, the least of which is her magical ability to interact with the dead.
The ghosts that visit Emma remind me a lot of the ghosts that visit Scrooge. They all have a story to tell, a lesson to teach, and she doesn’t always agree with them but she comes to learn their value. In that way, it’s a story about self-discovery and taking risks and the importance of strong relationships.
I may have also fallen hopelessly in love with one of the boys.
Regardless, this is an incredibly well-written story. The characters are consistent and the first person, present tense narrative brings the readers into Emma’s head in ways we probably didn’t want but definitely enjoy.
I may have mentioned my mixed but always entertained feelings in my Random Notes While Reading:
· Nice way to establish character and topic right away
· Freshman 15: adding pounds to your ambition
· Ha ha, I find that ironic because she see dead people
· Boy, crazed, girly, juxtaposing roommate. Check
· I do enjoy the descriptive language. It’s in character, light and hormonal
· Although you just said “the dead don’t scare me” and then you panicked. You, ma’am do not know yourself very well. I like it
· My eyeballs are going to hurt from eye rolling
· Really? He glowed? Could you be more love struck?
· Do girls actually do that?
· At least she admits she’s obsessed
· These are well-written, consistent characters but really?
· Okay, the chapter titles are really entertaining
· You’re slowly moving from tragic to adorkable
· He’s not wrong, sweetie
· She’s so…flawed, I don’t know what to do with myself
· That’s because you just met Abby
· I like Officer Walker. He’s nice *shifty eyes*
· Yup, I’m gonna bitchslap Chrissy
· They all have the mentality of a 10th grader
· Even I miss Sam
· I want to hate you, new boy, stop ruining my story with your logic
· Ah yes, we’re leaning valuable lessons here
· Good lord, Tony
· Oh.
· That’s actually really cute. Stop it
· I’m not getting teary-eyed, what are you talking about?
· You’re killing me guys, my heart can’t take it
· Ha ha ha – that’s my “oh shit” chuckle
· Ugh, why does he make you care so much?
· Emma’s really growing on me…she’s quirky
· What?
· Even I feel dirty
· Oh it’s coming, I know it is
· I really want to see this performed just to see the actors play Bernard, Steve and Mike
· Yeah, Mike, geez, give her a break
· Ew
· Eugh
· You’re totally jealous
· Greta you’re so random
· Oh he’s probably totally hot but that’s beside the point
· Judgmental parents are judgmental
· You know it’s coming but it still kills you
· God, I miss Jake so much, I’m just head over heels for that boy
· Okay, Officer Nosey. You’re being a creep. Shut up
· I’d almost forgotten she was an awkward teenager
· CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!
· No one. No one hates a pizza buffet
· *hums* Obsession
· Dude. Not cool. I’m all…emotional now
Overall, I found How to Date Dead Guys intriguing, entertaining and definitely worth the read. I can’t wait for book two to be released.
Cliff notes version: girl who can talk to the dead, tries to summon her crush back from the dead but ends up bringing back a whole bunch of boys. Each one teaches her a lesson of some sort and crazy awkwardness ensues.
Emma, our resident witch and quirky, awkward protagonist, is pretty much everything I’ve been wanting in an NA character. She’s unsure and uncomfortably shy until she’s faced with challenges and she grows to be more confident and open and I really admire that. She’s a little boy crazy, a total book worm, judgmental and I could go on. The point is she’s not “strong”. She’s a girl. She’s unique in a lot of different ways, the least of which is her magical ability to interact with the dead.
The ghosts that visit Emma remind me a lot of the ghosts that visit Scrooge. They all have a story to tell, a lesson to teach, and she doesn’t always agree with them but she comes to learn their value. In that way, it’s a story about self-discovery and taking risks and the importance of strong relationships.
I may have also fallen hopelessly in love with one of the boys.
Regardless, this is an incredibly well-written story. The characters are consistent and the first person, present tense narrative brings the readers into Emma’s head in ways we probably didn’t want but definitely enjoy.
