The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker is a YA thriller with a paranormal twist. Eleanor Parker wakes up in the local river - cold, half-dressed, water spraying from her mouth and no idea how she got there.

"The memories are still just out of reach but there are two things of which I'm certain. I didn't fall into the river - I was drowned in it and, somehow, despite the fact I'm still here, I died last night."

I'm pretty good at suspending my disbelief and stretching my imagination which is a requirement in order to enjoy a read like this. If you can do that - this book is quite an enjoyable whodunnit. Eleanor was an extremely likable lead character. She was an average teenager with all the problems and drama that come with that age. Except of course that she is technically undead!

I have to admit that I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. The supernatural element was interesting and we never fully quite know what to make of it all. I liked that Wilkinson left it open to the reader's interpretation.

"If a person believes in something, really believes, then it doesn't matter what others say."

The mystery was well paced and I didn't have it figured out - WIN! The whole vibe of the book was unique and enjoyable. This is one that will definitely keep you turning the pages.

*Thank you NetGalley for access to this book*

Eleanor "Ellie' Parker woke up dead. After dragging herself out of the river and back home, Ellie can only remember bits and pieces of the previous night. She doesn't eat or sleep as she tries to find out who killed her.

This was amazing! It's a murder mystery with the murder victim doing the investigation! There is that overt supernatural element, but as the book goes on, there are hints that there could be more. I did not have a clue who the murderer was until the last part of the book, and the motive is kind of cliche, but not rare. Definitely a great read,

If this story had been told by another author it might have seemed quite a simple, reasonably paced "murder" mystery who-done-it kind of book. But somehow Kerry Wilkinson manages to weave a multitude of messages, ideas and world building into what, on the surface, appears to be a relatively simple story. I've only read one other of this authors books, Ten Birthdays, and it had a similar kind of subtle vibe about it - so much is told through a really cleverly developed narrative voice rather than throughout the plot and I honestly loved both of them. I thought this was going to be a sort of supernatural murder mystery, and it is, but it's actually more so a clever coming of age story about realising what life is actually all about. So clever, refreshing and genuinely gripping.

Eleanor Parker was drowned, of that she feels certain. She wakes up in the river, completely unaware of how she got there, but this isn't just any ordinary village river. This is the same river that another girl the previous summer was drowned in - and the case is still seemingly unsolved.

I guess what I found most relatable about Eleanor was that she was absolutely normal. She is not a special or talented heroine battling against corruption, abuse or betrayal, she has an ordinary sort of family and she just wants to enjoy the summer. She is most of us reading this book. And yet her voice somehow speaks volumes, and I wanted to unravel the secret with her, no matter how close to home it became for her. It's true that you never quite know who to trust, even yourself, and as I discovered, perhaps even Eleanor was not the most reliable narrator (which I loved!).

This book is so very clever, and in a world inundated with loud heroines wielding flashy abilities, I think it's about time we got behind the quietly normal, yet undeniably striking characters like this one. I really hope this book reaches the readers who would love it; you won't be disappointed. .

17 year old Eleanor wakes up cold in a riverbank with no memory of what happened to her last night. She is covered with bruises but more importantly she’s dead.She goes home and realizes she does not have her senses of smell or taste and is always cold but people can see her and talk to her . So is she a ghost and how can she investigate her murder when no one knows she is dead?

Death and Life of Eleanor Parker is a YA murder mystery with a paranormal twist. It’s a different, light engaging summer read with a unique twist in the end.

I would like to thank Bookouture & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker is an imaginative, young adult thriller with a paranormal element which readers will revel in.

The story starts with Eleanor Parker waking alone in a river with no memory of the last night's event. When she tries to make sense of what happened to her, she also notices a lot of changes in herself. She cannot fall asleep, her senses are being weird, and she always feels cold. These things strengthen her belief that she died that night and came back to life. Not knowing whom to trust, Eleanor begins to investigate her own death.

