Book Review: Not Dead Enough
By: Tiffany Neiheiser
Rating: 🦄🦄🦄

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for my free digital copy of this book.
From GR: Charlotte survived the car crash that killed her boyfriend Jerry, but that night, everything changed. Charlotte wants desperately to get back to “normal,” --whatever that means now-- and start reconnecting with friends she hasn’t spoken to in months. And she’s trying to work through her PTSD with the help of her therapist, only she can’t tell the truth about Jerry or what really happened the night he died.
Just when Charlotte thinks she might be moving on, someone starts sending her threatening messages claiming to be Jerry, saying things only he would know. But it can't really be Jerry because there's no such thing as ghosts. The cold spots in her room must be a draft and the noises she hears must be the house creaking. There has to be a logical explanation for all of it. Because if ghosts are real, then Jerry came back for her—just like he always said he would.

💬My thoughts: Overall I enjoyed this book. It was a high school drama/murder mystery/slightly ghostie book. It was fast paced and easy to read. The mystery pulled me in right away. When the ghost of her boyfriend starts making appearances, it adds a whole new level. I kept waiting for the Scooby Doo type reveal of who the ghost really is, but the ending did surprise me. If you are looking for an easy, high school murder mystery, pick this one up, but check trigger warnings first.
It's marketed as young adult, but I think I would classify it as new adult. Huge trigger warning of domestic violence and gaslighting.

#notdeadenough #penguinteen #netgalley #murdermystery #teen #newadult #bookreview #reviews #sponsored

I tend to read mainly romcom books, but I decided to explore more genres this year and broaden my reading.

This was a really good read. I was a little skeptical at first since it it YA. I worried I wouldn’t be able to connect to the story or characters, but I had no issues.

If you’re like me, don’t let the YA tag stop you, give the book a chance. You might just end up enjoying it.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an early copy of this book. This was an interesting mystery thriller. I liked the concept and that it touched on serious topics like abusive relationships. There were times this was a little too YA and a little too predictable to me. Overall this was a good, creepy read.

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen for an advance copy!

I picked this book out on a whim soley judging by the cover and the brief synopsis that I saw on the sign up form. And I am so glad I did!!

I was hooked on this story from the very start. I have not read many books adult and not that dealt with a stalker and this definitely kept me on edge the whole time while reading. I could not imagine being in Charlotte situation at such a young age and even as an adult going through the things she went through. I am so glad she found a friendship with Nate to be that constant support that she so desperately needed. I was very frustrated with her parents that they weren't taking her claims serious and couldn't see the things that were happening in her life.

I can't go too deep into all the things that happened in this book because I fear of saying too much and taking away from the mystery of it all.

Please check trigger warnings - this has a high amount of stalking & emotional abuse in a relationship so proceed with caution.

I highly recommend if you are looking for continuous suspenseful guessing game that keeps you going until the end!

4.5

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book. For a debut YA mystery/thriller novel I was impressed and ended up enjoying this one more than I thought I would. I am excited to see more from this author and would recommend to fellow YA mystery readers.

I really wanted to like this book because it has such an exciting premise-- a car crash and hints about what *really* happened to cause Jerry's death is pure murder-mystery. But, there were too many other story lines muddying the plot. Charlotte is clearly suffering PTSD, and the portrayal is realistic and understanding. The story of what the hidden abusive behavior of the so-called Perfect Boyfriend is carefully written, and I think an important story for teens to read. However. Charlotte also has a stalker that may or may not have been somehow involved in the accident (although this association is weak.) Then we learn the stalker is maybe a ghost, maybe even Jerry's ghost looking for revenge.... It was too much story in too few pages. My unhappiness with the resolution of all these stories is probably a matter of personal taste, and I've tried not to let it affect my review. I am certain there will be a lot of readers who will love the ending. It may have been a better read in my mind if it had been written for an older audience, and the different storylines got more fleshed out into a much longer book.

Charlotte struggles between feeling and wanting to be normal after a traumatic experience being in the car with her boyfriend Jerry… and Jerry died. Going through a lot of mixed emotions, Charlotte relies on her friends, who she saw less of because of her relationship, to get her there. But when she starts feeling like she’s being haunted by Jerry’s ghost, receiving texts from Jerry’s phone, she begins to wonder whether she is being stalked by someone who is very much alive.

This was certainly a compulsive read that had me guessing the first 3/4 of the book. It was like I was solving the mystery of who Charlotte’s stalker was with Charlotte. There were heavy topics of PTSD, alcohol abuse, domestic abuse, gaslighting in this YA, which made it more on the mature side. The romantic tension and the sliver of paranormal added balance, too. I definitely enjoyed the plot and understanding Charlotte’s character.

This book was incredibly heartbreaking and deals with triggering themes such as domestic violence, gaslighting (from parents and friends), and PTSD, so please keep that in mind before reading.

