3⭐️

The residents of Lennon, California know that the town is special. Only those that have been chose by the town get to stay and every ten years, one resident has the opportunity to bring someone back from the dead for a month. That's how Wilson Moss was able to bring her former best friend, Annie LeBlanc, back from the dead even though they weren't talking at the time of her death. Wilson learns that it's possible to bring Annie back permanently if they can right a wrong and spend the entire month trying to mend the relationship between herself, Annie and their other ex-friend Ryan. She soon learns that repairing their friendship might be easier said than done.

The premise of this was very interesting and I think it would have really worked with a different main character. Wilson has such a low self-esteem that it was hard to root for her because every inner-monologue was very much a "woe is me" pitty fest. Every interaction that wasn't inequivalently positive her instant assumption is the other person must find her absolutely hideous. Like, who told her that before that this is her assumption? A lot of Wilson's struggles are just worst case scenarios that she's let fester and she's so surprised when no one else thinks the same way. It made her very grating and hard to root for.

I did really enjoy the process of Annie, Ryan and Wilson trying to become friends again and the history of why they fell out in the first place. I think the story really shows that sometimes people change and that maintaining those friendships is a two-way street I loved the queer friends to lovers story line wove into the background. I wish we saw more of the history of the town and it's magic than what we got, but it was still enjoyable.

Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing this ARC to me!

The premise of this YA book is for the main character to be able to "right the wrongs", and see her ex-best friend again...after she has already died. Super fun read, very cutesy, and angst-y. The emotions between all of the characters jump off the page at you. The author, Molly Morris, does a great job not giving away the ending until the literal final sentence...beautiful.

I loved this book. The characters are fun, the story is engaging, and the writing is quick and accessible. I was so curious to see how Annie’s story would end, and in my opinion, the ending is perfect if bittersweet. I fell in love with Wilson and her blended, messy family, and her friendships with Annie and Ryan, the latter of whom vaguely reminded me of my favourite Gilmore Girls character Paris. The only things I would have liked more would be more information about the supernatural forces of the town that allow someone to return from the dead, and I felt the attempted romance with Mark was unnecessary, and a little weird since Mark and Ryan are twins and Wilson ultimately ends up with Ryan. Over all, would recommend and would read again.

A cool, magical realism concept in the genre of YA: every ten years, someone in Lennon gets to pick someone to bring back from the dead for 30 days.

I don't know, I might just be in a reading slump, but this book just dragged on for me. I think it could've either been shorter or some of the conflicts reoriented to refocus on bringing Annie back permanently (which seemed to be a plot line that was ignored during the middle section of the book and brought back randomly at the end as an excuse for tensions between characters).

The Buffy references had me in shock, though!!! Though I'm not sure I can get behind thinking the comics are better than the show?!

This is a 3.5 for me! The concept of this book is very interesting and the story is fun to follow, but it lacked a good amount of world building that would’ve really benefitted the plot. I also thought the very very end didn’t make any sense considering the parameters of the world, but again, the lack of clarity on the rules of the universe we were in made it hard to grasp what is and is not possible. Regardless, this is a concept unlike any I’ve read before and I did enjoy it.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC! :)

This book absolutely gutted me. The teen angst never felt over the top given the circumstances, the characters were complex and dynamic, and the plot was so unique. This is a charming, moving YA novel that made me feel so many different emotions. The ending - without getting into spoiler territory, I just need someone else in my life to read this book NOW so I can discuss with them. I have questions. Thoughts. Theories? Who's to say. Anyways, this is a great book that is, in its own way, reminiscent of "The Big Door Prize" (if that makes sense?) I don't know if this review is even coherent. This book, man!

A fun read but the ending felt a bit ambiguous so would have appreciated a little more clarity there. Thanks Netgalley for the ARC!

1 Sentence Summary: The Welcome Back ceremony happens once every ten years in the small town of Lennon, California, where the winner of a lottery can pick one person to bring back from the dead for 30 days; Wilson, Ryan, and Annie used to be best friends until one year ago, when both Annie and Ryan stopped talking to Wilson and then Annie died, so when Wilson unexpectedly wins Welcome Back and chooses to resurrect Annie, it’s the perfect opportunity to put an end to her loneliness and fix their friendship.

