ruffled_pigeon's review against another edition
4.0
Olivia Tithe used to be happy. And then her best friend, Lucas Stern, died, killed by her mother. It doesn't make sense to Olivia: Stern the protégé of Miriam Tithe, who confessed to killing Stern, the lawyer that suddenly left after promising news. Then Olivia went colorblind. Her dad is too focused on his new job as a real estate developer and his upcoming wedding with Heather, whom Olivia dislikes. After a short fling with Austin Moore, the son of Ted Oakley, who works with her dad, she realizes who really is the murderer.
This is a slight murder mystery bordered with realistic fiction. I liked the fact that the author portrayed the struggles of teenage friendships, young love, and the seemingly everlasting grief of losing those you love. Olivia truly believes her mother is innocent no matter what others say. It is this belief that spruns her to find the truth.
This is a slight murder mystery bordered with realistic fiction. I liked the fact that the author portrayed the struggles of teenage friendships, young love, and the seemingly everlasting grief of losing those you love. Olivia truly believes her mother is innocent no matter what others say. It is this belief that spruns her to find the truth.
michelle_pink_polka_dot's review against another edition
5.0
Olivia's mother is awaiting trial for the murder of Lucas Stern. Stern was Olivia's bestie since forever and her mom's piano student. After Olivia left for art school in Michigan, something happened. Did it have something to do with her mom's mental illness or is the mental illness just making them all think that that's what happened? All Olivia knows is that she lost everything. Her mom, her ability to see color and paint, her best friend and the one she loved but never got to tell.
Now Stern is back, real or imagined, and it's up to Olivia to figure out what really happened the night he died. And she only has nine days....
This was one of those books that once it heated up, I didn't want to put it down. Olivia (Liv, Livie, Liver, Red, Grizzly... the girl has a lot of nicknames), has lost nearly everything and doesn't want to care anymore, but she just can't help it. Especially when Stern shows up. She knows she might be crazy (schizophrenia has genetic components after all) and it scares her to death. If the colorblindness and Sterns ghost are delusions, then they're pretty darn realistic. Stern tells her where to find things that she never knew about and she hasn't seen color in 10 months. As she starts digging deeper into the mystery of Stern's death and her mother's involvement (she did confess after all), she begins to realize there is a lot more to it... even if no one believes her.
I loved the mystery and the writing in this book. I sort of had my suspicions of where the mystery was going, but that was ok. The writing was beautiful and emotional. It didn't make me cry, but right at the end I was close. I thought it was pretty genius to make an artist be colorblind, especially during such a dark time in her life.
The relationship between Stern and Olivia definitely pulled at my heart, but at the same time it made me smile. I was sad that they could never be, but all the memories she had of him were so fun and happy. With her friend Raina it was the same way. They had these sweet little moments that made me wish I had a friend like that, but then at the same time I didn't fully trust Raina because she could be shady at times.
There was a romance in this book, but it was done perfectly. Austin wasn't used as a replacement and Olivia knew that just because she was attracted to someone else it didn't erase the fact that she loved Stern.
I definitely will recommend this book. It's so beautifully written, how could I not?
Quote I Liked:
"Chaos is what we are made of, and we will return to it, again, and again, and again. Our hearts will beat for it while our brains will search for order, and find that, almost always, it is elusive."
Overall: A seriously addicting, emotional roller coaster of a book. I think fans of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer would like this.
My blog:
http://pinkpolkadotbookblog.blogspot.com
Now Stern is back, real or imagined, and it's up to Olivia to figure out what really happened the night he died. And she only has nine days....
This was one of those books that once it heated up, I didn't want to put it down. Olivia (Liv, Livie, Liver, Red, Grizzly... the girl has a lot of nicknames), has lost nearly everything and doesn't want to care anymore, but she just can't help it. Especially when Stern shows up. She knows she might be crazy (schizophrenia has genetic components after all) and it scares her to death. If the colorblindness and Sterns ghost are delusions, then they're pretty darn realistic. Stern tells her where to find things that she never knew about and she hasn't seen color in 10 months. As she starts digging deeper into the mystery of Stern's death and her mother's involvement (she did confess after all), she begins to realize there is a lot more to it... even if no one believes her.
I loved the mystery and the writing in this book. I sort of had my suspicions of where the mystery was going, but that was ok. The writing was beautiful and emotional. It didn't make me cry, but right at the end I was close. I thought it was pretty genius to make an artist be colorblind, especially during such a dark time in her life.
