I really enjoyed the concept of his novel - the mixture of YA and paranormal thriller was great.
I didn’t feel like I got to know the protagonist that well. The whole story was quite traumatic for her which maybe deflected away from personality development, but I don’t feel like I know her at all.
The other characters were good but I didn’t have a favourite because again I didn’t feel like I got to know them very well.
The scene setting was brilliant and the ideas behind the story were great.
I didn’t feel as satisfied as I’d have hoped by he ending, I felt like it was left a bit unsure about a few things but I suppose that’s how the main character felt too.


I’d recommend it to others and if you enjoy YA suspense/paranormal then you’ll enjoy it.

I really liked the story. Normally I can figure out who the killer is rather early, but this one kept me guessing right up until the end. I do feel that some of the details in the story were dropped a bit to quickly, like the necklace. I had actually completely forgotten about that piece of the puzzle since it was only mentioned once and never again until the very end of the book.

When they say this is gripping, they are not messing about.

The story of Eleanor, who wakes up realising someone has attempted to kill her, The Death And Life Of Eleanor Parker certainly keeps you gripped from the moment it starts and with characters that feel like you know. Eleanor is a great character and as the story unfolds really grows.

The plot is pretty good and keeps giving until the end, the suspense builds as the story goes on and even when it was bit too much for me and I sneaked ahead and read the end, I still couldn’t stop myself reading the whole of the story and still found this book just as attention grabbing.

A really enjoyable books that kept me pulled in, The Death And Life Of Eleanor Parker is just such a treat!

(I received an ARC from Netgalley for a honest review).

This is definitely a hype-generating book. Eerie and wild with imagination.

I like a good mystery within a mystery as in the borders of reality are stretched.

I tend to go through books in two ways - devour them overnight, highlighting most of the pages and falling so madly in love with at least some of the characters that I redefine parts of my life by them. Or read the Prologue (1 chapter), put it down to think about it, come back...keep reading...jump to the last chapter not being able to stand the building suspense.

This fell somewhere in the middle.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was sent an e arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I really did not like this one. Unfortunately paranormal books just aren’t my thing. I didn’t realize that this book would have those elements.

Really enjoyed this book. The twists and turns were great and just what I'm was looking for in a thriller. Did not see the ending coming. Will definitely be reading more from this author. Highly recommend.

This book had a great start - sort of similar to Sarah Pinborough’s Thirteen Minutes. The overall story was good but the pacing a little slow for me. Unfortunately I also guessed who the guilty party was from the first time they were introduced (no spoilers here). I found this a really quick read

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest review.

This book was a fantastic read. I started not so sure, but as the story progressed, I was hooked. When Ellie came to and started to realize she might be dead, as she made her list of her potential killers, and tried to put what happened together, it was spellbinding. In fact, I finished the whole book in one day, I had to find out what happened to Ellie. A unique story line, I like when I read something that’s a little different from everything else that I’ve read, this book definitely hit that mark. I have read a few books by this author and I have enjoyed those as well I will definitely continue reading books from this author. The characters were well written and enjoyable.

I seem to be on a roll with these kinds of stories lately. Stories so far outside of the norm that it's hard to wrap your brain around them. But so good that you can't pull yourself away...
When seventeen-year-old Eleanor wakes up in the river, she's not quite sure what happened. A strong sense of choking, water filling her lungs, being held down, all these things soon add up to the realization that she was drowned. And that she died. But, inexplicably, she's not completely dead. Sure, there are some annoying things she can no longer do. Like eat. Or sleep. Or feel anything. Oh and she's always cold, even though it's the middle of the summer. Still, she's determined to find out what happened to her that night in the river. All the while knowing that not everyone wants her to discover the truth.
I loved this story. It's much easier to follow than it may seem. It's very intriguing and twisty, one I couldn't put down!

This book has a very interesting premise - it's told by a girl who was drowned to death and doesn't remember who did it. She tries to put together what happened that night and hide her decaying condition from friends and family in the process, hoping to find sole sort of closure.

