"Every ten years in the strange little town of Lennon, California, one person is chosen to return from the dead…" THIS PREMISE IS SOOOO COOL! As soon as I rad that, I couldn't wait to get my hand son ANNIE LEBLANC IS NOT DEAD YET, and it was such a fun read!!! There's drama (like real beef between people), and of course, a mystery. And the ending is definitely one that will keep you thinking long after you flip that last page.

The premise for this book was interesting. A town where every ten years somebody is chosen to return from the dead. But of course it is not as straight forward as it might sound.
I enjoyed the book and thought it well written and kept my interest, but as I have seen others mention, the end left me wondering.

Quite an unexpected gem of a story that I simply adored!
A small town with a tradition of bringing back one of the dead for 30 days. I'm just going to stop right there cause if that sentence alone peaks your interest then I recommend you pick this one up you'll be glad you did.

If you could bring back one person for one day then who would it be? If you could bring them back for good, but need to reunite with ex friend to so would you and could you? These questions are asked in Molly Morris’ book: ANNIE LEBLANC IS NOT DEAD. This novel of love, friendship and resurrection is a YA story perfect for fans of shows like The Good Place. Next time you’re at a bookstore take a peek & see if this book is available. You’ll be glad you did.

*3.5

This book is really funny and bittersweet at the same time. I really liked it. The premises were really good and the resolution is good either. Maybe not the best evolution I ever read, but it’s “realistic” (at least, it’s realistic in the magic realism the author has created) and I was moved by the finale.
I don’t buy the romance at all. Ryan and Wil are better as friends than as girlfriends, but whatever.
The book is good and funny but also explores the grief and the loss of a loved one.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

this book was so fun to read, honestly. its magical realism is fun and interesting, and its implementation shows that morris really thought through this concept before putting it into action. the characters feel very very real to me in their messiness and silliness, and even if i wouldn’t like hanging out with them in real life (looking at ryan here, even though i don’t think she’d like me much either), i can appreciate how authentic they feel. i also loved the progression of the story and how more and more was revealed, because while the narrative that wilson had created at the beginning was believable, there was a deep satisfaction in finding out the real story behind what happened to annie or what was going on with ryan. these details were also more engaging and rougher around the edges than what wilson had previously thought was going on, and i enjoyed how real and messy they felt. and i know we likely won’t get any answers on this, but… what did that final sentence mean??? this book’s ending was very sweet but leaves you with more than a few questions, in a way that i think is enjoyable rather than annoying. i will say that i wasn’t a huge fan of the romance, just because it felt a wee bit unnecessary to the story arc, and my one petty complaint is that i have beef with jody. iykyk.

While this was a little bit of a slow burn for me in the beginning, it hooked me and I could not put it down. The premise felt entirely original and I could absolutely see this being TV series. Highly recommend this read - it's fun, it's quirky, and it really caught me off guard.

Molly Morris has created my kind of threesome. A story of friendship and growth weaved into a excellent example YA magical realism.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

This was a unique take on the second chance trope filled with all the angst from a ya romance and a teen friend group. Loved the idea of bringing someone back from the dead for 30 days and trying to right some wrongs. Points for an original tale but I felt the story dragged a bit and the ending wasn't clear enough. I'm still a bit confused by that final line.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC!

What a unique concept! The idea of the whole Welcome Back ceremony and resurrecting someone for 30 days instantly caught my attention. Suspending disbelief for a bit and leaning into the whole idea of the town of Lennon being sentient and magical to make events like this happen was really fun. I enjoyed the plot and the whole concept of trying to bring Annie back for good, but I do felt like some parts of the book dragged on a bit and some parts could've been given more exposition.

I struggled a bit with our main characters. I thought Wilson, the book's narrator, was fine, if a bit flat as a character, and particularly struggled with how self deprecating she was for most of the novel. Then I felt like her actions in the last quarter of the book were out of character, there wasn't much development for her at all. With Annie and Ryan, I have mixed emotions. They were much more complex as characters which I liked, but Ryan in particular was a bit unbearable at points and I really couldn't empathize with her much. I was a big fan of the whole reveal of Annie's character towards the end though. I got quite emotional at that bit.

