The Memory Game/Sharon Sant Though predictable, this was a sweet story that tugged at my heartstrings.
 
The premise of this book is relatively simple, but captivated me. There were really only two big characters in this book with three or so playing secondary roles, and this was odd as most conversation took place between these two.
 
I enjoyed seeing David grow and gain perspective. It was intriguing seeing Bethany open up bit by bit, but she didn't feel very dynamic, and though I grew to care about her, I would have liked to have seen her fleshed out a little more.
 
There were comic moments that could have been expanded upon, but were definitely clever and enjoyable.
 
I wasn't particularly satisfied by the ending, but I'm not sure how I would have liked to have seen it end. It's fascinating to think whether or not David was even real or if he was a figment of Beth's imagination.
 
While I probably wouldn't purchase this, I'm glad I picked it up. A short read, it teared me up and was worth the time.
 
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )

https://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2019/09/2019100-memory-game-sharon-sant.html ( )

Guy meets girl. Guy is mean to girl. Guy dies, and comes back to haunt girl...tell me more!

I really enjoy stories about the after-life. It's a common question: what happens? Do we stick around? What if there's something we weren't able to finish? What if we don't know where to go? For David, he faces all of this, after his death from a horrible hit-and-run. He struggles to figure out what to do next, alone in the world that now seems to be moving on without him, oblivious to his presence. Well, almost alone.

Enter Bethany. Being unique has gotten her nothing but trouble from the school bullies, especially David and his friends. When he dies, she's slightly relieved. Until she sees him, after his funeral. They both realize only she can see him, and she now has a bored, confused ghost following her around. Like her life wasn't difficult enough when he was alive!

This story is much deeper than I was anticipating. As we follow David (as he follows Bethany), we see a town with a lot of issues, people who have even more issues, and families struggling through the pain of death. Several shockers and twists pop up throughout the story, constantly changing the idea of why David is stuck as a ghost.

As he and Bethany try and figure out the mystery of his haunting presence, they learn more about both themselves, and each other. A friendship grows between them, that never could have happened otherwise. Ironic...

The ending was simply amazing. I didn't see it coming, and as much as it shocked me and made me tear up, it was perfect. Between the ending, the deep and ever-changing characters, and the humor, this book is definitely a keeper. I would recommend this to anyone who thinks it looks interesting- you won't be disappointed. ( )

Guy meets girl. Guy is mean to girl. Guy dies, and comes back to haunt girl...tell me more!

I really enjoy stories about the after-life. It's a common question: what happens? Do we stick around? What if there's something we weren't able to finish? What if we don't know where to go? For David, he faces all of this, after his death from a horrible hit-and-run. He struggles to figure out what to do next, alone in the world that now seems to be moving on without him, oblivious to his presence. Well, almost alone.

Enter Bethany. Being unique has gotten her nothing but trouble from the school bullies, especially David and his friends. When he dies, she's slightly relieved. Until she sees him, after his funeral. They both realize only she can see him, and she now has a bored, confused ghost following her around. Like her life wasn't difficult enough when he was alive!

This story is much deeper than I was anticipating. As we follow David (as he follows Bethany), we see a town with a lot of issues, people who have even more issues, and families struggling through the pain of death. Several shockers and twists pop up throughout the story, constantly changing the idea of why David is stuck as a ghost.

As he and Bethany try and figure out the mystery of his haunting presence, they learn more about both themselves, and each other. A friendship grows between them, that never could have happened otherwise. Ironic...

The ending was simply amazing. I didn't see it coming, and as much as it shocked me and made me tear up, it was perfect. Between the ending, the deep and ever-changing characters, and the humor, this book is definitely a keeper. I would recommend this to anyone who thinks it looks interesting- you won't be disappointed. ( )

Fifteen-year-old David was killed in a hit-and-run car accident. But instead of heading off to heaven or wherever, he’s seems to be stuck hanging around his old town. He seems to be the only ghost around and, although he can hear and see other people, he can’t interact with them. That is until he realizes that Bethany, a girl from his school can both see and hear him. Trouble is everyone in town knows Bethany’s a real loser always dressing weird and with her dead mother and drunken daddy, she’s just begging to be ignored when she's not being bullied. But David needs answers to why he’s still here as well as help to talk to his mother and dead beggars can’t be choosers. As David gets to know Bethany and her circumstances and as he sees his old friends in a different less flattering or friendly light, he begins to realize that he never knew or perhaps more honestly never wanted to know how cruel or superficial they were or how smart and strong Bethany is and how unfairly she is treated not only by other kids but by the adults in town who define her by her father.

Despite being a modern YA ghost story, The Memory Game by author Sharon Sant is social commentary rather than horror or even spooky – more Dickens than King or Gaiman. David may be a dead teenager but he grows and matures and Bethany is a strong character despite her terrible circumstances. This is a story about bullying and defining people by what they look like and where they come from rather than by their actions and how we should never judge others on appearances because we can never completely know what trials and tribulations they are facing. The author makes it clear that adults are just as at fault for stereotyping based on false and superficial criteria as teenagers.

This is a fast read and, despite its subject matter, for the most part, an enjoyable one. It avoids devolving into melodrama right up until the ending which, although it continues the 19th c. ghost-tale-with-a-moral vibe, here it evokes Hans Christian Anderson. ( )