Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet

ANNIE LEBLANC IS NOT DEAD YET is a young adult book about a town with a mysterious power. Once every 10 years, someone can be brought back from the dead. This year Wilson, our protagonist, decides to bring back her best friend Annie. It doesn’t matter that they hadn’t spoken for the year before Annie’s death. When Wilson discovers a way that Annie may be able to stay permanently, she is determined to make it happen.

What I Loved:
Despite the semi-heavy nature of this book, it was a very entertaining read. Scenes of Wilson remembering her abandonment were followed by scenes where she was having fun at karaoke. The story was allowed to be heavy, but not in an overwhelming way. There was still fun to be had and entertaining storylines that allowed readers to stay immersed.

Wilson and her two friends were realistically written. They are all teenagers, so emotions are all over the place. Despite this, their actions make sense once you understand their emotions. Annie and Ryan, Wilson’s friends, were three-dimensional characters. Readers were given information about them to make you feel as though they were truly Wilson’s best friends, people that she knew a lot about.

Towards the end of the book we get a lot more insight on Wilson’s emotions, especially those she has towards her friends and her mother. When that part starts, it gets heavy. The emotions are palpable. There’s a heaviness in the words and the actions of Wilson that reflect how she is feeling and makes it feel authentic. It was truly well done. Even prior to Wilson’s breaking points, her emotions were still very clear and very well-written.

The setting in this book was strangely one of my favorite parts of it. The book takes place in Lennon, a small town in California. The town has magic in it and it doesn’t feel like something that needs to be explained. It just exists there. The writing definitely gave off small-town vibes where everyone knows each other. From the diner where Wilson works to the parade. The book is brimming with small-town feels and it adds a nice touch to the story.

What Left Me Wanting More:
The beginning of this book felt like a slower pace than the rest of it, so it was a bit hard to be initially drawn into the story. During this time the story focused a lot on Wilson remembering the past two years. The story did eventually pick up the pace, but some readers may be put-off by the start.

The adults in the book were also a bit off-putting. This was mainly due to their actions and inactions towards Wilson. At times they were dismissive of her and unaware of how their treatment of her was affecting her. Most of this did get worked out in the story, but it left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

Final Verdict:
ANNIE LEBLANC IS NOT DEAD YET has an exciting plot. Despite a slow beginning, the novel eventually draws readers into the story. The story allowed Wilson’s emotions to shine and lead her decision-making, even at times when it shouldn’t have. Despite a couple of problems, it was an enjoyable read that had me excitedly awaiting the drama and emotions that were to come.

Despite a heavy concept, a teenage girl being brought back from the dead, ANNIE LEBLANC IS NOT DEAD YET managed to maintain a balance between light-hearted fun and gut-wrenching emotions.

ANNIE LEBLANC IS NOT DEAD YET is a unique and intriguing YA magical realism about grief/loss and friendship. Wilson lives in the town of Lennon, where once every ten years, someone who has died gets to come back for 30 days. She entered the contest but was shocked when she won. The person who she chose to bring back is Annie LeBlanc, her former best friend, who had ditched her when she went to a prestigious private school. Wilson is eagerly seeking closure and the friend she remembered before that time and her death.

Once Annie is back, Wilson has a lot of plans, but one of the biggest is a loophole that may keep Annie alive beyond the 30 days. As they spend time together, Wilson also begins to confront her feelings over their other best friend, Ryan, with whom her relationship had also been strained. This summer is one of healing, self-discovery, and renewed relationships.

What I loved: This was a particularly unique and interesting premise. The idea of being able to bring back someone who died is done in a novel way with 30 days to get closure and experience it once more. Annie does not remember what happened in between, which adds to the mystery of it all. Now that she is back, secrets and feelings will be coming to the front of every interaction, with implications for the future.

Wilson was an interesting character. She meant well and has been suffering in her own loneliness and confusion. Her two friends had basically abandoned her with Annie heading off to private school and no longer wanting to be around her uncool public school friends and Ryan hating her after what happened between them, even though they work together. Her choice seemed unlikely, but it allows her to revisit and get closure for the past while also sorting through her own emotions and taking some risks. The romance that builds was a nice added touch to this summer experience, but the story mostly focused on character development with a bit of a coming-of-age theme.

The story manages to remain quite hopeful throughout and ends on a positive note. Although the characters are dealing with grief and loss, the ability to get closure and light-heartedness of many of the interactions with Annie keep the book from getting too heavy. The grief is addressed, but there is a focus on healing.

What left me wanting more: There were some confusing things in the story that tripped me up a bit, and the ending adds another level of uncertainty. I had quite a few unanswered questions throughout, which does add to the mysterious air of it all. The middle of the story also felt a bit repetitive in places and was a bit easy to put down as a result.

Final verdict: Overall, ANNIE LEBLANC IS NOT DEAD YET is an intriguing magical realism that explores themes of coming-of-age, loss/grief, and friendship.