UNDEAD GIRL GANG
BY Lily Anderson
FORMAT // HARDCOVER, 305 PAGES
PUBLICATION DATE // May 8th, 2018
PUBLISHED BY // RAZORBILL
SYNOPSIS //
Mila Flores and her best friend Riley have always been inseparable. There’s not much excitement in their small town of Cross Creek, so Mila and Riley make their own fun, devoting most of their time to Riley’s favorite activity: amateur witchcraft.
So when Riley and two Fairmont Academy mean girls die under suspicious circumstances, Mila refuses to believe everyone’s explanation that her BFF was involved in a suicide pact. Instead, armed with a tube of lip gloss and an ancient grimoire, Mila does the unthinkable to uncover the truth: she brings the girls back to life.
Unfortunately, Riley, June, and Dayton have no recollection of their murders, but they do have unfinished business to attend to. Now, with only seven days until the spell wears off and the girls return to their graves, Mila must wrangle the distracted group of undead teens and work fast to discover their murderer…before the killer strikes again.
REVIEW//
Okay, I’m going to be honest: I read this book 60% because of the cover. I am so charmed by the jean jacket + pin combination. If the cover isn’t enough to convince you to read this book, maybe the fact that this is literally a story about an amateur witch bringing back her friend from the dead to find out who killed her will.
That said, I think the real charm of this story is in the characters and their developing relationships. The main character Mila Flores was so relatable for me. She was snarky, but had a lot of heart, and that is a winning pair in my book. She is an amateur witch who doesn’t really believe in her powers until she happens to bring back Riley, her best and only friend, back from the dead. It was really great to see Mila grow and learn to believe in herself. It was also refreshing to read a story about a fat girl that isn’t about her being fat or struggling with her self-worth because of her body. Well done, Lily Anderson. While the girls didn’t all get along during life, the undead girl gang they form is truly magical. June and Dayton, the two other girls who died and came back to life around the same time as Riley, wiggle their way into Mila and Riley’s hearts, and ultimately found their way into mine too.
The story was really fun and had me laughing out loud at multiple moments. It takes place over the course of one week, which made the pacing just fast enough without feeling too rushed.
All of the witchy elements created a great atmospheric backdrop for the story. It was ultimately so enjoyable, despite dealing with themes around loss, grief, and bullying. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys fairly lighthearted friendship-driven stories, revenge plots, and magic.
p.s.: I listened to this via audiobook, and I would definitely recommend that! It is narrated by Rebecca Soler and she is wonderful.
Overall rating: 4 out of 5 stars
GOODREADS // AMAZON // BORROW FROM YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY
