I'm not entirely sure why I had high hopes for this one—maybe it was the title, the premise, the cover, or a combination of all three?

Unfortunately, it ended up being a disappointment. The characters, dialogue, and plot all fell flat for me.

Not my cup of tea!

Annie is a girl you do not want to cross. When she finds herself in some odd circumstances like meeting people who she cannot tell us if they're either dead or alive, blood all over her jacket, and the simple fact that she seems to be throwing up river water profusely. She is forced to face the fact that something seems to have happened to her and it seems to be something she has forgotten. Can Annie figure out in time what really happened in time? Not only did something happen to her, but something also seems to have happened to her best friend Maura, and people seem to think she had something to do with it. Can Annie figure out what happened that fateful night?
This is a fast pace novel that teens will enjoy. Annie is such a strong character. The flashbacks between the past and the present are beautifully done, allowing the reader to figure out Maura and Annie's real relationship and connection. I love everything about this book.
Thank you to Disney Publishing Worldwide and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch by Codie Crowley was a great debut YA thriller!
I thought Crowley’s writing was intriguing and she definitely kept me interested and hooked.
The characters were engaging and well developed.
A spooky and wild story that gripped me from the very beginning!

Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch had a great premise that I was super excited for. However, I had trouble getting into the story from the get go - unsure if it was the formatting of the digital copy or if the line breaks are truly that jarring. I look forward to giving it another go around to see if it works better.

Thank you, Netgalley, for allowing me to read and review this book. These opinions are completely my own.

I enjoyed this novel quite a bit. At first, I was a bit annoyed with not knowing what Annabel was, but I got my answer soon enough. I never thought I would cheer on violence, but in that corn maze, I was cheering for them.

Fun quick read

3.75 stars

17-year-old Annie Lane was a b*tch. Actually, she still is; death hasn't changed that. Waking up as a ghost in a river doesn't really improve anyone's temperament. The first town Annie finds her way to is full of other ghosts, and they welcome her with semi-open arms and encouragement to solve her own murder. But when Annie makes her way back to her small hometown, she realizes no one misses her, and those who have noticed her absence assume it's her own fault.

The premise of this and the humor in it were top tier, but there was so much about the world's paranormal elements that was left unexplained, and I wanted more. I can always appreciate championing unlikable characters, but since the cover, title, and blurb of this book all tell you Annie is dead, her not realizing that for so much of the book was kind of tedious. I also wish that there had been more explanation and detail once her killer was actually revealed, and more info about what Annie was going to do next. I enjoyed the writing and ideas in this, though, so I'll check out the author's future work. Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I think the cover and the name are great!!! I found the story to be extremely goofy and cheesy and boring. I didn’t like that she didn’t know she was ghost through a huge chunk of the book, the hell hounds were too sporadic, either they are supposed to be vicious or they aren’t. The cop being the bad guy is very cliche. The only thing that kept me barely going was that I wanted to know where her friend was. And why couldn’t they tell she was dead?

when i tell you i was obsessed with this book as soon as i saw the title i’m not kidding. it’s a revenge story about an ‘unlikeable’ girl who comes back from the dead and is determined to solve the mystery of her demise (and get some revenge along the way). there’s some paranormal elements in this story which i loved, including some friendly ghosts and some not-so-friendly hellhounds determined to drag her to hell. all of which make this book the perfect spooky read that i’m hoping to reread in autumn.

i had so much fun reading this, i couldn’t put it down and was constantly trying to guess what was going to happen next (i was wrong several times because i kept missing the twists). i honestly had no idea where the story was going to go next but i couldn’t stop reading and i’m hoping there’s a sequel or another book set in this world to help with some of the unanswered questions. if not, i’m still excited to read more of this author’s work in the future.

i would definitely recommend this book if you like ya paranormal thrillers and a revenge plot that keeps you guessing.

When you wake up from the dead realizing that you were murdered, the first order of business is to find out who did it to you and get revenge. Annie Lane is a bitch, she isn't a good girl, but when she crawls out of her own grave and realizes that she has no memory of what happened to her or who killed her... she is hellbent on finding out. All Annie knows is that the last person to see her was her terrible cheating ex boyfriend and his bandmates, her having an argument with her best friend, and someone chasing and stabbing her. Annie is back now and she'll do anything to get the answers and make someone pay for what they did to her. This was a touch of Jennifer's Body and School Spirits mixed together, and focuses on the "unlikeable" girls. I found the mystery to be okay and the overall characters were meh for me. I was hoping I would like it a bit more but it just felt a bit underwhelming for me unfortunately. I would recommend it for YA readers who want a unlikeable protagonist and like a revenge mystery.

Release Date: August 6,2024

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

*Thanks Netgalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide | Disney Hyperion for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Annie Lane returns from the dead after being murdered and is bent on revenge. She returns to her small town and leaves mayhem in her wake. This was a great read and I hope to read more by this author. Thanks NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for this ARC that will be released August 6, 2024!

I met Codie Crowley on TikTok and was immediately captivated by her talent for sharing spooky stories from her childhood. When she mentioned she had written a book, I knew I had to read it! And spoiler alert - this was just hands down an absolutely FUN read.

The story centers around Annie Lane, who wakes up in an icy river with no memory of the previous night. Something terrible has happened, but she can't remember what. As her memories gradually return, she teams up with a ragtag group of people. Together, they follow the trail that leads Annie towards a powerful vendetta and a "coming of rage" journey.

One of the most compelling aspects of this book is its richness. Unlike many linear stories that have a point A to point B plot, this book is woven with parallel and perpendicular storylines that create a complex and disorienting whodunit. As an experienced reader of suspense, thrillers, and horror, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns. Codie Crowley masterfully keeps readers guessing until the very end, providing only subtle hints along the way.

