An interesting concept, death but in the abstract. Dead School promised something original, something that could know no bounds. What is death, after all, but an endless question of what if? We surely cannot define something that has not been experienced, we just know it is the end of this 'mortal coil', and the beginning of something new. Laura Gia West promised a complexity, and intricacy that would bound right past our preconceived notions of death, and into more. But, that is where it begins to fall short.While the world building - or perhaps afterworld building? - was delicately and deliberately weave, the characters and their arcs were undeniably unlikeable. Specifically (although the theme seemed to run throughout), Tina our MC. Sure, she has her conventional ARC throughout. Shy girl dies, throws a tantrum and suddenly is no longer shy. I am sorry, because I really wanted to like this book, but that is a cliche I simply cannot absorb. In her ARC, from shy to well, not. Tina seems to loose any concept of decency - that is - she suddenly becomes snarky, argumentative, and self-absorbed. Okay, she is the MC, and I'm beginning to sound like my Mother, but I was inexplicably rooting against this MC. Other honourable, or dishonourable mentions?Alexei - who lets face it, didn't need to be present at all. What did he really offer to the story line? Was he meant to be a romantic interest? Unsure, and unconvinced. Melinda - eh, I mean, ??????Anna - were we meant to feel sorry for her? Perhaps we were meant to relate. Either way, by the end I was impartial to her outcomeCarl - I just, can't? Look at this book, it's bringing out my inner millennial. Story-line wise again, was promising. But it also lacked in the department of sense. Look through my posts, and you'll find a theme of being impressed, and positive. But this is the most positivity you're going to get from me. 

Wonderful concept, mediocre presentation, annoying MC.

This book is a prime example of never judging a book by its cover. When I first looked at this book I immediately thought it would be something similar to Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina but upon starting it I saw how much of an opposite it was to my original thoughts. It’s not such a bad difference though because unlike its cover it didn’t have any creepy feels to it, it was very much a quirky book that you’d never have thought to actually like once you’re about halfway through.

The main character, Tina is a girl whose apparently been reincarnated thousands of times always essentially failing at life. When she dies again from an unfortunate Valentines Day incident, she is told that if she does not pass Dead School (a quirky after life where school never ends for teens) as an assistant guide then her next life would be all sorts of unpleasant. I honestly didn’t think I would like this book because of how different the plot was but the character of Tina is one that you can’t help but get endeared with after seeing her grow and learn just what it means to have an out of sorts afterlife.

If like me, you like giving a chance to quirky/different books then you’ll definitely enjoy this one.



**eARC provided in exchange for honest review*

Tina Crocker is a failure at life and dies at her school talent show. The book got into this pretty quick and i was enjoying the story up to her going to dead school. Apart from when she was on the way to dinner and made her parents turn around and take her to her school talent show? for someone who had no friends and hated socializing with people its just too unbelievable that this would happen.
It then just became a bit boring, i didn't connect with any of the characters and they were all so similar i didn't care what happened to them. It felt quite dragged out while she was at dead school, the detail of the classes felt like i was there as well they were so drawn out i wish this time and space had been spent developing the characters.
There was no lift lessons so to speak Tina would just have epiphanies without anything really happening, if it was this easy for her to come to the conclusions on how she should be or act i don't understand how she failed so many times at life, it really didn't seem like a challenge to change her perspective on anything.
I really wanted to love this book, the cover and synopsis drew me in but unfortunately it just didn't really work for me. I was hoping for a mix of scrooge/beetlejuice but it just didn't hit the mark.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, for a free copy of this book for an honest review. Just....wow. I don't know how to let this book down easy. Yikes!

So the cover and title alone made me super interested in this book. I felt like it was going to be something I would enjoy a lot because stories with different takes on the afterlife are usually pretty fun to read about. I honestly couldn't even tell you my thoughts on this take of the afterlife as I didn't even make it there, unfortunately.

Yes, it was that much of a cringe.

I couldn't even get past the first chapter. That's how much I hated this book. This makes me so sad to say but honestly, it's the worst book I've ever picked up. This book had me furrowing my brow on the first two pages. I don't know how others have actually enjoyed this to be blunt.

The writing was extremely juvenile. Annoying characters all around, and I only experienced the parents and Tina. I don't know how to put this nicely but the parents just seem... dumb. Not to mention it said they haven't had a conversation with each other for eight years. ??? What? And told Tina to put the cat's head out of the window of the car??? I honestly am speechless about this and can't explain how just...bad it was from the start.

I can't say for myself as I didn't reach this part, but I heard there was shaming in this as well. All I can say is that I hope the body shaming is challenged and fought against but I have a feeling it's probably not.

This was a huge fail for me. No thanks.