I may have mentioned my mixed but always entertained feelings in my Random Notes While Reading:
· Nice way to establish character and topic right away
· Freshman 15: adding pounds to your ambition
· Ha ha, I find that ironic because she see dead people
· Boy, crazed, girly, juxtaposing roommate. Check
· I do enjoy the descriptive language. It’s in character, light and hormonal
· Although you just said “the dead don’t scare me” and then you panicked. You, ma’am do not know yourself very well. I like it
· My eyeballs are going to hurt from eye rolling
· Really? He glowed? Could you be more love struck?
· Do girls actually do that?
· At least she admits she’s obsessed
· These are well-written, consistent characters but really?
· Okay, the chapter titles are really entertaining
· You’re slowly moving from tragic to adorkable
· He’s not wrong, sweetie
· She’s so…flawed, I don’t know what to do with myself
· That’s because you just met Abby
· I like Officer Walker. He’s nice *shifty eyes*
· Yup, I’m gonna bitchslap Chrissy
· They all have the mentality of a 10th grader
· Even I miss Sam
· I want to hate you, new boy, stop ruining my story with your logic
· Ah yes, we’re leaning valuable lessons here
· Good lord, Tony
· Oh.
· That’s actually really cute. Stop it
· I’m not getting teary-eyed, what are you talking about?
· You’re killing me guys, my heart can’t take it
· Ha ha ha – that’s my “oh shit” chuckle
· Ugh, why does he make you care so much?
· Emma’s really growing on me…she’s quirky
· What?
· Even I feel dirty
· Oh it’s coming, I know it is
· I really want to see this performed just to see the actors play Bernard, Steve and Mike
· Yeah, Mike, geez, give her a break
· Ew
· Eugh
· You’re totally jealous
· Greta you’re so random
· Oh he’s probably totally hot but that’s beside the point
· Judgmental parents are judgmental
· You know it’s coming but it still kills you
· God, I miss Jake so much, I’m just head over heels for that boy
· Okay, Officer Nosey. You’re being a creep. Shut up
· I’d almost forgotten she was an awkward teenager
· CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!
· No one. No one hates a pizza buffet
· *hums* Obsession
· Dude. Not cool. I’m all…emotional now
Overall, I found How to Date Dead Guys intriguing, entertaining and definitely worth the read. I can’t wait for book two to be released.
June 13, 2014
INITIAL THOUGHTS
My first thoughts approaching this book are that it will be a light, "chick lit" read. I'm looking forward to the "magical" elements of the book too.
MY REVIEW
I received this e-copy from the publisher's Curiosity Quills Press in return for my honest review and participation in the Blog Tour.
The main character is called Emma Roberts, she has led a quite sheltered life until going away to live on a college campus. She gets put with one of the "popular girls" as her roommate. She has been dragged out to a party with that very room-mate when she first sets eyes on Mike Carlson, Her roommate immediately falls in love with Kevin Carlson. So when Emma is being pulled around social events with her room mate she tends to bump into the brothers a lot. Her roommate soon starts dating Kevin, with a little help from her sister and the Book Of Shadows that was handed down to her by their grandmother. So when Mike is celebrating his 21st birthday Emma goes along with her popular roommate to the "party". Whilst partying Mike becomes quite drunk and on the walk home with Emma decides he want to swim the notorious river that's near the campus. Emma cannot stop Mike from getting in the river and attempting to swim across so she decides to join him. Emma makes the swim to the other side, tragically Mike doesn't.
Emma's roommate and Kevin (Mike's brother) blame Emma for not preventing Mike from going into the river. In fact everyone on campus seems to blame Emma. It's around that time that Emma stumbles upon the Book Of Shadows. She decides to go to the river and try to exchange her life for that of Mike. Only things go awry and she ends up bringing other males that have perished in the river. The story in about all the scrapes she gets into trying to get Mike back and how she has to help the other "spirits" with their unfinished business too.
There are some really funny situations in the book. Emma even ends up being attracted to one of the spirits and she takes him home for Christmas with her. The book isn't just humour though as we the reader get to see the spirits families and how they are or are not coping with the loss of their loved one.
I did like the main character of Emma, kind of shy and introverted, then through helping the spirits she ends up being more confident and outspoken.
I also liked the older male cop character too, who always seems to turn up and catch Emma just after all the drama. He definitely realises that there's something "otherworldly" happening around Emma. At first Emma feels the cop is irritating and suspicious but he soon ends up being a valuable asset when Emma stumbles on a murder case. . . .
