Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the Arc in exchange for a honest review.

Olive learned she had a shellfish allergy and escaped "the nothing," however this left her questioning what happens after death. After Mrs. H passes, leaving Olive feeling alone, she seeks to communicate with Ms. H after death to find the answer to her question: is there an afterlife? Instead of summoning her stand in grandma, she summons a spirit named Jay. This leads her to embark on a quest to get him to his gravesite and brings Olive back to old friendships and new.

Olive was an enjoyable 16-year old main character. Reading about her struggling with her trauma and the consequences of how she coped helped me really connect with her. I wish the emotional development with her feeling towards all the side characters was more pronounced though. I really loved the involvement of culture and the descriptions of generational trauma with the secondary character, Davis. Reading about his pull to his Navajo culture but struggling with his parents, who were apart of a cultural erasure program as children, was a breath of fresh air to read about. Too often I find books do not delve into culture or cultural issues, and this was done subtly and well. The incorporation of generational trauma with the secondary characters was done great and provided so much depth and character development.

All in all I give this a 3.5-4 star review. I would recommend this to friends as an easy pallet cleansing read if someone is seeking some spooky stories with a lot of depth.

3.5 ⭐ Here Lies Olive was a fun and heartfelt YA read. As someone who struggled for years to find language around grief, this novel would have helped me understand my own struggles with loss and uncertainty as a teenager and young adult. I loved the character building, the shameless spooky kitsch of their town and the characters exploring queer identity. The autumnal vibes were perfect and I’d wished I had waited another month to read it!


My main criticism is that the majority of the cultural references throughout the book felt as if they were targeted toward millennials. Weezer, Brand New, Dashboard Confessional, Gilmore Girls, Mean Girls– it felt like the characters were talking about my own high school experience rather than what teenagers are actually into in 2023. It took me out of the story and left me wondering who the audience for this novel really is.

I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is my favorite book of the year. I do admit that I had to take a couple breathers at points because shit got heavy emotionally, but it is so so so good. I had a feeling where the ending was going but also overlooked some details so it was still a bit of a surprise. Also, some genuinely terrifying moments. I could not stop thinking about how great it would be for this to become a film. I’d be first in line at the theater.

I think we finally got a realistic depiction of the teenage hero. Olive and her friends, Davis, Vanessa, and Maren, encounter Jay, a spirit who can't pass on to the other side. For once, our teenage protagonists have no idea what they are doing. That doesn't mean they are fumbling around aimlessly, but that does mean that they make some very educated guesses and some very human mistakes.

This book has so many high points from the character development, world-building, plot, and overall writing style. It stands out from other books in this genre and is such a breath of fresh air! Of course, there are things I could nitpick over, but they are minor in terms of the overall plot. Here Lies Olive was such a great read and one that I would read again!

Here Lies Olive was a fun and spooky read that really got me in the mood for the Halloween season! That said, I had a hard time connecting with the characters, and the pacing of the story felt a bit off. I thought the way Anderson handled the corruption of ghosts and the reasons behind why the haunting was happening was really well-done and interesting though!

"Here Lies Olive" is a ya paranormal, with horror elements, written by Kate Anderson.

The story follows 16-year-old Olive, who grew up in the quaint town of White Haven, New Mexico, the dark tourism capital of the United States. Ever since an allergic reaction to shellfish threatened to kill her, Olive has been terrified of the possibility that there is no afterlife. For five whole minutes her heart stopped beating, five minutes in which she floated in darkness, with no light or sudden appearance, surrounded by Nothing. Following this event she began to keep everyone at a distance, sinking into a kind of apathy, convinced that if Nothing is all there is after death, then relationships can only end in sorrow. The death of her beloved surrogate grandmother, an elderly lady who was able to rouse her from her torpor, shakes her world even more. It is this tragic episode that prompts Olive to try to summon a spirit so she can ask it questions about death. The attempt is successful and Jay, a hitchhiker ghost stuck in the woods behind the poorhouse where he died, appears. Olive agrees to help Jay find his unmarked grave so he can be free, in exchange for answers about the other side and what will be there next. Meanwhile, someone, or something, begins targeting Olive's classmates, and the longer Jay lingers in the world of the living, the more serious the attacks become. Blaming herself for bringing Jay back, Olive teams up with maybe nemesis or maybe crush Maren, her ex-best friend Davis, and newcomer Vanessa to free Jay's spirit before he turns into a malevolent shadow and the attacks turn deadly. But in doing so, Olive will have to face her fear of death and the risk of losing another person she loves in the Nothing.