The relationship between Stern and Olivia definitely pulled at my heart, but at the same time it made me smile. I was sad that they could never be, but all the memories she had of him were so fun and happy. With her friend Raina it was the same way. They had these sweet little moments that made me wish I had a friend like that, but then at the same time I didn't fully trust Raina because she could be shady at times.
There was a romance in this book, but it was done perfectly. Austin wasn't used as a replacement and Olivia knew that just because she was attracted to someone else it didn't erase the fact that she loved Stern.
I definitely will recommend this book. It's so beautifully written, how could I not?
Quote I Liked:
"Chaos is what we are made of, and we will return to it, again, and again, and again. Our hearts will beat for it while our brains will search for order, and find that, almost always, it is elusive."
Overall: A seriously addicting, emotional roller coaster of a book. I think fans of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer would like this.
My blog:
http://pinkpolkadotbookblog.blogspot.com
eccentricutie's review against another edition
5.0
While going through the library, Notes from Ghost Town by Kate Ellison was actually the first book on my list that I picked up. This book is also not something I normally grab.
Rest of review: http://choreads.blogspot.com/2015/08/notes-from-ghost-town.html
Rest of review: http://choreads.blogspot.com/2015/08/notes-from-ghost-town.html
exhaleartist's review against another edition
3.0
The summary for this book intrigued me when I first read it, and when the opportunity arose to read this, I jumped. This is the first book I’ve read by Kate Ellison, and I cannot wait to read more. Notes from Ghost Town was a chilling read, and I was fascinated by it. Kate Ellison has created a wondrous blend that focuses on mental illness, grief, and mystery.
Olivia’s situation consistently tugs at the heartstrings. First of all, she’s struggling to come to terms with the loss of Lucas, her best friend from childhood and a boy she was on the verge of falling in love with. As if that isn’t enough, her mother is facing trial for Lucas’ murder. Kate Ellison does an amazing job of conveying the complex emotional state that Olivia faces, and she has created a setup that will keep readers guessing. Throughout the book, I was always wondering whether or not I could believe what Olivia thought was happening. She truly meets the definition of an unreliable narrator. Surrounding Olivia is a fantastic cast of characters Raina (her living best friend), Lucas, Austin (he reminds me a little bit of Logan from Veronica Mars), and her father top the list for me. All of them were realistically drawn, and I loved the way they interacted.
Notes from Ghost Town‘s main storyline is a murder mystery. However, the journey to uncover the murderer was much more interesting than discovering who it was. This was probably due to the fact that I was able to figure out who really committed the murder quite early on in the book. But there were just so many fantastic plots and subplots running through the story, I was entranced. There’s the relationship between Lucas and Olivia and how she comes to terms with his death, her budding romance with Austin, resident bad boy, Olivia’s struggle to face her mother’s mental illness and the way her father is moving on, and, of course, Olivia’s challenges regarding her own sanity.
Overall, Notes from Ghost Town was an amazing book that nicely blends mystery, romance, and drama. I also appreciated the realistic approach Kate Ellison takes regarding mental illness. I would definitely recommend this book, and the only issue I had with it was the somewhat predictable twists.
**I received an ARC for review in exchange for an honest review.
Olivia’s situation consistently tugs at the heartstrings. First of all, she’s struggling to come to terms with the loss of Lucas, her best friend from childhood and a boy she was on the verge of falling in love with. As if that isn’t enough, her mother is facing trial for Lucas’ murder. Kate Ellison does an amazing job of conveying the complex emotional state that Olivia faces, and she has created a setup that will keep readers guessing. Throughout the book, I was always wondering whether or not I could believe what Olivia thought was happening. She truly meets the definition of an unreliable narrator. Surrounding Olivia is a fantastic cast of characters Raina (her living best friend), Lucas, Austin (he reminds me a little bit of Logan from Veronica Mars), and her father top the list for me. All of them were realistically drawn, and I loved the way they interacted.
Notes from Ghost Town‘s main storyline is a murder mystery. However, the journey to uncover the murderer was much more interesting than discovering who it was. This was probably due to the fact that I was able to figure out who really committed the murder quite early on in the book. But there were just so many fantastic plots and subplots running through the story, I was entranced. There’s the relationship between Lucas and Olivia and how she comes to terms with his death, her budding romance with Austin, resident bad boy, Olivia’s struggle to face her mother’s mental illness and the way her father is moving on, and, of course, Olivia’s challenges regarding her own sanity.
Overall, Notes from Ghost Town was an amazing book that nicely blends mystery, romance, and drama. I also appreciated the realistic approach Kate Ellison takes regarding mental illness. I would definitely recommend this book, and the only issue I had with it was the somewhat predictable twists.
