This is a beautiful book about betrayal, but I'm worried how it's been marketed will hinder it's success. There is a mystery to the story, but this is much more of a character study than a mystery or thriller.

I really enjoyed the dueling perspectives of Georgia and Todd (one living, and one a ghost) as we follow this town trying to figure out what happened to Todd. There were some scenes I think we a little gratuitous at first, but upon deciding that this book was ultimately about betrayal I decided that they made sense to be included.

There is some resolution in this book but it comes quickly at the end, and I don't think all readers will be satisfied with it.

Overall, this book was for me, but I can see how it is not for everyone.

Unfortunately I was a little but underwhelmed by this novel. I remain a fan of Tamaki and I look forward to reading other works by her in the future. Overall I don't think that this book was particularly flawed, I just found it to be kind of forgettable, ultimately. I think the prose is quite enjoyable and original, but the story just didn't captivate me too much. I would have liked to have seen the detective characters more fleshed out. It was a pretty short book, so maybe a little bit more time could have been taken there. Overall it felt pretty believable and our main character was interesting. I wouldn't have minded seeing this done as a graphic novel.

I like how the narrative is told by Todd and Georgia. Todd’s death disturbs her even though she didn’t know him but that’s understandable. He was found in a nearby park, and he went to the same school as Georgia’s brother, Mark. This book isn’t just about Todd’s murder but about Georgia navigating her way through school which can be so difficult for young teens these days.

It felt like there was something missing, so it was difficult for me to get into this book like I wanted to. I think it was too much in Georgia’s head and not enough about the actual story. The detectives could have played a bigger role, for example. And even though some of the characters were a big part of the story overall, their roles were small and could have been expanded.

While parts of this book could have been better described, and I did feel that Todd was strangely emotionally detached from being dead, there was something about this book that I really connected with and loved. It's very rare that I actually enjoy a murder mystery story (yet I keep trying them!).

This story is told two POVs, alternating each chapter - Todd, who is dead, silently observing the students, teachers and detectives around him, and Georgia, a girl from another school who feels strangely connected to Todd and starts to piece together how the people she knows, knew him.

I think what makes this story great is that it's glaringly, wonderfully, simple. The mystery of what happened to Todd isn't a big convoluted mess but something that could happen to any teenager. There's no big villain reveal, just messy teenagers navigating being teenagers and that made the story feel real, and helped me connect with it emotionally.

Todd is found dead in a dog park and Georgia can’t stop thinking about him, even though she didn’t know him. They are both queer and struggled with being social outcasts at their private high schools, but their connection may be even closer than Georgia thinks.

I loved the dual narration from Georgia and Todd. Ever since reading The Lovely Bones, I have a soft spot for a ghost telling their own tragic story. Georgia was a fantastic character - she’s so realistic and authentic and will be relatable for a lot of kids (and 47 year old ladies, apparently). My only complaint is that I wish the book was longer - I want more Georgia! Recommended for ages 13+.

This book was such a quick read, I wasn't expecting it to go as fast as it did! It was dual perspective, which I loved, and the perspectives were a bit of a shocker! I was trying to put together the pieces the entire time! There were some funny moments but also some heavy ones as well! This was a great read!

Todd is dead. His ghost follows the detectives around while they try to figure out what happened.
Georgia didn't know Todd, didn't even go to his school but she is curious about what happened. How does someone die like he did?
Opinion
This is a weird twist on a mystery. The two main characters have never met and did not run in any of the same circles. It is certainly an interesting take on solving a mystery. Georgia just plows along through her life and then all of a sudden she has it figured out.
The book was a quick and good read, good enough to come back and reread at some point. Once all is said and done, like all mysteries, each part makes sense. As you read along, you are entertained but do wonder where it is going.
Many thanks to Net Galley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Todd, a senior at an all boys high school, is found dead at a local park. While detectives are attempting to solve the crime, they start leaning one of the teachers at the school. The teacher is gay, and Todd is gay, so the assumption is that they must have had an inappropriate relationship that the teacher tried to cover up.

Georgia is a sophomore at an all girls high school. Her older brother Mark attends the same school that Todd did. He and the rest of the boys at the school don’t seem to know anything about what happened to Todd, but Georgia thinks someone has to be lying. She enjoys watching crime shows so starts trying to piece the case together herself.

