Review Detail

What worked: This is a quirky tale set in an equally quirky town where most of the residents have some kind of paranormal ability. Reminded me of a TV series I really loved back in the 90s--Eerie, Indiana. Only in Utopia, Iowa the protagonist is a teen boy who sees dead people.

The characters are interesting enough--Jack's banter with his best friend Ash are hilarious at times. Jack's family is quirky too and are supportive even his Gram who I know I wouldn't want to have on my bad side or else she'd visit my dreams! His father has big dreams too with a bar that doesn't seem to be profitable, a younger sister who loves old sitcoms, and a number of other equally colorful characters add to the charm of this paranormal tale. Plus, thow in a murder mystery to the mix for a fun read.

What I had issues with was how abrupt some of the writing felt. The movie trivia felt forced and jarred me out of an otherwise fun paranormal. I know that the movie references(and there are a lot) shows readers Jack's desire to be a screenwriter. Still, I felt that less would have been more with this story line.

Finally, I'm a huge sucker for ghost tales and I wanted more interactions with the dead and more emotion feels. For example, I loved the interactions between Jack and Ash. She's colorful enough and readers can feel the chemistry between them. Also it was refreshing to have a family that loved each other even with their disagreements(like Jack's mother not too happy with his father's bar venture).

A quirky visit to a quirky town where paranormal is the norm, this tale is sure to be perfect for those who love a fun ghost tale.