**I received an ARC for review in exchange for an honest review.
lazygal's review against another edition
3.0
This had elements of things I love in books: a mystery, a ghost, a girl looking for... something. But for some reason, it didn't grab me as much as I'd hoped and I'm not sure why.
Olivia (Liv, Liver, etc.) is an artist off to art school when her BFF Lucas kisses her - suddenly, everything is greyscale, all color gone. Shortly after that, her mother is under arrest for the murder of Lucas and Olivia's life unravels. Barely a week before the final hearing to lock her schizophrenic mother away under "diminished capacity" custody, Lucas appears to Olivia and convinces her that he was killed, but not by her mother. So Olivia has three problems to deal with: her artistic talent is gone because she cannot see color any more, she's trying to clear her mother, and she might be going crazy because she's seeing/hearing/talking to a ghost.
The creep factor, the level of suspense never rise to the occasion. I also found some of Olivia's life implausible for a 16-year-old. Perhaps that's why it's only a 3 star.
ARC provided by publisher.
Olivia (Liv, Liver, etc.) is an artist off to art school when her BFF Lucas kisses her - suddenly, everything is greyscale, all color gone. Shortly after that, her mother is under arrest for the murder of Lucas and Olivia's life unravels. Barely a week before the final hearing to lock her schizophrenic mother away under "diminished capacity" custody, Lucas appears to Olivia and convinces her that he was killed, but not by her mother. So Olivia has three problems to deal with: her artistic talent is gone because she cannot see color any more, she's trying to clear her mother, and she might be going crazy because she's seeing/hearing/talking to a ghost.
The creep factor, the level of suspense never rise to the occasion. I also found some of Olivia's life implausible for a 16-year-old. Perhaps that's why it's only a 3 star.
ARC provided by publisher.
supera710's review against another edition
4.0
I recieved a copy of Notes from Ghost Town courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher.
Olivia is a 16 yr old artist from Florida, but attending school in Michigan. Her best friend, Stern, is a piano prodigy, as well as one of her mothers students. Right before returning back to school at the end of summer, Olivia and Stern share a kiss that causes her to go colorblind, and not long afterward, her whole life is tossed upside down, and changed forever.
I don't even know what to say about this YA book! I absolutely loved it! There was something so sweet about this murder/mystery, and the characters, I couldn't help but shed a few tears while reading. My heart ached for Olivia, not only losing her best friend and one she loved, but her mom AND her ability to see color. She was so passionate about painting and became clorblind! That would be like taking the legs off a dancer, a tongue from a chef, or the eyes from a reader. On top of it all, her dad is getting remarried, she has to drop out of school, and move from the house she grew up in and loved. Not to mention she starts wondering if her mothers schizophrenia is now rubbing off on her, since she is seeing Sterns ghost. Aside from not being able to be with Stern, the end of the story is a happy one, and I would recommend this one to anyone that is looking for a YA book that stands out.
Olivia is a 16 yr old artist from Florida, but attending school in Michigan. Her best friend, Stern, is a piano prodigy, as well as one of her mothers students. Right before returning back to school at the end of summer, Olivia and Stern share a kiss that causes her to go colorblind, and not long afterward, her whole life is tossed upside down, and changed forever.
I don't even know what to say about this YA book! I absolutely loved it! There was something so sweet about this murder/mystery, and the characters, I couldn't help but shed a few tears while reading. My heart ached for Olivia, not only losing her best friend and one she loved, but her mom AND her ability to see color. She was so passionate about painting and became clorblind! That would be like taking the legs off a dancer, a tongue from a chef, or the eyes from a reader. On top of it all, her dad is getting remarried, she has to drop out of school, and move from the house she grew up in and loved. Not to mention she starts wondering if her mothers schizophrenia is now rubbing off on her, since she is seeing Sterns ghost. Aside from not being able to be with Stern, the end of the story is a happy one, and I would recommend this one to anyone that is looking for a YA book that stands out.
allysw's review against another edition
3.0
Olivia went entirely colorblind the day her best friend Stern kissed her. A week later, he's dead. And all signs point to Liv's schizophrenic mother as the murderer. When Olivia arrives back in Florida after flunking out of her fancy art school up north, her mother's sentencing is only a few days away. But then Olivia starts to ask questions. Why? Because Stern tells her to. Yep. Oh, he's still dead. But that doesn't keep him from being pretty vocal about the fact that he's almost sure that Olivia's mom didn't kill him. And no one else can help her.