The story is told by both Georgia and Todd, with alternating chapters for each character. The premise of the book was good, but I felt the execution was lacking. The writing was choppy, as if it was a novel for younger readers, even though the topics covered were geared toward young adults. The writer had good ideas about the personality for each character, but the overall character development was weak, making it difficult to connect with any of them.

I liked that the author brought into focus the prejudice that is experienced by LGBTQ+ individuals. I feel though that this too could have been better developed had Todd and the teacher been the only gay characters focused on in the book. It didn’t flow with the story to have added in other gay characters.

Overall, the book was just okay for me.

Thank you to #NetGalley for an ARC of #Cold by #MarikoTamaki in exchange for an honest review. 2.5 stars, rounded to 3.

First impressions: I have no idea what is going on! Confused w/ the split narrative & how Georgia ties into what happened with Todd

Tw: Homophobia/Death of a minor

This is a story about Todd Mayer who is dead. His ghost, one of our main narrators, lingers over the investigation around his death as we learn what happened. The other half of the book's perspective is told by Georgia, Todd’s friend Mark’s younger sister. The issue with that is Todd Mayer had no friends, at least that's what the detectives are told from everyone at the school. This story confused me from the beginning and didn’t start to make sense until the last 2 chapters. Some of the writing felt like the author was trying a bit too hard to sound like a teenager. Which I found surprising because I enjoyed Laura Dean Keeps Breaking up w/ Me & I’m Not Starfire from Tamaki which felt more effortless. Todd was also gay and was bullied leading him to check out mentally for the rest of his time in HS. I enjoyed how casual the rest of the queer repreentation came up in the book. Not everyone is wearing rainbow flag outfits all the time. I didn’t start to feel sad for Todd’s death until the very end when his teacher mentions how one day he can wear all the pink he wants. I wish some of those tidbits were mentioned earlier in the story so I could have felt a deeper connection with Todd. There is def a general blah of teenagerdom which is valid and there were lines that made me think yeah I get that but i think it could be misinterpreted as carelessness from the characters, which may or may not have been the goal.

This book can be used to introduce people to what queer life is like for some young people; highschool can be a really alienating experience esepcially when you feel like you are so different from everyone else
Also as an example of how older gay men are treated within the criminal justice system (i.e assuming they are all pedophiles)

Am a little confused on how to rate this one. Honestly, I do not really like mysteries very much, but this one sounded way too good to just pass up. Plus, I am a huge fan of the author. The synopsis, the cover, the vibes: immaculate! I just found that the pacing was veeeryyyy slow. even though the book itself is not too long, it felt like it would make a better short story :(

3 stars

Dual-POV YA murder mystery partly from the perspective of the victim? Yes! Are the characters well-rounded? Not really! Is that okay? Yeah, pretty much! This book is not good because of the characters, but because of the twisty plot and the layers that this story uncovers. I enjoyed this book more than I enjoyed The Taking of Jake Livingston, a similar book that I read last year. Content warnings for homophobia and some intense toxic masculinity. Four stars.

I picked up this book because of the cover, and the interesting storyline. I was not disappointed. The characters are well-written and well-developed; I felt like I knew them and what their interests were. The story was good, I did not see the ending coming! And the alternating chapters, being told by Todd and Georgia, worked very well to move the storyline along. All in all, a twisty interesting novel!

Thanks to @netgalley and @macmillanusa for the advance Kindle copy of this 2.8.22 release. All opinions are my own.
•
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. This is told in two voices: Todd (or rather, his spirit), who was found dead in a park, and Georgia, whose brother attends the same school Todd did. Todd is watching detectives unravel his death, tracing back weeks and years into his past. What happened the night he died? Georgia, on the other hand, is simply intrigued by the case, that of one of her brother’s classmates. As Georgia grows more interested, she puts together some pieces that were never meant to be connected. Good, but lacking the punch of a Lovely Bones. Recommended for grades 9+.

- COLD is a quick, gripping YA murder mystery. At less than 250 pages, the story moves along at a clip, dragging you directly into Todd and Georgia's minds as they unravel the events surrounding Todd's death.
- It's sad and tense and terrible and I just had to know what happened. I felt so deeply for these two kids, outcasts in different ways, just trying to be themselves and be accepted for it.
- It does feel very neatly tied up at the end, but I think one can expect a YA mystery to be a little less messy than an adult murder mystery novel.

