I was so drawn in by this story that I listened in almost one sitting. I've been picky lately with magical realism and I think this book toed the line perfectly - it's quirky, not overly complicated, and it provides a perfect backdrop for the relationships and conflicts to play out. The characters, specifically Wilson, are SO well-developed, and I was extremely invested in her journey from the get go. This is definitely one of the better YA books I've read in a while because the teenagers are just out there acting like teenagers. The miscommunications and angst and often insufferable behavior feels very genuine to the high school experience. I do wish we got to see more of Ryan and Wilson post-confession because their dynamic was SOOOOO excellent. The ending makes basically zero sense, but because it was literally the last line of the book it didn't take away too much from the experience as a whole.

Mini synopsis: what would you do if you could bring someone back from the dead for a month? Wilson finds out when she brings back her former best friend Annie, & sets out on an unforgettable 30 days!

Okay I kinda love this! The concept is so cool & only having 30 days with your person makes the stakes higher! At the beginning, you’re kind just thrown into the story. I was trying to piece together all the moving parts, ex. Why does Ryan hate Wilson? Why did Annie not speak to her before she died? Did Annie really die by accident? I was just along for the ride! I really got attached to the characters & all their dramas! And with only 30 days, I felt like the ending would be so sad!

As with most YA, there’s some sense of an underlying romance. This one I swear was marketed as sapphic, but halfway thru I was like is this gonna happen or not?! Eventually tho, we got a little bit of romance (& my favorite kinda! Friends to lovers!) it was sweet & slow! I also really liked Wilson’s mom as a character I could read more about her!

Overall, I really liked this book & really the concept as a whole! I would definitely recommend if you’re looking for a summer YA romance with a little speculative twist!

ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥: 𝐸-𝐵𝑜𝑜𝓀 & 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀

ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨: 𝐀 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭, 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞! 𝐀𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝑨𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒆 𝑳𝒆𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒄 𝑰𝒔 𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒀𝒆𝒕 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧-𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫-𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥-𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧’𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐩-𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧) 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬. 𝐀𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐮𝐬. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐱-𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝, 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐨 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝.

𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝑀𝑜𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝑀𝑜𝓇𝓇𝒾𝓈, 𝒮𝓉. 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒾𝓃'𝓈 𝒫𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈, 𝑀𝒶𝒸𝓂𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒶𝓃 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜, & 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.

An American debut for Molly Morris, who kept me reading this one nonstop. The core concept is eerie, and who doesn't want to bring back from the dead (even if for 30 days) someone they love for a second chance? This is the story of three friends who had a horrible break up and one passes away before any mending to their friendship is done. But it is also a story of self-discovery, forgiveness, personal growth, and a great lesson on being less proud. The lesson is not just for the three friends. Their parents show character growth as well.
I won't forget this one soon. It was emotional, and I am curious to see what the author will bring us forward next.
Ya book, LGBTQIA representation. Also great as an audiobook.

thank you publisher for the copy

GENERAL INFO

Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet- a standalone

Publication date: 6-4-24, Read 6-3-24

Format: e-Book 328 pgs. and audiobook

🏃🏾‍♀️Run Time: 9:23

🗣️Narrator: Georgina Sadler read all the characters told in 1st POV/FMC Wilson "Wil" Moss. I believe the voice fit the characters with standouts of Mark, Annie, and Ryan . Their voices were the most distinct, but I could easily tell the difference between all characters. The reading style brought the story to life, and the pacing flowed easily with the story. The narration and the author were in sync, and they fit together perfectly. The narrator paused and announced every time a new chapter came. The book had a table of contents which helped me follow along with the e-book and audio. My recommendation is to read the audiobook because you can adjust the speed, skip parts easily (if desired), and picture the characters more vividly.

