I love this story. I loved the idea iof the mountain as a safe haven for the in-between spirits. The characters were compelling and I would love another book with them!

Strong concept, fantastic title, perfect fall vibes, and I truly love reading characters like Annie. PSA: main characters do NOT have to have bestie potential or whatever for a story to be great! I agree with reviewers who mentioned the historic lingo was sometimes irritating, but overall I would definitely recommend.

Teenager comes back from the dead and tries to solve her own murder. Fast paced murder mystery with ya elements. Great idea but not my thing. The main character was unlikeable and so were the other characters. Fast read but struggled enjoying the story.

"Murdered bad girl Annie Lane is back from the grave and hellbent on revenge . . . she just has to figure out who killed her."

Annie is only a teenager when she is murdered and dumped on a haunted mountain, which is why she decides to investigate her own murder, because she has no memory of it at all. Little by little she pieces it together, and we get to discover the clues alongside her.

I loved the premise of this book, and did enjoy reading it, but the fact that Annie was unlikeable took some of the joy away for me. The story did move along at a rapid pace, so it was a quick read, and I guessed who the murderer was before they were revealed, but I still enjoyed the big reveal.

All in all, I did enjoy this story and recommend it.

4/5 stars.

*** I would like to thank NetGalley, Disney Hyperion, and Codie Crowley for the opportunity to read and review Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch.

Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch by Codie Crowley is a debut novel that will keep one looking for more from the author. When Annie Lane wakes up dead after being dumped by the road, she takes on a hunt for her killer. Being a local "bad girl", Annie has her work cut out but nothing stops her from getting her vengeance! A very fun read.

Annie Lane was murdered, and her body tossed on the mountain called “Resurrection Park.” She wakes and discovers that the legends are true. The dead do come back on Resurrection Park. Trying to figure out what happened to her to get her revenge, she meets five other teens. They tell her that as long as her body remains undisturbed, she can live forever. One of the teens, Sam, can be seen by others. She decides to enlist his help figuring out what happened to her. Dark secrets, hidden toxic misogyny, and more unearth themselves as they delve into her murder. Will they find out who murdered her? Will Annie get her revenge?

The plot is well-developed, intriguing, and engaging. Annie’s rough around the edges, witty repartee, and sardonic personality are entertaining and authentic for the story. The other characters are likable and well-developed. Readers who like murder, mysteries, ghost stories, and afterlife novels will want to pick this one up. Due to more mature content, this is recommended for most high school and public library collections.

Please note: This was a review copy given to us by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No financial compensation was received.

Ok, so this book was below average for me. I read it based on all of the rave reviews, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

The title is definitely attention-grabbing, and the description peaqued my interest. Unfortunately, those are the only things I found interesting. I didn't like the main character Annie and didn't connect with her at all. I thought the concept of a recently deceased teen trying to find her murderer was a good one, but Annie's character was unlikeable and uninteresting. The supporting characters were equally as uninteresting and annoying. I didn't think that any of them brought anything positive to the story itself.

If ghost stories and supernatural storylines are your jam, you might enjoy this book more than I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide/Disney Hyperion for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I would highly recommend this book. It was intriguing from beginning to end and did not disappoint even when I wasn't sure where the author was going with it. I have already pre-ordered this title for my library. If you have patrons who love paranormal mixed with murder this one will be a hit.

This title (and cover of the book) grabbed me from the beginning. I enjoyed the story from beginning to the end! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC #HereLiesaVengefulBitch #CodieCrowley #NetGalley

A quick read that was overall enjoyable. It would have been nice to do a bit more world building and learn more about the other dead people and how they came to live in the house.

I was taken by the title, but the text doesn't have the same urgency. I mean, the MC is vengeful and bitchy, but kind of without the in-your-face panache of the title. The mystery is so much of a surprise that it's kind of unbelievable, and the ghost universe doesn't make a ton of sense.

Also, the pdf of this digital ARC is a drag. In the NetGalley reader, I couldn't even change it to white on black. That worked in Bluefire Reader, but I couldn't change the print size. My near vision is weak so I had to change the size back to regular every time I wanted to turn the page.