I love other works by the author as well as mysteries and ghost stories, so I was excited to read Cold, but for me it didn't feel as suspenseful as I had expected. The kept waiting for the main plot of the mystery to begin. The characters never really drew me in either, and i didn't end up finishing this title.

n life, Todd was a smart kid with a bright future to look forward to as soon as he could escape the isolation and bullying at his private school. Now, Todd is a ghost observing Detectives Greevy and Daniels investigate his death after his body is found frozen in a local park.
In alternating chapters, local teen Georgia follows the investigation and notices connections she had with Todd … including one that will change her world forever when the police find out.

This is a thoughtful story, told through flashes of Todd’s life in a passive way, leading to the truth of how he ended up in the park and how he died. Readers can probably identify with Georgia, as many of us have followed a tragic story and put ourselves in the shoes of the victim, finding similarities and considering the mysteries of their lives, because it could have easily been you. In this case, Georgia comes to a realization that hits far too close to home but ultimately uncovers the truth while upending her world.

This is a fast YA contemporary mystery with diverse representation. Though the characters don’t have time to really develop dimension, their actions and dialogue feel authentic and make this a worthwhile read.

Thanks to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/Roaring Brook Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Cold is scheduled for release on February 8, 2022.

The premise is very interesting - a dual POV from both the ghost of a murdered boy and the girl who is the sister of someone who went to school with him. However, by the end of the story, I was just constantly waiting for the actual active plot to begin and then it was over. I would not inherently recommend it to people, but also it could be a personal taste thing.

Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Cold is a book unlike any other I've ever read. It definitely sparked my interest from the very beginning. However, it ultimately left me wanting more from it.

It is told from two different perspectives -- the first POV is from Georgia, who attends an all-girls private school. And the other is from Todd, a senior at an adjacent all-boys private school, whose naked body has just been discovered in a local park. Sorry, I should clarify: the perspective is provided by Todd's ghost. The connectedness of their stories becomes pretty clear early-on, given that certain people in their lives provide overlap between them. As a result, Georgia is determined to find out the truth behind Todd's mysterious death.

The mystery is gripping. The characters have potential. The representation is solid (as there are various queer characters featured throughout). And initially, I felt like this was a book that I - a human dementor, in most sad situations - would find myself emotionally invested in. As a teacher (but also as a human, in general), reading about a young, gay high schooler's torment, bullying, and eventual death was something I found extremely upsetting. Her commentary on society's lingering homophobia, misconceptions, and the idea of toxic masculinity was well done.

There are some solid bones here. A good foundation. This story simply needs to be fleshed out. It is remarkably short, given the amount of ground it tries to cover. I think with additional writing, I would have enjoyed this a thousand times more. The pacing started off well, as many of the gaps felt very intentional. Yet, as the story continued, I wanted more of those gaps to be filled in. I wanted to know more about Georgia and Todd and even some of the other side characters (such as Mark and Carrie). We didn't get enough from them. By the end, it felt like a lot of telling, rather than showing.

Definitely a unique book that I feel would really resonate with certain kids. But, in my opinion, it needed a little more development to really hit the mark.

This book was GOOD. I almost read it in one sitting. And I cried at the end. I kind of guessed the ending but there was still a twist I didn't anticipate. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes murder mysteries.

I've read a lot of Mariko Tamaki's comics and graphic novels and was excited to see this novel on NetGalley. A YA murder mystery that centers queer characters is right up my alley, and I definitely think that the comparisons to the Lovely Bones I've read are fairly apt. The book opens with high school student Todd Mayer's dead body being found in a cold, snowy park. Todd is found naked with blunt force trauma to the head and extreme hypothermia. His death is suspicious, and the reader knows right away that Todd was murdered because his ghost narrates alternating chapters of the book, slowly revealing the events that led to his death, including years of bullying at school because he identified as queer. His co-narrator is Georgia, another local high school student, who didn't know Todd but is fascinated by him and wants to know what happened - especially after she realizes that he once came to her house to visit her older brother, who attended the same school that Todd did. There are so many heartbreaking moments in this book, and so much needless emotional pain in addition to the physical pain that led to to Todd's death. A tough read, but well done. I only wished it was a bit longer, with more time to explore these two characters.