Though the book wasn't exactly what I had expected, I did find it an enjoyable, and quite interesting read.
So did I enjoy the book? Yes, it was funny, poignant, sad and actually uplifting at times too. Would I recommend the book? I guess so to those who like a lighter read. Would I read a Book Two? Mmm I'd definitely want to read the blurb for the next book with a view to possibly reading and reviewing it. Would I read other titles by Ann Noser? I think I would, I'd certainly check out the blurbs etc.
My first thoughts approaching this book are that it will be a light, "chick lit" read. I'm looking forward to the "magical" elements of the book too.
MY REVIEW
I received this e-copy from the publisher's Curiosity Quills Press in return for my honest review and participation in the Blog Tour.
The main character is called Emma Roberts, she has led a quite sheltered life until going away to live on a college campus. She gets put with one of the "popular girls" as her roommate. She has been dragged out to a party with that very room-mate when she first sets eyes on Mike Carlson, Her roommate immediately falls in love with Kevin Carlson. So when Emma is being pulled around social events with her room mate she tends to bump into the brothers a lot. Her roommate soon starts dating Kevin, with a little help from her sister and the Book Of Shadows that was handed down to her by their grandmother. So when Mike is celebrating his 21st birthday Emma goes along with her popular roommate to the "party". Whilst partying Mike becomes quite drunk and on the walk home with Emma decides he want to swim the notorious river that's near the campus. Emma cannot stop Mike from getting in the river and attempting to swim across so she decides to join him. Emma makes the swim to the other side, tragically Mike doesn't.
Emma's roommate and Kevin (Mike's brother) blame Emma for not preventing Mike from going into the river. In fact everyone on campus seems to blame Emma. It's around that time that Emma stumbles upon the Book Of Shadows. She decides to go to the river and try to exchange her life for that of Mike. Only things go awry and she ends up bringing other males that have perished in the river. The story in about all the scrapes she gets into trying to get Mike back and how she has to help the other "spirits" with their unfinished business too.
There are some really funny situations in the book. Emma even ends up being attracted to one of the spirits and she takes him home for Christmas with her. The book isn't just humour though as we the reader get to see the spirits families and how they are or are not coping with the loss of their loved one.
I did like the main character of Emma, kind of shy and introverted, then through helping the spirits she ends up being more confident and outspoken.
I also liked the older male cop character too, who always seems to turn up and catch Emma just after all the drama. He definitely realises that there's something "otherworldly" happening around Emma. At first Emma feels the cop is irritating and suspicious but he soon ends up being a valuable asset when Emma stumbles on a murder case. . . .
Though the book wasn't exactly what I had expected, I did find it an enjoyable, and quite interesting read.
So did I enjoy the book? Yes, it was funny, poignant, sad and actually uplifting at times too. Would I recommend the book? I guess so to those who like a lighter read. Would I read a Book Two? Mmm I'd definitely want to read the blurb for the next book with a view to possibly reading and reviewing it. Would I read other titles by Ann Noser? I think I would, I'd certainly check out the blurbs etc.
August 5, 2014
Emma, a high school Nerd Herder, finds herself with a socialite room mate, excellent grades, and very few friends in college. Her rich semi-retired parents mostly leave her alone, so she's fallen back on her hermity ways, and despite a crush on a guy who is the younger brother of her roomate's crush, she rarely goes out.
But then one night Chrissy drags her to a party, and all of a sudden shy, tongue-twisted Emma finds herself having to see her crush more often. Until one fateful night, Emma finds herself trying to talk her drunken crush out of swimming the river next to the college.
She fails.
The result of that night, along with a mysterious "Book of Shadows" that used to belong to her roomate's sister, culminates in Emma, in a desperation of guilt, resorting to spells to fix the mess she's made of her life.
Only things don't go smoothly, and Emma will have to help a series of guys, all impacted by the river, before she'll begin to figur out her own life.
As paranormal romances go, this one is fairly tame. There's the faint hint of serial killer, but most of the book is feel-good romantic comedy about the nerdy girl who comes out of her shell and finds a group of eccentric friends. Even the magicky death-parts are fairly tame, run-of-the-mill wiccan type scenes.
