Sunday, January 18, 2009
I found out about newly published author Amanda Ashby through the amazing website/blog called Free Book Friday, that is founded by author Jessica Brody. I'm so glad that I read and even heard the wonderful podcast interview of Jessica and Amanda about her first novel You Had me at Halo. Listening to the podcast about how Amanda came to write her first novel was so wonderful to listen to and understand how the concept come to be. I had to find out more about this novel and to get it immediately so I can read it. I also recommend that you all listen to it also so you can decide for yourselves if you agree with me about this book and Amanda Ashby's inspiration for writing it. I'm glad that I bought this book because it didn't disappoint and now I'm a fan of Amanda Ashby's work and I look forward to any of her future novels. Especially since I found on her website that she will have a Young Adult novel called Zombie Queen of Newbury High, about high school kids and zombies, which is a wonderful combination in my opinion.
Now for the book I thought that Holly Evans is such a wonderful character that needed a reality check and her dying and then coming back in a man's body is a BIG reality check. Holly seemed like a self-involved person with only her own personal gain on the top of her list and she doesn't seem to notice anyone who isn't of her status level. So here comes in Vince Murphy the computer geek who use to be friends with Holly when they were children until he moved away. They also work for the same company but don't hang with one another because they are both in totally different status levels at the company. These two characters are very different but yet so much alike that they completely make a wonderful couple together but don't know it. Holly has some mortal baggage to unload first, starting with the matter of how she died because she drowned in her bathtub under suspicious circumstances, but she did not kill herself. Holly had too much to live for, from her recent promotion to taking the next step in her relationship with her boyfriend who also works with her at the company.
Her life had a few loose ends in her life but her heavenly shrinks wants her to resolve them before she can get into any of the upper levels of heaven. He says she has to return to Earth to straighten things out but the problem is, she’ll need to borrow someone’s body to do so, and the body in question belongs to none other than computer geek Vince Murphy. Although Vince was supposed to have vacated the premises, he apparently never got the memo because he was only unconsious for a couple of hours before he came too with Holly in his body. This was one book that I will always remember and will always treasure because it was funny, romantic and exciting to read. I really had a hard time putting the book down the entire time I was reading it and by the time I finished it I really wanted Amanda Ashby to have written a sequel because it looked like Holly's life was only getting more exciting at the end. Here is the description of the book from the back cover and picture:
YOU HAD ME AT HALO $ 12.95 (288 Pages)
She’s halfway to heaven…and she’s just been pulled over.
Holly Evans has just seen her own body laid to rest, and if it had been up to her, she wouldn’t have chosen that particular polyester dress for the event. Still, she could live with that (so to speak), if it guaranteed a quick jump to Level 3 of the afterlife, which she hopes will feature both reruns of Friends and reunions with long-lost loved ones. But Holly has some mortal baggage to unload first, starting with the matter of how she died. Yes, she drowned in her bathtub under suspicious circumstances, but she did not kill herself. Holly had too much to live for, from her recent promotion to taking the next step in her relationship. OK, her life had a few loose ends, but whose doesn’t? Holly’s heavenly shrink isn’t buying it. He says she has to return to Earth to straighten things out. The problem is, she’ll need to borrow someone’s body to do so, and the body in question belongs to none other than computer geek Vince Murphy. Oh, and although Vince was supposed to have vacated the premises, he apparently never got the memo.
Now Holly has forty-eight hours to resolve her issues while sharing arms, legs, and…other things with a guy she barely noticed while she was alive. But the real surprise is what life has to offer when you have only two days to live it.

2 comments:

  1. Phoebe - thank you so much for such a lovely review! I'm really pleased that you enjoyed reading about Holly and Vince (I love that man, he had abs to die for and the patience of a saint - I swear that Holly is one lucky girl!!!!!)

    Btw, I see you've got House of Night books to be reviewed - omg, they are sooooo amazing!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Phoebe,

    Thanks for blogging about Amanda's book. She's so fab. In fact, she was so popular on Free Book Friday, we're having her back on Free Book Friday Teens in March for the release of her YA book: The Zombie Queen of Newberry High!!! So look out for a chance to win free signed copies of that too!

    XO,
    Jessica
    (Founder of FreeBookFriday.com

    ReplyDelete

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