Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

"The rainforest smells like wet dirt-- it's perfect."

THAT LAST LINE GAVE ME CHILLS. This was a really great story despite all the miscommunication that was in it. You can tell from the get-go that the girls really just needed to sit down and talk about everything that when wrong with their friendship and why. When all was said and done... I was still kind of angry at Ryan for her reasoning but everything worked out well in the end so it's all good. One of my favorite side characters in this was actually Mark, Ryan's brother. I thought he was really funny. Every scene he was in brought me joy and I'm a little sad that him and Wilson didn't work out in the end. I think they would've been really good together. The last chapter was probably the best one, especially the last line, as I wrote above. Overall this was such a good book and I throughly enjoyed it!

Rating: 4/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

This is a cute book that young adults will be able to relate to on different levels, if it has to do with sexuality, loss of friendships, understanding death and grief, with a little bit of magic all rolled into one.

With this book I already knew that I would like it because it had to do with bringing back a loved one from death, but with one catch they can only come back for 30 days. You will meet Wilson who is trying to figure out what is next in her life and what to do. She feels as though all her friends and everyone that she cares about have left her behind and she is just a shell of the person she used to be.

In this book you will be taken away to a place called Lennon, where every 10 years they have a contest, and one lucky winner will be able to pick who they would like to come back from for 30 days and she picks her best friend Annie who drowned at her 18th birthday party. With one of her best friends back now she is determined to get friends back and to see if she can make sense out of her teenage life.

The plot was fun and different from the books that I have read before. It has second chances, fixing friendships, traumas of high school and life afterwards. The characters were fun and had great personalities, they were all different and complex in their own ways. The character development was right on point at the ending of the book. I felt that everything was wrapped up nicely, but I did have one thing that I was confused about, but at the same time I really liked that little bit of information we got.

I also received the audio of this book, and I thought that the narrator did a great job with connecting the characters to the readers and bringing them to life.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin Press for the opportunity to review this book.

I knew from the first page that I was going to love Molly Morris’s Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet. It’s quirky and original and just totally captivating.

Here’s the premise: Wilson Moss is a high school senior, and she’s completely alone. She’s been alone since both of her best friends abandoned her, just as they were moving into their junior years. Ryan cut her off completely (though they—awkwardly—still work together at Ryan’s mom’s restaurant). Wilson’s mom left Wil’s long-time stepfather, the adult who provided the most stability in her and her younger half-sister’s life.

Her friend Annie? She not only transferred to the local private school but also ended their friendship. And then, she died.

Wil’s not exactly sure what happened, though she has some ideas. So, she takes a chance on her town’s unique contest, a once-every-decade anomaly. Any resident of Lennon can throw their name in the hat for a chance to bring back someone dead . . . for 30 days.

Shockingly, Wil wins the contest, which means she has 30 days to (temporarily) resurrect her friendship and to figure out just what makes her so unlovable.

The whole situation is complicated. Ryan had begun making small forays into friendship again, but Wil’s choice makes Ryan beyond angry since the first fissures in their friendship began with Annie and Ryan. And Wil isn’t content with 30 days, so when she picks up on a loophole from Ruth Fish (the seemingly immortal being who’s in charge of the town, and the contest) Wilson vows to mend the trio’s friendship and—hopefully—make this a real chance at life again for Annie, and a real chance at friendship again for her.

This book has so many layers. I love the magical realism, the strangeness of the contest and the matter-of-fact way that everyone in the town accepts it. The world building is just fantastic.

I love the complexity of Wilson’s character, the way she’s so valiantly trying to gain some control over the areas of her life that she lost, searching for love and friendship and family.

The secondary characters here are incredibly vivid, too, and I could feel the ways that they’re struggling for so many of the same things that Wilson is hoping for, each existing as fully realized people in the same way that Wil is.

After finishing Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet, I found out that Morris has one previous YA novel—I’ll be picking it up soon. Do yourself a favor, and put this one on your TBR.

A fresh take on second chances and teenage romance.

