I was not a fan of this book, this was really hard to read for me. The main character was so lost and lonely, in desperate need of some therapy and a support system and had none of that. She spent the whole book desperate to be liked and treated kindly that she took awful scraps of affection and was easily manipulated. The mystery was ok, there were some nice twists and misdirection. The ghost aspect was interesting and very unique, I was just overwhelmed by my lack of connection with the main character and her mental health concerns. Keep in mind that other people have enjoyed this book, it might just be me and the fact I am recently struggling with YA books and the characters.

This YA was a quick, light, thrilling and intriguing read. The premise was great and the execution didn't disappoint. Definitely would recommend it.

I liked The Lonely Dead more than anticipated. When I picked it up, I didn't realize it was YA, so some parts do come off as geared to a younger audience. However, I found the mystery immediately sucked me in. I also liked the paranormal aspect. There was a lot of misdirection, so the author definitely kept me guessing until the end.

Hand to older student who love murder mysteries, with a bit of the supernatural. Read alikes are any other books by April Henry and the Truly Devious series.

Ever since Adele was a little girl she's been able to talk to the dead. Her mother had the same gift but had always told her to ignore it. One day on the way home, she sees her ex-bestfriend Tori sitting alone in the woods and quickly realizes she's dead. As the news of Tori's murder gets out, Adele finds herself as the main suspect when she is unable to provide an alibi.

2 stars may be a bit generous to be honest, for the most part I was bored. Nothing really happened and most of the story was Adele just feeling sorry for herself. I didn't feel as though Adele developed at all through out the story. I also felt that the other minor characters were all one-dimensional and flat. I really hated Tori, she was a despicable human and honestly I'm not even mad she was murdered. I didn't care what happened to any of the characters or feel any sense of urgency/suspense through out the story.

A mystery with a touch of the paranormal!
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review The Lonely Dead by April Henry!
Adele has inherited the ability to see, feel and converse with ghosts, human and animal, from her mother and grandmother. She lives with her grandfather who has watched both his wife and daughter struggle with this ability and neither of them to good ends. They’re both deceased and he’s raising Adele the best he can. She’s been on medication for schizophrenia for years but she’s now realized that she’s not schizophrenic; she can actually see ghosts. Tori, who was her best friend in elementary school, has just been murdered and Adele discovers Tori’s body in a shallow grave. Tori was having a party while her parents weren’t home and no one has seen her since, until Adele finds her ghost next to the shallow grave. A mystery surrounds Tori’s death and suspects include everyone at the party and a few adults. Adele drank at the party and doesn’t remember everything she did and she begins to worry that she might be the murderer. Adele has to learn how to handle seeing and being able to converse with ghosts in a quiet manner, so people don’t think she’s crazy. Adele also struggles to find true friends.
A quick mystery that’s enjoyable to read, 4 stars!

Mystery with some appeal for paranormal fans, too. Skews younger teen, Fans who have previously read and enjoyed books by Henry will snatch this up.

There is no one better for suspense than this author. Loved this book and couldn't stop reading. Wonderful!!

The Lonely Dead is about a girl named Adele who stumbles upon the body of her dead ex-best friend, Tori. Except Tori isn't entirely gone. Adele can see her ghost..and the ghosts of others who are dead. When Adele calls in the dead body anonymously, she becomes the person of interest in murdering Tori, even though she left the party early and did not see Tori again. Did she black out and kill Tori? Or was it someone else with a more sinister plan? Loved this!

April Henry does it again with this fast-paced supernatural thriller. Great for teens, this quick mystery will engage readers. I've seen criticism that this book wasn't as good as her other books but I think the reviewers are forgetting the audience. April Henry writes high-interest books that are perfect for the average teen reader but also great for reluctant readers. When I have a teen who isn't interested in reading but wants something to read, April Henry is one of my go-to authors because I know she will grab them from the very first page. Lonely Dead adds a supernatural element that isn't always in her books and I think this element will be appealing. Slight romance and great characters, teen readers will be happy they picked this up.

This was a typical teen "supernatural" mystery. There were no real surprises and the ending was very anti-climactic. I figured out the killer very early on. The characters were kind of forgettable, including the main character. She didn't make any good decisions. Can authors please stop having characters speak to the police without a lawyer? Especially if they are a minor? It's unrealistic. It's not badly written, I've just read better.

The Lonely Dead by April Henry had me guessing who dun it till the last chapter. This book took me by surprised I was hooked on this from the first chapter. I usually can figure out the ending of a book but this one had me stumped. Great read for fans who love a mystery.

This novel was what my students love from an April Henry. Fast paced and electrifying while mixing in normal concerns teens have boys and parties. It was not inappropriate or too graphic and I enjoyed it immensely! Thank you for letting me read this!

What made me pick this book up:
It's April Henry. As soon as I saw she was coming out with another one I HAD to read it.

What did I like about the cover:
I love the colors. The blues and blacks are my favorite combination. I love the woods and how ominous it looks. It definitely looks ghostly. Fits the book well in my opinion.

What made me read this book:
April Henry? Okay besides that it sounded interesting. I love mystery thriller books and I needed to know what happened.

What did I like the most:
As usual the writing is really well done. It was descriptive enough I could picture it, but not overdone to the point where it was too much.

One thing I love about April Henry's books (And there's a lot of things I love) is that they aren't slow. The pace is always awesome in them. It starts out with a bam and it keeps going the whole book.

