A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner is a story of unconventional love and the pain of death. Cass is a high school student whose best friend, Julia, is a theater star. Cass always felt she didn't belong and when Julia dies she feels more isolated then ever before. So she plans a trip. Something Julia had proposed months before, bike from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California. The story continues with the personal journey that ensues when she returns home. In alternating chapters of "now" and "then" readers travel with Cass as she across the country, falls in love, and putts on a play written by none other than her dead best friend.
I found it very difficult to become "hooked" on the book. Although I loved the story I found it difficult to come back to it. Losing a friend is difficult, and I enjoyed how the author portrayed a group of teens coping with it. Hanging on to their friend in any way they could. What I disliked was the love story aspect. It did not seem to fit with the other parts of the plot. It was awkward and it didn't seem right to have such a basic plot with such an original one. Until the end, I did not like reading about the developing love, because it seemed so misplaced. In all honesty though the author did an amazing job of portraying human nature. Particularly human nature of teenagers. Few adult authors are capable of this. She also wrote about the reactions people have to death with great accuracy. I just wish some of the plot had not been as basic.
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: Minnetonka, Minnesota United States
