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Cold
A boy, a murder, a girl, a secret. A YA novel about a shocking crime, told by a boy who died—and a girl who wants to know why.
Who was Todd Mayer, and why don't any of his fellow students at Albright Academy seem to know, or want to say, anything about him?
Todd Mayer is dead. Now a ghost, hovering over his body, recently discovered in a snow covered park, naked and frozen. As detectives investigate Todd's homicide, talking to the very people linked to the events leading to his death, Todd replays the choice that led him to his end.
Georgia didn't know Todd. But ever since she heard about his death, she can’t stop thinking about him. Maybe because they’re both outcasts at their school, or because they’re both queer. Maybe because the story of Todd people keep telling feels like a lot of fake stories Georgia has heard people tell. Plus Georgia has a feeling she’s seen Todd somewhere before, somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be.
Who was Todd Mayer, and why don't any of his fellow students at Albright Academy seem to know, or want to say, anything about him?
Todd Mayer is dead. Now a ghost, hovering over his body, recently discovered in a snow covered park, naked and frozen. As detectives investigate Todd's homicide, talking to the very people linked to the events leading to his death, Todd replays the choice that led him to his end.
Georgia didn't know Todd. But ever since she heard about his death, she can’t stop thinking about him. Maybe because they’re both outcasts at their school, or because they’re both queer. Maybe because the story of Todd people keep telling feels like a lot of fake stories Georgia has heard people tell. Plus Georgia has a feeling she’s seen Todd somewhere before, somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be.
Audiobook
First published February 8, 2022
57 people are currently reading
8039 people want to read
About the author
Mariko Tamaki
377 books2,226 followersMariko Tamaki is a Toronto writer, playwright, activist and performer. She works and performs with fat activists Pretty Porky and Pissed Off and the theatre troupe TOA, whose recent play, A vs. B, was staged at the 2004 Rhubarb Festival at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Her well-received novel, Cover Me (McGilligan Books) was followed by a short fiction collection, True Lies: The Book of Bad Advice (Women's Press). Mariko's third book, FAKE ID, is due out in spring 2005.
Mariko Tamaki has performed her work across Canada and through the States, recently appearing at the Calgary Folkfest 2004, Vancouver Writer's Festival 2003, Spatial III, and the Perpetual Motion/Girls Bite Back Tour, which circled though Ottawa, Montreal, Brooklyn and Chicago. She has appeared widely on radio and television including First Person Singular on CBC radio and Imprint on TVO. Mariko Tamaki is currently attending York University working a master's degree in women's studies.
[MacMIllan Books]
Mariko Tamaki has performed her work across Canada and through the States, recently appearing at the Calgary Folkfest 2004, Vancouver Writer's Festival 2003, Spatial III, and the Perpetual Motion/Girls Bite Back Tour, which circled though Ottawa, Montreal, Brooklyn and Chicago. She has appeared widely on radio and television including First Person Singular on CBC radio and Imprint on TVO. Mariko Tamaki is currently attending York University working a master's degree in women's studies.
[MacMIllan Books]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 512 reviews
August 22, 2021
A not so creepy or not spine tingling ghost story about seventeen year old Todd who is lurking around the places, watching the detectives behind who are investigating his case!
I always have a huge interest to read about ghost stories. They always give those haunted, creepy vibes and best thing about them learning their back stories and what kind of unfinished business force them to stay at limbo, unable to pass through the other reality as their soul stuck miserable at this universe.
But at this book, we have lack of information about Todd: he’s A grader,queer, bullied by classmates, loner, no social media appearance, no proper friends but that’s all! His character seems one dimensional ( also he also lost that dimension by dying frozen death)
I wish the mystery behind his death would be more interesting but it was not. Perpetrator was so obvious by suspicious acts at first chapter.
We had duel narrations: ghost of Todd: who leaves his house to catch an European movie at Revue which he lied to his mother about. And he never returned back!
The other narrator is Georgia who is also queer, recently befriended a new friend Cassie, she’s daughter of children book’s author who is using her own children as characters of retelling Hansel and Gretel. ( I sense a little Gone Girl vibes but thankfully Georgia is not cunning sociopath) Georgia is also introvert, overshadowed by athlete brother Mark who is popular, hanging out with wrong kind of friends.
I didn’t understand the main reason why she’s drawn into the mysterious death of Todd. She never knew him but she finds out he was member of all-boy’s private school just like her brother.
Georgia was a little more interesting character who found herself in high school drama between popular girls.