I could not review this book. I really tried to get into it but it was lacking action and adventure. So no rating or review. Maybe, later on, I will try to pick this book up but it was just not working for me. The book sounded like it would be amazing it just lacked the zaz. (Yes, I know zaz isn't a word but it is my word). I couldn't relate to Tina at all even though I tried to understand her being a teenager. I really didn't understand why in the first chapter she all of a sudden wanted to turn the car around and perform at school? Like that was just a random thought it seemed to me. Maybe the author had really good ideas to go with this book but it just didn't feel right for me.

Reading the synopsis of this book, I loved the concept and everything that could potentially come with it. However, this book runs into a serious snag at that point. Tina is unlikable as a character and so frustratingly stubborn (which I understand, plot point). However, due to the way she expresses herself and generally fumbles around - many times I would find myself openly rooting against her. Still, there were many times I had a feeling some scenes were missing between parts or that a better explanation of what happened should have been given.

Dead school is such a fun read I was unable to put it down! Let me just say that the ending leaves you dying ! I really can’t wait for the second installment because I have to find out what happens to Tina, and her new found friend... you will fall in love with every character in here, they are so relatable and outstanding work that puts you right along side Tina. Don’t miss this book, thank you for letting me read this incredible book, learning about love, friendship, integrity and over coming it all !

Another book that has fantastic potential and seems like it could really go somewhere, and just . . . doesn't. The title is cool and the cover seemed intriguing, but I couldn't get on with the protagonist at all

This book was intriguing to me and I enjoyed it.
Our main character, Tina Crocker, was not ready to be dead. (Who is?) And when she finds herself in that state she reacts as expected.

As for the chapter introducing us to Dead School, I found it a bit tedious. Perhaps the beuracray of being dead was intended to be dull, I'm not sure but this was one of the places that gave my rating a hit.

Another sore spot is, while I understand the author wanting to keep the book friendly for the ages intended, I didn't enjoy certain cursing to be allowed and others not. (i.e $_#@-) Most teens these days use damnit all's and worse consistently, and this just makes certain things harder to read.

On an enjoyment scale, this book was very pleasing to read. Gramatically correct most of the time, but hey Tina is a high school student and a teen being gramatically correct would be harder to believe than Dead School actually existing. It flows smoothly, with the aforementioned chapter as the only exception.

I would recommend this book, despite my least favorite parts.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

Dead School by Laura Gia West was described by reviewer David Nora on Goodreads as "Harry Potter meets Beetlejuice". I would not agree completely with the description but it is close.

Tina Crocker hates Valentine's Day and school. She failed at life, love, and everything else she has tried except for playing her guitar. She decides to participate in the school's talent school, kills it, and dies on stage. She is transported to Dead School where she finds out just how much of a failure she has been. Can she pass Dead School or will she fail at this too?

Dead School is not a dark novel and many reviewers did not like the book because they expected it to be. Reading the description shows it is not. In her debut novel, West takes a different look at being dead. Her main character is a failure, sarcastic, flawed person in life and the hereafter but she is likeable.

Dead School is a quick, enjoyable, quirky read that does not fit into the usual slots for describing a book. Go into this with an open mind and just enjoy it.

I am looking forward to reading more from Laura Gia West.

Review published on Philomathinphila.com, Smashbomb, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble on 3/2/19.
https://philomathinphila.com/2019/03/02/dead-school-laura-gia-west/

Thank you to NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for sending me a free advanced reader copy of this book for an honest review.

I requested this book on NetGalley in large part due to the beautiful cover and the title. Dead School? How cool of a concept is that?

Unfortunately, I didn’t even make it to Dead School. This book reads like a rough first draft; I’m a bit confused about how this is considered to be a manuscript in finished form. There are punctuation and verb agreement errors aplenty, as well as some exceedingly strange word usage. Characters “waver” papers in the MC’s face and “clog” down the stairs. (And I don’t believe this is referring to clog dance, but in this book, anything is possible, I suppose.)

All this can be forgiven if the story is good. For example, I have been extremely forgiving in the past of translated works. Metro 2033, which is shoddily translated but utterly fantastic, is one example that springs to mind.

Yet there is nothing to redeem the story in terms of substance. The MC is unlikable and acts nonsensically, as do all the characters flitting around her. We start the opening chapter with the MC in the car with her parents on Valentine’s Day. They are heading to Red Lobster to eat dinner, toting along their cat. With a bit of handwavium, we’re led to believe that the local Red Lobster manager is super cool with animals and will allow such nonsense at the table.

Okay. Fine. Second page of the book, my fingers are already starting to desperately tighten around my suspension of disbelief, which has grown oddly slippery… But let’s press on.

Wait, stop! Fuck Valentine’s Day and turn the car around, Dad—we have to go back to school! The MC suddenly has a blinding desire to beat her stage fright and perform in the school talent show, which is taking place LITERALLY RIGHT NOW. The MC’s parents oblige her, because… you know… the author wants them to.

And then our MC nails her performance, even though she hasn’t gone to any of the rehearsals. (Not joking.) The students in the audience, all of whom the MC despises, are moved to tears—she’s just that amazing. All is looking up—soon the MC will be the school’s new Queen Bee. Because she attends a prestigious performing arts school, our intrepid MC knows that there are talent scouts in the audience, pens at the ready to sign her for a record deal. Too bad a stage decoration then falls on her and kills her.

All this ridiculousness happens in the first chapter. I read a bit of it aloud to my husband, and his assessment is that the book has an uncanny valley feel. The characters just all act so bizarrely, as if a thousand YA novels got mixed together in a blender and an algorithm spit out the common elements it thought define human behavior. Needless to say, I only made it a few chapters in before I had to call it quits.

Let me be clear: I normally try to find the positive in things—sandwich method, etc.—but I cannot be charitable with this book. There is nothing to be charitable about. Even the famous quotes from historic figures attached to each chapter heading are cringey; what does Shakespeare have to do with any of this? I’m reminded a bit of how the infamous indie game Crying Is Not Enough (epic Let’s Play right here) stuck famous quotes on its interminable loading screens… But that game was bad yet had heart, and this book is just terrible.

Nice cover, though.

DNF @ 30%
I had pretty high hopes going into this, I have a kind of ghost thing going on this month for some reason so I was looking forward to starting this. The cover was really pretty and I had high hopes.
Unfortunately I so far haven't been able to connect with the story and the thought of forcing myself through another 70% gives me hives.
Of course I'm only judging this off of the small amount I read but I felt like the beginning could have been developed more, maybe gotten to know the character more when she was alive, that might have helped me connect and care more instead of BAM she dead.
Also the "dead school" aspect I wasn't understanding and didn't like the writing.
Super sad to DNF, possibly in the future I might pick this back up to read a few pages of to see if I like this but at this current moment there's so many other things I want to read and prioritise over this book.

This book is meant to be an easy read and fun escape into a new world... and it REALLY was! The main character, Tina, is a say-it-like-it-is kind of girl.. (or rather, "think-it"). Her thoughts are hilarious and bold. We go onto this journey seeing how she changes from repelling Anna, the slob, to really caring and rooting for her. It's an anti-bullying novel, with growth in all characters, particularly their insecurities and ability to look at each other differently than they initially did.. The author really has a wild imagination, and it reminded me a lot of Tim Burton, Lewis Caroll, a modernized Roald Dahl with a potty-tongue. All in all, it was super fun, and very different from what this genre typically is. Its unique. I enjoyed it

Thank you to Black Rose Publishing for the arc of this book,
This book started off strange, family in the car with the cat going out for Valentine’s Day meal, I really liked the sound of this book, but it just didn’t hit the mark with me, it never really took off, and it was such a great concept.

I have no idea what to say. This book sounded AMAZING! I was excited to read it, but when I started, the disappointment came really fast and unfortunately never left.

I'm going to give this one extra star for great potential. ⭐ It really pains me that I disliked the book so much, but it was mostly caused by characters. If Tina was different, it might have been a fantastic book. I liked the complexity and possibilities of the Dead School! (I want Oscar de la Renta dress for prom!)

So, where this went wrong?
Tina. The main character was very unlikeable. Okay, in the whole book there was not a single character I liked, but this is about Tina right now.
She starts as this timid, unsure girl who is obsessed with playing the guitar. When she dies, she mentions the guitar two times (maybe three) but in her time on the other side does not try to obtain a guitar to play. (She can get a dress from Oscar de la Renta, you can get anything there!) And she had to throw a huge tantrum for not being placed with crafters since she is this amazing guitar player, who does not play very often.
And the nerves? Nowhere to be seen. Suddenly she argues with everyone, does stupid things, is all focused on herself and does not listen. I have a feeling that the author tried to make her funny, snarky with clever comebacks (A bit like Sophie from Hex Hall) but it fell flat. I'm sorry, I was rooting against Tina. I wanted her to fail and just be over with.

Then who? The Alexei who is mentioned in the blurb? Well, I don't even know why he was in the story. Was he supposed to be a bit of romantic interest? Did not work.

Melinda? No feelings, really.

Anna. I had no idea if I should feel sorry for her or what. There was nothing. She was so much ridiculed that like with Tina I did not care at all how she's going to end.

Carl. How can you like someone who speaks for the whole book like this? "Butitmightbetheendofyoursifyoufail!"

As for the storyline, I don't know if I missed some things or what but I kept thinking that it does not really make sense.

I liked the concept for this book - teenagers attending dead school after dying and helping out in the afterlife. Unfortunately I wasn't as keen on the execution. The main character was quite unlikable, as were many of the other characters.

Was a likeable book mostly, but I wasn’t happy with some of the way the characters acted, the fat shaming in this book and other attitudes I didn’t like, yeah i know like real life but I feel there’s enough in the world without books doing it too. I think it could have been better but I think this put me off and coloured my mood to the book.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion