Why did this book title make me think of the LeBlanc fam?

Read by 04 Jun 20241-next-month arcs lgbt31 s2 comments Rebekah415 25

1 Sentence Summary: The Welcome Back ceremony happens once every ten years in the small town of Lennon, California, where the winner of a lottery can pick one person to bring back from the dead for 30 days; Wilson, Ryan, and Annie used to be best friends until one year ago, when both Annie and Ryan stopped talking to Wilson and then Annie died, so when Wilson unexpectedly wins Welcome Back and chooses to resurrect Annie, it’s the perfect opportunity to put an end to her loneliness and fix their friendship.

My Thoughts: I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but this was so good!! The Welcome Back thing is a really cool and creative concept. And I loved Lennon! Such a fun little town. The main focus of the story isn’t really on the weird magical stuff; it’s more of a coming-of-age focusing on friendships and relationships.

So, what genre even is this? Goodreads says fantasy but it’s not really fantasy. It’s more on the side of magical realism, though I don’t think it’s exactly that either. Speculative contemporary? Idk.

I fell in love with Wilson from the very first page. She is such a great, well developed character, and I loved being in her head and seeing how much she grew over the course of the book. Her emotions shone through the writing so well; I could empathize with her loneliness and feeling left out and being scared of things changing.

All the relationships between the characters were so complex and well written. The dynamic between Wilson, Ryan, & Annie was so fascinating. As well as Wilson’s family situation, especially her relationship with her mom.

This was a highly enjoyable and unputdownable read. (I told myself I was just going to read for a few minutes before bed and then it was too good and I couldn’t stop, and I finally went to bed at 2 in the morning oops.) Such a well written novel. The writing style was great and everything felt so real; emotions and interactions were captured perfectly.

Minus 1 star because Mark deserved better, and Ryan was so mean to Wilson.

ALSO, THE ENDING?!?! I’m extremely confused?? In a good way?!?!

Recommend to: People who enjoy complicated friendships, strange small towns, and speculative contemporary fiction.

(Warnings: swearing; death)

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thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest reviewarcs lgbtq-diversity miraculous-magical-realism ...more16 s Alaina6,601 214

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I AM SO FREAKING CONFUSED WITH HOW THIS ENDED. AM I HAPPY? YES. DO I HAVE UNANSWERED QUESTIONS? ALSO, YES.

Okay, enough with the yelling because this book started off me wondering what the hell is going on. To it actually ending with me wondering what the hell is going on. Consistent and casually leaving me confused. Which, sure, annoys the living crap out of me but I am really happy that we got so much information towards the end of the book.

Adults were starting to adult. Secrets came out and everyone knows the truth (somewhat). Crushes crashed and burned - well, some soared. Either way, I enjoyed the heck out of getting to know Wilson, Annie and Ryan. Heck, please give me more Mark. He was hilarious from start to finish and beyond adorable. Also, can I please try these amazing hot chocolate bombs?!?!

In the end, Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet had it's cute and swoon worthy moments. I also thought the whole idea of reconnecting with someone who has previously died was an interesting storyline. Cheers to the friendships in life (and death).2024 2024-arcs contemporary ...more7 s Mia2,430 956

I enjoyed this book and for the most part I was hooked. The writing style and the characters were interesting, but it just dragged out a bit much for me.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.arc5 s Meredith348

So I finished this book a few hours ago and am still thinking about it… highly recommend this YA book.


First off, huge thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this. I’m going to be 100% honest- I wasn’t sure I d it until I d it… if that makes sense. I loved the premise- I want more books about Lennon, CA. It was very teen angsty and left me with a lot of unanswered questions… but I think that was the point. Very well written and while at times I had to stop reading because the teen angst was too much, I always picked the book back up. It moves slowly at times and is rushed at times, but again I think that was the point. 4/5??4 s Erin Clemence1,235 368

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

Expected publication date: June 4, 2024

Every ten years in Lennon, California, someone comes back from the dead. Wilson Moss is surprised when her best friend, Annie LeBlanc, is the one chosen to return. The rules state that the dead can only come back for thirty days, so Wilson has to use her time wisely and she has the perfect plan- reunite her two best friends, Ryan and Annie, and live the next thirty days they used to, when everyone got along. It isn’t as easy as it seems though, as Wilson soon finds out, and as the past literally comes back to haunt her, Wilson runs the risk of losing everyone she loves.

Molly Morris’ new novel, “Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet”, is quirky, unique and delightful. Narrated by Wilson as she counts down the days until Annie is dead (again), while dealing with the typical teenage angst and fears of the future, Morris’ story is modern and relevant. Wilson and her friends face adulthood while trying to rekindle the past and what develops is funny, emotional and entertaining!

Wilson’s family is blended, with a half-sister, a single mother and a whole lot of love, and she struggles with identifying her sexuality, which will definitely find the right following with young adult readers.

There are so many questions when thinking about a temporary return from the dead but somehow Morris ensures that there are no gaps or holes in her flowing plot. A situation that didn’t make sense actually made sense in Morris’ hands, and that speaks to the high calibre talent of the author, to be sure.

“Annie LeBlanc” is Morris’ second novel (her first one, “This is Not the End” came out in 2022) but this was my first experience and I’m an instant fan of Morris’ writing style, relatable characters and creativity. I will be keeping an eye out for future works from Morris. first-reads kindle3 s Frank Socha (franksforeword)191 98

A quaint, small town who has a tradition that brings back one of the dead for 30 days?? I AM THE MOST SOLD!

That in itself was one of my favorite parts about his book! Do we know much of how it works? No. But that’s the fun in it! It’s a mystery, one that we know the town uppers have a little knowledge on, but as far as we know, a winner is chosen and than BOOM, their pick is brought back to life and just shows up on a bus being “hey fam.” It presents this sorta spooky atmosphere amidst this tiny town which is an absolute mood!

It’s the drama for me mama. There is TEA in this little friend group. Which plays into the “second-chance” trope in this one. Wilson, Annie, and Ryan used to be the best of friends and it all fell apart when Annie transferred schools. Now that she’s back, the three have a chance to rehash their friendship and….girrrrrl it’s gonna take a minute. One of them hates them both. One just acts nothing happened. And the other just wants her friends back. So yeah, the tea do he HOT! But it kept me WELL invested with the happenings of this trio, which made me very much a fan of these characters! Especially Wilson! Such a well-freaking done character!

I don’t want to give too much away, but there is this sort of mission involved with the plot. Couple that with Molly’s writing style and it becomes a book you wanna keep picking back up the moment you put it down! I mentioned I was invested in this trio, but quite honestly I was just invested in the whole book! It became addictive, watching these friends try to revive the holy trinity (while one of them only has 30 days back in the land of the living) alongside the side quest Wilson is on. It’s just so immersive!

But also, justice for Mark! Sweet little nugget! 2024 arcs queer7 s Shannon5,654 318

A queer Sapphic YA romance that sounded really interesting but sadly fell flat for me. I listened to this one on audio and just could not find myself interested in any of the characters or storyline even though I d the narration by Georgina Sadler. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review. Fans of authors Jennifer Dugan might enjoy this one more than I did.lgbtqia netgalley-arc ya-fiction3 s Emily | bookwhispererem120 7

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