The execution of mystery was a little weak and as I felt like I started to connect with characters, the book already finished. It was too short.
The prejudgment about considering the queers as pervert and thinking as suspects part of the story was realistic and bold.
The conclusion was a little haphazard, lack of emotion. I didn’t feel anything about Todd or empathize with his past. The emotional depth of the story was already suffering!
But the ghost who traces his own case and a high school girl who chases his killer idea had some much potential. Concept was good but execution was mediocre which earned my 2.5 stars rounded up 3 queer, thought provoking, ghost story, high school drama stars!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/ Roaring Brook Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
I always have a huge interest to read about ghost stories. They always give those haunted, creepy vibes and best thing about them learning their back stories and what kind of unfinished business force them to stay at limbo, unable to pass through the other reality as their soul stuck miserable at this universe.
But at this book, we have lack of information about Todd: he’s A grader,queer, bullied by classmates, loner, no social media appearance, no proper friends but that’s all! His character seems one dimensional ( also he also lost that dimension by dying frozen death)
I wish the mystery behind his death would be more interesting but it was not. Perpetrator was so obvious by suspicious acts at first chapter.
We had duel narrations: ghost of Todd: who leaves his house to catch an European movie at Revue which he lied to his mother about. And he never returned back!
The other narrator is Georgia who is also queer, recently befriended a new friend Cassie, she’s daughter of children book’s author who is using her own children as characters of retelling Hansel and Gretel. ( I sense a little Gone Girl vibes but thankfully Georgia is not cunning sociopath) Georgia is also introvert, overshadowed by athlete brother Mark who is popular, hanging out with wrong kind of friends.
I didn’t understand the main reason why she’s drawn into the mysterious death of Todd. She never knew him but she finds out he was member of all-boy’s private school just like her brother.
Georgia was a little more interesting character who found herself in high school drama between popular girls.
The execution of mystery was a little weak and as I felt like I started to connect with characters, the book already finished. It was too short.
The prejudgment about considering the queers as pervert and thinking as suspects part of the story was realistic and bold.
The conclusion was a little haphazard, lack of emotion. I didn’t feel anything about Todd or empathize with his past. The emotional depth of the story was already suffering!
But the ghost who traces his own case and a high school girl who chases his killer idea had some much potential. Concept was good but execution was mediocre which earned my 2.5 stars rounded up 3 queer, thought provoking, ghost story, high school drama stars!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/ Roaring Brook Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
March 19, 2023
An odd little book if I'm being honest. One of the narrators is dead and as ghastly as it sounds I didn't quite understand the purpose of his 'voice' other than to allow us to listen in to other people's conversation as he drifted from scene to scene. He seemed very detached from his death and how it happened which meant I was also detached from him as a character. I did appreciate how the story explored that some people still equate 'gay' with 'deviant' and I thought this was well tackled in the book.
CW: homomisia
CW: homomisia
February 19, 2022
Ooof this book snuck up on me. By the end I was bawling. Mariko Tamaki's deceptively simple prose lures you into the worlds of these two teenagers -- one gay boy and one gay girl -- and then quietly pulls the rug out from under you somehow without you even knowing it's coming, even though you should have.
I love how Tamaki brings queer teenagers' voices to life in such an authentic and nuanced way. These two kids, Todd and Georgia, are no exception, even though one of them is a ghost for the whole novel and they never knew each other in real life.
This book is a mystery, but it's unconventional genre-wise. Georgia, the teen who isn't a ghost, doesn't take much of an active role in being a detective, although she does slowly figure out what happened on the night Todd died. Todd, as an omniscient presence, hovers over the official investigation and shares with readers what he sees and feels (as much as a ghost can feel, he explains).
Cold is a book about a queer kid dying, and you know that right from the beginning. You know that homophobia must have planned some part in what happened.
But Tamaki's investigation of this theme is delicate, nuanced and goes in a direction you might not expect. The book is not about the kind of headline-making, explicitly violent homophobia you might expect. It's about how it makes queer kids vulnerable, about how it makes it so difficult for queer adults to mentor queer kids, about how one persuasive kid's bigotry can move seemingly "nice" kids -- even closeted queer kids -- to go along with awful stuff.
Tamaki called this book Cold and oh my god did it make me feel that way. Chilled.
I love how Tamaki brings queer teenagers' voices to life in such an authentic and nuanced way. These two kids, Todd and Georgia, are no exception, even though one of them is a ghost for the whole novel and they never knew each other in real life.
