We Are the Ghosts

by Vicky Skinner

[Sam@WLABB]

Ellie never imagined the next time she would see her brother would be at his funeral, and therefore, when she received a map plotting their epic road trip, she went in search of some answers. The road trip was intended to help her gain some closure, but via this trip, she found a way back to herself, while also mending some important relationships.

I will tell you five things I loved about this book:

• Skinner did a fantastic job depicting all the different ways we grieve, and during this road trip, I felt like I went through all the stages of grief with Ellie. Flashbacks were used thoughtfully to help give us a better understanding of Ellie's pain, and it really increased the emotional impact for me.

• Ellie had to deal with losing her brother twice, and this was a profound loss for her, because her identity was so closely tied to her relationship with him. She didn't just lose her brother and her best friend, she sort of lost herself, and this road trip was as much about her as it was about him.

• Wow! So many secrets, and they find a HUGE one in Michigan. That was probably the biggest surprise of the book for me. I thought it was rather sad, but also felt it was a ray of hope for Ellie.

• Cade, can we just talk about Cade. He got a gold star for patience and perseverance, and Ellie should count herself lucky to have someone like him on her side.

• Skinner incorporated several themes in this book, such as friendship and forgiveness. Just about every character in the book was flawed, and all warranted forgiveness from someone. I was glad grace was shown to these characters and that they were given the opportunity to redeem themselves.

Skinner did a wonderful job combining elements of friendship, romance, and mystery into this story of grief and loss, and I was more than happy to take this healing journey with Ellie.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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