Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey

Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey
Release Date – September 20, 2011
Publisher – HarperCollins
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 336
My Rating- 8/10

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

When her boyfriend, Danny, is killed in a car accident, Wren can’t imagine living without him. Wild with grief, she uses the untamed powers she’s inherited to bring him back. But the Danny who returns is just a shell of the boy she once loved.

Wren has spent four months keeping Danny hidden, while her life slowly unravels around her. Then Gabriel DeMarnes transfers to her school and somehow, inexplicably, he can sense her secret. Wren finds herself drawn to Gabriel, who is so much more alive than the ghost of the boy she loved. But Wren can’t turn her back on Danny or the choice she made for him—and she realizes she must find a way to make things right, even if it means breaking her own heart.

How would I describe Cold Kiss? It’s a relatable, haunting story that just happens to involve zombies. Those of you wanting to experience flesh eating and terror may want to skip this one. If you’re looking for a heart pulling, emotionally satisfying read that has shades of reality even with the paranormal aspects than Cold Kiss is for you.

Wren is a typical teenage girl…well except for the fact that she has powers. It was refreshing to see just a normal high school girl. She had normal high school girl issues. She was very relatable as a result. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. Her boyfriend dies, she brings him back and is now having to deal with the consequences. Add this to a new boy in school that confuses her and she’s easy to root for. You want her to experience some happiness. Her grief, guilt, confusion and sadness is all very apparent, and as a reader you feel it.

Gabriel was very sweet. He pushed Wren without being obnoxious about it. I loved that he was willing to help her with Danny, even though he has a crush on Wren. He was the type of guy you can lean on, which is exactly what Wren needed at the time.

If you take away the paranormal aspect the story is one that people can really relate to. A girl loves a boy, the boy dies, and she is filled with grief. So much grief that he haunts her, the event changes her, and she doesn’t see a way out. She meets a new boy. This boy is kind, patient and willing to help her through the process of moving forward. The girl ultimately has to “bury” the past and come to terms with the loss of the first boy on her own and can eventually move on. I loved that the author decided to make Danny physically there, instead of just the “elephant in the room”.

The “sub-plot” of Wren’s powers and her family was interesting. Again, while it dealt with paranormal elements the core of very real: a family with secrets that doesn’t want to talk about the secret. Her mother wishes to not talk about Wren’s father, or the powers the females in the family have. The story shows that in a lot of cases not talking about it is even more detrimental than discussing it. Wren needed help, and support from people who knew what she was going through, and it lead to the situation of her bringing Danny back after the accident.

The ending is bittersweet. I felt both sad and hopeful. If you are looking for a quieter, but emotionally impacting read this will certainly satisfy.