The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

 Oh, I loved this so much. THE GHOST AND THE GOTH is one of those books that manages to make you feel nostalgic without being too dated. Set in the 2000s, it's a story of a popular cheerleader who dies suddenly and unexpectedly when she's hit by a bus filled with band geeks. Rather than going to the good or the bad place, though, she's stuck here on Earth, doomed to watch her boyfriend move on (with her best friend) and people get over her like she's so yesterday.

However, one person in the school notices that Alona, Miss Pretty and Popular, is still hanging around. And that person is Will, resident school outcast and reluctant mall goth. Everyone thinks that he's mentally ill because he can hear "voices," but the voices he can hear are the voices of the dead.

This was so great. I love difficult and spoiled heroines who get neat character arcs, and that was Alona to a T. Will is also difficult in his way, and I felt like his struggles with his abilities as a mediator were really well done. The constant threat of him losing control and being involuntarily confined felt like a great allegory for people with mental illness who have periods of self-awareness and lucidity, and the very real fear of having that taken away. Likewise, Alona's image consciousness, and her unhappiness at being "perfect" all the time felt very real in a painful way.

If you like feel-good books that are a little bit morbid and a little bit whimsical, you'll love this. It's like Freaky Friday meets Odd Thomas and that combo really worked for me. I wish this had been made into a TV show or movie. The banter was excellent and the author has a great sense for dramatic irony and comedic timing. This would translate so well to the big screen.

4 to 4.5 out of 5 stars