Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pages: 305pgs

The Story

The city of Ludlow is gripped by the hottest July on record. The asphalt is melting, the birds are dying, petty crime is on the rise, and someone in Hannah Wagnor's peaceful suburban community is killing girls.

For Hannah, the summer is a complicated one. Her best friend Lillian died six months ago, and Hannah just wants her life to go back to normal. But how can things be normal when Lillian's ghost is haunting her bedroom, pushing her to investigate the mysterious string of murders? Hannah's just trying to understand why her friend self-destructed, and where she fits now that Lillian isn't there to save her a place among the social elite. And she must stop thinking about Finny Boone, the big, enigmatic delinquent whose main hobbies seem to include petty larceny and surprising acts of kindness.

With the entire city in a panic, Hannah soon finds herself drawn into a world of ghost girls and horrifying secrets. She realises that only by confronting the Valentine Killer will she be able move on with her life - and it's up to her to put together the pieces before he strikes again.

The Review

A big thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia for sending me a review copy of this book!

There's something so great and unique in Brenna Yovanoff's writing. It's always (somehow) filled with so many surprising twists and such intense depth in her books, making each one of the characters - not to mention her words alone - just fly right off the page. And with this book there's no exception. It's yet another great book, but unlike her previous two books being heavily detailed in the paranormal genre, this one is more about a mystery and I totally fell for it!

PAPER VALENTINE may have started out slow in the beginning, but once you begin to immerse yourself into Brenna Yovanoff's world you cannot help but enjoy the rest of the book and the characters who take you along for the ride. Out of everything, I guess, the one thing I loved most of all about this particular title was how it had this sense of realism to the world that we read about and yet it also contained slight hints of paranormal to make those 'creeps' go up and down your spine. I love those types of books and I find it makes the whole storyline far more interesting in that sense.

On a whole, I thought the characters were pretty good too. Hannah in particular was a great main heroine for this type of storyline. Sure, she wasn't liked by me in the beginning of the book, but once you figure out her whole story and see the many layers to her character you can't help but care for her very much. Especially when she starts to show that vulnerable and independent side to her. Lillian, on the other hand, a girl who died six months ago and was the best friend of Hannah, was quite an interesting and a very different sort of character. But she was very sad for the most part. Now at times Lillian did creep me out (like really, really creeped me out) but that was the whole fun part about her! I love creepy characters - even ones with a very sad story behind them, especially characters that end up playing a very significant role in a book and Lillian, I find, was one of those types of characters. She added something really cool to the storyline!

As for the romantic love interest, the mysterious and lighter-stealing Finny Boone (I know what a super cute name he has), there was just something so fascinating about his character - what with his very concealed past. And, even for a character who is frightfully bulky and who is constantly bullied for the way he dresses, Finny was still someone who is so kind and soft-hearted with people, and I had enjoyed reading about the subtlety of his romance with Hannah, whom, I find, are so perfectly fitted for one another. Of course I enjoyed his character but together with Hannah . . . I enjoyed Finny even more!

Overall, PAPER VALENTINE is yet another great book coming from the awesome and very talented Brenna Yovanoff! This book will be perfect for fans and readers of strange but very wonderful books if you know my meaning. And if you're already a fan of the author like I am, then definitely check out this one too! It's quite a great mystery!

The Rating

4/5 stars