I think the premise was promising but not my favorite. Kind of typical In a way for these books where they summon a ghost and then bad things happen

ENGLISH

The first thing that appealed to me about the book was that it was scary and it had lesbian representation. And we like a good scary story with lesbians hehe.

The main character, Olive, had a near-death experience, in fact she was dead for a few minutes, due to an allergy. Yet she lives fearing there is nothing after death. She has been pushing people away for years because she doesn't want to allow herself to love anyone as she doesn't see the point if they are all going to die anyway. One night, together with his former best friend Davis and Vanessa, a new girl who has just arrived in town, they decide to explore an abandoned part of the city. They go to the most "haunted" place in town: the Seymour Asylum, an institution that used to bring together poor, disabled, troubled people... and Olive performs a ritual to summon a ghost, to put an end to her doubt as to whether there is something after death or if it is indeed nothingness. . The summoned ghost turns out to be Jay, who died there over 100 years ago. But things get messy. The problem was that Jay didn't even know he was dead and now they have to help him cross over to the other side, both for his sake, otherwise he will become a shadow that haunts the living, and for Olive, who needs to put an end to her fears.

From here on, it is a series of investigations and quests to find Jay's grave and put Jay's unfinished business to rest. The problem is that suddenly her high school classmates start being attacked by someone who is becoming a shadow. Olive asks for help from Maren, who she describes as her arch nemesis but after spending time together we see things change.

I thought the book was good overall. As a Halloween read it's not bad because there were quite a few things that could be considered spooky that I thought were pretty well told. The first scene I read that was a bit scary and I wasn't expecting that at all so I was pleasantly surprised. But I think that some things were very obvious and although they tried to play with misdirection, they didn't succeed since everything was quite clear.

On the subject of relationships, the truth is that I saw very little development. I would have liked to see more depth because at times we focused on things that were a bit repetitive and could have been shortened.

Although in my opinion it lacks a couple of things, I like the author's style and I think she can play very well with the tense situations and the moments of anguish, which for a scary novel is very good.

-ALI

SPANISH

Lo primero que me llamó de este libro es que era de miedo y era con bolleras. Y nos gusta una buena historia de miedo con bolleras jeje. La temática de Halloween parecía interesante. La protagonista, Olive, tuvo una experiencia cercana a la muerte, de hecho estuvo muerta unos minutos debido a una alergia, y vive con miedo de que no haya nada después de la muerte. Lleva años alejando a la gente porque no quiere permitirse querer a nadie ya que no le ve el sentido. Una noche, junto a su, anteriormente, mejor amigo Davis y Vanessa, una chica nueva que acaba de llegar al pueblo, deciden ir a explorar un lugar abandonado de la ciudad.

Van al sitio más “encantado» que puede haber en el pueblo: el asilo Seymour, una institución que reunía a la gente pobre, incapacitada, con problemas… y Olive realiza un ritual para invocar a un fantasma, Jay, que murió en el asilo hace más de 100 años, para poner fin a su duda de si hay algo después de la muerte o si efectivamente es la Nada. Pero la cosa se lía. Resulta que Jay no sabía ni que estaba muerto y ahora tienen que ayudarlo a cruzar al otro lado, tanto por su bien, ya que si no se convertirá en una sombra que acecha a los vivos; como por Olive, que necesita poner punto y final a sus miedos.

A partir de aquí es una serie de investigaciones y búsquedas para poder encontrar la tumba de Jay y poner fin a sus asuntos pendientes para que pueda descansar en paz. El problema es, que de repente sus compañeros de instituto empiezan a ser atacados por alguien que presumiblemente es Jay, convirtiéndose en una sombra. Olive pide ayuda a Maren, a quién califica de su archienemiga pero tras pasar tiempo juntas vemos que la cosa va cambian, porque ella es la última descendiente de la familia Seymour.

Creo que el libro en general ha estado bien. Como lectura de Halloween no está mal porque ha habido bastantes cosas que se podrían considerar tenebrosas y que creo que estaban bastante bien contadas. La primera escena que leí que daba un poco de miedito no me la esperaba para nada y me dejó gratamente sorprendida. Pero creo que algunas cosas eran muy evidentes y aunque se ha intentado jugar con el despiste, no se ha terminado de conseguir porque todo estaba bastante claro. En el tema relaciones, la verdad que he visto muy poquito desarrollo y me hubiera gustado que se profundizara más porque a ratos nos centrábamos en cosas que eran un poco repetitivas y que podrían haberse acortado.

