Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet

Oh, this was so cute!

I mean it’s teen angst followed by teen angst followed by teen angst, however it’s also so sweet and sad. I wanted all the characters to find their happy – even our dead one. I won’t tell you if they do – I’ll just tell you that the author handled the end beautifully!

And good lord, I wouldn’t want to bring someone back to life for 30 days. Much as I would want to see them and tell them everything and ask them everything more, the end game of that would break my heart.

And because of that conundrum, you can expect some depth added to the fluffiness of this one.

Bittersweet and all the feels.

• ARC via Publisher

Such a breath of fresh air to have a totally unique premise. The thought of being able to bring someone back from the dead and then giving that decisions for a teenager proved to give this book a fresh POV. If you want teen angst and coming of age this one hits on both cylinders perfectly. I was worried the end would leave me disappointed but the author hit a home run there too.

What a great idea! Stories about second chances are numerous but this one puts the ‘winner’ in charge of the redemption and in this JV novel we learn all about teen angst of all types. I thought this was very good and the characters were fully developed and very likable and the ending was so life-like in a teenage-y way that the bittersweetness will stay with me for quite awhile. Thank you to #netgalley, #wednesdaybooks and @mollymorris for this copy of #annieleblancisnotdeadyet to read and review, all opinions are my own.

Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet will knock your right in the heart! The romance with the magical realism to this story was a great twist! This is the type of book that I could keep reading over and over again. Highly recommend this to lovers of YA romance.

A special thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was great! I really loved the story, it was very creative and original, and I loved seeing as the friends grew apart, and then together, and then apart again, ending up as best friends in the end. The plot had so many twists, and it was so exciting to see how everything played out!

I loved this book! I was instantly intrigued by the unique concept and the gorgeous cover, and the story definitely did not disappoint, either. ANNIE LEBLANC IS NOT DEAD YET takes readers to the quirky little town of Lennon, California, where every ten years, a top-secret contest is held, and the winner gets to bring the person of their choice back from the dead. This year's winner? Our main character Wilson Moss, who chooses to resurrect her ex-best-friend, Annie LeBlanc. Wil is thrilled when she wins, but there's a catch: the selected person can only return for 30 days. When Wilson discovers a loophole that might allow Annie to stay forever, she's determined to make it happen, if only she can get the third member of their trio, Ryan (who now hates them both), to mend her friendship with Annie. Can Wil pull off her plan without losing her best friends...again? And will she be able to confront the truth about her friendships with Annie and Ryan—and the truth about Annie's past—along the way?

ANNIE LEBLANC IS NOT DEAD YET is one of my favorite YA reads in recent memory! I really enjoyed it. The magical realism element of the book was so interesting, but I also appreciated how the story was so grounded in reality. Themes like coping with grief, experiencing friendship breakups (and reconciliations), navigating complicated family dynamics, wanting things to be perfect and to make everyone happy but realizing that you can't always do that, etc., are things that many people can relate to, and Molly Morris does such a great job of exploring these topics throughout. Something I also really loved is that the story's characters feel like real teens, and their voices/personalities are all so distinct! Wilson, Annie, Ryan (my favorite character!), and even beyond the main friend group, side characters like Mark, Annie's parents, and Wilson's family members, were all so vivid and well-developed. Even the town itself, Lennon, feels like its own character, because of how well-drawn the setting is! I liked how Wil, Annie, and Ryan were all so different, but somehow that's what made them such good friends over the years. The idea of realizing that you and your childhood best friends have all grown up into newer versions of yourselves, and trying to keep those friendships afloat, is such a relatable one, and I enjoyed watching this trio find their way back to each other. The central romance of the book (trying not to be too spoilery here) was also really well-done, and I enjoyed how Morris built it up/foreshadowed it throughout the story. I loved the whole concept of Wil being so oblivious to who she was actually meant to be with all along, while it became increasingly more obvious and even other characters picked up on it! Even the ending, while bittersweet, (again, no spoilers!) still felt satisfying overall. Needless to say, I'd recommend ANNIE LEBLANC IS NOT DEAD YET, and can't wait to see what Molly Morris writes next! I hope we see some of these characters and the Lennon setting again somehow, too. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.