Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Hereafter by Tara Hudson
Release Date –  June 7, 2011
Publisher Website –  HarperCollins
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader
Pages -  404 pages
My Rating- 8/10
**Obtained from the library**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

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.

Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, Hereafter is a sensation you won't want to miss.

We meet Amelia as she is reliving her death. Her drowning in a river is chillingly described.. It’s horrifying, intense and immediately draws you into the story. Hereafter keeps you drawn in and makes you fall for it’s heroine.

The writing’s pace was maybe a little on the slower side, but the story and characters kept my interest. The characters are what really stand out in the novel, especially Amelia.

Amelia, the ghost who just wants answers, won me over almost immediately.  She doesn’t remember much of her life or death. She’s protective of those she loves, forgiving, and determined. She really struggles with who she was, who she currently is as a ghost and what that means for her future. Most teenagers (and former teenagers) can relate to this. When you hit that cusp of adulthood you really do start to think about what you were like, who you are now, and what you want to be in the future. Amelia’s worries are of a most spooky variety as she wonders what her ghost nature is and what she is meant to be doing.

Joshua..swoon! He is up there on my book boyfriend list. He is really sweet. His connection with Amelia is  a little quick, it’s more of a bond made during intense circumstances so I was ok with it. It grows into more, and you really want them to be together. The actual heat and sparks between them is deliciously sexy.

Eli is another ghost who is determined to have Amelia for himself. He's super possessive, and does not care what he has to do in order to make Amelia his. He is so wonderfully complex. Usually villains of this nature tend to be very one dimensional but Eli is anything but usual. He is evil, but there is a sadness there. Underneath it all he has his own twisted reasons for doing everything,. At times you (and Amelia) start to feel a little sorry for him…right up until he does something awful again.

Those who scream at cliffhanger endings will be happy to know that while Tara leaves enough plot unresolved to make you want to grab for the sequel the ending provides enough resolution. It's an ending that while not suitable ending to Amelia and Joshua’s story is more than satisfying as an ending to part one of it.