The premise of investigating one's own death truly fire's someone's imagination. Since the story is told through Eleanor's eyes, it makes the readers scrutinize clues and motives of people to know the truth behind lies and deceits. It's amusing to see how Eleanor needs to do her investigation while not revealing her predicament for fear that no one will believe her. The flow of the story is fast, and Eleanor's humor and comments make the story more entertaining. The tension building and layers of mystery are well-written. Lastly, the conclusion is very satisfying and perfectly fits the tone and mood of the book.

Eleanor is a very likable character. She isn't whiny and self-absorbed like other teen characters, and her sense of humor is always on point.

The only minor problem that I had is that there isn't a clear explanation about how Ellie came back to life. However, it might be the author's intention to leave that part to the reader's imagination. Also, I think it would have been better if some characters were fleshed out.

Overall, The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker is an enjoyable young adult mystery that gives Riverdale charm and vibes.

I gave this book 4/5 stars!

After reading the description I knew I had to read this book I love a good mystery so when I read that there was an added paranormal element I was definitely intrigued. The opening easily pulled me in as we meet Eleanor who finds herself in a very disturbing situation. I loved how the character of Ellie was explored as she begins her own investigation and looks to her friends for answers. Ellie is a typical teenager until one night something turns her life upside down and sets her on a path to discover exactly what happened to her.

Everything was revealed in small pieces but this helped to create a very intriguing story where I was desperate to discover the truth. This makes the pacing pretty steady but I liked how this drew me in even more with lots of questions that I had to find the answers to. Along with worrying over who to trust as everyone in Ellie's life could be a suspect! While reading it felt as if there was a dark and ominous shadow hovering over the entire story which creates a wonderful tension.

The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker is the type of book where I would love to talk about all the little things that happened and this for me is the sign of an engaging and brilliant book. However I'm trying to be as vague as possible as it really is a must to see for yourself all the interesting twists and turns that this story takes and I would hate to spoil that for anyone.

Even though this is a YA story I would still say that it appeals to an older audience I am way past my teenage years at 34 years old but there is something about the story that captured my attention perfectly. I have to say that one of these things is definitely Ellie's character who is a brilliant creation using sarcasm, humour and straight talking even after everything she has been through.

This is definitely a mystery with a difference that will grab hold of you until the truth is finally revealed!

Five stars from me!

With thanks to Noelle at Bookouture for my copy.

Thank you to Bookouture for my copy of this book and for letting me take part in this tour. I am quite the YA fan more so of the fantasy based variety. This book has some supernatural elements to it but it's not firmly in the fantasy camp. 

Eleanor knows she died on the riverbank yet she's still walking, talking and breathing. Yes she's off her food and her sense's are quite right but she appears to still be alive in some way. I really liked Eleanor. She is by no means perfect, the girl has done some not so nice things but everyone makes mistakes. That's all part of growing up. 

Kerry does an excellent job of writing this book from a teenage perspective. The tone of Eleanor and her friends is just right. While this is a book about investigating her own death there are also some good laughs in here. I especially liked the bit about romantic comedies and giving the piss.

I enjoyed the story and I found it engaging the reason I couldn't give it 5 stars is the twist, well for me it just was a bit obvious. I was shocked or surprised when it was unravelled. I was more oh yeah I saw that coming, which is a bit disappointing in a thriller. Usually I enjoy the satisfaction of being right but I didn't even have that this time, just disappointment. . Maybe I have just watched too many crime series where this sort of thing happens. I don't know. I know from other reviews that people have been shocked and surprised so its most likely me. 

The concept of this book is original and unique. I don't think you will find another book out there like it and it most certainly pushes the genre boundaries. It was a very enjoyable way to spend my time and if you like YA books then definitely give this one a shot. I have only read one other book by Kerry but I hope to be making that list bigger.

So you’ve been strangled and left for dead in a river, wouldn’t it be great to solve who your murderer was!? This is exactly the opportunity that Eleanor (Ellie) Parker has. “Waking” up gasping for breath in a river where her brother’s girlfriend had been found drowned the previous year, Eleanor is in a unique position. She’s not quite dead or alive; walking about like a regular teenager but with no appetite, sense of smell and suffering from the eternal chills. It appears she is destined to find out what’s occurring in her quiet village. She must battle the daily ordeal of teenage life (mean girls, best friend woes, the looming separation from her boyfriend, an overbearing mother) as well as investigating her own murder, locating a missing girl and clearing her brother’s name.