So begins Olivia's investigation. Talking maybe-or-maybe-not-ghost and all, this one is a pretty compelling mystery. Sure, there are some flaws (is she crazy? what the heck is wrong with her eyes?). But Olivia is a tortured young woman who is dealing with a lot of change: the boy she loved is gone, her mom is incarcerated, she can't see color, her dad is getting married to someone new, her beautiful childhood home is empty--and she handles it...well, not all that well. Because she's a teenager. But she throws herself into the investigation, enlisting the help of a slightly unlikely source, and finds out a few things that she wasn't expecting.
So begins Olivia's investigation. Talking maybe-or-maybe-not-ghost and all, this one is a pretty compelling mystery. Sure, there are some flaws (is she crazy? what the heck is wrong with her eyes?). But Olivia is a tortured young woman who is dealing with a lot of change: the boy she loved is gone, her mom is incarcerated, she can't see color, her dad is getting married to someone new, her beautiful childhood home is empty--and she handles it...well, not all that well. Because she's a teenager. But she throws herself into the investigation, enlisting the help of a slightly unlikely source, and finds out a few things that she wasn't expecting.
thebumblegirl's review against another edition
5.0
It's been a while since a book gently ripped my heart out and then handed it back to me saying, "life is short, live your life the best you can... as much as you can." The heartache throughout the story was so bittersweet...
Olivia was packing for art school when her life got turned upside down - her best friend kisses her and in that same moment, she goes colorblind... and then a few months later, Lucas is dead. And everyone says that her mother killed him.
Olivia struggles to grieve her losses - having to leave art school and return to a new home with her dad, his girlfriend and the girlfriend's adorable daughter is not what she had in mind. But going back to the 'purple house' was even harder. Between all the memories and the community's outcry, they had no choice but to move into a plain condo on the other side of town.
During one of Olivia's moments of anger, grief and a little drunk, she find herself in a predicament... and that's when Lucas, her Stern, comes to her. Of course her initial reaction is that she is her mother's daughter, that she has all the symptoms of schizophrenia, and that if she tells anyone, they will want to lock her up too.
My heart ached so much for Stern, and his 'Liver'. The connection between these two characters was intense and moving. Their love of life, music and art was not only their life, but it bonded them. It's what tore them apart. It's what helped and healed them too.
The plot is so realistic, this is a story that could, unfortunately, be plucked right out of the newspapers. Every little detail mentioned added so much more to the story, the mystery. I was able to feel the Miami heat, hear the mosquito's buzzing around and smell the ocean breeze. I've never been to Florida before, but I feel like I can say that I have. Kate's description of Ghost Town, the purple house and even the carousel that Olivia worked at was so picturesque and eerie.
This is another author who really knows how to bring in memorable secondary characters -
Raina, Olivia's best friend - I want her to be my BFF! And, I want her gorgeous hair too! She does the best that she can to understand and help Olivia. I probably would have done the same things. It is sometimes hard for others to truly understand what a grieving person is going through.
And then there's Austin. I have to admit, as good as he was as a character and supportive of Olivia, I don't like him much. I didn't really feel a connection between him and Olivia. And I think that has to do with Lucas. My heart is still so wrapped around what Lucas was and could have been, I cannot forgive the things that have happened and give Austin a fair shot. But I'm happy that others did and do. This is a story that I will definitely be re-reading to see if my feelings will ever be fair to him.
Also, Kate Ellison weaves in the paranormal, the ghost, so well - it will make you question whether it is real or not. Is it possible for the dead to come back? Or, can our minds really conjure these type of hallucinations to help us grieve, love and find the truth?
Even though Kate Ellison made me a blubbering mess during this book, I loved it every second of it! And I have definitely found another author to 'fan-girl' over!
I have not read The Butterfly Clues yet! Obviously this will be remedied very soon! I will be following this author wherever she goes - I cannot wait to hear what her next book will be about!
Olivia was packing for art school when her life got turned upside down - her best friend kisses her and in that same moment, she goes colorblind... and then a few months later, Lucas is dead. And everyone says that her mother killed him.
Olivia struggles to grieve her losses - having to leave art school and return to a new home with her dad, his girlfriend and the girlfriend's adorable daughter is not what she had in mind. But going back to the 'purple house' was even harder. Between all the memories and the community's outcry, they had no choice but to move into a plain condo on the other side of town.
During one of Olivia's moments of anger, grief and a little drunk, she find herself in a predicament... and that's when Lucas, her Stern, comes to her. Of course her initial reaction is that she is her mother's daughter, that she has all the symptoms of schizophrenia, and that if she tells anyone, they will want to lock her up too.
