It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy this book persay, it was just that I couldn’t get past certain “ick” factors. You know when some people give off certain “pick me” type of vibes or try to hard to portray a particular stereotype but you know deep down that’s not who they are? That’s how I felt with the FMC in this book.

This book was a little bit too long for me. The romance didn't fit for me, and was the least interesting part of the book.

Full review and links to social will be posted as soon as possible.

I'd like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Well what a weird book. I didn’t love any of the characters, found some of them annoying and there was so many mini storylines I had no idea what was going on. However I did enjoy the concept and the biggest question is… did Annie stay?

Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet is a quirky gem from Molly Morris that flips the script on friendship and the afterlife. In the bizarre town of Lennon, California, Wilson Moss wins a contest to bring back her ex-best friend Annie, who ghosted her before dying. Surprise! Annie’s back for a month, and things get hilariously messy.

Wil’s desperate plan to keep Annie around involves a loophole and their mutual frenemy, Ryan, who conveniently hates both of them. The tension is palpable, filled with awkward kisses and buried truths that make for an emotional rollercoaster. Morris delivers sharp dialogue and relatable characters that keep you hooked.

This book is a delightful mix of sass, humor, and heartfelt moments. It’s a fun reminder that friendships can be complicated—and sometimes, you have to resurrect a few skeletons to get to the heart of the matter. Grab this one for a witty, feel-good read!

i loved Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet. it resonated hard with me as an oldest daughter to a single mom and it also resonated with me as someone who was friendless immediately after graduating high school. there were some part that felt more juvenile than others but it’s about a bunch of freshly graduated teenagers who one of them just brought their dead ex best friend back from the afterlife sooo yeah they all acted exactly how i would expect lmao anyway, i devoured this once i got into and im mad at myself that i saved it for my spooky month reading but im so so glad i read it at all. Wilson is so special and even though im not a huge fan of how ever adult in her life treats her, im glad to know that she’s in a better place emotionally by the end of the book. 4.75 stars rounded up to 5⭐️

Every ten years in the strange little town of Lennon, California, one person is chosen to return from the dead…

If you're looking for an arrestingly lovable queer novel that gives you friendship, romance, and a humorous kick of magic and mystery, then Annie LeBlanc is Not Dead Yet is absolutely for you!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

Who wouldn't want the opportunity to spend an extra year with someone who meant the world to them? When Wilson Moss gets this opportunity, she brings back her ex-best friend Annie in the hopes of closure. When their friendship starts resembling what it used to be, Wilson makes it her mission to make sure Annie can stay. The characters and the story are filled with little intricate details, and this was a stunningly written book packed with emotion that will keep you wondering till the end.

(3.5/5 stars)

Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet by Molly Morris is a speculative YA romance with heaping helpings of magical realism.

I initially picked this up because it has a really intriguing concept. Who would you pick if an every-ten-year town contest selected you to choose one person to come back from the dead for 30 days?

The town of Lennon was really cute, weird lottery notwithstanding. This read on the younger side of YA for me, but I think it does provide some true-to-life examples of multi-faceted people. Each and every character who lives there is complex and doesn't always make the right decision. That made them feel more real to me.

I think I liked that the ending, while bittersweet, was also slightly open-ended.

CW: mentions about death and grieving

I was intrigued by the odd concept of this book when I first saw it online and then saw the author was one I’d previously enjoyed a book by. So, of course I had to give it a read. It was odd, heart-warming and interesting YA book that was fun to read.

Wilson entered the town’s top-secret contest in the hopes of resurrecting her ex-best friend Annie LeBlanc, but she didn’t think she’d win. Now Annie is back and Wilson is ecstatic, even if Annie did ghost her a year before she died.

Like any contest, there are rules. The resurrected dead can only return for thirty days. But, when Wilson discovers a loophole that means Annie might be able to stay for good, she’s desperate to keep her alive. The key, their third best friend, Ryan, who openly hates them both and who hasn’t spoken to Wilson since they kissed. Wilson can put all that aside for one month, she just needs to stop thinking about it first.

