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How to Experience Death for Beginners

Jessica Branton (Goodreads Author)

2.87 · Rating details · 38 ratings · 29 reviews

Casey Darling can enter the minds of people when they die. After receiving romantic advances from the enigmatic new guy at school, a serial killer invades her small town. Local police grow suspicious as she appears at crime scenes, but an FBI agent believes in her psychic powers. Will Casey fall in love or help take down a psychopath? Maybe both.

[Trigger Warning: This book ...more

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Paperback, 330 pages

Published February 14th 2019 by Charlie's Port-FRINGE

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Feb 14, 2019 Kat Dietrich rated it really liked it

Shelves: netg-edel-author-publisher, read-in-2019

3.5 stars

How to Experience Death for Beginners by Jessica Branton is Paranormal Mystery aimed at the YA crowd.

First, let me thank Edelweiss, Rebecca Kelley at Mind Buck Media for requesting my review, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My Synopsis:
A serial killer is loose in the small town of Cartersville, Alabama. No one is safe from his knife. The police call in the FBI, but there is no real progress. ...more

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Nov 19, 2018 Melanie (mells_view) rated it liked it

This is a good YA Paranormal lite with some thriller aspects. Casey is a clairvoyant who feels pretty much alone in her world. She hides her “curse” from almost everyone. The ones knowing being her mother and her sister. Who have both been closed off and different in their own ways since she first experienced her “curse”.

In this book we mostly follow Casey navigating her power or “curse” as she feels. It’s like a paranormal coming of age with some surprising and dangerous aspects thrown in along ...more

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Jan 03, 2019 USOM rated it did not like it

(Disclaimer: I received this free book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

Our clairvoyant main character encounters someone in her life who engages in self-harm and while her concern for him results in her wanting to help, all she really does it make him promise not to do it again. I thought this portrayal both of his and her reactions were poorly written for teens. Our MC looks at the act of self harm, but not the causes and doesn't really encourage he ...more

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Jan 26, 2019 Yvonne (It's All About Books) rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2019-releases, arc, sent-by-publisher, young-adult, thriller, romance, mystery, serial-killer, paranormal, mental-health-illness

Finished reading: January 26th 2019

"I experienced death when I was seven years old. Ten years later, I found myself wondering if I would ever stop."

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

(view spoiler)

Finished reading: January 26th 2019

"I experienced death when I was seven years old. Ten years later, I found myself wondering if I would ever stop."

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

(view spoiler)[

When I first heard about How To Experience Death For Beginners, I was immediately intrigued. A YA mystery with a paranormal angle? Yes please! I had really high hopes for this one, but sadly I cannot say those expectations were met. While the writing in general reads easily enough and the pace reads quite fast, I found myself struggle with the plot. Or should I say plot holes. The premise itself is fascinating, but I don't think the execution is all that great... The plot is kind of all over the place and between plot holes and lack of credibility not the easiest foundation to build the story on. This brings me to the many many high school cliches, cliche gay best friend and the way cutting is handled in one of the principal characters. This all left me with a bad taste in my mouth and was a turn off for this story. The main characters themselves were also quite cliche, bland and lacked fleshing out. I also felt they read a bit young for high school seniors. The idea behind the paranormal aspect and so-called powers is fascinating, but lacked developing more since this is basically the book's strongest feature and would have made it stand out from other stories. Instead, I didn't find it credible how the paranormal was handled nor how others react to it... A shame, because the premise had all the signs of turning into an extraordinary story. Instead, we get a cliche high school drama with a bunch of cliches as main characters and a serial killer and paranormal powers both pushed into the background. One of those stories where the priorities were set wrong? Maybe. But the fact is that sadly How To Experience Death For Beginners didn't hit the mark for me.

When Casey and her twin sister lose their father in a car accident when they are seven, their lives change forever... And not only in the most conventional way. Ever since seeing those final moments of her father, Casey somehow can enter the minds of people just before they die. She has isolated herself for years trying to protect herself and keep her from harm, but she might not have a choice when a serial killer makes her small town his hunting ground. And this situation might escalate faster than she would think...