A pesar de que en mi opinión le faltan un par de cosas, me gusta el estilo de la autora y creo que puede jugar muy bien con las situaciones tensas y los momentos de angustia, lo cuál para una novela de miedo viene muy bien.

-ALI

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🕯️𖤐 🪦🌕🎀

Here Lies Olive is the perfect book if you want Wednesday, Hocas Pocas, Nancy Drew, and (early-seasons) Riverdale vibes. I loved this YA horror story, just in time for Halloween.

Here Lies Olive follows our main character Olive, who after having a brush with death spirals into a dark, self-isolation hole wondering what the point of life is if there is nothing afterwards. All she wants is answers and what exactly happens after death, especially after seeing the one and only person she let in after the "Nothing," Mrs. H dies, and she sees the light in her eyes and recalls her calling for her Mom. She wants answers so badly that she tries to conjure the spirit of Mrs. H in an old abandoned and haunted asylum, Seymour House.

After weird things start to happen, she and her group of friends, including her ex-best friend, his girlfriend and new friend Vanessa, her nemesis/maybe crush Maren, and Jay the friendly ghost, band together to help figure everything out about Seymour House and help Jay cross over.

It's such a great plot, that even though I think I figured it out halfway through, I was still intrigued to finish and and find out the secrets. And I loved it. Not only was there a great plot, but Olive's self-journey and realizing that there is more to living than just living until there is Nothing was beautifully written. I loved her realization that she had feelings for her nemesis, and how she went about them. It's wholesome and cute.

This was a great debut by Kate Anderson, and I am looking forward to reading more of her work.

Thanks to Netgalley and Flux for a copy of the ebook. This review is left voluntarily.

Ever since Olive returned from the dead two years ago, she has been plagued by the idea of the Nothing that almost consumed her. And now that her beloved pseudo-grandmother also died in Olive’s presence nine months ago, it seems that Olive has the Nothing on her mind more than ever before. As Halloween draws nearer and a new student reunites an old friendship, Olive is determined to find a real ghost to get the answers to her questions about what lies beyond in order to finally move forward with living. Luckily, by residing in a paranormal-friendly town like White Haven, New Mexico, there are myriad places where Olive can look.

This first person, present-tense story invites readers into Olive’s mind from the first pages. Beautifully descriptive writing is satisfyingly juxtaposed against Olive’s more contrarian nature to showcase the fact that even though the idea of death overwhelms Olive on most occasions, she still has a great deal to live for. Olive is unapologetically herself, embracing the stereotypical behaviors of the “basic white girl” in autumn as well as her general lack of feelings, romantic or otherwise. It is perhaps because of this otherwise overt self-acceptance that she generates the most sympathy for her hidden mental struggles with the inevitability of death.

Young adult readers will recognize many of the character tropes that find their way into Olive’s high school experience, including the popular table, the know-it-all, and the way schools have of ostracizing students who have not grown up together. All this gives the novel a feel similar to that of a Halloween teen movie on one side, while Olive battles her inner demons on the other. Anyone who has ever had a brush with death will recognize some of Olive’s more complicated emotions, and as Olive gets closer to her goal, the narrative’s entry into the realm of fear and ghosts speaks to readers in an additional way. This is an enjoyable tale for young adult readers, especially in anticipation of the Halloween holiday.

Thanks to NetGalley and North Star Edition for providing me with an ARC in exchange for honest feedback!

This was such a great read. The scenes are described so vividly even my borderline aphantasiac ass could have a movie running in my head as I was reading. Sometimes I'd find myself feeling too old for the teen angst bullshit but ultimately I had to appreciate how authentic all of it was. at no point did the writing make me go "a teenager wouldn't fucking say that" and frankly that's a solid accomplishment. The best description I can provide for the narrative voice is "as if it was narrated by Veronica Sawyer from Heathers".

I'm glad to live in a time where a YA book will make a Mean Girls reference.
Perhaps the only thing I have to criticize is that I fundamentally disagree with Olive's world view. But then, the whole point of the book is that it changes so it's not even that much of a problem. It's just that try as I might I couldn't empathize with her on this topic.

A perfect Halloween read, this book was quite the wild ride!

It started like any typical Disney Channel Halloween Movie: the high school drama, the Halloween obsessed town, the girl who wants to conjure a ghost. It drew me into a false sense of security and then slowly got darker and darker as the book went on. By the end of the book, I felt like I was in a horror movie, reading as fast as I could to find out what happened next and make sure my favorite characters were ok.

If you’re looking for those spooky vibes this fall, this is definitely worth checking out!

