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The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand truly surprised me. This is an original story based on the classic A Christmas Carol where the main character works for a company trying to save Scrooges every year. I found the main character to be likeable, even though she is intended to be dislikable, and I loved reading about the secrets at Project Scrooge. This is such a festive book that will definitely get the reader in the Christmas spirit.
Title: The Afterlife of Holly ChaseAuthor: Cynthia Hand
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genres: Fantasy, Retelling, Young Adult Fiction
Publication Date: October 24, 2017
Rating:
On Christmas Eve five years ago, Holly was visited by three ghosts who showed her how selfish and spoiled she'd become. They tried to convince her to mend her ways.
She didn't.
And then she died.
Now she's stuck working for the top-secret company Project Scrooge--as the latest Ghost of Christmas Past.
Every year, they save another miserly grouch. Every year, Holly stays frozen at seventeen while her family and friends go on living without her. So far, Holly's afterlife has been miserable.
But this year, everything is about to change. . . .
Review: The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand
This book has such an original concept! Basically, a spoiled rich girl is killed and wakes up to learn that she is the new Ghost of Christmas Past. Frozen in time, she must work for an organization dedicated to changing the ways of modern Scrooges for the better. I really enjoyed the complexity of Holly’s afterlife and how believable Project Scrooge is. The book is also witty, making it more fun than a typical retelling of A Christmas Carol.
❀ Holly is an Enjoyable Main Character
Normally, I am not a fan of dislikable characters, purposeful or not, but I actually really enjoyed Holly’s character. She starts off pretty snobby, and is actually a failed Scrooge, but she really transforms as the story progresses. Holly’s snarky attitude and witty retorts are hilarious, and I loved her sass. She is also pretty daring and willing to do whatever it takes to follow her heart, which is such a nice characteristic.
❀ Unlike Any Other A Christmas Carol Retelling
What I most enjoyed about The Afterlife of Holly Chase is the fact that it isn’t a generic retelling of A Christmas Carol. It takes the idea of the original story and creates something entirely new. Every character assumes the role of one of the classic characters for the mission every year, and the book focuses more on the behind the scenes work at Project Scrooge. Also, the main character isn’t actually Scrooge, which I thought was a nice twist. This book is unlike any A Christmas Carol retelling you will ever read, and I would definitely recommend it this holiday season.
❀ Lots of twists
The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand is an inventive story based on A Christmas Carol. I loved the sassy main character and the various twists on the original story. If you are looking for something different to read this winter, this is the perfect book to pick up.
About Cynthia Hand
Cynthia Hand is the New York Times bestselling author of several books for teens, including the UNEARTHLY trilogy, THE LAST TIME WE SAY GOODBYE, MY LADY JANE and MY PLAIN JANE (with fellow authors Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows), THE AFTERLIFE OF HOLLY CHASE, and the upcoming novels THE HOW AND THE WHY and MY CALAMITY JANE (also with Ashton and Meadows). Before turning to writing for young adults, she studied literary fiction and earned both an M.F.A. and a Ph.D. in fiction writing. She currently resides in Boise, Idaho, with her husband, two cats, one crazy dog, two kids, and mountain of books.
About The Candid Cover
Olivia ❀ Canadian YA book blogger, Starbucks lover, & professional bibliophile.
Yayyy!! I am gonna pick it uppp
I hope that you enjoy it as well! 🙂
Oooh, I like this premise! And the idea of an afterworldly Project Scrooge, sort of implying an afterlife society. Very cool!
It really is such a cool concept for a holiday novel. 🙂
I was actually about to start this one next! I love that you pointed out that this isn’t a generic retelling – if readers were after a generic retelling, we might as well read the original! I’m interested in seeing what the main character is like – you mentioned that she has a sassy attitude so I think that could be a lot of fun. Great review!
It is so different from what I expected! I can’t wait to find out what you think. 🙂
I have this one on my Christmas TBR so I was really happy you reviewed it (and actually enjoyed it!)
I usually love unlikable characters so I’m hoping Holly steals my heart <3 The premise is definitely unique and sounds like the perfect story for this time of year.
Awesome review 🙂
I hope that you enjoy this one as much as I did! 🙂
Thank you!
Oh! I have been keeping an eye out for this one! I wanted to read holiday-themed books this month and this was one of them. I love sassy and fun characters so this review really speaks to me. Thank you for such an amazing review. Happy reading 💋 xoxo.
I was so excited to give this one a try and it was so different from what I expected. I hope that you love it, too! 🙂
You know what, this might actually convince me not to try something Christmassy. It really does sound like an original take on an old story — great review!
Yay!! I hope that you find it as enjoyable as I did. 🙂
Great review! This sounds like a fun read! I’ll definitely give it a shot! ☺️
Sounds Incredible.
A friend has this book, but I never knew if I should pick it up or not because the blurb wasn’t informative enough and I didn’t know what to expect, but now that I’ve read your review I’m thinking I’ll give it a go (not generic? a main character that is not meant to be super-likeable but has sass? yep, sounds good)
You give the best reviews. Do you have any articles that could help me with reviewing books?