There's a lot of time covered in the story; and sometimes I felt too much was summarized, with aspects of the guys Emma helps dragging on too long instead of just giving us juicy bits. This summarizing sometimes lent a distanced feel to the character development, such that, for example, I felt one of Emma's major relationships didn't quite get the juicy angst it deserved, but all in all it was an entertaining read. Romance aspects are tame enough for even younger YA readers, and Emma's voice felt more high schooly at times in her constant self-doubts, self-deprecations, and inner voice comparing herself to more "girly" girls and finding her own more androgynous style lacking (I got a bit tired of her mother's character focusing so much on wearing dresses and being attractive as well as Chrissy's total shallowness) than collegey. Also, the police officer stalking her was just in the right place at the right time way too many times.
A light, entertaining read with fun geographical references to Wisconsin area university. If Emma continues to grow and the events get a bit more focused on the creepiness (instead of how Emma dressed like a boy) sequels would be promising.
But then one night Chrissy drags her to a party, and all of a sudden shy, tongue-twisted Emma finds herself having to see her crush more often. Until one fateful night, Emma finds herself trying to talk her drunken crush out of swimming the river next to the college.
She fails.
The result of that night, along with a mysterious "Book of Shadows" that used to belong to her roomate's sister, culminates in Emma, in a desperation of guilt, resorting to spells to fix the mess she's made of her life.
Only things don't go smoothly, and Emma will have to help a series of guys, all impacted by the river, before she'll begin to figur out her own life.
As paranormal romances go, this one is fairly tame. There's the faint hint of serial killer, but most of the book is feel-good romantic comedy about the nerdy girl who comes out of her shell and finds a group of eccentric friends. Even the magicky death-parts are fairly tame, run-of-the-mill wiccan type scenes.
There's a lot of time covered in the story; and sometimes I felt too much was summarized, with aspects of the guys Emma helps dragging on too long instead of just giving us juicy bits. This summarizing sometimes lent a distanced feel to the character development, such that, for example, I felt one of Emma's major relationships didn't quite get the juicy angst it deserved, but all in all it was an entertaining read. Romance aspects are tame enough for even younger YA readers, and Emma's voice felt more high schooly at times in her constant self-doubts, self-deprecations, and inner voice comparing herself to more "girly" girls and finding her own more androgynous style lacking (I got a bit tired of her mother's character focusing so much on wearing dresses and being attractive as well as Chrissy's total shallowness) than collegey. Also, the police officer stalking her was just in the right place at the right time way too many times.
A light, entertaining read with fun geographical references to Wisconsin area university. If Emma continues to grow and the events get a bit more focused on the creepiness (instead of how Emma dressed like a boy) sequels would be promising.
Read
August 5, 2014" College sophomore Emma Roberts remembers her mother’s sage advice: “don’t sleep around, don’t burp in public, and don’t tell anyone you see ghosts”. But when cute Mike Carlson drowns in the campus river under her watch, Emma’s sheltered life shatters.
Blamed for Mike’s death and haunted by nightmares, Emma turns to witchcraft and a mysterious Book of Shadows to bring him back. Under a Blood Moon, she lights candles, draws a pentacle on the campus bridge, and casts a spell. The invoked river rages up against her, but she escapes its fury. As she stumbles back to the dorm, a stranger drags himself from the water and follows her home. And he isn’t the only one…
Instead of raising Mike, Emma assists the others she stole back from the dead—a pre-med student who jumped off the bridge, a young man determined to solve his own murder, and a frat boy Emma can’t stand…at first. More comfortable with the dead than the living, Emma delves deeper into the seductive Book of Shadows. Her powers grow, but witchcraft may not be enough to protect her against the vengeful river and the killers that feed it their victims.
Inspired by the controversial Smiley Face Murders, HOW TO DATE DEAD GUYS will appeal to the secret powers hidden deep within each of us."- Synopsis
REVIEW: FOUR STARS!
I'm happy to say that I really enjoyed reading "How To Date Dead Guys DEAD GUYS". The character Emma has a great sense of humor but is socially awkward. Many people will be able to relate to Emma .When her polar opposite college roommate convinced Emma to attend a party that's the beginning of not only Emma's new life but what I think is going to be a really fun series.