"Here Lies Olive" by Kate Anderson marks her debut into the world of literature. This Young Adult thriller weaves an eerie tapestry of spine-tingling elements, making it a perfect literary companion for the Halloween season.

The narrative centers around Olive, who had a near-death encounter two years ago. This profound experience led her to retreat from society, pondering the enigma of what lies beyond death. Is it a vast void of Nothing, a sea of eternal blackness in which we all drift? Her quest for answers leads her to embark on a remarkable journey as she resolves to commune with a spirit.

I found myself captivated by the story, engrossed enough to devour it in a mere two days. The book delves into weighty themes such as the loss of loved ones and the accompanying grief. I believe it's crucial for the younger generation to confront and explore the darker facets of life, including death and the profound sorrow it brings.

The author's writing style is a true marvel, effortlessly drawing readers into the narrative, a quality I always appreciate. The characters are endearing, and the transformation of the queer characters from “enemies to lovers” (a favorite trope!) was beautifully executed within the story.

My sole issue is with the somewhat predictable nature of the story's antagonist within the ensemble of characters. Sadly, I can't get into specifics to avoid spoilers, but I do wish for a more surprising twist, as the eventual revelation didn't truly qualify as a plot twist.

All in all, Kate Anderson's debut is a solid and immensely enjoyable piece of literature, marking a promising start to what I hope will be a distinguished writing career.

Here Lies Olive Will be published on October 24, 2023

Thank you Netgalley and the Publishers North Star Editions and Flux for this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review
4/5 star

I really struggled to read this one!
Initially the cover and the synopsis sounded like it was going to be right up my alley. Paranormal in a cozy town with a spooky fall vibes!
The characters and the story don’t feel fully developed. I would be reading a paragraph and be so confused as to what was happening that I would have to go back a re-read a lot.
I feel like there were so many social issues mentioned in the story that didn’t really fit, they were just thrown in at random time's with no real reason for them to be in the story or at least weren’t incorporated well enough for it to make sense.
Never felt connected to any character or felt like the characters had any real connection to each other.
Jay’s character ended up being my favorite part of the book, and the parts where he was involved were the most enjoyable and felt more developed!
The ideas for this book were so fun, it just missed the mark.
Thank you North Star Editions and NetGalley for this ARC!

I'm going to start with the negatives first. Olive, and the other characters, were quite one dimensional. Olive was predictable and slightly annoying. There were so many instances that the characters felt too cartoonish for the moments that they found themselves in. Character ARCs felt forced and stereotypical. That being said, it was a fun read and it did have some things to say as well. I feel like this is more of a middle grade, but it's marketed as YA.

DNF @ 57%

This is the first time I'm DNF'ing an ARC, but I want to make it clear that I really appreciate the opportunity and that I really tried my hardest. This is completely an it's-me-not-you type of situation.

I failed to connect to anybody and anything. I was never pulled in and eventually, I didn't want to pick this back up and read. I was stalling reading on purpose just so I wouldn't have to dive back into something that felt so lukewarm TO ME. Here Lies Olive felt more MG than YA, which is fine (though it is a specific pet peeve of mine), but it mostly just felt... very basic. There was nothing in particular that captured my attention in any way. The plot and the characters all felt a bit cardboard to me, and it didn't feel like a book coming out in 2023 at all (if we take away the lovely queer rep).

This one just really didn't work for me, unfortunately.

DNF @37%

Unfortunately I had too many problems with this book to continue reading.

Firstly, I didn't like the characterisation of Olive, which made it difficult to read the story since it's written from her perspective. After almost having died from an allergic reaction Olive has trouble living her life like before and becomes obsessed with what happens after dying. She doesn't feel connected to her family and friends anymore and starts neglecting them. These are of course very understandable trauma responses, and I relate to them to a certain extent because of my severe health and pain issues. However, the way it made Olive feel 'superior' (I don't know what to call it) was really uncomfortable for me. For example, Olive says it's a luxury that her friends haven't thought (or had to think) about what comes after death yet, which seems like a very insensitive thing to think - especially about her Navajo friend David whose grandparents are residential school survivors. Maybe this all wouldn't have been such an issue for me if Olive was written in a more three-dimensional way, and if the topics of death and the afterlife were approached with more nuance and depth.

