Review: Hereafter by Tara Hudson

From Goodreads: Can there truly be love after death? Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life - or her actual death - she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive. Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world ... forever.

My Rating: 3 hearts

Thoughts on the Novel: I’ve been vacillating back and forth between how I feel about Hereafter, the debut novel of Tara Hudson, and I still can’t seem to make up my mind. So, I figured it was time to do another pros and cons list rather than a formal review.

Pros:

• The first chapter manages to ensnare the reader into the story and convey just how terrifying Amelia’s “nightmares” are.
• The writing flows nicely and I enjoyed reading Hereafter.
• The secondary characters are or seem pretty interesting.
• I could feel the chemistry between Amelia and Joshua.
• Amelia is a likeable protagonist, and even though I feel like I don’t know much about Joshua, he was a decent romantic lead.

Cons:

• While I liked reading Hereafter, I almost feel like there was more of an emphasis on the romance between Amelia and Joshua and less on the mystery around Amelia's death. I think that’s why I’ve forgotten most of the novel even though I read it only two days ago.
• In terms of the major secondary characters, although Eli seems to be well-developed, I feel like I barely know Ruth and Jillian.  
• Joshua adjusts way too easily to things. Soon after almost dying, he’s looking for Amelia, accepts that she’s a ghost and falls in love with her. Yes, once again, there’s a case of love at first sight.
• Some of Amelia’s powers could have been better explained by Hudson. For example, how does a ghost start crying real tears?

Hereafter will be released by HarperTeen on June 7, 2011.

Comments About the Cover: The cover is pretty and makes it easy for the reader to know that the main character is a ghost. I like that the background incorporates water since it is important to the story and that the scene kind of looks bleak because Amelia is stuck in limbo. 

In exchange for an honest review, this ARC was received from the publisher (HarperTeen) for free via NetGalley.