Review: Life After Theft by Aprilynne Pike

Life After Theft by Aprilynne Pike

Publish Date: April 30th, 2013
Publisher: Harper Teen

Series: Standalone
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Contemporary.

Format: Paperback
Pages: 345

Purchase*: Barnes and Noble/ Amazon

Add on Goodreads
Rating: 4.0

Summary:

Kimberlee Schaffer may be drop-dead gorgeous... but she also dropped dead last year. Now she needs Jeff's Help with her unfinished business, and she is not taking no for an answer.

When she was alive, Kimberlee wasn't just a mean girl; she was also a complete kleptomaniac. So if Jeff wants to avoid being haunted until graduation, he'll have to help her return everything she stole. But Jeff soon discovers it's much easier to steal something than it is to bring it back.

My Review:

This is my second book by Aprilynne Pike, after reading her book EarthBound, I knew I had to read her other books! I was so happy I did! It definitely did not disappoint me, but it did surprise me. After reading summary of the book, I thought it will be some funny, light read, but it wasn't all that funny or exactly light. Jeff is the narrator of the story, and I love that the story was told from male perspective!  Jeff comes to a new rich, private school. On his first day he walks in the hallway and sees a girl laying on the floor in the middle of the hallway, and of course he now thinks that the school doesn't seem that bad anymore (because of the hot girl laying in the middle of the hallway). But he than finds out that he is the only one who can see her, and at first he thinks he is going crazy, but than Kimberlee proves that she is a ghost, and not his imagination. She said she's stuck as a ghost and can't move on because of her unfinished business, and asks him to help her...or if he doesn't she will hunt him for life. You see, she is not really a nice ghost, she is an ex-popular, spoiled, mean girl. He agrees, but not only because of her threat, but also because he feels sorry for her. She said she just needs him to return some things she stole...what he didn't expect is a cave FULL of stolen stuff. He now sees that Kimberlee is a total kleptomaniac, but he still agrees to help her. So the story goes on, on his little adventure trying to get all of the stolen stuff back to people, almost everyone in his new school, and every store in the mall. While on his tasks, he meets a girl Sera, which Kimberlee is enemies with. Than he starts finding out secrets about Kimberlee's and Sera's past, and they are some dark little secrets. Kimberlee is not making his life easy for him, with trying to get him away from Sera and returning her stolen stuff faster. I really liked the book plot, I was glad it was not just light, romance story, but also a little dark. There were only some little parts that were a little bit unbelievable to me, but they were small, and it didn't ruin the story, and anyway its fiction:D

   I really liked Jeff's character. I felt like he was a developed character, and really believable.  I really liked how he was trying to do the right things through out the book, even if it made his life not easy...at all. I also liked Kimbrelee. I know that she is a total bitch, and mean and you know everything else, but I actually liked her mean character. It made her relationship with Jeff a lot more interesting to follow. What character I didn't really like was Sera. Through out the whole book I thought she was a fake, like everything she did was an act...I don't if that's the expression the author wanted to leave. I did liked her brother though! He was cool, and I liked how protective he was. Oh! I almost forgot! I also liked Jeff's parents, I think a lot of teens would want their parents to be like his...actually I probably like them, because they remind me of my parents, because my parents are also chill like that:D  

   Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a fast read to me, and Aprilynne Pike is definitely a great writer, now I have to check out her other books. If you are looking for a fast, easy, at times funny and a little dark read, you should definitely read "Life After Theft"!