I can't deny that the idea behind this story is fascinating and shows a lot of promise, but I don't think the execution lived up to expectations. The paranormal element of How To Experience Death For Beginners, by far the most interesting aspect of this story, lacked development for me as instead we get an uncomfortable mix of different and sometimes cliche elements that fail to combine into a coherent plot. The lack of credibility, the main characters, the way difficult topics were handled... Sadly this story just didn't work for me. (hide spoiler)]

P.S. Find more of my reviews here. ...more

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Dec 11, 2018 Ryan Burke rated it it was amazing

The following review contains no spoilers! :)

I started reading Jessica Branton's debut novel How To Experience Death for Beginners with no idea what the story was to be about, or where it might be headed, but I was pleasantly surprised with the direction it did take. Branton gives us a charming cast of teens living in small town Georgia and is careful to let each character define themselves by their own action (and inaction) rather than entirely letting Casey alone shape our perceptions of the r ...more

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Jan 12, 2019 Sarah rated it it was ok

Shelves: dnf

I was provided an ARC of this book by the publisher, which is the only reason I'm writing this review. I don't usually write reviews for books I didn't enjoy.

The promotional materials that accompanied this novel boasted that the book was written by the author when she was 14 years old, and boy howdy, does this book read like it was written by a 14-year-old. Despite the witty title, intriguing description, and professional cover art, the book is chock full of flat characters, dull dialogue, gram ...more

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Feb 12, 2019 allieereads rated it liked it

Shelves: crime-thriller, disappointing-reads, fantasy-supernatural, romance, young-adult, 3-star-books, 2019

review originally posted on my blog / allieereads.com

2.5 stars out of 5.

How to Experience Death for Beginners is a debut YA thriller which focuses on the psychic power of Casey Darling who is gifted (or cursed?) with the ability to witness and experience the deaths of those around her. When Casey begins to experience the horrifying and grisly deaths of people within her community, all murdered by the same person, she begins to suspect the existence of a serial killer. What follows is a disturbin ...more

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Mar 20, 2019 Cathrina rated it liked it

I was intrigued with the synopsis but I felt that there is something missing. This book has a lot of potential.

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Jan 24, 2019 Tracy rated it really liked it

Shelves: teen

Now I don't like scary movies or even most thrillers, but I read this with "screenplay" running through my thoughts and the unedited version showing at the back of my mind. Although I fell it was slightly simplified to reflect that, I really enjoyed this, liked the characters, and though the idea was sound. It says she has several more novels in the works, I look froward to them ;) ...more

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Jan 28, 2019 Alexx rated it it was ok

Shelves: january-2019-reads

Got a DRC of this book from Edelweiss! I saw the synopsis and I was really intrigued.

Reading this was frustrating for me. Don't get me wrong, I found the synopsis very interesting, and the story, despite being easy to predict, was also entertaining at the very least. What frustrated me is the execution of the story. The plot was all over the place and the writing style didn't communicate with me as a reader in any way. The characters were not gripping, they didn't pull the story forward for me. ...more

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Dec 03, 2018 Claire rated it it was amazing

I got an advanced review copy for my granddaughter and could not believe how good this book was. I do not read this genre, but I used to read adult thrillers and this was better than some of those. Definitely recommend for kids in high school. Very scary.

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Feb 22, 2019 Stephanie rated it did not like it

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This book sounded absolutely fascinating. The premise of it – the main character being able to enter the minds of someone before they’re killed or before they die. Then suddenly her small town has a serial killer and now the FBI is getting involved. Now, she needs to somehow convince them why she’s at the crime scene but not the murderer. There are definitely elements to this book that I absolutely enjoyed but the biggest issue for me was the choppy and immature writing Blog | YouTube | Instagram

This book sounded absolutely fascinating. The premise of it – the main character being able to enter the minds of someone before they’re killed or before they die. Then suddenly her small town has a serial killer and now the FBI is getting involved. Now, she needs to somehow convince them why she’s at the crime scene but not the murderer. There are definitely elements to this book that I absolutely enjoyed but the biggest issue for me was the choppy and immature writing.

I didn’t realize that this book was originally written by the author when she was only 14 so that definitely explains why the writing is inconsistent, choppy and overall, as stated, immature. However, the author is now in her 20s so that doesn’t explain why the writing wasn’t refined and edited to show a more mature writing and therefore, overall book.

There were so many times when I felt as if I, as a reader, was jerked back and forth that I had to go back and reread some pages or passages simply to figure out if I had accidentally misread or missed something but no. It was just the writing and the choppiness of it all that felt as if it was a literal cut from one scene to the next.

Another thing that I didn’t like so much was the dialogue but this was actually a part that I am conflicted because on one hand, the dialogue seemed very typical for a teenager. The things that they said or responded was very familiar to how my friends and I interacted when I, too, was 14 or 15 years old. So in that regard, it was very realistic. However, in a book, it made for choppy dialogue and that, in turn, made the plot also very scattered.