Written with grit reminiscent of Courtney Summers, Not Dead Enough is a poignant YA thriller that has a healthy dose of paranormal vibes. Charlotte survived the car crash that killed her ex, and she is battling with severe PTSD, which everyone assumes is from the accident and Jerry’s death. What no one knows is that Jerry was abusing Charlotte, and now his ghost is sending her threatening messages.

First off, Neiheiser does an incredible job of dismantling the toxic notion that "love makes you crazy" as well as debunking the myth that abusers can only come from one gender.

My heart broke for Charlotte as she tries to piece herself back together with the help of her incredible therapist but is met with gaslighting and pushback not only from her closest friends but her parents as well. I wanted to fight everyone on her behalf.

And the ghost aspect?! The things that were happening to Charlotte would’ve scared ANYONE, and again, her parents just wanted to believe that it was all in her head…YEET THEM BOTH.

I know this is a book that won’t be for everyone, but this is one of those stories that NEEDS to get into the hands of young people.

This YA paranormal thriller really takes off after a few chapters and explores themes of PTSD, domestic violence, trauma, parental relationships, and abuse. These heavy and serious topics are carefully crafted into a compelling and haunting read.

If I had a teenager, I'd definitely buy them this and use it as a segway to discuss some important life lessons.

Tysm, Penguin Teen, for the ARC!

This is a YA book that deals with heavy topics such as abuse. While I figured out the ending, I really enjoyed the ride getting there. So many emotions and I grew an attachment to Charlotte and her journey.

Charlotte is living with PTSD. She’s trying her hardest to move on from the car accident that almost killed her but claimed the life of her boyfriend Jerry. Just when she starts picking up the pieces, someone who claims to be Jerry sends her threatening messages. Saying things only he would know, but it can’t be because she watched him die. And then strange things start to happen; noises in the house and cold spots. Can she really face what is happening to her?

This stories main topic is trans. The grief we go through to get over loss and what the mind can truly do to us. It’s definitely a heartbreaking story, more than scary with what the cover or description portrays. Charolette tries her hardest to battle through it all and it makes me have a soft spot for her.

All in all, I really liked how the story built what it’s like to be at a loss!

Not Dead Enough was so different than what I thought it would be, in a good way!

Jerry and Charlotte have been dating for a while and have somewhat grown up together but on prom night there’s an accident and Jerry is killed. He was driving while drunk. Charlotte is somewhat relieved. Jerry wasn’t the great guy everyone thought he was. When Charlotte gets the feeling she is being followed and starts to get texts from Jerry’s phone, she wonders if he is dead enough.

Wow- there’s just a lot going on here right? I LOVED the thought of a ghost boyfriend stalking his gf from beyond. It’s twisted. This hit all the bases for me - and somehow became a heartwarming yet very creepy at times cat and mouse game as Charlotte comes to terms with her part in her abusive relationship and finds her power. The paranormal parts here drew me in and the emotional side kept me turning the pages. Well done. Well done!

Thanks for the early copy here, I loved it!

When Charlotte survives a deadly car accident on prom night that kills her boyfriend, she doesn’t think things can get much worse. She’s an emotional wreck but as some time passes, Charlotte gains a bit of perspective and admits to herself that she and Jerry weren’t quite the perfect couple that people thought they were.

As she begins to cope with the trauma of the accident and the reality of her relationship with Jerry, things in her life take a disturbing turn; unexplained cold spots, feelings of being watched, keepsakes and mementos of Jerry that pop up out of nowhere and then there’s the text messages from Jerry’s phone. Is she being stalked or is she being haunted?

This one had me guessing throughout and I was really satisfied with the ending. Mostly, I appreciated how the author addressed mental and physical abuse. It’s something that doesn’t always get addressed appropriately, especially with teens; the gaslighting, the shame, the disbelief and excuses, felt all to real. I think it was handled and discussed in a way that teens can relate to, highlighting the lingering trauma abuse has on the victim.

Mind the triggers in this one!

My thanks to Penguin Teen for this gifted DRC.

Thanks for the advance copy. I liked the story overall but for me it was lacking a connection of some sort

This was a close look at a really traumatic situation. I think that the author did a really good job of representing it, and highlighting the things that can and do happen to domestic abuse survivors. The way Jerry was different to everyone else around him, the way he made her feel like things were her fault - I've known people like that, and is so hard to believe the truth of you haven't seen it yourself.

I loved that she had Nate and Ian to lean on, and how calm and supportive Nate was. We all need someone like him in our lives! I also liked the focus on rebuilding and letting go of the hurt.

Not Dead Enough is a debut that I pretty much devoured in one day.
This is a YA mystery with a sprinkle of supernatural elements.

This novel was sad but also very important. Domestic violence does not discriminate and it happens to teens everyday. I think it’s important that it’s talked about more. This book did a good job at showing what it’s like for some. Including the aftermath.

