The Precious Dreadful: A Novel

by Steven Parlato

Combining romance and humor with elements of the paranormal, this is a profound novel about one teenage girl’s decision to redefine her life in the wake of supernatural events.

Teddi Alder is just trying to figure out her life.

When she joins SUMMERTEENS, a library writing group, she’s only looking to keep herself busy, not go digging around in her subconscious. But as she writes, disturbing memories of her lost childhood friend Corey bubble to the surface, and Teddi begins to question everything: her friendship with her BFF Willa, how much her mom really knows, and even her own memories. Teddi fears she’s losing her grip on reality—as evidenced by that mysterious ghost-girl who emerges from the park pool one night, the one who won’t leave Teddi alone. To top it all off, she finds herself juggling two guys with potential, a quirky new boy named Joy and her handsome barista crush Aidan, who has some issues of his own.

As the summer unfolds, Teddi is determined to get to the bottom of everything—her feelings, the mysterious ghost-girl, and the memories of Corey that refuse to be ignored.

• ISBN10: 1507202776
• ISBN13: 9781507202777
• Publish Date: 13 February 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Adams Media Corporation
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this one. The Precious Dreadful caught my eye, because it eluded to some sort of mystery, suppressed memories, and some sort of paranormal element, but what kept my interest was Teddi.

•Pro: Teddi was wonderfully complicated and I loved her voice. She was a big reason why I kept reading. I was interested in the mystery, but I was more interested in Teddi.

•Pro: Parlato did a great job pulling us into Teddi's world and setting the atmosphere. I could clearly visualize Teddi's sort of sad surroundings, and could easily slip right into the setting.

•Pro: The mystery storyline was well thought out and I liked the pace at which Parlato let it unfold. I also liked the way Teddi discovered the bits and pieces and was able to reveal her repressed memories to us.

•Pro: There were some fun and quirky characters included to round out the cast. I absolutely adored Ed. I wish he had a better storyline, because he was a character I wanted to know a lot better.

•Con: The romance storyline was a little awkward for me. I struggled a little with its purpose, and then Aiden's whole arc didn't really work for me. I guess it was a way for this one thing to be accomplished towards the end, but I just could't see its full purpose.

•Pro: Teddi's home life was messy. Abandoned by her father and left to ultimately look after her alcoholic mother, she was forced to be a grownup way before her time. However, I really appreciated how Parlato handled the relationship between Teddi and her mother. He showed that it wasn't all bad and neither was her mom.

•Pro: The ending went in an interesting direction. I really liked where Teddi ended up, and thought the ends were tied up quite nicely.

That last moment together something we alone shared. Terrible, but solely ours. It's all I have left of him. And I'm afraid if I share it too freely, it won't belong to us anymore.

Overall: A compelling mystery with a touch of the paranormal and an engaging protagonist, which kept me turning the pages.

*ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

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