Follows a teenage girl in her small town given the opportunity to bring her dead ex best friend back from the dead for 30 days. But she discovers a loophole, and thinks she can bring her back for goood if she can get her old trio back together.
This book was very cute and it was queer. I felt like the plot was a bit over complicated and I got lost a few times, but it was a really unique and cool idea. I also feel like the protagonist suffered a bit from main character or ‘not like other girls’ syndrome that made her a tinsy bit cringey. It did have a really fun conclusion and I got really into it.

ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥: 𝐸-𝐵𝑜𝑜𝓀 & 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀

ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨: 𝐀 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭, 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞! 𝐀𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝑨𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒆 𝑳𝒆𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒄 𝑰𝒔 𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒀𝒆𝒕 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧-𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫-𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥-𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧’𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐩-𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧) 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬. 𝐀𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐮𝐬. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐱-𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝, 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐨 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝.

𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝑀𝑜𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝑀𝑜𝓇𝓇𝒾𝓈, 𝒮𝓉. 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒾𝓃'𝓈 𝒫𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈, 𝑀𝒶𝒸𝓂𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒶𝓃 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜, & 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.

This was cute and funny and I definitely will be adding it to my pride month recommendations list!

Thank you NetGalley for gifting me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review and opinions.

Happy Pub Day!

Okay but like this book is just a dose of sunshine. I had such a great time reading it. The plot was very intriguing to me. I mean, who wouldn’t wanna bring someone back from the dead even if it is for a short period of time. I enjoyed the small town setting and the characters was great. Even though this is a ya book, for some reason it didn’t feel that way to me while reading it.

If you love a good quirky friendship group with lots of drama and a sweet romance then I highly recommend picking this one up. This one gave me major Casey McQuiston vibes and I was living for it.

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books for my copy! This beauty is officially out today!

A YA romance with a touch of magical realism and the depth of a true love story. This sweet coming of age romp through friendship, loss, grief, and love had me fully immersed!

While I personally would have loved a bit more of the magical realism (like more back story about how or why the town of Lennon was able to bring back the dead) I did not think it negatively impacted the plot.

The story did not suffer from a lack of feeling like some YA I have read; the depth with which Molly Morris described the cusp of adulthood and the trials of the teen years coming to an end was endearing and immersive.

Would recommend to lovers of YA for sure !

GENERAL INFO

Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet- a standalone

Publication date: 6-4-24, Read 6-3-24

Format: e-Book 328 pgs. and audiobook

🏃🏾‍♀️Run Time: 9:23

🗣️Narrator: Georgina Sadler read all the characters told in 1st POV/FMC Wilson "Wil" Moss. I believe the voice fit the characters with standouts of Mark, Annie, and Ryan . Their voices were the most distinct, but I could easily tell the difference between all characters. The reading style brought the story to life, and the pacing flowed easily with the story. The narration and the author were in sync, and they fit together perfectly. The narrator paused and announced every time a new chapter came. The book had a table of contents which helped me follow along with the e-book and audio. My recommendation is to read the audiobook because you can adjust the speed, skip parts easily (if desired), and picture the characters more vividly.

🙏🏾Source: Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for this ARC and ALC 💛 ! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Genre: YA, LGBTQIA+, Magical Realism, Fantasy

Tropes: female friendship, sapphic romance, family drama

⚠️death-drowning, bullying, resurrection

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Synopsis/Plot Summary: In the small town of Lennon, CA every ten years the community has a "Welcome Back" contest. In their top secret town, they choose someone to resurrect from the dead for only 30 days. Only the townspeople can see them and a bus comes for them after 30 days. Wil (17) has won and brings back her BFF Annie LeBlanc who accidentally drowned at her b-day pool party. Wil and Annie hadn't been speaking a year before she died, and their other BFF Ryan hates them both. Wil tries to find a loophole to keep Annie alive permanently but town secrets may stop her quest.

😊What I liked:

- The Welcome Back idea is so original.
-Wil tries to get her BFFs back together to curve her loneliness.
-Mark treats Wil nice and has a little crush. He happens to be Ryan's twin brother.
-Wil's comic book creations
-Wil's relationship w/ ex stepfather Cass. Wil never knew her father.

😞What I didn't like:

-Wil talks down to& about her mother Jodie. Wil acts like the adult, takes responsibility for the bills and finances. Jodie is getting remarried to Dr. David and Wil planned everything.