What if you had the chance to bring back someone from the dead for 30 days? That the choice Wilson has when she wins her town’s yearly contest. She decides to right some wrongs that happened between her and her friends.

Annie LeBlanc is Not Dead Yet is a cute, sapphic teenage story. I thought it did drag out a bit and could have been a bit shorter, but the ending made it worth it. There was definitely a lot of teen angst and miscommunications but I think that runs true to a lot of peoples’ teenage experience.

This book was so different, I loved it. We have the town of Lennon, there is secret contest, and Wilson won, she wanted to bring her best friend back Annie from the dead, the year before she died they were estranged, and even though her other best friend Ryan was not having it!!! Annie only has 30 days and then she goes back to the afterlife. So while she’s here Wilson is doing everything possible to mend their friendship, and she starts to discover so much about herself, like her new crushes, her career goals, and her relationship with her mom. She finds out that with Annie around she wouldn’t have found true love, and she wouldn’t have explored as much. And not everything is what it seems as Wilson and Ryan soon discover about Annie and what happened to her the year she kept away from her friends, and also around the time she dies. This book was just so heartfelt and I openly cried because of how beautiful it was, I would consider this a coming of age YA with a fantasy twist, because the coming back from the dead and given 30 days and then sent back is pretty awesome but also heartbreaking all over again.

Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet is a fairly typical high school romance, except for one thing - one of the main characters is actually dead, or, at least she was. Lennon, CA, is an fairly normal little town, except for one thing; once a decade, Ruby Fish draws the name of someone in town from a bowl, and that person gets to bring back someone from the dead - a Return. The returned person has to be from Lennon, or to have lived in Lennon at least 20 years before their death. Oh, and the return only lasts for 30 days.

Wilson Moss is a 17 year-old with no idea what to do with her life. For most of her life, she had two best friends: Annie LeBlanc, and Ryan Morton. But at the end of 10th grade, the three had a massive fight and went their separate ways. And on her 18th birthday, Annie LeBlanc died, so they were never going to be able to get back together - or even figure out just exactly what went wrong. Then Ruby Fish pulled Wilson's name out of the bowl, and she chose Annie for her Return. The rest of the book centers around Wilson's attempts to find out just what went wrong between the three of them, and to get Annie and Ryan to be friends again, and this part is pure adolescent drama, colored by the time limit of Annie's Return - hanging out, a party, a date, the realization of a crush that may be more than just a crush. Along the way, there's also a lot of introspection by Wilson about the nature of relationships - with her mother, her friends, and with a friend who wanted to be so much more. Teen romance novels are not my usual genre, but this one has an interesting twist with the Return.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A queer Sapphic YA romance that sounded really interesting but sadly fell flat for me. I listened to this one on audio and just could not find myself interested in any of the characters or storyline even though I liked the narration by Georgina Sadler. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review. Fans of authors like Jennifer Dugan might enjoy this one more than I did.

This book had such a cool magical realism concept. Every ten years one resident of a small town in California get to come back from the dead for 30 days. Overall I enjoyed this book so much and was hooked from the beginning. Towards the middle the plot did start to drag a little bit but it picked up again towards the end.

