This still sounds super interesting to me. Will definately leave it on my radar and actually read it at some point soon. Atleast I hope I will.

I did not enjoy this book at all. It was dark and only got more grim as it went on - which I'm not generally opposed to but in this sense it felt like the focus rather than the support. Also, the story was very frenetic and jumped around so much it was not enjoyable to follow.

Really enjoyed this book. It was a little unexpected with the whole "middle house" concept for children who were murdered .But really liked it. Some might find it a little dark that they have the ability to "get even" with their murderer and then upon doing so get to move on but for me it is in keeping with the whole biblical eye for an eye concept.
Kept me wondering though through out what about adults that are murdered? Where do they go? Why don't they help the children?
I am good with that though as I love books that make me think "what about" or 'what if". Would definitely read more from this author as I found the it refreshing and new and NOT done to death.

Whilst this book has a good premise, it was poorly executed. The main character Echo is painful to read from, with too many negative characteristics that cannot all be defended by the situation she's in. Other characters are bland and boring. Other aspects of the story that Mathews could have made their own were unoriginal and didn't really add anything new.

I really don’t like bashing books but OMG this book was painful to read. The only thing I liked about this book was the premise – I thought the whole “halfway” house for the ghosts was an interesting concept and seeking revenge for one’s death was intriguing. However, the execution was by far the worst I have ever seen.

First of all, the characters specifically Echo, the MC, was TERRIBLE. I absolutely abhorred her. I thought she was whiney, annoying, entirely too self-centered and everything else negative. Obviously I understand that when you die, you need time to come to terms with that fact; however, she was INTOLERABLE. I just found her so incredibly selfish especially with the whole Andy situation. Andy was her boyfriend (now that she’s dead) and rather than trying to let him be happy, she was basically like “no, stay away from other girls. He’s MINE” even though she was clearly dead. And while she didn’t want him to be with anyone else except for her, there she was dilly-dallying with a fellow ghost. Like seriously? You’re allowed to like someone else but you won’t give the guy you supposedly love the same courtesy? By this point, I was already like please just go away and I want this book to be over.

Second, the other characters also had no substance. All I ever read about Andy was his moping around and being all forlorn. I mean, it was to the point where he wanted to kill himself to be with Echo. Like seriously? You were both in high school – “true love” does not happen there. Echo’s fellow ghosts felt like they were just second-handed characters. Other than helping her do the hauntings, they didn’t really play any sort of role in the story. Cole, a fellow ghost, was also someone I didn’t really get. I’m not sure why he felt that attraction to Echo – I mean, what exactly did she do so far? At that point, all that happened was him meeting her and now all of a sudden, he’s super into her and would do pretty much anything. Huh??

Third, the plot was so unoriginal. There were the obvious suspects and the hauntings that the ghosts did were literally your stereotypical manifestations (i.e. banging, electricity, cold air, apparitions, etc.) that I was kind of unsurprised and not at all impressed. It was no wonder why the actual culprit for Echo’s death was so blasé about the whole situation. And while I was surprised who the murderer was, the overall ending was just meh to me. I felt that the author tried too hard to make it seem as something tragic occurred and the extent of it was just crazy to me.

Overall, this is not a book I would recommend – I really, really disliked it. I’m just glad that this book was a quick read so I didn’t have to spend too much time on it.

Opening line:
"When I tried to remember exactly how I came to be lying in the cold, black room, my mind couldn't focus."

Fun and intriguing romp of a ghost story.
Echo wakes up in an "orphanage" for murdered ghosts. She doesn't know or believe she is dead until she finds her house surrounded by police scene tape and her parents don't see her. She soon makes friends with other ghosts and they help each other find their killers. Then they exact revenge. Only when the ghosts confront how they died can they move on..
Echo makes a list of suspects and her new "friends" help her find her killer. She's shocked to find she isn't such a good girl, but she's not terrible either. She shoplifts and other stupid stuff and then it's the really stupid stuff that gets her killed. I wanted to know who it was too and I guessed the right person from the scene of her funeral. Yes! She goes to her own funeral! It's crazy!
This wasn't a deep book but I don't think it was shallow either. It was a different look into a different kind of ghost world.

For the sensitive reader: 50 swear words (no F words); kissing.

Thanks to netgalley for the read!

Maybe it's my age, but I couldn't make it through this book despite trying. And retrying. I loved the cover but what I go inside of it was unexpected.

The love story and triangle were too much and Echo was annoying. That being said, I can see there being some appeal to teenagers, which is the target audience.

This was a very interesting concept of a plot. I liked the mystery and enjoyed the unraveling of it all. Pretty solid for a YA ghost story!

Echo Stone wakes, terrified, in a dark room with no recollection of how she got there. She soon comes to realize she's a ghost and is in Middle House, where she will be able to bring her killer to justice.

The premise was interesting, but the book did not quite live up to it. The love triangle between Echo, Cole (another ghost), and Andy (her very alive boyfriend) felt tacked on for drama. There was no real flow between a lot of the characters and some of the language and dialogue felt stilted.

