Russell Helms

The book drew my attention very quickly in the beginning with the idea of a ghost becoming real. I could not put the book down during the first half and then it took a downward spiral. It left many open questions and the ending of the book was extremely disappointing. Did Michael really love this girl or was it just a need to want to help her parents cope with her death. Did Anne really love Michael or just the idea that someone was giving her attention? What happened to Michael's own girls; they vanished from the story line? The story did have many surprises but I felt as though the entire story never resolved as if there was going to be another book to follow. Unfortunately, if there is a sequel, it will not make my list.… (mere)

I'm not entirely sure how to rate this book. The premise had me utterly hooked before I even started reading the book, I was so pleased when I got selected as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer because the description had been so fascinating to ponder. As I read it, I found that it was definitely a page turner because I just had no idea how things were going to keep unfolding. That said, I found the style to be a bit irritating in places. It was incredibly detailed in some places for no apparent reason. Giving specific brand names, the constant mention of characters drinking wine and/or smoking cigars, long interludes of the main character teaching his class, or oddly specific descriptions of characters that we only see for one or two scenes. I also felt like I couldn't get a full grasp on how the two main characters were feeling towards the middle of the book - are they annoyed with each other and wishing they weren't so tied to each other or is this just their usual every day attitude with each other? In all though, I enjoyed reading it because it was just constantly full of surprises and felt like such a strange and incredible journey. I was a bit shocked at the incredibly abrupt ending, but perhaps will appreciate it more as I mull the book over a bit longer.… (mere)

I received a free copy of this book from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. This is my honest opinion.

I do not like to leave negative reviews, so I hope this isn't construed as such. I think the storyline held promise, and the subject matter was very ambitious. Unfortunately, it fell very flat for me. There was a lot of repetition, and the lengthy descriptions of every tiny thing started to bore me. I feel like this would have been a good novella or short story, but it's far too long. The word "oh" is incredibly overused (753 times, to be exact). I think the author knows a lot about mental health issues, and a book more focused on that aspect may have held my interest more.… (mere)