A review by readthesparrow
Grave Expectations by Alice Bell

adventurous emotional funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

SUMMARY
Burnt-out Millennial medium Claire is hired as entertainment for the Wellington-Forge family at the family matriarch’s 80th birthday. When Claire and her best-friend-slash-spirit-guide, Sophie, discover that someone was murdered at the previous year’s celebration, they join forces with Bash, a depressed skeptic ex-detective, and Alex, a bon vivant non-binary teenager, to figure out the who, what, when, and why. 

REVIEW
I started reading this in line for coffee. It was painful to have to wait to read chapter two, and as soon as I got home, I lit a candle, cozied up in a blanket, and devoured Grave Expectations.

(By the by: Grave Expectations is perfect for the blanket + candle + rainstorm + book combo.)

For all my fellow Gen-Z out there who see a book about a Millennial that’s billed as humorous and go “oh no,” don’t worry. I was cautious too. But the book is genuinely hilarious, full of tongue-in-cheek humor poking fun at rich British people, à la Knives Out.

As an American, I did miss some of the cultural references, but never felt lost or confused.

The banter between the characters is excellent; the characters perfectly balance both slotting into their murder mystery character role places and being fully fleshed out individuals. 

Claire is a deeply sympathetic but also kind of pathetic main character, whose messy, incompetent method of investigating is balanced well with Sophie’s ghostly ability to walk through walls and acerbic Y2K teenage personality. Not to mention I'm a total sucker for the of "person who can see ghosts but it kind of sucks because dead people are mostly boring;" I find it to be an interesting, often funny take on the whole I See Dead People thing.

The characters are what make this book so memorable, and what make me really hope for a second book. There are still a lot of open threads Bell could follow–for example, what happened to Sophie–that I’m desperate for answers for because I have gotten so attached to these two girls.

FINAL THOUGHTS
I really needed a fun, quick-paced book to read. Grave Expectations hit the spot exactly. The best way I can describe the novel is like a cross between Knives Out and one of Eva Ibbotson’s ghost books (which I was obsessed with as a kid).

If you’re the kind of person who like a witty, sharp murder mystery and modern paranormal fantasy, I heavily suggest you give Grave Expectations a read.

Thank you to Vintage Anchor for providing a digital ARC via Netgalley. 

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