This book is a mystery, but it's unconventional genre-wise. Georgia, the teen who isn't a ghost, doesn't take much of an active role in being a detective, although she does slowly figure out what happened on the night Todd died. Todd, as an omniscient presence, hovers over the official investigation and shares with readers what he sees and feels (as much as a ghost can feel, he explains).
Cold is a book about a queer kid dying, and you know that right from the beginning. You know that homophobia must have planned some part in what happened.
But Tamaki's investigation of this theme is delicate, nuanced and goes in a direction you might not expect. The book is not about the kind of headline-making, explicitly violent homophobia you might expect. It's about how it makes queer kids vulnerable, about how it makes it so difficult for queer adults to mentor queer kids, about how one persuasive kid's bigotry can move seemingly "nice" kids -- even closeted queer kids -- to go along with awful stuff.
Tamaki called this book Cold and oh my god did it make me feel that way. Chilled.
January 30, 2022
I'm writing this having just finished Cold, and I can still feel an ache in my chest.
Originally, I thought this would be about Georgia investigating and finding Todd's killer, but it's not so much a fast-paced mystery as it is a slow unfurling of what lead up to that night. As the story progresses, it becomes obvious that this isn't just a story that includes homophobia; it's a story about homophobia, so do be prepared for that going in.
I'm having trouble writing about this story in depth, because I don't want to spoil anything, and it is primarily a study of these characters and their relationships to each other. Don't go into this expecting a fast-paced mystery or a horror type of ghost story, but do expect a moving portrait of these characters and their place in the world.
I feel so deeply for these characters, and how Todd hadn't yet had a chance to really live as his true self. It made for a melancholic read, but it just shows how skillfully it's been written. If you're ready for a story that will make your heart ache, I highly recommend this one.
Full review at the Lesbrary.
Originally, I thought this would be about Georgia investigating and finding Todd's killer, but it's not so much a fast-paced mystery as it is a slow unfurling of what lead up to that night. As the story progresses, it becomes obvious that this isn't just a story that includes homophobia; it's a story about homophobia, so do be prepared for that going in.
I'm having trouble writing about this story in depth, because I don't want to spoil anything, and it is primarily a study of these characters and their relationships to each other. Don't go into this expecting a fast-paced mystery or a horror type of ghost story, but do expect a moving portrait of these characters and their place in the world.
I feel so deeply for these characters, and how Todd hadn't yet had a chance to really live as his true self. It made for a melancholic read, but it just shows how skillfully it's been written. If you're ready for a story that will make your heart ache, I highly recommend this one.
Full review at the Lesbrary.
June 21, 2025
On a cold winter morning, Todd Mayer, seventeen years old, is found in a park, naked and dead. Now he’s a ghost, hovering above things and watching people doing things in the wake of his death. Georgia, sixteen, didn’t know him, but she still wants to find out why he had to die. And that’s anything but easy because everyone in this story has secrets.
This book is rather a (dark) mystery story than a ghost story, though, and it’s also an insightful coming-of-age novel of another kind. With a lot of sympathy, sensitivity and tact, the author tells us about the lives of teenagers Todd and Georgia, two queer misfits who had to cope on their own for a long time. And we learn how longing to be accepted and be loved can end in disaster …
Mariko Tamaki obviously knows a thing or two about being an outsider. Cold is full of psychological suspense and has several surprising twists, but it’s also a complex tragedy with intertwined destinies. And most notably, it’s another excellently written and stirring work by a wonderful, empathetic writer.
This book is rather a (dark) mystery story than a ghost story, though, and it’s also an insightful coming-of-age novel of another kind. With a lot of sympathy, sensitivity and tact, the author tells us about the lives of teenagers Todd and Georgia, two queer misfits who had to cope on their own for a long time. And we learn how longing to be accepted and be loved can end in disaster …
Mariko Tamaki obviously knows a thing or two about being an outsider. Cold is full of psychological suspense and has several surprising twists, but it’s also a complex tragedy with intertwined destinies. And most notably, it’s another excellently written and stirring work by a wonderful, empathetic writer.
February 13, 2022
2.5 stars rounded up
I'm not sure how to feel about this one. It definitely wasn't what I expected, but I actually think this might be a great title for younger teens who are reluctant readers, especially if they are queer. While there is technically a murder mystery with a ghost, it's more of a character study and doesn't actually feel very mysterious. But as a character study about murder and homophobia, it has an oddly light tone for much of the book and also feels too short.