AUTHOR OVERVIEW

Molly Morris- new to me author

PERSONAL OVERVIEW

Overall Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐

Do You Recommend This Book: yes

Will You Re-read This Book: yes

Would You Read More Books by this Author: yes

Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet by Molly Morris was a unique and magical book!
This was a really fun, sweet read that any YA book lover will adore.
The whole story was incredible and captivating, as well as both of our main characters.
The writing is engaging and the story is amazing!

Thank You NetGalley and Wednesday Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

"The rainforest smells like wet dirt-- it's perfect."

THAT LAST LINE GAVE ME CHILLS. This was a really great story despite all the miscommunication that was in it. You can tell from the get-go that the girls really just needed to sit down and talk about everything that when wrong with their friendship and why. When all was said and done... I was still kind of angry at Ryan for her reasoning but everything worked out well in the end so it's all good. One of my favorite side characters in this was actually Mark, Ryan's brother. I thought he was really funny. Every scene he was in brought me joy and I'm a little sad that him and Wilson didn't work out in the end. I think they would've been really good together. The last chapter was probably the best one, especially the last line, as I wrote above. Overall this was such a good book and I throughly enjoyed it!

Rating: 4/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

This is a cute book that young adults will be able to relate to on different levels, if it has to do with sexuality, loss of friendships, understanding death and grief, with a little bit of magic all rolled into one.

With this book I already knew that I would like it because it had to do with bringing back a loved one from death, but with one catch they can only come back for 30 days. You will meet Wilson who is trying to figure out what is next in her life and what to do. She feels as though all her friends and everyone that she cares about have left her behind and she is just a shell of the person she used to be.

In this book you will be taken away to a place called Lennon, where every 10 years they have a contest, and one lucky winner will be able to pick who they would like to come back from for 30 days and she picks her best friend Annie who drowned at her 18th birthday party. With one of her best friends back now she is determined to get friends back and to see if she can make sense out of her teenage life.

The plot was fun and different from the books that I have read before. It has second chances, fixing friendships, traumas of high school and life afterwards. The characters were fun and had great personalities, they were all different and complex in their own ways. The character development was right on point at the ending of the book. I felt that everything was wrapped up nicely, but I did have one thing that I was confused about, but at the same time I really liked that little bit of information we got.

I also received the audio of this book, and I thought that the narrator did a great job with connecting the characters to the readers and bringing them to life.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin Press for the opportunity to review this book.

I knew from the first page that I was going to love Molly Morris’s Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet. It’s quirky and original and just totally captivating.

Here’s the premise: Wilson Moss is a high school senior, and she’s completely alone. She’s been alone since both of her best friends abandoned her, just as they were moving into their junior years. Ryan cut her off completely (though they—awkwardly—still work together at Ryan’s mom’s restaurant). Wilson’s mom left Wil’s long-time stepfather, the adult who provided the most stability in her and her younger half-sister’s life.

Her friend Annie? She not only transferred to the local private school but also ended their friendship. And then, she died.

Wil’s not exactly sure what happened, though she has some ideas. So, she takes a chance on her town’s unique contest, a once-every-decade anomaly. Any resident of Lennon can throw their name in the hat for a chance to bring back someone dead . . . for 30 days.

Shockingly, Wil wins the contest, which means she has 30 days to (temporarily) resurrect her friendship and to figure out just what makes her so unlovable.

The whole situation is complicated. Ryan had begun making small forays into friendship again, but Wil’s choice makes Ryan beyond angry since the first fissures in their friendship began with Annie and Ryan. And Wil isn’t content with 30 days, so when she picks up on a loophole from Ruth Fish (the seemingly immortal being who’s in charge of the town, and the contest) Wilson vows to mend the trio’s friendship and—hopefully—make this a real chance at life again for Annie, and a real chance at friendship again for her.

This book has so many layers. I love the magical realism, the strangeness of the contest and the matter-of-fact way that everyone in the town accepts it. The world building is just fantastic.

I love the complexity of Wilson’s character, the way she’s so valiantly trying to gain some control over the areas of her life that she lost, searching for love and friendship and family.

The secondary characters here are incredibly vivid, too, and I could feel the ways that they’re struggling for so many of the same things that Wilson is hoping for, each existing as fully realized people in the same way that Wil is.

After finishing Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet, I found out that Morris has one previous YA novel—I’ll be picking it up soon. Do yourself a favor, and put this one on your TBR.

A fresh take on second chances and teenage romance.

What if you had the chance to bring back someone from the dead for 30 days? That the choice Wilson has when she wins her town’s yearly contest. She decides to right some wrongs that happened between her and her friends.

Annie LeBlanc is Not Dead Yet is a cute, sapphic teenage story. I thought it did drag out a bit and could have been a bit shorter, but the ending made it worth it. There was definitely a lot of teen angst and miscommunications but I think that runs true to a lot of peoples’ teenage experience.

This book was so different, I loved it. We have the town of Lennon, there is secret contest, and Wilson won, she wanted to bring her best friend back Annie from the dead, the year before she died they were estranged, and even though her other best friend Ryan was not having it!!! Annie only has 30 days and then she goes back to the afterlife. So while she’s here Wilson is doing everything possible to mend their friendship, and she starts to discover so much about herself, like her new crushes, her career goals, and her relationship with her mom. She finds out that with Annie around she wouldn’t have found true love, and she wouldn’t have explored as much. And not everything is what it seems as Wilson and Ryan soon discover about Annie and what happened to her the year she kept away from her friends, and also around the time she dies. This book was just so heartfelt and I openly cried because of how beautiful it was, I would consider this a coming of age YA with a fantasy twist, because the coming back from the dead and given 30 days and then sent back is pretty awesome but also heartbreaking all over again.

Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet is a fairly typical high school romance, except for one thing - one of the main characters is actually dead, or, at least she was. Lennon, CA, is an fairly normal little town, except for one thing; once a decade, Ruby Fish draws the name of someone in town from a bowl, and that person gets to bring back someone from the dead - a Return. The returned person has to be from Lennon, or to have lived in Lennon at least 20 years before their death. Oh, and the return only lasts for 30 days.

Wilson Moss is a 17 year-old with no idea what to do with her life. For most of her life, she had two best friends: Annie LeBlanc, and Ryan Morton. But at the end of 10th grade, the three had a massive fight and went their separate ways. And on her 18th birthday, Annie LeBlanc died, so they were never going to be able to get back together - or even figure out just exactly what went wrong. Then Ruby Fish pulled Wilson's name out of the bowl, and she chose Annie for her Return. The rest of the book centers around Wilson's attempts to find out just what went wrong between the three of them, and to get Annie and Ryan to be friends again, and this part is pure adolescent drama, colored by the time limit of Annie's Return - hanging out, a party, a date, the realization of a crush that may be more than just a crush. Along the way, there's also a lot of introspection by Wilson about the nature of relationships - with her mother, her friends, and with a friend who wanted to be so much more. Teen romance novels are not my usual genre, but this one has an interesting twist with the Return.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A queer Sapphic YA romance that sounded really interesting but sadly fell flat for me. I listened to this one on audio and just could not find myself interested in any of the characters or storyline even though I liked the narration by Georgina Sadler. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review. Fans of authors like Jennifer Dugan might enjoy this one more than I did.

This book had such a cool magical realism concept. Every ten years one resident of a small town in California get to come back from the dead for 30 days. Overall I enjoyed this book so much and was hooked from the beginning. Towards the middle the plot did start to drag a little bit but it picked up again towards the end.

Annie Leblanc Is Not Dead Yet by Molly Morris. When Wilson grew up her best friends were Ryan and Annie, but Annie ghosted her ever since the last day of sophomore year and a year later Annie would be dead. . Ryan barely talks to her despite their coworkers but when Wilson wins the lottery to bring someone back for a month from the dead she picks Annie. This only infuriates Ryan. Wilson soon after Annie’s return finds out a few times after the dead were brought back they got to stay and she starts on a quest to try and get Annie’s return permanent. She thinks if she makes Ryan and Annie BFFs again this will happen that is basically what the book is about. It is a coming of age story about Wilson her mom‘s wedding her broken family in the mini first in a teenagers life. I really despite coming-of-age story‘s not being my favorite totally enjoyed this one. I even wished I could’ve read The Walking Dad, it really did sound lol funny. I also want to say most of these characters in the book, written by other authors I would’ve instantly dislike them, but thought these characters were endearing and so likable I thought the town of Lennen sounded quaint and like a place I would enjoy living. This is a great book and when I totally recommend with the exception of Annie coming back from the dead, it really is just teenage fiction and coming-of-age in a very awesome one at that. I really was digging Molly Morrris’swriting style and can’t say anything bad about the book I loved it all and totally recommend it. I want to thank Saint Martin’s press for my free ARC copy via NetGalley please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I loved how this book started, I was drawn in and intrude to delve into the town of Lennon, California and see why Wison had entered a contest to bring back her friend Annie. The idea of this book was fantastic, and I think the message is a good one, but the journey to get there lost me quite a few times. There was something about either the pacing or the characters that just kept losing my interest. Will this book resonate with others I am sure that it will, did it resonate with me sadly it did not. I am happy for Wilson though that they were able to do some self-discovery.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