I was intrigued from the beginning and had no idea who the murderer was; it seemed that everyone was a suspect at one point. I enjoyed the paranormal element to this story.

This book had a real American feel to it in my opinion, so much so that I had to go back and check when Tesco and Costa were mentioned. I think this would really add to the appeal to a lot of YA readers. Similar shows are popular at the moment (so my teenage daughter tells me) – Riverdale, 13 Reasons Why and The Good Place for example. I will definitely be buying a copy for every teenager I know!

Eleanor Parker wakes up on the side of the river, the same river her brother’s girlfriend Sarah died in the summer before. She can’t remember the previous night just someone holding her under the water until she died...but somehow she’s still walking, talking, breathing, how is that possible?
Eleanor doesn’t feel right. She can’t eat or smell or even sleep. The only way she’s going to find peace is to find out who killed Sarah and who tried to kill her.

Now Kerry Wilkinson has been on my radar for a while now but this is actual the first book I’ve read by him and it definitely won’t be the last! This death and life of Eleanor Parker is the kind of novel that you can’t really pigeon hole into one genre, in a good way, it’s young adult, mystery with a hint of paranormal.

There’s also a mystery within a mystery. First there’s who tried to kill her, then there’s how is she still walking and talking? Is she a zombie or something else?

I loved Eleanor or Ellie as she’s called through most of the book. She’s funny, sarcastic, massively overthinks things and has to deal with bullies, a normal teenager really. She’s also not perfect either, regularly arguing with her mum and brother.

Kerry Wilkinson really captured the slightly claustrophobic atmosphere of a small village where everyone knows everyone and anything that goes wrong is blamed on strangers because it couldn’t possibly be someone they know.

This book ended up being a complete breath of fresh air, which although I did figure out who the killer was (eventually) it kept me guessing. I’d recommend this for anyone who wants to read a unique and out of the box mystery.

Interesting and unusual story. Kept me guessing most of the way. Who dunnit,and was she really dead and how would it be resolved.

The story begins with Ellie/Eleanor Parker waking up on the river side with no recollection of how she came to be at the river. Eleanor is dead and those close to her don’t realise, but Eleanor needs to know what happened to her that night and who is responsible for her death.

Ellie is now trying to solve who killed her and if it has anything to do with the death of her boyfriends girlfriend last year. Who can she trust? She questions all her friendships and her family. Ellie is a fantastic character and I really enjoyed hearing the story unfold from her perspective. She has a great sense of humour with great teenager vibes with sarcasm and confusion.

This is the first novel I have read by Kerry Wilkinson and I really enjoyed her fast paced and style of writing. This was a very different story from what I was expecting when I read the blurb, it was a great page turning mystery with elements of science fiction. The twists that the story took were well placed and made this book so pleasant to read.

The premise of this book of a young woman investigating her murder after dying, would not be enjoyable read if written by another author. Kerry Wilkinson did an amazing job of taking a premise that is out there and making it a book that was immensely enjoyable!

This was one amazing book! A roller-coaster of a read! Thrilling and absolutely addictive! I love this author and this is, in y opinion one of his very best books and that's saying a lot as every one of his books is stunning!

The second book I have read by this author and whilst completely different to the forst book it was as addictive and well written,not my usual kimd of book but an interesting read and will look forward to reading others by this author

4.5 Bewitching Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

This was a young adult thriller with a paranormal twist and it was brilliant! I’d like to encourage you to read this book with an open mind and the understanding that not everything in this book is “believable“... because the only way it is possible for somebody to investigate their own murder is for there to be a supernatural element... requiring us the reader to stretch our imagination.... for me this just was the perfect shift making an ordinary story extraordinary!

17-year-old Eleanor wakes up on a river bank with no memory of how she got there... is she dead? Is she alive? Is she a ghost? People can see her, she can walk, she can talk... but she cannot smell, taste, feel, and she is oh so cold... now Eleanor is determined to figure out what happened the night before she ended up in the river and who tried to kill her... and will they try again?