I love the premise, and the parts of the book where she has to deal with trying to hide that she's a walking corpse was so interesting to read! But. The main character is bland, and so are the other characters. Some of them I can barely keep apart. There's lots of girl hate, and it got exhausting pretty quickly.

I also disliked the ending very much. For the right audience I think this book will be brilliant, as it's a nicely done whodunit with paranormal and small village creepy feel, but it was not for me.

Eleanor Parker wakes up on the river bed in the early hours of the morning and has no idea how she got there. She has vague memory flashes from the night before but nothing substantial enough to piece together what happened. Someone tried to harm her...and maybe they did because things aren't quite as they should be. Eleanor can't seem to get warm despite the warm weather and layers of clothing and her skin has taken on an alarmingly gray hue. Did she actually drown in the river that night? Almost exactly a year ago, another girl suffered the same fate. Eleanor is determined to find out what happened as she talks to her friends and family in hopes of connecting someone to the crime. Someone has got to be hiding something and she's going to find out the truth.

This was an interesting and rather original read. I wavered between a rating of 3 and 4 for this one and eventually settled on a 4 star rating because as the pieces of the puzzle started to connect, I found myself more invested in the story. This is an intriguing mystery with an ending that's definitely worth the wait.

I received this book through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley.com, to Bookouture, and to Kerry Wilkinson for this opportunity.

Eleanor wakes up on the bank of a river with no memory how she got there. The question is, is she dead? Readers get to go right along the mystery with her, investigating what happened to her.
This book has a bit of a paranormal aspect to it, as how can you investigate your own death?
I enjoyed the ride. It was full of unique twists and turns and the author really portrayed his teenage mc well.
This way my first book by author, but definitely look.forward to reading more. A YA thriller for all ages.

I have read quite a few of this author’s books now and I have to say he does write some excellent psychological thrillers and whilst this book is deemed to be a coming of age novel, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought it was a brilliant read!!

I was completely gripped by the book right from the start through to the fantastic ending – I will say that this is one of those books that you need to read with an open mind and you will enjoy it even more – the characters are great and I thoroughly enjoyed the interaction as the story unravelled.

No hesitation in giving this story 5 stars – really looking forward to seeing what he releases next!! Very highly recommended!!

In a very small town, Eleanor awakens with the realization that she’s dead, and that someone murdered her. She doesn’t remember who or why, so everyone is a suspect. It also seems highly coincidental (or not?) that this happened on the anniversary of another girl’s death.

This novel is edged with paranormal elements that I had to suspend my disbelief over, but it’s not nearly as dark and gritty as I thought it would be. Eleanor takes everything in stride, including her own death, and her snarky observations are what makes this book fun to read. More snark, please!

I was a teensy bit disappointed with the ending, but that’s just me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc.

A gripping YA novel that I could not put down, ‘The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker’ by Kerry Wilkinson is a psychological thriller with a difference. What happened to seventeen year old Eleanor Parker that night, is it possible that she really could have drowned? And what, if anything, does what happened to her have to do with the death of her brother’s girlfriend, Sarah, a year ago?

Eleanor wakes up at the side of the river with no memory of what has happened to her. All she knows is that she thinks she died last night. And so begins a coming of age tale like no other, that once started I found impossible to put down. With an added paranormal element that keeps you guessing throughout, this is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Although ‘The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker’ is a young adult novel, there is no reason at all why it shouldn’t appeal to readers of all ages. A thrilling 4 star read that I highly recommend.

This was an interesting read with an ending that wasn't completely predictable. Some parts were a bit slow but overall it was a good read.

I never knew what I let myself in for when agreeing to read The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker by Kerry Wilkinson, a Teen & Young Adult Mystery Novel. Did I have the illusion that I would be transported back to my teenage years, stop sniggering I can hear you saying don’t be daft, but really there could have been that teeny tiny smidgeon of maybe so in my mind. Realistically the only thing I got was a sense of WoW, I don’t remember a Young Adult book being this good……. just a pity I’m not a teenager any more.

The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker is based around a seventeen year old girl. Eleanor Parker finds herself in the river which passes through the village she lives in, with the sense that someone had tried to kill her, but with no memory of how or why. Things have changed, Eleanor has strong premonitions of a past incident which claimed the life her brother’s girlfriend in the very same river, the previous summer. Eleanor battles to discover the truth, to link all the tragic consequences of the previous summer before its too late.