My Thoughts: I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but this was so good! The Welcome Back thing is a really cool and creative concept. And I loved Lennon! Such a fun little town. The main focus of the story isn’t really on the weird magical stuff; it’s more of a coming-of-age focusing on friendships and relationships.

So, what genre even is this? Goodreads says fantasy but it’s not really fantasy. It’s more on the side of magical realism, though I don’t think it’s exactly that either. Speculative contemporary? Idk.

I fell in love with Wilson from the very first page. She is such a great, well developed character, and I loved being in her head and seeing how much she grew over the course of the book. Her emotions shone through the writing so well; I could empathize with her loneliness and feeling left out and being scared of things changing.

All the relationships between the characters were so complex and well written. The dynamic between Wilson, Ryan, & Annie was so fascinating. As well as Wilson’s family situation, especially her relationship with her mom.

This was a highly enjoyable and unputdownable read. (I told myself I was just going to read for a few minutes before bed and then it was too good and I couldn’t stop, and I finally went to bed at like 2 in the morning oops.) Such a well written novel. The writing style was great and everything felt so real; emotions and interactions were captured perfectly.

Minus 1 star because Mark deserved better, and Ryan was so mean to Wilson.

ALSO, THE ENDING?!?! I’m extremely confused?? In a good way?!?!

Recommend to: People who enjoy complicated friendships, strange small towns, and speculative contemporary fiction.

(Warnings: swearing; death)

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

this was such an easy and enjoyable read! it follows the MC wilson in a town where there is a big “welcome back” contest, in which the winner can bring one person of their choice back to life. wilson chooses to bring back her best friend annie, someone who she hadn’t spoken to for a whole year before her passing. wilson finds a loophole to maybe (possibly?) get annie to stay, and it involves her bringing back together her old friendship trio- wilson, annie, and ryan.

this story takes many twists and turns, and the author does a great job at explaining the whole “welcome back” contest. i also really loved how the author described the town, Lennon, as this autonomous entity, it was a really intriguing concept to think of a town pushing out who it didn’t want in it and welcoming people who deserved to stay.

so for the main part of the story, i absolutely loved that the friendships were at the core of this story. the side romance between ryan and wilson felt natural and made sense with the context of the story and I like how it supplemented the original storyline of the three friends as opposed to overshadowing it. their banter felt natural, and everything felt answered at the end. i love wilson and annie’s relationship a lot. i also loved the mother/daughter relationship being discussed throughout! this whole story was really comforting and felt like a found family situation- home is the people you're with and the people you love <33

ALSO i loveeeee an ambiguous ending so much ….. iykyk

overall, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a comforting, easy read!!!

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: June 4, 2024
Every ten years in Lennon, California, someone comes back from the dead. Wilson Moss is surprised when her best friend, Annie LeBlanc, is the one chosen to return. The rules state that the dead can only come back for thirty days, so Wilson has to use her time wisely and she has the perfect plan- reunite her two best friends, Ryan and Annie, and live the next thirty days like they used to, when everyone got along. It isn’t as easy as it seems though, as Wilson soon finds out, and as the past literally comes back to haunt her, Wilson runs the risk of losing everyone she loves.
Molly Morris’ new novel, “Annie LeBlanc is Not Dead Yet”, is quirky, unique and delightful. Narrated by Wilson as she counts down the days until Annie is dead (again), while dealing with the typical teenage angst and fears of the future, Morris’ story is modern and relevant. Wilson and her friends face adulthood while trying to rekindle the past and what develops is funny, emotional and entertaining!
Wilson’s family is blended, with a half-sister, a single mother and a whole lot of love, and she struggles with identifying her sexuality, which will definitely find the right following with young adult readers.
There are so many questions when thinking about a temporary return from the dead but somehow Morris ensures that there are no gaps or holes in her flowing plot. A situation that didn’t make sense actually made sense in Morris’ hands, and that speaks to the high calibre talent of the author, to be sure.
“Annie LeBlanc” is Morris’ second novel (her first one, “This is Not the End” came out in 2022) but this was my first experience and I’m an instant fan of Morris’ writing style, relatable characters and creativity. I will be keeping an eye out for future works from Morris.

The writing and premise really hooked me in. My only real gripes are pacing and not really caring too much about the characters. Overall, it was a good read, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes YA and a unique story.
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this title*

This book was fun to read! I likedit.My husband liked hearing about it too. I will say that some parts of the story were really slow andit was hard to get through but overall, the plot was good.

