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heather4994's review against another edition
4.0
This was a beautiful, heartbreaking story about Olivia and Stern, two gifted teens. Olivia or Liver as Stern called her was a painter and Stern, Lucas Sternum, was a pianist, a prodigy. Olivia's mother was Stern's teacher, that is right up until the night she confessed to murdering him. And the last time Olivia saw Stern he kissed her, called it a mistake and she lost her colors. She could only see black and white and shades of gray. How does a painter paint without color? She doesn't and gets kicked out of art school and sent back home.
The story was only the tiniest bit sluggish in the beginning and a little bit confusing as Olivia is at a party at Ghost Town, her father's building project, attending a reception. She hates the prep school boys there, her father's business partner's son most especially Asher Oakley, but I didn't really understand why. After that, I was so engrossed in the story, and you'll see why, that I couldn't put it down.
Olivia is angry at the world, her mother for killing her best friend and the boy she loved and never got to tell. She hates her father's soon to be wife, Heather. She hates that her other best friend Raina has new friends on the swim team. She just hates it all. But she won't admit any of it to anyone. And she's really afraid that she's going crazy, like her mother because her mom has schizophrenia. She's a likable character even if you can't relate to what she's going through. And I admired her determination.
The story is almost like a love story to Stern and to Olivia's mom. Olivia searches for the real truth of that night and even though everyone thinks she's just not dealing with the impending sentencing, she knows she's not crazy. What happens are a series of events that are too related to call coincidence, too scary to call pranks and too brazen to call an accident. Getting someone to believe her is the hardest thing Olivia has to do.
Kate Elliston is a great story teller with just the right mix of suspense and longing to keep you going. Her mix of bittersweet with reality was perfect. The thriller aspect of it took my mind off the undertone of sadness and gave my mind something else to focus on. I really enjoyed this one and look forward to reading more from her. I think I'll pick up The Butterfly Clues and give it a try.
Forgot to tell you, I was given a copy of Note From Ghost Town free of charge for review. All opinions expressed are my own. I was not compensated for my review financially in any way.
The story was only the tiniest bit sluggish in the beginning and a little bit confusing as Olivia is at a party at Ghost Town, her father's building project, attending a reception. She hates the prep school boys there, her father's business partner's son most especially Asher Oakley, but I didn't really understand why. After that, I was so engrossed in the story, and you'll see why, that I couldn't put it down.
Olivia is angry at the world, her mother for killing her best friend and the boy she loved and never got to tell. She hates her father's soon to be wife, Heather. She hates that her other best friend Raina has new friends on the swim team. She just hates it all. But she won't admit any of it to anyone. And she's really afraid that she's going crazy, like her mother because her mom has schizophrenia. She's a likable character even if you can't relate to what she's going through. And I admired her determination.
The story is almost like a love story to Stern and to Olivia's mom. Olivia searches for the real truth of that night and even though everyone thinks she's just not dealing with the impending sentencing, she knows she's not crazy. What happens are a series of events that are too related to call coincidence, too scary to call pranks and too brazen to call an accident. Getting someone to believe her is the hardest thing Olivia has to do.
Kate Elliston is a great story teller with just the right mix of suspense and longing to keep you going. Her mix of bittersweet with reality was perfect. The thriller aspect of it took my mind off the undertone of sadness and gave my mind something else to focus on. I really enjoyed this one and look forward to reading more from her. I think I'll pick up The Butterfly Clues and give it a try.
Forgot to tell you, I was given a copy of Note From Ghost Town free of charge for review. All opinions expressed are my own. I was not compensated for my review financially in any way.
raeanne's review against another edition
3.0
Won a hardcover copy from The Reading Teen with a paperback copy of The Butterfly Clues.
Compared to The Butterfly Clues, there's more mystery, family and teen drama. Liver is less out there than Lo with using alcohol and sex to cope. The perspective is standard aside from being colorblind.
The "color blind but now I see" is too on the nose.
It feels forced, especially having it set in a week before Owen died. There doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to it. It just happens like that for tension and drama.
I think I'd like it better if seemed tied to one specific thing, like kissing Owen and getting closure with him or her mother committing murder and getting closure with her. Instead it's both and neither.
Mystery-wise it's more solid and straight forward. It's layered and flowed better than The Butterfly Clues but I still called it before 100 pages. Olivia's risky behavior has more to do with inner turmoil than the mystery.
It builds slowly considering we know going in she's going to investigate Owen's murder and there's obviously something to find. While reading and after finishing, I still had twinges that it was feeling too long. Maybe it could've been tighter but...meh.
It's more suspenseful and tense than The Butterfly Clues though I can't pinpoint why. I think it boils down to better disbursing and management of the clues.
The countdown for Liver's mother's hearing has a lot of wasted time with kid's wasted hookups and family drama. But at least some of it has a point in the plot besides being theatrical.
I do like how figuring out the 5 W's isn't the end. Olivia still has to prove it and that she's not making stuff up.
The personal stories afterwards is wrapped up well. It felt like good closure.
Not bad, not remarkable but solid and enjoyable.
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.