I’d recommend going into this book expecting to be confused but also expecting a heart-warming story. There are so many why questions that you ask whilst reading this book and a lot of them never get an answer. But, if you suspend your belief and just sink into the story you’ll no doubt have fun reading it.

All of the characters in this book are imperfect and have their own complexities. Wilson is trying to do her best to help those around her and bring together her friendship group once again. Annie brings a little bit of morbid humour to the book. She is just as confused as us about why she has been brought back from the dead but wants to make the most of her time before it runs out. Ryan is hard to get on with at first but as the book progressed she became my favourite of the trilogy for a few reasons.

There are also a number of side characters we meet throughout the book who bring their own storylines and sometimes mysteries. This was a little addition to the book that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I had a little bit of an issue with the pacing of this book. It started out slowly which meant it was quite difficult to get into. But, as the story progresses you cannot help but be sucked into the books oddness. It really leaves you thinking, hold on how did we get here.

This is the second book I’ve read by Molly Morris and it is the second book I’ve enjoyed by her. She has a unique writing style and is certainly an author whose books I’ll be reading more of in the future.

Overall, Annie LeBlanc is Not Dead Yet is a heart-warming, whimsical tale of friendship, finding out who you are and love. I had a lot of fun reading it and would definitely recommend giving it a read.

This review has been sitting in my notes app for a few months now but I think I have finally got it put together.
The setting of this novel reminds me of Shirley Jackson's the Lottery in the sense that it is a town-wide activity with no outsiders allowed, instead this time it has a bizarre supernatural element that isn't quite out of the realm of possibility.

Additionally, Morris uses heavy themes (friendship, grief, and believable characters with some imperfections and emotional depth. Some areas I found lacking include the world building left me wanting more and a greater understanding of the lore behind the town. With the lack of world building, I felt the pacing was a little too fast and didn't fully embrace the development of plot points and characters, especially secondary/smaller characters.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC! I love strange, speculative books about grief and this one checked every single box. I cried real tears. 100% a new favourite. The romance was also super sweet and the three person friend group dynamic was really well executed and explored.

I am unfortunately pretty disappointed with this book. Not going to lie, I dropped it about a quarter of the way in because I was just not meshing with it whatsoever. It is likely just a me problem, but regardless.

The general idea is that Wil is a 17 year old girl from a small town in southern California and a while back had a huge falling out with her two best friends - one of whom, Annie, left to go to a rich prep school at the start of their junior year, and died during her 18th birthday party. The fun twist is that their town is very special. Every ten years, someone is elected to choose one person back from the dead for 30 days, and by chance, Wil is chosen. She chooses to bring back Annie for reasons she doesn't really understand and their other ex-bestie Ryan, REALLY doesn't understand. Wil though thinks she might have found a loophole in this plan, and wants to bring Annie back permanently.

Sounds fun right? Well, it could be! Unfortunately, I couldn't really get past the quirkiness (derogatory), poor characterization, and meandering plot.

I enjoy a good quirky book. Sometimes they can get a little over-the-top and teeter over the edge of annoying, but honestly, it's expected with a premise like this and with it being YA. My problem is that this quirkiness becomes grating with the complete and utter lack of decent characterization or even just general descriptions.

One thing I can always count on YA books is for the excessive descriptions of the characters, settings, etc. with limited success - but this kind of went into the other direction. I could barely picture the town properly, nevermind the characters. I kept getting confused as to who was who, and the author heavily relies on pop culture references to build any sort of characterization. I don't mind references, but when they are used as a way to tell you about a character, there is a strong chance it's going to fall flat - and in this case I'm pretty sure I was not getting the message the author was trying to tell.

For example, our main, Wil, loves to read 90s comics, Fun! One of her favorite series' is Buffy - which as a fan, I'm also down for. But the way that it's brought up, it seems like the author is trying to see how much of a loner and weirdo she is for liking all this 90s stuff...I think. Still not sure. But with the amount that we're told that she has no friends (even in her tiny town where everyone's know each other forever, which okay, sure) post-friend breakup, it's the only conclusion we can draw. But like, all of the stuff she likes is about as mainstream as you can get, especially these days with the 90s craze going on.