The mystery is well written, the ghosts are well written. I did hold my breath a few times wondering what would happen next.

I listened to this in one go, April Henry books are never very long and I think that adds to it, because it doesn't drag out. It's really quick, but always written really well that it doesn't feel like it's rushed.

Back to what I was saying. I couldn't stop listening to this book. I didn't want to. I NEEDED to know what happened.

What didn't I like:
There's actually something I don't like about this one...

The main character. I understand she had a "mental illness" and blah blah. But she was very whiny and poor poor me.

Actually if I'm being honest, most of the characters just kind of fell flat for me. I didn't care what happened to them.

I also kind of had it figured out pretty quickly. All the signs pointed to this one person and I figured out that it was them, even with all the other people the author was trying to find blame for.

Would I read the rest of the series/more from this author?
Absolutely yes.

Henry delivers another young adult mystery but this time adds an element of the paranormal. Our teen heroine Adele can see the dead. More specifically, she can see ghosts and interact with them. She has spent most of her life trying to ignore this side of her (after all, what kind of crazy do you have to be to see ghosts?) until the day she finds the ghost of her ex-best friend, Tori. These two girls have to team up (along with some cute boys mixed in) to solve the mystery of Tori's murder.

Read it in a day. Fun page-turning YA thriller with a touch of the supernatural. Great for reluctant readers and those who love a quick, easy mystery.

I won this in a Goodreads Giveaway. I also want to thank Henry Holt & Co and Netgalley for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a fair review.


Adele can see the dead, well she hasn't for awhile because she has been taking her meds. But lately she hasn't been which is why she is shocked when her friend Tori calls her name as she is walking home from the park. However, she notices immediately that she is dead or well she doesn't want to notice that. So despite not wanting to draw attention to herself she makes the call from a payphone to report the body.


Soon Adele finds herself in the middle of investigation and if she isn't careful she might just get arrested for her friend's murder.



So this is brief and spoilers, but I also want to talk about a few things. I have read most of April's other books and this just kind of fell flat for me. It had so much potential, the plot, the storyline, and even most of the characters. Sadly I can't even rave about the all of the things I want too because spoilers.



That being said Adele, on the one hand I loved her, on the other I was like girl wake up... I mean for real. Her mother warned her, but she couldn't listen. Second the investigation was like stumbling in the dark, I mean literally considering how she found out everything. I had a pretty good idea, but wasn't for sure. Mostly because I didn't know if there was going to be a really shocking twist. Kudos for the red herrings and things thrown out to make you think otherwise.



Luke, don't get me started on him... and him and Adele...for someone not on the popular side and having been picked one and humiliated she was super naive when it came to him. I know this is a YA so don't think I am judging it too harshly. These are high schoolers and at least 17 so you may not always be completely on the game, but you should know most of the people you are in classes with it, at least by reputation. Overall, I liked the book, I just wanted more from it.

As always, April Henry delivers a great, quick mystery read that is intriguing to all students. I have students who hate reading but will pick up an April Henry book; and, I have students that love to read and will pick up an April Henry book. Most of the latter say they wish they were longer, but we discuss why Ms. Henry always writes shorter novels; because she is trying to appeal to all readers. This kept us guessing, and though many of us figured out who the killer was ahead of time, we kept going because we had to know what happened and why. This will be an easy sell to readers of all types.

The Lonely Dead by April Henry is a great YA novel. April Henry’s books always are suspenseful, revealing and keeps a reader on edge. This novel - her newest - is no different. This time, April Henry explores the elements between drinking, blackouts, schizophrenia and seeing things that others cannot see. The story gives you a lot to think about while keeping you ramped up.

Adele can see, talk with, touch and interact with the dead. Her mother teaches her that this is something that you do not speak about, especially with her family history. However, when her mother dies, Adele was brought to a doctor and now takes medication for schizophrenia. It is only when she decides that she doesn’t want to live life without color and decides she is done with medication. Adele finds her ex- friend, Tori sitting in the woods. It is from this premise that the story gains speed and mystery and suspicion grows. Who killed Tori and why and Adele is worried she is a prime suspect.

April Henry has written a wonderful story of suspense and chilling events. I found the story slowly builds the suspense. The characters were realistic and it seems that April Henry really has an understanding of what young adults like to read. The Lonely Dead by April Henry was a fun read.

I enjoyed the take on ghosts in this YA paranormal mystery, but unfortunately the plot wasn’t as strong as the concept.

Adele has been diagnosed as schizophrenic, but she actually does see dead people, not hallucinations. When a former friend is murdered after they have a fight at a party, Adele discovers Tori’s ghost—and her body. Tori wants Adele to help figure out who murdered her, and Adele reluctantly agrees. Her attempts to find the killer become more urgent when the police start to suspect that Adele herself committed the crime.

As an idea, the story works, but the mystery aspect is weak. Adele’s sleuthing is not very effective; she mostly wanders around speculating about whether this or that person might have committed the crime. In the end, the killer’s own miscalculations are their downfall, and the story is wrapped up in a very abrupt way. The identity of the murderer wasn’t exactly a surprise, either.

I did like the way Adele’s ghostly gift works. Rather than being haunted by ghosts who follow her around, Adele can only see the dead when she is near their remains. That’s an interesting idea, and it adds some complexity to the story, since Adele can only communicate with Tori at certain times, like the visitation and the funeral. So, Adele really doesn’t have a ghostly partner in her investigations, which is the more typical approach. It’s too bad that the story itself doesn't live up to the premise.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.