The Ghost and the Goth (A Ghost and the Goth Novel)

I expected to be a little thrown off by the couple in the book, but I really enjoyed both characters and the author captured two completely different personalities very well. I loved the fact that it was written from different POV chapter to chapter and I liked the lore that was put into the "afterlife" idea.

Alona Dare is a perfect blonde cheerleader with a steel grip on her social status at the top of the high school food chain. Then she's fatally hit by a bus and stuck hanging around as a ghost, and the only person who can hear or see her is the school's biggest outcast, Will Killian. Not ideal circumstances for either her or Will, due to their mutual revulsion, but they've got to overcome their prejudices because they may be each other's only hope for peace, sanity, and moving on. Maybe it was the deceptively sitcom-like title or the brightly colored extra-cute cover, but I picked up The Ghost and the Goth anticipating something really light--and it is NOT really light. It's dark without being depressing, and comes just shy of what I'd describe as "gritty". Alona's such a boss, and she experiences the kind of character growth I rarely see in YA heroines. Often, the MC of a book will learn an important lesson by the end of the story, but you can actually track the progression as Alona change for the better and progress beyond her cold, biased attitudes. At first, her narrative voice is full of insults, fashion observations, and cheerleader-speak ("Like, hello!") but both the subjects and the substance of her conversations get more intelligent as the chapters pass. She goes from being disgusted by Will, to acknowledging just how attractive she's starting to find him, to thinking of his welfare before her own ghostly priorities. May I just say, wow? Will's no slouch, either. I didn't even really sympathize with him that much early on, but after a short time I was warming up to him, just like Alona. He's a good student and a decent guy, but because he looks like troublemaker and keeps having schizophrenic episodes--a.k.a trouble with the ghosts who follow him around, begging him to fulfill their last requests--his shady psychiatrist and the principal of his school both want him institutionalized. He's not antisocial; he just listens to his iPod 24/7 because it drowns out the ghostly voices which never go away, since this is a realistic fantasy where, if you contact people with messages from their dead loved ones, they call the police on you. He and Alona work out a deal where she keeps the other ghosts from bugging him and he shares his knowledge of the afterlife so that she can move on and be at peace, and it's gratifying to observe his changing opinion of Alona. The ghost mythology works well, the romance moves at a subtle, convincing pace, and my biggest complaint is that I wanted it to be about 30-50 pages longer so that events could wrap up with more leisure. I didn't want to say goodbye to these characters.

Taken from [...] Hardcover Edition My Thoughts: Awwww, this book was so adorable! We meet Alona who goes from popular prissy girl to dead girl! She gets hit by one of those big yellow things, what are they called again? Oh right, a school bus! This book was so funny and I'm still smiling! Alona wakes up dead and starts to wander around wondering to herself, "what happened?" She tries to get people's attention but none of them can see her. She's a ghost! Except one boy who walks by her and actually laughs at her! She realizes Will can see her! Will and Alona are complete opposites. Will is somewhat a goth or a loner and Alona a cheerleader, they just come from different cliques. We soon realize that Will can see a lot of ghosts and Alona is just one of the many. Alona has a game plan. She wants to know why she is still around and has not moved on. Will is just trying to get by day to day tuning out all the ghosts. Alona will stop at nothing to get the boys attention. He is the only one to help her! This book was full of laughs, romance, mysteries, ghosts seeking attention and just full of the right combination of deliciousness! There are so many back stories and I enjoyed them all. For example, Will's friend Jonnie and her back story! Or Alona's boyfriend I liked both Alona and Will and could see how opposites could attract here! I also liked the way the book is told in two separate perspectives switching back and forth between Will and Alona. This is a great novel. Overall: Loved it! It had laugh out loud moments and I especially liked Will. His gorgeous teeth, his eyes, and oh that brooding chest! Even though he is described as gothy, somewhat nerdy, I could see myself swooning over him. Cover: This is one of those covers you look out and think that is so clever! Its really cute and got my attention right away! Love it! What I'd Give It: 5 cupcakes all the way!

