How To Date Dead Guys (Under The Blood Moon #1)

I didn't expect this book to affect me the way it did.

With such a quirky, fun title and premise, even though I read some other reviews, I didn't quite believe them. But listen to the other reviews and listen to this one---the character development, and the development of relationships between characters, for Emma, all the dead guys she brings back, and even some of the smaller side characters was not only phenomenal but also very real and believable, which made it even better.

And the book was so much more meaningful and deep and touching and heart-wrenching than I thought it would be. I don't full-on cry over books, but I did shed some tears and get watery eyes numerous times while reading. I'm a series girl because it usually takes me numerous books to really connect to characters and get emotional about them, but every dead guy introduced in this book somehow managed to worm his way into my heart. I just really felt for the characters and the struggles and heaviness of the situations they were in, and I couldn't believe how quickly I got attached to each one.

As for the premise, I was imagining that the main character would do a spell and then a bunch of ghosts would rise up and follow her around. Instead, well, I'll let you have the fun of discovering it as you read and just say it was very unique and kept getting more interesting and complicated as the book went on and easily kept me hooked!

I did have some minor issues in the beginning (like the immaturity of the protagonist), but they faded away as I got sucked in, and eventually they all proved to be a purposeful part of the story.

So overall, this wasn't a dark book, but it wasn't rainbows and unicorns either. It was fun and quirky and made me chuckle at times, but it was also serious and emotional sometimes, and it was sweet at others. And even though this book dealt with topics of death and life and what it means to really live, it didn't so much make me think as it just made me feel.

Emma is a painfully shy college student, living in the dorms with no real friends. She has acquaintances but nobody that she is really close to. She believes that she is "boring" or at least as boring as you can be while having the ability to se dead people!
When she blames herself for the death of a boy she has a crush on, she is willing to give her own life to bring him back. Not knowing how to use her new found abilities causes things to go a bit haywire but as it turns out maybe things work out the way they are meant to.
This was a very enjoyable book and I am glad to see it is the first of a series because I will definitely be looking for more! This was part fun, part spooky ghost whisperer type adventure and I loved it. Though it is categorized as young adult I know plenty of 40somethings, myself included who can enjoy a good story without the typical vulgarity and explicit sex that would be found in books geared towards an older audience. 5 out of 5 stars from me.

I received a complimentary copy for review

Emma feels guilty that Mike drowned while she was with him even though he was drunk and insisted on swimming in the river. Everyone is blaming her, too, and the college, especially his brother, Kevin. To try and assuage her guilt, Emma uses the Book of Shadows her roommate's sister left behind the last time she visited. Her love spell seemed to work last time, so why wouldn't a spell to bring back the dead work, as well? What Emma accomplishes is not what she expects nor wants. But she has to deal with the hand dealt her, even if it means losing those she loves.

This book was extremely unique. I wasn't expecting the way the plot went, but that was in no way a bad thing. There was romance in this book, but more of a tragic romance than a traditional romance. And it has a mystery in it, but the book was more focused on Emma helping those she had raised from the dead, then on a mystery. Maybe a mystery of why she raised the ones she did, but not a mystery in the traditional since. This book didn't meet my expectations as to what I thought it was, as I thought is was a "traditional" book, but it turned around my expectations in a totally different direction, one in which I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. The book was well-written, had a very unique plot, and the characters were very interesting and had distinct personalities. In fact, the only thing I really didn't enjoy was the protagonist didn't get a traditional happy ending, but I am looking forward to more books just to see if maybe she does get one. Just don't go in expecting anything and you will definitely enjoy this book. Highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and Curiosity Quills Press for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review. This exact review will also be posted on Amazon and Goodreads.

I read the synopsis on this book and was instantly drawn to it. I was not disappointed! Emma is shy with not many friends. She finds it hard to make new ones. She strike up a conversation with a cute boy and is crushing on him bad. Unfortunately, he drowns and she feels at fault. The series of events that happens next was totally unexpected, but really drew me into the story. Great writing, great story, and a fun cast of characters. I'm looking forward to more of Emma's adventures!

I enjoyed this book and I was happy to see book 2 will soon be released. Under the Blood Moon is the story of a young woman who can talk to ghosts. Emma has always had this ability but when she's blamed for Mike's death in the river she pulls out the Book of Shadows and tries to bring him back. She succeeds along with a whole group of ghosts that drowned in the same river. She gets more powerful with each ghost she helps but the river is angry for taking the ghosts away. She becomes friends with the local police officer, Charlie Walker when he discovers her powers. Easy to read, no overt violence and lots of hocus-pocus. Teens and young adults will enjoy this book set on a college campus as well as anyone who is fond of light paranormal

Review rating: 5 Deadly Stars!

"Dead people don't scare me. At least, not as much as live ones do."

College sophomore Emma Roberts remembers her mother’s sage advice: “don’t sleep around, don’t burp in public, and don’t tell anyone you see ghosts.” But when cute Mike Carlson drowns in the campus river under her watch, Emma’s sheltered life shatters.

Emma finds a spell book, under her bed, left by her roommate's sister. The Book of Shadows.
Under stress, with everyone blaming her for Mike's death, she sets out, in futile desperation to try and bring him back to life, casting a spell near the place he drowned.

And then someone does come back. Only it's not Mike, but someone named Sam. As Emma tries to make sense of what is going on, Sam gets sucked back in the river only to be replaced by someone else...Jake.

Jake is very mysterious, does not talk much about his past. With thanksgiving around the corner, Emma invites Jake to her parents' house for the holidays. Emma's feelings towards Jake grows stronger, stronger than is was for Mike. But before she has a chance to find out what Jake is hiding and try to analyze their feelings for each other, the inevitable happens.