Eleanor as a character is like any typical teenager, that thinks they know it all, can do it all with no consequences, the usual fights with sibling, the obstinate nature and attitude with parent. Gawd it sounds just like my kids…..aah we were all young once, are the words you are typically reminded of by your own parents.

The premise of what Kerry Wilkinson was trying to convey came through loud and clear, fulfilling my need for a thrilling suspenseful read, each string pulled, a link to the paranormal, a twist in criminality, a pinch of supernatural elements and the ultimate who dunnit, each and every piece gelled well together producing a very enjoyable read.

The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker is an easy read, which flows naturally and coherently, fleeting your eyes through the book at a steady pace, with every new piece of information unfolding in the appropriate place, preventing the need to back track and circumnavigate the red herrings.

WoW can’t wait to hear from Kerry again soon.

Thanks to Bookouture, Kerry Wilkinson and Noelle Holten for an advanced readers copy of The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thanks for the spot on the Blog Tour Noelle xx

The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker is a YA thriller with a paranormal twist. Eleanor Parker wakes up in the local river - cold, half-dressed, water spraying from her mouth and no idea how she got there.

"The memories are still just out of reach but there are two things of which I'm certain. I didn't fall into the river - I was drowned in it and, somehow, despite the fact I'm still here, I died last night."

I'm pretty good at suspending my disbelief and stretching my imagination which is a requirement in order to enjoy a read like this. If you can do that - this book is quite an enjoyable whodunnit. Eleanor was an extremely likable lead character. She was an average teenager with all the problems and drama that come with that age. Except of course that she is technically undead!

I have to admit that I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. The supernatural element was interesting and we never fully quite know what to make of it all. I liked that Wilkinson left it open to the reader's interpretation.

"If a person believes in something, really believes, then it doesn't matter what others say."

The mystery was well paced and I didn't have it figured out - WIN! The whole vibe of the book was unique and enjoyable. This is one that will definitely keep you turning the pages.

If this story had been told by another author it might have seemed quite a simple, reasonably paced "murder" mystery who-done-it kind of book. But somehow Kerry Wilkinson manages to weave a multitude of messages, ideas and world building into what, on the surface, appears to be a relatively simple story. I've only read one other of this authors books, Ten Birthdays, and it had a similar kind of subtle vibe about it - so much is told through a really cleverly developed narrative voice rather than throughout the plot and I honestly loved both of them. I thought this was going to be a sort of supernatural murder mystery, and it is, but it's actually more so a clever coming of age story about realising what life is actually all about. So clever, refreshing and genuinely gripping.

Eleanor Parker was drowned, of that she feels certain. She wakes up in the river, completely unaware of how she got there, but this isn't just any ordinary village river. This is the same river that another girl the previous summer was drowned in - and the case is still seemingly unsolved.

I guess what I found most relatable about Eleanor was that she was absolutely normal. She is not a special or talented heroine battling against corruption, abuse or betrayal, she has an ordinary sort of family and she just wants to enjoy the summer. She is most of us reading this book. And yet her voice somehow speaks volumes, and I wanted to unravel the secret with her, no matter how close to home it became for her. It's true that you never quite know who to trust, even yourself, and as I discovered, perhaps even Eleanor was not the most reliable narrator (which I loved!).

This book is so very clever, and in a world inundated with loud heroines wielding flashy abilities, I think it's about time we got behind the quietly normal, yet undeniably striking characters like this one. I really hope this book reaches the readers who would love it; you won't be disappointed. .

17 year old Eleanor wakes up cold in a riverbank with no memory of what happened to her last night. She is covered with bruises but more importantly she’s dead.She goes home and realizes she does not have her senses of smell or taste and is always cold but people can see her and talk to her . So is she a ghost and how can she investigate her murder when no one knows she is dead?

Death and Life of Eleanor Parker is a YA murder mystery with a paranormal twist. It’s a different, light engaging summer read with a unique twist in the end.

I would like to thank Bookouture & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/