This book is a good read for both genders and I think that YA as well as anyone who enjoys romance , suspense , laughing, basically the whole lot of you readers should pick this book up immediately !
So. Join Emma in her new life . I found myself very wrapped up in this book and am looking "forward to reading more."
Blamed for Mike’s death and haunted by nightmares, Emma turns to witchcraft and a mysterious Book of Shadows to bring him back. Under a Blood Moon, she lights candles, draws a pentacle on the campus bridge, and casts a spell. The invoked river rages up against her, but she escapes its fury. As she stumbles back to the dorm, a stranger drags himself from the water and follows her home. And he isn’t the only one…
Instead of raising Mike, Emma assists the others she stole back from the dead—a pre-med student who jumped off the bridge, a young man determined to solve his own murder, and a frat boy Emma can’t stand…at first. More comfortable with the dead than the living, Emma delves deeper into the seductive Book of Shadows. Her powers grow, but witchcraft may not be enough to protect her against the vengeful river and the killers that feed it their victims.
Inspired by the controversial Smiley Face Murders, HOW TO DATE DEAD GUYS will appeal to the secret powers hidden deep within each of us."- Synopsis
REVIEW: FOUR STARS!
I'm happy to say that I really enjoyed reading "How To Date Dead Guys DEAD GUYS". The character Emma has a great sense of humor but is socially awkward. Many people will be able to relate to Emma .When her polar opposite college roommate convinced Emma to attend a party that's the beginning of not only Emma's new life but what I think is going to be a really fun series.
This book is a good read for both genders and I think that YA as well as anyone who enjoys romance , suspense , laughing, basically the whole lot of you readers should pick this book up immediately !
So. Join Emma in her new life . I found myself very wrapped up in this book and am looking "forward to reading more."
June 26, 2014
(I received a free copy of this book, from Curiosity Quills Press, in exchange for a review).
(This review may contain spoilers).
I was really taken by the blurb of this book. Although young adult paranormal books can often be a bit hit and miss with me, I really enjoyed reading this book. I thought that Emma was a really intriguing character and I could really empathise with her - especially with her trust issues.
Although I don't agree with love at first sight, I liked the way it was handled here, since it didn't actually come across as 'true love'.
I really liked a lot of the characters in the book. It was an interesting twist how Emma brought back the wrong people, but I really liked the relationships she formed with them. Even Jake, who was kind of a jerk at first, came across as a much better, well-rounded character. And a lot of the stories did have a satisfactory ending, even though they didn't really end as 'happily ever after'.
I liked Emma's relationship with her parents, even though they were a bit strange at times. I could tell they were trying to do the right thing for their daughter. It was really good that even the characters who didn't seem like very nice people came across as really well-rounded and not completely mean.
I definitely want to read the next book in this series. The blurb at the end makes me think I'll probably like it just as much as this one, if not more. If you like young adult paranormal books, this is definitely one that's a good read. And it doesn't have vampires.
(This review may contain spoilers).
I was really taken by the blurb of this book. Although young adult paranormal books can often be a bit hit and miss with me, I really enjoyed reading this book. I thought that Emma was a really intriguing character and I could really empathise with her - especially with her trust issues.
Although I don't agree with love at first sight, I liked the way it was handled here, since it didn't actually come across as 'true love'.
I really liked a lot of the characters in the book. It was an interesting twist how Emma brought back the wrong people, but I really liked the relationships she formed with them. Even Jake, who was kind of a jerk at first, came across as a much better, well-rounded character. And a lot of the stories did have a satisfactory ending, even though they didn't really end as 'happily ever after'.
I liked Emma's relationship with her parents, even though they were a bit strange at times. I could tell they were trying to do the right thing for their daughter. It was really good that even the characters who didn't seem like very nice people came across as really well-rounded and not completely mean.
I definitely want to read the next book in this series. The blurb at the end makes me think I'll probably like it just as much as this one, if not more. If you like young adult paranormal books, this is definitely one that's a good read. And it doesn't have vampires.