I loved this book so much! Funny, emotional and addictive, it made me laugh and move at the same time.

I was quite fascinated by the writing! I found it very evocative and atmospheric, able to fully render the small town atmosphere and spooky settings. The author, in my opinion, managed to create an excellent interweaving of witty, dark and melancholic tones. I loved a lot the mysterious and dark nuances of the tale, the subtle eeriness that oozes from the pages, in my opinion well constructed. The horror component, though soft, I thought was handled fantastically. I admit that I sensed a more desolate, more disconsolate vein in the background, which moved me greatly. The fast pace and short chapters make it an extremely smooth read.

The setting is another element that I loved! The story is set in the fictional town of White Haven, New Mexico, considered the dark tourism capital of the United States. Everything, or almost everything, in White Haven revolves around death or sinister events. The elementary school is housed in an old mortuary, many people work in the morgue or, more generally, in the death business, and an open-air funeral pyre, a Museum of the Macabre, and a Home for Wraith Foundlings and Spirit Children stand out among the various facilities. Festivals, events and themed tours abound, drawing curious visitors from all over. However, the places that most mark White Haven are two: the former renowned and luxurious sanatorium for tuberculosis patients and the now-closed poorhouse. It is the latter in particular that has a terrible reputation, with its infamous asylum past, known for cruel management and brutal treatments. Seriously, I loved it all! The town is so quaint, full of traditions and legends, secrets and mysteries, that I was completely captivated. The descriptions, which I thought were vivid and effective, allowed me to visualize the various places in my head.

The story proceeds smoothly, full of events and mysterious phenomena, without being rushed. In fact, the narration takes its time, analyzing the various developments, coming to a conclusion that satisfied me quite a bit. I enjoyed the lighter and funnier parts, but especially the more creepy ones. Between the bleak buildings, gloomy woods, unsettling sounds, terrifying visions, and ominous apparitions, I ended up in juices! The tale places importance on the theme of death, the afterlife, making numerous reflections. This topic, combined with the presence of ghosts and the former asylum, then becomes a way to talk about remorse, grief, misery, and mourning, as well as the difficult, not to say inhumane, conditions of a facility that was supposed to be in charge of protecting the most fragile. I don't know, I found it all so intense that on more than one occasion I shed a few tears. I confess that I solved the mystery early, but that did not affect my very high rating.

I absolutely loved Olive, protagonist and only pov in the first person! Olive is a 16-year-old girl who, due to an allergic reaction to shellfish, nearly died. Her heart stopped for five whole minutes before beating again, five whole minutes in which she remembers floating in absolute darkness, enveloped and devoured by Nothing. It was an experience that deeply unsettled her, prompting her to question the afterlife, to distance herself from friends and various relationships, and to plunge her into apathy. Olive is a very sarcastic, cynical and reclusive person who loves dark colors and dark looks. Introverted, antisocial, she detests crowded places, group activities and studying. What is the point of establishing relationships if all that awaits, after death, is Nothing? Outwardly determined and confident, under a mask of biting irony hides an extremely fragile and sensitive side. Olive is obsessed with death, with the need to know if there is an afterlife, terrified that the Nothing can take her. I found her to be a complex, intense character with excellent development. I grew fond of her, at certain moments I was moved and on more than one occasion I wanted to hug her.

The secondary characters convinced me! With one exception, I loved them too much! They seemed deep and layered to me, to the point that I became attached to most of them. I enjoyed the bonds that were made or recreated, and I admit to being moved by certain situations. There is a Sapphic romance component, never dominant over the plot but well interwoven with it, which I found really sweet and lovely.

All in all, I found it a wonderful spooky, fun, exciting, and intense read that I highly recommend!

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Here Lies Olive follows in the footsteps of A Lesson in Vengeance and Plain Bad Herions of being a queer dark academic novel; however, this one missed the mark. This is not to say that its a lousy novel, but I struggle to get into the head of Olive and explore the world crafted by Kate Anderson; I hope to give this novel another chance after publication or in audio book form.

