Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

Publisher: Listening Library

Published: June 25, 2013

Received: listened to audiobook from library, but I did have an ARC that I won

Find Online: Goodreads | Amazon

The city of Ludlow is gripped by the hottest July on record. The asphalt is melting, the birds are dying, petty crime is on the rise, and someone in Hannah Wagnor’s peaceful suburban community is killing girls.

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.

 

A quick write up about my thoughts on this book. For my first Yovanoff book, I loved the writing style (I listened to audiobook version, but fell in love with the narrative). I will have to check out more of her work. This book is creepy and chilling. You have a serial killer on the loose, a ghost haunting her best friend, a great sister relationship and a bad boy romance. It's got it all.

The mystery of the serial killer is kind of the background story that plays along while you see Hannah dealing with a blossoming relationship with a bad boy, trying to escape from her best friends ghost while dealing with the emotions her death has left her with and a fun look at a great sistership (sister/friendship? did I just create a new word?). I loved that the mystery wasn't the entire plot/book and that there were some twists that I did not see coming (I had no idea who the serial killer would be). The character building for Hannah was amazing and I think it being the main storyline was a good choice - watching her deal with life without her BFF, finding a guy she liked and trying to just be a regular teenager that's stuck in all this drama was what kept you reading. 

Overall, I'm glad I listened to the audio version of this book - it kept my interest that there were times when I was in the car that I say in my parking spot to listen to more and then would have to run to make it to work since I would get absorbed with the story. That's when you know you've got a great book on your hands! I might have to give the ARC I have a read through just to visit this story again.