My heart ached so much for Stern, and his 'Liver'. The connection between these two characters was intense and moving. Their love of life, music and art was not only their life, but it bonded them. It's what tore them apart. It's what helped and healed them too.
The plot is so realistic, this is a story that could, unfortunately, be plucked right out of the newspapers. Every little detail mentioned added so much more to the story, the mystery. I was able to feel the Miami heat, hear the mosquito's buzzing around and smell the ocean breeze. I've never been to Florida before, but I feel like I can say that I have. Kate's description of Ghost Town, the purple house and even the carousel that Olivia worked at was so picturesque and eerie.
This is another author who really knows how to bring in memorable secondary characters -
Raina, Olivia's best friend - I want her to be my BFF! And, I want her gorgeous hair too! She does the best that she can to understand and help Olivia. I probably would have done the same things. It is sometimes hard for others to truly understand what a grieving person is going through.
And then there's Austin. I have to admit, as good as he was as a character and supportive of Olivia, I don't like him much. I didn't really feel a connection between him and Olivia. And I think that has to do with Lucas. My heart is still so wrapped around what Lucas was and could have been, I cannot forgive the things that have happened and give Austin a fair shot. But I'm happy that others did and do. This is a story that I will definitely be re-reading to see if my feelings will ever be fair to him.
Also, Kate Ellison weaves in the paranormal, the ghost, so well - it will make you question whether it is real or not. Is it possible for the dead to come back? Or, can our minds really conjure these type of hallucinations to help us grieve, love and find the truth?
Even though Kate Ellison made me a blubbering mess during this book, I loved it every second of it! And I have definitely found another author to 'fan-girl' over!
I have not read The Butterfly Clues yet! Obviously this will be remedied very soon! I will be following this author wherever she goes - I cannot wait to hear what her next book will be about!
crystalm17's review against another edition
3.0
This book is about Olivia, whose mother has been accused of murdering her best friend. Then she is visited by his ghost and starts to realize that her maybe her mother didn't really do it.
I have read several other YA books like this in the past few years. Books where a teen was murdered and their best friend is the one who has to figure out who really did it. And yes the mystery aspect was pretty good (I didn't suspect the real murderer until about 20 pages before Olivia did). I liked the whole addition of Olivia's mother being schizophrenic and Olivia's sudden color blindness because it made me wonder how reliable the narrator was. (Was she really seeing ghosts and going color blind or was she slowly starting to go crazy?)
So even though I've read similar stories it was an interesting read except for one small thing. It really needed a bit more editing or a different description for a few scenes. Like where Olivia lifts a piano lid but then says it had been left open ever since it had been put in storage. And that was important because when she closes it a clue fell out...which couldn't have happened if the lid had been closed and then opened. And then at the end of the chapter the piano was still open...but how is that possible if Olivia closed it and a clue fell out?
(After some research maybe the scene did make sense if the first reference was to the keyboard lid and the second was to the actual lid but to someone who has never played a piano and hasn't seen one in years that was really confusing.) That scene needed more clarification...exactly which lid was she opening/closing each time? But if that wasn't continuity there was at least one, if not more, instances of it.
So all in all it was a good book and kept my attention but I think it could have used another proofreader or at least have some clarification for that confusing piano scene.
I have read several other YA books like this in the past few years. Books where a teen was murdered and their best friend is the one who has to figure out who really did it. And yes the mystery aspect was pretty good (I didn't suspect the real murderer until about 20 pages before Olivia did). I liked the whole addition of Olivia's mother being schizophrenic and Olivia's sudden color blindness because it made me wonder how reliable the narrator was. (Was she really seeing ghosts and going color blind or was she slowly starting to go crazy?)
So even though I've read similar stories it was an interesting read except for one small thing. It really needed a bit more editing or a different description for a few scenes. Like where Olivia lifts a piano lid but then says it had been left open ever since it had been put in storage. And that was important because when she closes it a clue fell out...which couldn't have happened if the lid had been closed and then opened. And then at the end of the chapter the piano was still open...but how is that possible if Olivia closed it and a clue fell out?
(After some research maybe the scene did make sense if the first reference was to the keyboard lid and the second was to the actual lid but to someone who has never played a piano and hasn't seen one in years that was really confusing.) That scene needed more clarification...exactly which lid was she opening/closing each time? But if that wasn't continuity there was at least one, if not more, instances of it.
So all in all it was a good book and kept my attention but I think it could have used another proofreader or at least have some clarification for that confusing piano scene.