(4.5 stars rounded up)
Twenty-something Danny feels like a failure. His friends have gone off to college, traveled the world, and he's working a job he hates in retail. On the way home from a party, himself and his friend Nudge are in a drunken car accident. Danny survives. Nudge does not. As a ghost with an inexplainable and incorporeal tie to Danny, Nudge needs to figure out how to cross over to the other side. Danny and Nudge set out on an adventure across Dublin to figure out how Nudge can move on.

I really enjoyed this book. Nudge is loveable and funny, and the descriptions of him are vivid. Danny is multidimensional and his mental health struggles are well written. I should note that Nudge's death scene is very vivid, and I had to put the book down for a while after reading it. Craven does a good job of balancing his humor with seriousness, and I'm sure there are some Irish jokes I didn't catch due to my American-ness. If you read a Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching a Killer (like me) and didn't particularly care for the main character (like me), I think this book does a great job of tackling afterlife, grief, and the found family trope.

I knocked off half a star due to some plot conveniences towards the end of the book (mostly Danny's seemingly endless supply of funds). The ending brought closure to the story in a very bittersweet way, but I liked the final line a lot. I am rooting for Danny's future.

Spirit Level follows Danny whose life seems to finally be getting back on track until he gets in the car with his drunk friend Nudge, resulting in his friend's death. He soon learns something new about himself: he can see and commune with ghosts when under the influence of alcohol. Danny and Nudge, reunited, spend their newfound time together to figure out how to help Nudge cross over and figure out what's pulling him away from Danny.

Spirit Level, in theory, is a serious topic wrapped in a witty package. I loved the dry humour employed throughout and Danny is a very endearing main character. I was disappointed because I expected a much deeper exploration of grief, and honestly a good cry which I didn't get. This may sound outlandish but I wanted less plot and more character study vibes. I do like how it became a mission for Danny and Nudge to share one last time, but I think keeping them "busy" and trying to solve puzzles detracted from time that could've been spent wallowing and ripping my heart out. I did enjoy the side characters that were introduced along the way though.

The ending was a bit predictable, but there still could've been a heavy emotional impact but it was too rushed in my opinion.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley for giving me an ARC for a completely honest review of this.

Unfortunately this book just was not for me. I struggled reading this, and that is when you know, you and a book are not meant to be. I went into this book, hoping for supernatural wittiness, and unfortunately left with uneven pacing, and (what feels like to me) a concept that just was not refined enough and therefore just did not hit the spot. I was left with many unanswered questions, and just couldn't connect with the protagonist Danny. At times I felt he was really annoying to be honest. With Danny being so emotionally checked out in the novel, it made it hard for me to root for him and therefore just less meaningful in important plots of the book.

This book to me was more about style rather than substance- a journey of being lost between satire and substance and therefore you are left in a limbo of never landing on either. Just a no from me sadly.

I fell in love with Danny and Nudge right off the bat! This book was a perfect blend of seriousness and lightheartedness. It was such an enjoyable read that I'm sad it's over!

For me, this was a super easy to read book! Right from the get-go I found myself caring about Danny and Nudge and the different antics that drew them both into the circumstances they were in. Some aspects I will say hung me up a bit--namely in the fact that like many European books I don't get some of the slang or the different rivalries between cities or areas. It wasn't enough to turn me away though, as anyone with reading comprehension can read through and have an understanding of where things are or what is going on. The plot itself read as more slice of life, heartfelt, though serious at times.

I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Both light hearted, serious and funny all in one. I found myself instantly invested in Danny and Nudge, the two main characters, and sped through it wanting to know what happened to them. Such an easy and enjoyable read; would highly recommend!