Eleanor was such a likable character... I loved playing detective right along with her, everyone was a suspect... her boyfriend, her best friend, her brother, the guy working at the local diner... I must give a special S/O to that diner love the idea of a wall filled with cassette tapes.... antique cassette tapes... ugh makes me feel old!

This truly is a genre defying book that I strongly encourage you to give a try! This was one of the best young adult books I’ve read this year and the uniqueness and supernatural element of the story should really appeal to a broad audience of younger readers.... I also need to give Kerry Wilkinson major props... as a grown man he did a phenomenal job of writing a book from a female teenager’s perspective... I certainly hope this is not his last young adult book, because I for one am looking forward to many more!

Absolutely recommend to readers of all ages, this was a well-done thriller with a unique twist!

*** many thanks to Bookouture for my copy of this wonderful book ***

First, I don't read that many mystery books, However, I decided to give it a chance with this, since there is also a YA book.
As for the mistery part, I have to say that I am satisfy. The book kept me intrigued the whole time trying to figure it out who was the criminal. It is a good signal for me that I wasn't figuring it out until close the ending, when all the clues were sorted.
Even thought there were parts I felt totally unnecessary, the main plot kept me with the interest alive. I NEEDED ANSWERS. Those unnecessary moments were mostly the YA part of the book. Nevertheless, the author managed pretty well to make it feel natural. Our main character was a teenager after all. And I cannot lie, it fill my drama cravings.

As for the paranormal part, was -sorry to say- the portion of the plot that dissapointed me the most. Even when it was the main reason why the story started, it was the least paid attention. And at the end is totally unresolved, just left aside like a "lucky circumstance". I wish we could know more insight of how and why that happened, if the necklace meant something, some kind of background. We got none. The only part where Ellie tried to find some answers about it was so ridiculous that it totally felt like a filler, just to justify some time in the story.

Would I recommend it? Maybe to a very expecific kind of reader: a young one with no much background on thrillers and that can be easily distracted with the teenage drama of the story.

*3.75 Stars*

I liked this. It was a little bit more than okay.
The intrigue was pretty well put together and the characters were interesting but it didn’t captivate me and I wasn’t really surprised while reading.
There were some thriller elements, some fantasy ones and some contemporary/ coming of age ones and that was pretty cool. But I couldn’t really care as much as I usually like too.
I didn’t fell for the characters and their relationships were of little interest to me.
Also, it didn’t keep me on my toes and I saw lots of things coming…
Still, all in all, this was agreeable and such a fast read too.

I never write spoiler reviews, I avoid them like the plague, but I really want to with this book. I am at war with myself right now, since I want to break character and spoil everything. But, I won't... Promise!

Like everyone who has read this book so far, I cannot say for certain in which category this book belongs, but I was hooked from the first page. I read this book in one and a half day, I just couldn't stop reading once I started...

The mystery had to be solved!

If I had to categorise this one, I'd probably say it's a YA paranormalish, mystery, almost thriller (wow, that discription, right?). It was heartpounding and so gripping. The premise was so different than what I've recently been reading, which will make it a hit with so many crowds that rarely overlap, if ever.

You'll be rooting for some characters, wonder about others, and some you'll wish will be next on the chopping block (watch cooking shows much?). In order to find out which is which - read it and see for yourself.

P.S. That ending is everything wrapped up in a neat little bow. Perfectly!

It's hard for me to read YA. That being said, The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker was a quick enjoyable read.

Ellie wakes up in the river, she's missing her shoes and has no idea how or why she's alone in the river. She's cold, tired and confused. A year before, another girl had drowned in the same river and that killer was never found.

This book captures youth very well, from the inner turmoil of being a teen girl, struggling with friends, a boyfriend and self-identity. The twist - is good. I had my suspicions but was pleasantly surprised to be wrong.

One note: I wish there was more explanation on how and why Ellie survived. The necklace and the psychic needed more!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Although the concept was unique and had me curious for some time, in the end the narrative felt too winding, and lacked focus and depth. I had trouble reading it until the end.

Not my favorite book, but extra points for freshness in concept.