What if you had the chance to bring back someone from the dead for 30 days... and you just happen to bring back your ex best friend who ditched you? Every 10 years in the strange little town of Lennon, CA, there is a contest for one person to bring back one person of their choosing back from the dead for 30 days. Wilson entered her town's contest in hopes of resurrecting her ex-best friend Annie LeBlanc. She never thought she'd win... and when she does Wil cant wait to have her back despite Annie ditching her for a year before she died. Wil is determined to find a loophole to get Annie to stay for good and she needs their other best friend, Ryan, to help. Yet the fact is that Ryan hates them both and she and Wil have barely spoken since the kissed. Ryan and Annie hate each other and can barely stand to be in the same room in each other and the more Wil tries to force them to fix their friendship the more neither wants no part of it. Wil is determined to get both her friends back... but that means facing the difficult truths about Annie's past and their friendship. Can she save her friendship before she's left completely alone? This book had an interesting premise and I liked the idea that for 30 days you could try and fix a relationship or get more time with someone... however I did not enjoy Wil at all. Wil is so insecure and aggravating as a person and honestly I would have ditched her as a friend too and would have been pretty mad if she forced me back for 30 days. Wil grated at my nerves and the more she tried to force her friends to be her friends again was just kind of annoying. Her friends clearly had their own problems and had clearly made decisions that laid out both their reasons for why they did what they did. Like girl, you're telling me you couldn't have made new friends for yourself? While it was a cute idea and the whole lesson of learning to let go and grieve is nice, I honestly just felt so disconnected to the characters and found myself not enjoying the story. While this isn't for me if you like complicated friend dynamics and drama, give this book a go!

Release Date: June 4,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This was one of the better YA books I've read in awhile. I really enjoyed it! I kind of got a sense of where it was going but it was still interesting in the way the story unfolded and when the past and present collided. I liked all of the characters. The ending is also perfect; add this one to your TBR!!

Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet comes out next week on June 4, 2024, and you can purchase HERE!

There are a few things nobody tells you about bringing your best friend back from the dead:

1. The dead don't always arrive on time because, apparently, they need bathroom breaks or something on the way back from the afterlife.

2. Not everybody is going to be happy you've chosen said person to come back. They're not like POWs, where their return is universally celebrated. It's more like the Rolling Stones going back on tour, or the arrival of another Twilight movie.

3. The ceremony isn't necessarily cult-y or weird. There aren't any black robes or virgin sacrifices, which is probably a good thing. As the Resident Virgin Dork of Lennon, California, I would definitely be at the center of that pentagram.

These are the things that are running through my head as I sweat my face off on the small stage rigged up at the head of the football field, the last remnants of an Atomic Fireball disintegrating in my mouth. Not the fact that my best friend, who I hadn't talked to for over a year before she died, is on her way back to the land of the living.

Annie LeBlanc is Not Dead Yet by Molly Morris

This was a sweet and fun YA novel with a unique twist. In the town of Lennon, they have a magical tradition - every ten years one person gets to return from the dead for one month. This year Annie is chosen, who died after her junior year of high school. Wilson is the one who requested her, and she spends the month desperate to revitalize their friendship that had blown apart in the year before Annie died.

Besides this fun little plot element, the rest of the book is a very stereotypical YA story. There are a ton of misunderstandings, fragile female friendships, complicated parent relationships and a few crushes.

There were a few parts that seemed to drag and quite a few other parts that were frustrating yet relatable. Overall I found it sweet and loveable. At its core it was about 3 teens trying to figure out their places and I am really glad I listened to it.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio and @wednesdaybooks for my early copies! This one is out June 4th.