I also felt that the characters were underdeveloped at times and would have liked to know a little more about them especially the new boy and romantic interest.

The best part of the book was definitely the paranormal aspect but I also felt that it could have used some more developing and information.

Overall, for a 14 year old to write this book is very impressive but now that she’s an adult and is getting it published, I believe that this book needs to be edited immensely and rewritten to really make the book more compelling. ...more

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Dec 09, 2018 Jessica Brown rated it it was amazing

Written by the author when they were a teenager, I was fully prepared for it to be mediocre. But this book is incredibly well written for her age. The story is captivating, funny, heartbreaking, suspenseful and relevant, and the characters are well fleshed out and interesting. There’s a lot of realllyyy good quotable moments such as ‘I will not stand for this!’ ‘Then sit down.’
The book handles some sensitive topics, like self-harm, mental health, loss, and even homophobia in the Deep South reall ...more

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Nov 13, 2018 Nicole rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2018, arc, romance, paranormal, ya-lit

I received this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

This book could have definitely used another proof or two (or 20); there's grammar mistakes all over the place. It's kind of a hot mess, and not in a good way. There's just not enough substance to sustain it (or, to be completely honest, my attention). Also, naming three of your protagonists with names that begin with 'C' was kind of a mistake. Definitely could not keep them all straight. ...more

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Jan 31, 2019 Liz (Quirky Cat) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019-reads

3 1/2 stars

I received a copy of How to Experience Death for Beginners in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Jessica Branton is one of those authors where you just can’t help but be impressed by her age. She wrote How to Experience Death for Beginners when she was fourteen, though the novel is only getting published now.
How to Experience Death for Beginners follows a teenager named Casey. Like many teenagers she frequently feels overwhelmed with everything going on in her life. Unlike most 3 1/2 stars

I received a copy of How to Experience Death for Beginners in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Jessica Branton is one of those authors where you just can’t help but be impressed by her age. She wrote How to Experience Death for Beginners when she was fourteen, though the novel is only getting published now.
How to Experience Death for Beginners follows a teenager named Casey. Like many teenagers she frequently feels overwhelmed with everything going on in her life. Unlike most teenagers though, Casey has a gift, though I imagine it really feels more like a curse. Casey can experience the death of those around her. They don’t have to be particularly close – just being somebody she knew in passing or being physically nearby at the time of the death is enough to set off her sight.
This novel is all about Casey’s growing acceptance of the gift/curse she has. The novel is one part paranormal mystery and one part coming of age story. There’s a healthy dose of teen romance thrown in as well, and a disturbing killer to boot (which must be especially awful for Casey).

(view spoiler)[

Warnings: You’d probably imagine that for a concept like this that there would be a lot of graphic deaths involved. While there’s never any doubt about Casey experiencing a death, on the whole, the details are mercifully brief. However, one of the characters in How to Experience Death For Beginners is a cutter. The scenes aren’t graphic, but the injuries, blood, and techniques used for hiding the injuries do come up a lot.
How to Experience Death for Beginners was an interesting read and experience, no pun intended. It wasn’t like anything I’ve read before, which lately that feels like it’s becoming more and more of a challenge. I’m sure others feel the same way.
The core concept of this novel was something I’d never seen before. A clairvoyant whose experiences truly do feel more like a curse than a gift. And all because her gifts are linked to death. I can’t imagine how that would be especially upsetting as a child and young adult. Having to go through formative years with that knowledge…it would be a challenge, to put it lightly.
Casey’s character is a bit rough, but that feels right, in a way. She’s emotionally traumatized and scarred, so naturally, she’s done everything possible to close herself off from the world. Her friends are sometimes cute and endearing, and a shockingly good support system.
I want to give Jessica Branton credit for having written this novel when she was only fourteen. I couldn’t have done that. Heck, I still couldn’t do that now. It takes a lot of determination to actually sit down and write a complete novel. I’ve seen many many people give up during the process, so I always like reminding myself of the time and effort it takes.
Still, there were parts of this novel that were a little rough around the edges. Part of it was the writing. Part of it was the reactions to situations. Such as Casey’s friends reactions to her news, or Casey’s reactions to the self-harmer in her life.
I understand completely that she had no knowledge of the depth of the issues that go alongside self-harm, so I’m willing to overlook a lot of missteps that came up with how she handled that whole situation. But it took some effort, I’ll be honest (I blame my background in psychology for that, sorry!).
As far as debut novels go, this was an interesting one. I can see why it caught the attention of her publishers, and honestly do look forward to seeing what she comes out with next. My only hope would be that the next novel received a bit more polish.
(hide spoiler)]