Alona Dare has been Homecoming Queen three times, and she is first tier all the way. Will Killian is so far out socially that he doesn't even have a tier, and all he wants in life is to turn eighteen and graduate from high school so that he can move somewhere with even fewer people than his already small town. But when Alona is run over by the band bus one morning, Will is, unfortunately for him, the only person who can still see and hear her. All Alona wants is to go into the light. All Will wants is to be left alone by everyone, especially ghosts. Can they stop fighting long enough to help each other out? The Ghost and the Goth has a lot going for it, including two characters who are much more complicated than they initially appear, and a lot of humor and wit. Alona transcends her mean girl stereotype without losing any of the snark that makes her interesting, and Will reminds me of a John Green hero (and I mean that in the best way). This book had a lot to say about friendship and family and high school, and the relationship between Alona and Will was as well-handled as any that I've read this year. I expect good things from this debut author.

If I could describe The Ghost and The Goth in just one phrase it would be: Strangely adorable! The The Ghost and The Goth narrate the story of Alona and Will a little bit after Alona's death. Narrated in two POVs under the main character's voices, the story allows the reader to know them and understand the growth process each carry in the story. Alona is the typically perfect girl that exists in every high school and the one secretly envied by everyone, including her friends. Then, we have Will, the boy unknown by Alona's elite group and the one people stare at twice because of his weirdness. Kade does a great job taking readers throughout a fun path but also learning at the end that there's hope under everything where you can see the journey and suffering of our narrators at the same time. Alona's journey and suffering is exactly as the description states; from being the party queen to being dead and stuck between two "worlds". Will's deal is to accept a gift which he considers a curse. At the end, Alona would find Will beyond being goth and Will finds Alona is much more than a ghost. The end is emotive, adorable and funny at the same time; making it a great combination for any reader and this could be the biggest compliment I can give the author. Kate thrives on the ability the blend those three in harmony.

The Ghost and The Goth was an amazing read: light, funny and somewhat ironic. This book is a page turner and you don't want to miss out on this title! Alona, Queen of the Elites goes from dead to worst when she discovers, a few days after her death, that her life isn't what she thought it was. She comes to realize her fellow schoolmates didn't really like her, and her former BFF is real quick on making sure her former boyfriend doesn't feel lonely, in a very touchy, feely, public way. It's in this exact moment of Alona's Fall that Will, one of the losers not worth Alona's time, looks at her straight in the eyes and laugh at her misery. His first mistake. Will is known as a freak because he is acting so weird all the time, but wouldn't you if you heard and saw the dead all day? He has always been trying to hide his abilities, but when you face the most stubborn ghost ever, and she knows you can see her, well you gotta deal with it. So that's how Will and Alona ends up walking a very thin thread, both trying to reach their very different goals, which involves a few awkward situations and a fair share of disputes. I really loved this first YA novel by Stacey Kade, it's a great story with a good pace, the right amount of humor, everything adding up for success. The characters are fantastic, you first picture them with those big stereotypes but as the story progress you discover more layers to their personalities, which takes the story to a whole new level. Also, the narration alternates between Alona and Will to give us better access to both characters thoughts and feelings. I really liked Alona, even thought she's the kind of girl I avoided in high school I came to love her personality and witty comments. She acts all superficial, ok maybe she is, but she's also smart and develops an interest in other people eventually. It was nice to see her grow and I can't wait to see what's waiting for her in the second book. Like I mentioned before, the book is written in a "light way", but it also touches serious subjects like School Clics, sexual orientation, suicide, mental illnesses and alcoholism. It's all handled perfectly to not weight down the story though, so kudos to Stacey. I read this book in only a few hours and had a hard time putting it down. I liked the end even though I didn't want it to end lol. I think everything wrapped up nicely and we get hints of what's to come next. No major cliffhanger here. I strongly recommend to all of you YA fantasy fans out there to get your hands on that book, you won't regret it =)