[b:The Ghost Files #1|18296529|The Ghost Files (The Ghost Files, #1)|Apryl Baker|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1375759354s/18296529.jpg|25779686] by [a: Apryl Baker|5173683|Apryl Baker|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1438217600p2/5173683.jpg] is a violently good read. For any person empathetic to, or having lived the life of an orphan or foster child this story tells stranger-than-fiction truths.

The main protagonist Mattie Hathaway, like many foster kids who have made it past age eight is tough as leather and mature beyond her years. Having once crossed over from life to death, she has gifts she prefers to ignore until a sister in their present foster homes shows up dead in the mirror.

I never read books twice, but because this hit so close to home, that during the first read I never breathed. Last night I started reading "The Ghost Files" again, and must applaud [a: Apryl Baker|5173683|Apryl Baker|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1438217600p2/5173683.jpg] for her amazing writing and storytelling ability. I cannot wait for the next Ghost Files story to come out.

The one thing I would suggest is to re-think the name. I don't think it does this tale justice. Thank you. ( )

Great book Mattie is a very resilient teenager ( )

Boring ( )

This book. This book was so frustrating and just plain nonsensical at times I had to keep reading it because at times I said, well this can't be where the author is going. Oh wait, this is. Lovely (not really).

A young adult paranormal book that showcases the most beautiful girl in the world that has men and ghosts falling in love with her at a single glance. This is the first book in the Ghost Files series. If you can't tell that I have no intention of going near another book in this series, let me just say it here in the review. There is no chance of me reading the further adventures of sixteen Mattie Hathaway and her constant crushes on men and boys all around her.



Told in the first person, we have Mattie Hathaway introduced to readers when she is in a bathroom and she sees a ghost. Yeah we find out pretty quickly that Mattie can see ghosts. It takes a while for a possible explanation of why she can see ghosts. And FYI enjoy hearing about the incident that caused her to see ghosts a few times in this story because repetitiveness was the way to go in this book.

Heading out to a party with her high school boyfriend Jake, Mattie can't help to take time to needle her foster sister Sally (did I mention that Mattie is an asshole but boy oh boy men can't help but admire her gumption?) and prepares to deal with her sort of friend Meg (who is referred to Megan and Meg throughout the book which drove me bonkers, pick a damn name and stick with it) and her jerk of a boyfriend who of course wants to have sex with Mattie. Because though Mattie has dark hair and all she apparently inherited her real mom's boobs.



After attending the party for a quick second (and I mean a second) Mattie sees her foster sister's ghost and realizes that someone must have murdered her. Mattie demands to be taken home and there she attacked by a mysterious ghost which leads her to investigate what happened to her foster sister and is the same person who killed her linked to other deaths in this town.

This leads to Mattie meeting many other men who though they are older than her, with one of them calling her Jailbait by the way, all of them fall in love with her. I can't even wrap my head around the character of Officer Dan (what Mattie calls him) who is a 20 year old rookie who for some odd reason (oh wait, Mattie is the only beautiful 16 year old girl around) finds himself drawn to Mattie and oh acts like a jealous boyfriend about her having a boyfriend. This fool even invites Mattie home with him and she eats dinner with him and his family and his mother who apparently has better sense than Dan sees where this is going, though the father is tickled pink. WHO THE HELL ARE THESE PEOPLE?

Did I mention that Dan is a rookie police officer and is 20 and Mattie is 16? He even has the nerve to tell Mattie's boyfriend and Meg's jerk boyfriend that having sex with her would still be considered sex with a minor which would lead them to being charged. But hey I guess Dan somehow is exempt from this mess?

FYI there is no chemistry between Dan and Mattie. She acts like an asshole to him and everyone else around her. But apparently we are supposed to ruffle Mattie's hair and go you scamp.

The other characters in this book are not given anything to do at all besides admire Mattie or admonish her. Mattie's foster mother is a blank slate and her foster father is missing throughout this whole book. There are other characters introduced and dropped throughout this book (including the character of Jake) that I was sick of it by the end.

We also get introduced to a Doctor Infodump (not his name) who regurgitated a bunch of things which was really annoying. I hate infodumps via a character in a book like this because to me it shows the author didn't really think that hard about how to make the story work together. And of course the infodump led me to wonder how the hell did this Doctor find out all of the information that he did. What made me laugh out loud was when the Doctor goes that Mattie has a special power (of course she does) and I said oh look I think I hit the Mary Sue bingo.

The writing wasn't great. Mattie tells readers she doesn't swear though an earlier part of the book she says or thinks "arse" which led me to wonder if this book takes place in England somewhere (no it doesn't so the "arse" thing doesn't make sense.

Also, the repetition of words started to drive me around the bend. Do you like the word "buggers"? If not, don't read this book because Mattie keeps referring to ghosts as "buggers". Do you like reading about how Mattie is a virgin (of course she is) and that she hasn't done anything with a boy because she is very tough and has no intention of doing anything ever. What toughness has to do with her choosing to have sex baffled me and I don't really care to wonder why they were linked. I also felt like the author grabbed a few ideas she saw on the show "Dead Like Me" and incorporated them into this book.

The flow was terrible in this book. I mention the constant repetition. But we also get introduced it feels like to a ton of guys in this book and all they did was swoon all around Mattie which made the book drag. We also would have Mattie comment on each and every guy and say that there was nothing wrong with looking because she had a boyfriend. And we do get a great scene with Dan and his girlfriend when Mattie acts like a total asshole towards said girl because Mattie thought she was better than said girlfriend.

The setting of this book I figured out eventually was somewhere in North Carolina and with the setting not being utilized at all besides just being a place where this book takes place.

The ending was a mess. A reveal is made which had me rolling my eyes. I guessed at it just because there were not a lot of characters to choose from who were the big bad in this book. And of course we have undying love pledged to Mattie. We have a cliffhanger of sorts in the end, but since I don't care what happens to Mattie after this book I just hard shrugged when I got there. ( )

Good stuff.

Finally an interesting ghost story. I love ghosts!
And Officer Dan.

Can't wait to find the next one. ( )