Give Up The Ghost by Megan Crewe

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Pub. Date: September 15, 2009
Age Range: Young Adult
Pages: 256
Format: ARC
Source of copy: from author - Megan Crewe

Cass McKenna much prefers ghosts to “breathers.” Ghosts are uncomplicated and dependable. They know the dirt on everybody . . . and Cass loves dirt.

She’s on a mission to expose the dirty secrets of all of the poseurs in her school. But when the vice president of the student council discovers her secret, Cass’s whole scheme hangs in the balance. Timwants her help to contact his recently deceasedmother, but Cass is less than enthusiastic.
Kicking and screaming, Cass becomes increasingly entwined in Tim’s life. And she’s more surprised than anyone when she realizes that maybe some living people aren’t so bad if she’d only give them a chance.



I'm not really into ghost stories, unless they're funny or there's a lot of romance in it. Give Up The Ghost has either of these qualities I look for, so why did I enjoy it so much? Simple, because the book is heartfelt and truly honest.

The very first thing that sucked me right into the story was that the appearance of the ghosts were very different. They did not scare the hell out of anyone, they did not look or smell creepy and most of them didn't seem to suffer from any kind of tiredness for sticking around so long. They, for a matter of fact, were friendly and helpful to Cass, as if being creatures from two separate worlds didn't mean a thing to their relationship. And guess what I liked the most about them? The ghosts spied on people, trying to get their secrets, and then, taking delight when everything was spilled in front of the victims. Mean, wasn't it? Still, it felt so entertaining reading those parts. Megan Crewe's voice created a mysteriousness all over the story, making things interestingly misty. The ghosts' own stories, Cass's history, her current life, all seemed vague but became clearer and clearer as word trailed after word. Readers will find themselves unconsciously pay their full focus to every page to find out what was really happening in the story.

I heart each and every of the characters. Not just Cash or Tim but also Norris, Paige, Cass's parents. All of them played a significant part of building the whole story into a solid and real one. How they were before the death, ways they took to go through it, changes they had to adapt to move on - with these Megan sent a beautiful message of life to the readers. I loved the way the emotions were portrayed, especially the sadness and loneliness; it made me feel cold and empty at some point. You know what was brilliant about the book? That it didn't have to force romance in between everything to feel like a complete one. Instead of making two characters fall deeply in love with each other at rocket speed, the author chose to grow a silent understanding between them, leading them both to open their hearts and souls to people they never knew before, just to end up being good friends who helped one another to live better and happier.

The ending was perfect. No rush, no awkwardness. It just flew naturally. If I was to complain, it was because I thought Danielle the backstabber should have been punished more than that. She was so so so horrible I didn't know where to begin.

Recommended to everyone whether you like ghosts or not. Better if read on a gloomy/rainy days. Trust me, the effects were great in my case :)

Rating: 4/5