For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks ...more

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Feb 13, 2019 Ruthsic rated it liked it

Shelves: contemporary, arcs, fantasy, romance, young-adult, debut-2019

Warnings: self-harm and suicide attempts, mention of domestic abuse, description of automobile accidents, physical assault, homophobia

How to Experience Death for Beginners was a different novel than I had imagined based on the blurb. It is, as promised, a mystery with a serial killer element, but it is more about a teen girl coming to a greater understanding of her clairvoyant powers. Casey can see and experience the moment when a person is dying, and since a decade, she has seen every kind of d Warnings: self-harm and suicide attempts, mention of domestic abuse, description of automobile accidents, physical assault, homophobia

How to Experience Death for Beginners was a different novel than I had imagined based on the blurb. It is, as promised, a mystery with a serial killer element, but it is more about a teen girl coming to a greater understanding of her clairvoyant powers. Casey can see and experience the moment when a person is dying, and since a decade, she has seen every kind of death around her, some of them familiar people, some not. Because of that, she is basically has closed herself off to letting people in, and only keeps a small group of friends at school. However, a new guy who is overtly friendly comes into town and her school, and this coincides with a string of murders that happen where she sees only the sharp blue eyes of the killer.

I liked some aspects of the book, like the mystery itself and the red herrings set up. It also gave that atmosphere, you know, of a small town rocked with murder. Additionally, the supernatural aspect was interesting, and as the book went on, there were intriguing additions to it. Casey's and Danny's friendship was a good part of the book, primarily because I was afraid it would turn into some sort of romantic-love-triangle (in both ways) but it didn't. Casey's reservations about people, particularly the aspects of her power that dictate why she doesn't befriend easily was also explained well. The dialogue writing has its cheesy moments and cliche lines, but holds up somewhat well for most of the book, but the flow of scenes could have been better.

However, a major flaw that I found with the book is that it raises topics and plot threads that it doesn't resolve well. The murder thing was concluded well enough, but there were so many other things going on which I initially thought would enrich the plot but fizzled out when the murder mystery took precedence towards the ending, and was wrapped off as if solving the murder just magically solved those issues, too. Cameron's self-harm habit was, first of all, not given its proper due; I also felt that the times he did that was leaning a bit too hard on the stereotype people have that it is done for attention. Never is it mentioned that therapy is on the table, even though his grandmother discusses his situation with Casey. Also, are we to assume that because the catalyst was removed, he just didn't feel the urge anymore? (Keep in mind, the reasons he gives to Casey don't match up)

Also, another thread it dropped was that of her sister, and her kinda going dark with that book towards the end. It was just left, and in the final chapter it is like she is all happy and well. Which also subtly ~kinda~ presented it like the two characters with mental health issues are now sort of okay because they are in happy relationships? I was also not happy with Danny being written as an 'aww all this this murder is ruining my fun', particularly when he was the only queer character and who also faces a random homophobic incident (that serves to establish another red herring) that no adults intervene in? Also, 'all adults are useless' is a trope that needs to die in contemporary mysteries, by the way.

Overall - I liked the concept and the central storyline, but there were some plot arcs that felt underutilized and rep that felt problematic.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Charlie's Port-FRINGE, via Edelweiss. ...more

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Feb 21, 2019 CR rated it liked it

This young adult novel about a girl named Casey who is is cursed with being a clairvoyant. Although I did enjoy this one I think that it would have made more sense for this one to be classified as a middle-grade novel vs. ya. It does touch on subjects such as abuse and suicide and I do have to say that the author did well with these topics. I think that the main character should have gone one step further than just telling the other character to promise not to do it again. Suicide and self-harm ...more

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Jan 24, 2019 Avery (Book Deviant) marked it as dnf

I tried to read this book, but I just really couldn't stand it. It was a very stereotypical YA read, and the amount of stereotypes it feel into was just too much to deal with. ("I let go a breath I didn't know I was holding" was said twice within 3 pages...) I really couldn't stand the protagonist, and the love interest was also not well developed--he was just shoved in and you were basically told "he's the love interest". The "experiencing death" visions were not explained at all either, and yo ...more

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Jan 24, 2019 Susan Mesler-Evans rated it did not like it

Shelves: arcs, kill-it-with-fire

NOTE: This book has not yet been released. I was given an advance reading copy by MindBuck Media in exchange for an honest review. This book will be out February 14, 2019. If you wish to send me an ARC, check out this page.

