Need a cute book to read this holiday season?! Look no further than The Afterlife of Holly Chase, by Cynthia Hand. An unexpectedly darling YA that definitely checked all the boxes for me!
Holly is a terribly entitled teenager who’s visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve. Each urge her to change her ways or she’ll be met with an untimely death, but Holly is UNBOTHERED. She keeps the pace with her horrible attitude and dies as foretold, only to wake up working for Project Scrooge as the Ghost of Christmas Past.
Right off the bat, you must know that this is a modern day retelling of A Christmas Story (as I’m sure you could infer). However, this is a retelling with the most unique twist. Probably my most favorite version to date (and I feel like I’ve seen/read them all).
I was NOT expecting to enjoy this book the way I did, but oh my word…so good! Silly, quirky, and downright feel good. A new holiday favorite with a lot of laugh out loud moments and a little romance sprinkled in, too.
Holly is the kind of character you love to hate. There’s not much that’s redeemable about her, but it just works in this story. She’s witty, sarcastic, and cynical…and I grew to love her so much. Just when I thought I knew exactly where the story was going, it threw me a curve ball. And I’m so glad it did. I love it when a story is wrapped in a completely different package than the one I thought it should be.
I know this may not appeal to everyone, but for me personally it was so charming in the quirkiest ways. I will absolutely reread this one every holiday season. If you’re a fan of YA fiction and enjoy a fun twist on a classic, I honestly think you’ll love this one.
4 out of 5 stars
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