🙏🏾Source: Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for this ARC and ALC 💛 ! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Genre: YA, LGBTQIA+, Magical Realism, Fantasy

Tropes: female friendship, sapphic romance, family drama

⚠️death-drowning, bullying, resurrection

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Synopsis/Plot Summary: In the small town of Lennon, CA every ten years the community has a "Welcome Back" contest. In their top secret town, they choose someone to resurrect from the dead for only 30 days. Only the townspeople can see them and a bus comes for them after 30 days. Wil (17) has won and brings back her BFF Annie LeBlanc who accidentally drowned at her b-day pool party. Wil and Annie hadn't been speaking a year before she died, and their other BFF Ryan hates them both. Wil tries to find a loophole to keep Annie alive permanently but town secrets may stop her quest.

😊What I liked:

- The Welcome Back idea is so original.
-Wil tries to get her BFFs back together to curve her loneliness.
-Mark treats Wil nice and has a little crush. He happens to be Ryan's twin brother.
-Wil's comic book creations
-Wil's relationship w/ ex stepfather Cass. Wil never knew her father.

😞What I didn't like:

-Wil talks down to& about her mother Jodie. Wil acts like the adult, takes responsibility for the bills and finances. Jodie is getting remarried to Dr. David and Wil planned everything.


AUTHOR OVERVIEW

Molly Morris- new to me author

PERSONAL OVERVIEW

Overall Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐

Do You Recommend This Book: yes

Will You Re-read This Book: yes

Would You Read More Books by this Author: yes

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.

Wilson lives in a small town with a big secret - every ten years, a resident wins a contest to bring someone back from the dead for 30 days. This year, Wilson wins and resurrects her ex-best friend, Annie. While Annie’s family is thrilled about this, Wilson’s other ex-bff, Ryan, is less than excited for a number of reasons. Wilson discovers a loophole where Annie has a chance to stay alive - which involves righting a wrong.

This was such a fun listen! Georgina Sadler narrated this and is now in my top list of favorite narrators! I have also discovered that I definitely enjoy the magic realism sector of fantasy. This was a unique plot and I appreciated the variety of characters. I also am glad to see some LGBTQ+ romance rep, just in time for pride month! 🌈 It kinda reminds me of the show School Spirits, but on the lighter side (def recommend this show btw).

Rating: 4 stars!

This was cute! The premise of the book is that every 20 years, someone gets to come back from the dead for 30 days. Our main characters puts her name into the drawing to have HER pick come back from the dead *cue Annie LeBlanc. The story is filled with friendship, growth, and a snip of a love story!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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.

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 was a fun and unexpected read! I really enjoyed the world building, overall plot of course but I also really enjoyed how much we get to know our characters as a whole. This was a smartly unique story with an ending that will leave you shocked yet excited and is a ponderous tale unlike any other I have read! This is a great read for anyone who likes magical realism, light hearted reads, complex characters and unique endings that will catch you by surprise! A fantastic debut for this author.

The audiobook narration was fabulous and I loved all the variety in the character voices which really helped me get a further grasp on them. This was already a really rich plot and world and the narration only increased that value for me. I would definitely recommend this audiobook for the fullest experience!

Thank you to NetGalley, Wednesday books for the paperback and to Macmillain audio for the audiobook ARC my views are my own.

In Molly Morris’s quirky new book Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet, Wilson Moss unexpectedly wins a contest allowing her to bring one person her back from the dead for thirty days. Wil decides to resurrect her ex-best friend Annie in hopes to make amends! Overjoyed but worries about facing their unresolved issues Wil I’d determined to do whatever it takes to rekindle the lost friendships! This includes also patching things up with their past third friend, Ryan!

Wil races against time navigating old grudges and buried secrets. This summer might be Wil’s chance to end her loneliness for good—if she can face the truths she’s been avoiding.

This book was definitely unique, and at times I felt like I was missing something, but would be a fun summer read for anyone looking for a casual unique book on friendship.

Thank you to #netgalley and @wednesdaybooks for the advanced audiobook copy of this book!