Things I enjoyed:
- The atmosphere and setting
- Some parts were really creepy!!
- All the little trivia about death culture 
- The exploration of death and what comes next 

Things I didn't enjoyed:
- The relationships fell kinda flat. Maren and Olive were "enemies" since forever, than they had like 3 conversations and boom, they fell in love? I hoped it would be a little more slow burn (but that is also an personal preference!)
- At some point Marens "I'm such a bad person because of what my family did"-thing simply annoyed me. It was mentioned a little to often and sometimes I couldn't see why she was mentioning it again.

Favorite Quote:
Maybe that's why sometimes living feels a little like grief.

All in all it was an enjoyable, spooky read, expecially for a debut novel!

Thank you North Star Editions, Flux & NetGalley for this ARC!

I love all things spooky so I immediately enjoyed the vibe of the book but the more I read, the more it fell flat for me.

Olive’s obsession with death and what comes after it starts off as interesting but quickly becomes annoying as it gets brought up every few pages. I try to give grace when reading about younger MCs, however, Olive’s indecisiveness, immaturity and attitude made here pretty unlikable. I went through most of the book thinking she was about 14 when really she was meant to be about 16 or 17.

The overall plot of this book was very weak. I didn’t find myself rooting for any of the characters or their relationships during their journey and everything felt rushed. I would’ve loved more constructive discussions about grief and the afterlife but the messages/themes in this book fell flat due to the plot being all over the place.

And I know where the author was trying to go with Vannessa’s plot twist but I couldn’t take it seriously after she got called manipulative and defended herself by saying “No I’m an empath!!”

I think this story had a lot of potential but it sadly just missed the mark.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced copy of this book. This was a really fun book and a unique spin on the "what happens after you die?" question that a lot of people (not just teens) have. It was nice to see a New Mexico setting and acknowledgement of the indigenous populations depicted too.

ARC REVIEW
This was awesome, such a unique plot that draws you in from the first snarky comment. I did not see that plot twist coming and it was really satisfying seeing the characters grow over the course of the book. Overall, an amazing debut 👏.

This was such a grateful surprise! The book has the vibe from the Young Adult books that I used to read as I was younger. Simple plot and setup, good developing from there. The White Haven atmosphere was very well created by the author, as well as the gothic aspects from the protagonist and the people living in this morbid city. You can tell these are habitants of a mere small town as we keep getting to know more secrets and particularities from the History that made White Haven and its Asylum.

The love interest made me happy, although Olive was pretty much incarcerated on the idea of post-mortum life throughout all the book, the mysteries and slow burn made up for it.

"Here Lies Olive" is a very cool piece of YA story, with an LGBQTIA+ twist and indigenous representation.

After Olive has a near death experience, she fears there’s Nothing waiting for her at the end of her life. Then she befriends an elderly woman who, when she dies, gives Olive a reason to believe there may be something at the end after all. Olive needs to know the truth and makes it her mission to explore the afterlife.

Good thing she lives in a small New Mexico town with a haunted asylum and an obsession with Halloween.

In her quest to see what happens in her death, Olive unintentionally begins living her real life. She rekindles a friendship she thought was lost and learns the girl the hates might not be so awful after all.

A combined ghost story, mystery, and exploration of love, life and death, this is a must read for spooky season!

I just reviewed Here Lies Olive by Kate Anderson. #HereLiesOlive #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

thank you Net Galley for sending me the e copy of this book.
Here lies Olive was a really good read, the characters are just loveable and so wholesome ( except for Vanessa , I just don't like how manipulative she is) and Jay is such a sweet heart. Honestly I can't wait to read more books by Kate Anderson who might just become one of my all time favorite author .

I really enjoyed this book!! It was well written and the story was engaging and well developed! Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley for providing this e-ARC, all opinions are my own.

I loved this so much !!!
The book is beautifully written and discusses some really deep topics such as death, life after death, the meaning of life, love and friendship and of course ghosts. Olive's thoughts and perspectives were so interesting and relatable, I instantly fell in love with her. She is going through so much and you can really feel her pain and struggle while reading.
In addition the world building or background to the place Olive lives in and the more supernatural aspects were so well done and interesting. And I loved the way the relationships were built. All in all just a great read, that truly deserves 5 stars.

If you love queer books filled with deep topics, teenage struggles and ghosts, this will be the book for you!