Cute cover design but this was unfortunately all that I liked about this book and DNF'd Thank you for the opportunity.

I tried to push myself to read as this book. I got to page 56 and just had to put it down. This book just wasn't for me.

My review can be seen at RT Book Reviews.

Wow, this book was great! I was first drawn in by the cover and the synopsis, and they really were something I hadn't expected in terms of how well they worked! I loved the characters and the story - so much fun!

I received an electronic copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This book just like many I've come across, had the makings of being good but failed terribly at the execution. I liked the whole ghost boarding house (if you can call it that) vibe, and the fact that the other ghosts had these amazing powers.
I like the fact that once they are done with their unfinished business that they can cross over. Plus the team effort all the ghosts put in helping each other find their real killers.
However, majority of the time I was reading this book, I felt pissed off at Echo. I didn't like the whole love triangle thing, and there just wasn't anything particularly shocking about her romance with Cameron. Plus I got so confused with all the Echo and Eileen name swapping. Echo could have done a lot more than what she did, especially with the extra ability she had.
Even though I couldn't tell who actually killed Echo, there wasn't anything particularly captivating about the whole sequence of events leading up to discovering him and making him pay. Plus the ending made no sense to me. Why didn't she cross over? Although now that I think about it, it's just the kind ending that leaves an opening for a sequel. In conclusion this book was just very lukewarm to me.

This book was just not my cup of tea and I was not able to finish it. Thank you for this opportunity, though!

St. Martin's Press and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Bad Girl Gone. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

16 year old Echo Stone awakens to find herself in Middle House, although she has no recollection as to how she got there. Stuck in a creepy orphanage with a bunch of pranking kids, Echo has no choice but to listen to the explanation of those around her. Caught in the in-between, will Echo be willing to follow the advice of the other children and find out the truth?

Bad Girl Gone is a book where the title and cover art are misleading, which is potentially confusing to readers. I was not expecting the supernatural elements, but they added to the plot in a meaningful way. The mystery aspect was also interesting, but the book fell short with the characterization and the plot. With a main character that falls a little flat and a plot that has an ending not even worth mentioning, I would not recommend Bad Girl Gone to other readers.

I enjoyed this book! It was creepy, and I think you can get that from all elements of this book-the title, the cover, the synopsis, and especially the writing and the story! There was just something off, and that was so interesting!

One thing was, that we knew what was going to happen, when Echo didn't, so that took the mystery out of discovering what was going on. Sure, we didn't know the details, but it ruined it just a little bit for me!

Of course, she has to figure out who killed her. Not a pleasant quest in the least (are any quests pleasant?) There are the other kids that are with her that have their own stories, and I enjoyed meeting all of them!

How things ending? That was just the best! While Echo kinda flip flopped on the romance, it was solved, as well as her murder! And instead of going up, well, she stays here and so she can stay with the people who've become her friends, so that was just a fantastic ending!

Yeah, this was a pretty awesome book and I enjoyed reading it!

Imagine waking up in an orphanage surrounded by a strange mix of troubled kids. That’s exactly what happened to sixteen-year-old Echo Stone.
Echo doesn’t know how she’s gotten to Middle House, an orphanage, because she has parents. But Middle House is actually an “orphanage” for the ghosts of murder victims. It’s a sort of purgatory that these “in-betweeners” are living in until they can solve their murders/finish their business. Echo not only discovers she was murdered, but she visits the gruesome crime scene. With the help of Cole, another in-betweener, Echo sets about to figure out who could have disliked her enough to murder her. She also discovers she might not have been as well-liked as she’d imagined.
As the book opens I found myself as bewildered as Echo must certainly feel. What a strange place Middle House is! It took some time to get my bearings in this book and figure out what was going on. I appreciated the adventure of Echo trying to solve her own murder, dealing with the reality that her life—and those she loved—are far out of reach for her, and I found this to be a quick and easy read.
My criticisms are that I can’t say I ever really felt a connection to Echo, I was interested in the story, but didn’t develop the deep level of connection which makes me really care about the character. I also didn’t feel invested in her romance with Cole.
Overall, it’s a good, quick read for someone looking for something “light”.
*I received a copy of Bad Girl Gone from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

http://jodigallegos.com/book-review-bad-girl-gone-by-temple-mathews/

I wanted to like this. I did. The premise of having Echo Stone, who discovers she's a ghost and has a chance to reclaim her life, sounded interesting and I was ready. However, I found little emotion in the writing and couldn't connect with the characters. The plot felt like it wasn't really going anywhere, and while it wasn't my cup of tea, I do hope it's someone else's. Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this ARC.

I regret I did not finish this book at 50%. I did not like the heroine - she lacked depth and where the author attempted to portray her as having a softer disposition, it merely left a sense of lacking backbone. All the side characters were given equal space and it was difficult to appreciate who was important. I appreciate the book was written in first person and it was a harrowing situation, but the main character's emotions were almost bipolar and I couldn't keep up with how I was meant to be feeling at any one time. The writing was jerky and unfulfilling.
I shan't be writing a review.