Secondly, I thought the way colonialism and racism were discussed didn't do justice to the horrors they entail. Comments about stolen land and police brutality, among others, were thrown in randomly and often flippantly. For example, the author writes that the abandoned asylum a large part of the story takes place in was - "in true arrogant American fashion" - built on land that was set aside for the Navajo reservation. 'Arrogant' feels like a very weird term that understates the horror of stealing Indigenous land. The story often acknowledges the suffering of the (white) people who were abused in the asylum, but not the suffering of the Indigenous people who lived in that area. Olive even says it must be terrible for Maren, her potential love interest, to be the great-granddaughter of the founder of the asylum because "the only thing Maren has to do with it is her name, and she can't help that". And then there's David's dad, a member of the Navajo Nation, who is planning to demolish the asylum with his land-development firm and build on the graves of the people who died there - which seems to me like a strange storyline to choose, knowing that colonisers often built on Indigenous burial grounds.

However, I am white and not Indigenous (and I'm from Belgium, not the US), so my opinion on this matter is not important. But since I haven't found many other reviews that talk about this yet, I wanted to mention it.

Lastly, I thought it was a bit frustrating that the book tries to acknowledge cultural diversity but then makes it seem as if there can only be one interpretation of the afterlife and of ghosts or spirits.

Maybe some of the things I mentioned here changed throughout the rest of the book, but unfortunately I couldn't motivate myself to keep reading.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️ (I don't like to rate books I haven't finished, but since it's required I give it 2 stars based on what I have read.)

Thank you to NetGalley and Flux for the eARC!

What a great story! Olive is a character I felt was easy to relate to. The way she copes with her own death and then being brought back to life feels real. Kate truly illustrates the stages a grief and regret in a relatable way. This is a great spooky season book, with it all taking place in October. I can’t wait to see what else Kate writes!

I received a copy from Netgalley for review.

So I'm DNFing at 35%. I don't know what it is about this story. but I'm just not into it at all. We follow Olive (who recently had a brush with death), Davis, Vanessa and Maren, while they try to assist Jay (who's like dead for real) find his grave so that he can finally be at rest, and maybe get some details about the ever after for Olive. Which sounds like a decent story, but I don't think it was well executed (obviously because I'm DNFing). There was just something missing to make me want to hold my interest while I read. I literally would rather doom scroll on tiktok than read this story.

Here Lies Olive by Kate Anderson

What you can expect:
➺ In Here Lies Olive, we traverse through the specters of death alongside Olive. Following a near-death experience and the loss of a friend, Olive becomes enveloped in a dark obsession, pondering the mysteries of the afterlife and navigating through her teenage years under this morbid shadow.

Themes:
➺ Death, The Afterlife, Teenage Perception, Existential Inquiry, Paranormal, Trauma, Love

What I liked:
➺ I was instantly drawn by the chilling allure of the paranormal and the exploration of weighty, metaphysical questions through the eyes of a young protagonist. The promise of a cozy small town, a hauntingly abandoned asylum, and a paranormal romance seemed to be a checklist of captivating elements.
➺ There's a potent mix of elements that usually spell enthrallment: a dash of paranormal, the cozy confinement of a small town, echoes of unsolved mysteries in a deserted asylum, and the tender exploration of young love.


What I didn't like:
➺ Overbearing Repetition: Olive’s initially intriguing obsession with death rapidly morphs into an annoying drumbeat, reverberating insistently and diminishing the complexity of her character into a seemingly two-dimensional portrayal.
➺ Stagnant Emotional Development: The narrative seems to be engulfed in its own repetitive emotional beats, recycling Olive's fear and sadness into an almost predictable pattern rather than allowing room for diverse emotional or narrative arcs.
➺ Inconsistent Characterisation: Certain characters, like Vannessa, threw me off balance with plot twists that seemed slightly forced and justifications that felt paradoxical, such as juxtaposing empathy with manipulation.
➺ Half Baked Plot: With a trove of intriguing plot elements, the underdeveloped narrative arcs and the characters' lack of genuine struggle or evolution was disappointing.

Final Musings:
Alright, so Here Lies Olive started off with some real promise. We got this creepy-cool mix of themes, a dab into the unknown, and honestly, who doesn't want to unravel a good mystery about the afterlife? But, oh lord, it kinda trips over its own vibe as we dive deeper. Even though it tries to dive into these huge, profound questions about death and what comes after, it kinda gets lost.

And the character developments? Some moments I was like, "Wait, what?" It’s like it was on the verge of digging deep into something really meaningful and just kind of... wandered off into the ether.

Thank you to NetGalley and North Star Editions for providing me this book for my honest review.

Sometimes when you read a book, it's easy to talk about what you love or hate about it and sometimes it's just plain ole' vibes. Here Lies Olive is a vibes book for me 100%.

