Review: I heart you, You haunt me by Lisa Schroeder

Published: January 2008, Simon Pulse
Pages: 226
Stand Alone Novel
Read for a (Personal) Challenge: Closet Cloggers
In a sentence or so: Ava's boyfriend Jackson dies and she blames herself for the loss; only he's not really lost, he is coming to visit her as a ghost.
*Rating: 5/10


Goodreads description:

Girl meets boy.

Girl loses boy.

Girl gets boy back...

...sort of.
Ava can't see him or touch him, unless she's dreaming. She can't hear his voice, except for the faint whispers in her mind. Most would think she's crazy, but she knows he's here.

Jackson. The boy Ava thought she'd spend the rest of her life with. He's back from the dead, as proof that love truly knows no bounds

1. YA/Paranormal Romance/Grief -- Novel in Verse (Free 1 point)
2. There was a wonderful consistency in the timeline, and the character was mostly invariable. Despite her consistency Lisa Schroeder's writing was forgetable in her inability to be unique. (1/2 point)
3. As convincing as the world was there was nothing grabbing in this story. It was quick, unobtrusive, predictable and inconsequential. Ava as a character was believable but typical, nothing extraordinary. (1/2 point)
4. The story was based on how Ava dealt with the death, and return as a ghost, of her boyfriend Jackson. It was very short and concise. Ms. Schroeder held together the flow of time pretty well, even with a few flash backs. (1point)
5. This story is about growing through grief and letting go or not letting go. You see partial charater growth in the story. The character makes some efforts to rejoin the living but the journey is cut short by the time line. (0 point)
6. I don't see a unique point made by the author here. Anyone can write a book about death, greif and lettign go. There was no reason to read this book over any other book on grief. (0 point)
7. No witty, no funny in sad times, in fact there wasn't much in the way of dialogue at all. (0 point)
8. There is definitely love in this story. First love, never ending with a little paranormal help.  You know how about a month after a relationship ends all you can do is think about the best parts and wish it wasn't over? Now add the obsession of first love, survivor's guilt because the relationship was ended by your boyfriend's death and now he's haunting you. (1 point)
9. Lisa created a pretty convincing world, I could see through the narrators eyes very clearly. (1 point)

10. There are a couple powerful touching moments, but I attribute that to the nature of the subject. The writing is pretty bland. (0 points)

Reread worthy? No

Recommendation? That being said, if I were a little younger and hadn't learned how to deal with loss, of love or life, this story would have probably affected me more. I would recommend this as a stop gap for teenage girls that are grieving either boyfriends or first brush with a loved one dying. ALTHOUGH there are lots of books that deal with grief, there are most likely better options than I Heart You, You Haunt Me.

*Click Rating to see post about my 10 aspects of a great book.