I expected the female MC to be able to see or hear the ghost, but that was not the case. Instead we get a POV from the ghost, but it's oddly detached and seems mostly to exist so we get an eye into what's happening with other characters. I do like the topics this book is trying to address in terms of homophobia and assumptions people make about gay men in particular, but the plot feels a little too neatly engineered for exactly that purpose. I don't mind plots written primarily to make a point, but I'm not sure this was executed in a way that totally worked for me.
That said, this might really work for a younger teen audience who haven't read a lot of mysteries and need to learn about some of these issues of homophobia. It does read on the younger side and due to the short length could be great for reluctant readers. So while I wasn't in love with this myself, I do think there is value here. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
I'm not sure how to feel about this one. It definitely wasn't what I expected, but I actually think this might be a great title for younger teens who are reluctant readers, especially if they are queer. While there is technically a murder mystery with a ghost, it's more of a character study and doesn't actually feel very mysterious. But as a character study about murder and homophobia, it has an oddly light tone for much of the book and also feels too short.
I expected the female MC to be able to see or hear the ghost, but that was not the case. Instead we get a POV from the ghost, but it's oddly detached and seems mostly to exist so we get an eye into what's happening with other characters. I do like the topics this book is trying to address in terms of homophobia and assumptions people make about gay men in particular, but the plot feels a little too neatly engineered for exactly that purpose. I don't mind plots written primarily to make a point, but I'm not sure this was executed in a way that totally worked for me.
That said, this might really work for a younger teen audience who haven't read a lot of mysteries and need to learn about some of these issues of homophobia. It does read on the younger side and due to the short length could be great for reluctant readers. So while I wasn't in love with this myself, I do think there is value here. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
February 12, 2022
Good ghost story, nothing spectacular but I am glad I read it.
March 11, 2023
i love mariko tamaki. her work has a simple eloquence to it; quiet sadness, picture-painting imagery, masterful metaphors and similes that somehow retain a very teenage voice. it's smart and unexpectedly funny, just wonderfully written.
and it has a lot of cold in it. it's a good winter book. there's a very cinematic vibe that took me a while to put my finger on. we alternate between the perspective of georgia, a thoughtful and observant gay asian american teenager, and todd, another gay teenager who is a loner, who is in love with georgia's brother, and who is dead. todd floats above their town, making observations much like georgia does below. todd often watches the dramatic detectives following his case, and the icy park where he died.
and it is a murder mystery, basically, although it doesn't read like one. shortly after reading something like a good girl's guide to murder, it's interesting to read such a different take on a missing kid. neither georgia nor todd investigate todd's death themselves, but they both watch the mystery unfold.
i feel for todd. there's a lot here, with the isolation he faces due to homophobia at his boys-only school. there's a link between georgia and todd, who never connected in life, but who have kindred queer kid identities. there's also todd's teacher, a gay man who felt for todd and tried to make life easier for him, but who is suspected during the investigation since they spent time together outside of school. so many misunderstandings, judgements, and subtly painful connections.
and it has a lot of cold in it. it's a good winter book. there's a very cinematic vibe that took me a while to put my finger on. we alternate between the perspective of georgia, a thoughtful and observant gay asian american teenager, and todd, another gay teenager who is a loner, who is in love with georgia's brother, and who is dead. todd floats above their town, making observations much like georgia does below. todd often watches the dramatic detectives following his case, and the icy park where he died.
and it is a murder mystery, basically, although it doesn't read like one. shortly after reading something like a good girl's guide to murder, it's interesting to read such a different take on a missing kid. neither georgia nor todd investigate todd's death themselves, but they both watch the mystery unfold.
i feel for todd. there's a lot here, with the isolation he faces due to homophobia at his boys-only school. there's a link between georgia and todd, who never connected in life, but who have kindred queer kid identities. there's also todd's teacher, a gay man who felt for todd and tried to make life easier for him, but who is suspected during the investigation since they spent time together outside of school. so many misunderstandings, judgements, and subtly painful connections.
January 24, 2022
3.5 stars
In life, Todd was a smart kid with a bright future to look forward to as soon as he could escape the isolation and bullying at his private school. Now, Todd is a ghost observing Detectives Greevy and Daniels investigate his death after his body is found frozen in a local park.
In alternating chapters, local teen Georgia follows the investigation and notices connections she had with Todd … including one that will change her world forever when the police find out.
This is a thoughtful story, told through flashes of Todd’s life in a passive way, leading to the truth of how he ended up in the park and how he died. Readers can probably identify with Georgia, as many of us have followed a tragic story and put ourselves in the shoes of the victim, finding similarities and considering the mysteries of their lives, because it could have easily been you. In this case, Georgia comes to a realization that hits far too close to home but ultimately uncovers the truth while upending her world.