August 9, 2014
This is the first story in the "Under the Blood Moon" series by Ann M. Noser and I can gladly report that it is a solid success. You can feel the love of storytelling in the author, and although the book starts a little slowly, it becomes a gripping tale-- one that I found myself reading in any spare moment.
There are many characters but Noser gives them enough distinction, from the smart but insecure protagonist Emma Roberts, to the pushy, menacing yet ultimately sensitive Officer Charlie Walker, that it was effortless to follow. The author does a particularly good job at creating three-dimensional characters, giving each one pleasant and unexpected depth.
I have read very little supernatural fiction, so my judgement may not be entirely accurate, but this novel had a freshness to the plot that kept me guessing and happily engaged; there was a cleverness and unpredictability that delighted me.
Noser also managed to achieve the nearly impossible-- she caused me to care about young adults. I must admit to a general impatience with YA novels, characters and concerns, yet her writing was sympathetic enough that I caught myself rooting for them and, surprisingly, caring. There is love and loss and enough complexity that they felt real, and their pain and joy became my pain and joy.
I look forward to seeing how Ann M. Noser develops as a writer. She is certainly off to a strong start.
There are many characters but Noser gives them enough distinction, from the smart but insecure protagonist Emma Roberts, to the pushy, menacing yet ultimately sensitive Officer Charlie Walker, that it was effortless to follow. The author does a particularly good job at creating three-dimensional characters, giving each one pleasant and unexpected depth.
I have read very little supernatural fiction, so my judgement may not be entirely accurate, but this novel had a freshness to the plot that kept me guessing and happily engaged; there was a cleverness and unpredictability that delighted me.
Noser also managed to achieve the nearly impossible-- she caused me to care about young adults. I must admit to a general impatience with YA novels, characters and concerns, yet her writing was sympathetic enough that I caught myself rooting for them and, surprisingly, caring. There is love and loss and enough complexity that they felt real, and their pain and joy became my pain and joy.
I look forward to seeing how Ann M. Noser develops as a writer. She is certainly off to a strong start.
July 13, 2014
*I received a copy of this book from Curiosity Quills Press in exchange for an honest review*
FOUR & A HALF STARS....(I really really wish Goodreads would start allowing half stars. Seriously.)
Truth be told, when I first started reading, I didn’t think I would like the book. In the first few chapters, my attention wandered.
Then, BAM. I was hooked and couldn’t put the story down until I’d finished.
Emma is your average college student, a sort of awkward wallflower who started pretending she didn’t hear or see ghosts at a young age. The separation she felt from the rest of society because of a childhood event carried into her young adulthood. She’s shy and withdrawn and feels out of place with the friends her roommate hangs out with.
She’s dragged along to a frat party where she meets and gets a crush on a hot guy on campus, Matt. After a few more meetings disaster strikes, and Matt drowns in the river. Emma is blamed for his death by many on campus, including herself.
Overcome with guilt, Emma tries a spell, but fails to fulfill her end of it, and that’s when things get interesting.
There's more to this review!!! For the rest of this review, go here: http://redefiningperfect.com/review-h...
LOVED it! Going to be stalking Ann M. Noser until book 2 comes out. Excuse me, I need to get cyber-stalking....
FOUR & A HALF STARS....(I really really wish Goodreads would start allowing half stars. Seriously.)
Truth be told, when I first started reading, I didn’t think I would like the book. In the first few chapters, my attention wandered.
Then, BAM. I was hooked and couldn’t put the story down until I’d finished.
Emma is your average college student, a sort of awkward wallflower who started pretending she didn’t hear or see ghosts at a young age. The separation she felt from the rest of society because of a childhood event carried into her young adulthood. She’s shy and withdrawn and feels out of place with the friends her roommate hangs out with.
She’s dragged along to a frat party where she meets and gets a crush on a hot guy on campus, Matt. After a few more meetings disaster strikes, and Matt drowns in the river. Emma is blamed for his death by many on campus, including herself.
Overcome with guilt, Emma tries a spell, but fails to fulfill her end of it, and that’s when things get interesting.
There's more to this review!!! For the rest of this review, go here: http://redefiningperfect.com/review-h...
