I Heart You, You Haunt Me

What made me keep turning the page?
The way the story is told in verse
The lyrical quality of the words
The strong emotions experienced by Ava
The eerie romantic elements
Some of My Favorite Quotes:
"Guilt reminds me of a stray cat. You chase it away and yet, it comes back when you least expect it. If you let yourself feel pity for it and feed the thing, it parks its ugly, puny, lonely-for-attention butt on your doormat and won't go away. Scat kitty cat, scat. I don't need you sitting around here like that."
"Come with me,' Mom says.
To the library.
Books and summertime
go together."
"If tears could bring him back, there'd be enough to bring him back a hundred times."
Any complaints?
Nope (only that it went too fast!)
Recommendation:
YA Contemporary Fans
Final Thoughts…
So I have to give credit to Ashley from Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing. I was “eavesdropping” on Twitter when Ashley was talking about how awesome Lisa Schroeder is. She was so convincing that I ordered two of her books right away, and boy am I glad I did! I would have never though that I would enjoy a book written in verse, but I SOO did! It’s like all the unnecessary “stuff” is cut out of the story, and you’re left with the most meaningful parts. The words just flow together so well, and before you realize it you have finished the book! This story really deals with grief, death, guilt, and living life after a tragedy. I think I will be thinking about these characters for a while!

Reader reviewed by Sydney

This book was amazing! I couldn't put it down for more then 20 seconds. This girl loses something that is so close to her and she feels guilt and so would most everyone but she lets go and doesn't forget but forgives herself. Someone so strong deserves something back. Read this book!!!!

Reader reviewed by Kryztel

I love the way this book is written. It made me cry. You can read it in a day but have a box of tissues near you just in case you might cry too. Totally sad- but amazing. It really got the aspect of how people cope
with death. I understand so much more- have so much more empathy. It
was written really well- i love verse books.

Reader reviewed by Olivia

Let me just say that is probably one of the best books that I have read in a long time. My friend got me this for Christmas and thank goodness she did or I would of been missing out on a really good book. The cover is what really did it for me after I read the story. I loved how she was holding hands with a ghost. And of course the line on the front, "some bonds, just can't be broken." (bone chilling). But anyway, at times I felt so sorry for Ava. I mean she couldn't help but to blame herself for Jackson's death. Then one night he appears and she can hear him and touch him.

One of the things I loved about the story was how the author wrote it. I loved the lyrical lines and how it was written in verse. Which makes it very easy to read and finish in a short amount of time. I read it in one class period. I was hooked from the first sentence.

If you have not read this book, you seriously need to go out and buy it. It's a true story about love and death that will leave you speechless at the end. You will so definitely not be disappointed.

Reader reviewed by ReggieWrites

OH MY GOD. This is ONE of THE BEST BOOKS
I've read. It's a verse novel. It's a compilation of poems that tell
Ava's story throughout the entire book. It's in her point of view. And
it's amazing. I wish I could do this book the justice it deserves with
this review, but, I can't. I'll just do my best.

I'm going to break it down for you:

The Writing.
Shroeder's writing was very lyrical and poetic. It was surprisingly
mature. She was able to manipulate the words to make them suit how Ava
was feeling in each chapter/poem. It never got boring, in fact, I kept
reading until midnight. I was able to relate to Ava's feelings and her
grief. Throughout the entire book, I felt like I was Ava. I was the
girl who was going through so much pain and so much guilt.

The Emotions. I Heart You, You Haunt Me
is a book for mature readers who want to read about the purest and
probably the most common kind of grief. After I read the book, I
couldn't breathe properly-LITERALLY. I felt so many poignant emotions;
anguish, angst, pain, just to name a few. My heart felt heavy. I felt
the pain that Ava felt. My sisters thought I was crazy. But that's just
how Schroeder was able to bring out all these emotions and reactions
from me, through her words.

The Ending.
The ending was bitter-sweet. It was painful for me to read. The lessons
that were learned and the conflicts that were eventually solved, were
flawlessly summed up in the ending.