This is a fast YA contemporary mystery with diverse representation. Though the characters don’t have time to really develop dimension, their actions and dialogue feel authentic and make this a worthwhile read.
Thanks to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/Roaring Brook Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Cold is scheduled for release on February 8, 2022.
For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com
In life, Todd was a smart kid with a bright future to look forward to as soon as he could escape the isolation and bullying at his private school. Now, Todd is a ghost observing Detectives Greevy and Daniels investigate his death after his body is found frozen in a local park.
In alternating chapters, local teen Georgia follows the investigation and notices connections she had with Todd … including one that will change her world forever when the police find out.
This is a thoughtful story, told through flashes of Todd’s life in a passive way, leading to the truth of how he ended up in the park and how he died. Readers can probably identify with Georgia, as many of us have followed a tragic story and put ourselves in the shoes of the victim, finding similarities and considering the mysteries of their lives, because it could have easily been you. In this case, Georgia comes to a realization that hits far too close to home but ultimately uncovers the truth while upending her world.
This is a fast YA contemporary mystery with diverse representation. Though the characters don’t have time to really develop dimension, their actions and dialogue feel authentic and make this a worthwhile read.
Thanks to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/Roaring Brook Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Cold is scheduled for release on February 8, 2022.
For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com
May 14, 2022
Despite being one of my most anticipated releases of 2022, this was a let-down. I mean, the concept had so much potential: a boy who is found murdered and a girl who didn't know him but can't stop thinking about him because they are both queer.
The thing about this book is that the plot wasn't necessarily a disappointment, and neither was the writing or anything. I just feel like this book was way too short to really explore anything. The themes had so much potential but they were just all left untouched. It was like I was watching the book unfold from a distance and whenever I wanted to know more and took a step forward, I slammed into a glass wall that wouldn't let me delve in deeper.
While this is not a bad book, I expected so much more from it and am sad to have to give it a lower rating. I will still pick up books by Mariko Tamaki in the future, but this one just fell flat.
The thing about this book is that the plot wasn't necessarily a disappointment, and neither was the writing or anything. I just feel like this book was way too short to really explore anything. The themes had so much potential but they were just all left untouched. It was like I was watching the book unfold from a distance and whenever I wanted to know more and took a step forward, I slammed into a glass wall that wouldn't let me delve in deeper.
While this is not a bad book, I expected so much more from it and am sad to have to give it a lower rating. I will still pick up books by Mariko Tamaki in the future, but this one just fell flat.
February 13, 2022
While parts of this book could have been better described, and I did feel that Todd was strangely emotionally detached from being dead, there was something about this book that I really connected with and loved. It's very rare that I actually enjoy a murder mystery story (yet I keep trying them!).
This story is told two POVs, alternating each chapter - Todd, who is dead, silently observing the students, teachers and detectives around him, and Georgia, a girl from another school who feels strangely connected to Todd and starts to piece together how the people she knows, knew him.
I think what makes this story great is that it's glaringly, wonderfully, simple. The mystery of what happened to Todd isn't a big convoluted mess but something that could happen to any teenager. There's no big villain reveal, just messy teenagers navigating being teenagers and that made the story feel real, and helped me connect with it emotionally.
This story is told two POVs, alternating each chapter - Todd, who is dead, silently observing the students, teachers and detectives around him, and Georgia, a girl from another school who feels strangely connected to Todd and starts to piece together how the people she knows, knew him.
I think what makes this story great is that it's glaringly, wonderfully, simple. The mystery of what happened to Todd isn't a big convoluted mess but something that could happen to any teenager. There's no big villain reveal, just messy teenagers navigating being teenagers and that made the story feel real, and helped me connect with it emotionally.
dnf
February 9, 2022It's probably petty to hate a YA book because of its childish writing but jesus this was bad
March 18, 2022
I really enjoyed this audiobook a lot. I’m a huge fan of Tamaki’s graphic novels and would also love to see this story adapted in her style and using a color story like she did for This One Summer and Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me.
In Cold we get a slightly outside-the-box mystery, which I really appreciated. Todd Mayer is found naked and dead in the snow. Classmate Georgia didn’t know him but becomes obsessed with the idea of how she can relate to him and his death. Then she suddenly realizes she had recently seen him before he died… We get narration from Georgia and from deceased Todd.