And then there's Wil's relationship with her mom, which also seems...weird. I don't want to get into it too much, but I'm just confused about how this works out for a bunch of reasons.

Then we get interesting tidbits about the town, and the mysterious head of Historical Society who might be immortal, but we're just going to brush over that?? See it's things like this that would grab my attention, but instead we're just going to pivot away, and quite frankly I can't be bothered to read more to find out.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I'm sure this is the book for someone, but unfortunately, it's not for me.

Thank you Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the eARC of Annie LeBlanc is Not Dead Yet! All opinions in this review are my own.

I liked the idea for this book that every 10 years someone in this small town is chosen to bring someone back from the dead and Wilson chooses her ex-best friend Annie LeBlanc. This ended up being a really sweet friendship story about Wilson trying to heal her relationships with Annie and Ryan. I was a little disappointed because I thought there was going to be more related to this town secret but I did really like the ending. Overall, this is a cute YA friendship novel!

I have tried to pick up this book a couple of times trying to get into it. I loved the premise a lot and wanted to love it. Maybe at another time. At this time it’s not for me. I ended up DNFing it.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press amd Molly Morris for the chance to read the eARC and give an honest review.

I love to read books based in California since that is where I live. I thought this was cute enough to read, but lacked a good overall plot.

A teen unexpectedly wins an opportunity for ex best friend to come back from the dead for 30 days. When she discovers there might be a way for her to permanently stay, she must turn to her other ex best friend for help.

This one was ok for me. I think there was too little explained early on about the whole come back from the dead system and everyone just acted like it was so normal, which made it hard for the reader. I also thought all the plot was fairly predictable - not awful, just very expected.

This review has been posted to Goodreads and Storygraph on September 5th, 2024. Links provided.

In the quirky town of Lennon, California, someone is resurrected from the dead every ten years. This time around, newly graduated Wilson Moss unexpectedly wins the chance to bring back her ex-best friend, Annie LeBlanc. Though Annie had ghosted her a year before her death, Wil is thrilled by her return, even if it is for only 30 days. Determined to keep Annie alive longer, Wil uncovers a potential loophole in the town’s magic, but it unfortunately involves their estranged third best friend, Ryan. With tensions between them high, Wil races against time to prevent losing both of her friends again, all while being forced to confront uncomfortable truths and unspoken feelings about Annie, Ryan, and their past.

I honestly wasn’t 100% positive what to expect from this book when I first read the description but I love sapphic coming of age novels and the premise intrigued me. Overall, I really quite enjoyed this book! The “Welcome Back” concept was very creative and really had me wondering who I would choose to bring back if given the chance. I loved the small town vibe of Lennon, and having lived many years in San Diego, I (selfishly) really enjoyed reading about the trios adventures around the San Diego area. While the general idea of the books does rely on some “magic,” the book is actually a really sweet coming of age story about the importance of friendships, relationships, and being honest with yourself and those you love. I really enjoyed Wilson as the FMC and being able to witness her personal growth throughout the book, as well as the growth in her relationship with her friends and family. The only aspect of the book that I struggled with was how mean Ryan could often be to Wilson and Annie. I understand where Ryan’s hurt was coming from but I often find it difficult to see characters treat each other so poorly because of a basic lack of communication. Thankfully, all is well in the end so it is always nice to read a book with a happy ending! Also, I really loved the way the book ended and what was implied. I would highly recommend this book if you are looking for a young adult sapphic story about personal growth and second chances.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Window Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read to an ARC of Annie LeBlanc is Not Dead Yet in return for my honest review.

This book took me a while to get into.

I felt like everyone was a bit to blasé about the fact that someone literally came back from the dead. The story had such an interesting premise but it just sort of clumped along for a while. I also struggled to connect with the main romance of the book. its hard to talk about the book, the characters, and the story because I just spent so much time being uninterested in them and what was going on.

This was an interesting book, but it was different than what I was expecting. The premise was unique and intriguing, but I felt that the focus was less on the resurrection of Annie LeBlanc and more on the fractured relationships between the main characters. There was a lot of teen drama that I did not care to read about. The ending was strange and left me with questions. Overall, this was an average read for me.