Title: Wherever You Go
Author: Heather Davis
Genre: Young Adult/Romance/Drama/Supernatural
Publisher: Harcourt Children’s Books
Release Date: 14 November 2011
Summary:
Seventeen year old Holly Mullen has felt lost and lonely ever since her boyfriend, Rob, died in a tragic accident. But she has no idea that as she goes about her days, Rob’s ghost is watching over her. He isn’t happy when he sees his best friend, Jason, trying to get close to Holly – but as a ghost, he can do nothing to stop it. As their uncertain new relationship progresses, the past comes back to haunt Holly and Jason. Her Alzheimer’s-stricken grandfather claims to be communicating with the ghost of Rob. Could the messages he has for Holly be real? And if so, how can the loved ones Rob left behind help his tortured soul make it to the other side?
My Review:
Teenage relationships are complicated. You think your boyfriend is the love of your life and that you’ll be together for ever. Imagine yourself as Holly Mullen then, as she tries to cope in the aftermath of the love of her life – Rob – dying in a tragic accident. Imagine, also, having to deal with looking after not only your nine year old sister, as your mother works all the hours God sends in two jobs to make ends meet; but also your elderly grandfather who is suffering from Alzheimers. A grandfather who claims to be communicating with Rob on a day today basis. Life for Holly is more than complicated.
This story comes with its fair share of emotional baggage, but that is not a bad thing. If anything, it adds to what can only be described as a beautifully tragic tale of love, loss and recovery. You can’t help but feel for Holly as she struggles with her day to day life of grieving, coping and learning to love again. The dynamics between her and Jason as well as with her grandfather are powerful and emotional and draws you in, to what I found to be, a unique telling of a love story with a twist.
Particularly enjoyable, is the way this book is written. Told in three POVs – that of Holly, Rob and Jason –I found the method of writing Heather uses to differentiate between each character to be original and unique. And whilst at points I found myself frustrated with Rob, throughout his POV I was willing for him to have the closure he so desperately wanted.
Heartwarming yet bittersweet, Wherever You Go is a book that tugs at your heart strings, yet leaves you with a sense of warmth and contentment. And with a conclusion that even made me, quite a hardened reader, tear up; it’s definitely a story that I would read and re-read for many, many months.
