Not Dead Enough

October 16, 2023
A high school junior is stalked by her dead boyfriend in this chilling debut, which explores intimate partner violence. After surviving a horrific car crash that killed her physically abusive boyfriend, Jerry, on prom night, Charlotte picks up the pieces of her shattered life. As she works through her PTSD in therapy, rekindles relationships with estranged friends, and even connects with classmate Nate, who is also navigating grief, Charlotte keeps Jerry’s abuse a secret. But when she begins experiencing ghostly occurrences—sudden cold spots in her room, long-deleted photos reappearing on her computer, and, worst of all, receiving threatening text messages sent from Jerry’s phone—she becomes certain that someone in her life cannot be trusted, because the alternative means that Jerry’s ghost has come back to get her. Though twists and turns are formulaic, and the dialogue sometimes feels implausible, Neiheiser nevertheless conjures genuine terror while delving into the complexities of grief and cycles of abuse. Charlotte’s struggles with anxiety and trauma and her lingering feelings of love for Jerry are tenderly and delicately wrought and, combined with the hauntings and her suspicion of the intersectionally diverse supporting cast, make for a harrowing and fresh foray into the thriller genre. Ages 14–up. Agent: Susan Velazquez
Colmant, JABberwocky Literary.

October 15, 2023
A teenage girl must deal with the aftermath of a complicated tragedy. After Charlotte's boyfriend, Jerry, dies in a car accident the night of prom, everyone around her assumes she must be heartbroken and wants to reminisce about what a great guy he was. But Charlotte knew a different and darker side of him: Jerry wasn't the golden boy everyone thought he was, a secret she's been desperately trying to keep. Charlotte is trying to live a normal life while attending therapy to treat her PTSD from the events leading up to that night and also grappling with mixed feelings about Jerry's death. When she starts receiving texts from her dead boyfriend, she realizes she might be in danger. With the help of her friends and a new romantic interest, Charlotte must figure out if the source of everything going on is paranormal--or maybe something even more sinister. Neiheiser's prose is confident and compelling, but with the blending of thriller and paranormal genres and the inclusion of multiple serious themes, such as trauma, alcoholism, and abuse, the story occasionally feels like it's trying to accomplish too much without enough room to do everything justice. Nevertheless, the pacing makes for a riveting page-turner with genuinely scary and nerve-wracking scenes that does a mostly effective job of tackling the complicated events. Most main characters are cued white. Goose bump inducing and thought provoking. (author's note, resources) (Thriller. 14-18)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2024
Grades 9-12 Charlotte was sitting in the passenger seat when her popular boyfriend, Jerry, died in a car crash on the night of prom, injuring another student and sending their entire class into a tailspin. The pressure is mounting from her classmates and Jerry's family to perform grief in a way that seems proportional to how wonderful they thought he was, but Charlotte is holding onto a secret trauma that predates prom: Jerry was physically and emotionally abusive toward her. As Charlotte tries to sort through these secrets and what they mean for her healing, strange happenings and threatening messages start popping up around her--and they seem to be coming from Jerry himself. This fast-paced thriller is an exploration of the ripple effects of trauma and abuse and how the unspoken past can rise up and haunt the present. The narrative focus is on the building blocks of this (possibly paranormal) mystery, rather than strong character development, but the steady buildup of Charlotte's frustration and fear will keep readers turning the pages.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 31, 2024

Gr 9 Up-A high school student is haunted by the ghost of her abusive boyfriend while also being stalked. Charlotte, a white high school junior, has insomnia and post traumatic stress disorder from the traumatic event of a car accident on prom night where her boyfriend, Jeff, was killed. It is revealed later that her boyfriend was abusive to her and caused the accident on purpose as an attempted murder-suicide. Months later, Charlotte begins to find items related to Jeff out of place in her room, and begins to receive threatening messages from someone posing as Jeff. A s�ance between Charlotte and her friends proves that Jeff's ghost is really haunting her, but escalating attacks prove that she is also being stalked. Painfully cruel teen social interaction and benign parental neglect can make this a frustrating read, although it does create a sense of realism. Fast-paced action and mystery sequences make this book feel like a faster read than its length suggests. Some readers may enjoy the genre blend of horror and thriller, while others may be left confused. Prospective readers should be careful to read a summary or trigger warning description for this book. VERDICT Purchase where thrillers are popular.-Jeri Murphy

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