Customer Reviews

Give Up the Ghost

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

That Cass is grieving is more than evident, from her inwardly turned ways and her broken family- and oh yes, the regular visitation of her late sister. In fact, Cass sees a lot of dead people these days, and she takes advantage of this rare gift to collect gossip on her schoolmates.

She uses the details provided by her ethereal cohorts as a sword and shield- keeping everyone at bay, and now that she has dirt on the ex-best friend who's made her miserable since junior high, she might finally have a chance for revenge.

But when Tim, a popular student abandoned by his father after his mother dies, asks Cass for help, she has to decide whether to stay hidden in her own grief, or to finally let a painful past go.

This book is deceptive- a fast read, you'll plow through it the first time in a single afternoon, engaged by the characters and the quick-moving events. But you'll want to come back again and again to enjoy the details- the finely turned out phrases and the delicate metaphors at play. Crewe has crafted a debut novel that's both a pleasure to read and to savor.

So, this was not at all what I was expecting. I guess I thought it was going to be a light-hearted ghost story, about a girl who used her ghost friends to get the dirt on all the jerks in her school. While she does do that, it's more out of bitter-revenge and was more mean-spirited, then good intentions. If that makes sense. The story was also a little deeper than I was expecting, and I know this will sound bad, but I kind of got bored halfway through. It was somewhat predictable and while I felt bad for the characters, it was just...blah. I guess I liked Cassie; she grows a lot throughout the book and does lose the chip on her shoulder. While I understand why she hates the world, it's kind of hard to listen to so much negativity. So, I'm glad she figures things out and unfortunately the book ends right when she's getting interesting. I kind of felt like the book needed some editing throughout and maybe added a few lighter moments, and definitely show more progress with Cassie. IMO.

There is underage drinking, smoking and sexual content.

With the interesting premise ( Ghost Whisper meets High School, anyone?) and awesome cover Give Up The Ghost had, I knew that I was in for one superb treat.

Give Up The Ghost was a new and fresh take on the whole ghost seeing subject. I liked how the ghosts Cass saw such as Norris and Bitzy were a key part of the story and two of Cass's closest friends. Also, it was interesting to see Cass and Paige's, her dead sister, relationship. Since, it provided for some drama and was a cute part of the book.

While Cass was a funny and heartwarming character, she could get on my nerves at times, because of her awkwardness around her classmates. Though, at the same time, I admired her no crap attitude. Tom was another likable character that had many layers to him. Since, at first glance you would think he would be an annoying full of himself jock, but at heart he was a normal teenage boy dealing with the loss of a loved one.

The plot was well developed and always kept me on my toes, with the different revelations that occurred. Such as, what happened in middle school to Cass to why did Paige die?

Lastly, I have to say, Megan Crewe is another great add to the YA Market. Her writing was well done while still having a feel that the novel was being told from a true teenager's mouth. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more by her in the future.

Overall, Give Up The Ghost is a fantastic debut that I suggest to all! I can't wait to see what others think about it.

Grade: A+

Oooh did I like this book! It was serious but funny and sad but exciting! It had a little bit of everything and gave me a lot to think about!

Right off the bat I loved the main character, Cass, she was relatable and likable and I totally would have been friends with her (even if I am a breather!) She's the outsider that used to be an insider until her best friend turned on her out of jealously. So now she lives her life chatting with her friends that no one else can see, ghosts.

I really like the first ghost we meet, and I'm not going to spoil who that is because I didn't know about them until I picked up the book and I was pleasantly surprised. Besides that unnamed ghost we have the two ghosts that "haunt" Cass's high school, Norris and Bitzy. They report back to Cass about the naughty going-ons of the students and staff of the high school and she basically throws it into their face that she knows what they are up to. We see a lot more of Norris than Bitzy, I'm not really sure why but I would have liked to have seen more of Bitzy, they are good friends to Cass.

Another character we meet is Tim the student council vice president, and in the same group as Cass's old best friend, which makes him instantly the enemy. But when Tim needs Cass's help he doesn't take no for an answer and it opens up a whole new world for Cass. I thought that Cass and Tim played off each other beautifully and I loved watching their friendship group.

Ok enough about the characters, Give Up the Ghost had a great sense of humor about it. The way Cass describes people or the comments she made, it definitely had me laughing! And while the book was really funny it was also sad (in a good way) at parts. And that balance made me love the book that much more, it covers all the bases.

Numerous times I've talked about my relationship with paranormal books and how I'm still testing the waters with books that have fantastical elements in them, and this is another one that is right up my alley. My own personal type of paranormal book, I'd definitely recommend this one!

If there's one sentence that could sum up Cass McKenna's life, it would probably be that infamous line from the movie The Sixth Sense: "I see dead people."

Ever since Cass's big sister, Paige, drowned the night of her Junior Prom, Cass has had the gift - or curse - of being able to see ghosts. Or, to be technical, to see, hear, and communicate with spirits who haven't moved on to wherever spirits go after people die. The morning after her sister's death, Cass made the mistake of mentioning to her parents that Paige couldn't be dead, since she was crying upstairs in her bedroom. One therapist later, Cass has realized that telling people about her little "secret" of communicating with the dead isn't a good idea.

Cass has learned to use her ghost-seeing powers to great effect. Never all that popular to begin with, she's made a lot of enemies at Frazer Collegiate by using the information that her spirit friends provide for her. Cheating on your girlfriend? Cass probably knows about it. Posting nasty things on a blog about the girl who does your homework for you? Cass probably knows about it. Passing along information to keep one of your best friends off the Athlete of the Year list? Cass knows about that, too.

It's not hard to see why Norris and Bitzy, the two resident school ghosts, are Cass's only friends.

But then enters Tim Reed, Student Council Vice President, who somehow manages to find out Cass's secret. Tim wants Cass's help in contacting his dead mother. Cass reluctantly agrees, planning to use Tim's popularity status to get dirt on the one person she needs to knock down the most - her ex-best friend, Danielle.

It all sounds like a good plan, except that Cass doesn't know that doing so will put her in a very strange position - that of learning to care about someone else, and finding out that revenge isn't always as sweet as you think it will be.

It's hard to believe that GIVE UP THE GHOST is Megan Crewe's debut novel. It's wonderfully written, has characters who are easy to relate to, and contains pitch-perfect dialogue. It deals with feelings of abandonment and loneliness, with bullying and depression, and even alcohol abuse and suicidal thoughts with true emotion and feeling. Nothing ever comes off as heavy-handed, but I appreciated the fact that Ms. Crewe showed the darker side of being a teen within the context of what could have been just a fun, frothy paranormal read.

The story comes to a not quite happily-ever-after conclusion, but I could easily envision more stories featuring Cass and Tim in the future. GIVE UP THE GHOST is a winner!

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

Cass McKenna is one angry girl. Ever since she parted ways with her childhood best friend, she's been absolutely mean-spirited. Instead of trying to move on with her life, Cass is on a mission to tear down and make fools of her fellow classmates. Cass knows things about them that she definitely didn't witness first hand because she's able to communicate with ghosts. There are 3 ghosts that hang around her school and spy on her classmates for her. Anything they find out, Cass uses against them to bring them down and to make herself feel better.

Then someone suspects what Cass can do, and coaxes her into helping him make contact with his recently dead mother. Tim is the VP of the Student Council, and Cass loathes him because he is friends with her ex best friend Danielle. Though she doesn't want to admit it at first, she's becoming friends with him. The more time that Tim spends with her, the more he is able to see through the shallowness of the people he calls friends. Whether they want to admit it, Cass and Tim need each other, and Cass is going to have to let go of her prejudices if she's going to keep Tim from joining his mom on the other side.

This wasn't at all what I was hoping for with this book, and by the time I made it all the way through I was pretty disappointed. Maybe I should have read more reviews, tried a chapter or two before buying it so I knew more of what I was getting myself into. I wanted more ghosty stuff, but the ghosts are merely part of the device to get Cass and Tim talking to one another. I wish that Crewe had developed that aspect of this novel more, maybe let us know how exactly Cass is able to communicate with ghosts. All we know is that she couldn't see ghosts, but then her sister drowned and became a ghost, and now she sees them everywhere. But why?

I was also hoping for a little romance between Cass and Tim, even though I didn't really like either of them all that much. I totally get why Cass would be miserable. I've been through being bullied and tormented in school, and there were definitely times when I wanted revenge. But Cass has been hanging on to all of this baggage for far too long. I couldn't sympathize with her at all. I actually found myself siding with Danielle when she tells Cass that she needs to get over herself.

And what is with the adults in this book? They are just so...absent. Tim's father can't see that Tim is totally about to go over the edge. Cass's parents don't even begin to see that something is totally up with her. How can they be so completely clueless? This didn't feel realistic to me at all.

I wanted so much more out of this book, and think I will probably shy away from reading any future novels from this author.

For some reason this novel was not what I expected. Don't take me wrong, I really enjoyed it, but I originally anticipated a fun, upbeat YA novel about girl who sees dead people. This was not the case. Yes, of course, there is a girl who sees dead people, but this is a much more serious novel then I expected.

Cass was fantastic - she was funny, and witty, and has a knack for knowing the deep, dark secrets that her classmates try to hide behind their popularity and cool facades - they just don't know she is getting the "down low" from her see-through friends. See Cass was once part of the "cool crowd", until the day she and her BFF had a falling out and she became an outcast. Now her only friends are of the silent and deadly variety - the two ghosts that haunt her school, Norris and Bitsy.

But all this changes when Cass is approached by Tim in the need of her "special" talent. And, although Cass is originally put off by the idea of helping Tim (especially since he's part of the in-crowd), she eventually agrees to do what she can to help him. This is their story of how they struggle with their parents, friendships, and death.

What I truly enjoyed the most about this story is how realistic Cass's tale felt. Despite this being a story that revolves around the supernatural, this is really a book about a teenage girl struggling to find her place in a world that isn't always easy.

I enjoyed Ms. Crewe's writing - it was straight-forward, flowed nicely and introduced us to a set of characters that, even with their flaws, were all relateable and likeable. This is a coming-of-age story, it is about fitting in, but more importantly, accepting oneself and letting go of grudges. It is about grief and loss, and moving on. A great book!

There are lots of teen paranormal romances out there, but Give up the Ghost, by Megan Crewe, stands a step apart from others that I've read, and a step above many. No vampires. No irredeemable cliques. No infinitely gorgeous males and adoring fans. The characters in Megan Crewe's first novel seem surprisingly normal and familiar, apart from the minor detail that Cass sees dead people. And even that detail becomes absorbingly real as the story goes on.

Yes, there are ghosts, and no, there's no deep analysis of why they're there or where they go. But more importantly there are teenagers dealing with the tortures and trials of real life; the unpopular girl who hates everyone; the popular guy who's life is falling apart. There are parents as awkward and well-meaning as only a parent can be, as hurting and as hurt. And there's those first frail steps towards a sweet vulnerability that keeps the world turning as the pages fly. I really enjoyed this book, from start to finish, and I'll be looking out for more from this author.

I adored this book, to put it mildly. It pulled me in right from the beginning and refused to let me go!

The entire book was wonderfully written and imagined. Cass was a girl that I found extremely easy to relate to - especially her sarcasm. I loved that the author showed Cass' tough side as well as her softer, more vulnerable side that she usually keeps hidden from her peers.

I often find that authors add unneeded details to the plot - just to make it more interesting, but Megan Crewe not only had reason for every detail, everything was wrapped up at the end. I was left completely satisfied when I finished this book - which never happens! Cass' bullying, her family life, her new relationship with Tim - all wrapped up perfectly.

I really enjoyed the ghosts of the story. Paige was a wonderful older sister, even in death, even if she didn't know she was - or was in ways that she didn't even mean to be. Another favorite was Norris... I had fun trying to imagine him while he was living - he was such a colorful character. I have to mention that I love this book's dust jacket! On the cover you can see a ghost whispering in Cass' ear and Norris leaning against the lockers on the back cover. I think it fits the novel perfectly!

There is even a dash of romance, but it borders on being only a friendship. Even though I ususally like books with a romantic plot line, and this book's is minimal, I still was kept interested throughout the novel.

Read this book! I was fortunate enough to win a copy, but if I hadn't I definitely would have bought this book! It is remarkable that this is Megan's Crewe's debut novel - it is AMAZING!

GIVE UP THE GHOST is a fantastic debut by author Megan Crewe. Not only is it a ghost story, but it is also an angsty coming of age story. Fans of the supernatural will apprectiate it as well those who lean towards the humans. This book is about fitting in and letting go of grudges and grief. It shows that sometimes people and things go away and we have to learn to accept this and move on with our lives and keep living them. If we don't we will constantly be haunted by the past and never be able to move forward into the future.

Cass used to have friends that were living, but after a fallling out she became an outsider. She is mocked and harassed by some and ignored by the rest of her classsmates. It's only fitting that the only people she talks to now are ghosts, especially since she has practically become one socially. It all began with the death of her sister Paige. Paige showed herself to Cass and ever since she's been a regular ghost magnet. This doesn't bother her at all because lately the ghosts are the only ones she feels comfortable around. Besides, nobody else can see them so she's been using them to snoop on her classsmates and teachers to find out all of their dirty little secrets. As far as Cass is concerned, they all deserve to be taken down or at least blackmailed into submission. Now that she's armed with all this information, people will finally leave her alone. Too bad Cass can't hide forever.

One day, as Cass is using some of her dirt to call someone out, she attracts the attention of Tim, the class VP. He figures out her secret and begs for her help in contacting his recently deceased mother. Cass doesn't know how to handle a real, live person. She surely doesn't want people to know about her, so she gives in hoping that Tim will go away once she helps him out. The only problem is that she discovers that Tim may need more than just a little help and a seance wont solve his problems. For some reason she can't just walk away from him. As they get to know each other Cass begins to realize that she hasn't been living and perhaps she should let go of her own bitterness and join the world again. If only she could give up the ghosts of her past as well as the "real" ones she's been spending her time with in the present.