There were a lot of things I hated about this book. But my top three are:
1. Penny
2. The pacing made it seem like it was 500 pages long.
3. Paranormal romance. Why was this necessary?? ( )

I've become a huge fan of Cherie Dimaline recently and was thrilled at the opportunity to review her YA novel, Funeral Songs for Dying Girls. Winifred has lived with her father in an apartment above a cemetery office all her life. Her father works in the crematorium, just across the graveyard - where her mother resides. She's almost sixteen and filling her languid summer days rolling her obese dog (affectionately and hilariously dubbed Mrs. Dingleberry) around the cemetery in a wagon while awkwardly crushing on her best friend, Jack. Winifred's life is turned upside down when she learns the crematorium is on the verge of closing and her father could lose his job, rumors spread that the cemetery may be haunted, her friendship is on the verge of --- what exactly? --- with Jack, and then an actual ghost shows up. The appearance of the ghost, a young woman named Phil, causes further upheaval in Winifred's life as she navigates coming of age without a motherly influence or any remaining connection to her Metis community. As she learns the truth of Phil's life and death, Winifred is in a race to save her father's job and hold on to what she has left of her mother... but what if letting go is the best way to honor those lost to us? A bittersweet coming of age story with a paranormal spin, I loved this YA novel and highly recommend to mature middle grade readers and up. Thanks to Tundra Books and the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program for mailing me a copy to read in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Winifred has lived in the apartment above the cemetery office with her father, who works for the crematorium, all her life. She loves to spend her time wandering around the graveyard, but because she does this at all hours of the day and night, a rumor has started that Winterson Cemetery is haunted. It’s great news, because Winifred’s dad is on the verge of having his job outsourced. Now, Winifred needs to keep the ruse of a haunted cemetery up with the help of her con-artist cousin. But, when Phil, an actual ghost of a teenage girl starts showing up, it makes Winifred question everything.

I had a hard time caring about the characters in this one. I understood that Winifred was a loner and didn’t have many friends, but then she had a falling out with a guy who didn’t really seem to be her friend anyway, made it hard for me to care that it happened? And then the random sex talks would throw me off…

The nonlinear writing would get me mixed up as well. I wasn’t sure if it was something happening in the past or the present because scenes were never clearly ended, they would just blend into one another.

Overall, I still liked the story for the family element of it, but it wasn’t something I absolutely loved. It was a coming of age, slow burn (if that makes sense).

*Thank you Tundra Books and LibraryThing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ( )

I really tried with this book, but I didn't enjoy what I was reading from the very first chapter. I probably should have given up on it sooner, but I hoped that it would improve. Since my feelings didn't change, I'm moving on. ( )

This was a unique coming-of-age story about a teenage girl who lives in a graveyard with her dad who works there. As we join her on her summer break she grapples with multiple issues: her sexuality, her culture, and maybe surprisingly for someone who lives in a graveyard, life and death. A mystery, a supernatural resident, romance, and indigenous values are layered in, making this a book I would recommend to others and that I won't soon forget. Bonus points for the comedic chihuahua sidekick. ( )