Book Review - Hereafter

Title: Hereafter

Author: Tara Hudson

Book Synopsis from Goodreads: Can there truly be love after death?

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, Hereafter is a sensation you won't want to miss.

My Review: The first Chapter hooked me immediately while I was at the bookstore. I just had to buy it. But I must admit, I was a little disappointed with the book.

What was it that was disappointing? I knew this was a love story, it says so right on the cover, but I wasn't expecting such an intense connection. It was a little understandable on Amelia's part...sort of. She's been walking around in a fog for years, experiencing her own death over and over again at random times while simultaneously being numb to everything around her. I get that she would be drawn to Joshua because he allows her to feel almost alive again. But I wish that the author had kept it at that. Having Amelia be so obsessed with the person and not just the experience got old and it was almost uncomfortable to read. I mean...she's dead.

And then there's Joshua. He is unnaturally open-minded. I mean...if I was in his position I may have been able to get over the fact that I had just met a ghost and I would probably want to do what I could to help said ghost, but I don't think I would want to be in a relationship with one. It would take awhile to get to that point where I could look past the ghost aspect.

The big appeal to this book is the mystery. Amelia has no idea what her purpose is and if there are rules she has to follow as a ghost. For her, the fog is all there is after death until she meets Joshua. I also really liked how Amelia had to learn about her life because she had forgotten...in particular the details of her death. I loved when she realized the specifics of how she died. That was written really well.

I liked the book, I just didn't love it. Honestly, if the author had decided to tone down the love story a bit, it would have gotten a better rating from me.

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars