Helpful Score: 1
Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com
If there's one sentence that could sum up Cass McKenna's life, it would probably be that infamous line from the movie The Sixth Sense: "I see dead people."
Ever since Cass's big sister, Paige, drowned the night of her Junior Prom, Cass has had the gift - or curse - of being able to see ghosts. Or, to be technical, to see, hear, and communicate with spirits who haven't moved on to wherever spirits go after people die. The morning after her sister's death, Cass made the mistake of mentioning to her parents that Paige couldn't be dead, since she was crying upstairs in her bedroom. One therapist later, Cass has realized that telling people about her little "secret" of communicating with the dead isn't a good idea.
Cass has learned to use her ghost-seeing powers to great effect. Never all that popular to begin with, she's made a lot of enemies at Frazer Collegiate by using the information that her spirit friends provide for her. Cheating on your girlfriend? Cass probably knows about it. Posting nasty things on a blog about the girl who does your homework for you? Cass probably knows about it. Passing along information to keep one of your best friends off the Athlete of the Year list? Cass knows about that, too.
It's not hard to see why Norris and Bitzy, the two resident school ghosts, are Cass's only friends.
But then enters Tim Reed, Student Council Vice President, who somehow manages to find out Cass's secret. Tim wants Cass's help in contacting his dead mother. Cass reluctantly agrees, planning to use Tim's popularity status to get dirt on the one person she needs to knock down the most - her ex-best friend, Danielle.
It all sounds like a good plan, except that Cass doesn't know that doing so will put her in a very strange position - that of learning to care about someone else, and finding out that revenge isn't always as sweet as you think it will be.
It's hard to believe that GIVE UP THE GHOST is Megan Crewe's debut novel. It's wonderfully written, has characters who are easy to relate to, and contains pitch-perfect dialogue. It deals with feelings of abandonment and loneliness, with bullying and depression, and even alcohol abuse and suicidal thoughts with true emotion and feeling. Nothing ever comes off as heavy-handed, but I appreciated the fact that Ms. Crewe showed the darker side of being a teen within the context of what could have been just a fun, frothy paranormal read.
The story comes to a not quite happily-ever-after conclusion, but I could easily envision more stories featuring Cass and Tim in the future. GIVE UP THE GHOST is a winner!
If there's one sentence that could sum up Cass McKenna's life, it would probably be that infamous line from the movie The Sixth Sense: "I see dead people."
Ever since Cass's big sister, Paige, drowned the night of her Junior Prom, Cass has had the gift - or curse - of being able to see ghosts. Or, to be technical, to see, hear, and communicate with spirits who haven't moved on to wherever spirits go after people die. The morning after her sister's death, Cass made the mistake of mentioning to her parents that Paige couldn't be dead, since she was crying upstairs in her bedroom. One therapist later, Cass has realized that telling people about her little "secret" of communicating with the dead isn't a good idea.
Cass has learned to use her ghost-seeing powers to great effect. Never all that popular to begin with, she's made a lot of enemies at Frazer Collegiate by using the information that her spirit friends provide for her. Cheating on your girlfriend? Cass probably knows about it. Posting nasty things on a blog about the girl who does your homework for you? Cass probably knows about it. Passing along information to keep one of your best friends off the Athlete of the Year list? Cass knows about that, too.
It's not hard to see why Norris and Bitzy, the two resident school ghosts, are Cass's only friends.
But then enters Tim Reed, Student Council Vice President, who somehow manages to find out Cass's secret. Tim wants Cass's help in contacting his dead mother. Cass reluctantly agrees, planning to use Tim's popularity status to get dirt on the one person she needs to knock down the most - her ex-best friend, Danielle.
It all sounds like a good plan, except that Cass doesn't know that doing so will put her in a very strange position - that of learning to care about someone else, and finding out that revenge isn't always as sweet as you think it will be.
It's hard to believe that GIVE UP THE GHOST is Megan Crewe's debut novel. It's wonderfully written, has characters who are easy to relate to, and contains pitch-perfect dialogue. It deals with feelings of abandonment and loneliness, with bullying and depression, and even alcohol abuse and suicidal thoughts with true emotion and feeling. Nothing ever comes off as heavy-handed, but I appreciated the fact that Ms. Crewe showed the darker side of being a teen within the context of what could have been just a fun, frothy paranormal read.
The story comes to a not quite happily-ever-after conclusion, but I could easily envision more stories featuring Cass and Tim in the future. GIVE UP THE GHOST is a winner!
My Thoughts: I picked this book up after it had been sitting in my TBR a while. I'm sorry I waited so long! I thoroughly enjoyed the story! We are introduced to Cass who sees ghosts, she is termed weird by all the other students at her school. Nobody wants to talk to her, or be seen with her. She has a few friends who are ghosts so she doesn't mind it too much, she always has "someone" to talk too. She discovered she could talk to ghosts after her sister's death. Yes, her sister stuck around and now talks to her. I love her "friends" and how they tell her all the gossip on everyone! They are always there to hear the best stuff! We than meet Tim who is the guy who is popular. He starts to bug Cass about helping him with "something." I won't say much more, spoilers!
I really liked this book. It flowed together well! The story fit, the characters fit. It did remind me a little bit of the tv show Ghost Whisperer, but in my opinion that is wonderful since I love that show! But it has its own complete story and its a wonderful novel. I really felt like I was getting to know Cass and was really enjoying having Tim around. Tim was going through a lot in in his life and I could relate to the both of them very much. There wasn't much romance in the book but enough to make it worthy. It was a great first novel for Megan Crewe!!
Overall: I really enjoyed Give Up The Ghost. If it had been longer, I would have been happy to keep reading! It does end at a good point though! It is a quick light read. Go Read it Now! (reviewed by Princess bookie)
I really liked this book. It flowed together well! The story fit, the characters fit. It did remind me a little bit of the tv show Ghost Whisperer, but in my opinion that is wonderful since I love that show! But it has its own complete story and its a wonderful novel. I really felt like I was getting to know Cass and was really enjoying having Tim around. Tim was going through a lot in in his life and I could relate to the both of them very much. There wasn't much romance in the book but enough to make it worthy. It was a great first novel for Megan Crewe!!
Overall: I really enjoyed Give Up The Ghost. If it had been longer, I would have been happy to keep reading! It does end at a good point though! It is a quick light read. Go Read it Now! (reviewed by Princess bookie)
A very interesting paranormal ghost book. Cass can talk to and see ghosts while those around her can't. She has to talk to them in secret though so that no one can figure out what she's doing as the general population already thinks she's crazy enough. A good read that does flow along nicely and it does deal with being a social outcast when you're a teen and how hard it is to get back into the flow of a social life when you've been used to people snubbing you every day. This book did leave a possibility for this to become a series.
I was really pumped about reading this book, but the story got old and tired about midway through.
The main charater, Cass (who can see and talk to ghosts) just kept going on and on about how her friend dumped her and she became the school outcast. O. K. I got it already. Lets move on already, instead of rehashing how her best friend crapped all over her. She was determined the entire story to get revenge on her friend by using the gossip her ghostly friends feed her.
I really wanted to like this book, but I lost intrest 1/2 way through. The premise was good but it was poorly executed.
The main charater, Cass (who can see and talk to ghosts) just kept going on and on about how her friend dumped her and she became the school outcast. O. K. I got it already. Lets move on already, instead of rehashing how her best friend crapped all over her. She was determined the entire story to get revenge on her friend by using the gossip her ghostly friends feed her.
I really wanted to like this book, but I lost intrest 1/2 way through. The premise was good but it was poorly executed.