3.5 stars rounded up. I thought this was a mostly cute story with a unique, bittersweet premise. I would both love and hate to bring someone back from the dead for a month.

I liked all the characters in this one. I thought their relationships and reactions to things were realistic. The main romance was sweet, but I liked that the friendships were really at the center of everything.

I really liked the ending. It managed to be sweet and bittersweet and left me with a lump in my throat.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That ending though!!! What???? Love this one!! Check it out!!!!!

3.5/5 ⭐️: Every ten years someone from the town of Lennon, CA wins a lottery that lets them bring one person back to life for thirty days. This year the lucky winner is Wilson Moss, who decides to bring back her estranged best friend, Annie LeBlanc. Seems like a good idea, right? Except there was a MAJOR falling out between Wilson, Annie, and their other best friend Ryan Morton. Now Annie's back and the trio has to figure out how to handle the rest of the summer.

This was an enjoyable read and I sped through it. The scenes are cute and funny and the overall tone of the book is pretty light-hearted. I'm torn because I wanted to rate this higher but a lot of the scenes felt like we were wrapping up really quickly. I wanted to linger! Still, this was adorable. While it is certainly geared more towards a YA audience I had a good time flying through this.

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

In a small town, residents are are able to call a dead person back to life once every ten years; the returned person has 30 days of new life. Wilson wins the lottery to bring someone back, and she chooses her former best friend Annie. What ensues is a story about how friendships begin and end and what happens when you don't want them to end, and also why it's hard to be friends if you've in love with your friend. It's a lovely, gentle, sapphic romantasy that I think will appeal to YA readers.

What a dear little coming-of-age — coming-of-death? — book. Molly Morris had me crying tears of frustration, sorrow, and joy and my heart was very much warmed. It’s a wacky concept that works, this strange little town of Lennon, and an altogether lovely story with wonderful bi/pan representation.

I thought this had a very cute premise and it was nice getting to see a slice of these characters’ lives (or death). I don’t think I noticed going in that it was a YA book, funnily enough. The protagonist’s voice was a little erratic but rang true, and the plot and motivations were a little hard to follow here and there. Overall it was enjoyable to read.

This is a really unique premise that delivered! Set on the backdrop of magical realism, this coming of age tale really shines with it's main character's heart and personality. The world building in terms of the the magical realism was well done, and didn't distract from the character development. Overall I really enjoyed the author's writing style, and her pacing. I would recommend this title to teens coming into my library, and look forward to more works by this author!

There's books you read that fill you with sadness, or pride, or adoration -- this book was a mixture of all three bundled up into an overwhelming feeling of giddiness. Reading this was just so fun, even when it was sad. I was really, truly rooting for all these characters and I love the way the author explores their journeys and relationships, regardless of age. It was plotted beautifully, set in the cutest town, and filled with the perfect fiction tropes to make a wonderful story.
Going into Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet, I was curious and hopeful, but had minimal expectations. So it was pleasantly surprising when I got a few chapters in and became instantly hooked to Wilson's world and all of the side characters in it. The premise is fun and complex, but the execution of it is what makes the book masterful. I loved the touch of each chapter being a countdown, it felt like I was growing and experiencing the 30 days with them. And the writing was also so lovely -- Wilson's character, with all her flaws and fears, feels very relatable and lovable. I thought the way she navigated her way through life was both admirable and sad, and it made me really care about resolving her issues with her mother and other characters.
Wilson, Ryan, and Annie's relationship as BFFs is at the forefront of the novel and I loved every moment of them. Their conflicts and banter are written so effortlessly it feels like a real friendship, with all its flaws laid out. Compiling this plot with the premise of Annie coming back to life for 30 days is so so brilliant as a plot device it makes me giddy!!
I honestly just had such a wonderful experience reading this book. I felt attached to Wilson and her relationships because of the similarities I felt to her character, her anxieties, her struggles. My only, minor, grievance is the love triangle between her Ryan, and Mark (why do we need to get siblings involved??) that I think is unnecessary and would have saved a lot of awkwardness. But regardless, from chapter one to the epilogue, it was all done brilliantly. Especially the vague hinting in the epilogue that was crept in so subtly before the big reveal!
I loved these characters and their journeys, and reading this just brought such a bright smile to my face :)

Rating: 4.75/5
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!