I really like the premise of this book and some of the descriptions, but I just couldn't get into it and I was confusing the characters around. I appreciate being able to read it, but it just wasn't good enough for me.

I have so many conflicting feelings about this book! Let’s talk about the good first. I loved the premise of this story and the spooky vibes are going to be perfect for Halloween season. And the feminine rage of this book! It spoke to my angry soul, and that was hands down my favorite aspect of the whole story. I loved our main character and was rooting for her the whole time.

Now, the not-so-good. I didn’t feel like any side characters got any depth whatsoever, which was so frustrating. I understand the point of using dated lingo, but I’m much older than the usual YA reader, and I had no idea what most of the slang meant. There were too many details not explained about how this whole ghost situation was working in the “real” world and what these spirits could and could not do. Also, there was no resolution to Annie’s relationships with several side characters, and that really aggravated me - does everyone make up or not? I needed to know!

I LOVE the idea of this story, but I just wish that the writing had been a little tighter. I do think YA readers will be drawn to this story due to the cover, title, and genre, so it’s definitely worth a purchase for a high school library. It’s a fast and entertaining read, and I was surprised to find out it’s an author’s debut!

Favorite Quotes:

“He wants to kill me. All because he can’t control me.”

“Maybe I’d still be alive… if I had only tried to be a good girl. But to be honest, I think I’d rather be dead than good.”

The premise was interesting but the authors style of writing was not for me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

* Thank you NetGalley & Disney Hyperion for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. *

Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch is the perfect title for this book. Annie Lane has been failed by everyone in her life - her parents, her town, the kids at school, and especially the adults in her life. When she finds herself dead in the water, she knows there's only one answer: find out who killed her, and make them pay.

I would not have guessed this was a debut novel. The first couple chapters are a little odd but stick with it, It really picks up by chapter 3, and I flew through the rest of it.

The side characters are not incredibly complex, but I don't need them to be. Our MC was fleshed out enough to make up for that. A troubled teen who has been pushed around, ignored, mistreated, and condemned by the people who should care most, Annie is heartbroken and reckless and frankly, a mess. But you can't say the girl doesn't try her best.

"Because girls like her don’t get justice unless they take it for themselves."

Oh goodness, does this story live up to its title! Such a spooky and fun book. It gives some creepy, dreary, Halloween vibes and would be the perfect October read, or anytime really. Thank you so much to Disney Hyperion and NetGalley for the ARC. Check this one out when it publishes August 06, 2024.

I wanted to like this! I love the ghosts, I loved how weird the ghosts were. But I felt like I didn't get to know any of the characters aside from the protagonist, which was sad because the other ghosts had such interesting characteristics. The pacing felt off to me as well, I had a really hard time orienting at the beginning.

TL;DR cool concepts but not super well-executed in my opinion

1. It took Annie way too long to figure out that she was dead.
2. For the majority of the book, she just ran around and confronted people like she was human. Seriously, she was a ghost - why did locked doors stop her?
3. Sam's lingo was annoying.
4. Too many plot holes - the mystery of the other children, how their powers worked, the hellhounds, her running around town even though she's dead.
5. I figured out her killer about a quarter of the way in.

Would I still order this for my library? Yes - because my students love this kind of stuff, even if it isn't perfect.

This captivating debut novel is a thrilling adventure that doesn't hold back. The snarky humor and engaging plot will keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. The characters are well-developed, and their interactions are believable and entertaining. While the build-up for some of the characters can be slow at times, the payoff is well worth it. This book is not your typical Disney "Cinderella" story, but rather a tale that will keep readers up late at night wanting to read "just one more chapter."

I am particularly intrigued by the characters of Sam, Fern, and the rest of the motley crew. I hope this is just the beginning of the series and that there are more books to come. This was a fun and wickedly good ride that I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for this e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

In this fun, fast-paced debut, Crowley combines mystery, romance and the supernatural to great effect. Annie Lane is a bad girl, a murdered bad girl, and most people in town (her mother included) would say she had it coming, but that doesn’t mean that her killer shouldn’t pay for what they did. The ins and outs of spectral haunting do seem a little convoluted here, but the enjoyment of Annie being able to investigate her own murder and render her own brand of justice make every idiosyncrasy worth it in the end.