Siblings: Georgia’s mom is a bestselling author of children’s books where she uses Georgia and her brother as characters. While no longer close, much of the book is Georgia trying to connect with her brother or orbiting around him as she tries to figure out who Todd was, what happened to him, and who she is.
(TW homophobia/ fatphobia/ brief mention of child predators, not graphic nor detailed)
--from Book Riot's Unusual Suspects newsletter: https://link.bookriot.com/view/56a820...
In Cold we get a slightly outside-the-box mystery, which I really appreciated. Todd Mayer is found naked and dead in the snow. Classmate Georgia didn’t know him but becomes obsessed with the idea of how she can relate to him and his death. Then she suddenly realizes she had recently seen him before he died… We get narration from Georgia and from deceased Todd.
Siblings: Georgia’s mom is a bestselling author of children’s books where she uses Georgia and her brother as characters. While no longer close, much of the book is Georgia trying to connect with her brother or orbiting around him as she tries to figure out who Todd was, what happened to him, and who she is.
(TW homophobia/ fatphobia/ brief mention of child predators, not graphic nor detailed)
--from Book Riot's Unusual Suspects newsletter: https://link.bookriot.com/view/56a820...
February 19, 2022
Maybe I too am dead inside because I've been giving a lot of books 1 star recently.
I found this one hard to follow. Yes, the chapters go back and forth between Todd & Georgia, but that's not why I was confused. The introduction of characters, the connection of relationships, the overall "why should I care?" question... all confusing. The character work in here was sorely lacking. We were reading from two different perspectives, and yet, I don't feel like I got to know either one of them at all. I mean, one of them is even dead, and yet I can barely tell you anything about him except that he was in love at the time of his death because that was briefly mentioned towards the end of the book. And even then - we're told this and not shown this. I have no reason why he was in love or how that relationship came to be. Not a clue.
As for Georgia, I again didn't feel anything because it was a poorly written character. Her relationships with her family and friends are flat and I have no idea why we're getting her perspective of this ordeal other than the fact that she has connections through family and friends. It just seemed kind of pointless. I will say - there is one scene from her perspective where we're finally shown something instead of being told, but it was super short and not in the least bit satisfying.
So. In short, I didn't like this at all. The end.
I found this one hard to follow. Yes, the chapters go back and forth between Todd & Georgia, but that's not why I was confused. The introduction of characters, the connection of relationships, the overall "why should I care?" question... all confusing. The character work in here was sorely lacking. We were reading from two different perspectives, and yet, I don't feel like I got to know either one of them at all. I mean, one of them is even dead, and yet I can barely tell you anything about him except that he was in love at the time of his death because that was briefly mentioned towards the end of the book. And even then - we're told this and not shown this. I have no reason why he was in love or how that relationship came to be. Not a clue.
As for Georgia, I again didn't feel anything because it was a poorly written character. Her relationships with her family and friends are flat and I have no idea why we're getting her perspective of this ordeal other than the fact that she has connections through family and friends. It just seemed kind of pointless. I will say - there is one scene from her perspective where we're finally shown something instead of being told, but it was super short and not in the least bit satisfying.
So. In short, I didn't like this at all. The end.
October 4, 2021
This is definitely the kind of YA mystery I enjoy: more introspective than suspenseful, with fleshed out characters. Unfortunately, this book did ultimately leave me a little underwhelmed, though. The way things were wrapped up felt unsatisfying after the build-up we got and I was definitely hoping for a little more.
November 13, 2021
This felt somewhat unfinished. And even though it's much longer than the graphic novels & comics I've read by Tamaki it didn't feel like nearly as full of a world.
It feels like we're only just getting to know Georgia by the time we're finished, and going back and forth between a ghost--who is a mostly unfeeling observer--and a real person means we don't get a lot of time to let things develop for the live characters who do feel things.
This has a lot of queer characters, which I love. But I do wonder when people create a mystery novel with a gay cop, for example, if they've figured out why this guy is a cop to begin with because, idk, seems like something he probably would not want to do actually.
It feels like we're only just getting to know Georgia by the time we're finished, and going back and forth between a ghost--who is a mostly unfeeling observer--and a real person means we don't get a lot of time to let things develop for the live characters who do feel things.
This has a lot of queer characters, which I love. But I do wonder when people create a mystery novel with a gay cop, for example, if they've figured out why this guy is a cop to begin with because, idk, seems like something he probably would not want to do actually.
October 26, 2022
Todd in his pink mittens was such a sad visual. Damn it. This was so hauntingly sad! I had no idea a young adult book could get this sad. 😭
Tw: death of a child, homophobia, bullying, violence.
