The Sweet Dead Life by Joy Preble

Synopsis:
After a car accident, Jenna’s stoner older brother starts acting really weird, like all perfect and helpful and otherworldly–and then announces that someone is trying to poison her.

Review:
The plot mechanism behind The Sweet Dead Life was a little clunky in parts, but the voice that Joy Preble came up with for Jenna absolutely won me over. I also loved that the story was set in Houston, not just because my mother-in-law lives there but more because it gave the book a great sense of place that tends to be an afterthought in a lot of YA novels. The book is funny, sweet, edgy, suspenseful, and ultimately satisfying–though a huge part of me wished the door had been cracked a bit wider for a sequel. I loved the relationship between Jenna and Casey and would totally keep hanging with them.

Many thanks to Soho Teen for the review copy.