I also could not get on board with Wilson and Ryan's relationship at all, the way Ryan treated Wilson and the way Wilson went on about how belittled/insecure she felt because of Ryan did not have me rooting for them to end up together. I think what would have made this aspect of the book better were more flashbacks of moments between these two, or just more exposition into why specifically these two liked each other.

I enjoyed how there were parts of the book that felt very wholesome and nice before you get hit with the reminder that Annie only has X amount of days before she returns to the afterlife. While I felt that the middle of the book kind of dragged on, the ending bit was a really nice, bittersweet twist and I loved the note the book ended on.

Overall, I thought this book was ok and I feel like if I were in a more specific mood that craved this kind of story/these kinds of tropes, I would've enjoyed this a lot more. 3 stars, thank you again to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC!

If I had a nickel for every time I read a queer journey of self discovery titled Blank isn't Dead Yet, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice. My biggest takeaway from this book was how bad it made me want to watch the good place after. The concept of the Welcome Back, Wil's determination to save the life she remembers turning to desperation as she ends up stuck in loop of denying the life she and the people around her have. While I had trust by the end, I was still hoping right up until I read the title of the epilouge. A wonderful exploration of the kind of grief that comes at huge turning points in life, of mourning childhood an accepting life as it comes. I adored this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book to review.

I love that Molly Morris's bio says she writes "YA Weirdness." I'm pretty sure that's my preferred genre. ;)

I will have to say, the off-the-rails town of Lennon, California, was almost too much weird for me. WHY do they have a ceremony bringing someone back from the dead for 30 days every 10 years? How did it start? Why is the woman who runs it immortal?

But by throwing us into such a town (where it almost never rains and the town itself has quite the personality), Morris sets the stage for the characters populating said town.

Our MC is Wilson, "Wil," whose mom was 17 when she was born. Wil has been steeped in 90s culture and grown up basically taking care of her mom, Jody.

But the great mystery of her life is how her two best friends both ditched her at the same time. And then one of them died.

Wil brings back Annie LeBlanc for 30 days after winning the Welcome Back contest, and then tries to keep Annie around for good by reuniting these three besties from childhood.

Meanwhile, is she going to start a romance with the dreamy Mark ... even though his sister is the other best friend who got away?

This is definitely a wild ride and hard to put down. It might have been teetering on the edge of Too Wild for me, but it's an entertaining journey. And sometimes that's all you want from a book, right?

I loved this so much! One of my favorite YAs of the year.

Anything with magical realism is going to be a win for me, but these magical elements were so unique and fun and extra special! I loved the friendship journey at the core of this book and the romance that resulted from it. I also loved the characters and their very relatable struggles and journeys. This book was so sweet and fast-paced and readable and I truly loved every second of it!

This was delightful and kickstarted my YA binge. The premise is unique and the story is entertaining while also being heartwrenching. Was not prepared to enjoy it was much as I did.

ANNIE LEBLANC IS NOT DEAD YET was so adorable! I flew through it because I enjoyed it so much. It has a totally unique story that is equal parts Yann Martel magical realism and 90s/00s teen girl power movie vibes. The earnest, complicated friendship between the three girls was just perfect. I loved all of these characters and loved the way they loved each other. This is a book with tremendous re-reading potential because of its sincere, tried-and-true friendship saga at the center of the story. You'll love ANNIE LEBLANC IS NOT DEAD YET, I promise.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC! I am very sorry my review was late. Life got in the way of turning it in on time, but at least I didn't accidentally drown.

What if you had the chance to bring someone back for 30 days? What if you had the chance to right all the wrongs with someone who died?

This is exactly what it is. The main POV was given this incredible opportunity when she won the drawing to bring someone back to life. She brought back her best friend who had been deceased for two years.

The beginning started out really confusing. However, I pushed on hoping it’ll improve which it did. This is actually a story of two seventeen year olds who just graduated and teen who died two years brought back to life spending 30 days together figuring out what had happened that had dissolved their lifetime friendship before Annie passed. This is a story of redemption, forgiveness, compassion, empathy, forging new friendships, moving on from the past and learning life, and navigating through life.