Tw: death of a child, homophobia, bullying, violence.
September 13, 2024
When you’re alive, everything feels important, every little thing. When you’re alive, you don’t realize what's actually big is the everything you leave behind, the whole story of things so big most people will never know it. Just pieces.
3.5 stars. A very dark little mystery YA about a boy who dies and returns as a ghost to watch the investigation of his murder, and the girl who finds herself following along and trying to solve it herself. Todd and Georgia didn't know each other in life, but as the story moves on, we see how they're connected. I don't really think of this as a ghost story, because Todd's presence as a ghost doesn't become clear to anyone, and he doesn't interact with anyone, really. He's just an observer, which made for a slightly strange, detached way of telling the story, but I think I altogether liked it. Especially in the scenes where he's following the detectives and his family and his schoolmates, and we see them through his eyes. Georgia, our other protagonist, is navigating family and friendship and new feelings, along with trying to figure out what happened to Todd. I also didn't love the way her parts were narrated; at times it felt like the author was trying a little too hard to give her a bunch of teen edginess, and it felt a bit forced.
But I still did like this. It got a lot darker and sadder than I'd expected. The mystery itself wasn't very complicated, and the reader gets enough hints and clues to figure it out pretty early, but it was still a really entertaining, heart-wrenching journey to get there. The revelations at the end, even if they weren't surprising, were really gutting. And it genuinely broke my heart, hearing about Todd's hopes for his life, the feelings he had, and how as a ghost, he's just sort of emptily following along. Like, there's a lot of good messages and hope in here for queer teens, but it does have a continuous bleak undertone. I liked how it was conveyed through the setting and the cold, and well, the book doesn't coddle you through certain things. Oof.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Katharine Chin and Raymond J. Lee, and did enjoy it quite a bit. I do like Tamaki's style of writing and her YA, though it's not perfect. I'm definitely open to reading more.
July 14, 2022
Drew me in completely. Sad and suspenseful and so expertly written in a way that felt close to these characters and real.
February 8, 2022
First, the writing isn't engaging. DNFed. I nearly puked at the gum chewing chewed by another person thing and some more gross things happening at a few pages in. Seriously I cannot go on reading this book.
February 27, 2022
Rep: biracial Japanese(?) American lesbian mc, gay mc, gay side characters, biracial Japanese(?) American side character
CWs: murder, homophobia, homophobic slurs
CWs: murder, homophobia, homophobic slurs
June 3, 2023
silly little fluff book w a skeleton plot and flat characters and a dead co-narrator but it was an easy read and im not mad that I read it
January 7, 2022
clever! read it in one sitting, it was a page turner. I liked the characters, appreciated the nuance in their struggles and this unique telling of this story.
November 29, 2021
Mariko Tamaki is best known for her wonderful graphic novel collaborations (This One Summer, Skim, and Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me), and this second (I think) YA novel is equally evocative and atmospheric.
The naked body of high school senior, Todd, is found in the snow in the park of a small community. His ghost watches as Detectives Greevy and Daniels investigate his death, filling in the details that they fail to elicit.
In alternating chapters, Georgia, who goes to the same school, watches the investigation from afar while uncomfortably noting the similarities between herself and Todd. They were both ostracized and isolated loners and, possibly connected, they are/were both queer. The connection Georgia feels with Todd deepens when she realizes that she has another connection with him, one that the police don’t seem to know about.
Todd is mostly a passive observer, one who doesn’t bring feelings to what he’s observing - after all, he’s dead. Georgia is the one who feels the need to find out what happened, to explain why Todd was targeted, because she could be him. As with Tamaki’s other novel, Saving Montgomery Sole, small town homophobia and hypocrisy are exposed, in this novel with the gay teacher Mr McVeeter as well as with Todd himself.
The chill of the snow is echoed in the cold that both Todd and Georgia feel at school. Though Mr McVeeter tries to reassure Todd that high school isn’t life, that things will get better, Todd, as many others before and after him, finds that hard to believe, though he does observe the happy home life of Detective Daniels with his chubby red-haired boyfriend.
This is a slight novel which leaves a lot for readers to fill in for themselves, but in a thoughtful rather than sloppy way. The mystery is resolved but Georgia and Todd, and the reader, find no satisfaction from that.
Thanks to Roaring Brook and Netgalley for the digital review copy.
The naked body of high school senior, Todd, is found in the snow in the park of a small community. His ghost watches as Detectives Greevy and Daniels investigate his death, filling in the details that they fail to elicit.