Annie Leblanc Is Not Dead Yet by Molly Morris. When Wilson grew up her best friends were Ryan and Annie, but Annie ghosted her ever since the last day of sophomore year and a year later Annie would be dead. . Ryan barely talks to her despite their coworkers but when Wilson wins the lottery to bring someone back for a month from the dead she picks Annie. This only infuriates Ryan. Wilson soon after Annie’s return finds out a few times after the dead were brought back they got to stay and she starts on a quest to try and get Annie’s return permanent. She thinks if she makes Ryan and Annie BFFs again this will happen that is basically what the book is about. It is a coming of age story about Wilson her mom‘s wedding her broken family in the mini first in a teenagers life. I really despite coming-of-age story‘s not being my favorite totally enjoyed this one. I even wished I could’ve read The Walking Dad, it really did sound lol funny. I also want to say most of these characters in the book, written by other authors I would’ve instantly dislike them, but thought these characters were endearing and so likable I thought the town of Lennen sounded quaint and like a place I would enjoy living. This is a great book and when I totally recommend with the exception of Annie coming back from the dead, it really is just teenage fiction and coming-of-age in a very awesome one at that. I really was digging Molly Morrris’swriting style and can’t say anything bad about the book I loved it all and totally recommend it. I want to thank Saint Martin’s press for my free ARC copy via NetGalley please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I loved how this book started, I was drawn in and intrude to delve into the town of Lennon, California and see why Wison had entered a contest to bring back her friend Annie. The idea of this book was fantastic, and I think the message is a good one, but the journey to get there lost me quite a few times. There was something about either the pacing or the characters that just kept losing my interest. Will this book resonate with others I am sure that it will, did it resonate with me sadly it did not. I am happy for Wilson though that they were able to do some self-discovery.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

What if you had the chance to bring back someone from the dead for 30 days... and you just happen to bring back your ex best friend who ditched you? Every 10 years in the strange little town of Lennon, CA, there is a contest for one person to bring back one person of their choosing back from the dead for 30 days. Wilson entered her town's contest in hopes of resurrecting her ex-best friend Annie LeBlanc. She never thought she'd win... and when she does Wil cant wait to have her back despite Annie ditching her for a year before she died. Wil is determined to find a loophole to get Annie to stay for good and she needs their other best friend, Ryan, to help. Yet the fact is that Ryan hates them both and she and Wil have barely spoken since the kissed. Ryan and Annie hate each other and can barely stand to be in the same room in each other and the more Wil tries to force them to fix their friendship the more neither wants no part of it. Wil is determined to get both her friends back... but that means facing the difficult truths about Annie's past and their friendship. Can she save her friendship before she's left completely alone? This book had an interesting premise and I liked the idea that for 30 days you could try and fix a relationship or get more time with someone... however I did not enjoy Wil at all. Wil is so insecure and aggravating as a person and honestly I would have ditched her as a friend too and would have been pretty mad if she forced me back for 30 days. Wil grated at my nerves and the more she tried to force her friends to be her friends again was just kind of annoying. Her friends clearly had their own problems and had clearly made decisions that laid out both their reasons for why they did what they did. Like girl, you're telling me you couldn't have made new friends for yourself? While it was a cute idea and the whole lesson of learning to let go and grieve is nice, I honestly just felt so disconnected to the characters and found myself not enjoying the story. While this isn't for me if you like complicated friend dynamics and drama, give this book a go!

Release Date: June 4,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This was one of the better YA books I've read in awhile. I really enjoyed it! I kind of got a sense of where it was going but it was still interesting in the way the story unfolded and when the past and present collided. I liked all of the characters. The ending is also perfect; add this one to your TBR!!

Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet comes out next week on June 4, 2024, and you can purchase HERE!

There are a few things nobody tells you about bringing your best friend back from the dead:

1. The dead don't always arrive on time because, apparently, they need bathroom breaks or something on the way back from the afterlife.

2. Not everybody is going to be happy you've chosen said person to come back. They're not like POWs, where their return is universally celebrated. It's more like the Rolling Stones going back on tour, or the arrival of another Twilight movie.

3. The ceremony isn't necessarily cult-y or weird. There aren't any black robes or virgin sacrifices, which is probably a good thing. As the Resident Virgin Dork of Lennon, California, I would definitely be at the center of that pentagram.

These are the things that are running through my head as I sweat my face off on the small stage rigged up at the head of the football field, the last remnants of an Atomic Fireball disintegrating in my mouth. Not the fact that my best friend, who I hadn't talked to for over a year before she died, is on her way back to the land of the living.

Annie LeBlanc is Not Dead Yet by Molly Morris

This was a sweet and fun YA novel with a unique twist. In the town of Lennon, they have a magical tradition - every ten years one person gets to return from the dead for one month. This year Annie is chosen, who died after her junior year of high school. Wilson is the one who requested her, and she spends the month desperate to revitalize their friendship that had blown apart in the year before Annie died.