The Bottom Line: This book is NOT
light reading. In fact, this could easily make readers cry. Shroeder's
writing is innocent and-in words-perfect. I would definitely recommend
this to teens who want to read about letting go and the simplest and
most innocent type of love. It really is heart-breaking. A+ :-)

Reader reviewed by Jessica

I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME tells the story of a girl, Ava, and what happens to her after her boyfriend has died, and come back to her as a ghost. She sees his ghost through her dreams. He has come back because of the love they shared, but something is wrong. Ava is ready to get over Jackson, her boyfriend, but he doesn't want to let go.

A truly haunting story of love and love lost, Lisa Schroeder writes in beautiful verse which captures the emotions of the characters perfectly. Almost like a common day Romeo and Juliet, this story is one of those which leaves you heart broken yet satisfied at the last words. Something that everyone should pick up and read, I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME is something not to be missed.

Reader reviewed by Izabella

I heart you, You haunt me is a very good book. I just couldn't put it down!!! It's about a girl named Ava. Ava lost her boyfriend named Jackson in an accident and she has a hard time learning how to let go. She still feels him around her. At first she pushes everyone away but she learns how to let go and move on. Most importantly, Ava learns that she can be happy again.

Reader reviewed by The Story Siren

I finally got my hands on a copy of this book! Ive heard so many good things about it, I couldnt wait to read it for myself. I was a little worried about how it would work out telling a story in verse, but I loved it! Even without using a lot of words you were still able to feel the intense emotions Ave was having.


If you havent heard what this story is about yet, Ill give you a brief overview. The story starts as Jacksons funeral. Jackson was is Avas boyfriend. Throughout the story Ava is dealing with the loss, and she isnt dealing with it well. Then she feels his presence and realizes he hasnt left her at all. But when she is finally starting to move on with her life, she cant help but feel guilty knowing that Jackson is still with her.


If you havent read this book yet, I recommend that you get a copy. It is a quick read, but the story is intense. I was hooked from the first line.

Reader reviewed by jocelyn

I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME is a love story. Ava and Jackson are teenagers whose romance is at its best when Jackson accepts a dare. Hes a daring sort of guy, but this dare is his last; he jumps off a high rock into some water and hits his head on a rock and dies. Ava is, understandably, devastated now that Jackson is gone.

Or is he? She cant see him, except for glimpses in the mirror, cant touch him except in her dreams, but the sudden rushes of cold air, the electronics being turned on as if by a ghost&Could it be Jackson, her love come back to her? Most people would think shes nuts, but Ava knows the truth. Jacksons back. She just isnt sure why or how or even if thats truly the way she wants it.

This is a lovely verse novelhaunting, a beautiful story, beautifully written. I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME is a powerful story of life, love, loss, grief, and moving on (but not forgetting)of finding hope after a tragedy. There is a ghost, but this isnt really a paranormal story. Not a ghost story, really, just a love story, and no matter if their passion was powerful enough to keep Jackson around even after death, they are still fifteen, and this is a real, honest story of what teenage love is usually like.

I read this book in Books-a-Million (I have resolution not to spend so much money on books, and the way to remedy this is to go sit for an hour or two at the bookstore and read), but its one Id go back to time and time again, one Id like on my shelf. So go! Read it! It comes highly recommended.

Reposted from http://teenbookreview.wordpress.com

Reader reviewed by Julie M. Prince

Avas heart is broken. Jackson is dead. They were so in love, and now hes gone. The worst part is, its all her fault.

Hes on her mind constantly, so when Jackson first appears to 15-year-old Ava, she thinks shes losing it. She knows her family and friends would think so, too, if she told them she could smell his aftershave and that when no one else is around, he plays songs for her on the CD player. So, she keeps to herself and carries on secret trysts with her ghostly boyfriend, hearing his faded words in her thoughts. Shes just glad hes still around. Sort of.

This is an innovative book in verse. Avas voice comes through so clearly, its easy to ride waves of emotion with her, especially in this unique format.

I read it in one sitting, mostly because I couldnt keep from turning pages. Avas feelings seemed so real they were nearly tangible. I wanted to find out what would happen next. If Jacksons ghost was really there. If Ava was really guilty of his death. I had to know what was on the next page.

Long after finishing it, this book is still haunting me.