I really thought I would love this book. If you follow my reviews, then you know that I am all about thrillers and mysteries, and come on -- just look at that title! Unfortunately, though, this book was kind of a mess. The characters were unlikable and the mystery wasn't well- ...more

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Dec 22, 2018 Susan W rated it liked it

The YA crowd will love this. High schoolers in a small town and there is a killer on the loose. Casey has long been able to feel the last moments of the victims life, their joys, sorrows and regrets, which she has kept hidden from her friends and family. When sorrow gets too close to home, the police become interested in her, and life begins to spiral out of control. Thank you edelweiss for the advance copy.

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Feb 28, 2019 ♥ Kym rated it liked it

Looking at the blurb I thought the heroine possess #girlpower (figuratively), a badass, a lady boss who is the answer to all the unresolved cases of police enforcement, but then it’s not.

3stars

I received an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book from Edelweiss+ and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest book review.

I picked this book thinking it’s a romcom but when I get to read it, it’s actually dark and talks about a lot of death. The author was able to portray how flashbacks work – ...more

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Feb 01, 2019 Donna Huber rated it liked it

Shelves: for-review

I probably would have loved this story when I was a teenager, but as an adult I thought there was too much angst. I would have liked the plot to have been more focused, streamlined. The characters were interesting. Full review soon.

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Feb 03, 2019 Ryley (Ryley Reads) rated it it was ok

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, read-in-2019, received-for-review, standalone, thriller, young-adult-fiction, debut-novel, magic, mental-illness, social-and-world-issues

I'm not entirely sure what I expected when I picked this book up, but I'm not sure it was what I got. I know that sounds vague, and it is, but hear me out.

Thanks so much to Mindbuck Media and Edelweiss for providing me with an e-ARC for an honest review, as always, all opinions are my own.

**Please be aware of TRIGGER WARNINGS for cutting, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts as well as domestic abuse in this book. I will try to avoid discussing them in this review but please proceed with caution if I'm not entirely sure what I expected when I picked this book up, but I'm not sure it was what I got. I know that sounds vague, and it is, but hear me out.

Thanks so much to Mindbuck Media and Edelweiss for providing me with an e-ARC for an honest review, as always, all opinions are my own.

**Please be aware of TRIGGER WARNINGS for cutting, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts as well as domestic abuse in this book. I will try to avoid discussing them in this review but please proceed with caution if any of these triggers affect you.**

This story follows Casey, a teen who can enter the minds of people as they die and see their lives - including their greatest regrets. Ever since her father died ten years ago, Casey has been coping with her ability and taking care of her twin sister while their mother is barely capable of making ends meet. When Cameron, a mysterious boy from California shows up at her school, Casey is suspicious - she has never liked getting close to new people. Then her small Georgian town suddenly falls prey to a serial killer, Casey becomes the sole witness to the murders. But will the police believe her? And does Cameron's sudden appearance have anything to the murders?

I think the basis of this story has some good bones, but I think there are definitely some aspects that need work. The characters were a little flat to me and while we only had to deal with Casey's third-person POV, I felt like I barely knew anything about her, let alone the others. I enjoyed the dynamic between Casey and her best friend Danny but his being bisexual felt a little shoe-horned into the storyline. There was some chemistry between Cameron and Casey at the beginning but I felt like it fizzled out toward the end when things started to focus more on the murderer.

There were points in the story where I felt like I had missed a part of the story. Specifically, with the reasoning for Casey's ability, I felt like we got a two-second explanation that was not at all fleshed out and were told to accept it and move on. I understand why it was done that way because of previous events, but I still don't know if I believe or even understand why she has the abilities she does. Even smaller things, like Cameron's guilt and self-harm, seemed like they were barely explained and we as the reader are just supposed to accept that and keep reading.

Ultimately, I think what happened here was Branton was too ambitious with the scope of the book. She wanted to write a fast-paced thriller and a deeply-emotionally involved contemporary in the same book and it just doesn't work. In the end, both aspects suffered.