I enjoyed the plot (though I guessed the mystery from the start). Also surprisingly I loved the ghost element. I was a little worried it would be too much but it was just enough.

Overall this was a good story that will hook you in right away. I recommend it if you’re a fan of Nina LaCour and Courtney Summers.

On the night of prom four months ago, high school golden boy Jerry drove his car into a tree and died. His girlfriend and passenger Charlotte survived, and has been having a hard time processing her feelings ever since. It isn’t just that she’s grieving his loss. Everyone around them thought that they were the perfect couple. But no one else knew the rage that Jerry had been hiding, or the pain that Charlotte had become so adept at concealing that sometimes she couldn’t even believe it was real herself:

QUOTE
Something shifted inside me. It was like those hidden 3D pictures. You couldn’t see the whole picture unless you looked at it in a certain way. Just because no one had seen that side of him didn’t mean it wasn’t real. It just depended on how you looked at him.

I thought I was supposed to keep his secrets, that that’s what you did for someone you loved.

[My therapist] Gemma said not to keep a secret that made me feel bad. Which sounded easy enough, except that I wasn’t sure telling the truth would make me feel any better. No matter what, I ended up feeling terrible.
END QUOTE

As Charlotte tries to pick up the pieces for her junior year, she attempts to rebuild the friendships that had fallen to the wayside over the course of her relationship with Jerry, as well as during the summer when she’d been recovering from her injuries. Ian and Lori have been her best friends since she was a little girl, but not even they were privy to the meanness that Jerry seemed to have kept for her alone. Opening up to them feels like an impossible task for her.

Meeting Nate, a fellow insomniac and trauma survivor who also happens to go to the same high school, helps her start feeling good about herself again. But just as she thinks she’s finally on the road to recovery, strange things begin to occur. Things move around in her room. Cold spots appear and disappear. And someone is sending her hateful messages. It takes all her courage to attempt to tell even Lori, her closest confidante:

QUOTE
“I just keep thinking…” I took a deep breath. “Jerry. Jerry would write a note like that.” Even thinking about it made me sick to my stomach. My knees went weak and I lowered myself into a chair.

“I guess he’d be pissed about you hanging out with Nate.” Lori frowned and then sat next to me.

“Am I crazy to even think it could be him?”

Lori shrugged. “Do you think it’s his ghost or something?”

I took a breath and reminded myself that thinking my dead boyfriend was sending me notes sounded a lot like paranoia. “Someone’s pranking me, that’s all.”
END QUOTE

Charlotte’s attempts to be hyper-rational about what’s happening to her are short-circuited by increasingly awful and creepy incidents. Her parents think she’s just malingering, while her friends have no clue as to the lengths Jerry would go to in order to ensure that she did what he wanted. But surely his need to control her wouldn’t, couldn’t possibly last beyond the grave?

This is a remarkably assured debut novel that highlights the trauma of abusive relationships, particularly in adolescence, and how strongly the effects can linger even after the relationship is over. Charlotte is a sympathetic, empathic everygirl who finds herself trapped by the world’s refusal to believe her. When she finally finds the courage to tell her story, and more importantly when she finally finds people who accept and understand her, it feels like vindication for every reader who’s ever been gaslit into thinking that they were overreacting in the face of genuine pain.

The mysteries at the heart of the novel – what really happened that fateful night and exactly who is stalking Charlotte now – are handled with just the right touch of the paranormal. Whether or not you believe in ghosts, Not Dead Enough deals movingly with what it takes to heal from past abuse and the shades of those who linger on in our memories, causing pain instead of evoking warmth and love. Tyffany D Neiheiser is definitely a writing talent to watch.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
3.5/5 STARS

Genre: YA contemporary mystery

The synopsis of a dead ex boyfriend haunting his girlfriend led me to believe this was going to be more of a paranormal horror. It is not.
This is more of a jealous teen/ stalker situation focused on abusive relationships. I didn’t love all the teen drama and was able to guess the stalker fairly easily. I did enjoy the ending with a touch of paranormal and the stalker reveal though.
If you want a ghost story, this isn’t it. If you like high school drama/stalkers/relationships then you will enjoy this book!
Thank you Penguin Teen for the ARC!

Overall super good, very very proud of myself for predicting the ending it took me a minute to really get into the story but once i did I couldn’t stop. I fully got sucked into the story and nothing could drag me away from my ipad. The side characters were the sweetest and charlottes parents absolutely enraged me until the end. Overall a very enjoyable book definitely would recommend if you need an addictive book! Definitely look at trigger warning it does deal with abusive relationships

Thank you penguin teen for the e-arc! All opinions are completely my own.

I think this started out strong and then it tanked. The pace was lackluster and so was the ending. I wish it stayed with the paranormal aspect.