Here Lies Olive is a YA horror story centered around a handful of teens living in the kitschy, death obsessed town of White Haven. Olive has spent the last 2 years trying to hold herself apart from everyone she knew well before dying for 5 minutes, but when an elderly woman she's grown close to passes, suddenly she's questioning everything. Where do we go after we die? Is there truly Nothing? Olive sets off on a mission to ask the dead that very question and where best to summon a ghost than the very haunted town of White Haven.

The vibes of this book were immaculate. Olive starts the novel alone, disconnected and without any clue who she is after her experiences, but needing answers. The plot brings new and old people into her life, some well meaning and others not so. I will say that the villain felt fairly obvious upon their introduction, but that by no means took away from the build up of horror and thrill.

Here Lies Olive is the perfect spooky, Fall reader for any reader young or old that loves abandoned asylums, summoning ghosts or a darker version of Halloweentown!

Thank you so much to Flux/ North Star Editions and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review

Olive had a death experience two years ago and it’s haunted her since, then her best friend Mrs. H died in her hands. Desperate to find out if death is really nothing she tries to summon the dead to ask them. She summons Jay a relative of her friends who doesn’t know where his grave is, the plan is to find it and put him to rest.

The setting for this story was amazing this small town that runs as a haunted Halloween tourist town, with many dark hidden haunting secrets. I honestly loved the setting of this book so much. The Asylum/sanatorium is literally what adds so much to this story. Asylums like the one in the book have many dark stories to tell and I really loved that this book leaned into it.

Our protagonist Olive seeks out answers after a two year struggle, after she pushed everyone away and shut herself off. She constantly fears that once she’s dead there’s literally nothing left after that. So she goes seeking out all her answers and hopes that Jay who she summons can tell her that. So that both of them can heal and move on. I liked that we went on this journey with her, she’d been haunted for so long and lost so much because of it. It was so nice that she got her answers, that she figured out how to live and not let the nothing win over her. I liked that we got to see her building the relationship back up with Davis, he was the biggest thing she lost and I was so happy reading that they reunited completely through the story.

I really loved the budding quiet romance between Olive and Maren but I wanted more, I felt like we should have been given so much more of them honestly. I really wanted them to spend that time together gardening, doing that project together like they’d mentioned. I wanted the site they found to be done together, Olive made the list. I kind of thought that we would have had that important scene between Maren and Olive, helping put everyone at rest with the respect they deserved. There was honestly so much more I feel the author could have given us between these two and their beautiful relationship.

The dark mystery around the asylum, the shades, the spirits lingering, the search for Jay’s grave and to put him at ease. The strangeness around Vanessa and her sudden arrival at the school and town, it was all really fascinating and intriguing. I found myself hooked into it all wanting to get to the bottom of it, then with the attacks on other students and the scary attacks at the outdoor theatre. It really makes your brain whir trying to figure everything out and it was such an entertaining read.

Overall this was a really good paranormal, mystery, romance, I enjoyed following the story, unlocking all the secrets and seeing Olive come out of her darkness and trying to learn to live again, to fall in love, to let her best friend back into her life.

I really enjoyed this book, it was the perfect cozy, yet spooky read for fall. The plot was solid and kept me guessing, and the slow burn romance was so cute 😍

I really liked the story line and the paranormal aspects in this book. I also respected the characters and had a good time reading it. There's a good message too the book and I didn't mind following a teen protagonist like I normally do. This was a great spooky read. I only wish it came out earlier this month so I could make all my friends read it too.

4.5 ⭐️

(Swipe for the color version of the cover - too pretty not to share!)

I absolutely devoured this book and I loved every minute of it. The story flowed incredibly well, pacing was smooth and kept you immersed in the story, and the language/writing was perfectly chosen to make this interesting and entertaining while still being very easy to consume.

I would never peg this as a debut novel if I hadn’t already known, as it feels like Kate Anderson has really found her voice and writing style. This reads like an experienced novelist, not someone just figuring out their style.

Here Lies Olive is dark and twisty and a little bit spooky, but still fun and leaves you feeling uplifted and content. A great YA novel for spooky season, but I would also recommend to the adult crowd as well who are looking for something to really drag them into an exciting plot.

I did pretty much figure out the twist (and had suspicions from pretty early on), which took away from what I assume was an intended shock factor, but I don’t think it took away from the plot itself at all to see it coming. For a YA reader, this twist may still come out as shocking and exciting, but for an adult reader I think we lost a little bit there.

Overall this was an incredible read and I have already preordered my physical copy as I expect this to be a reread next fall!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kate Anderson, and North Star Editions/Flux for the eARC!

In this paranormal book, ghost, two strange girls and ones big crush have formed an alliance to save their loved one. This was such an original premise and I enjoyed every moment of it!