{Review} THE AFTERLIFE OF HOLLY CHASE by Cynthia Hand

O P E N I N G   H O O K:

  THE FIRST THING YOU should probably know is that Yvonne Worthington Chase was dead. It was all over the news when it happened, the entertainment shows, the newspapers and magazines, even the trashy tabloids. A sudden tragedy--that's how the media described it, because she was only fortysomething when it happened, plus Yvonne was famous, so her death was considered a much bigger deal than an ordinary person's.

(Page 1, US hardcover edition)

It's Christmas Eve, so you need a book that takes place on Christmas Eve today, right!? THE AFTERLIFE OF HOLLY CHASE by Cynthia Hand is a perfect choice this week. While not a retelling of Charles Dickens' famous A CHRISTMAS CAROL, it's very much inspired by the classic novel.

In life, Holly Chase was a vain, narcissistic person who very much resembled a Scrooge. On Christmas Eve, she was visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. She thought it was a joke and didn't believe. Now she's dead and working for The Scrooge Project as the new Ghost of Christmas Past. Even in her afterlife, she can't get away from Christmas. She's been dead and on the job for five years now. Everything is ho-hum, and she's never quite adjusted to her new life. This year's Scrooge is a seventeen-year-old boy named Ethan----the same age Holly was when she was chosen as the year's Scrooge. She finds parallels to her own life and feels connected in a way she never has with previous Scrooges. Can she save Ethan before he makes the same mistake she did?

Light, breezy, and funny, this book flew by. I did a buddy-read with my co-worker, and we were both amused and ultimately satisfied with how the book turned out! Holly isn't the most likable character in the world, but honestly? She's not supposed to be. She wouldn't have been a Scrooge in real life if she was! But it's interesting to see the changes she goes through when trying to connect to her current Scrooge and....really, I can't say more! It's REALLY hard to talk about this book without spoilers, to be honest. It's just one of those books. But it's a stand-alone (yay!), a new book from Cynthia Hand (double yay!), and laced with humor (triple yay!). It's just the perfect book to curl up with this holiday season, especially because it's an original tale and not a direct retelling!

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C O N T E N T R A T I N G S

Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) for details

Romance: PG ( kissing )

Language: G ( One damn )

Violence: --

Other: --

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C O V E R   D E S I G N:

It's metallic!!! It's so shiny and pretty.

I actually really like that the cover has minimal art and focuses more on design. It also reflects Holly's new minimal life, while still being elegant and making you want to pick it up!

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O F F I C I A L   I N F O:

Title: THE AFTERLIFE OF HOLLY CHASE

Author: Cynthia Hand

Release Date: October 24, 2017
Publisher: HarperTeen
Received: For Review

SUMMARY:

On Christmas Eve five years ago, Holly was visited by three ghosts who showed her how selfish and spoiled she'd become. They tried to convince her to mend her ways. 

She didn't. 

And then she died. 

Now she's stuck working for the top-secret company Project Scrooge--as the latest Ghost of Christmas Past. Every year, they save another miserly grouch. 

Every year, Holly stays frozen at seventeen while her family and friends go on living without her. So far, Holly's afterlife has been miserable. 

But this year, everything is about to change. . . .