The era-accurate rhetoric and slang used in the book are both iconic and immersive. While I sometimes had to infer the meanings of certain words, this added to the authenticity and enjoyment of the narrative. The pacing of the story is exceptional; it never feels rushed, yet it maintains a steady momentum that keeps readers engaged.

What truly sets this book apart is its vivid imagery and the delicious sense of vengeance that permeates the story. Codie Crowley's ability to blend rich storytelling with an undercurrent of retribution makes this book a standout.

Come for the mystery - but stay for the delicious vengeance. This book will not disappoint!

Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch is the debut YA spooky thriller novel from author Codie Crowley. I first found out about this book because I follow Codie’s tiktok(spiretbored) and from the first time I heard her very strong Jersey accent talking about spooky stuff ,that this was a content creator I wanted to follow. Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch is about exactly what the title says. Punk rock bad girl Annie Lane has been murdered and she is freaking pissed, but being dead isn’t going to slow her down. Annie wants to know who the hell did this to her and she wants to give them a little of their own medicine with a ghostly twist. I really enjoyed this book. It takes place in the pine barrens of NJ, which is a place known for weird stuff (Jersey devil), it happens around Halloween so we have all the fall vibes, and a quirky found family of ghosts. Our fmc Annie is a badass, she’s out for revenge, and she’s kind of a huge bitch with some newly dead girl spice to round her out. This is a book for the girls who felt like they had no control, for the girls wished they could have gotten revenge for something messed up that happened to them, for all the girls that have ever been called a bitch! I think this is a great debut novel and while it could definitely be a stand alone, I’d be stoked to read a second novel about Annie and her new ghostly existence. Thank you @netgally and @disneyhyperian for a digital arc of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for the ARC

A ride that's for sure. It took some time before we got to the action but then it started to get really fun. It was twisty and suspenseful and fun to read. I was however confused about the rules for ghosts and found some plot holes, but otherwise it was a good book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Disney Hyperion, and Ms. Crowley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. An honest review was requested but not required.

Annie Lane wakes up in a river. Annie takes several chapters to truly understand what is clear to the reader (this reader, anyway) right away: she is dead. But WHAT happened to her? and why? and who killed her? Because Annie died on Resurrection Hill she is a peculiar state of undead that allows her to become corporeal and interact with townspeople as though she was alive (if she so chooses), although unless it's Halloween she can't leave the town borders. And so Annie uses her mostly dead but sort-of-alive status to try and solve the mystery of her murder. She's helped (or IS SHE?) by fellow undead ghosts from Resurrection Hill, particularly 60s greaser/nerd/potential murderer Sam.

The storyline of Annie solving her murder was really fun. The chapters move at record speed and I literally tore through this book in a few hours by the pool on vacation. HOWEVER. I had MANY questions, and there were some major holes in the world-building. Why would her brothers not have been worried about her? What happened to them; did Annie abandon them to go live in the fancy house on the hill? It's clear the mom was neglecting them completely. And what happened to the mom? What justice did Maura get? What would happen if Annie's body was ever found? Who was the burnt girl and what was her significance? Why was she trying to sow dissent between Annie and Sam? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS. I mean, did I miss all of this? am I the only one?

Still it was a fun, feral, feisty, feminist ride and I would recommend it to anyone who can put up with Sam's OTT weird 60s slang and some small- to medium-sized gaps in the plot. Annie, and to a lesser extent, Maura, are the stars here. 3 1/2 stars.

A lot of my teens have been asking for more horror and this one is a great one to add to the list! This had a lot of suspense, but also had a strong main character which I feel like a lot of teen horror novels lack. It reminded me of Jennifer's Body/Lisa Frankenstein in all the best ways!

So, I am a bit of a hater with this book. It put me to sleep. Please remember that I got an uncorrected proof, so some of these issues may have been resolved, but here is why:

-Gen Z slang cringe. Like teenagers don't sound like that.
-Takes forever to get to the plot
-Ghost confusion? What are the rules? How does the world work? Why can people see her?
-No unique voices for the characters.

This is just my opinion though, and I look like I am in the minority, so just ignore me and give it a shot.

What a book! From the blurb I was drawn in, from the first page I was hooked!
I loved it being from Annie's pov and going through the journey with her as she tries to figure out who kills her.
The twists and revelations on the way had me on tender hooks. I didn't know what was gonna happen and my gosh I was shooked at the outcome.

I thoroughly enjoyed the way it was written and the flashbacks helped fill in the blanks. It was perfectly tied together.

I really hope there's a follow up book and we get to learn about Sam, Fern and the others stories

I'll admit the title is what made me want to read this book. The beginning of this really sucked me in as we find Annie dazed, confused and covered in dirt. She doesn't quite understand how she ended up where she was and it was fun to watch her come back for vengeance.

Dark, depressing, and filled with language. A good enough read but not something I could bring into my classroom. Things really picked up in the 2nd half of the book. Still unsure of the murderer’s motive but I guess I can see the connection. This book scored higher for me thanks to Sam and gang who I thought were the best part.

"Murdered bad girl Annie Lane is back from the grave and hellbent on revenge . . . she just has to figure out who killed her."

Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch is the debut novel from Codie Crowley, a special thanks to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for the advanced copy of this YA thriller.

I will admit to selecting this based on the title and cover; the plot description also sounded like a lot of fun. However I was slightly disappointed overall. Although I enjoyed the protagonist and stylized snappy dialogue, there seemed to be something missing here. I would have appreciated a bit more world building; there was a lot left unexplained including some plot holes, inconsistencies, and character development.

As this is a debut from Crowley, I do look forward to reading her work again in the future.