Review : Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff
Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff
Pages : 304
Genre : YA, Horror
Stand alone
My Rating : 3.5/5
About the Book :
For Hannah, the summer is a complicated one. Her best friend Lillian died six months ago, and Hannah just wants her life to go back to normal. But how can things be normal when Lillian’s ghost is haunting her bedroom, pushing her to investigate the mysterious string of murders? Hannah’s just trying to understand why her friend self-destructed, and where she fits now that Lillian isn’t there to save her a place among the social elite. And she must stop thinking about Finny Boone, the big, enigmatic delinquent whose main hobbies seem to include petty larceny and surprising acts of kindness.
With the entire city in a panic, Hannah soon finds herself drawn into a world of ghost girls and horrifying secrets. She realizes that only by confronting the Valentine Killer will she be able move on with her life—and it’s up to her to put together the pieces before he strikes again.
My Thoughts :
In the past years, I’ve seen and added all of Brenna Yovanoff’s books to my wishlist. It’s true; her stories always intrigued me, the reviews I read were mostly positive and her covers caught my eye every time. I’m not sure why Paper Valentine was the one that finally convinced me to take the plunge and give her books a try, but I’m glad I did.
Paper Valentine certainly was an interesting book. The synopsis reads like half psychological thriller and half creepy ghost story – which very well describes the novel. It’s an immersive, slow-moving tale that mixes with good measure the horrors of life and death. The setting is very atmospheric, the prose a little lyrical and very pleasant. I was quickly pulled into the story, and on this front it was exactly the kind of setting I was hoping for as I started my R.I.P. challenge, focussing more on the story itself than on action or gore.
Hannah was a likable character and it was easy to identify with her, at least in parts. She struggles to find her place in this world, especially since her best friend died, and the mystery taking over her city only exarcerbates her questions and reflexions.
And maybe that’s a bit of problem here. In 300 pages, the author tries to tackle a few too many issues; there’s the murders, the haunting, the romance; but also grief, mental health and eating disorders, with an almost coming-of-age thread through it all. The book does okay with it all, but because its issues are too numerous, few of them are looked at in depth. It’s spooky but never unsettling, emtotional without being heartbreaking. And then it wraps up neatly, but I’m not sure how believable the ending really was.
All in all though, it’s the little things that made me enjoy this book so much. The characters surrounding Hannah (Lillian, Ariel, Pinky, her cousin) were all very well portrayed, even when they didn’t take much space. I liked the author’s writing, and I loved all the scenes in the photo store(reminding me so much of the days I spent working at one, too!)
I read Paper Valentine for the R.I.P. challenge and I have to say, it was a great pick for the occasion! Moody, slightly spooky and filled with ghosts and mystery, it was the perfect way to start the fall season. And while it wasn’t love at first page, I do plan on reading more from the author in a near future.
I’ve never read anything by this author but I’m drawn to this book by the cover. Looks perfect for the R.I.P. challenge! Atmospheric, moody books are great for fall.