LOVED it! Going to be stalking Ann M. Noser until book 2 comes out. Excuse me, I need to get cyber-stalking....
July 3, 2014
How To Date Dead Guys by Ann Noser is a hysterical new adult urban-fantasy novel. Emma Roberts is a college sophomore who seriously lacks any amount of self-esteem She thinks of herself as a complete wall flower. Her dorm-mate Chrissy is the complete opposite. She’s perky, pink and pretty. When Chrissy’s sister comes to visit with her Book of Shadows, casts a couple harmless spells and leaves the book behind, Emma then finds it. When the guy Emma is crushing on Mike dies in front of her while swimming across a dangerous river during the night she decides to try the Book of Shadows and casts a spell to bring him back. Only she doesn’t get Mike but someone else. Everything starts to go haywire from there and dead people become her closest friends.
The first person narrative in How To Date Dead guys brings Emma’s thoughts and insecurities to the front in this novel. She captures vividly how this young woman thinks and makes her a relatable and lovable character. Throughout the story the reader will see her transform from mousy and scared to a brave young woman who has far more strength and adventure in her soul than she gives herself credit for. She makes new friends, both living and dead, helps everyone with absolutely nothing to gain for herself, and meets her first “real” boyfriend.
A true page turner.
The first person narrative in How To Date Dead guys brings Emma’s thoughts and insecurities to the front in this novel. She captures vividly how this young woman thinks and makes her a relatable and lovable character. Throughout the story the reader will see her transform from mousy and scared to a brave young woman who has far more strength and adventure in her soul than she gives herself credit for. She makes new friends, both living and dead, helps everyone with absolutely nothing to gain for herself, and meets her first “real” boyfriend.
A true page turner.
July 23, 2014
Read this one expecting something light-hearted and *goofy*, more in the vein of Janet Evanovich than Jim Butcher. Once I got past my notions of what urban fantasy should be (more serious, more sarcastic than slapstick), I had a lot more fun reading this book.
Emma starts off as a very shy, naive, innocent, *very conservative* young woman and then she makes a series of odd and impulsive decisions that set her off down this crazy path. One thing I really appreciated was that Emma definitely grows across the story, developing some confidence and a backbone.
The supporting cast features a lot of characters that I think could superficially be described by 'types' - the mean girl, the frat guy, the smart guy, and so on, but as the story unfolds, it becomes clear how inadequate these types are as each character resists their stereotype in some way.
Truly, this story definitely has some warm fuzzies in it about being comfortable in our own skin, about forming family, and so on.
There were a few odd moments for me that in hindsight read as humorous or as coping mechanisms for Emma. Again, I think reading with the expectation of silliness and zany antics will really make this book a lot of fun.
See my complete review here: To Each Their Own Reviews
Emma starts off as a very shy, naive, innocent, *very conservative* young woman and then she makes a series of odd and impulsive decisions that set her off down this crazy path. One thing I really appreciated was that Emma definitely grows across the story, developing some confidence and a backbone.
The supporting cast features a lot of characters that I think could superficially be described by 'types' - the mean girl, the frat guy, the smart guy, and so on, but as the story unfolds, it becomes clear how inadequate these types are as each character resists their stereotype in some way.
Truly, this story definitely has some warm fuzzies in it about being comfortable in our own skin, about forming family, and so on.
There were a few odd moments for me that in hindsight read as humorous or as coping mechanisms for Emma. Again, I think reading with the expectation of silliness and zany antics will really make this book a lot of fun.
See my complete review here: To Each Their Own Reviews
August 24, 2017
I thought this was a really good story. It really begs the question what have you left unfinished after you die and if you have a chance to fix something, would you want to come back for a short time. Also, it shows you really should be careful with trying to bring the dead back. I was a little mad at Emma for letting Mike swim in the river when he was super drunk. I think she could have distracted him some way. I was mad at Mike's brother Kevin for getting him so drunk. It drives me crazy when I hear about a 21-year-old over drinking on their birthday and either getting injured or die. They have a lifetime to drink, their friends should know better than to keep pushing the drinks on them. Emma really seemed like a naive college student who didn't seem too smart about the real world. She grows up pretty fast once she is dealing with dead men.
Worth the read.
Worth the read.
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