Not Dead Enough

Gr 9 Up–A high school student is haunted by the ghost of her abusive boyfriend while also being stalked. Charlotte, a white high school junior, has insomnia and post traumatic stress disorder from the traumatic event of a car accident on prom night where her boyfriend, Jeff, was killed. It is revealed later that her boyfriend was abusive to her and caused the accident on purpose as an attempted murder-suicide. Months later, Charlotte begins to find items related to Jeff out of place in her room, and begins to receive threatening messages from someone posing as Jeff. A séance between Charlotte and her friends proves that Jeff’s ghost is really haunting her, but escalating attacks prove that she is also being stalked. Painfully cruel teen social interaction and benign parental neglect can make this a frustrating read, although it does create a sense of realism. Fast-paced action and mystery sequences make this book feel like a faster read than its length suggests. Some readers may enjoy the genre blend of horror and thriller, while others may be left confused. Prospective readers should be careful to read a summary or trigger warning description for this book.