My thoughts on How to Date Dead Guys

Great cover, great title! This was very entertaining! I loved it! A whole lot of twists, turns & surprises. Won't let you go, until you finish the last page!

I highly recommend this to all paranormal & YA readers!

***Thank you, Ann M. Noser, via Netgalley, for providing me with a copy of How to Date Dead Guys, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you for reading my review.

Thank you to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

How To Date Dead Guys started a bit slow for me, but the story really started to pick up after a bit. Emma is a smart, but somewhat dull girl in college with only one sort of friend. She meets a boy and falls for him right away. Unfortunately, things don't go Emma's way. She finds a book of shadows and takes a chance with bringing a boy back from the dead. Things don't go quite as planned. Emma grows stronger as a person and meets people that she can finally call real friends. She might even fall in love. The book of shadows keeps calling to her and she finds out some secrets about it towards the end of the book. (I'm being vague so I don't ruin the book for anyone.)

I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the series soon.

I loved it! The characters, even though dead, had such distinct personalities that it was fun to follow even when there were three at once. I appreciated how each boy (man) helped her to learn something about herself and grow. A fun read for any teen or YA that will totally understand the feelings of each person present.

Well I finished How to Date Dead Guys (The Witch's Handbook Book 1) and it was NOT much like I had thought it would be, it was lot less funny and a LOT more serious than I thought from reading the synopsis. That being said it was a GREAT book, it might get tedious in a couple of short places to some folks but I did not do any scanning. FREE on KU and I would highly recommend this one, thought about giving it 5 Stars but I am getting more stingy with those so 4 Stars it is but this has a bit of humor, romance, tragedy, almost everything, amazing.

This is a cute page turner that I've enjoyed quite a bit.
It's got some cheese but hey... who doesn't like a little bit of cheese?
Especially when the book is written well. All characters develop well and are believable and I loved them.

This is a fun book perfect for reading on the beach this upcoming summer!

I admit I picked up this book mostly because I thought it would be a funny read, not because I was looking for a necromancing guide. Also, I read Ann M. Noser's previous book Dead Girl Running last year.

When Emma and her drunk crush Mike go swimming in a river, Mike drowns. Emma, feeling guilty and newly in possession of a witch's spell book, decides to bring him back from the dead. However, with Mike, she also brings back a couple of other guys who've got some unfinished business.

It took me some time to get into the story. I quite liked the main character from the start, she's the shy kind of person who prefers to stay inside with friends over going out. The one time she decides to act out of character things go terribly wrong and from there, although she grows as a person, her actions are becoming less and less rational.

I won't spoil too much about the different guys Emma brings back but at a certain time it did get a bit old for me. I remember thinking: yet another one? Will it ever end?

Some things were a bit weird, like everyone sharing the same body and looking the same to everyone except Emma. I see how it facilitated the plot, but it didn't make a lot of sense to me. But all in all, a very nice, quick read and I'm certainly looking forward to the next novel in which will be trying to ditch dead guys...

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

**Live 8/1**

Half of me was really looking forward to How to Date Dead Guys, and the other half of me was really nervous. I worried that my hopes were so high that I was bound to be let down. I really knew nothing about the book, other than the synopsis and title.

Here’s what’s interesting though. When I finished it I felt both let down, and driven to immediately read the next one. I can’t remember another time where I was unhappy with a book, but unable to prevent myself from continuing. (I’ve already read the first 35% of How to Ditch Dead Guys.) I can also say that while the first half was a little more miss than hit, I also felt that the story slowly found its stride. Despite being unhappy with the twists and turns, I was actually enjoying myself in the reading.

What I Loved: I loved the concept that in her grief Emma discovers powers inside herself that allows her to do witchcraft. (It’s kind of a childhood dream of mine. The Secret Circle is my preteen favorite.) I loved that her grief and guilt caused her to cook up a spell that would bring people back from the dead. I loved the relationships that she developed between herself and the men she pulled out of the river. I loved how even when they were a bit of a jerk to each other, they wound up caring about each other anyway. I particularly loved Jake. Everything about Jake. I love how everything seemed to circle back to Emma’s real world. It was an interesting way to show a balance. Oh, and I looooved Jake.

Where I Struggled: I didn’t like that witchcraft was given a negative spin. It was ‘dangerous’, it was messing with ‘bad things’. It brought about ‘horrid nightmares’. That line of thinking is tired, in my opinion. I also struggled with Emma. Actually, if I’m being honest, I’m not sure how much I like her at all. She felt one dimensional to me. On the flipside I was so sad for her. It was really hard reading about her making these connections -Jake- but knowing they were only temporary. I wanted to hold onto those connections, and knowing she wanted that too made the story pretty sad. It also didn’t help me, as the reader, when the ‘dead guys’ were the most well developed characters.

Nevertheless, I can’t tell if it’s because of what I loved or what I struggled with, something about the story -probably Jake- made me want to delve right into the next one. I wonder if when I finish the second, will I still be as gung-ho about reading book three.

There's nothing that can be improved with a little witchcraft. :)

This was a very interesting read! I don't think the necromancer trope is used nearly enough in YA. This book made me realize that fact even more! I loved Emma. I loved watching her character growth and the relationship she had with each of the guys. All of the characters were well written and fleshed out to make them feel so real.

The only reason this book is losing a star is because I also loved Mike and I wanted that happy ending, somehow, someway. I realized going in that there was no way that could happen but a girl can hope right? I'll definitely be picking up the second novel in this series just to see where Emma's story goes.