Almost Dead (Kaz Delaney, A&U)

What do you do if you wake up in the dead of night to see a spirit standing by your bed … and he’s really, really hot? Such is the otherworldly conundrum faced by Macey, the protagonist of Kaz Delaney’s latest romance-meets-mystery romp Almost Dead. Fans will remember Macey as the style-savvy best friend of Willow from Delaney’s 2011 book Dead, Actually. In her second fictional outing, Macey just can’t catch a break: her mum’s left, her dad’s just dropped the world’s most poorly timed family bombshell, and to top things off, Macey is being constantly harassed by ghosts. After Nick, the sexy bedroom spirit, warns Macey that she might be in trouble, she starts getting threatening notes—but how is she supposed to avoid being killed when she keeps getting distracted by surfer babe Finn? Almost Dead is teen chick-lit with a little supernatural action thrown in: think Gossip Girl with ghosts and Gold Coast bling. The characters are slightly stereotypical and the plot a little predictable, but that doesn’t diminish the novel’s entertainment value, or the fun of Macey’s sassy narrative voice. Delaney’s fast-paced plotting and sharp one-liners make this an ideal summer read.

Carody Culver is a freelance writer and editor and a part-time bookseller at Brisbane’s Avid Reader and Black Cat Books

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Category: Reviews