Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pages: 336pgs

The Story

When her boyfriend, Danny, is killed in a car accident, Wren can't imagine living without him. Wild with grief, she uses the untamed powers she's inherited to bring him back. But the Danny who returns is just a shell of the boy she once loved.

Wren has spent four months keeping Danny hidden, while her life slowly unravels around her. Then Gabriel DeMarnes transfers to her school and somehow, inexplicably, he can sense her secret. Wren finds herself drawn to Gabriel, who is so much alive than the ghost of the boy she loved. But Wren can't turn her back on Danny or the choice she made for him - and she realizes she must find a way to make things right, even if it means breaking her own heart.

Amy Garvey's transcendent teen debut is perfect for fans of Shiver and Beautiful Creatures. Wren's unforgettable voice and story will stay with readers long after the last page is turned.

The Review

I was reasonably surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It wasn't because it was a fun book per se, just that it turned out to be something of the unexpected which is always a good thing in my books. Before even starting COLD KISS, the first book in a YA series, the premise was something that didn't necessarily get me interested right away although after reading many raving reviews about it and after seeing that it had a really cool cover to add onto the bonus lists, I finally came across this book at my local library and decided to have a crack at it with not too many expectations. And, as it turns out, resurrecting a dead boyfriend and trying to hide him away from people had actually made this book a pretty great read for me after all!

While there are little enjoyable bits and pieces of the supernatural being wrapped around this story, but what I liked and preferred from the book was the emotional side Amy Garvey gave to us readers. The emotions of first love, the grief and the loss that came with it . . . it was something that I'm sure a lot of readers will be able to identify with without judging it solely on the supernatural elements, which was great I guess. Then adding to these emotions, for me personally, what strengthened this book even more was the supernatural ability the main character possessed, one of whom inherited this ability from her family which led to all of the character's troubles along the way. Now I really liked that aspect too. This certain 'ability' we soon get to know a bit about was really spunky and it was the answer for everything, even though it still lead to so many unanswered questions at the end of the book.

Now aside from the emotional connection, for the most part I really loved the heroine, Wren, and her whacky ways of life. She's definitely not perfect and she's knows it too which made her more appealing to me, but all she wants is to be with her boyfriend - her first love - even if he's technically . . . well . . . now dead. Wren is a very much well-layered character and she really grows on you, so while I understand why she resurrected her boyfriend and why she wanted him back (because the loss of a friend or in this case the loss of a boyfriend would be something that could ultimately destroy you) I still thought it was pretty extreme. Still, even though Wren's actions may make you love or hate her, but despite all of those ups and downs, I liked her a lot. She's a character experiencing so many complicated things at such a very young age and she's trying to move on the best way she knows how, while also trying to mend her broken friendships and not to mention her broken heart. So when you add all of that together and with her also trying to decide what to do with her resurrected boyfriend and handle her new feelings for the new guy (I know complicated!) . . . I think Wren did a splendid job with her 'situation'. Again she's not perfect by any means but hey, aren't we all?

With the side characters they were pretty great as well. Wren's friends for example, while they didn't necessarily play a huge part in the book, but I still liked how they continued to stay back and allowed Wren to grieve over her boyfriend, and I liked the fact that they never left her side and were always wanting to be there for their girl even when Wren kept pushing them away. That's what I like in friends. Then there's the love interests . . . you know, like in every story. Wren's dead-but-now-newly-resurrected boyfriend, Danny, was a character you just needed to sympathize with. He died with natural causes and yet he was brought back unnaturally and his soul is there but his mind is elsewhere you know . . . so with him being completely confused I truly and deeply felt for this guy. He deserved some peace. And then there's the new guy in town, Gabriel, whom becomes intrigued with Wren and somehow knows what she did to her boyfriend Danny. So for Gabriel's character I found he was someone really hard to trust at first. You didn't whether to love or be annoyed by him. He was a mystery all on his own I tell you, but once he opens up about himself and once you get to see the connection he and Wren soon share . . . I have to say I'm now pretty excited to see where this new relationship will go in the next book . . . because Gabriel was quite the catch!

Overall, COLD KISS was a book I wasn't going to read initially but I'm so glad I did anyway. All in all, this book is something that will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you fall in love even when you're angry and frustrated with things, and in the end I guess there's nothing more you could possibly want from a book like that! So go and read it!

The Rating

4/5 stars