Review: Life After Theft

Title: Life After Theft

Author: Aprilynne Pike

Genre: Contemporary/Paranormal

Pages: 352

Publication Date: April 30th 2013

Publisher: Harper Teen

Source: Library

 

Review:

I was a huge fan of Aprilynne Pike's Wings series, so when I saw this book come out I knew I had to read it. And just as I expected, once again Pike did not disappoint. Life After Theft follows the story of Jeff, a teenage boy who has just recently moved from Phoenix to California. On his first day at his new High school he meets Kimberlee Schaffer, but she is a ghost and he is the only person who can see her. Kimberlee died a year ago when she drowned in the ocean and ever since she has been st...more I was a huge fan of Aprilynne Pike's Wings series, so when I saw this book come out I knew I had to read it. And just as I expected, once again Pike did not disappoint. Life After Theft follows the story of Jeff, a teenage boy who has just recently moved from Phoenix to California. On his first day at his new High school he meets Kimberlee Schaffer, but she is a ghost and he is the only person who can see her. Kimberlee died a year ago when she drowned in the ocean and ever since she has been stuck on earth as a ghost. She believes that to move onto the after life she has to right her wrongs and since Jeff is the only one who can see her, she ropes him into helping her with her unfinished business. Jeff and Kimberlee then set out on a whirlwind adventure together trying to return all of the tons and tons of things she stole from her fellow peers. Life After Theft has everything you could want in a book. It was funny, sincere, and at times heart wrenching. The book had adventure, friendship, romance, and also dealt with the struggles of bullying. Pike miraculously fit all of these aspects into this book without making it confusing or overwhelming, making a great quick read. She was also able to write in a way (that you may have experienced in her Wings series) that captivates you and before you know it you've read the whole book. Pike has a way with creating characters. There wasn't one character in this book I did not like. Even Kimberlee who had done some horrendous things and could come across as harsh and selfish won me over. My favorite character was the narrator, Jeff. He was a loving nerd, dressed in vintage t-shirts and converse. His strength was definitely his heart. He honestly just wanted everybody to be happy. Jeff is one of the most genuinely good natured characters I have read. I was also a fan of Jeff and his girlfriend, Sarah's, relationship. I shipped them since the moment they met each other. The only downside this book had was the ending. The whole book was perfectly paced but the ending of it put an end to that trend. The ending just seemed very abrupt and left me with a feeling of I missed something. Life After Theft is a great, fast paced, book bound together with a blending line of genres. It will definitely please any Apriylnne Pike fan and if you haven't read her before, come hop on the Aprilynne Pike train because it is one you do not want to miss out on. 4 Stars ****