Moving to a new high school sucks. Especially a rich-kid private school. With uniforms. But nothing is worse than finding out the first girl you meet is dead. And a klepto.
No one can see or hear Kimberlee except Jeff, so--in hopes of bringing an end to the snarkiest haunting in history--he agrees to help her complete her "unfinished business." But when the enmity between Kimberlee and Jeff's new crush, Sera, manages to continue posthumously, Jeff wonders if he's made the right choice.
Clash meets sass in this uproarious modern-day retelling of Baroness Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel
My Review:
You know when you finish reading a book and this feeling washes over you that makes you feel like, you, as a person have changed? That you cannot help but look at the world a different way, now that you read it? That all of that is okay because you don't want to go back.
I love that feeling. And Life After Theft is one of those books.
I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of the novel, and I am so glad that I did. It is nothing less than stunning. The dialogue is entertaining, especially being Jeff and Kimberlee - characters that I found to be realistic, witty and enjoyable - but the themes that the novel conveys run much deeper than normal teen drama and angst.
This is a story that you can get into, and become a part of. Jeff is a very commendable narrator, and you can't help but like him more and more as you read on. I felt that Kimberlee was the same way. She might not have been perfect during her lifetime, but I thought that just made her more interesting of a character. Even if she was being - or had been - terrible, I found myself liking her more. Don't we all think or say things that make us feel terrible? I think that is part of who we are as humans, and none of us are better than Kimberlee. There was one thing she said that really got to me. I already put the novel on my bookshelf, so this won't be a direct quite, but it was about how everyone is acting, everyone is fake. I feel like that is the complete truth. I know it is not just me when I go out and put on a fake smile, when on the inside I want to do anything but. Sometimes I feel that I am only truly myself in moments like now - when I am alone in my room, forgetting about life and just letting myself be consumed by words - whether they are an author's or my own. I think the reason that I like Kimberlee and Jeff's characters is because they are so great to connect to. Sometimes, we feel like Jeff. We just want to do what is right, help out others. But other times, or maybe just so deep down we choose to ignore it, we are more like Kimberlee.
I feel like I went off a little bit there. What can I say? Life After Theft is a personal book, and I can't help but give it a personal review.
Considering I am posting this before the publishing date, I am going to refrain from giving anything away. But I will tell you this: if I were you, I would be counting down the days to April 30th on my calendar, because this is one book you don't want to miss.
Pike created a novel that is funny and clever enough to interest you from the beginning, and beautiful and haunting enough to stick with you after the end. Absolutely brilliant.
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