Overall, this book might work for younger audiences who are enthralled by the small-town serial killer vibe, but for me, it was a miss. ...more

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Jan 25, 2019 Kayla Whitter rated it it was ok

*Original review posted at apaperarrow.com

(I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are totally my own.)

Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt: A book about someone with a superpower

TW: Serial killer, light gore

Jessica Branton was only 14 when she wrote How To Experience Death for Beginners, and for a 14 year old, the book is strong. However after somewhere around 10 years, I would have presumed meticulous editing would have taken place to update the novel *Original review posted at apaperarrow.com

(I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are totally my own.)

Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt: A book about someone with a superpower

TW: Serial killer, light gore

Jessica Branton was only 14 when she wrote How To Experience Death for Beginners, and for a 14 year old, the book is strong. However after somewhere around 10 years, I would have presumed meticulous editing would have taken place to update the novel. The plot is fantastic. I actually really enjoyed the story itself. The reveal is just slightly twisty and a bit too early in the book for my liking, but high-quality nonetheless. But the writing seems like the writing of a 14 year old - impressive for its age, but scattered, underwhelming, inconsistent, and juvenile.

I love YA stories and this has the potential to be great, but publishing a book written at 14 as a 20-something should include some kind of update, not necessarily to the storyline (again, I enjoyed the actual story very much), but to the writing, to the dialogue. The inconsistencies and scattered story made the plot difficult to follow at times and I would flip several pages back to see if I missed something and in most cases, I hadn’t. But let’s hop into the plot really quick.

The story follows 17 year old Casey, who at 7, witnesses her father’s death through his eyes as a vision. Those visions continue to happen throughout the next 10 years, not only for close friends and family, but geographically close folks. So when a serial killer shows up in the small Georgia town Casey lives in, the visions become increasingly more violent until Casey herself becomes a suspect.

See? Great plot. YA crime thriller with some supernatural powers thrown in? Yes, please. Another appeal is the real small-town that’s fairly close and familiar to me, which was a truly fun connection.

"This lying game was twisted and dangerous." - Jessica Branton, How to Experience Death for Beginners

And even though there is teenage love central to the plot, it doesn’t overrun the story but kind of ties it all together. Plus, there’s an LGBTQIA+ character, which is always appealing.

Overall, I was disappointed with the book for the reasons listed above. I just felt the super young writing was not quite right for this YA thriller, the inconsistencies and scatteredness were too common throughout the novel, and the dialogue was rough to get through. There were a couple of small plot holes and answers left unanswered, and the character development was really lacking for most of the characters. I’d truly love to read an updated version of this book that’s a combo of teenage Branton and adult Branton to bring together such an exciting plot with a more consistent form of storytelling. ...more

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Mar 09, 2019 Kerri rated it did not like it

Shelves: shelf-of-shame-dnf

DNF at 27%
TRIGGER WARNING FOR ON PAGE SELF HARM
I typically give books about 25% to hook me, and while the premise of this book definitely still intrigues me should it be done well, this rendition unfortunately did not deliver.
I was shocked at how young the writing sounded until I found out that the author wrote this book at 14 years old. While totally commendable to write a book at 14, it should've gotten a huge re-write prior to publication.
A 14 year old writing a 17 year old just made everyth ...more

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May 26, 2019 Miko Wollner rated it did not like it

I chose to read this book purely from its name, which is a mistake I wholeheartedly regret. I acknowledge that my lack of enjoyment is mostly due to my fault, but there is also a reason this book isn't top-rated. It's chock full of flat characters, dull dialogue, and every cliche in the book. I later learned that it was written when the author was 14 and although that should sound impressive, this book should have seen the light of day. Every character acts like their 14, and most don't even hav ...more

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Feb 08, 2019 Becky Price rated it did not like it

Shelves: did-not-finish

I had SO many problems with this book. My biggest problem with the book was that I felt like it helps perpetuate that idea that unhealthy relationships are ok. We also have quite a few characters who are dealing with some mental health struggles and this book never mentions getting them the help they need. I felt like all the issues were glossed over and just accepted as the norm when these characters needed help. I feel like the author had a pretty big opportunity to smash negative stereotypes ...more

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Mar 16, 2019

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Feb 05, 2019

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About Jessica Branton

Jessica Branton

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Hello all! I am currently a graduate student at Georgia Southern, but before that I attended the University of Georgia. I love writing and have a book coming out February 14, 2019. I wrote that book, titled How to Experience Death for Beginners, when I was 14. I love writing and I hope you all enjoy what I have to offer.

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