Notes from Ghost Town
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Olivia Tithe was excited for the summer and spending it with her best friend, Stern. But that was ruined when he was murdered...by Olivia's mother. Flashing forward, Olivia's life has been transformed since that awful night. After her mother's incarceration, Olivia must move on, but she hates her father's new fiancée, Heather, and with her dad's new real estate development (she calls it Ghost Town) in the works, she barely sees him. But a new boy, Austin, has kindled feelings inside her that she hasn't felt since Stern's death. Arriving at the same time as this new guy is a mysterious note that brings Stern's murder back to the forefront; Olivia knows that she must discover the truth behind her friend's death once and for all.
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Notes from Ghost Town I've followed Kate Ellison ever since her debut novel blew me away. I fell in love with her writing style, and with the way that she manages to weave in interesting roadblocks for her characters to deal with. That being said, I was thrilled to be offered a chance to read Notes From Ghost Town. I hoped for mystery and maybe even a little romance.
The story actually kicks off with the romance element, and I can't deny that I thought Lucas and Olivia were adorable together. Ellison builds a quick, but believable back story for these two. Friends as children, growing up together, and ultimately ending up at that fork in the road where you wish you could be something more. Isn't that what every girl dreams of? Sadly Lucas dies, and from that point on everything sort of starts to unravel.
It was really tough for me to like Olivia during the majority of the book. Even 10 months after the incident that changed her life, she is withdrawn and angry. I couldn't blame her for missing Lucas, or even for worrying about her mother. What bothered me most was that she absolutely refused to accept any help. Her excuse was always that she didn't want people to think she was crazy, but it just felt forced. Like a way to keep her isolated so things would flow better.
The mystery aspect I was craving was also lacking a bit. I did enjoy the breadcrumbs that Kate Ellison uses to lead the reader on. I would have liked a quicker moving plot though, and possibly less of a paranormal feel to it all. The way that Olivia's mind works made me frustrated at times. I'm sad to say that I almost put this book down about halfway through. I'm glad I didn't, since the ending was great, but it did almost happen.
It's my opinion that Kate Ellison's first book, The Butterfly Clues, is a better fit for me as a reader. This story was a little to slow moving, and a bit more unbelievable. Still, the writing prowess that I fell in love with in the first place is still here. I know I'll be back for anything else that Ms. Ellison writes.