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.

Read if you like:
🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQ Characters
🥹 Repairing Friendships
✨ Magical Realism
💕 YA Romances
🪦 Coming back from the dead

In Lennon if you were born there or lived there long enough, you can put your name in to bring someone back from the dead for one month. This chance to bring back the dead, only occurs once every ten years.

So when Wilson’s name is drawn she gets the chance to bring back her ex-best friend Annie LeBlanc for a month and now it’s time to resurrect their friendship that burned down a year prior to Annie’s death.

I loved the intrigue that was added by the mystery around some of the dead being able to stay past the 30 days and Wil trying to figure out how to make this happen for Annie too.

The month is definitely a rollercoaster and I loved how the chapters indicated how much time was remaining.

And that ending?! Please tell me there will be a bonus chapter coming or a second book?!

Thanks so much to Macmillan Audio & Wednesday Books for my gifted audiobook & ARC in exchange for my honest review of this fast paced YA book!

🎧🎧 Book Review 🎧🎧 If you could bring a loved one back from the for thirty days, would you? Once every ten years, a name is drawn from a lottery in a small town in the appropriately named Welcome Back ceremony. There is a list of strict stipulations surrounding this ritual; and this year Wilson’s estranged best friend, Annie LeBlanc is chosen to return from the dead. Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet is a compelling read that juxtaposes the grief of losing a friendship with death, and examines the finality of loss in a lighthearted existential way. While this book is classified as young adult, the writing and tone will appeal to readers of all ages and the narration in the book matches the writing wonderfully! Grief is a tricky emotion with its swinging pendulum; Molly Morris encapsulates the range of grief in a quirky little microcosm of these young friends during Welcome Back.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Review is posted on Goodreads and the final review will be posted on instagram closer to the publication date!

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.

Such a silly, heartfelt and bittersweet story! The concept could honestly open up a series of stand alone novels set in this town if the author really wanted to and I'd read every one of those. This is such a beautiful YA about friendship, change and growing up. Super easy to get read with humorous writing and a whole lot of teen angst to go around. I can see myself wanting to reread (or relisten to the audiobook) down the road bc of how much fun I had with this! Loved the ending of this too but I always love that kind of ending in a book. It might not be for everyone though.

Annie was dead then alive then dead again. The timelines were not clear but also I didn’t care enough to pay attention. Didn’t hate just didn’t want to waste my time on mediocrity. Gorgeous cover!

What an intriguing idea for a tale. I really enjoyed the adventure and was rooting for a more permanent result but, as you’ll find, permanent results can be many things. The friends and lives were endearing as the characters grew into their own. The narrator brought the story to life and I do recommend.

4 stars

The town of Lennon, CA, is a mystical place where the dead don't actually die in the usual way. Well, they DO, but they can also come back for a 30-day adventure among the living!

Wilson, or Wil, is the m.c., and the most important thing to know about her is that she's named after her mom's favorite band, Wilson Phillips. WILD. Also, she is the recent, lucky recipient of the Lennon Resurrection Lotto, so her former close friend, the titular Annie, will be making her great return to the land of the living for 30 days. Of course, Wil can't wait to see if she can right some wrongs of the past and even skirt an unfortunate feature of this lotto: the part where Annie has to return to the other side after 30 days. Of course, wild antics ensue.

As readers get to know Wil and Annie, they also meet Ryan, the third part of this friend group. Many past struggles come to light, and these are intriguingly mixed with current enticements and Annie's impending return.

This is such a creative and interesting premise, and overall, it's well executed, though the author does rely a bit heavily on the fantasy element to just explain away certain elements of the setting.

I really enjoyed the audio narration, though as a lifelong SoCal local, there are some disruptive mispronunciations of specific nearby cities, and that struck me as odd (but, of course, minor in the grand scheme).

I'll recommend this one to students looking for a great premise and some solid YA fantasy.