What a sweet horror story with just the coolest spooky small town vibes. My favorite parts of this book are the dynamics with the friends and the quest they end up on. The main issue I have is that after the 4000th mention of the Nothing I started to just lose interest. It took me longer to get through the book than it should have. I love an exploration of what happens after we die but I just think the anxiety of the main character became too repetitive. Overall pretty cute though. Very sweet ending.

I wasn't expecting to love this book as much as I did. I have been revisiting some of my DNFs to get my Netgalley feedback ratio up and I don't know what put me off this one; maybe it was that the hook didn't grab me and the tone was a little casual. But I read a few more chapters in and I was hooked. This is another strong YA showing among several I have tried this year after overlooking the genre for years.

"Here Lies Olive" is about a town in New Mexico, White Haven, famous for dark tourism, and a girl named Olive, who has struggled with grief and trauma after dying for five minutes after an allergic attack to shellfish. For two years she avoids her best friend, Davis, and withdraws into herself, getting involved in the Junior Reapers and meeting her arch-nemesis, Maren Seymour. This year a new complication enters their fray, a new kid named Vanessa who is just as odd as the rest of them.

Olive becomes obsessed with what happens to people after we die and she is convinced the way to find out is by summoning a ghost. She involves Davis, Vanessa and Maren in a plot to summon a ghost at the Seymour House, a sanatorium from the turn of the century that housed the poor, at first those who were sick, and then undesirables, a house of secret horrors. It's the family legacy that Maren has spent her life atoning for, becoming the insufferable, perfect overachiever to make up for it.

While at Seymour House, Olive actually does summon a ghost, Jay Henderson, who died on the grounds. Now it's a race against time as the motley crew tries to bring Jay peace by resolving his unfinished business, all while Olive discovers she actually does have a heart as she tries to resurrect her friendship with Davis and fights growing feelings for Maren.

The characters in this were wonderful, complicated and multi-layered. The conflicts were very teenager friendly but relatable to all ages, fighting to find your voice, to overcome pain, to show your family what you really want in life. This had the vibes of Wednesday Addams meets Riverdale with a quirky, irreverent tone that I appreciated. The dark tourism vibe is not taken seriously in the book, until the ghosts drive the plot forward.

I also have been searching long and hard for a sapphic book that speaks to me. I've read several that I have found unsatisfying or mediocre. I loved the sapphic element in this book. Finally, proper sapphic heat, and a convincing slow-burn enemies-to-lovers arc. I loved the chemistry between Olive and Maren, and how they grew to be vulnerable around each other and realized they had more in common than they thought.

Jay's mystery was also unpredictable and had a nice buildup of tension and foreshadowing, which I appreciated. Amid all the talk of bloody family secrets and shades, this was a very earnest story about grief, death, loss and loyalty. Another highlight was the setting. New Mexico was described very well, from the border with the Navajo Nation reservation to the food served at Davis's mom's diner to the stark desert setting. I could totally see a bizarre town like this in the desert Southwest, also famous for quirky towns like Roswell.

Definitely one of my favorite ARCs of the year. Totally unexpected, completely refreshing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A nice read ! I guessed the plot twist pretty early, but I really enjoyed the setting (love the town !), the navajo vibes and the relashionships. The psychology of the main character and her anxiety toward death is quite interesting and seems real. A good debut, perfect for Halloween !

Here Lies Olive is everything my dark and spooky inner child could ask for.

I can't be the only one thinking about the old story of the girl with the ribbon around her neck keeping her head on whenever Vanessa touches her ribbon? Olive dreams it of her own head.

"We're all bones."

Olive's fear of mortality and need to know if there's an afterlife encompasses the story. The way the author takes the story evolves in ways I was not expecting.

There's ghosts, graveyards and a haunted asylum. The way the author describes everything is just beautiful and it reminds me of a Tim Burton movie! Can he make this into one? I'm just putting it out there.

The ending was a huge surprise and I absolutely loved it!


Thank you for the ARC of Here Lies Olive. I loved it!


To see more of my reviews visit my Goodreads and Instagram at Sacred Hearth Book Reviews.

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/104047498-sacred-hearth-book-reviews

https://www.instagram.com/sacredhearthbookreviews/


#sacredhearthbookreviews #bookstagram #books #bookreviews #horror #horrorbooks #arcreader #arcbooks #netgalley #netgalleyreads #goodreads #hereliesolive