I’ve read pretty much every one of Mariko Tamaki’s novels, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to read her new one early.
This one seemed quite a bit different from her others, but then it’s been quite a while since she wrote a novel (excluding the Lumberjanes books), she’s mostly been working on comics for DC and Marvel, or her own.
The book starts with a dead body of a 17 year old boy, Todd, and throughout the book we learn more about him and his life, through his incorporeal POV, as well as from Georgia’s POV (her brother knew the dead boy).
I really enjoyed the book, I thought it was well done and it mostly kept me guessing until the end (I had an idea of what had happened). The ending was a bit unsatisfying for me, though I’m not sure what exactly would have made it better? There was closure, we find out what happened to Todd, but it just, I don’t know…? Maybe I was expecting something from one of the side characters that I didn’t get, and that’s why I’m feeling unsatisfied? Like, the story kind of led you to think maybe something was going happen, but then it didn’t, and it just left me with unanswered questions. Overall, this is a pretty small thing, I think, and maybe just my own wishful thinking, and doesn’t really take anything away from the overall book.
I found the ending really sad; I felt so sad for Todd and all of the circumstances that led to his death.
Definitely enjoyed this book, as I have with all of Tamaki’s other books. I think I would have liked it to be a bit longer, but it was still really good.

So, my feelings about this novel are actually a tad conflicted, because I can see myself rereading this book. Yet, I can also envision myself getting frustrated again with certain characters. I’m looking at you, teenage jocks and detectives.


Cold switches between Georgia and Todd’s perspectives at the start of a new chapter. So, the book does begin a little slowly. When I initially read an excerpt of Cold, I didn’t feel like the story jumped out at me. I had to give the story time to evolve; and, I’m grateful that I did.


Overall, Cold reached out and touched my heart in a motherly sort of way. My heart broke for Todd and his family! I very much cared about them and their future! But, I do wish Georgia played more of a Nancy Drew role in helping solve the mystery of Todd’s death. I enjoyed Georgia’s contemplations about it being the disturbing fry guy.


So, to fans of 13 Reasons Why and These Lovely Bones, I do recommend giving Cold a chance. The narration by Katharine Chin and Raymond J. Lee played a huge role in why I chose this book! The narrators for Georgia and Todd are spectacular! I’m a little hesitant to recommend this to young readers as themes can get a bit dark. (Please refer to trigger warnings)


Trigger warnings: death of a minor, homophobia, accusations of pedophilia, and bullying


Thank you to Netgalley, McMillan Audio, and Mariko Tamaki for this wonderful audiobook to review.

I picked up this (audio)book because I liked the cover art and I'd heard some hype for this book on Instagram and TikTok. I've also read a few graphic novels by the same author. Unfortunately, the story didn't really grab me, although it did get more interesting towards the end. I thought the prose was well-done and created a sufficiently mysterious atmosphere.

The audiobook had two narrators, one for Todd and one for Georgia. I think the narrator for Georgia did a particularly good job in capturing their character and also doing distinct voices for the other characters. I thought the flow of the audiobook was good with clear chapter breaks and solid pacing. Overall, it was a pleasant listening experience.

The story itself had a slow start but it was interesting seeing everything come together in the end. Although I found that despite being a mystery, there wasn't a whole lot of tension. Part of the narrative is told from the perspective of Todd's ghost, which was an interesting narrative choice, but his ghost didn't always seem too invested in anything going on and it made some moments fall flat for me. There were some genuine moments that made me tear up, but there were also times where things felt almost clinical or detached, which took away from some of the emotional impact.

I did like the themes explored, such as surviving high school as a gay teen, peer pressure, and the complicated relationship between siblings. I found the story and characters interesting and relatable, although it took a while for them to develop.

Overall, I wasn't blown away by this book, but I'd likely recommend it to folks interested in YA mysteries and LGBTQ+ fiction. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars.

A tragic YA mystery story about the death of a gay teen boy told from the perspective of his ghost and his classmate Georgia, who uncovers the mystery behind his murder. Completely atmospheric with a lot of Everything I never told you vibes. This was a quick but powerful read by a new to me Canadian author. Highly recommended. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance listening copy!

TW: bullying, homophobia

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Macmillan Young Listeners in exchange for an honest review.

CW: homophobia, death of a minor, murder, talks of pedophilia.

So I thought the premise of this book sounded interesting, and I enjoyed Tamaki's LAURAN DEAN KEEPS BREAKING UP WITH ME graphic novel. Unfortunately COLD... wasn't the reading experience I was hoping for.

First off there is a lot of unnecessary shouty bits (not where characters are yelling, but where the narrative is shouting at the reader) along with excessive swearing that really is there for no purpose other than to up the count of how many time the f-word is used. Which is going to make this a really hard sell for my as a Teen Librarian.

Second, for a novel that revolves around the death of a teenager, you'd think that the narrative would make you sad. And maybe this will for some, but I felt like there was too much focus on the two detectives to allow the reader to sit within their feelings with what happened to Todd.

The last 10% is interesting, I just wish the rest of the novel had the same energy as the wrap up did. Overall COLD feels... unfinished. Like there should be more to the story. This is a relatively short novel, but the character development doesn't hit until the end, which is unfortunate.

Katharine Chin and Raymond J. Lee don't do a horrible job with the audiobook performance, but it's also not an amazing audiobook recording to listen to.

I didn't hate the book, but I didn't love it either.