I really enjoyed this book. While it broke my heart the whole entire time, it also made me smile. I think my favorite part was how the author really showed all the stages of grief, and not just the grief we have about death. About our lives too.

A really sweet story set in eastern Oregon, this book hit on grief and loss in a tongue-in-cheek way.

Once I got my mind set around the main character Henny being a ghost, I really enjoyed this story. When she is hit by a truck and dies, she ends up following the main people in town, and although they cannot see or hear her, she does try to communicate with them. The back and forth from present to past got tiresome after awhile, but it did help to explain the issues between some of the town people and the ones from the motel. The homophobic extremists seemed a little excessive, and were not my favorite part of the book. Much more interesting to see all the people she knew connecting and healing after her death. The author is Swedish but the book is set in Oregon. Interesting author, and I have read other books by her and enjoyed them, as she is a gifted author. Highly recommend this book and author.

I cannot say that I loved this book, actually I must confess that I have forced myself to read it until the end to see if my opinion would change.
Maybe it is because the story is told by the dead person and this goes against what are my believes, maybe it is because of the turns of the story, I don't know.
Besides all this, the book is well written and I don't feel like a total loss of my time to have read it.

So, this book is a tough one to review. It's very unusual and it took me a long time to get into. Having a ghost as narrator made it tough to get into. Overall, I liked it but it was a bit of a hard slog.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Quirky characters, a small town in Oregon and a dead main character are all a part of this unusual novel. Benny is killed by a truck, but remains as a spirit, watching to see what happens to her first live, Michael, her closest friends Camila and MacKenzie, and her Dad. The star of the story is the motel, a place where people go to get away from the problems on their lives. Recommended, and thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This is a hard book for me to review. I wanted to like it more but just don't. I felt like I never really got to know the main character. The conceit of having a ghost narrate the story seemed a bit too much. The characters didn't really reveal all that much when Henny was alone with them. Would have preferred just a straight up story about high school friends who lost a contemporary.

The Pine Way motel is a gathering of fact and fiction. The fact Henny is dead the fiction all the what if’s that the dear departed never get the chance to struggle through. I admit I found the dialog filled with possibilities,each character has its moment coming to grips with the reality of death to someone long held to be part of a foursome whole. At first I was a bit sad the Henny had finally gotten her moment in the sun or between the sheets with Micheal,but I thought the subject was overdone and a little weird. If voices from the dead are your thing then this is the novel for you.

Henny lives in Pine Creek, Oregon. She and her friend run the Pine Away Motel and Cabins, a small rundown motel that has seen better days. Henny is the victim of an accident and finds herself stuck in the in-between world. Henny watches as her father and all her friends gather to celebrate her life.Henny has no idea that her life has affected as many people in the community as it has. Henny helps her friends get past their feuds and petty differences.

I really enjoyed Bivald's earlier book, "The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend," and was expecting a similar "feel" to this story. Enjoyable in its own way, but nothing the same as Broken Wheel. Probably a 3.5 rating.

I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This has an interesting premise but ultimately was lacking in plot, character and depth. The story meandered along without much changing. Seen through the perspective of Henny was full and of times silly.

An intriguing book and unusual set of characters that all come together nicely. The book seemed to drag on though. I loved the quirkiness of the characters and kept wondering if Henny would make it to the after life.

This book was so good. Told from a completely different point of view than you are use to. It’s a new way to tell a story that is amazing.

Lovely feel good read. It was well written and flowed well. I enjoyed it very much. The plot was good and interesting. Hard to put down

I have tried very hard to finish this book. I give each book three tries before I finally give up on it.
I thought that there was a story there, but the author took a LONG, SLOW time getting to the main point.
I gave up after reading 25% of the book.
I think that with some tweeking, the book could be quiet good.
Just seems to be going in circles with no real direction.

This is the story of Henny, a young ghost who decides to stay and help out her friends in Pine Creek, Oregon. She has lived there all her life and run the Pine Away Motel for many years. Henny watches as her father and all her friends gather to celebrate her life. I liked the story about this small town and how one person could affect so many. Henny helps her friends get past their feuds and petty differences. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Benny has worked at the Pine Away Motel cabins ramshackle but a place Henry loves.When Henry passes away she refuses to leave and through her eyes the story of the town the motel dwellers continues.A truly charming wondeful read#netgalley#sourcebooks,

** Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review **
No estaba segura de qué pensar inicialmente, pero tengo que decir que la escritura es muy agradable y es muy bueno el desarrollo de los personajes. Al principio la trama me parecía demasiado simple, pero en un momento la trama comienza a avanzar y cambiar de narrador y ahí la trama se toma más atractiva. El libro deja un buen mensaje, sobre qué es lo que debemos valorar, y qué es lo verdaderamente importante en la vida. No fue mi libro preferido, pero esta bien escrito y el desarrollo es bueno.

I was thrilled to be able to read an advance copy of this book since I adored the author's previous book, Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend. I liked this book too, but having the story being told by a dead person detracted from my enjoyment since I'm more of a realist. The writing, locale and characters were great. It was interesting to see the impact of homophobia in a small town setting and its long-term impact on the gay community. This topic made the book more serious than Readers. I think Bivald's fans will be happy to read this book and I recommend it.

The book starts with Henny dying right after reconnecting with the love of her life which is terrible and heartbreaking enough, but then Henny is unable to leave her surroundings and is witness to everyone’s grieving, and their lives.
I first thought, okay, but where can the book go from here, and was ready to put it down. I’m glad I didn’t because the richness of the characters and their lives, and her writing of them is rich and beautiful.

"Check in at the Pine Away Motel," tells the story of Henny, who has recently died and the Pine Away Motel tucked into the pine forest of Oregon.  After a complete accident, Henny is killed by a truck as she is crossing the road and sort of clings around or doesn't fully pass on but instead, watches her friends and father live their lives and try to get over the tragedy.  Henny's death becomes a sort of beacon for her friends and father and the entire town of Pine Creek to sort of rally behind what they believe in, rediscover love and what family means, and reignite passions for the community and home they love.

I gotta say, at first I thought this story was a little one-sided and wasn't going to turn into anything with a fulfilling plot or storyline, but I was wrong!  In the beginning, the plot seems simple, a girl dies and she has to hang around and watch the life she could have had, keep going on without her.  There is a distinct point in the book where there is a very subtle but powerful shift between the story being told from dead-Henny's first-person point of view and from one that is more all-inclusive or omnipresent.  The storyline shifts from being focused on Henny and focuses on the individuals, with Henny as a contributing character.  This was so smartly written, as this shift basically occurs once Henny accepts that she is dead, quits trying to beg and bargain to find a way to come back, and realizes that she still has some work to do for the town and people she loved. 

Along with being really well-written in terms of plot devices and elements, there are so many other things that crop up and take center stage in this book that I did not expect at in the beginning.  Probably most importantly--and timely-- is the usage of LGBTQIA+ characters and themes.  I was loving the representation across the board (gay, straight, trans, queer) in this book and the attention to the fights and struggle that people have had to endure, including generally rude and nonunderstanding attitudes, because of their gender identity and sexuality. 

While this book has a great message and makes you think about some of the most important aspects of your life and what would it be like if you died suddenly, I love that it highlights that fact that we can all love one another regardless of our differences and that being nice and spreading love is really what matters in the end.  This book was really touching and tugged at my heartstrings at the end.  I loved reading this and highly recommend it!