Besides this fun little plot element, the rest of the book is a very stereotypical YA story. There are a ton of misunderstandings, fragile female friendships, complicated parent relationships and a few crushes.

There were a few parts that seemed to drag and quite a few other parts that were frustrating yet relatable. Overall I found it sweet and loveable. At its core it was about 3 teens trying to figure out their places and I am really glad I listened to it.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio and @wednesdaybooks for my early copies! This one is out June 4th.

The premise was so wonderful that I wanted this novel to be better. The difficulty was that I found it so hard to connect to any character. Narrator Wilson is painfully insecure to the point of aggravation. All the supporting characters are deeply unpleasant in different ways. The ending is touching, but it takes us too long to get there. I would recommend this book to (very) young romance readers, but even they may find themselves off-put by the author's reliance upon dated references they will not know or relate to (the older audience they are geared toward will be off-put by the juvenile angst).

This was an enjoyable read!

I wanted to know more about why Lennon was so important though. how did the contest come to be and why did it start there? I wanted the world building to be a bit more robust

Overall, the characters were interesting and the premise of the story was fascinating so it kept me hooked. I felt the last 15% of the book is where it REALLY picked up.

This romance was really fun to read. I loved the setting and all of the main characters! There were many parts which made me laugh and smile. The ending was really heartwarming.

This book was not for me. I LOVE speculative fiction, and the idea of a lottery where one person is allowed to bring someone back from the dead sounded so cool! But...as I read, it just wasn't really coming through in a strong way; the welcome back thing felt more like a contrived, convenient setup for the rest of the novel rather than an actual capital-t Thing, and that was disappointing. I also had trouble connecting with the characters in any real way. The cover (something I shouldn't let influence my expectations, but I do) made it seem like the characters would be a bit older/more mature than they were. I felt like Wilson, Ryan, and Annie all read very young, something that came both from the writing tone/style as well as some of the more specific character traits/actions/dialogue. All in all, I think it's a cute and heartfelt concept that will do well with actual teens. My disconnection from the characters is probably more a result of me as an adult reading YA than the book itself.

Annie Leblanc is Not Dead Yet presents a compelling premise set in the mysterious town of Lennon, where the protagonist, Wilson Moss, navigates the complexities of friendship and loss.

While the concept intrigued me, I found myself struggling to maintain interest, particularly after the 60% mark.

The narrative, though centered around themes of love, friendship, and forgiveness, often felt disjointed, with frequent shifts between past and present timelines.

I am saddened to say that the ending left much to be desired, leaving loose ends untied and questions unanswered.

While Annie Leblanc is Not Dead Yet may resonate more with its target audience, I ultimately found myself not fully engaged.

What interesting concept, I would say that fans of Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery and Ashley Poston’s Dead Romantics would enjoy this.

Wilson’s anxiety is so heavy, it did make this hard to read at times; but I’m more than double 17, so it’s probably right on the money for how a 17 feels now. I never really cared for Ryan, but I did like her redemption arc. And Annie, bless her heart, she was a good character. I instantly loved the brother Mark. This seems like a standalone, but a story about Mark would be fun.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC, it was entertaining!

Alright y'all, drop everything because "One Summer in Lennon" is the supernatural friendship saga you didn't know you needed! Imagine living in a quirky town where, every ten years, one person gets to come back from the dead. Wil Moss wins this eerie contest, bringing back her ex-best friend Annie, who ghosted her before dying a year ago. Now, with only thirty days to keep Annie around, Wil discovers a potential loophole involving their estranged third bestie, Ryan. The drama is real, the stakes are high, and the emotional rollercoaster will have you hooked. Can Wil mend broken bonds, uncover buried secrets, and save Annie for good? This novel is a heart-wrenching, twisty ride about love, loss, and the lengths we go to for friendship. I adored reading it and I honestly think you will too.