I Heart You. You Haunt Me

Title: I Heart You, You Haunt Me

Author: Lisa Schroeder
Published: January 8th 2008 by Simon Pulse

Synopsis from Goodreads

Girl meets boy.

Girl loses boy.

Girl gets boy back...

...sort of.

Ava can't see him or touch him, unless she's dreaming. She can't hear his voice, except for the faint whispers in her mind. Most would think she's crazy, but she knows he's here.

Jackson. The boy Ava thought she'd spend the rest of her life with. He's back from the dead, as proof that love truly knows no bounds

Greta's thoughts:

I loved the idea of this book. Boy meets girl, Girl looses boy, Boy comes back and then things get all "Sixth Sense" like... meaning... it gets mondo cold.

Ava is in love with a ghost! Well, he wasn't a ghost when they first met. They were human teenagers that scarfed down McDoubles and french fries (i thought that maybe Jackson died of a heart attack. They don't ever tell you until the very end... and its nothing as exotic as say Death by Big Mac attack)

So, boos and hoos my boyfriend is dead. Oh what a world what a world. Ava goes to the funeral with her mother (and omg! The mom wasn't a ditz!! I expected her to be like totally irresponsible and maybe do a strip tease at the coffin or something but she wasn't it. Kudos author lady!! You wrote a believable mom that doesn't make us all look bad -- cuz when I see bad moms in YA books I figure my generation must suck at child rearing.)

Ava gets home and blah blah blah.... I'm thinking Bella in New Moon... the room must have started spinning or something dramatic like that.... and then.... it got all Bruce Willis cold and da da da...... Her boyfriend was back!!

Now, it wasn't exactly like "The Sixth Sense" cuz Ava couldn't really really see him. She could catch glimpses in the toaster and stuff (Wonder Bread Boyfriend!) but not like you know... touch him and stuff.

Its a really cute book. I totally recommend it if you are looking for something light to read.

Judging a book by its cover:
I honestly thought this book was going to be set in the past. The clothes look like they are from the 1800s or ummm... Amish ;) But I guess those are the funeral clothes are something. But note to the dude that made this cover... The pants on Jackson make his butt look fat. I do however dig how you can see through the hands that they are holding.

Length:
This was the perfect length for me. I didn't get bored once. Straight and to the point. No unnecessary zillion pages to read. Loves that!

Style:
I love how this was done in verse!! Soo short and to the point. So sweet, simple, and no hard metaphors to figure out. I will definately read another book by this author.

The Parental Units:
O-M-G! Ava had normal parents! Well, normal enough. They weren't all dorks or trying to put forks into light sockets.... They were normal! Loved that! I'm starting to get annoyed with YA and all the lame-wad parents. Good job author lady who I should probably know her name because I am writing this review but am too lazy to look up ... you did a swell job with Mom and Dad.

The Little Kitten of Death:
The last ghost book I read had a little kitten of death. This book did not. It probably would have been fun if it did.... but it did alright without. :P

My thoughts:
There isn't much cussing (less than the Jersey Shore), no hanky panky that would scar a child, and kind of wholesome. I think any girl over the age of 11 would be suited for this book. I don't think a boy would enjoy it though... maybe if the Little Kitten of Death made an appearance.... but otherwise it would be like dragging your hubz to the Sex in the City movie... Not something they would really enjoy.

Go get this book! Check it out from the library or borrow it from a friend like I did. Its really worth reading

Darkfallen's thoughts:

I so LOVED this book!!

This is first book I have read in verse style, and I have to admit if they are all like this one then I think I have found a new style I love:)

Ava is a sad and struggling teenager. Struggling with the death of her boyfriend, the love of her life. But aren't the all the love of your life when your that age?

Struggling with the fact that the guilt is eating her.

Struggling to move on as her friends all seem to and her parents are practically begging her too.

But how can life go on when his never will? No more casual french fries and chocolate shakes, hand in hand. No more dares. No more.....Jackson.

Ava ever the practical one while Jackson was always the risk taker. He breathed life into her world with promises of forever and always, but forever and always isn't always that long a time when the universe takes it all a way.

The writing style and pretty much everything about his book takes your breath away. It pulls your heart right out of your chest. The guilt and the lost of young love displayed so raw on the page had me misty eyed by page 19.

And to top it all off it is a super fun and fast read. Like I'm talking 1 1/2 to 2 hours tops!

Definitely worth picking up!!     

Why did I read this book?

Well that's simply...Because Greta Said So. But Sunny told Greta so does that mean that I am now reading books because Sunny said so? Wow I am getting subbmissive! Can I even think for myslef anymore?!? lol

Now it's time for YOU  to go pick this up.

Why?

Because Sunny told Greta, who told me, and now it's because WE  said so!

*winks*