Even though I’m a grandmother, I recognized all the references from the late 90s and 2000s. It was nice bringing back fond memories my son growing up in that era.

There maybe a mixed feeling for some readers dealing with death and bringing back to life. Keep in mind…this is what ifs….and it’s only a story.

I really enjoyed this book except for the beginning. It was really confusing and chaotic. After that, everything fell into place.

Low four stars from me.

Thank you Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this copy of an eARC for an exchange for my honest review.
As usual, all of my reviews are purely my own opinions without any influence from any publisher.

Being able to bring someone back from the dead and reconnect is definitely an interesting storyline and caught my attention right away.

The YA genre made it seem a little teen angst-y to me and the story dragged out a bit but overall the characters were interesting enough to pick it back up. Wil is a fav, for sure. Named after Wilson Phillips...hell yeah!!

The ending was a bit confusing..not sure if that was meant to be or it was just me but I don't think that it took away from the story as a whole.

Read If You Like:
Quirky YA
Small Town
Magical Realism
Queer Characters
Comics/90's Music

I am a bit conflicted about this book. I think I might have read it at the wrong moment because in theory, I should've loved this book. I might revisit it sometime soon!

<i>I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I'll be honest: I wanted to read this book because of the title and cover. I didn't pay much attention to the synopsis.

The cover feels a little misleading. I thought the characters were going to be a bit older, maybe college age? And the synopsis doesn't say anything that would let you know they're all newly-graduated high school seniors. But even after adjusting my expectations, this book disappointed me.

The story is told from Wilson's point of view and she's kinda terrible. She assumes the worst of everyone and never questions whether her assumptions are correct. She never asks anyone why they did what they did! The combination of anxious self-hatred and unintentional arrogance make it really hard to connect with her.

I hesitate to call this magical realism. It's set up as if the town and the mystical 10-year ritual of bringing someone back from the dead is another character. There are many references to Lennon as an almost-sentient being. I love this angle but it's massively underdeveloped. I wish it had been more atmospheric, that there'd been more of an exploration of the magic. As it exists, it feels like a convenient plot device.

I'm ambivalent on this one.

Look, I have no idea why people get to come back from the beyond for a month. Neither do the characters in the story, just that they do. Wilson hasn't any more answers than we do, but she does know one thing, and that is she is bound and determined to bring back dead former-bestie Annie LeBlanc when she wins the chance to do so. I thought the lack of "why" answers would bother me more than it did, so if it is giving you pause, don't let it! This is such a heartwarming tale of friendship and love and growing up, and I really enjoyed it!

Basically, Wilson has thirty days to figure out if she can somehow get Annie to stay- forever. She tries to get the ol' friend group back together, but there is a lot of bad blood among these three, for various reasons you'll find out about. Suffice it to say, Wilson has her work cut out for her. But her intentions are noble, and it is nice to see them getting a second chance. I did kind of hope for a few more answers (like- there was talk of a "photo...dated 1800" like guys that didn't exist then. Is it supposed to be more of the "specialness" of the town, or is it just an error?) but the story was really good regardless.

There is a lot of humor, which helps keep the morbidness of Annie being dead from being too overwhelming. I know I would want to hang out with these people, basically. And they all have their reasons for how things played out- no one is totally wrong, no one is totally right, and they have to come to terms with that. A lot of character development and growth takes place, is what I am saying. I also think knowing that Annie has an expiration date, for lack of a better term, helps make the book feel extra readable. You just cannot help flying through the pages, wondering what will become of the girls. Plus, it is quite thought provoking- would you bring someone back? What would you do with the chance? You just cannot help but put yourself in Wilson's shoes.

Now, the ending was a little... confusing for me. I think I liked it, but only if I understood it the way I think I did? I think it could have used just a touch more fleshing out, but only so I could be sure that I liked how it ended! It's okay though, because I am content in my ignorance, in this case.

Bottom Line: Such a charming book that ponders what one young woman would do when given a second chance at lost friendships.