In alternating chapters, Georgia, who goes to the same school, watches the investigation from afar while uncomfortably noting the similarities between herself and Todd. They were both ostracized and isolated loners and, possibly connected, they are/were both queer. The connection Georgia feels with Todd deepens when she realizes that she has another connection with him, one that the police don’t seem to know about.
Todd is mostly a passive observer, one who doesn’t bring feelings to what he’s observing - after all, he’s dead. Georgia is the one who feels the need to find out what happened, to explain why Todd was targeted, because she could be him. As with Tamaki’s other novel, Saving Montgomery Sole, small town homophobia and hypocrisy are exposed, in this novel with the gay teacher Mr McVeeter as well as with Todd himself.
The chill of the snow is echoed in the cold that both Todd and Georgia feel at school. Though Mr McVeeter tries to reassure Todd that high school isn’t life, that things will get better, Todd, as many others before and after him, finds that hard to believe, though he does observe the happy home life of Detective Daniels with his chubby red-haired boyfriend.
This is a slight novel which leaves a lot for readers to fill in for themselves, but in a thoughtful rather than sloppy way. The mystery is resolved but Georgia and Todd, and the reader, find no satisfaction from that.
Thanks to Roaring Brook and Netgalley for the digital review copy.
March 6, 2022
I read Laura Dean Keeps Breaking up with Me (for which Tamaki wrote the script) and obviously loved that, so when I saw that Tamaki was publishing a novel, I hit pre-order so fast my keyboard is still recovering even though I don't read YA much anymore.
This was such a good read. You can easily finish it in one sitting, but don't let it's length full you: there's plenty here. For the first few scenes, I could tell that Tamaki has written a lot of scripts for graphic novels; her style is very visual, and those scenes (and probably the whole book) would translate well into a graphic novel.
This was such a good read. You can easily finish it in one sitting, but don't let it's length full you: there's plenty here. For the first few scenes, I could tell that Tamaki has written a lot of scripts for graphic novels; her style is very visual, and those scenes (and probably the whole book) would translate well into a graphic novel.
March 18, 2022
This was short, sad and brutal.
I did like it a lot, even if most of the characters proved themselves to suit the title.
I did like it a lot, even if most of the characters proved themselves to suit the title.
December 20, 2022
Had to finish it in one go, brutal and a little chilling.
August 15, 2023
i should stop reading ya at my fossil age
April 20, 2022
Book Review: Cold by Mariko Tamaki
Cold by Mariko Tamaki is a young adult mystery novel with paranormal elements.
Seventeen year old Todd Mayer is found dead in the snow naked and frozen. Todd is a high achieving student at a local private prep school and the police immediately focus on the campus as they search for a killer.
Todd’s ghost will follow the detectives as they interview classmates and staff as they zero in on the killer. He also reflects on the last weeks of his life and the events that lead to his untimely death.
Georgia doesn’t go to the same school but she finds herself deeply impacted by Todd’s loss. As she begins to question who Todd was and why he died she finds the answers closer to her than she ever imagined.
Despite the dark content there is a sly sense of humor and wit that keep Cold from being a total bummer. Both Todd and Georgia are characters with a lot of layers and I enjoyed their individual perspectives on life (or the afterlife in Todd’s case) as they both struggle with friendships and being queer in high school.
I highly recommend this smart, witty and touching novel for readers of all ages. It is beautifully written and Mariko Tamaki can really turn a phrase.
4 stars
Cold by Mariko Tamaki is a young adult mystery novel with paranormal elements.
Seventeen year old Todd Mayer is found dead in the snow naked and frozen. Todd is a high achieving student at a local private prep school and the police immediately focus on the campus as they search for a killer.
Todd’s ghost will follow the detectives as they interview classmates and staff as they zero in on the killer. He also reflects on the last weeks of his life and the events that lead to his untimely death.
Georgia doesn’t go to the same school but she finds herself deeply impacted by Todd’s loss. As she begins to question who Todd was and why he died she finds the answers closer to her than she ever imagined.
Despite the dark content there is a sly sense of humor and wit that keep Cold from being a total bummer. Both Todd and Georgia are characters with a lot of layers and I enjoyed their individual perspectives on life (or the afterlife in Todd’s case) as they both struggle with friendships and being queer in high school.
I highly recommend this smart, witty and touching novel for readers of all ages. It is beautifully written and Mariko Tamaki can really turn a phrase.
4 stars
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